Wrestlemania 4
March 27, 1988
Trump Plaza
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
There
was no way Vince McMahon could top Wrestlemania 3 in terms of ticket
sales and a main event that could come close to topping Hulk Hogan vs
Andre the Giant so he had to come up with something different. He
decided that, similar to The Wrestling Classic, that the night should be
centered around a tournament to crown a new WWF Champion. To do this
he had to get the title off Hulk Hogan who had it for 4 years
running. The LONG backstory to this was they used the long two count
in the opening minute of the Wrestlemania 3 match as an angle to say
Andre the Giant should have been champion. Hogan and Andre hooked up
at Survivor Series but that resolved nothing. In the winter of
1987, new top heel “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase wanted to buy
the WWF Championship from Hulk. Hogan famously shouted “HELLLLL
NOOOOOOO!” as a response to Dibiase’s purchase attempt. At the 1988 Royal Rumble, an official re-match between Hulk and Andre was signed for The Main
Event. Before that match, Andre promised Dibiase that after he
won the title, he’d hand it to him. During the Main Event match,
everything was going hunky dory until Andre got the upperhand on
Hogan and covered him. Hogan raised his shoulder at one but referee
Dave Hebner kept counting to three anyway. Everyone in the world was
shocked as Hebner handed the belt to Andre and proclaimed him new WWF
champion. Suddenly another Dave Hebner ran to the ring and confronted
the one reffing the match. It was revealed that this wasn’t Dave
reffing the match but rather his “evil twin” Earl (who had been
working for the NWA up to this point) who ran away laughing with
Andre, Virgil and Ted Dibiase. The fans were completely confused as
to what just happened. Later on, sure enough, Andre handed the world
title to Dibiase. Soon after, WWF president Jack Tunney announced that Andre had officially defeated Hogan for the championship, but the title exchange to Dibiase was illegal and the championship was vacant. There
would be a 14 man tournament at Wrestlemania 4 to decide a new
champion. It was 14 and not 16 because Hogan and Andre had byes in
the first round so they could open the Quarterfinals against one
another. So Hogan and Andre were going to lock up for the second year
in a row but in an entirely different situation. This presented the
fans a whole list of candidates to root for and who could possibly be
the new champion. Joining Hogan and Andre in the tournament would be
Dibiase, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Dino Bravo, “The Rock” Don
Muraco, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Greg “The Hammer”
Valentine, “The Natural” Butch Reed, “Macho Man” Randy
Savage, One Man Gang, Bam Bam Bigelow, Jake “The Snake” Roberts
and “Ravishing” Rick Rude. That literally was the best in the
roster not on a tag team at the time or involved in another feud.
Other matches included a showdown between powerhouses Hercules and
Ultimate Warrior making his ppv debut. The Intercontinental title was
on the line as Honky Tonk Man defending against Brutus “The Barber”
Beefcake. Finally the tag team belts were on the line as Strike Force
defends against Demolition. To give everyone else something to do, a
20 man battle royal was booked with the winner getting a 7 foot tall
trophy. So with this unique Wrestlemania format in place, they
wouldn’t be able to top Wrestlemania 3 but they were trying
something different. Say what you will about Vince McMahon but he was
always willing to try something new.
Before
the show starts we get a Coliseum Video exclusive segment with Craig
DeGeorge who had lost his voice the night before, isn’t that too
bad? “Mean”
Gene Okerlund greets the crowd to open the show and sends it over to
Gladys Knight for a wonderful rendition of America The Beautiful. She
gets a well deserved hand from the crowd as the show begins with the
huge trophy being brought to the ring. The winner of the opening
match Battle Royal gets the trophy. We go to Gorilla Monsoon and
Jesse “The Body” Ventura who run down the card as the battle
royal entrants make their way to the ring. Monsoon asks what Jesse
thinks of Bob Uecker and Vanna White and right on cue, Bob joins the
broadcast booth. Bob isn’t too happy to see Jesse and vice versa.
Monsoon sends it to ringside but not before Jesse makes a fist at
Uecker, hahaha.
Match
1
20
Man Battle Royal
The
participants are Bret Hart, Jim Niedhart, Jim Powers, Paul Roma, Sika
(making his PPV debut), “Dangerous” Danny Davis, Jim Brunzell,
Brian Blair, Bad News Brown, Sam Houston, Jacques and Raymond
Rougeau, Ken Patera, “Outlaw” Ron Bass, Junkyard Dog, Boris
Zhukov, Nikolai Volkoff, Hillbilly Jim, “King” Harley Race and
George “The Animal” Steele. Before the match starts Bob somewhat
breaks Kayfabe by saying Vince McMahon called and asked him to repeat
his performance at Wrestlemania. Vince was presented as just the
babyface announcer 99% of the time in those days so for Bob to
mention Vince had any sort of pull was a rarity. The bell rings and
everyone goes at it. A host of guys gang up to try to dump Sika while
Bob Uecker says this reminds him of the final day of cuts during
Spring Training in baseball. Sam Houston and Danny Davis go at it as
the Harts doubleteam Hillbilly Jim. Bob Uecker says Billy Martin has
to be there somewhere. You’re 3 years late Ueck. It should be noted
that George Steele doesn’t actually get in the ring, he’s just
chilling outside. Gorilla mentions Jesse will be doing some baseball
commentary as Ron Bass whips SAM HOUSTON into Davis who shoulder dips
him over the top and gone. First guy out 41 seconds into it. Moments
later Hillbilly Jim, Brian Blair, Junkyard Dog and Nikolai Volkoff
team up to dump SIKA out. Ventura says Houston went out first because
he’s too light and Gorilla counters by saying Sika is certainly not
light and he’s gone. Blair hits an atomic drop on Davis but is
nearly tossed out by Nikolai. The Rougeau’s double team Niedhart
for a bit. Jesse finally notices Steele outside and Monsoon says he
never got in. Ventura says George is smarter than anyone thinks if
that’s his strategy to chill outside and let everyone tire
themselves out. Junkyard Dog goes at it with Race, shades of last
year. Brunzell saves Patera by ramming Bass and Davis’ heads
together. Bob asks if anyone’s seen Vanna White because he’s
supposed to meet her there. Monsoon says she’s definitely there.
Jesse scoffs and jokes that she’s in love with him, not Bob. Bret
comes off the top and nails Raymond. Niedhart starts swiping at
Steele outside the ring as Jacques backdrops Blair over the top rope
but Brian catches himself on the apron. Suddenly Steele grabs JIM
NIEDHART by the goatee and pulls him out. Once again, great strategy
by George. Bret is steaming mad as Monsoon says George is already out
(he’s not). Jacques stomps away trying to get rid of Blair and Bad
News joins in. Jesse says if Vanna has great taste than she’s less
filling. Gotta love a beer joke on a family show. Bad News nails
BRIAN BLAIR with a chop to the throat and he crumples off the apron
to the floor, he’s gone. Ken Patera matches up with Bret as
Brunzell tries to dump Raymond in retaliation for Brian. Brunzell
does manage to dump RAYMOND ROUGEAU but Jacques sneaks up from behind
and JIM BRUNZELL is tossed out. Bob on commentary says the Bees are
gone. Boris Zhukov matches up with Hillbilly Jim as JYD hits a
headbutt on Ron Bass. Race tries to dump Patera as JYD tosses out RON
BASS as Steele comes up and pokes him in the eye, hahahaha. Bob and
Gorilla think Steele is out while Jesse correctly points out he never
got in the ring. Bret nearly dumps Jacques as the Bolsheviks double
team JYD. Jesse randomly makes fun of Uecker’s lifetime batting
average in the big leagues but Ueck is a good sport about it. Zhukov
dumps out HILLBILLY JIM as Uecker said that was his pick to win the
battle royal. If you pay attention outside, referee Jimmy Korderas
more or less disqualifies GEORGE STEELE and sends him to the showers
without ever getting into the ring. The real reason he never got in
the ring was that he was nursing a knee injury suffered at a house
show prior to Wrestlemania. Paul Roma picks DANNY DAVIS up in a
fireman’s carry and dumps him out to the crowd’s delight.
Unfortunately for Paul, Bad News dumps his partner JIM POWERS on the
other side of the ring. Uecker says the guys that went out early got
their per diem money. Monsoon says he’s gonna have trouble with
Jesse and Bob tonight as JYD stares down his old nemesis Race. Harley
headbutts him and sells it like HE got hit with a chair. Jesse
mentions the only tag team intact at that point is the Bolsheviks.
Right on cue Ken Patera shoulderdips NIKOLAI VOLKOFF out. Patera then
dumps out BORIS ZHUKOV as Uecker says “USA IS IN, YES SIR!”
Unfortunately for Bob, KEN PATERA is dumped by Bad News. We’re down
to 6 men left…make it 5 after JACQUES ROUGEAU is dumped out by
Race. Roma is in the corner with the Hitman as JYD fends off Bad News
and Race JYD then nails HARLEY RACE with a right hand that sends the
King over the top and out. Roma unloads on Bad News but an eye rake
stops him. Bad News dumps out PAUL ROMA and its down to Bret and Bad
News against JYD. All three of them represented Stu Hart’s Stampede
Wrestling at one point so this must have been fun to see for the
Stampede fans. Bad News drops Bret with a clothesline by accident.
Dog headbutts Bad News down and does his Doggie headbutts on the
ground to both Brown and the Hitman. JYD stops to rev up the crowd
which allows Bad News enough time to collect himself. He and Bret
double team JYD until he goes down. Bret and Bad News high and low
five each other and Bad News whispers in his ear to set up a
strategy. Jesse says its like talking to the third base coach before
dropping down a bunt, but in Uecker’s case he’d have to make
contact for that to happen. Once again Uecker runs with it in a
hilarious fashion. Uecker was pretty lousy but nowhere near the worst
baseball player of all time even though that was his gimmick that he
claimed to be. Bret and Bad News continue to work over JYD. Bret and
Bad News try to dump JYD as Jesse says this is Bad News style of
match since he’s a loner anyways. Another attempt by Bret and Bad
News succeeds and JUNKYARD DOG is gone. Bret and Bad News celebrate
as Monsoon reasons that Bret and Bad News are going to split the
purse money. Jesse correctly asks how they’re going to split the
trophy? Just wait Jess. Bret and Bad News continue to pose for the
crowd as Monsoon says one keeps the trophy for a year and then hands
it to the other. Jesse says they’re going to have to tell the
referee to call it off and right on cue, Bad News nails Bret with the
ghetto blaster out of nowhere. Uecker says that’s the last time
he’s going to listen to Gorilla and Jess because he thought they
were friends. Bad News goes to town on Bret and Jesse says when money
is involved, there are no friends. Bad News whips Bret sternum first
into the corner as Monsoon says its like running into the centerfield
wall. Bad News finally tosses BRET HART out and there’s your
winner. Bad News dumped Brian Blair, Jim Powers, Ken Patera, Paul
Roma, JYD and the Hitman to win it. The triophy is legit 7 feet high
and its brought into the ring. Ring announcer Howard Finkel declares
Bad News the winner as Brown holds up the black gloved fist. I always
thought that was an awesome gimmick that should have been taken to a
higher level in the main events. Bad News taunts the irate crowd as
Jesse says this is going to propel him up the ranks. Suddenly Bret
sneaks back in the ring and dropkicks Bad News out of the ring. What
a sore loser! Then again, he got double crossed. Bret then smashes
the trophy must to Bad News’ dismay. The crowd pops for the Hitman
as Bret destroys the trophy and throws it at him. Bret holds up
pieces of it in the ring as Bad News bails. Uecker says he’s glad
he never won MVP for reasons like that. Hahaha I would have loved to
have seen Bob win the 1964 National League MVP instead of his
teammate Ken Boyer only for Boyer to attack him in the clubhouse,
destroying the plaque. Jesse says that’s why he hit .200 in his
career. The battle royal win DID somewhat help Bad News on his quest
for title shots against the Mega Powers depending on who had the
belt. Honky Tonk Man once said in a shoot interview that Vince could
have saved so much money by having Bad News as the black power world
champion back when racism was more rampant than it is now instead of
having to waste millions of dollars on Ultimate Warrior. He’s right
in a sad sort of way. Imagine the anti-white Bad News standing over
the body of a defeated Hogan or Savage, holding up the black gloved
fist in one hand and the WWF Championship in the other. To be fair,
even Bad News wasn’t really broken up about it. He said in his own
shoot that he was never in wrestling to win “fake wrestling belts”,
he was in it to make money. He didn’t understand that being world
champion gave you a chance to make more money in private appearances,
endorsements and main event money. Then again, he wasn’t a
personable guy anyway so its not like you could market him as such.
Still, Bad News had his Wrestlemania moment…even if it was ruined
by a pissed off Bret Hart.
Time
of match: 9:44
Winners:
Bad News Brown
Bob
Uecker hightails it out of the announce booth to find Vanna White. We
then go to a Coliseum Video exclusive interview with Craig DeGeorge
and Ted Dibiase. Dibiase is in the “plush” locker room which is
probably Donald Trump’s suite at the Plaza. Ted says you’ll never
see him in a “stinky, dingy locker room with a bunch of bubbling
buffoons”. Ted predicts he’s going to be WWF Champion. DeGeorge
asks about Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Ted says Duggan is the lowest form of
scum and he’ll plow through him. He tells DeGeorge to beat it and
we cut back to ring side. Obviously Dibiase was one of the favorites
otherwise he wouldn’t get this kind of interview. We go back to The
Fink who introduces Robin Leach of the popular tv show The Lifestyles
of the Rich and Famous (for you youngsters, think MTV Cribs or
Vanderpump Rules). Robin reads a proclamation from a golden scroll to
let the tournament begin. Really? I know it was a big deal to crown a
new champion but a golden scroll? Well he IS Robin Leach and he does
know why. Finally we get to our first tournament match.
WWF
Championship Tournament First Round Match 1 (Match 2 overall)
“Hacksaw”
Jim Duggan vs “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase (with Andre
The Giant and Virgil)
Ironic
as these two Mid-South Wrestling stablemates would be competing to
open the tournament on WWF ppv while their former comrades in
Mid-South would be working for Crockett that same night at the first
ever NWA Clash of Champions. Monsoon instantly bitches about Andre
being at ringside with Dibiase as Ventura speculates what would
happen if Dibiase beats Duggan and Andre beats Hogan later. Monsoon
correctly points out Dibiase would have to face the winner of Don
Muraco and Dino Bravo before he’d meet Andre. Ventura says suppose
Ted wins that one, then what? Monsoon says Andre would step aside as
Ventura says Dibiase may. Yeah right Jesse. Andre tried to hand him
the belt once and President Jack Tunney said no way. Both men are
in standard attire as the bell rings. Duggan backs Dibiase in the
corner as Jesse says we got a contrast in styles, Dibiase the classic
mat technician and Duggan the brawler. Duggan was a pretty good
amateur in his home state of New York but he made his career
brawling. They lock up as Ted breaks clean while Duggan says
“HOOOO!”. Duggan unloads with right hands as Jesse says he saw it
coming. Dibiase tries to go toe to toe with him but Duggan ducks
under a punch and delivers an atomic drop that sends Ted over the top
to the floor. Duggan poses for the crowd as we get a panoramic view
of the crowd. Ted regroups with Andre and Virgil before getting back
in. Jesse asks if Gorilla scalped his comped tickets for money for
the tables at the Trump Plaza the night before. Ted backs Jim down
with chops but Jim ducks under one and clotheslines him down. Duggan
pounds on Dibiase in the corner as Jesse says he’s not a Rhodes
scholar. Jim charges but eats a boot from the Million Dollar Man.
Dibiase unloads on Duggan before whipping him in the corner. Dibiase
drops Duggan with a clothesline as Monsoon says whoever wins the
tournament will have earned it having to face 4 opponents. Dibiase
floors Duggan again, drops the Fistfull of Dollars Punch and covers
for a 2 count. Duggan rallies with right hands but an eye rake stops
the momentum. Dibiase whips him but Duggan sunset flips him for a two
count. Jesse can’t believe Duggan was capable of a technical move,
ha. A knee to the gut drops Hacksaw as Jesse says it would be a
disgrace if Duggan won the title. Duggan blocks a suplex and delivers
one of his own. Dibiase hops on the second rope but eats a punch to
the ribs on the way down. Duggan rallies with right hands and a
clothesline. Monsoon says we may see the three point stance soon as
another whip by Duggan ends with a body slam on Ted. Duggan goes for
the 3 point stance clothesline but is tripped up by Andre on the
outside. Duggan reaches through the ropes and eats not only a right
hand from Andre but a knee to the back by Dibiase. Referee Jack
Kruger was looking right at Andre too, logically that should have
been a disqualification. Duggan drops like a dead deer and Dibiase
lands the Fistfull of Dollars Punch. Monsoon bitches as Dibiase
covers for the 1…2..3 and Dibiase wins the match. Horrible
officiating by Kruger as he was looking right at Andre but whatever,
Dibiase advances to the next round. Virgil and Andre get in the ring
to celebrate with Ted as the crowd is irate. Duggan grabs the two by
four as the heels bails to the back. Jesse says its too little too
late and Dibiase moves on. We get shown the replay where Duggan is
blasted by Andre and Ted at the same time. Most of these matches are
going to be short due to a tournament night so no sense squawking
about the length of any of them. The contrast of style worked to tell
the story of Dibiase trying to evade the brawling tactics of Duggan
long enough for the equalizer outside (Andre) to help him win. Some
would call this a bad match but I say the hell with em. This would be a
recurring theme throughout the night with Ted, Andre and Virgil
watching each other’s backs as Dibiase advances to the second round
with Hogan and Andre already there.
Time
of match: 5:02
Winner:
Ted Dibiase by pinfall
We
cut to “Mean” Gene Okerlund who interviews Brutus “The Barber”
Beefcake on his upcoming Intercontinental Championship challenge
against Honky Tonk Man. Brutus says you don’t get his tights on the
boardwalk. “When its all said and done, I will be the new
championnnnnn.” Gene asks what about Jimmy Hart? Brutus says he’s
gonna give him a haircut. That would be fun wouldn’t it? Brutus “It
could happen to YOUUUUUUU” Back to ring side.
WWF
Championship Tournament First Round Match 2 (Match 3 overall)
Dino
Bravo (With Frenchy Martin) vs “The Rock” Don Muraco (with
Superstar Billy Graham)
The
battle of the powerhouses with the winner facing Ted Dibiase in the
second round. Back in those days that’s a dead giveaway Muraco wins
it. Let’s see what happens though. Muraco is in the light blue
trunks and Bravo in the green for this one. Before the match starts
Jesse says Billy Graham is rubbing off on Muraco since Don wears the
tie-dye t-shirts to the ring too. Also the 39 year old Muraco was in
much better shape than he was 2 years earlier during Roddy Piper’s
face turn. Ventura bitches that he invented tie-dye and taught Graham
everything he knows. Monsoon scoffs and says Graham is a former
WWF champion and Jesse is not. Jesse takes a shot at Bruno Sammartino
by saying Graham beat an easy champion. Frenchy and Billy leave as
Monsoon points out that Muraco is in better shape than he was as IC
champion. Gotta love steroids. Ventura teases that Graham is thinking
of making the big comeback as they lock up in the ring. Bravo gets
the upper hand as Monsoon says if it wasn’t for Muraco, Graham
would have been in a wheelchair at the hands of the One Man Gang and
Butch Reed. That was the kayfabe reason Graham became a manager as
the real reason was his artificial hip left him a shell of himself
and couldn’t work anymore. Bravo shoulderblocks Muraco in the corner but Muraco whips him into the other corner. Murao hits a clothesline and a scoop slam then goes up to the second rope. He goes for a Vader bomb but switches to a forearm smash at the last second and covers for a deuce. Don backdrops Dino then takes him down with an armdrag. Muraco goes for a second one but Dino drops it and he drops a couple of elbows. Dino hits a gut wrench suplex and puts the boots to Muraco. Bravo rams Don into the buckle then whips him to the other one. A charge eats knee and Don kicks the left leg. He goes to work on the left leg with a toe hold as Graham on the outside chases Frenchy away. Dino kicks Muraco away but again Don goes back to the leg lock. Dino kicks Muraco off and he gets his head caught in the ropes. Bravo takes advantage with a piledriver and poses for the irate crowd. He covers for two and goes for a second piledriver, only to be backdropped. Don ducks the line and they wipe each other out with a double clothesline. Muraco rallies with a forearm to the chest and another scoop slam. Muraco goes for another running forearm but Bravo pulls the ref in the way, Muraco wiping him out instead. Dino gets the sidewalk slam and covers but the ref just taps him. Finkel announces Muraco has won by disqualification as Ventura asks why. Bravo protests in the ring as Monsoon says he pulled the referee in the way. We go to the replay that does show Bravo pulling the ref in the way and Ventura has to admit that's what happened. Big hoss match here and Vince wanted the face to advance without Bravo losing too much heat. Modern fans wouldn't like it but nobody cares what they think.
Time
of match: 4:54
Winners:
Don Muraco by DQ
We
cut to Bob Uecker who says he’s going to take a walk with Vanna
White after the interview. Jimmy Hart and Honky Tonk Man crash the
party and Bob says Hart is gonna get a haircut. HTM makes fun of
Uecker’s lifetime batting average. Uecker “You guys ain’t ever
comin to my house! Back to you Gorilla and Jess!”
WWF
Championship Tournament First Round Match 3 (Match 4 overall)
Greg
“The Hammer” Valentine (with Jimmy Hart) vs Ricky “The Dragon”
Steamboat (and "Little Dragon" Richie Steamboat)
Yes,
this began the ridiculous process of Ricky bringing his infant son to
the ring before his matches. Jesse jokes that Ricky will tag out to
the baby. Jesse “He’s got cheeks fatter than Bundy.” Ruh roh, you're not supposed to mention guys no longer in the company! Anyway a lot of people at the time picked Ricky to win the whole thing after he was IC champion the year before. Fans also wanted a Savage/Steamboat re-match from last year, just have to get by Valentine first. Tie ups go nowhere to start but Ricky slides under Greg before catching The Hammer with a hiptoss. Ricky gets in an armdrag and locks in an arm-ringer. Valentine gets dropped three times with shoulderblocks and near falls after. Ricky gets thrown over the top but skins the cat back in. Steamboat dropkicks Valentine in the back but Greg falls on top of Ricky to negate the schoolboy. Instead Ricky gets a lateral press for 1...2..nope. Jesse Ventura gives a shoutout to Barry Blaustein by saying he predicted Steamboat to win. Monsoon picks Hulk Hogan. Valentine gets some forearms and a big elbow to drop the dragon. Valentine chops Ricky down and chokes him with his boot. Valentine drops Ricky on the external occipital protuberance area as Jesse says "The WHAT?" Ventura drops a forearm and covers for a deuce but Ricky rolls out of a back suplex. Ricky rams Valentine into the buckle who falls backwards down. Ricky drops a knee and gets in an arm-ringer, but Valentine counters with an inverted atomic drop. Valentine levels Steamboat with a clotheslines then delivers elbows right between the eyes. Valentine elbows Ricky on the apron and hits a series of left jabs. Donald Trump is shown in the crowd as Steamboat chops Hammer down. Ricky covers for a deuce and goes for a scoop slam but couldn't hold him. Valentine lands on him and gets 1...2...nope. Valentine hits a stomach breaker and delivers a headbutt to the midsection. Valentine goes for the figure four but Ricky kicks him off. They trade blows in the middle of the ring and Valentine lands a forearm. Ricky hits a huge running chop and Valentine does the tree flop face first. Ricky covers for a deuce but gets a thumb to the eye. Valentine hits a shoulderbreaker and covers for 1..2....nooo. Valentine goes up to the top rope and hits the big forearm. Valentine taunts the irate crowd but Ricky blocks the figure four attempt. Ricky slams Greg's head into the mat three times. Ricky catches Valentine with a back elbow then goes up to the top. Ricky hits the top rope chop to the head and covers for 1..2...noooooo. Steamboat rams Valentine's head against the buckle 11 times but referee Earl Hebner pushes Ricky away and Ricky shoves him to his knees. Ventura says "Wait a minute!" Ricky goes up to the top and hits the flying crossbody....but Hammer rolls through and hooks the tights for 1....2....3..to win the match. So much for Ricky going all the way as Valentine pulls off the upset. That was a great match and people are stunned. Ricky waves goodbye to the fans as the reason why he didn't win it all....was that he was leaving. This would be the last we'd see of Steamboat until his various appearances in WWE nearly 20 years later.
Time
of match: 9:10
Winner:
Greg Valentine by pinfall
We
go to Mean Gene who’s with The British Bulldogs, Matilda, Koko B
Ware and Frankie. Davey boy says Matilda is on a weasel hunt. Koko
says he smells a weasel hunt. He wants Matilda to eat Heenan’s
lunch. We go to a Coliseum Video exclusive where Craig DeGeorge tries
to snoop into a package being delivered to Bobby Heenan’s dressing
room. The courier tells DeGeorge to get lost and he doesn’t know
what’s in the package. Heenan tells the camera crew to get lost and
says its none of Craig’s business what’s in the box.
WWF
Championship Tournament First Round Match 4 (Match 5 overall)
“The
Natural” Butch Reed (with Slick) vs “Macho Man” Randy Savage
(with Miss Elizabeth)
With
Valentine in the second round, conventional wisdom has Macho Man
taking this one. The Peacock overdub of Jive Soul Bro during Butch's entrance is downright criminal if you choose to watch that version. Ventura says Monsoon is drooling over Elizabeth so much that he looks like Matilda. Savage and Elizabeth enters with matching blue outfits with Savage in the beige trunks. Ventura says he was on the Macho bandwagon 2-3 years ago which is true. Ventura says Reed is more powerful and Slick is the better manager compared to Elizabeth. Savage ducks a line to start but Reed backs Savage into the corner. He gets some knees in then delivers a snapmare. Reed drops a fist and rams his head into the buckle. Savage rams Butch into the buckle and kicks him in the ribs. Reed blocks a vertical suplex and executes one of his own. Reed drops an elbow and covers for a deuce. Butch punches away on Randy as Monsoon says so far the Quarterfinals are Andre vs Hogan, Dibiase vs Muraco and the winner of this faces Valentine. Butch snaps Randy off the top rope and he falls to the floor. Reed stomps away at Randy and drops him with a back elbow smash. Butch goes up to the second rope and drops the forearm to the head. Reed drops his head and gets kicked for it. Randy rallies with left jabs. Reed misses a charge in the corner but lands a clothesline. Butch starts taunting Elizabeth by saying its all over girl as he slowly goes up to the top rope. Savage slams Butch off the top, goes upstairs himself and hits the flying elbow drop. Savage covers for 1..2....3 to win the match. Ventura says he was wrong about Elizabeth as she distracted Reed long enough for Savage to take advantage. Crash style match with Reed dominating until the Savage rally at the end. Much like Steamboat, this was Butch Reed's last match with the WWF as he would go back to the NWA soon.
Time
of match: 4:09
Winners:
Randy Savage by pinfall
We
go back to Bob Uecker who’s holding the Wrestlemania 4 program. He's happy that Vanna and him are in the progam next to each other. Bobby Heenan and The Islanders walk in and Uecker taunts them all. Best line is Uecker saying the ASPCAKGBY will be after Heenan. Heenan scoffs and cuts his own promo saying he's got the Islanders and he's not afraid of the miserable mutt Matilda or the bird. Bob Uecker says Matilda will have a smorgasbord with Heenan and the Islanders.
WWF
Championship Tournament First Round Match 5 (Match 6 overall)
One
Man Gang (with Slick) vs Bam Bam Bigelow (with Sir Oliver Humperdink)
The
battle of the super heavyweights and rematch of the Survivor Series
was the dark horse match of the first round. All eyes were on Hogan,
Andre and Dibiase but nobody was talking about Bam Bam or Gang. Monsoons says Bam Bam is not too far from his hometown. Gang attacks at the bell and clubs away in the corner on Bam Bam. Gang continues to club away with forearms and right hands into the other corner. Gang whips Bam Bam into the corner and Monsoon says his highest weight was 440. Gang clotheslines Bigelow in the corner and whips him in the other. Gang misses a charge and Bam Bam drops him with a shoulderblock. Bam Bam does a cartwheel and does a terrible splash. He covers for 1...2...no. Bam Bam had no air on that and Gorilla says he can't beat Gang that way. Bigelow ducks under a clothesline and hits a crossbody for 1....2...no. Bigelow works over Gang as Ventura says Vanna White won't have to worry about being chased around by these two. Another cover gets a deuce and Bam Bam goes to town with forearms to the side of the head. A headbutt and a clothesline drops Gang as Ventura says this match will come down to who has the most endurance. Monsoon said he could go an hour when he weighed 440 as Ventura says Slick won't be happy if Gang loses because Butch Reed already lost. Another headbutt drops Gang and Bigelow lands a diving headbutt. Instead of covering Bam Bam tells the crowd one more is coming....uh oh. Bam Bam goes off the ropes but Slick pulls the top rope down in plain view of referee Jack Krueger. Krueger starts counting while Bam Bam makes it to the apron. Gang pummels him yet Krueger is still counting. Bam Bam headbutts Gang down, kicks Slick off his leg and gets in the ring as Krueger STILL COUNTS HIM OUT AS HE'S ALREADY IN THE RING! Bam Bam cartwheels and Gang bails as the bell rings. Ventura and Monsoon was too busy yapping to notice anything that just happened. Fink gets on the mic and says Bam Bam has been counted out. Good grief did Bam Bam attack Jack Krueger when he was still an active wrestler? That was one of the worst ref performances ever. Still, Gang goes over and that was a pretty bad big man match. Oh well.
Time
of match: 2:55
Winner:
One Man Gang by count-out
We
go to Mean Gene who’s with the former champion Hulk Hogan himself.
Hulk cuts one of the weirdest, asinine promos ever. Basically saying
how he’s going to slam Andre so hard that Trump Plaza will sink
into the ocean and Donald Trump will have to forgo his riches to dog
paddle his family to safety, and if he can’t swim anymore Hogan
will dog paddle everyone to safety. This is why you don’t script
interviews, nobody could have POSSIBLY wrote something that
hilariously stupid. Still though, Hogan was Hogan for a reason and he's ready for Andre. We cut to Trump himself signing autographs in the front row and the replay of Slick pulling the rope down. On to the next match.
WWF
Championship Tournament First Round Match 6 (Match 7 overall)
Jake
“The Snake” Roberts vs “Ravishing” Rick Rude
With
the Gang winning his match, the natural set up would be Roberts
winning this one. Rude gets on the mic and says all the little boys are taking a gamble by letting their women see his ravishing body. He says the odds are in his favor as Jake makes his entrance. They tie up to star and Rude pushes Jake into the corner, posing for the irate crowd. Another tie up has Jake throwing Rude face first to the ground. Ventura says Jake has more experience but Rude has the size. Rude scoop slams Jake and clocks him with a series of rights. Rude scoop slams him a second time but Jake blocks the third attempt. Jake hits two scoop slams of his own and Rude begs off in the corner. Jake drops him with a right hand and Rude crawls right onto Damien's bag causing him to crawl away. Jake gets in an arm-ringer and ducks a big right hand. Jake continues to work over the left arm while ducking right hands. Jake turns it into a wristlock as Ventura says he's been out of the ring for two years & can still go. Monsoon says he'd buy a ticket to that. Jake continues to work over the wristlock but Rude shoulderblocks him in the corner to break the hold. Rude props him on the second rope but runs right into a knee lift. Jake gives the sign for the DDT but Rude slides out of it and regroups with Heenan on the floor. Rude slides back in and Jake locks in another left arm-ringer. They criss-cross and Jake catches Rude with a scoop slam. Jake goes for the knee lift but Rude gets out of the way. Rude takes advantage and stomps on him as Heenan says don't waste any time. Rude drops Jake with a clothesline and poses again. Rude covers for a deuce then locks in a chinlock. Ventura says there's only 15 minutes in the match so wear down holds aren't the best decision. Hmmm, they haven't mentioned time at all until this match, what's the implication here? Jake gets to his feet but Rude yanks the hair to get Jake back on the mat. Referee Jimmy Korderas tells Heenan to get lost as Jake finally powers out of it with an arm-drag. Rude goes up to the second rope and decks Roberts with a forearm. Heenan yells at Rude to hurry up as Rude clobbers Jake with right hands as Monsoon again brings up the time limit. Rude clotheslines and covers for a deuce before going back to the chinlock. Someone in the crowd shouts "BORING!" as right on cue Jake elbows out of it only to be face planted on the mat by Rude. Rick goes to the top rope and lands a flying fistdrop. Rude covers for 1..2...nope. Rude goes for another chinlock as the crowd starts to chant "weasel". Jake goes for the back suplex but Rude held on to the chinlock. Rude rolls over on top for 1...2...nope. Rude kicks Jake against the bottom rope and covers again for a deuce. Rude goes back to the chinlock as the "boring" chant gets louder. Jake grabs the hair but it doesn't work as the crowd continues to chant boring. Monsoon and Ventura bicker out of boredom as Jake tries to rally the crowd with a comeback. Jake hits a jawbreaker and rallies with left hands. Jake hits a backdrop and hits the short armed clothesline. Jake signals for the DDT but Rude drives him in the corner. Rude whips Jake in the corner but a charge eats knee. Jake hits a stomach breaker and covers for 1...2....nope. Ventura says they gotta be getting close to the time limit and you know where this is going. Rude hits a back suplex and covers for a deuce. Rude ducks the line but they clothesline each other down. Jake goes for a DDT but Rude scoops the leg for the Flair Pin for 1.....2....DING DING DING. Monsoon says he didn't see a three count but the bell rang anyway. Rude thinks he's won but the Fink announces the time limit draw, both men are gone. One Man Gang has a bye into the semi-finals. Jake grabs Damien and chases Rude & Heenan away. That match was brutally boring even by 1988 standards and its mostly due to the booking. They were supposed to go the full 15 so they worked the chinlock for half the time.
Time
of match: 15:00
Winners:
No one (Time limit draw)
We
go to Mean Gene who’s with Vanna White to check out the updated
brackets. Hogan and Andre received byes in the first round so they
will kick off the quarter finals. After that Ted Dibiase battles Don
Muraco. Greg Valentine takes on Randy Savage and One Man Gang has a
bye into the semi-finals. Pretty straightforward here as Vanna says she loves the Hulk, Randy & Elizabeth.
Match
8
Ultimate
Warrior vs Hercules (with Bobby Heenan)
Power
vs power as rising star Warrior takes on the perennial mid-carder
Hercules. Funny how Heenan just left with Rude and had to come back with Hercules. Warrior sprints down the stairs at Trump Plaza and gets a big pop. Bell's gone and they circle to start. A shoulderblock goes nowhere and a second one is ineffective. Hercules and Warrior shove each other then tie up. Warrior backs Herc in the corner but Warrior clubs away with punches and chops anyway. Herc ducks a line and it takes three clotheslines to drop Warrior. Warrior lands a left arm clothesline then does another one. Warrior tries to drop Herc on the top rope but misses so he sends him off the ropes. Herc runs right into a chop but dumps Warrior over the top to the floor. Warrior pulls Herc out and they brawl on the floor. Warrior rams Herc into the ring steps then rolls him inside. Herc punches away at Warrior and hits an elbow. Warrior punches the back of the neck then chokes him in the corner. Warrior does 10 punches in the corner but Herc hits an inverted atomic drop. Herc rams Warrior into the buckle but gets whipped into the corner. Warrior misses a charge and backs right into the full nelson. Warrior kicks off the ropes and Herc turns it into a German suplex bridge for 1.....2....Warrior gets the shoulder up....3 to end the match. Monsoon notices right away Warrior got the shoulder up as Herc and Heenan think they've won. Referee Earl Hebner says Warrior has won it. Herc attacks after the bell and grabs his chain. He wraps the chain around Warrior's neck but Warrior uses his strength to pull it off and chase Hercules away by swinging the chain wildly. Ventura says the rivalry is far from over but Warrior gets the duke this time. That match sucked as Ted Dibiase once said Hercules and Warrior both could work if they had someone to lead them, but against each other they were lost. It showed here.
Time
of match: 4:29
Winner:
Ultimate Warrior by pinfall
We show Sugar Ray Leonard in the crowd as Ventura said Marvin Hagler won that fight....don't get me started. We
go to a highlight package of the events leading up to Hogan vs Andre
starting the previous year where Andre turned heel to challenge Hulk
at Wrestlemania 3. We get a highlight of Wrestlemania 3 then to Ted Dibiase saying he's going to buy the world title. Hogan says HELLLL NOOOOOOOOO! Then Andre attacking Hogan on Saturday Night's Main Event leading to Andre promising Ted Dibiase he'll deliver the world title. Then we cut to The Main Event where Andre pinned Hogan due to the crooked referee. We cut before the twin ref angle and we're back at ringside for the next match.
WWF
Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match 1 (Match 9 overall)
Andre
The Giant (with Ted Dibiase and Virgil) vs Hulk Hogan
The
monster match of the second round would pretty much set the tone of
the remainder of the tournament. After all, if Hogan won, logically
that would mean he’d face One Man Gang in the finals. If Andre won,
that would mean logically taking on Randy Savage in the final. Why
have Andre beat Hogan just to lay down for Dibiase? Virgil and Dibiase accompany Andre to the ring and Monsoon scoffs there's too many guys. Monsoon says he had "Wild" Red Berry as a manager as Hulk makes his entrance. Hogan runs to the ring and Andre kicks him at the bell. Hogan didn't even take his shirt off as Andre rams him into the buckle. Andre chops him and hits a big roundhouse right. Andre chops and hits the big headbutt. Hogan rallies with running forearms but Dibiase hops up on the apron. Hogan chokes Dibiase then grabs Andre for the double noggin knocker. Hulk chops Andre until he's tied up in the top rope. Dibiase and Virgil free Andre as Hogan punches away at the giant. Hogan fires away and finally Andre goes down. Hulk drops an elbow but Andre snatches him by the throat for the blatant choke. Andre does the seated splash and puts the boots to Hogan. Andre grabs Hogan and chokes him again. Andre locks in a nerve hold and Hogan goes down to one knee. Hogan's arm drops twice but Hogan revives and rallies with a knee to the ribs. Hogan punches away at Andre, runs off the ropes and clotheslines Andre in the corner. Hogan calls for a slam but Virgil distracts the referee. Dibiase clobbers Hogan with a steel chair but Hogan chases Dibiase away. Hogan grabs the chair and goes to hit Andre but Andre blocks it. Hogan kicks him in the ribs and nails him with the chair. Ventura correctly points out that's a disqualification but Andre grabs the chair and waffles Hogan with it. The ref calls for the bell....oh NOW you call for the bell? Hogan nails Andre with it a third time as Hogan chases Dibiase and Virgil away. Dibiase throws Virgil to Hogan and runs off. Hogan hits a vertical suplex on Virgil and goes back to the ring. Monsoon says double disqualification is the official rule as Hogan slams Andre again. Ventura says both men are gone so the winner of the next match gets the bye to the Finals. Ventura scoffs at Hogan posing for the crowd since he didn't win. People want to say it was a bad match but considering they had five minutes, it served its purpose. Hogan poses and poses....and poses some more.
Time
of match: 5:22
Winner:
No one (Double DQ)
Mean
Gene Okerlund is with Randy Savage and Elizabeth. Okerlund says he's surprised that Hogan & Andre are gone as Savage says "Hogan is a cheated man not a defeated man." Gene asks Savage about his chances and Savage says nothing's going to stop the Macho Man now. Elizabeth says she believes Randy will win it all. Savage "ALL THE WAY, YEAH! DOIN IT YEAH!" On to the next match.
WWF
Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match 2 (Match 10 overall)
“The
Rock” Don Muraco (with Superstar Billy Graham) vs “Million Dollar
Man” Ted Dibiase
Muraco
comes out looking cool, calm and collected while Dibiase comes out in
just his tights, looking distraught without Andre and Virgil. After
Hogan manhandled Virgil, Dibiase is going for it alone. That actually
is a cool set up considering he needed both Andre and Virgil to beat
Duggan in the first round. Muraco also has Billy Graham in his corner so actually Dibiase is the underdog here. Monsoon and Ventura points out the winner
of the match is in the finals. Muraco grabs him onto the apron and rams his head into each buckle as the bell rings. Muraco slams Dibiase in the ring and clotheslines him. Muraco drops an elbow and hits a powerslam, covering for 1...2..nope. Muraco unloads on Ted and drops him with a back elbow smash. Muraco hops on the second rope and drops a fist then covers for a deuce. Dibiase is sent into the buckle and snap mared. Muraco does a neckbreaker as Ventura says Graham isn't above bending the rules. Muraco hits a dropkick and covers for 1...2...nope. Dibiase bails to outside and Graham threatens to hit him with his cane. Back inside Muraco nails him with a series of right hands. Muraco whips Ted into the corner and Dibiase slingshots The Rock into the ring post. Ted stomps away on Muraco and goes for the blatant choke. Ted stomps Muraco and rams his head into the buckle. Dibiase hits a left armed clothesline as Ventura says the favorite to win is One Man Gang with Hogan & Andre gone. Dibiase does his million dollar fistdrop but Muraco's foot is on the rope. Ted goes back to the blatant choke and a headlocked punch. Ted chops Muraco but puts his head down, eating a boot. Dibiase recovers and goes for the eye rake followed by a scoop slam. Ted misses the second rope elbow and Muraco unloads in the corner with right hands. Muraco clotheslines Dibiase and Ted begs off. Ted sends Don off and eats a shoulderblock. Ted catches a charging Muraco with a stun gun and covers for 1...2....3 to win the match. Dibiase is in the Finals. Today's fans hate the match but I dug it. Muraco was just a fading mid-carder but the fact Dibiase was in distress and didn't have Virgil gave the illusion Don could win. We go to the replay of the stun gun as one half of the Finals is set before the second round is even over! That leaves the Macho Man the only babyface left.
Time
of match: 5:44
Winner:
Ted Dibiase by pinfall
We
go back to Bob Uecker who’s nervous that he can't find Vanna White. All of a sudden Demoltion and Mr. Fuji walk in. Smash in baseball you get hit in the head with a bat, you go down. Strike Force is going down. Ax says they're grabbing the golden goose in Atlantic City and ringing its neck. Uecker says it must be October 31st already. "I've never eaten sushi either!" Ha. Before
the next match starts, One Man Gang is in the ring with Slick. Howard
Finkel announces Gang advances to the semi-final via a bye and the
ref raises his arm for the obligatory victory pose. He makes his exit
as we begin the next match.
WWF
Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match 3 (Match 11 overall)
Greg
“The Hammer” Valentine (with Jimmy Hart) vs “Macho Man” Randy
Savage (with Miss Elizabeth)
Valentine
had defeated Steamboat who defeated Savage the year prior, if there
was a kayfabe reason to go with Greg, that would be it. Otherwise Savage is now the only babyface left in the tournament. Savage and Liz come out with matching pink outfits. Savage is in the orange trunks this time as the bell rings. Ventura says this is a nightmare as the winner faces the One Man Gang. Valentine clobbers Savage and rams him into the corner. Valentine forearms Savage and Randy turns it around with an elbow. He takes Hammer over with a snapmare and covers for a deuce. Hammer goes upstairs and nails Savage with an elbow. Hammer drops a conventional elbow and covers for a deuce. Valentine executes a shoulderbreaker and covers for 1...2..nope. Monsoon scoffs at the nonchalant cover. Valentine heaves Savage over the top to the floor and drops another elbow to the back of the neck. Ventura says he's giving Savage a taste of his own medicine. Greg chops Randy twice and sends him into the barricade. Greg grabs Randy and elbows him twice in the chest on the apron. Hammer stomps away on Randy and drops an elbow on the apron to Randy. Valentine does a blatant choke as Ventura says to get back in the ring. Valentine starts going to work on the right leg but the figure four attempt is blocked when Randy grabs the rope. Greg hits a vertical suplex as Monsoon goofs by saying "The ravishing one took a lot out of him" Ventura "Who??" Ventura "You mean Butch Reed?" Monsoon "Oh, what did I say? I'm sorry, The Natural" Greg hits a backbreaker and covers for a deuce then fights back in the corner. Elbow drops Valentine with a back elbow smash and a scoop slam. Randy goes upstairs and hits an axehandle then covers for 1...2...nope. Greg gets a chop to the throat and hits a back elbow of his own. Savage hits a vertical suplex and goes up a second time. This time Valentine catches Randy with a shot to the ribs but falls down anyway. Randy goes for the knee to the back but Hart pulled Greg out of the way. Randy crashes into the ropes and Greg goes for the figure four in the middle of the ring. Savage turns it into a small package for 1..2.....3 to win the match! Heads up play by Savage puts him in the semi-finals. Great match for what it was, Valentine was CRIMINALLY underrated and his matches with Savage & Steamboat proves he could go. Savage goes on to the next round.
Time
of match: 6:06
Winners:
Randy Savage by pinfall.
Back
to Mean Gene and Vanna White to check out the updated brackets. Vanna White says she has no idea who Bob Uecker is. With
Hogan and Andre gone, Dibiase is in the finals. The semi-final match
to determine his opponent will be One Man Gang against the Macho Man. Gene sends us back to ring-side for the next match.
Match
12
Brutus
“The Barber” Beefcake vs Honky Tonk Man with Peggy Sue and Jimmy
Hart for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
In
case you didn’t know, Peggy Sue is actually Sensational Sherri in a
blonde wig. Honky Tonk had dethroned Ricky Steamboat nearly a full
year earlier and Beefcake was the next in line for a title shot. Why
do you ask, because he's Hogan's best friend. Brutus enters second
without his goofy, catchy entrance music and he threatens to cut
Peggy Sue's hair off. That would be easy since Sherri aka Sue was
just wearing a wig. Ventura delivers his classic Honky line "What
he doesn't have in ability, he makes up for with luck" Luck runs
out on everyone Jesse, could this be the night he's dethroned?
Ventura says he's playing the piano in Honky's theme as Monsoon
scoffs. The commentators commentate on the unusual wrestling attire
on Beefcake as the bell rings. They do nothing at the start so
Ventura gives a shout out to his kids at home, then they lock up.
Honky goes for a chop but Beefcake runs underneath and catches the
foot on the way back. Brutus spins him around and delivers an atomic
drop before messing up Honky's hair to psych him out. Beefcake
punched him down before Honky bails to the outside to regroup with
his entourage. Back inside Honky begs off as Beefcake makes the
cutting sign until they lock up again as the commentators discuss the
rules of a championship title change. Ventura says its a good thing
because "you could have a biased referee make a garbage
disqualification call"....and I can't count how many times we've
seen that in the damn near forty years since Wrestlemania 4. Beefcake rams Honky's
head into the top turnbuckle 10 times before delivering his High
Knee.....but doesn't make the cover. Honky bails to the floor and
regroups with Jimmy/Peggy again. Beefcake pulls him to the apron and
delivers forearm smashes to the back of the head, finishing by snap
maring him inside. Beefcake sends him off and puts his head down,
then moves when Honky goes to kick causing Man to fall on his back.
Brutus misses a jumping elbow drop so the champ goes to work with
boots. Jimmy says to Peggy "We got him now" as Monsoon says
we may see the Shake Rattle N Roll...the same move that put Beefcake
away at the first Survivor Series. Honky delivers sloppy looking
right hands and delivers a fistdrop then taunts the crowd. Honky
delivers a headlock/punch combo then stomps away again. He distracts
the referee so Jimmy Hart gets in a few cheap shots. Honky teases the
Shake Rattle N Roll but instead delivers a knee to the sternum. Honky
brings him near the corner and Shakes....Rattles....but Beefcake
grabs the top rope so Honky rolls himself down. Beefcake rallies with
right hands and delivers a backdrop, causing the champ to beg off.
Brutus sends him off and catches him with THE SLEEPER.....Honky
flails about trying to make it to the ropes but gets caught in the
center of the ring. Honky begins to fade as Peggy tells Jimmy to do
something, so he hops up on the apron. Referee Jimmy Korderas tells
him to beat it and turns around, which Jimmy takes the opening to
clock him in the back of the head with the megaphone. Beefcake puts
Honky to sleep and celebrates thinking he's won the title. Brutus
turns around to see the ref out cold and points the finger at Jimmy.
Brutus goes to cut Honky's hair but Jimmy swiftly grabs the barber
bag and takes off. In a comical spot, Brutus catches Jimmy and cuts
HIS hair instead. Jimmy flails away but Beefcake holds him down to
give him a haircut, Ventura "This is horrible" Inside the
ring, Peggy Sue and 2 referee's try to revive the unconscious
Korderas to no avail. Peggy grabs a water bucket and douses Honky
with it, waking him up. Beefcake gets the hedge clippers and gets in
the ring but the refs cut him off. Jimmy and Peggy roll Honky out of
the ring as Howard Finkel announces that Brutus Beefcake is the
winner by DQ. Its kind of funny how the original referee is still
knocked goofy so apparently Hebner interjected himself into the
spotlight again by awarding the match (but not the title) to
Beefcake. Honky still remains champion but Brutus has humiliated both
the champ and his manager, everybody wins in this instance. I don't
think Honky Tonk Man did 2 technical wrestling holds the whole match,
how Vince kept him as champion for so long and still be able to draw
was a testament of how over Honky was.
Time
of match: 8:58
Winner:
Brutus Beefcake by DQ (Honky retains)
We
go back to Bob Uecker who’s nervous since we’re getting close to
the main event and he hasn’t found Vanna White. Andre The Giant
crashes the party with his hand on Bob's shoulder. Andre says he's still undefeated and he got paid to keep Hulk out by Dibiase. Andre says Hogan is the ex-champion HA HA HA! Andre says don't worry about Vanna White because Hulkamania is over. Uecker says to get his foot off his shoulder and Andre hilariously throttles him. We cut to a Coliseum Video exclusive interview
where Craig DeGeorge interviews a hysterical Jimmy Hart, Peggy Sue
and Honky Tonk Man. Hart says he looks like Little Lulu with his
haircut which is a reference that would be completely lost today but
HILARIOUS for its time. Honky covers up Jimmy's head and says no one will ever see him like this. He vows revenge on Beefcake....ha!
Match
13
Bobby
Heenan and The Islanders (Haku and Tama) vs Koko B Ware and The
British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith) with Matilda and
Frankie
The
Islanders actually have music? I didn’t remember that at all.
Heenan’s surprise package was an attack dog suit worn by animal
trainers and Bobby looks ridiculous in it. Still, Ventura pointed out
that Bobby used his brains to negate the effects of Matilda. Dynamite doesn't wait for the bell to slingshot Tama into the ring. Haku charges but eats a hiptoss. Dynamite gets sent off and he shoulderblocks Tama. Dynamite hiptosses Tama and hits a backdrop before Tama wants a handshake. Dynamite chops Tama in the throat and slingshots him over the top rope to the outside. Back inside Davey Boy tags in as Tama slides back in. Davey scoop slams Tama but msises an elbow drop. Haku tags in but the shoulderblock goes nowhere. Davey hits a crossbody on Haku for a two count. Davey scoop slams Haku then hits a crucifix for 1...2...nope. Davey Boy snap mares Haku and goes to the chinlock but Haku escapes with an arm-ringer. Tama tags in and he chops away at Davey, but Smith hits the hanging press slam. Tama tags out to Haku who clubs away at Davey before dropping him with a back elbow smash. Haku and Davey exchange forearms but Davey flips out of a sidewalk slam attempt to tag in Koko. Ware dropkicks Haku then nails Tama in the corner. He does a head scissors takedown to both Islanders then tags in Dynamite. Kid hits a left arm lariat to Haku but a charge in the corner eats foot. Ventura says Heenan looks like a Chinaman in that suit as Bobby tags in. He stomps away on Dynamite but Dynamite hits him in the ribs. Tama tags in and backdrops Dynamite before taunting the irate crowd. Tama slams Dynamite but misses the Vader bomb as Dynamite got the knees up. Dynamite tags Koko and he backdrops Tama. He headbutts Haku then whips the Islanders into each other. Koko puts his head down and gets kicked in the head by Haku. Haku clotheslines Koko and rakes the face. Tama tags in and goes upstairs. Tama comes off the top with a chop and Heenan tags in. Bobby hits a knee lift and kicks him in the ribs. Bobby punches away at Koko and gets in a blatant choke. Koko breaks Bobby's grip and punches him in the head. Heenan rakes the eye but Koko whips him in the corner. Koko dropkicks Bobby into the ringpost. Heenan begs off but Koko gets attacked from behind. Everyone gets in for a pier six brawl. Tama slams Koko and both Islanders slam Bobby on top of him. The ref counts 1.....2....3 and the heels win. Heenan pins Koko but the Bulldogs rally to drop the Islanders. Davey Boy grabs Matilda and chases Heenan, Davey sicks Matilda on Bobby but according to Heenan, Matilda was so scared with all the people around it wasn't moving. Bobby had to roll around with the dog to make it look like he was being attacked. Anyone who knows dogs know they HATE loud noise and most likely Matilda got freaked out by the roar of the crowd. Either way that was not a formulaic tag match and Heenan got the pinfall much like Danny Davis the year before.
Time
of match: 7:30
Winners:
Heenan and The Islanders by pinfall
Just
to kill time, Howard Finkel points to the announce booth where Jesse
poses for the crowd for a few minutes. We cut to a Coliseum Video
exclusive with an irate Bobby Heenan who doesn’t even allow
DeGeorge into camera view. He says they threw him to the wolves or in this case the dogs, but he's still standing and talking. Nobody is going to shut him up. He was right, only throat cancer could stop him, not anyone from Matilda to Monsoon. Back to the Fink with Ted Dibiase in the silver suit in the ring. Ted gets the obligatory hand raise as he's announced as going to the Finals. Ted leaves and we go to our semi-final match.
WWF
Championship Tournament Semi-Final Match (Match 14 overall)
One
Man Gang (with Slick) vs “Macho Man” Randy Savage (with Miss
Elizabeth)
Before
the match even starts Monsoon and Ventura speculate the severe
disadvantage the Macho Man has considering Gang had a relatively
short match with Bam Bam while Randy had two knock down drag out
affairs with Butch Reed and Greg Valentine. Not to mention the 200
pound weight difference. Ventura admits normally he’s a Savage fan
but the smart money would be on Gang. Kayfabe wise that does make
sense, logically it makes zero sense because who the hell would want
to watch a Ted Dibiase vs One Man Gang final? Randy and Liz come out to matching black outfits with Randy back in the beige trunks. Bell rings and Gang rolls around with Randy to start Gang misses a big right hand and Savage goes to work with right hands. He bites Gang and grabs him by the beard. Savage snaps him off the top rope but Gang shoulderblocks him into the corner. Gang chops Savage in the throat and elbows him in the back of the neck. Gang elbows Savage into the corner and avalanches him. He steps on Savage and scoop slams him. He covers for 1...2..no, foot on the rope. Gang drops an elbow in the center of the ring an covers for 1...2...no. Gang scoop slams Randy but misses the big splash. He charges in the corner and misses. Savage punches Gang into the ropes and Randy hits an axehandle to send him through the ropes to the outside. Savage hits the axehandle from the top rope to the floor. Slick rolls Gang back inside but Savage foolishly goes for the scoop slam. Gang choke bombs Savage as Slick chases Elizabeth away. Elizabeth hops on the apron to get away and referee Jack Krueger tells her to beat it. With the ref distracted, Slick hops up on the apron but Savage grabs him. Slick tosses the cane to the One Man Gang and Gang clobbers him with it. Gang keeps trying to hit Savage with it but Savage keeps rolling out of the way. Krueger finally notices it and calls for the bell. Gang waffles Savage through the ropes to the outside but is disqualified, Savage is in the Finals. Gang and Slick hug in the middle of the ring but Savage goes upstairs and axehandles Gang in the back. Gang falls on top of Slick and Macho Man hightails it out of there. Not much they could do with 4 minutes but the design was to get Savage to the Finals. Its Dibiase vs Savage for the WWF Championship.
Time
of match: 4:05
Winner:
Randy Savage by DQ
Back
to Mean Gene and Vanna White at the brackets and there’s nothing to
it, its down to Dibiase and Savage in the finals. Vanna leaves to get
ready and Uecker runs in, just missed her. He says some guy named Vance White has been calling him all week. Okerlund says VANNA White is here. He apologizes to Bob then sends up to Gorilla and Jess for the next match.
Match
15
Demoltion
(Ax and Smash) with Mr. Fuji vs Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito
Santana) for the WWF Tag Team Championship
Demolition
enters first to their kickass Rick Derringer theme while Strike Force
enters to their cheesy Girls In Cars theme. Demolition had run
rough-shod on the babyface tag teams of the WWF for about a year and
they would get their shot at Strike Force tonight. Ventura predicts Demolition is too big and strong for Strike Force. Bell's gone and Smash starts with Martel. Smash beats him down instantly with axehandles but Martel ducks the line and goes for the crossbody. Smash catches him and Santana dropkicks him on top. Ax runs in and beats down Santana but the double whip has Martel hitting Ax with another crossbody. Strike Force chases Ax away and hits a double clothesline on Smash. Martel covers for a deuce and locks in an arm-ringer. Monsoon and Ventura start bickering as Santana tags in to keep the arm-ringer. Santana arm-drags Ax as Monsoon says he doesn't think the Boston Crab will work in either one of Demoltion....which makes zero sense since Jim Niedhart is as bulky as Smash and Ax. Martel tags in and continues to work the left-arm but Ax headbutts him. Smash tags in and Martel hits a hiptoss before tagging to Santana. Ventura says Strike Force needs to keep Smash isolated. Santana leapfrogs Smash but Tito gets caught and clotheslined by Ax. Demoltion double-teams Santana in the corner and Ax rams Tito face first into Smash's boot. Smash tags in and he unloads in the corner before tagging Ax back in. Ax powerslams Tito and covers for a deuce. Ax kicks Tito in the head and rams him into Smash's boot again. Smash tags in and steps on Santana's throat. Martel tries to help Santana out but the ref gets rid of him allowing the double team to continue. Smash hits a snap suplex and covers for 1...2...nope. Smash "Hey come on that was" and starts clapping his hands. Smash slams Tito but misses the big elbow drop. Ax tags in and sends Tito off but Santana hits an elbow to the head. Smash pulls Santana back into the corner and Ax unloads with right hands. Santana hits THE FLYING JALAPENO out of nowhere and both men are down. Ax tags in Smash and Martel gets the hot tag. Martel unloads on Smash and hits a backdrop before punching Ax. Martel dropkicks both members of Demoltion and locks the Boston crab on Smash. Santana clubs away on Ax but the ref tries to get him out of there. Mr. Fuji hops up on the apron and Tito nails Ax with the flying jalapeno to knock him off the apron. Tito then decks Fuji on the apron and he drops the cane. Ax slides in the ring, grabs the cane and nails Martel in the back with it. Ax leaves with the evidence as Santana knocks the referee into the center of the ring. Smash covers Martel with Santana busy beating up Fuji for 1....2...3 to win the match. We got new tag team champions as Santana's haste to beat up Fuji costs Strike Force the match. Demolition gathers the belts and Fuji and walks to the back. We go to the replay with Santana hilariously smashing Fuji's head into the mat. Good match for what it was and the era of Demolition had begun.
Time
of match: 8:02
Winners:
Demolition by pinfall (New WWF Tag Team Champions)
We
go to a Coliseum Video exclusive interview with the new champs
conducted by Craig DeGeorge. Shockingly good editing by Coliseum as
Ax and Smash literally look like they just came through the curtain. Ax and Smash say they knew they were going to win and they did it. Before we get to our main event we have the obligatory hooplah. Robin
Leach brings the new WWF Heavyweight Championship belt to the ring on
a red pillow. We know the belt as the winged eagle design that lasted
for 10 years. Vanna White is introduced as special guest timekeeper
and Bob Uecker is the special guest ring announcer. Bob swings and
misses as he enters as Jesse scoffs and says he can’t even hit an airball.
Finally, after two months, its time to crown a new champion.
Match
16 (WWF Championship Tournament Finals)
Ted
Dibiase (with Andre The Giant) vs “Macho Man” Randy Savage (with
Miss Elizabeth) for the vacant WWF Heavyweight Championship
If
there were two heirs to the top heel and top babyface mantle to
supplant Hogan and Andre, it was definitely Savage and Dibiase.
Savage was wearing the same tights he wore against Valentine and they
lock up to start. Dibiase backs Savage in the corner but Randy elbows
his way out only to be tripped up by Andre outside the ring. Referee
Dave Hebner was looking at a slot machine or something because he
missed it. Savage locks in a headlock-go behind combo before they
reverse each other. Dibiase sends Savage off the ropes then ducks
down and when Savage bounces off, he's tripped up again by Andre.
Gorilla scoffs as Savage points at Andre and shouts at the big guy.
The crowd starts chanting for Hogan as Dibiase goes back to work and
the announcers say the advantage goes to the million dollar man.
Dibiase chops Randy in the corner then elbows the back of the neck.
Dibiase delivers a left armed clothesline and covers for a near fall.
Savage sends Dibiase off the ropes but Ted sunset flips only to be
punched in the face for his troubles. Savage executes a left armed
clothesline followed by a pinfall attempt for a near fall. Dibiase
goes over strategy with Andre until they lock up again. Dibiase gets
the upper hand with heel tactics then delivers a back elbow smash.
Dibiase riles up the crowd before continuing to work over Savage.
Ventura says the 3 matches have taken too much out of Savage and
right on cue Randy ducks under a clothesline to deliver a running
elbow to the head. Savage does the over the top guillotine that snaps
Dibiase backwards into the center of the ring. Randy delivers a
running knee to the back that sends Dibiase spiraling over the top
rope to the floor. Savage goes upstairs but Andre stands in the way.
Savage goes over to Elizabeth and whispers something to her and she
takes off to the back. The crowd cheers as they know what's about to
happen and start chanting Hogan. Dibiase nails Savage from behind and
does his trademark Fistful of Dollars Punches as Ventura says he's
seen Miss Elizabeth run off before. Dibiase covers but only gets a 2
count as Monsoon says "She may be gone too long, Jess."
Dibiase locks in a rest hold as the crowd chants for Hulk Hogan until
finally he appears with Elizabeth in the entrance. The crowd goes
nuts as Hulk and Liz walk down to ringside as Ventura speculate that
neither Dibiase or Andre know he's coming. Dibiase finally spots him
and drops Savage to protest at Hogan being here. Hogan grabs a chair
and....WAFFLES ELIZABETH WITH IT!!! Just kidding, he just sets it
down in Savage's corner and sits to watch the proceedings. Ventura
says that Hogan's got Dibiase's attention which could distract him
from the bout. Dibiase attacks Savage in the corner until he
distracts the ref allowing Andre to strangle him. Hogan comes over
and nails Andre before Savage rallies with right elbows. Dibiase
sticks a thumb to the eye then executes a clothesline. Dibiase covers
but only gets a near fall. Ted delivers a suplex and covers for
1....2...nope. Dibiase executes a gut-wrench suplex and covers for
1...2..nope. Dibiase scoop slams Savage then goes upstairs. Savage
recovers and throws Dibiase off the top. He quickly goes up to the
top but misses the flying elbow drop attempt. Dibiase locks in the
million dollar dream and leads Savage over to the ropes where Andre
takes a swipe at him. Hebner leans through the ropes to scold Andre
which allows Hogan to slide into the ring with the chair. Hogan cocks
and WHAM...nails Dibiase in the back as Ventura has a heart attack at
the thought of Hogan cheating. Savage recovers and goes upstairs to
progressively louder cheers. Randy delivers THE FLYING ELBOW DROP.
Savage covers for 1....2....3..WE GOT A NEW CHAMPION! Hogan runs in
and gives the new designed belt (which would last exactly 10 years)
to Savage. Dibiase and Andre protest in the isle as Savage hugs the
belt in the corner. Ventura protests the cheating as Savage shakes
Hogan's hand then celebrates with Elizabeth and the Hulkster. Monsoon says he's the undisputed champion as Savage says he couldn't have done it without Hulk's help. Savage puts Liz on his shoulders with the belt on her shoulders.
Time
of match: 9:14
Winner:
Randy Savage by pinfall (New WWF Champion)
Monsoon and Jess sign off after running down what just happened. Wrestlemania
4 was doomed to be a let down no matter what the card was after the
previous year. Still, it was a landmark event for "Macho Man" Randy Savage as he became the new WWF Champion. It would have been nice if Hogan wasn't THAT involved in it but the Mega Powers are the Mega Powers for a reason. This was only the beginning for Randy as he finally got his due as one of the best in the business. This would also be the last pay-per-view appearance for a lot of guys for years including Bam Bam Bigelow, Sika and Ricky Steamboat. Butch Reed also quietly left shortly after this. Bad News Brown put himself on the map winning the battle royal although Bret Hart isn't too happy about it. Honky Tonk Man remains Intercontinental champion and Demolition are the new tag team champs. The question now was could Randy Savage carry the load as WWF Champion the way Hogan had for years. Unlike Hogan, he'd have to share the spotlight with the almighty Hulkster. The next show after this would be the yearly overseas tour which would eventually be called "UK Rampage". The first stop would be in Switzerland on April 1st in Lugano. I'll see you there.
