From the Bowery: WrestleMania IV

Backstory
-WrestleMania III ended with the biggest match in the history of the universe, but Andre had a beef that he had Hogan pinned early in that match, and demanded another shot. The rematch took place on Feb 5, 1988 in Indianapolis, IN. The show was called The Main Event and was shown live on NBC. To this day that show remains the highest rated wrestling program in television history with 33 million viewers. Instead of clearing up the controversy, it added to it. After hitting an ugly suplex, Andre covered Hogan and the ref counted three. The problem was that Hogan kicked out at one, and the ref ignored it. It was soon revealed that the ref was an impostor. The scheduled ref was Dave Hebnar, and instead we had evil ref Earl (twin brother of Dave) officiating the match. Earl was on the payroll from Dibiase, and a new Champion was crowned. However, new Champion Andre immediately surrendered the title to Ted Dibiase (as he promised). That was a big problem with WWF President Jack Tunney and he stripped Dibiase (his reign is not recognized, but Andre’s was), and decided a 14-man elimination tournament would be held at WrestleMania IV to crown a new champion. In interest of fairness, Hogan and Andre were given buys to the 2nd round, but had to face each other to bring closure to their situation. For me personally, I was so bitter as a child that they took the belt off Hogan, that for years I refused to acknowledge that Andre was a former WWF Champion. Eventually, my pain healed, and I accepted Andre deserved to be recognized as a former champion. I’m sure he was losing sleep over the idea that a 7 year old in Uniontown, PA was refusing to accept his reign as the man. OK, history lesson over, time for the review.

WWF WrestleMania IV
March 27, 1988
Trump Plaza (Atlantic City, NJ)
Announce Team: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse “The Body” Ventura

-Trump Plaza made for an interesting visual atmosphere, but the crowd was a mix of hardcore wrestling fan (they can be heard), and business/corporate types that didn’t add much to the show.

-“America The Beautiful” honors go to Gladys Knight this year. It’s always good when they leave this to the professionals. The following year, they didn’t and children wept.

20 Man Battle Royal

-Bob Uecker joins Gorilla and Jesse for announcing duty, and their commentary is the high point of this match (save for the ending).

-Participants as follows: The Hart Foundation, The Young Stallions (Powers and Roma), Sika, Danny Davis, The Killer Bees (Brunzell, and Blair), Bad News Brown, Sam Houston, The Rougeaus (Jacque, and Raymond), Ken Patera, Ron Bass, JYD, The Bolsheviks (Boris Zhukov, and Nikolai Volkoff), Hillbilly Jim, “King” Harley Race, and George The Animal Steele

-Again, if you’ve seen one battle royal, then you’ve seen them all. This one is your standard punch, kick, and lean on the ropes affair. Order and time of elimination: Houston (0:45), Sika (0:56), Anvil (2:29), Blair (2:50), Brunzell (3:20), Jacque (3:20), Bass (3:40), and around this time George Steele was declared out by the officials even though he never got in the ring (4:15). Next set of curtain -jerkers to get sent packing in this mess: Hillbilly Jim (4:29), Davis (4:46), Powers (4:55), Volkoff (5:40), Zhukov (5:50), Patera (5:50), Raymond (6:00), and Harley Race (6:12).

-Final Four: Paul Roma, Junkyard Dog, Bad News Brown, and Bret Hart. Roma is immediately tossed and that leaves JYD alone with the 2 heels. Crowd is urging on JYD, but the heels work out a deal, and Dog is tossed @ 8:40. Bret Hart (who was still 8 years away from learning that it’s not smart to trust bald-headed, loners in black trunks, and boots) turns his back, and Brown delivers the Ghetto Blaster (enzuiguri), and tosses Hart. This would be the 2nd time Bret finished runner-up in a WrestleMania Battle Royal (WM II). Showing horrible sportsmanship, Bret throws a tantrum (scary that he basically did the same thing when Austin outsmarted him to win the Royal Rumble in ’97) and destroys Bad News trophy.

Bad News Brown Wins 20 Man Battle Royal @ 9:48
(Again, this was your standard battle royal, which means nothing exciting until you get to the final 4 or so. This was probably a step behind the WM II battle royal, and not near as much fun as the WM XVII gimmick battle royal)

-Robin Leach comes out to announce the beginning of the WWF Championship Tournament.

1st Round Match: Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Ted Dibiase (w/ Andre and Virgil)

-Duggan takes control early with his patented offense at this point in career: punching. Dibiase tries to win a slugfest, and that goes about as well as expected. Duggan gets an atomic drop that Dibiase sells by flying over the top rope in a nice bump. Back inside, and Duggan hits a clothesline, and gets the 10 count punch in the corner. He then makes the mistake of charging Dibiase and hits a boot. The boot appears to have split the lip of Duggan. Dibiase gets a 2 count off a second rope back elbow, but momentum is squashed when Duggan gets a sunset flip for 2 (to the shock of Ventura). Duggan hits a clothesline, and then a slam. 3-point stance time, but Andre grabs Duggan’s leg, and Hacksaw makes the mistake of going after Andre. That boy’s not too bright. One shot from Andre, and a knee to the back from Dibiase gets the pin.

Ted Dibiase via Andre interference and high knee for pin @ 5:03
(As will become a theme for the show, this was a short match that accomplished what it need to: Dibiase going over via nefarious ways and showing that Andre was willing to do what was needed to help) *

1st Round: Dino Bravo (w/ Frenchie) vs. Don Muraco (w/ Billy Graham)

-Jesse rips on Billy Graham as inside joke to those who are aware that Jesse stole a lot of his person from Graham. Muraco controls early with a clothesline in the corner, and gets a really ugly 2nd rope splash for 2. After receiving a backdrop, Bravo gains control with an elbow. A gutwrench suplex, and ramming of Muraco’s head to the turnbuckle follow. Apparently not watching the previous bout, Bravo makes the mistake of charging blindly in the corner, and it misses. Muraco works over the legs, but is shoved off when attempting a spinning toehold. The force is so strong that Muraco hangs himself between the 1st and 2nd rope (same move that ripped off Foley’s ear in his match with Vader in Germany). Bravo uses the piledrive (Muraco’s finisher) to get a count 2. Wow, using other’s finishers as false finishes. This is like Austin vs. Rock except that this match is garbage. Bravo goes for another backdrop, but is backdropped himself. Each man clotheslines the other, and after getting back to their feet, Bravo pulls the ref in the way of a charging Muraco. Bravo hits a side suplex, but the ref won’t count, and awards the match to Muraco via a DQ.

Don Muraco via Disqualification @ 4:53
(Some nice spots for a power match, but it also had some ugly spots, and the ending was extremely weak. Why not just put Muraco over cleanly to build to the second round match?) *

1st Round: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart)

-Steamboat parades his newborn son around the ring, and that provides Jesse to get in a great line about the kid having fatter cheeks than King Kong Bundy. Dragon hits his deep armdrags to start and continues to the work the arm of The Hammer. He gets an early 2 count off some chops, and a shoulder block gets a count of one. The arm work continues, but Hammer gets a knee followed by some elbows to take charge. Dragon back flips out of a suplex attempt and goes back to the arm. He’s persistent if anything. Hammer gets an inverted atomic drop and a stiff clothesline (guess all the work on the arm didn’t help any). Steamboat fires back with chops, and goes for a slam, but Hammer falls on top for a 2 count. The two men exchange some nasty chops, and Dragon wins that war. Hammer continues his WrestleMania tradition of performing the Flair Flop. Dragon goes for the kill, but a thumb to the eye stops him cold, and a sweet shoulder breaker follows. After a top rope forearm the Hammer goes for the Figure 4, but Steamboat blocks, and regains the advantage. Dragon heads to the top and hits a chop for a 2 count. Instead of the traditional spot of ramming the Hammer’s head into the buckle 10 times, the Dragon does it 11. That’s the Dragon for you. Always giving the fans just a little more. Steamboat goes for the top rope cross body, but the Hammer rolls through and gets the upset pin.

Greg Valentine via pin @ 9:11
(Best match of the night so far, and I wish there could have been more, but short matches are the norm tonight. The win was a bit of a shock as most were hoping for a Steamboat/Savage rematch in the 2nd round. Instead, they went with the standard heel vs. face dynamic for the matches. Missed opportunity I say because Steamboat would have gladly done the return job for Savage.) **3/4

1st Round: Butch Reed (w/ Slick) vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (w/ Liz)

-Savage finally turned face since the previous WM, and the fans are way into him at this point. Savage and Liz color coordinate for the evening, and we get their blue phase for this match. Needless to say Liz looks hot, but would get better as the night continued. The match also sets a trend for the night as Savage gets the tar beaten out of him from the get go. Reed hits a suplex, and starts pounding away with rights to the side of Savage’s head. Irish whip sets up a back elbow, and a fist drop from the 2nd rope continues the beating. Reed hits a clothesline, and then heads to the top rope. Actually, he eventually gets there as he takes time to hit on Liz (can’t blame a guy). I believe Liz actually offers her number, and it causes Reed to stall even longer as he looks for a pen. Before he can ever find one, Savage catches him and slams him of the top rope. Savage pounces and flies to the top rope to hit The Greatest Flying Elbow Drop Ever (hell with HBK) for the pin.

Randy Savage via pin after flying elbow @ 4:09
(Basic squash match by Reed until Savage hits the elbow. Savage is great at taking beatings, and that’s what he did here. The elbow was nice though, and can’t forget about Liz.) 1/2*

1st Round: The One Man Gang (w/ Slick) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (w/ Oliver)

-OMG jumps Bigelow to start with his offensive arsenal: mostly punching and elbows. He varies his attack by using his fat gut to get a few splashes. Being that Bigelow has almost as big of a gut, I question how much that works. Bigelow gets his own splash and does a cartwheel (which was always cool back in the day), and then gets a high cross body to show he was more than just your typical fat slug wrestler. An ugly clothesline by Bigelow leads to a series of headbutts. He goes to hit the ropes, but Slick pulls down the top rope and Bigelow flies out of the ring. Bigelow fights off OMG, but can’t get back in the ring before the ref counts 10.

One Man Gang via count-out @ 2:59
(Not much to say as this was extremely short, which may not be a bad thing, and it had a horrible ending that the crowd hated) DUD

-Hulk Hogan gives his famous interview where he pledges to save Donald Trump and all the Hulk-a-Maniacs from falling into the ocean, by carrying them on his back and dog paddling to safety. Really, words can’t do it justice. Just another reason I was a Hogan fan. The guy was just entertaining.

1st Round: Rick Rude (w/ Heenan) vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

-Where every other match featured a faster pace, and no rest holds, this one goes 180 degrees the other way. That pretty much dictated what they were going for here, and the results aren’t that great. Jesse gives his take on his motto in wrestling: “Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.” Priceless, and ranks up there with “Cheat to Win” (RIP Eddie). Lots of stalling early in the match, and things pick up a bit when they exchange body slams. Roberts decides he wants to work the arm (must have watched a lot of the Dragon), and gets various armbars, arm wringers, and even a wristlock. Which reminds me of the time Gorilla gave an interview where he questioned if Hogan knew the different between a wristlock and wristwatch. Roberts gets a knee off the 2nd rope and goes for the DDT, but Rude bails and stalls some more. Back in the ring we get a criss cross that leads to a slam by Roberts. He goes for a knee lift and misses, and that sets up Rude to control for a while. A clothesline leads to Rude getting a reverse chin lock that seemingly goes on forever. Even the crowd is starting to realize that this match is heading for a draw. Finally, Rude breaks and gets a knee drop from the top rope for 2 count. We go back to the reverse chin lock, and the crowd goes back to sleep. Crowd wakes up a little so they can start a “Boring” chant. The epic chin lock even lasts through a side suplex attempt from Roberts. The hold is finally broken as Jake gets a jawbreaker and then hits a backdrop. Short arm clothesline and a gut buster get a 2 count for Roberts. Rude gets a back suplex for 2, and the action grinds to a halt as each man clotheslines the other. Rude is the first to his feet and tries to get a pin with his foot on the ropes, but the bell rings to signal time has expired.

Roberts vs. Rude: Time Limit Draw
(Still, not sure why they had these two go to a draw when the could have had numerous other ways to get both men out of the tournament. Rude was in no position at this point to do a match at this pace to a draw, and this match was the dead spot of the opening round. Technically it was ok at times, but with all the short, faster paced matches, this was out of place) *1/4

The Ultimate Warrior vs. Hercules (w/ Bobby Heenan)

-This match was not part of the tournament and was set up by a previous episode of Superstars where the 2 men had a draw in a tug of war contest. Yes, couldn’t even book a winner in a tug of war contest. Warrior gets some chops (look out Flair), but Hercules hits a clothesline that Warrior no sells. Another clothesline, and another no sell from Warrior. Finally, he drops on the 3rd clothesline from Hercules. Warrior gets his own clothesline and that was enough to drop Hercules (even though it was a lot weaker than any of the 3 Herc used). A backdrop sends Warrior to the floor and both men brawl on the outside. Back in and Hercules gets an inverted atomic drop. Warrior makes the same mistake others have done (and will continue to do), and charges blindly at Hercules in the corner. That leads to a full nelson, but Warrior kicks off the turnbuckle (Bret would steal/use that and alter it a bit in later matches) and ends up pinning Hercules.

Warrior via pin @ 4:33
(We will be generous, and also thankful for a short match. The ending was creative, and it helped get Warrior over.) 1/2*

2nd Round: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant (w/ Dibiase and Virgil)

-Andre jumps Hogan to start with chops and punches. He hits a headbutt, but Hogan fires back. Dibiase tries to get involved, but Hogan hits him, and then rams Andre’s head with Dibiase’s head. The heels bail and Hogan tears the shirt to a big pop from the crowd. Hogan drops a few elbows, but gets too close to Andre and gets caught in a choke (almost UFC like…well, not really, but the thought was there). Andre uses his best asset (his ass) to squash a prone Hogan. More choking, and instead of a bearhug like last year, Andre opts to use a nerve hold as the heat building spot. On cue the crowd starts chanting for Hogan, and he breaks the hold. He follows with a running clothesline, and Dibiase has seen enough as he hits Hogan with a chair (which Hogan no sells). Hogan and Andre fight over the chair and each man hits the other with it, and the ref calls for the bell. To be fair, Hogan used the chair first and normally he would have been disqualified, but the ref waits until Andre uses, and we get a double DQ. Post match Hogan suplexes Virgil (ending his night) on the floor, and returns to slam Andre to the delight of the crowd. Both men are gone from the tournament, but Hogan still poses (which Jesse can’t understand since Hogan is a loser).

Hogan vs. Andre: Double DQ @ 5:23
(This match was faster paced that last year’s, but didn’t have near the drama or atmosphere. As a match it was pretty bad because Andre was way past being able to really do anything in the ring, but it wasn’t painful because they knew how to work around the limitations.) 3/4*

2nd Round: Don Muraco (w/ Graham) vs. Ted Dibiase

-The winner of this match gets a bye to the finals because of the Hogan/Andre result. No Virgil for Dibiase because of the Hogan attack, and things get even worse as Muraco jumps Dibiase before the bell (outside of Hogan, most faces didn’t do that). Dibiase is slammed from the outside in, and is hit with a powerslam, which gets a 2 count. Muraco gets a one count off a back elbow, and starts to work over the neck. A nice standing dropkick gets another 2 count as Dibiase has yet to get going in the match. Muraco tries to pull Dibiase out of the corner, but instead gets sling-shotted into the post. A clothesline from Dibiase gets a 2 count, and another one off a fist drop. A boot thwarts a backdrop attempt, and Muraco goes for a clothesline, but gets caught by Dibiase and receives a Stun Gun (not known by that name in the WWF at the time), which finishes the match.

Ted Dibiase via Stun Gun for pin @ 5:35
(Weird, but OK match where the face gets all the offense, and the heel gets the win off a sudden move. This was the Savage/Reed match with roles reversed) *1/2

2nd Round: Randy Savage (w/ Liz) vs. Greg Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart)

-The color of choice for Savage and Liz this match is pink, and it looks good on Liz. Wearing pink is what makes Savage a Macho Man. I mean, do you want to tell him that pink is a feminine color? Savage gets a quick 2 count early, and then the two men start exchanging punches, which the Hammer wins, and he follows with a weak top rope forearm. Didn’t get all of that one. After a shoulder breaker, Valentine tosses Savage over the top rope (a DQ in the NWA at the time). This is where Valentine starts working over any and every body part instead of focusing on just one. After the initial shoulder work he starts going to town with elbows to the throat. That is quickly forgotten about, and he starts going after the legs/quads to presumably set up for the figure four. Being that is his patented move it would make sense, but he forgets that and starts working over the back with a suplex and back breaker. Hammer just needs to find a limb and stick to it instead of the all over the map approach. Savage fires back with an elbow and hits the double axe from the top rope for 2. A suplex follows and he goes for another double axe, but Hammer gets a shot in to stop Savage. Hammer goes for the figure 4, but Savage is still too strong and turns it into a small package for the pin.

Savage via small package for pin @ 6:07
(The match was technically ok, and probably would have been stronger with more time, but Valentine’s failure to stick with a body part was puzzling. Still, these two had good chemistry, and did what they could with the time given) *3/4

Intercontinental Title: Honky Tonk Man © (w/ Jimmy Hart and Peggy Sue) vs. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake

-HTM received the IC title basically by accident. As the story goes (if you believe it), Steamboat was going to have a long reign, but he asked for time off to spend with his wife and their newborn son. Vince didn’t take kindly to that since they had just given him the IC title, and wanted Steamboat to drop the IC strap to Butch Reed. Problem was that Reed didn’t show up, and a replacement needed to be found. Story goes that Hogan is the one who recommended HTM, and the rest is history. HTM would go on to hold the IC strap longer than any other person in history, and draw a lot of money as everyone wanted to see him lose the title, but he always found a way to escape. This match was no different. “Peggy Sue” is Sensational Sherri in a blonde wig for those interested. Beefcake is treating this match as a joke as he gets an atomic drop, and starts messing up the hair of HTM. After a few elbows by Beefcake, HTM takes over with his own elbows. They mess up a spot where HTM goes for the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (swinging neckbreaker). HTM sets up for the move but realizes he is too far away from the ropes, and just decides not to do the move. He gets a punch in, and then goes for the SRR when they are right next to the ropes. Thus telegraphing the Beefcake is going to grab the ropes to block, and that’s exactly what he does. Beefcake gets a backdrop, and HTM begs off. A sleeper follows, but Jimmy Hart blasts the ref with the megaphone (legit hurting the ref) and that’s enough for the DQ. Post match Brutus cuts the hair of Jimmy Hart to give the fans something to cheer for since Honky retained again.

Beefcake via Hart interference for DQ @ 9:00 (total time)
(Just an excuse for HTM to continue his long reign, and another way for him to escape with the belt so that people would continue pay in hopes that this would be the night he drops the title. That day was still 5 months away.) 1/2*

The Islanders/Bobby Heenan vs. The British Bulldogs/Koko B. Ware

-The Islanders had dognapped Matilda on behalf of Heenan who was tired of running from the dog. As a veterinarian assistant for the last 10 years, I will just add that I am opposed to any harm done to animals. So, I will dedicate this match review to the memories of Lucy, and Pepper. HHH and Al Snow aren’t the only ones who miss those two. This was where the Bulldogs would get their revenge on Heenan. However, this is the Brain, and he wears a dog-attack suit to the ring to neutralize the Matilda factor. Funny Stuff. Dynamite starts with Toma and delivers his normal, crisp offense as he gets a hiptoss, backdrop, and then tosses Toma over the ring post. Nice! Toma has had enough of that and tags in Haku, and Davey Boy also enters. Smith gets a crossbody for 2, and goes for another pin with a crucifix, but that also only gets 2. Toma returns and gets press slammed by Smith, and decides to tag back out to Haku. Toma is getting no love tonight. Koko tags in, and goes crazy with dropkicks, and takes both Islanders over with a headlock/leg scissors combo. Dynamite Kid returns, and becomes the face in peril as the Islanders start to work him over. Heenan finally tags in and gets a few boots in before Dynamite lands a punch. That’s enough for The Brain as he immediately tags Toma. Dynamite takes a backdrop, and gets slammed. Toma goes for a Vader Bomb (not named at the time), but DK gets his knees up in time. Mild tag to Koko, but he immediately gets dropped by a clothesline from Haku. Toma returns and hits a top rope headbutt. Heenan comes back in and Koko catches him with some punches and sends him into the turnbuckles. All 6 men fight in the ring, and during the chaos, The Islanders slam Heenan onto a prone Koko to get the win. Post match sees Matilda chase Heenan up the aisle and get a little piece of The Brain.

The Islanders/Heenan via Heenan pin on Koko @ 7:37
(Ok match, but you could see that the injuries were catching up to Dynamite at this point. Crowd didn’t like the ending, but that was the point. Shame that the Bulldogs had to be in a match that put over a ref and a manager the last 2 WrestleManias.) **

Semi-Finals: One Man Gang (w/ Slick) vs. Randy Savage (w/ Liz)

-Winner of this match gets Dibiase in the finals. Liz and Savage come out this time in their black outfits (and I’ll still say Liz looks best in the pink so far). I’m not even going there with what looks best on Savage. The story here is that Savage knows he is dead if he gets caught or stands still. Early on he is smart by punching and moving. He grabs OMG by the beard and clotheslines him with the top rope in a neat spot. That same spot was repeated on an episode of SNME later in the year. Gang finally catches Savage and the beating is on. Elbows, punches, and a splash (albeit a weak one) in the corner have OMG in complete control. Savage gets his foot on the rope to stop a pin attempt after OMG hits a slam. Another slam, and Gang looks to finish with a splash, but Savage moves. Savage hits the double axe from the top rope to the floor, but then gets stupid once back in the ring and tries to slam the Gang. Yeah, that was stupid. Slick gets too close and Savage decks him, which causes him to drop his cane. OMG grabs the cane and tries to use it, but keeps missing. Still, that’s enough for the ref to call for the bell. After the match Savage does get hit with the cane, but bails. Gang and Slick share a hug, so Savage returns to deliver a top rope double axe, which cause Gang to squash Slick.

Savage via DQ @ 4:12
(What a really horrible ending to the match. Not sure why Savage didn’t go over clean to help build to the Main Event. OMG could have jobbed cleanly and then hit Savage with the cane after the match to add drama for the Main Event. As it was, it was a bad match with a worse ending. The rating is solely for the spot where OMG is clotheslined by his beard.) 1/4*

WWF Tag Team Titles: Strike Force © vs. Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji

-Strike Force consisted of Tito Santana and Rick Martel. Demolition receives a pretty good face pop from the crowd even though they are the heels in the match. The pretty boy team gets a fair amount of boos. Smash stars with Martel and pounds the Canadian out of him to a massive reaction from the crowd. Tito saves Martel from a slam by delivering a drop kick and it results in a 2 count. Tito and Martel begin to work on the arm of Ax and then of Smash when he enters the ring. The heels take control when Tito gets caught in a bear hug and is dropped throat first over the top rope. Demolition begins to methodically destroy Tito with double team moves. Ax gets a powerslam, and Smash, not to be outdone gets a suplex. Both of which result in a 2 count. Tito looks for the tag, but each time he is cut off by the heels. Finally, Santana hits the Flying Jalapeno (tm Bobby Heenan), and makes the tag to Martel (Boos from the crowd). Smash receives a backdrop and dropkick, and more dropkicks are delivered as Martel goes crazy. He looks to finish with the Boston Crap on Smash, but Ax grabs the cane from Fuji (who was decked by Tito) and pops Martel from behind. Smash covers Martel and the fans count 3 with the ref to a huge pop.

Demolition win WWF Tag Titles via Smash pin on Martel @ 8:02
(Decent formula Tag match that was made more historic because it ushered in the era of Demolition. The fans were tired of the bland, pretty-boy baby faces, and got behind the bad ass heels in this one.) **1/4

WWF Title Tournament Finals: Ted Dibiase (w/ Andre) vs. Randy Savage (w/ Liz)

-Robin Leech brings down the newly designed WWF Title. This was the classic version that lasted until WM XIV. Bob Uecker is the special ring announcer and Vanna White (who kisses Uecker to pay off that angle that ran through the entire evening) is the timekeeper. Jesse questions if she can handle numbers since she is famous for turning letters. Liz and Savage come out this time with their white outfits, and I still think Liz looked best with the pink dress. Savage gets an elbow and Andre immediately becomes a factor as he grabs Macho’s leg. The crowd senses what is coming and starts chanting for Hogan. Dibiase gets schooled by Savage as he goes amateur style by turning a headlock into a hammerlock. Andre grabs the leg once again, and again the chants of Hogan are strong. Dibiase tosses Savage into the turnbuckle, and brings some chops and elbows. Irish whip sets up a clothesline that gets 2 for Dibiase. A sunset flip is blocked by a Savage right hand, and he follows that with his own clothesline. A running elbow sets up a clothesline that puts Dibiase over the top and to the floor. Savage goes up top for the double axe to the floor, but Andre stands in his way and dares Macho to jump. Savage says to hell with that and whispers something to Liz. She leaves the ringside area and heads to the back, as the arena knows what (or I guess who) is coming next. Jesse even mentions that he’s seen Liz run off before. While she is gone Dibiase takes control and gets a chinlock. Liz returns and as expected she brings Hulk Hogan with her. The crowd is going nuts as Hogan takes a chair and has a seat by the ring. Dibiase is not thrilled with Hogan being there, but he continues the beating. Andre gets another shot in on Savage, but Hogan rushes over and blasts Andre in the side of the head. Back in the ring Dibiase nails a clothesline to stop a Savage rally. A suplex gets 2, and then a gutwrench suplex follows, and that also gets 2 for Dibiase. Savage gets slammed, and Dibiase goes up top, but he gets caught and is slammed. Macho senses this is his shot and quickly heads up top, but the elbow misses. A stunned Savage is caught in the Million Dollar Dream. The ref stops to yell at Andre, so Hogan jumps in the ring with the chair and plasters Dibiase. Ventura is appalled that Hogan would cheat like that in front of all his fans. Savage climbs the top rope and hits the Greatest Flying Elbow Ever (to hell with HBK), and gets the win and his 1st WWF title. Hogan quickly hands the belt to Savage and wards off Andre and Dibiase with the chair. The Mega Powers celebrate in the ring with Liz (tears in her eyes) as the crowd goes crazy. We then get the famous shot of Savage hosting Liz on his shoulder while the WWF title rests on her shoulder. Still makes me smile to this day.

Randy Savage wins WWF title via flying elbow for pin @ 9:18
(These two would go on to have better matches, but this was still pretty good considering it was the 4th match for Savage and 3rd for Dibiase. The match was overshadowed by the Hogan/Andre antics outside, but still a solid, if unspectacular, match.) ***
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Top 5 WrestleMania Matches (at this point)

1) IC Title: Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat *****
2) WWF Tag Titles: The British Bulldogs vs. The Dream Team ***1/2
3) WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant ***1/2
4) The Funks vs. JYD and Tito Santana ***
5) WWF Title Tournament Finals: Randy Savage vs. Ted Dibiase ***

The 411: Clocking in at 3 hours and 34 minutes this was a long show that featured a lot of matches. There were 16 of them to be exact (a record for WM), and that equals a lot of short matches. Nothing on here is viewed as a classic, but the Tag Title Match, and the WWF finals are historic and are worth checking out. Just be prepared to sit through a lot of horrible matches and horrible booking decisions before getting there.

Final Score:  5.5   [ Not So Good ]