In a new, in-depth, and very revealing interview with SLAM! Wrestling, WWE employee and former announcer Howard Finkle reveals a lot of his early WrestleMania memories. From what he remembers about the WrestleMania origin, to taking center ring and announcing the very first event, to WrestleMania 3, and much more.
It's a fantastic interview and feature, certainly worth a read yourself, but here is the excerpt where Finkle reveals the WrestleMania origin and where the name came from:
When Vince K. McMahon began to organize the details of the first WrestleMania, Finkel was involved in the meetings. "So when the idea (WrestleMania) was presented to me I was ready for it," said Finkel with enthusiasm. "We started in 1984, a lot of things happened. The precursor was 1983 because we started expanding. Vince had a vision to go global. So, anything that came our way, my impression was let's go, I want to make this the best thing we can possibly do."
WrestleMania has become a brand that is recognizable throughout the world. The name "WrestleMania" has become synonymous with excellence and entertainment. But where did the name come from? "Back in 1984 there were many meetings going on to try and get the ship that we were painting launched," recalled Finkel. "With the visions of Vince McMahon we were going to try and establish ourselves not only as a sport but in the entertainment as well. So, a meeting was held to cross the t's and dot the I's. When it came time to come up with a name, what could we call this event?"
Finkel remembered the impression and mayhem that the Beatles created in 1964 and played with the idea. "This was 1984, so I said 20 years ago four guys from Liverpool came across the shores to the United States and made a phenomenal impression on everybody. They called that Beatlemania. So I said, 'There was Beatlemania. Why can't there be WrestleMania?'" The rest is history.
