4. WrestleMania 2 Was Shown in the Summer of 1986 on Showtime
In an odd turn of events, if you turned on the cable network Showtime in the summer of 1986, you may have seen Roddy Piper or The British Bulldogs on your screen.
The WWF and the cable company, who at the time was busy chasing HBO for viewers, had a deal in place to show a condensed version of WrestleMania that summer, one that lasted approximately two hours.
The cut down version led to some head scratching if you hadn’t already seen the event, including cutting down matches like Hercules Hernandez and Ricky Steamboat, and totally chopping up the awful 3 minute match that was second on the card in Los Angeles featuring Adrian Adonis and Uncle Elmer.
It’s unknown what type of numbers Mania on Showtime ever got, but it was the one and only time that a WrestleMania was ever shown on a cable network, and now with the WWE Network in place, having a Mania on a cable network ever again seems basically impossible.
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Robert
April 7, 2021 at 2:21 pm
On the poster for wrestlemania 2 that you posted they have a picture of Pat Patterson but its has him named as Don Muraco.😂
Supermutant2099
February 3, 2022 at 8:31 pm
I actually knew this because I had 2 record from Showtime. I accidentally recorded over it but still had a little bit with showtime symbol on it.