Match of the Day - The match that really started it all!

Tito Santana vs. The Executioner - WrestleMania I (1985)

What better way to open WrassleMania week than with the match that started it all. I'm not talking that Hulk Hogan and Mr. T/Rowdy Roddy piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff match - uh uh -I'm talking Chico Santana versus The Executioner! The first ever WrestleMania match!

Any smart mark will tell you that this bout between the masked and very unknown Executioner (not to be confused with Terry Gordy's Executioner) and Tito Santana was really what started "the Grandest Stage of Them All", making it more than just "the Okay Stage for Some".

Don't believe me? Just listen to comments that these two athletes were echoing through Madison Square Garden at each other that night! 

Tito Santana would go on to wrestle in the next seven WM's until WM IX when he competed in the dark match before the show.

Theme results:

Wrestlemania: WMI

Match of the Day - First ever match at Royal Rumble

In honor of Royal Rumble weekend, the next couple of days will be Royal Rumble related:

Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude - WWF Royal Rumble (1988)

Part 1

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and "Ravishing" Rick Rude and their epic battle here has the distinctive honor of being the first match at the first Royal Rumble in 1988.

And by epic battle, I mean long of course...

Part 2

This match is probably remembered most as that match where Ricky Steamboat forgets to keep his arm up after the two previous arm drops to check if he had passed out from Rude's Camel Clutch-type submission hold or not. Some say it was the ref, Dave Hebner's fault for this seemingly botched count as well, but as it is clear that Steamboat was not unconscious and quickly raises his arm on the fourth try it sure looks as if Steamboat may have just forgotten which arm drop he was on.

Part 3

The match ends with Rick Rude shoving Dave Hebner in the way causing Hebner to receive Steamboat's flying crossbody which led to Rude's disqualification.

Directly after this match was the Dino Bravo segment where he "breaks" a world record by bench pressing 715 pounds thanks to Jesse Ventura. Yes, Jesse "The Body" Ventura.