Whatever Happened to the Classic Superstars of WrestleMania?
Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, professional wrestling maintained a place in pop culture comparable to boxing, drawing crowds of men ready to watch bruisers battle it out in dark, smoke-filled arenas. That all changed when Vince McMahon Jr. purchased the World Wide Wrestling Federation from his father, dropped a “W” (see you later, “wide”) and transformed the WWF (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment) from a New York-area business to a national powerhouse.
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Even with wrestling’s syndication in most of the country and growing coast-to-coast popularity, McMahon knew he needed something more: a huge showcase event that would get the world’s attention. That event came on March 31, 1985, in the most famous arena in the world, New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The event, a marriage of pro wrestling and celebrity glitz and glamour broadcast throughout the country on closed-circuit TV, was WrestleMania, and sports-entertainment would never be the same.
While WrestleMania boasted a full card of matches featuring the WWF’s top stars, it was largely sold on the appeal of the main event — a tag team challenge featuring WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan and The A-Team star Mr. T against the nefarious duo of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. So, where are they now? Let’s check in!
Hulk Hogan (70)
Will Hart/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
With his humongous biceps (he called his arms “24-inch pythons”), his over-the-top personality and his credo to “train, say your prayers and take your vitamins,” Hulk Hogan burst upon the WWF and heralded a new family-friendly era of pro wrestling. It was a given that he’d headline the first WrestleMania, propelling wrestling (and him along with it) to unheard-of mainstream popularity.
While Hogan wrestled well into the 2000s, his place in pop culture has only grown, both in positive (his VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best was a hit for several years) and negative (a 2012 sex tape scandal severely impacted his reputation for some time) ways. With his new beer brand “Real American Beer” and a highly publicized appearance at the recent Republican National Convention, “the Hulkster” is still in the public eye today.
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper (d. 2015)
One of the most unpredictable and charismatic performers in pro wrestling history, “the Rowdy One” was the Joker to Hulk Hogan’s Batman — the ultimate thorn in our hero’s side. From beating up smaller opponents to cracking Fiji-born wrestler Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka over the head with a coconut on TV, you never knew what Piper would do next — and neither did Hogan. With so much steam behind wrestling’s most heated rivalry, it was inevitable that these two rivals would clash at WrestleMania in a main event that etched its place in history.
Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
As despicable as his actions were, Piper’s charisma was even more overwhelming, as he found himself one of pro wrestling’s most popular stars in the years to come. Over the next 20 years, he continued to do battle with wrestling’s finest while simultaneously carving out a path in Hollywood (roles in John Carpenter’s They Live and Hell Comes to Frogtown, and a guest spot on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, stand the test of time). Piper passed away in July 2015, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of wrestling and movie fans alike.
Mr. T (72)
Gene Trindl/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection; Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Skechers
Despite making his name as an actor, Mr. T’s larger-than-life persona was tailor-made for pro wrestling. Along with his unmistakable look (mohawk and gold chains aplenty), intense demeanor and “I pity the fool” catchphrase, his swagger and bodybuilder’s physique made him the perfect candidate to enter the WWF ring wars as Hogan’s all-star WrestleMania partner (especially since they both appeared in Rocky III as opponents of the titular main character).
While Mr. T is largely out of the public eye these days, his role in the enormous crossover success of ’Mania continues to be celebrated, leading to his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.
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Remind World Wrestling Entertainment
In 1985, McMahon took the ultimate chance: taking out an additional mortgage on his home to create the budget needed to pull off WrestleMania. The risk paid off, as a sold-out Madison Square Garden ushered in a new era of prosperity for the company. After a decades-long journey from regional sensation to publicly traded global powerhouse, the WWE was purchased by the TKO Group (which also owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship) last year, cementing its place as one of the top entertainment companies on the planet.
Remind 
’80s Where Are They Now
March 2023
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘80s? See what your favs are up to now!
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