Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper

[0.0] "A complete mess of match, I'm here to rate wrestling matches, not boxing, I know it's Mr. T and Roddy Piper but the match sucked and was a mess because it's a complete different sport, for the time it was maybe okay, but this aged like milk for the present day, 0/10 [DUD]"

[0.0] "[True Rating -8/10] They really had a WrestleMania main event that was a fake boxing match that ended in a DQ? I just can't even with this. It is just straight up awful from top to bottom. The fighting looked awful like I'm watching a low budget Rocky movie, the fight goes on for 4 rounds so it feels like it goes on for an eternity. The commentary is terrible. Absolutely nothing about this even functions as an actual match. To top it off, the crowd are clearly cheering for the heel Roddy Piper, who to be fair is trying to draw heat with his underhanded tactics as well as slamming Mr. T, which mercifully put this nightmare to an end. I really wish we could do negative ratings on this site as 0/10 is far too generous for a match like this."

[1.0] "Awful fake boxing match, made only tolerable by the unintentional comedy on display. Why did Vince think a DQ is a good finish to thismatch?"

[0.0] "This was horrible. What was WWE thinking at this point. A boxing match at WrestleMania! I think that is so stupid. And this was before triple H even got involved. Wwe should be ashamed for doing this match at WrestleMania. I think the best thing was Herb. I know it sounds stupid. But it was. Rating: -*****"

[1.0] "Well I don't watch boxing so I don't even know what a good boxing match is. For a wrestling match though it's a stinker :) , Piper's charisma gives it it's only point."

[2.0] "This is not a wrestling match, but even as a boxing match, this stunk ass. Boring as all hell and mostly hugging like Paul/Mayweather. Couldn't have even tried to make it feel like a real fight. Only reason this isn't a DUD is because of the fourth round when they were taking turns just taking direct head shots that was kinda hard for a second. *"

[0.0] "This isn't a wrestling match and I'm on a site for reviewing wrestling matches. What else would I give this, but a zero?"

[4.0] "A rather unusual experience and a continuation of the working with pop culture of the time. The fight felt fake, and Mr. T's win by disqualification, in my opinion, cheapened it a bit (though it did protect Roddy's character, who had an impressive undefeated streak), but it was a long-awaited clash with a big-event vibe between two opponents who genuinely disliked each other, which had been anticipated for a year, and for that reason alone I can't agree with the thesis that it was one of the worst matches of all time. Peculiar, strange, but with its own charm."

[1.0] "Fake boxing match ending in a DQ is insane. I'll give it a one instead of zero cause I did laugh a few times"

[0.0] "The introduction of Joan Rivers, Darryl Dawkins, Cab Calloway, G. Gordon Liddy, and Herb from Burger King as guest celebrities gave me a flashback to the fanfare of the first WrestleMania's trainwreck of a main event. I knew even going into this that it was going to be an unpleasant affair. The biggest gripe many people give for this match is "Why is there a boxing match at a pro wrestling event? ", but I'm willing to suspend my disbelief and grade this without focusing on how out-of-place it is at WrestleMania. Trouble is, of course, you can't treat boxing like pro wrestling and have people be careful about their blows and have a fixed ending or else it's going to smell fishy. Case in point, they couldn't risk either man getting a knockout before the planned ending. So they held back their blows and it felt weak as a result. Mr. T getting back up after being knocked down also wasn't very convincing, seeming more like he had gotten up and was waiting until a certain number to get back up. The dirty play in between the rounds was also annoying and would have greater consequences in a legit boxing match. At least Roddy is selling like he's actually hurt and dazed, Mr. T just seems to be gassed by the third round and more tired than actually wounded. Also, it's nuts that Piper pelting a stool at Mr. T wasn't a DQ. The body slam finish was, of course, the most controversial part of the match, feeling forced with the reasoning Vince McMahon gave on commentary sucking as well. It really was a tiresome endeavor all around that dragged on for way too long. Even as far as boxing goes, this bout stunk. [0/10]"

[2.0] "It's not a good match even in terms of boxing. Far exceptions from wrestling style on a wrestling show always intrigued me."

[4.0] "I mean, I probably shouldn't be giving a rating to this, because it's so different and unusual to everything that pro-wrestling provides, but I like to document the matches I watch, so here it is. I really don't think this is so disgusting and an all-time bad match like a lot of people, it's obvious that worked boxing matches are pretty lame, except if you're Andy Kaufman, it's not a good form of entertainment overall, but there were some entertaining segments in this match, like the ending, with Piper getting pissed off, knocking out the referee and giving Mr. T a bodyslam, I've genuinely laughed at that, and this was the purpose. I understand why many people think that pretending to box is so stupid, but the concept here is pretty much the same of wrestling, trying to make it look real, and honestly, with what they were giving, they did a good job. Round 1 was extremely equal, then Piper dominated the match on Round 2, even knocking down T, but Mr. T managed to recover and knocked Piper two times on Round 3. Piper's subtle heel works were very interesting, and the battle of punches on Round 4, without guard, showed how much the match escalated, there were a lot of alleged shoots here as well, like Piper throwing the chair on Mr. T, and some other stuff, because they really hated each other, this is without a doubt a match with many stories behind it. For all of the controversy and backlash, I also think it's impossible to give a match like this a high rating, because it's not something 'ideal' to happen in pro-wrestling, but considering the circumstances, this had fun moments, and it's far from being one of the worst matches of all time, I truly prefer to watch this than a bad wrestling match, at least this is somewhat entertaining - {*3/4}"

[1.0] "The only reason this is not a ZERO is because of the sheer absurdity that this "match" provides that somehow creates a small sense of entertainment. With that being said, easily amongst the worst "matches" to ever be presented at a Wrestlemania. BARELY redeemable."

[2.0] "Horrible match. By definition it wasn't wrestling, but even for a scripted boxing match it was very bad. 10 minutes of boredom and ridiculous fake fighting. In-ring quality: 0/4. Stakes: 0.5/2. Justification: 0.75/1. Place on the card: 0.5/1. Suspense: 1/1. Bonus/Malus: Ridiculous and very bad, even scandalous when considered as a kind of main event -1.5. Total: 2.25/10. Match seen on WWE Network."

[0.0] "This is the first time I've ever watched anything in wrestling and have been so bored that I turned it off. I didn't feel shame in doing it, since it's not even a wrestling match, but it's that bad. The spectacle and starpower doesn't even do it's justice. I'm sure as a live viewing experience it wasn't "awful", but no way it could have ever been good. It's not "so bad it's good". It's so bad it's the worst thing I've ever watched."

[3.0] "Yes, this was stupid and pretty boring at times, yes the crowd was not even remotely into this at all, and yes it tucked, but cmon. This is kind of funny. Piper really tried to make this interesting and that's why this isn't a 1/10. It's just so bad it's good."

[0.0] "Miserably boring "Boxing" match between Piper and Mr T, if you ever wanted a prime example of why having Boxing or any other combat sport on a wrestling show is a terrible idea then you've got the textbook definition right here. 0/10 Piper deserved better"

[0.0] "A complete mess of match, I'm here to rate wrestling matches, not boxing, I know it's Mr. T and Roddy Piper but the match sucked and was a mess because it's a complete different sport, for the time it was maybe okay, but this aged like milk for the present day, 0/10 [DUD]"

[2.0] "I mean...this match wasn't good...but I think it could have been worse. It needed to be a round, maybe two rounds shorter. Clearly, though, the audience was not here to see a boxing match, and did not care. You know something is wrong when your 1986 crowd is cheering for the heel. T definitely was pulling his punches a lot more than Piper was, but for the most part, they both make it seem pretty believable besides how obviously scripted the back and forth of it went. Honestly, I think this match might get more of a pass at a better event, but because of how substandard this entire event is, it looks especially poor. A bad showing, but not the worst thing you can watch."

[1.0] "Not the WORST thing I've ever seen. It's close! But there's a noticeable dynamic, there's shifts and changes in momentum, there's a random new york lady in commentary who doesn't seem to know either wrestling or boxing and that's all good. Do you think Vince was happy with this? Do you think he was seething? I hope he was furious. Shout out to Roddy, he did his best."

[1.0] "Roddy is great, but he is a wrestler, not a boxer. This match was just down right awful and I did not enjoy this at all, It was one of the most boring fights I've ever watched because they got winded and tired within the first 30 seconds. Just downright terrible and just isn't wrestling on a wrestling show."

[1.0] "This match failed in almost every metric. This is the earliest example of why boxing matches don't work in professional wrestling. Both men looked embarrassing in that ring. The only reason it even gets a point is because Piper's character work is always on point, even when he's swimming through this crap."

[1.0] "[0.25*] Boxing with both guys running out of gas literally immediately. Just...Im not sure....just really boring and really bad. Some parts seemed really hilarious though as the sloppiness of the match increased."

[3.0] "Ok hear me out: This was not good but it was not a 0 in my opinion. There has been much much worse in wrestling so I will not hate on this as much as I see a lot of others doing. Still, just because I am not absolutely bashing it, that does not mean this was good. If I want to see a boxing match, I will watch boxing but I kind of get where they were trying to go with this. The first round actually did not look terrible; I have surely seen much worse in recent years with the whole YouTube boxing trend. However, as the rounds went on, it became ever less boxing and more goofy. The pinnacle of gooofiness was reached in round four with a trading punches segment which has nothing to do with boxing in the slightest. Piper getting DQed was to be expected but it did not exactly put an exciting cap on this really bland first third of Wrestlemania 2."

[1.0] "I didn't think it would be as bad as it was but when I saw Mr. T exhausted after one round I could see the iceberg from the crow's nest. Piper had more energy throughout, but putting a celebrity and an athlete who is not used to the cardio that boxing takes is a really bad call. Not to mention main eventing a huge show with it just because you got celebrity involvement is one of my least favorite things in wrestling."

[1.0] "If I wanted to watch boxing I would... you know... just watch... boxing. It was super boring. That's all just boring."

[0.0] "Wrestling and boxing are two extremely different sports and both don't and shouldn't mix. Insanely awful and boring this match is."

[0.0] "Smokin Joe Frazier and the Haiti Kid walk out with Mr. T. T is from Chicago, which is why hes main eventing here in Uniondale, New York. Oh well, at least there isnt a portion of this show specifically in Chicago. You know what people want to see at a pro wrestling show? A pro wrestler and an actor having a worked boxing match. Piper got a big hunk of grease in his hair in between rounds to cheat, no one notices or cares. Piper drops T with a minute left in the second round before giving him a boot. Susan St. James want T to pull a Hulk, up you go. These kids dont give a damn about selling. T gets to his feet as the crowd chants for Roddy. Piper dropped T again at the bell, but T got on spaghetti legs enough to get to the corner. Bob Orton makes use of himself, dumping water on T across the ring. The canvas is soaking wet in Ts corner as the third round starts. I dont know which commission has this one, but theres an investigation incoming here. T clubbers Piper in the corner, punching him down to the mat. T knocks Piper out of the ring with a minute left in the third round. Piper gets up and clinches the round out. God, Im bored. Piper just fucks a stool at T as the fourth round starts, and they just keep fighting. Both guys are gassed and swinging for the fences. Piper finally bodyslams T to end this thing. YAWN. The story in the fight didnt even track, as Piper wasnt on the ropes any more than T was. If youre gonna do this, have Piper cheat his ass off to start, then have T overcome that to kick his ass and do whatever finish you want to do. I guess they wanted to show T had the advantage to start with the first knockdown, but he already had the advantage by being the boxer in this boxing match. The best thing they could have done was to NOT do this at all. DUD"

[4.0] "This was definitely a stupid "match", if we can call it that, but I'll go above the cellar of the community average simply because the spectacle was unique and I think they chose the right ending. Either one of these guys losing legit would have pissed off either marks or smart marks for various reasons. I'm glad they at least got this thing past ten minutes, but also didn't drag it out forever."

[0.0] "Adding the previous match because its too short to rate on here: Roberts vs Wells 3/10- probably the best match on the first part of Mania which really doesnt say much because it wasnt great by any stretch You wouldve thought that Rocky 3 might have given Mr T some sort of boxing training"

[0.0] "this is just boxing. man do I feel bad for the people who bought tickets to this even though it was like 40 years ago now"

[0.0] "I watch wrestling, not boxing, so you know what I don't want on my wrestling show? Boxing. Boring, just plain boring. 0/10"

[1.0] "I think them having a normal match would have actually be awesome, but no, boxing had to be. It was just boring, literally no spice to it."

[2.0] "I have no idea how to rate a boxing match, but this wasn't much of an exciting bout, especially being scripted. Mr. T had much better showing at the previous WM, this stipulation didn't did any favours for both. 2 points because Piper was entertaining here. With that being said, I wouldn't call this the worst "match" I've seen, I managed to sit it through. [NR]"

"This wasn't a good wrestling match, nor do I think they ever intended it to be. There was actually a decent story going in, and both were charismatic enough to pull it off. Still not good, but not nearly as terrible as it probably should have been. Added in the time period, and the ratings are a bit skewed compared to what is expected present day."

[1.0] "Welp... that was hard to watch. It was my first time seeing this match and I hope it will be the last. I actually didn't know what to expect. Of all my years watching wrestling I've never encountered anyone who would share his opinion about this match so I came in with positive intentions and clear mind. It started fine but quickly encountered the same problem that modern wrestling has with MMA on it's shows... I don't think anyone was there to watch a boxing fight and these types of enterntainment doesn't translate well in a staged enviorment. After watching this I can't comprehand how people back then thought wrestling is real, this was so clearly fake."

[2.0] "Oh mamma. I'll give it to them that they made it look like a shoot and there wasn't really anything that made it look like a work. But also that's the point! Realistic doesn't always mean good or exciting and that's the best example. Slow, unintresting gimmick match, horrible idea."

[1.0] "A match that started bad and got worse with time. The corowd was dead gor most of the match and 50% of the time they ware not dead they ware chering piper, the heel. The finish is the 2nd none finish and 3rd undiciev finish of this 4 match card. Comuntery is bad as it is for the whole show, and t is gueesed after one round. Pass"

[2.0] "An incredibly boring match. Whoever decided that a boxing fight should main event a wrestling show needs fired. Piper and Mr T are charismatic, and I like that there's genuine beef there, but the match as a whole was so poor."

[4.0] "I wasn't as offended by this as most. I mean this wasn't great but I thought it was fun for what it was. I probably wouldn't have run this but I honestly think it could've been worked worse."

[2.0] "Yeah, this was both lame as a worked boxing match and didn't do anything for either guy. Piper cheats through the whole thing but the rules are treated so loosely anyway that it doesn't seem like a big deal, until it suddenly is, and you'd think Mr. T would look like he'd have clearly won anyway without the DQ but not really. Just a silly idea. *"

[0.0] "I can't believe how terrible this is. I genuinely couldn't believe what I was watching. The worst part is that this match could have been decent if it was a normal wrestling match. Piper is of course a god and Mr. T was decent for a celebrity. But no, we got a faux-boxing match instead. What a waste."

[0.0] "This was beyond boring. A boxing match on a wrestling show is a straight up bad idea. The finish was crap and boring. The first round was some of the most annoying stuff with all the clenches."

[2.0] "People are complaining about it as It's not a wrestling match. There are many other stuffs in wrestling world. It wasnt that bad in my opinion. (*)"

[3.0] "Not the biggest boxing fan but this match had two big personalities but very little of it showed. I guess it was not bad but not good. Stupid finish for the boxing match though"

[0.0] "What a waste of Roddy Piper, his promo at the beginning of the show is way better than anything that happened here. If someone wants to watch a Worked boxing match with a wrestler go watch Rocky 3. If they wanted to have Mr T back they should've done another tag match to keep him looking decent."

[2.0] "This definitely wasn't great especially the ending but I thought it started decent compared to the rest of the people on here, had a good first two rounds where Roddy was cheating reasonably and semi realistically with cheap shots which sadly does not last. I thought Mr T would make the big comeback and win but instead it just gets really silly and loses all legitimacy with Piper throwing stools, kicking him, them not defending themselves and finally Piper body slamming T to make it a DQ. Pretty silly to do a boxing match at WrestleMania in the first place but it could've been decent."

[1.0] "Somehow during the first round I thought to myself "maybe this is good, they're going for a story here" and then it got worse and worse and worse and ended in a DQ. WRESTLEMANIA! - 1/2"

[1.0] "I'm not even sure how to go about rating this - as a fake boxing match, or as a pro wrestling match? Whichever one you choose, it wasn't very good. It's just boring. The novelty wears off after the first round. It does not look like a legitimate boxing match, so it fails on that front, and it isn't close enough to pro wrestling to pass as a competent wrestling match either. I've given it a point because I think they had some limited success with the structure of the bout and I suppose it at least feels like a spectacle, but ultimately this simply wasn't entertaining."

[5.0] "The main event of part one of Wrestlemania 2. OK, that's a mouthful. Props to Roddy and Mr. T for carrying over the feud from one year ago, and for me this drives the rating. This fight was a natural after the "Boxing" Bob Orton shortlived gimmick. Fake boxing is not my thing and it did get a bit tedious, but the participants kept my interest. The build up was actually pretty good. The match itself was fairly well choreographed and the ending was passable."