Fun: The 8-Man Tag from WrestleMania VIII

WrestleMania is, of course, one of my favorite events as a wrestling fan. Of the 30 events we’ve had, WrestleMania 8 is one of my absolute favorites. The main event of Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice featured two of my all time favorite wrestlers colliding in the ring, and even if the match wasn’t a five asterisk affair (it most certainly was not), it still gave us the return of the Ultimate Warrior to help us forget that the match itself wasn’t so hot.

We also got to see the start of Shawn Michaels’ rise, as he opened the card with a fun, spirited match against “El Matador” Tito Santana. Bobby Heenan was already calling him the future Intercontinental Champion, and it didn’t take much to see that this guy was going to figure into the WWF’s future plans in a big way. Santana fought valiantly to hang with Michaels, but eventually succumbed to a little bit of chicanery from Sherri and was pinned, and the rise of the Heart Break Kid had begun.

There were also two classics, as Bret Hart and Roddy Piper went at it in an emotionally charged matchup for the Intercontinental Championship. Piper had defeated The Mountie for the belt at the Royal Rumble that year, with Mountie having defeated Bret Hart for the title just a few days prior at a house show event. This represented Hart’s opportunity to get his belt back, with an added storyline feature of how the two had known each other for years, with Piper playing the “old man” to Bret Hart’s “up and comer” (hilarious given the 3 year age difference between the two).

Hart would eventually win the bloody battle between the two, reversing a Piper sleeperhold by walking up the ropes, pushing back, and holding the champion down. As good as that match was- and it was very, very good- it paled in comparison to what I consider the best match on that card (and one of the best WrestleMania matches, period) in Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair for the WWF Championship.

I spoke a few weeks back about just what the Macho Man meant to me as a fan, and this match is my favorite Randy Savage match, bar none. What at first felt like a consolation prize became a feud in which I was hugely invested, thanks to the awesome storyline of Ric Flair lying to Savage about having been with Elizabeth first, and even promising to unveil a sexy banner of Elizabeth to the entire crowd after he beat Savage.

This led to the match itself, which saw Flair and Mr. Perfect cheat in ways that we hadn’t even thought possible, all in the name of getting Flair disqualified so he could keep the belt. Astonishingly, Earl Hebner never stopped the match, no matter how many times he saw Mr. Perfect interfere right in front of his face. I remember as a kid hoping that he’d let it slide, so that Savage wouldn’t get robbed of the belt. And then, one roll-up with a handful of trunks later, we had a new champion in Randy Savage.

Suffice to say, I absolutely love WrestleMania 8. It was such a fun card, whether the match carried a ton of significance, or whether it was just a match to get some guys on the roster a payday. And that’s why I’ve glossed over the bigger and better matches, because to me, the match that I enjoy the most for its simple Fun Factor is, oddly enough, the eight man tag team match. Featuring The Nasty Boys, The Repo Man, and The Mountie taking on Hacksaw Jim Duggan, The Big Boss Man, Sgt. Slaughter and Virgil, this match had absolutely nothing going on to tie it together (outside of the lingering feud between Boss Man and Mountie that really hadn’t been played up in a while, as well as Virgil still wanting revenge on Repo Man for costing him the Million Dollar Title), but it still felt like it could be a good time.

The match is introduced by Ray Combs, who at the time was the host of Family Feud. He used the show’s traditional survey format to introduce the heels by making fun of them. He started with the Mountie, noting that he doesn’t know the meaning of the word fear… or many other words. He then noted that Mountie did the work of three men- Larry, Curly, and Moe. “That’s what the survey said!” The next survey said the you can’t call Repo Man “two-faced,” because if he was, he should be wearing the other one. Even The Nasty boys weren’t safe from Combs’ survey, as we clearly had “two men sharing one brain.” However, when Combs revealed that their run could be summed in one word- “lucky”- he had to sprint from the ring as the heels looked to attack. This got the match started with all eight men brawling.

I’d be making a huge mistake if I didn’t draw attention to the interview the face team had before the match started, as it features one of the best borderline threats ever. Virgil had been attacked by Sid in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, and had his nose broken after being slammed into the exposed turnbuckle repeatedly. To that end, he was sporting a facemask to make sure that his nose wouldn’t be reinjured while he competed. “My nose will be protected, but WHO in the world is gonna protect YOUR nose?!” That’s fucking gold from where I sit. Indeed, who would protect the noses of the heel contingent?!

As for the match itself- don’t let my immense love of it fool you, it’s not a classic. It’s just eight veterans going out there and delivering a really fun brawl that never slows down. The faces clean house after the initial brawl, with Duggan leading the Indiana crowd in separate “HOOOOOO!” and “USA!” chants, getting the place pumped up again. It was at this point that Bobby Heenan, earning his paycheck, informed us that Shawn Michaels had, indeed, left the building.

The non-stop brawl continues with Jerry Sags and Duggan going at it, with Sags taking control early on, before Duggan is able to end that with an atomic drop that sends Sags into the face corner, allowing Boss Man to take a cheap shot. Hacksaw would then tag out to Sgt. Slaughter, and the former WWF Champion comes in looking to keep the momentum going. Sags, however, would go to the eyes, and tag out to Brian Knobbs. More hard hitting action would continue as Slaughter unloaded a huge lariat and a nice gutbuster, eventually tagging out to the Boss Man, who welcomes Knobbs with a huge boot to the face, and a Popeye inspired windup right hand. Boss Man would miss a blind charge, however, giving Knobbs the opportunity to bring in The Repo Man. Repo man would look to smash Boss Man, jumping onto the small of Boss Man’s back two times. On the third try, however, Boss Man would spin onto his back, sticking a fist into the air, catching Repo low. Virgil would then tag in, and he’d unleash with a beautiful dropkick and a graceful crossbody block.

However, when he’d try to show off some footwork, he’d get clobbered from behind by The Nasty Boys. Repo would take control with a back suplex, and the ref would be caught up trying to keep the faces from coming into the ring while the heels ran interference. Bobby Heenan continued to call Virgil ugly, and comparing him to a spotted owl.

What I really enjoy about this match is that every single individual gets a chance to do something to stand out. When the Boss Man catches a flying Mountie and reverses it into a spinebuster, another pier 6 brawl breaks out, seeing Knobbs remove the mask of Virgil, flooring him with a shot to the face. However, when the Nastys try to crack Virgil in the face with the mask, Virgil ducks, Knobbs eats the mask, and Virgil gets the cover and the 1-2-3 for the win. It’s simple, energetic fun, and it stands to show how a WrestleMania match with little to no overall importance can still play a part in making the event fun.

After this match, Virgil would continue to sink down the card, with this standing out as his last big win. By SummerSlam of that year, he’d be losing to Nailz in an utterly forgetful match, and getting squashed by Yokozuna at Survivor Series. Slaughter’s days were also winding down, while Boss Man would feud briefly with Nailz before heading out to WCW, and Duggan would last through 1993- including a fun feud with Yokozuna- before ultimately heading to WCW in 1994 as well.

The Nasty Boys would be back in WCW in 1993, while The Mountie would form The Quebecers with his friend Pierre and win the WWF Tag Team Titles from the Steiner Brothers in the fall of 1993, and The Repo Man would have a Demolition explosion at SummerSlam when he took on Crush, before also fading away. He’s show up in WCW a couple years later as The Blacktop Bully, and then finding out he loved to play golf.

Still, as we head into a WrestleMania where many of us (I’m absolutely included in this) aren’t so excited, it’s important to remember a little perspective, and to remember that we may get gold in the places that we aren’t even thinking of looking. On a night where classic matches took place, Hulk Hogan “retired,” and the Ultimate Warrior returned, I still look back fondly on those few minutes where Brian Knobbs, Jerry Sags, Repo Man, Mountie, Virgil, Boss Man, Hacksaw, and Sgt. Slaughter went out there and just had some fun.

And really, that’s what WrestleMania is all about: having fun.

PUT SLICK IN THE HALL OF FAME!!

It’s All Wrestling. It’s All Stupid. We All Love It