From the Bowery: WrestleMania VI

WWF WrestleMania VI
April 1, 1990
SkyDome (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Announce Team: Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse “The Body” Ventura

After 2 years in the small Convention Center in Trump Plaza, the WWF decided to head North of the Border for another Stadium Show. The result is 67,678 Canucks (including 1 Future WWE and World Champion) being jam packed into the SkyDome to watch what seemed to be a passing of the torch. More on that as we get there.

Rick Martel vs. Koko B. Ware (w/ Frankie)

-Fresh off his heel turn at WM V, Martel was in the midst of his “Model” gimmick. Koko was basically a jobber to the stars, and was only here to put over Martel and his new gimmick. I just want to mention that I still love the motorized ring carts that carry the wrestlers to the ring. They seriously need to bring these things back for future stadium shows. Martel jumps Koko from behind, and throws some blows to gain control. Blind charge misses from Martel and Koko gets a high cross body for a 2 count. Two dropkicks from Koko and a backdrop send Martel to the floor to regroup. Martel gets sling-shotted back into the ring. Martel regains control by tossing Koko to the floor and almost on the perch where Frankie is sitting. That would have been quite the site. The crowd dies for the offense of Martel as he works the back. Only pops are when Martel does his mannerisms to try to get the gimmick over. The back work continues as Martel preps for the Boston Crab. Jesse calls Koko out for reaching under the bottom rope to break the Boston Crab attempt. Koko fires back to a nice pop, and hit a few flying headbutts. Martel busts out a reverse Flair Flop to sell the headbutts. Koko tries for the same high cross body he hit earlier in the match, but Martel ducks. The Boston Crab quickly finishes. Canadians 1-0.

Martel via submission with Boston Crab at 3:51
(Very short opener, but it served its purpose. Some decent psychology as Martel focused on the back in setting up the Boston Crab. Also a nice nod to continuity in the match as Martel learned from the early parts of the match, and made Koko pay for the 2nd cross-body attempt.) *3/4

-We head backstage as Okerlund interviews the WWF Tag Champions: The Colostomy Connection (as called by Okerlund). Heenan calls Okerlund out on the mistake, and then sells the tag match with Demolition.

-We head to the locker room scene as Mooney is with Demolition. Ax and Smash argue over what they want to do to Andre and Haku. Basically they want to do bad, bad things, and claim their 3rd WWF Tag Title reign.

WWF Tag Titles: The Colossal Connection © (w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. Demolition

-The crowd is way into the Demos, and I still hate the dubbing of the generic rock music. Seriously, pay the cash and give me “Here comes the Ax….” Big brawl to start as the heels jump the gun (2nd straight match this has happened). The Demos gain control and smartly work over Haku and keep him far away from Andre. Lots of clubbering and quick tags from Demolition as the crowd pops for everything. Haku and Smash have an epic battle over a backslide attempt, but Andre breaks things up as Haku was losing the battle. The heels gain control as Haku gives Ax a shot to the throat. A nice backbreaker follows, and the karate offense from Haku continues. Heenan makes my day by getting a quick bitch slap in on Ax. Andre grabs Ax to cut off his comeback attempt. Haku continues to carry the offense of the heels as Andre is mainly used as a brick wall for Haku to fire Ax into. Haku gets the Vulcan death grip on Ax as the crowd starts to rally for any kind of offense. Andre is awesome as he does some high quality cheating by choking with the tag rope. We really need to see more of that in this day and age. Ax shows some fire, and the crowd pops, but Haku gets a shot in to cut off the comeback. Blind charge by Haku hits a boot, and a clothesline by Ax leads to the HOT TAG. Andre finally gets in the action as he breaks up a pin attempt. All 4 men in the ring as the Demos go insane, and the crowd follows along. Andre holds Smash for a thrust kick, but Smash ducks and Haku nails The Giant. Andre falls back and gets tangled in the ropes as the crowd loses its’ mind. Now that Andre is out of the picture, the Demos finish Haku with the Demolition Decapitation to a massive pop.

-Heenan in one of his dumber moves chews out Andre, and then makes one of the more idiotic mistakes I’ve ever seen: He slaps Andre the Giant. That needs repeating: HE SLAPPED ANDRE THE F”N GIANT. Even Ventura thinks Heenan is nuts at this point. Andre paintbrushes Heenan and gives him another shot to send him to the floor. Haku tries to kick Andre, but he gets caught. Andre makes short work of him, and then throws both of them out of the ring cart, so he can have it to himself. It’s a big pop for Andre as he gets to leave his final WrestleMania contest as a face. Great booking there!

Winner and New WWF Tag Champions Demolition: Ax pins Haku at 9:30
(Nice story in this match as Haku tried to hog all the glory, and never tagged Andre into the match. This proved to be their downfall though as it played into the hands of Demolition. When Andre finally gets in the ring, it is Haku who makes the mistake and leads to Tag Titles changing hands. As a match, it was ok at best, but the crowd heat and post match antics make this quite the memorable WrestleMania moment. The rating is for the match, the booking, and the feel good moments involved) ***

-In the interview area Earthquake gets mic time to hype the match with Hercules. There are various references to buildings being toppled and the ground quaking. It’s your normal Quake promo.

Earthquake (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Hercules

-This is another match (like Martel vs. Koko) where 2 guys are heading in different directions. Hercules was turned faced and pushed (unsuccessfully) as the 3rd Mega-Power. After that he was basically jobbing his way down the card, and tonight he gets Earthquake. Quake was heading up the card and an eventual feud with Hogan leading to SummerSlam. This leaves the outcome of this match pretty obvious. Monsoon does a good job of putting Quake over as he mentions that 28 men have been sent to the hospital in previous encounters with the big man. Earthquakes tries to jump the bell (3rd time in 3 matches), but Herc must have paid attention to the earlier bouts, and moves out of the way. Earthquake offers a test of strength, and Hercules accepts. Ventura drives home the point that Quake should have the advantage due to the size. The crowd gets behind Herc as he fights back, but Quake cuts off the comeback. Another comeback from Herc as he delivers multiple clotheslines that only drops Quake to a knee. Hercules in a rather dumb move goes for the back breaker, and that proves to be his fatal flaw. The Earthquake splash finishes rather quickly. Post match sees Quake deliver another splash to further bury Hercules. Canadians 2-0.

Earthquake via pin w. Earthquake Splash at 4:52
(This was a squash, and it needed to be. Hercules got just enough offense to keep the crowd in it, but not enough to hurt Earthquake. This was done to get the monster heel over, and it worked well enough. Best part was that it was short, and to the point.) ½*

-To the back as Rhona Barrett (wikipedia states she was Barbara Walters before Barbara Walters) interviews Elizabeth backstage. This just lets fans know she is still around, and foreshadows what is to come later. It must be noted that Liz looks quite good.

-To the back again (a different area) as Brutus makes known his intentions to ruin Mr. Perfect’s unblemished record.

Mr. Perfect (w/ The Genius) vs. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake”

-Perfect comes into the match undefeated and way over with the crowd. Brutus comes into the match as a friend of Hulk Hogan. Guess which holds more water. That may seem harsh, but what follows is some bad booking, and leaves me bitter to this day. Brutus is over with the crowd also, but just about everyone is over with this crowd. This is the 1st match where the heel doesn’t jump the bell. It’s gives Ventura the chance to make his annual shout-out to his children in Minneapolis. Perfect begins overselling everything, and it’s quite impressive. Perfect is just a bump machine to start the match and bails to slow things down. Brutus fires Perfect into the corner and the bump from Perfect is awesome. Another one, and Perfect tries to out do the first bump. Poffo gets on the apron and leaves the scroll. Perfect picks up the scroll and cheats to win as he blasts Beefcake. Finally, Perfect is in control and he hits his patented neck snap. Ventura blames Marella for a slow count, and gets in a nice inside dig to Monsoon as he notes Marella can’t count to three. Monsoon mentions that the pendulum has swung 360 degrees. Ventura jumps all over that and buries Monsoon’s mistake. I miss Jesse. Perfect continues to work the neck and face to some good heat from the crowd. Some high quality trash talk from Perfect and then a bitch slap to make things even better. This is just glorious so far. More trash talk, but that’s a little too much as Beefcake turns it into a slingshot. Perfect basically jumps into the post to sell the move, and Beefcake covers to end the undefeated streak. This was just really sad, and to hell with all the Canucks celebrating this travesty.

Beefcake via pin after post shot at 7:48
(Credit to Perfect as he sold and bumped like a champ for Beefcake. I still think it was a mistake to put Beefcake over as this point, but what do I know. Some argue that this just gave Perfect a reason to dump The Genius and take on Heenan. The match itself was ok as Perfect bumped like a mad man.) **

-We get Royal Rumble footage that shows where the Piper/Bad News feud originated. Basically they eliminated one another from the Rumble, and now hate each other.

-Backstage we get the infamous Piper interview where he is painted half black. Even the Piper DVD from a few years never clearly provided a answer to what Piper was thinking. It did provide a great practical joke (detailed in the Piper DVD) where Andre switched paint on Piper. Instead of paint that would wash off, Piper applied permanent paint. He had to fly back home with his body painted half black.

”Rowdy” Roddy Piper vs. Bad News Brown

-The crowd goes insane for Piper (“Piper for Prime Minister”). Jesse makes sure to note that if Piper can be Prime Minister, then he can be President of the US. This match features Canadian born Piper (now residing in the US) and American born Brown (basically an adopted Canadian). Piper officially loses his mind as he disco dances, and swivels his hips. Fast start as they maul each other and roll around the ring. Davis keeps breaking the two, but he can’t control them as they trade fists. More punching as we have yet to see a wrestling move in this contest. Hardcore or Extreme rules would have been great for this match. They stand toe to toe in the middle of the ring and exchange head butts and more punches. Brown hits a slam (dear lord a wrestling move) and drops an elbow for a two count. Jesse breaks character and audible laughs when Piper casually hits a thumb to the eye. Brown returns favor with his own shot to the eyes, and uses the break as a chance to take off the turnbuckle pad. Irony be thy name as Brown ends up eating the exposed buckle. Piper then pulls out a Michael Jackson glove (too many jokes) and hits some more punches. The action spills to the floor, and we get a double count-out as they brawl. The bell rings and both men ignore as the brawl continues up the ramp.

Double count-out at 6:48
(Canadian vs. adopted Canadian ends in a draw as neither has to do the job. This was disappointing as I was hoping for a bloody brawl and instead got Piper trying to make a political statement (I think). Having a crappy finish like that on the biggest show of the year is also pretty garbage.) 1/2*

-To the back again (this is getting pretty old at this point). We are in the shower this time (about the 4th different backstage set they’ve used) and Steve Allen plays the piano to irritate the Bolsheviks. Twelve years later, I bet Bradshaw used that shower in a much different manner.

The Hart Foundation vs. The Bolsheviks

-The Hart’s issued a challenge to the winner of the Tag Title match, and it’s noted they are next in line. That doesn’t give me much hope for the chances of the Russians. It’s Canadians vs. Russians in Toronto. If this was Vince Russo, the Canadians do the job and the Russians dry hump the Canadian Flag while Bret gets dowsed with maple syrup. The Russian National Anthem is interrupted by the Foundation (Bret really doesn’t like people singing their country’s anthem apparently: Just ask the Patriot). The Hart Attack finishes in short order. Canadians 3-0-1

Hart pins Zhukov after Hart Attack at 0:19
(BURIAL of the highest order here as the Hart Foundation goes over strongly. This was just to set the stage for Demolition vs. The Hart Foundation.) DUD

-Commercial for WrestleMania VII airs (1st time they hyped the next year’s Mania a year in advance). “March 24, 1991: Join the more than 100,000 fans.” FAIL

Tito Santana vs. The Barbarian (w/ Bobby Heenan)

-Another case of the up and coming monster heel against the established baby face. Tito has always been fascinating to me, as he seems virtually bullet proof. He remained constantly over during his tenure in the WWF, and was always a 1st class professional. He would put over anyone in the ring, and in promos with no questions asked. He would also try to go out there and give the fans the best match possible. Even The Matador gimmick where he got in touch with his heritage never derailed the love the fans had for him. This match is no different as he does all he can to make The Barbarian look like a monster. The match boils down to Tito’s speed vs. Barbarian’s power (as it should). Tito ducks a clothesline and hits a high cross body for a 2 count. Tito uses his quickness to frustrate the Barbarian, but he eats a stiff big boot from the Barbarian. A very short heat segment follows before Santana makes the comeback with a pair of dropkicks. The Flying Jalapeno (TM Bobby Heenan) follows, but Heenan puts Barbarians foot on the rope (Barbarian probably should have kicked out of that). Santana gets caught and dropped into a stun gun. The Barbarian heads up tope and damn near rips Tito’s head off with a flying clothesline for the pin.

Barbarian via pin w/ top rope clothesline at 4:33
(Not much offense for the Barbarian, but what he did hit looked impressive. Tito was the fiery baby face that kept getting killed by power moves. Again, it got the job done, and didn’t waste too much time in getting that job done.) *

-Recap of the Dusty/Sherri vs. Rhodes/Sapphire feud.

-Dusty and Sapphire give a promo backstage as they give hints that they have the crown jewel.

”Macho King” Randy Savage & Queen Sherri vs. Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire (w/ Miss Elizabeth)

-This is the 1st mixed tag match in WWF history. Ventura owns all as he questions the announced combined weight of Rhodes and Sapphire (465 lbs). “You’re telling me Rhodes only weighs 200. I know damn well Sapphire weighs 2 and a half.” Dubbing alert as we get some horrible music for Rhodes instead of “He’s just a Common Man.” Rhodes grabs the mic and brings out Miss Elizabeth (with Savage’s music) to a massive pop. Savage doesn’t take that quite well and loses his mind. Again, Liz looks great, and each time I see her it makes me sad to know how things ended. She really needs to take her rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame. Rules here are Man vs. Man and Woman vs. Woman. Savage and Rhodes start as Dusty hits the flip, flop, and fly. Savage gets caught coming off the top rope, and gets tossed into Sherri. Sapphire gets tagged in, and Rhodes fires Sherri back into the ring. Sapphire uses her ample posterior to her advantage, and follows with a comedy match staple: The airplane spin. Sherri tries a slam, and suffers from Hoganitis as Sapphire falls back on her. The men return, and Sapphire gets a few slaps in on Savage. Finally, Savage has had enough, and takes control of the match. The axe-handle from the top rope to the floor follows, and Savage opts to do it again. Savage tries for the third time, but Sapphire gets in the way. Macho has no problem hitting a woman, and throws Sapphire to the floor (she did hit Savage first). Another top rope axe-handle follows again (this time in the ring) for a two count. Nice display of power from Savage as he hits a suplex. Cheat to win time as Savage grabs the scepter and hits Dusty in the back of the head. Sherri tags in, and heads to the top rope to hit a splash for the pin attempt (the ref counts even though the rules say man vs. man). Dusty makes the comeback and the women go at it once again with a woman’s staple: hair pulling. Sherri hits the floor and Liz tosses her back in the ring to a big pop. Liz gets involved again as she shoves Sherri over a kneeling Sapphire. A pin follows and a three count is made. Dusty and the 2 Ladies dance to the delight of the crowd. It was nice to see Liz look so happy as she danced at the end of the match.

Sapphire pins Sherri at 7:52
(This match is kind of depressing when you realize all 3 ladies involved are deceased. The match itself was a mess, but it was an enjoyable mess. The story telling was great as the Savage/Liz storyline just kept building from WrestleMania to WrestleMania. This showed a different side of Liz as she got more involved, and planted the seeds for what was to come a year later. Kind of like the Raven/Dreamer feud, the Liz/Savage storyline just kept bringing others into the fold) **

-Another promo for WrestleMania VII: LA Coliseum, 100,000 +. I see no way this idea bombs.

-Heenan backstage as he runs down Andre, and promises to get more members in his stable. Mr. Perfect would be on his list.

-Monsoon and Ventura join Rhona Barrett backstage as she dishes gossip about Jesse. Apparently a Jesse porno exists and Barrett was going to show it to a live audience full of women and children. No video is shown as Jesse quickly throws to Mooney.

-Mooney interviews a crazed Savage. Just your typical nut job interview from Savage.

-Interviews continue as Demolition celebrate the title win, and threaten the Hart Foundation.

-Jesse and Gorilla kill more time and hype Warrior vs. Hogan

-More filler for the intermission as Gene interviews Hogan. Find this and the Warrior one that follows on YouTube. Compare the two, and tell me who is more crazed. “Once I get you down on your knees Warrior, I will ask you one question. Do you want to live forever?” Wow, even as Hogan mark, I have no words for that.

-Warrior throws Mooney out of the shot, and takes over the interview. Apparently, Mooney doesn’t breathe the same air as Hogan and the Warrior. I give the craziness factor to the Warrior, as at least Hogan’s promo seemed more focused. Warrior’s was just all over the place. “The colors of the Hulk-a-maniacs are pouring through my skin.” That’s something you may want to get treated.

The Rockers vs. The Orient Express (w/ Mr. Fuji)

-The Rockers get the “Cena” reaction (ie: lots of high pitched squeals). Jannetty starts with Tanaka, and the Express double team early. Things break loose quickly as all 4 men get in the ring, and the Rockers clear house. The Express hit the floor and the Rockers chase with stereo planchas. Things settle down again as Janetty locks in a side headlock. Fuji cheats to win for his team as he uses his cane to low bridge Jannetty. Marty plays face in peril as the Express use quick tags and double team moves. I guess I was wrong as Marty gets a tag to Shawn, and they hit double sweet chin music (didn’t mean much back in 1990). Shawn hits a sweet neckbreaker on Saito, but he is kicked from behind by Tanaka to give the heels by advantage. Tanaka drops a knee from the top rope as the crowd tries to get Shawn motivated: Drugs, women, and/or alcohol generally worked around this time. The match slows down again as Tanaka uses the Vulcan nerve hold. Shawn hits a stiff clothesline where Tanaka does the Marty sell by doing a complete flip. Janetty gets the hot tag, and the Rockers unload with a double dropkick and a double backdrop. Each Rocker heads up top, but Fuji nails Jannetty with the cane. Jannetty chases down Fuji, but Saito throws salt into his eyes. Jannetty staggers blindly outside, and falls over the railing into the crowd. The ref’s count reaches ten, and we get a cheap ass ending. Jannetty’s sell of the salt was awesome, as he just had to reenact his night at the bar 2 days before the show.

Express via count-out at 7:38
(This was pretty disappointing, and never really got going. The ending was pretty sad, and put even a bigger damper on the match.) **

Jim Duggan vs. Dino Bravo (w/ Jimmy Hart and Earthquake)

-Duggan carries an American Flag into Toronto, Canada against Canadian Strongman Dino Bravo and gets a fair amount of cheers. That kind of goes south once he tries to get the crowd to chant “USA.” Now the boos can be heard, and to his credit Duggan continues trying to led the crowd in a USA chant. He is more successful is getting the crowd to clap along with him. Quick start as Duggan hits a backdrop, and clothesline. Bravo bails, and Duggan continues to yell for the Godfather’s ladies (yes, that joke has probably been made by many others). Blind charge by Duggan misses, and Bravo throws a few chops. An inverted atomic drop is followed up by a Bravo chokehold. Duggan’s comeback begins with a few clotheslines, and he goes for the Three Point Stand clothesline. Earthquake puts the kibosh on that, so while the ref is distracted Duggan uses the 2×4 to get the win. Wow, Jim Duggan just out smarted someone. Post match sees Earthquake squash Duggan with two elbows and three Quake splashes. A Canadian finally ate a pin, but don’t fret our friends to the North as the more important Canadian got to crush the American post-match. Call that: Canadians: 4.5-1-1

Duggan via pin after 2×4 shot at 4:15
(This match had nothing to do with the 2 men involved, and only served in making Earthquake into a bigger threat. They could have done something better to put more heat on Quake, but instead they make me sit through this match) 1/2*

-Backstage Jake gives the best promo of the night. This was awesome as he never raised his voice, and never went metaphor crazy. He just summed up the match in a few words, and made known what he was going to do. Too bad his brain is basically fried now.

”The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase (w/ Virgil) vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

-This match is for the Million Dollar Championship. One of the rare occasions it was defended. After a criss-cross, Jake hits the knee lift, and quickly goes for the DDT. Dibiase bails on that and takes solace with his manservant on the outside. Back inside, and Jake goes for the DDT again, and Dibiase bails once again. We have another go in the ring, and Jake applies a wristlock, and turns that into a hammerlock. Dibiase reverses the hammerlock, but Roberts fires him to the floor. This time Roberts follows, and gets caught coming back in the ring. Jake goes for another knee lift, but Dibiase sidesteps and Jakes takes a pretty good bump. Dibiase draws some great heat as works the neck and throat of Roberts. The crowd goes nuts as either they are way into this match, or some drunk is making a scene in the crowd. Considering this is Canada, I would vote for the drunk. The wave breaks out while, a reverse chinlock is applied by Dibiase. The camera leaves the match and focuses on the wave that continues to pass through the crowd. Ventura quite calling the match, and is more focused on the crazy Canadians and their wacky wave. What is it with Toronto and the wave? Had Taker been on this show he would have gone into the crowd and stopped the fun by himself. A swank piledriver by Dibiase gets the crowd back into the match. The crowd chants for Jake as he gets caught in the Million Dollar Dream. Roberts survives by getting his foot on the bottom rope. Dibiase heads to the middle rope, but gets caught in the midsection to turn the tide. The crowd chants for the DDT as Roberts hits a few clotheslines and a backdrop. Beautiful short-arm clothesline follows, and the sign for the DDT is made. That’s quite stupid as Virgil pulls Jake out of the ring. Virgil eats a bodyslam for his trouble, and the brawl begins on the floor. Both men hit the post, but Dibiase beats the count with the help of Virgil. Post match sees Jake get his revenge by hitting a double clothesline that sends wads of cash flying. Virgil high tails it to the back with the belt. Back in the ring Roberts finally hits the DDT, and then tosses money to the fans. For some reason he gives cash to Mary Tyler Moore (like she needs it), and finishes by stuffing a c-note down the throat of Dibiase. Damian makes his appearance, but Virgil pulls Dibiase out of the ring.

Dibiase via count-out at 11:50
(These count-out finishes are getting very tiresome. Someone, please do a clean J-O-B.
The match itself was pretty decent, and credit to both men, as they didn’t let the crowd get to them. They were able to get the crowd back in the match, and deliver some decent in ring work. A better ending, and I would have given this a better ranking, but at this point I have had enough of cheap endings.) **3/4

-To the back again as we get an interview from Akeem and then one from the Bossman. The split boils down to Dibiase trying to payoff the Bossman, and he wouldn’t take it. Thus he is now a face, and we get the match where former partners collide.

The Big BossMan vs. Akeem (w/ Slick)

-Both men have music dubbed in, and in the case of the Bossman it’s his music from his later 90s run in the WWF (though at times you can hear “Hard Time” blasting through). Dibiase was hiding under the ring, and jumps the Bossman before the bell rings. Dibiase is still a little bitter about Bossman not taking a payoff. Akeem controls with his fat man offense and some punches. Bossman hits a boot, and fires Akeem form turnbuckle to turnbuckle before hitting a clothesline. The Bossman Slam finishes quickly. For a match being built as “The Twin Towers Explode” (damn, does that sound bad some 18 years later), I was expecting something a little more epic.

BossMan via pin after BossMan Slam at 1:49
(Squash, and an angle advancement squash at that.) 1/2*

-The Fink introduces Rhythm & Blues, as they are set to sing their new song. Diamond Dallas Page, as the driver, makes his WrestleMania debut. Though nobody knew who he was at the time. The performance goes on for a few painful minutes before the Bushwhackers (dressed as vendors) chase off R&B. They celebrate with the crowd by destroying the guitars.

-Another WrestleMania VII video air: Join the 100,000 strong. I hear seats are still available.

-Fink announces the record-breaking attendance of 67, 678. The record would be broken 12 years later with WrestleMania X-8.

”Ravishing” Rick Rude vs. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka

-Back to the theme of the night where a face on his way down the card is used to give the rub to a heel on his way up the card. In this case, Rude’s acting was being toned down, and he was getting more serious as he was being prepared for a run with The Ultimate Warrior. That actually makes a great deal of sense since Rude pinned the Warrior for the IC Title at WM V. Rude jumps the bell, but misses a dropkick when Snuka holds onto the top rope. Rude bumps like a pro as Snuka throws him all over the ring. A dropkick sends Rude to the floor. Back in the ring, and Rude reverse a backdrop attempt into a suplex. He then makes the mistake of hitting Snuka in head. He quickly realizes this won’t work, and hits a backdrop. Snuka fires back with chops, and follows up with a headbutt. Snuka heads up to the middle rope, but misses a headbutt. The Rude Awakening (to a nice pop) finishes.

Rude via pin after Rude Awakening at 3:59
(For a second I thought Snuka might pull out a squash and blast Rude over the head, because this was a Snuka squash for most of the match. The Rude Awakening was just about the only move Rude hit. Sure it was great to see Rude finish Snuka off in less than 4 minutes, but he was getting dominated. Still, at least the right man went over) 3/4*

-We get the Hogan/Warrior confrontation at the Royal Rumble. Just watch the reaction from the crowd, and then imagine the dollar signs in McMahon eyes.

Champion vs. Champion: Hulk Hogan (WWF Champion) vs. The Ultimate Warrior (Intercontinental Champion)

-Warrior, like an idiot, sprints to the ring and is gassed before the match starts. Here’s a clue moron: either walk when there is an aisle that long, or take the motorized cart. Thankfully, he would learn a year later. Hogan, getting the bigger reaction (just saying), also ditches the cart, but decides to walk to the ring. It still amazes me that through all the crap this crowd had to sit through, and a marathon show like this, they were still JACKED for this match. The bell rings, and the crowd explodes. Nice visual as both me stare down while wearing their respective titles. Champions needs to wear their titles around their waists more in today’s wrestling world. A shove from the Warrior, and Hogan returns favor (again to a larger reaction). Warrior shoves out of a lock up, and then Hogan does the same (again to a larger reaction). Warrior calls for the test of strength (Greco-Roman knuckle lock, as called by Ventura), and the crowd loses its mind as they takes turns dropping the other to his knees. The Warrior wins the first round, and the crowd begins a Hogan chant. He starts to rise to a massive pop, and now the Warrior gets broken down to his knees: Round 2 to Hogan. This is what you call 50/50 booking to start. The crowd roars again when the Warrior gets back to his feet. Hogan outwrestles the Warrior by using a back leg trip. The criss cross of Doom spot is run, and Hogan hits a scoop-slam (no sold by Warrior). Back to the criss-cross and now the Warrior hits the press-slam, which Hogan does sell. Advantage Warrior. Hogan gets dumped to the floor with a clothesline, and sells a knee injury. He collapses on the outside, as the crowd looks concerned. Smartly, Warrior goes outside and stomps the knee. The Hogan sell job continues, but the Warrior has no mercy and fires Hogan into the ring. Hogan goes to the eyes (much to Jesse’s delight), and basically forgets the knee injury. Corner clothesline (always liked that move) from Hogan, and the crowd counts along as he hits the 10-punch count in the corner. Monsoon does a great job of covering for the no sell of the knee injury. Hogan turns a front face lock into a small package for a two count, and fires away with some right hands. Stiff clothesline sends Warrior to the canvas, and Hogan hooks the leg for a two count. Hogan keeps going for the win as he hits a back-breaker, but it only get TWO. Hogan applies a reverse chinlock, and the Warrior fans try to get their guy going. Hogan continues to bust out the move-set as he hits a pretty good belly to back suplex for another two count. Back to the chinlock, and the crowd gets the Warrior to his feet. Elbows from the Warrior break the chinlock, and both men clothesline each other. Hebnar starts the count, and the crowd counts along with him. Warrior sits up first, and Hogan follows suit. Both men get to their feet, but Warrior starts shaking the ropes as he no sells Hogan’s punches. Multiple clotheslines from the Warrior, and he throws Hogan from corner to corner. A snap suplex gets a two count for the Warrior. Now it’s Hogan’s turn to sell a rest hold, as Warrior applies the bearhug (looked more impressive when Andre did it). Unlike the chinlock from earlier, the bearhug sequence goes on a little too long as the crowd goes quiet for the only time in the match. Hogan’s arm drops twice, but he starts to rally on the third attempt. The crowd explodes, and Hogan breaks the hold. Hebnar gets wiped when Hogan ducks a shoulder block. Warrior busts out his move set as he steals from Savage and hits a double axe. He heads to the opposite corner and hits another one. Warrior hits one too many ropes, and gets driven head first into the canvas. Hogan covers, but there’s no ref, and Hogan gets a taste of his own medicine. Warrior hits a belly to back suplex, and he gets a cover with no ref. Now both men have a visual cover over the other without a ref. Hebnar crawls and begin the count, but Hogan kicks out at two. A roll-up from Hogan and that gets a hot near fall. Warrior gets dumped over the top with a back elbow, and the two men brawl on the floor. Hogan takes a weak shot into the post, and both men roll back in the ring. More clotheslines from the Warrior, and he goes for the Gorilla Press Slam. He barely gets Hogan up and almost screws up the move because he is so exhausted. Hogan starts to Hulk up after a two count, and the crowd has officially lost it. Hogan points the finger and fires away with right hands. Big boot, and the leg drop MISSES. Warrior quickly hits the splash, and covers for the 3 count. Half the crowd is shocked and the other half is thrilled beyond belief. Hebnar hands the WWF Title to Warrior and he has to blow him off, so the torch passing isn’t ruined. Hogan gets his belt, and hands it to the Warrior. The two men embrace, and Hogan leaves the ring as the pyro ushers in a new era in the WWF (not really, but the thought was there). Ventura stuns me by actually putting Hogan over (“I do believe Hulk-a-mania will live forever”).

Winner and New WWF Champion and still IC Champion: The Ultimate Warrior via pin after splash at 22:51 (This was a terrifically booked match that played to both men’s strengths, and had the advantage of featuring an insane crowd. Hogan did quite the job in carrying a blown-up Warrior in the early parts of the match, and the end sequence was chalk full of drama and hot near falls. This was certainly an epic match, and one that is worthy of all the praise it received) ****1/4

-This was supposed to usher in a new era for the WWF, but Warrior never took of like they thought he would. Mainly due to the fact that Hogan never really went away, and most still viewed Hogan as the #1 man in the company. Edge said it best when he stated he never could get behind the Warrior (even with Hogan’s stamp of approval) because he had defeated his hero. He makes one hell of a point: Who really roots for the team that crushes your team’s chances at a Championship?

Top 5 WrestleMania Matches (at this point)

1) IC Title: Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat *****
2) WWF Title: Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan ****1/2
3) WWF Title vs IC Title: Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior ****1/4
4) Strike Force vs. The Brain Busters ***1/2
5) WWF Tag Titles: The British Bulldogs vs. The Dream Team ***1/2

The 411: This show was mind numbing to watch. There were way too many count-outs, and way too many backstage interviews. Sure it's great to give promo time to hype matches, but I don't need to hear from every single person on the card. There are a few feel good moments, but these is way too much garbage to sit through before getting to the awesome Title vs Title. Thanks to the many DVD sets out there, you can find Hogan vs. Warrior in other places.

Final Score:  5.5   [ Not So Good ]