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Wrestlemania 3 The can am connection v don Muraco & Bob orton Don Muraco became the first man to open two Wrestlemania’s with this match, and it was again a foretaste of vengeance for later on in the card, as it was Orton and Muraco who had helped Adrian Adonis attack Roddy Piper setting up that match for Wrestlemania III. The Can Am Connection were a pretty hot young team at the time. Tom Zenk and Rick Martel were a good pick for future champions and, although that tandem wouldn’t win tag gold (Tom Zenk left the WWF that Summer), Martel would go on to win the titles alongside Tito Santana as Strike Force. Again, this match has respected veterans, working with gifted highfliers to put on a great opening bout
Wrestlemania 4 Battle royal The first battle royal to open a Wrestlemania, this had two real aims. Firstly, as the main bulk of the card was taken up with the tournament for the world title, this had the effect of giving the remainder of the roster an opportunity to be on the show. It was also, as Bret Hart states in his book, the first of many a promised push for the Hitman as he ended the match by turning face, beating up the battle royal’s winner Bad News Brown with the trophy. (Although this particular singles push wouldn’t transpire, it was a nice taster of things to come).
Wrestlemania 5 hercules v king haku At this time, the WWF had a lot of feuds going on. Up and down the card, feuds were occurring, from the main event ‘Megapowers’ feud, to the midcard feuds such as Jake Roberts and Andre the Giant, or Demolition and the Powers of Pain. So it was only appropriate that a feud opened the show. Hercules Hernandez had been a longtime heel under the tutelage of Bobby Heenan for some time, until the previous year, when Heenan sold him to the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase. Hercules went on to have a feud with Dibiase, and Wrestlemania was the time to turn his quest for revenge on Heenan and his charge. Meanwhile, Haku had gained the ‘King’ moniker from Harley Race, after Race sustained an injury. The newly revitalised solo career of Haku was on the rise, and this feud was a chance to give both men a push.
worldwide wrestling magazine 7