After the success of the original event, "Wrestlemania 2" ups the ante a bit with better production values and a larger sense of this being a truly not-to-be-missed event. Yet, it still relies far too much on the "gimmick" of celebrities and doesn't just let the plot lines play out.The highlights of this event include:-Ray Charles kicking off the proceedings with a stirring melody of patriotic standards. Really gives the show a sense of gravitas right off the bat.-Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. George "The Animal" Steele. Two great wrestling personalities playing off of each other.-A Battle Royale featuring NFL players and (spoiler) won by the always entertaining Andre The Giant.-The boxing match between Mr. T. and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper works well with the hype...but then kind of fizzles in the actual match.-Same thing for the Hogan vs. Bundy finale...pretty good build-up but the match itself was nothing to write home about.-The fact that a guy named "Uncle Elmer" could be on this card (!).All in all, I give "Wrestlemania 2" a 2.5 ranking. The show looks better than the first, and (though not great by any means) many of the matches are an improvement as well. However, it is very clear that the correct formula for holding a big pro wrestling event is still being worked out. Instead of just letting the story lines play out and the personalities shine, the card instead still relies too much on celebrity involvement and gimmicks.As my title indicates, this is an event that is taking the first baby steps towards greatness in this production.

Don Muraco Vs. Paul Orndorff - Huray, double DQ from the start :-/5/10Intercontinenta Championship: George Steel Vs. CHampion: Macho Man- Please no more stuff like this. The only interesting part was kick-out from Macho's finishing elbow. Heh. :)3/10George Wells Vs. Jake Roberts6/10Boxing Match Mr. T. Vs. Piper - WTF?! Why is this c*ap on the card.2/10Women's Championship: Welvet McIntyre Vs. Champion: Fabulous Moolah - 1-minute long match? God, this is really weak event.4/10Corporal Kirchner Vs. Nikolai Volkoff - 2-minute match. Good old classic... (insert ironic smile) 4/10Battle Royal - Solid fun, but Andre "Benefiting from Legend" Giant, like a winner? 7/10Brutus Beefcake/Greg Valentine Vs. The British Bulldogs - I give credit, where it deserves. Good match.7/10Hercules Hernandez Vs. Ricky Steamboat 6/10Adrian Adonis Vs. Uncle Elmer - Only PPV appearance of Stan Franzier, worst wrestler for year 1985.3/10Terry Funk/Hoss Funk Vs. Tito Santana/Junkyard Dog 5/10Cage: Hogan Vs. King Kong Bundy - What entertained this crowd? Can't get it. 4/10BTW: Listening to Piper's interviews is like pain in the a.. :-(

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*I'll only say what hasn't already been said here (and I'll continue this for the rest of my WWF/WWE comments).If you're going to have a Women's title match, at least make it interesting, rather than just a squash to put over the current champion. I guess Moolah couldn't handle an intense match but they wanted to have the legend in a WrestleMania.I thought the Killer Bees were wasted in WrestleManias, especially here. I became a fan in 1989, about a year after the B. Brian Blair was gone and Jim Brunzell became a canvas back. So I didn't realize for a while that they were a top tag team, even top contenders.But I loved seeing Bill Fralic in the battle royal. He really came into his own here, creating a cocky heel character in a pre-match interview and even making an elimination in the battle royal. Besides Steve McMichael and Kevin Greene, he is the only professional athlete from my generation with any respect for wrestling (anyone remember Dennis Rodman?). And what was with the Hart Foundation's ridiculous green tights?

This was the worst Wrestlemania in history. The only good matches were Ricky Steamboat vs. Hercules Hernandez, and the tag title match between the British Bulldogs and the Dream Team (this one bordered on classic). Everything else was either poor or awful. The idea of having three host cities was unnecessary, confusing and messed up the fluidity of the show. The celebrity guests were terrible on commentary, especially Susan Saint James.If you're interested in the mid 80's WWF, you're better renting or buying Wrestlemania 3, or just about any other PPV for that matter.