From the Bowery: The True Story of WrestleMania (Disc II)

From the Bowery: The True Story of WrestleMania (Disc II)

Hulk Hogan & Mr. T (w/ Jimmy Snuka) vs. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff (w/ Bob Orton, Jr)
WrestleMania: Mar 31, 1985: MSG, NY, NY

-Lots of celebrities involved in this one: NY Yankee Manager Billy Martin is the special ring announcer, Liberace (w/ Rockettes) is your special time keeper, and special enforcer is Muhammad Ali. Pat Patterson is the normal ref as Ali patrols the outside. I’m sure others have made the jokes about Liberace and Patterson being involved, but I like to think I am above all that.

-Piper is played to the ring by a Scottish band with bagpipes and drums, as the crowd hates everything about the heels at this point. A lot of garbage pelts the ring as I have flashbacks (or maybe flash-forwards at this point) of early nWo. Hogan gets a massive pop as he and Mr. T make their way to the ring. Piper vs. Hogan was the hot feud and carried the WWF at this time. Hogan and Paul start, but quickly Piper begs to get in and T does the same. So we start with T and Piper face to face before they trade slaps. Piper tries to out wrestle T, but he shows some skill and frustrates Piper. T gets a fireman’s carry and dumps Piper to the canvas. All 4 men plus the managers get in the ring and Ali takes a swing at Piper as the crowd goes insane. Crowd begins to chant for Ali as the heels begin to walk out of the arena to some big boos! The heels return and we settle to Hogan and Piper in the ring. Hogan hits an atomic drop and then starts bouncing Piper’s head off the canvas, as Jesse is irate with Hogan’s cheating ways. Both men trade eye rakes and Hogan tags in T. They show some team work with a double clothesline on Piper. T gets a slam and hip lock before tagging Hogan. They trade punches and Hogan gets the big boot that sends Piper to the floor (that’s a way to break up the usual foot/leg drop combo). Piper gets control by using a chair and once back in the ring they double team Hogan in the corner. A double atomic drop by the heels and Orndorff stays in to deliver some boots and a suplex. Piper tags back in and gets a 2 count. Orndorff comes back in and drops an elbow to the back of Hogan’s neck. A back breaker from Mr. Wonderful has the fans freaking out as Hogan continues to get pounded on by the heels. Finally, Mr. Wonderful misses a forearm from the top rope and Hogan gets the hot tag to Mr. T. Piper and Orndorff out-smart T and regain the advantage. This time Orndorff tries some amateur wrestling with T, but it looks sloppier here than earlier in the match. Piper returns and goes to a front face lock (a staple on this show), but T gets the even hotter tag to Hulk Hogan. Punches galore and we get the double coconut spot as Piper and Orndorff have a literal meeting of the minds. Orton jumps in the ring, but is attacked by Jimmy Snuka. Piper tries to return, but Mr. T cuts him off, and they brawl in the corner (Piper later stated in his DVD that this was done on purpose to keep T out of the finish since he wasn’t one of the boys). Wonderful has Hogan in a full nelson and Orton comes off the top rope to deliver a cast shot, but he hits Wonderful by mistake. Hogan covers for the 3 count. Orton and Piper walk off and leave Wonderful. This leads to his face turn and partnership with Hogan, which led to the heel turn and a big money feud between the two men after WrestleMania 2. Hogan and T celebrate with the famous people as the show ends.

Winners: Hogan and Mr. T via Hogan pin on Orndorff at 13:26
-Best match of the night as it was given the most time, and smartly featured no rest holds or dead spots. The crowd was way into this, and made the match even more enjoyable. Nice ending to the show and it started the tradition of sending the crowd home happy at WrestleMania. **3/4

WWF Intercontinental Title: “Macho Man” Randy Savage © (w/ Miss Elizabeth) vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (w/ George “The Animal” Steele)
WrestleMania III: Mar 29, 1987; Silver Dome, Pontiac, MI

-The crowd is jacked for this match, and before things can get going, Savage leads Liz (looking good too) to a different corner away from The Animal. Steamboat hits his patented deep armdrags and then shows a mean streak as he lifts Savage off the mat by his throat and chokes him. He follows up with a slam, but Savage heads outside to stall, and then catches Steamboat with a double axe handle when he gets back in the ring. The first 2 count of the match comes off a Savage clothesline. A blind charge in the corner by Savage hits nothing but air (well, air and then turnbuckle), and Steamboat goes back to work on the arm. A back elbow by Savage stops the Dragon cold and he then casually fires Ricky over the top rope to the floor. A rather nasty boot to the face follows as Savage gains firm control of the match. Since he is in command Savage finally goes for the throat and the crowd goes nuts with concern for The Dragon. Savage brings Steamboat back in the ring with a snapmare and gets a 2 count (#2). He follows that with a knee drop and gets another 2 count (#3). Steamboat reverses a whip to the corner and then gets Savage tangled in the ropes. With Savage in a helpless state, Steamboat delivers various chops as Jesse protests the sportsmanship of the Dragon. A high cross body from Steamboat gets him a 2 count (#4), and then gets two more 2 counts (#5, #6) after hitting a pair of shoulder blocks. The see saw battle continues as Savage gains control after hitting a high knee to the back and lower neck. He goes to toss Steamboat, but he hangs on and skins the cat (Michaels does it today) back in the ring. Savage is prepared for this and clotheslines Steamboat to the floor when he turns around. A high knee sends Steamboat over a nearby table and into the front row. Jesse throws a fit when Steele carries the Dragon out of the crowd and puts him back in the ring (I really miss Jesse on commentary). Savage wants nothing to do with him in the ring and tosses him back out on the other side. The double axehandle from the top rope to the floor follows, and to drive home the point Savage hits another when action goes back in the ring. Sensing that Steamboat is finished Savage does all he can to get the win, but only gets a truck load of 2 counts: running elbow (2 count # 7); guillotines the throat over the top rope (2 count #8); atomic drop (2 count #9); suplex (2 count #10); gutwrench suplex (2 count #11). Steamboat fires back with chops to ignite the crowd, and then backdrops Savage over the top rope to the floor. Savage took that bump like a MAN! Back inside comes Savage and Steamboat greets him with a chop from the top tope (good air there) and that gets a 2 count (#12). That 2 count had insane heat as the crowd thought it was three, but Savage got his shoulder up before Hebnar hit the mat for the 3rd time. Another chop gets another 2 count (#13) for The Dragon. Steamboat hands out chops like candy on Halloween, and gets a sunset flip for 2 (#14). We get the following breath taking sequence where Steamboat does all he can to get the win: a cradle for 2 (#15); double leg under hook for 2 (#16); small package for 2 (#17); and then in an awesome spot he slingshots Savage into the post and as he staggers back, Steamboat hooks him for another 2 count (#18); Savage has life, so Steamboat tries another roll-up and again only gets 2 (#19) because Savage reverses it to his own roll-up to get his own 2 count (#20). The crowd is freaking out with each and every near fall at this point. The ref gets bumped and Savage hits a clothesline to set-up the flying elbow. Savage hits the GREATEST FLYING ELBOW EVER (to hell with Michael’s version), but no ref to count, and Ventura is on the verge of punching Monsoon because of the injustice. Savage sensing he can Cheat to Win, grabs the ring bell and goes up top, but Steele steals the bell. Savage gets a boot to the Animal’s head and tries using the bell again, but this time Steele pushes him off top rope and Savage hits the bell on his way down (or that’s what it looked like they were trying for). Still, Savage is up to his feet first and goes for a slam, but Steamboat turns it into a small package and gets the 3 count, and IC title, which sends the crowd into fits of joy.

Winner and New WWF Intercontinental Champion: Ricky Steamboat via pin @ 14:37
-This match should be shown on a constant loop for all to see. I recommend it be on display next to The Mona Lisa, because this was a work of art. This is one of the most famous matches in wrestling history, and is solely responsible for a lot of the smaller workers you see today getting involved in wrestling (Jericho comes immediately to mind). Everything about this match just clicked, and at the end it leaves you exhausted. Quite possibly the greatest 15 minutes of wrestling you will ever see. Also, this is my personal pick for Greatest Match of All Time. Personally, I do not have a more favorite match than this one. *****

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan © vs. Andre The Giant (w/ Bobby “The Brain” Heenan)
WrestleMania III: Mar 29, 1987; Silver Dome, Pontiac, MI

-Bob Uecker is the special ring announcer and Mary Hart is the special timekeeper. Both of them looked stunned that a crowd this massive came to see a wrestling match. Andre comes down first and waves to the crowd as they absolutely pelt him with garbage and boo him out of the building. We are talking crazy levels of heat here. Hogan (like Piper) says to hell with the cart and walks to the ring to a MONSTER reaction. I wonder if Hogan was pissed that Piper also walked to the ring, instead of taking the cart (though, as I said, Piper claims his cart was broken)? I’ve always wondered what it would have been like to be there live for this match, as I can only imagine how deafening it was. The Most Famous Stare Down in wrestling history starts us off as Hogan starts to Hulk-Up. He gets so geared up that after a few punches he goes for a slam, and Andre falls back on him for a controversial 2 count (more on that later). Hogan already has a bad back (the crowd seems like they are on the verge of tears) and Andre (barely able to move as this point) methodically destroys Hogan. Andre gets 2 bodyslams and then walks across the back of Hogan in a painful looking spot. Hogan is thrown from one corner to another to continue the damage on the back. Andre squashes Hogan in the corner and hits a headbutt at the urging of Heenan. Another headbutt misses and Hogan fires away with some punches. He mounts Andre in the corner and hits the 10 count punches as seemingly all 93,173 count along. Hogan gets too cute and tries to speed things up, but runs flush into a boot from Andre. This leads to a bearhug, and the crowd goes insane trying to keep Hogan alive. His arm drops twice, but on the third time he gets a rush of adrenaline as the crowd has totally lost it and punches his way out of the hold. Hogan hits 2 shoulder blocks that barely move Andre, and he goes for a 3rd, but again runs into an offensive move from Andre: a chop this time. Hogan gets booted to the floor and Andre makes the mistake of trying a headbutt while Hogan is against the steel post. Naturally, that turns out bad for the cranium of the Giant. Jesse is irate as Hogan pulls back the mats to expose the concrete. In a stupid move, Hogan tries to piledriver a 550 lb (or 700 lbs if you believe Hogan) man on the concrete. That goes about as well as expected and Hogan takes an ugly backdrop to the concrete. Back in the ring Hogan ducks a chop and fires off the ropes with a clothesline that drops Andre. Hulk-Up time and then we get the most famous moment in Pro-Wrestling history: Hulk Hogan slams Andre The Giant. The crowd is on the verge of heart failure as Hogan hits the leg drop and pins Andre. Hogan ends the show with his posing as Jesse makes his yearly threat to take Hogan out. God, how I wish we could have seen a feud between those two.

Winner and Still WWF Champion: Hulk Hogan via pin @ 12:04
-This is a match that is required viewing for any wrestling fan. The match itself is only about * if that, but the historic ramifications, and the overall enjoyment is *****. This is one case where technical thoughts are ditched, and you appreciate that you are witnessing the Biggest Match in the History of Pro-Wrestling. This one match set the template for what every future WrestleMania Main Event should be. Call it ***1/2, but make no mistake this is biggest match in history of the business.

-On a personal note, I did not see this match live as I was cowering in my grandma’s kitchen. I was scared to death and didn’t want to watch what was going to happen to my hero, Hulk Hogan.

Retirement Match: “Macho King” Randy Savage (w/ Queen Sherri) vs. The Ultimate Warrior
WrestleMania VII: Mar 24, 1991; LA Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA

-Gorilla and The Brain handle announcing duties. Heenan immediately points out that he sees Elizabeth sitting in the crowd. Several underneath guys carry Savage and Sherri to the ring on a throne. Monsoon puts over that Liz has a right to be here since she was there the majority of Savage’s career. Warrior shows a brain for once and walks to the ring (even Heenan notes how unusual this is). Warrior’s tights say it all: “Means much more than this” w/ a picture of the WWF Title. They have done a marvelous job of putting over how important this match is, and it really does have a different feel to it. The crowd is absolutely jacked as things start out slow with neither man wanting to make the first crucial mistake. The crowd hates Savage as he poses on the top rope. Warrior uses his power early to frustrate Savage, so he decides to bail. Sherri distracts Warrior and Savage nails him from behind. It doesn’t last long as Warrior chokes Savage and tosses him to the mat. A massive atomic drop from the Warrior and he chokes Savage again. Sherri tries to get involved, so Warrior tosses Savage on top of her. Savage finally gains the upper hand by hitting a running clothesline. He heads up top, but Warrior catches him in mid-air. Instead of slamming him, Warrior puts him on his feet and slaps him in the face. That is so fucking awesome. Savage is pissed and throws a chair in the ring to distract the ref and the Warrior. Warrior is still a step ahead (as long as he maintains his deliberate pace) and continues his domination of Savage. This is just a total beating as Savage gets bounced all over the ring. Finally, Warrior gets a little out of control and misses a splash in the corner, which sends him to the floor. Sherri distracts the Warrior and Savage takes control on the floor. He sends Warrior head first into the post, and brings him back in the ring. Warrior counters a backslide into one of his own, but that only gets 2. Savage decides to spit on the Warrior in hopes that it will get him out of control again, but Warrior won’t bite and keeps his deliberate pace. He stays in control because of that, but again makes the mistake of running out of control at Savage and he gets face planted after missing a shoulder tackle. Savage locks in a chin lock, but the crowd gets the Warrior back to his feet. The action gets a little faster and it results in a double clothesline to put down both men. Sherri continues to be a distraction as she keeps the ref from counting three on a small package by the Warrior. He argues with the ref and Savage drops both of them. Sherri heads to the top rope, but misses Warrior and hits Savage with her shoe. So that’s where Bischoff got the idea for all those finishes on Nitro in the mid 90s. Warrior chases Sherri on the floor, but it leads to Savage getting a roll-up for 2. Savage now controls as he hangs Warrior on the top rope with the clothesline. He heads to the top rope and drops the Great Flying Elbow in the history of the business. He does it again, and again, and again, and again. How much of a dick does Savage look like for hitting 5 flying elbows. As far as the crowd is concerned the Warrior is dead and buried, but some how he kicks out at 2. Savage has no idea what to do now, and Warrior gets to the ropes and starts to Warrior-Up. Three clotheslines from the Warrior and he hoists Savage into the air with the press slam. The splash looks to finish, but Savage kicks out at 2. Now the Warrior is questioning what he has to do to win the match. He starts looking to the heaves and starts talking to whatever God told him that Queering don’t make the world right (his words not mine). Apparently they tell him to leave, but Savage comes back to life and drops Warrior from the apron to the floor. Savage tries to hit the double-axe from the top rope to the floor, but Warrior moves and Savage eats the steel railing. Savage is basically out on his feet after that and Warrior destroys him with a flying shoulder block that sends him to the floor. Back in the ring and Savage gets hit with another one that again sends him to the floor. Back in the ring, and another one sends Savage to the floor once more. Warrior drags the lifeless carcass of Savage back into the ring and pins him with a single foot on his chest @ 20:48.

-Now post match we get what takes this match from just great to beyond epic. Warrior celebrates and quietly leaves the ring. Sherri is pissed she’s just lost her meal ticket and starts to lay the boots to Savage. Liz has seen enough and hops the railing. In a great character development, Liz gets physically involved and tosses Sherri out of the ring. Savage comes to and only sees Liz standing in front of him. He is confused until he hears Sherri screaming at him from the floor. The crowd is patiently waiting for the reunion, and after some soul searching, Savage embraces Liz in the most emotional moment in WrestleMania history. Heenan is absolutely hilarious as he tries to explain why people in the crowd are crying (“maybe her shoes are too tight”). Then in one of the greatest touches ever, Savage keeps Liz from holding open the ropes like she did thousands of times, and he holds the rope for Liz. That is just awesome, and one of those moments where you just get it. It’s similar to Flair last year when he was asked what his plan was and he said “To be the Man.” Savage leaves the ring as a massive face, and Warrior looks like a World beater as he can lay claim to pinning each member of the Mega Powers cleanly in back to back WrestleManias. Only thing I think can compare is the Rock pinning Hogan and Austin clean in back to back Manias.

Winner: The Ultimate Warrior via pin after multiple shoulder blocks @ 20:48
-This is my 2nd favorite match of all time, and the post match angle only helps things. I loved the story with Warrior having to slow his normal pace down, and Savage trying to get Warrior angry to get him to make mistakes. The announcing was awesome and the crowd was absolutely insane from the start. This is easily the best match involving the Warrior and is one of the best from Savage as well. This didn’t need 100 different holds, or tables, ladders, and chairs. It was just 2 men fighting for their careers and doing whatever they could to get the win. The match plus the angle that follows makes this an easy rating for me. *****

Undisputed WWF Intercontinental Title: Ladder Match: Razor Ramon © vs. Shawn Michaels (w/ Diesel)
WrestleMania X: Mar 20, 1994: MSG, NY, NY

-Shawn was the IC Champ and was suspended for failing a drug test. He was none too pleased and decided he was keeping the title. Razor and Ric Martel were the final two men in a battle royal and had a match to determine the new Champ. Razor won, and Shawn soon returned with the original IC Title, claiming to be the true champion. They decided a ladder match would be the best way to settle things, as both titles are hanging above the ring. For the longest time WWE cannon tried to pass this off as the first ladder match in WWF history. Eventually credit was given to Bret and Shawn for having the first ladder match. Had SummerSlam 92 taken place in DC instead of London, we would have gotten Shawn vs. Bret in a ladder match at that event. Shawn comes to the ring, and decides to walk around the ladder, while Razor decides to walk under the ladder. Giving us the reason why Shawn found Jesus and is still wrestling at Mania today and Hall is not. Let that be a lesson to all the young kids out there. Both men are a bit tentative to start, and opt to wrestle instead of going straight for the ladder. Ramon kills Shawn with a chokeslam, but misses two clotheslines and it results in a neckbreaker from Shawn. Razor gets sent to the floor, and that gives Diesel a chance to mow him down. The ref tosses Diesel who shows off the acting skills that got him a part in Ninja Turtles II. To be fair, Nash was pretty hilarious in The Longest Yard. Shawn starts bouncing all over the place like a pinball on speed. They head back to the floor, and Razor removes the protective padding from the floor. Shawn says piss on that and the action returns to the ring. Razor goes for the Razor’s Edge, but he is much too close to the ropes, and that usually means he is getting back dropped to the floor. Sure enough Ramon eats the concrete in our second ironic spot of the night. Shawn grabs the ladder, but Ramon cuts him off before he gets it to the ring. Shawn baseball slides the ladder into Ramon as he tried to put it in the ring. That’s the first of many spots that would be lifted in later matches. The ladder enters the ring, and Razor takes a shot to the face. Shawn rams the ladder into the midsection of a prone Ramon, and decides to just toss the son of bitch at him. +1000 for effectiveness. Shawn sets up the ladder and starts to climb as the crowd starts to lose their minds. Razor grabs the ankle, and then pulls down Shawn’s pants. The women in the crowd love that. Shawn is able to kick off, and with his ass still hanging out he drops an elbow from the ladder. That’s dedication. In a very memorable moment Shawn dives off the ladder and splashes Ramon from the heavens. Sure, it seems a little tame by today’s standards, but this was some hardcore shit back in 94. Shawn heads up once again, but Ramon pushes the ladder over, and Shawn bounces off the top rope to sell the fall. Both men collide center ring, and I am amazed at the speed with which Ramon is running the ropes. He was actually sprinting coming off those ropes as he is making the most of the stage he’s been given tonight. Shawn is the first person to his feet and he sets the ladder in the corner. He ends up getting tossed into the ladder and goes over the post and to the floor. Now Razor has some fun beating the shit out of Shawn with the ladder. He leans the ladder against the apron and catapults Shawn into the ladder. Ever the professional Shawn makes sure to hang onto the ladder and have it fall back on him. I appreciate people who are willing to kill themselves for my enjoyment. Shawn gets killed with a ladder shot to the jaw and hits the floor. Ramon starts to climb, but Shawn heads to the top rope and dives onto Ramon before he gets the belts. The ladder starts to teeter and ends up falling on Shawn. Both men start to climb and they slug it out on top of the ladder. Ramon hits a hiptoss, but the ladder buckles and he falls to the mat with the ladder. He makes another go for the titles, but Shawn dropkicks the ladder to send him crashing back to the canvas. With the ladder rocking a little, Shawn casually pushes it over and it lands on Ramon. Very nice! Ramon eats what would become sweet chin music, but since this is 1994 it doesn’t mean too much. Shawn hits a sweet ass piledriver, and heads back to the ladder. In another memorable spot Shawn rides the ladder down onto Ramon, and the crowd pops huge for that spot. With Ramon seemingly out, Shawn places the ladder over Ramon and starts to climb again. He’s not fast enough though and Razor throws a shoulder into the ladder and Shawn gets tied in the ropes after falling. That’s the break Razor needed as he climbs the ladder and retrieves both titles with one final yank at 18:48.

Winner and Undisputed Intercontinental Champion: Razor Ramon via belt retrieval at 18:48
-What more can be said about this match. Newer fans might find this tame after years of TLC and Money in the Bank matches, but this match started all of that. One word for this match: Revolutionary. I know Flair has said that Shawn basically had a match with a ladder and Razor just happened to be there, but credit still needs to be given to both men in this match. I tend to enjoy their ladder rematch at SummerSlam 95 (in Pittsburgh, PA), but this is still a fantastically awesome match. *****

The 411: Not sure why they only put 5 matches on this disc? I mean you can't go wrong with the matches they chose as we got 3 matches that hit *****, and The Biggest Match Ever on 1 disc, but I can't help but think they could have put another match or two on here. Warrior/Hogan? Savage/Flair? Piper/Hart? Hart/Hart? One more disc to go.
Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]