9 Significant moments that led to WWE becoming the global phenomenon in sports entertainment

#5 WrestleMania 1

Hulk Hogan and Mr T!

There's always been plenty of hype in pro-wrestling, but one thing that isn't so much hype as fact is that WrestleMania is the "Granddaddy Of Them All."

It began in 1985, as Vince rolled the dice and put his large grapefruits on the line. Thankfully for Vince, it worked, as many insiders claim that had it not worked, the WWF would have gone bankrupt. Featuring the main event of Hulk Hogan and A-Team's Mr. T against Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, the event also featured numerous celebrities, including special enforcer, Muhammed Ali.

From there, WrestleMania was the biggest show in the business, the event to which all wrestlers strive to be a part of. It also rang an early death knell for numerous wrestling promoters around the country, who had hoped that WrestleMania would be a flop. When it didn't, many of these once great territories began to feel the pressure and would go out of business within the next few years.