Sage Cortez
Heading into WrestleMania VIII, the WWF was basically under siege when it came to negative press (which they had earned). In any case, they still had to put on a wrestling show, and in the process they put on one of my favorites. I have seen this show numerous times, but as with the others, not in quite a long time. Business-wise, this show did fairly well. The WWF did have to give away a lot of tickets, but they made a ton of money. Indianapolis was also a bit of a strange location for the show, one I don’t quite understand. Maybe they paid well. In any case, it’s time for the show.
– April 5th, 1992, from the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana
The opening video is one of my favorites as well, hyping the DOUBLE MAIN EVENT with Ric Flair facing Randy Savage, and Hulk Hogan facing Sid Justice. This was also hyped as Hulk Hogan’s farewell match, which nobody at the time believed, but he really did take a break after all. With it still being day time they needed to have a full arena, because there was absolutely no way to hide any empty seats.
Before the action starts, they had Reba McEntire sing the national anthem. Of course, Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are the commentators for this show, and it was probably their best. The WWF had a new entranceway for this, with a nice light setup and that kind of thing.
Shawn Michaels (w/Sensational Sherri) vs. El Matador
Pre-Match Thoughts: This is Shawn’s first chance to have a singles match on PPV, and he definitely didn’t want to disappoint. The WWF didn’t want him to either, given that they gave him a quality opponent. This show features the last televised WrestleMania match for many guys, including Santana. There was so much good about the HBK gimmick and not a whole lot wrong with it. The referee for this match has a bowl cut and a mustache. Sick look.
Match Review: These two shove each other, and El Matador takes Michaels down with a cross body that gets 2. Santana goes to a headlock, and when Michaels gets out of it, Santana clotheslines him over the top! Santana pulls him back into the ring with a headlock, but Michaels has no problem getting out of it. However, when Michaels dodges a charge to the corner, he tries it for a second time after being thrown into the corner again, and Santana merely punches him. Santana takes Michaels down with a headlock for 2, Santana holds the headlock for a long time, and winds up cradling Michaels for 2. Back to the headlock again, and this time, Michaels throws Santana over the top and out to the floor. Sherri acts like she’s going to hit him, but sadly she does not. Michaels drops Santana with a backbreaker, and that gets 2. He goes to his own chinlock, which Santana fights out of, only to eat a superkick. Michaels goes for the TEARDROP SUPLEX, but Santana pops him in the face. Santana goes for a backdrop, but it gets stopped with a kick. Santana’s FLYING FOREARM knocks Michaels out to the floor, and into the steps the kid goes. Santana’s on the apron, and comes in with a slingshot shoulderblock. Michaels begs a little bit, and eats a knee lift. After an inverted atomic drop by Santana, he signals for his finish. He hits Michaels on the back of the head with the forearm, but Michaels rolls out to the floor again. Michaels pokes Santana in the eye, and Santana goes for a slam, but Sherri misses her spot. So, Michaels grabs the top rope instead, falls on top of Santana, and covers for the victory at 10:37.
My Thoughts: The headlock in this match was on for far too long, and if it hadn’t been, the match would have been a whole lot better. Michaels took some fun bumps, and the finishing stretch was hot too. Probably saved the match. The blown finish doesn’t bother me that much, but this was simply a standard WrestleMania match. Not a lot to say about it. **1/4. As I believe I’ve said before, you could tell Michaels was going to be a star even at this point. He was a natural in this role.
Gene Okerlund was at the interview podium, and it turns out that the Legion of Doom were at WrestleMania. Hawk looked quite slim and trim after his steroid suspension. Paul Ellering was with them! As he’s said, he was there to keep them straight, and really, I don’t know why he was never there in the first place. This interview was long and boring. By long, I mean WAY too long. I was writing out my thoughts on other matches while watching it.
Jake Roberts vs. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Jake demanding his release in exchange for doing a job here was probably not the best career decision. This match was counted on to be decent at the least, given its position on the card right after the opener. This also isn’t like the other WrestleManias in that they weren’t trying to stuff all kinds of matches onto the show to fill time. Roberts was no longer allowed to bring a snake to the ring, but there were “rumors” that he would anyway. Also, if you don’t think Jake was on steroids, look at the difference in his physique in this match compared to just a year or two before. His interview before this match was fantastic. Trust me. Taker got quite the large babyface pop.
Match Review: Taker stalks Roberts across the ring, with Jake getting in right hands that don’t do anything. Eventually, he knocks Taker over the top, but he lands on his feet and pulls Roberts to the outside. Taker throws him hard into the post, but eats a knee lift when he slowly gets in the ring. Roberts starts to do damage with his punches, but Taker gets him in the corner and starts choking him. After some really slow punishment, the choke goes to the canvas. Taker drops a big elbow, and follows with his flying clothesline. He goes for the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, but Jake gets out and hits the DDT! Taker sits up as Jake plays to the crowd, and puts a choke on him. Roberts comes back with a short clothesline, and drops Taker with ANOTHER DDT. Roberts then looks at Paul Bearer, and he must think it’s time to take him out too. Taker sits up and stops Roberts from taking the urn, then TOMBSTONES him on the floor. Taker merely puts him in the ring, covers, and that’s it after 6:41.
My Thoughts: This match stunk, there’s no sugarcoating that. Jake also got buried pretty hard. At least they came up with a nice finishing stretch, which saved this from being even worse. 3/4*, and the Undertaker was then 2-0 at WrestleMania.
Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: Again, one of my favorite matches. It was not often the WWF did babyface matches, and for them to have one lower on the card was a pretty big deal. The interview before the match is spectacular. Piper was great talking about how much he loved Bret’s family. This was a test of sorts to see if people would back Bret. The build to this match was great, although truncated in comparison to what it could have been.
Match Review: Piper and Bret lock up, and Piper uses an arm drag. Bret returns the favor, then Piper uses a drop toe-hold. Piper maintains a waistlock, but Bret uses momentum to send him out of the ring. Piper spits at Bret, and wants a test of strength. They power into each other, but Piper breaks it and they exchange wristlocks. Piper tries to chop his way out of one, but Bret won’t let go and eventually drags Piper to the canvas. When they get up again, Bret takes Piper out with a dropkick, only to grab his shoulder. He was faking! Bret gets up with a small package that gets 2, so Piper slaps him. Bret comes back with a cross body and they both go over the top, but Piper gets in the ring first. Piper welcomes him back into the ring, but when Bret checks his boots, Piper pops him in the face. As Bret’s said before, he got a sneaky blade in there and made Vince McMahon think he was potatoed. Decent amount of blood there. Piper rams Bret into the buckle, gets in another big right, and follows with a bulldog for 2. Piper hits Bret with a knee lift for 2, and Bret comes back with a sunset flip for his own 2 count. Piper gets in some big punches for another 2 count, then they trade some. Bret nails Piper with a forearm to knock him out of the ring, but Piper gets back in there, only for them to clothesline each other. Piper gets up first and heads up top, but Bret fires up to his feet and crotches him. He grabs Piper and rams his head into the mat, and follows that with an inverted atomic drop. Bret suplexes Piper for 2, and follows with a Russian leg sweep for 2. A backbreaker follows that, and Bret goes for the SHARPSHOOTER! Piper grabs Bret to stop it, so Bret elbows him. Bret follows that with another elbow from the second rope, or not, as Piper kicks him in the face. They trade punches from their knees, then Piper throws Bret into the referee. Piper clotheslines Bret to the outside, and into the steps after that. Piper grabs the bell, teasing the idea that he’ll go heel. The crowd doesn’t want him to use it, and they start booing. Piper gets cheered for throwing it away, and they start trading punches again. Piper puts a SLEEPER on Bret, who kicks off the corners with a reversal that wins the title for him at 13:50!
After the match, Piper grabs his belt, and decides to give it to Bret as they shake hands. Even put it around his waist. They hugged too.
My Thoughts: This match was so good, and a perfect exercise in character work as the WWF had specialized in. The finish was totally unexpected, and its been copied many times, but at the time this was new and fresh. This was also a great way for Bret to go over, as if it hadn’t have been clean, it wouldn’t have had anywhere near the impact. **** for me, lots of people rate it lower, but I think this is appropriate. It may be Piper’s best. The story about how Bret and Piper teased tension in the back to make Vince think Bret was potatoed. In addition, in Bret’s book, he told a story about Shane McMahon grabbing his wife’s ass that weekend. That’s probably why Vince didn’t punish him.
Bobby Heenan has a big surprise. It is…LEX LUGER! THE SUPPOSED NEXT WBF CHAMPION! Luger looked even bigger there than he did a month before at SuperBrawl. Obviously, Luger couldn’t actually wrestle for the WWF, due to the contract issue. This was the WWF’s attempt to turn wrestling fans into bodybuilding fans. That’s just dumb.
The Nasty Boys, the Mountie, and the Repo Man (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Virgil, Sgt. Slaughter, Big Boss Man, and Jim Duggan
Pre-Match Thoughts: I couldn’t care less about this match, to be honest. This was just one to get as many people on the show as possible. Of course, there’s no story to this match at all. Not an elimination match either. The heel interview was hilarious. Virgil had a broken nose and was wearing a face mask. Ray Combs did a special introduction for the heels in this, which I thought was funny.
Match Review: When the heels tried to attack Combs, the babyfaces attacked them and gave them stereo back elbows. After that, there were four clotheslines dishes out, and Repo Man took the brunt of the punishment after that. Things settle down some, and Bobby Heenan announces that SHAWN MICHAELS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING. Hacksaw is in there with Sags, and Sags clotheslines him from behind. Hacksaw comes back with his own clotheslines, then atomic drops Sags. Slaughter and Knobbs tag in, and Slaughter gives Knobbs a gutbuster. A double stomp follows that, then a back elbow to the gut. Boss Man tags in, and drills Knobbs with a big boot. Boss Man misses a charge to the corner, and Repo Man tags in there. He drops down and causes Boss Man to miss a splash, then jumps on his back only for Boss Man to flip over and hit him in the nuts. Virgil tags in, and he dropkicks Repo Man. He heads up top and comes down with a cross body that gets 2, and Knobbs accidentally elbow drops his partner. Mountie runs in to clothesline Virgil from behind, and Repo Man gives Virgil a back suplex. This is a mess. Sags sets Virgil up for a PUMPHANDLE SLAM, which gets 2. Mountie tags in, only for Boss Man to catch him with a SPINEBUSTER. Everyone gets in the ring, leading to a major brawl. Eventually we have the Nasties try to take Virgil out with his own mask, but Sags hits Knobbs instead. Virgil covers Knobbs, and that’s it at 6:31.
My Thoughts: This wasn’t good, and there was no way it could have been given both the lack of time and the participants involved. The best part about this was the introduction. DUD.
Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair (w/Mr. Perfect) for the WWF Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: The WWF teased strongly that Flair had possession of sexual pictures with Elizabeth in them. As we know, they never delivered on that tease. This is another great matchup and one they took care not to do on their house shows. Hogan vs. Flair was intended to be the SummerSlam main event in Washington D.C. It didn’t happen because Hogan’s sabbatical was real, but that’s why they didn’t do the match at WrestleMania. Perfect and Flair had an interview about those pictures, and for one of the first times, I’m noticing that Flair was starting to look old.
Match Review: Savage hit the ring quick, chasing Flair out of there and getting the crowd hyped up. Savage eventually gives chase, and meets Flair in the aisle with a double axehandle. He rams Flair’s face into the concrete, until Perfect grabs Savage and throws him to the ground. Now Savage chases Perfect, but gets in the ring for some chops from Flair. Savage hits him with a clothesline, then knees him into the corner. Savage climbs the ropes for some punches, and clotheslines Flair once more. Savage then drills Flair with a back elbow for 2, but makes a mistake and gets backdropped HIGH over the top by Flair. What an absurd bump. Flair drives Savage’s back into the apron, and stomps on Savage when he gets back in there. Flair suplexes Savage for 2, and follows that one with a back suplex for 2 again. Flair sends Savage into the buckles, then chops him down for another 2 count. Flair drops a knee on him and kicks him out of the ring, then drives the back into the apron again. Flair gives Savage a suplex back into the ring, of the delayed variety, but that also gets 2. Flair continues punishment with more chops and stomps, but Savage fights back this time. Savage blocks a backdrop and gives Flair a neckbreaker, then starts a comeback with punches. Flair goes to the eyes, heads up top, and Savage slams him down. Savage then takes Flair to the corner for a backdrop, and follows with another series of clotheslines. Savage then throws Flair upside down into the corner, and Flair runs across the apron to the top, getting clotheslined on the way down for 2. Savage clotheslines Flair over the top, and he decides to follow with BOMBS AWAY! Flair hits the barricade as a result and blades, then gets taken into the steps. After a post shot, Flair falls on his face. Savage decides to suplex Flair on the floor, then rolls him back in as Heenan screams for the match to be stopped. Savage heads up top, coming down with a double axehandle for 2. Savage slams Flair, then heads up top again for the finish! The FLYING ELBOW lands, but Perfect sneaks in the ring and pulls Savage to the outside. Savage chases Perfect around the ring and into it, and Perfect has some brass knuckles. Perfect tosses them to Flair, and Flair WALLOPS Savage with them. Flair covers, but it also gets 2! Flair tries to smash Savage’s head into the mat a few times, then Perfect runs over to hit Savage with a chair to the knee. Elizabeth decides to run out to the ring, but some officials decide to try to stop her. Shane McMahon is among them. Flair starts working on the leg, giving Savage a shin-breaker. He locks on the FIGURE-FOUR, but Savage is no quitter. Savage goes to reverse it, and Flair gets caught trying to cheat, leading to the hold being broken. Flair goes for a bodyslam, but Savage cradles him up for 2. Good tease. Flair starts talking to Liz, while dishing out some chops to Savage at the same time. After another shin-breaker, Savage holds on to stop from being tripped. Flair WOOO’s, so Savage rolls him up and holds the tights for the title win at 18:01!
Heenan is unhappy and leaves the announce booth, as Flair paces around for a while. Flair then walks over to Elizabeth, kisses her, and she slaps him! Savage then jumps Flair and works him over some more, but Savage winds up on the canvas so Flair and Perfect can beat him up. Once they’re done, Savage gets announced as the champion and they do a fireworks display the likes of which he deserved.
My Thoughts: This match had what I’d consider to be basically a perfect finish. They had already established that Savage was looking for the quick victory, and at the same time, Flair was booked to look like a very strong heel, as WCW had failed to do. The overbooking was something that would become more common later on, but at the time, it wasn’t all that common. I thought they told a great story as well. The bout had great heat, and I think the wrestling they brought to the table holds up as well. Great effort, and a **** match for me. The match could have been even better without the officials holding Elizabeth back. I thought that was quite pointless. The pop for Savage’s pin was enormous.
Sean Mooney’s in the back, and he’s there to talk with Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect. Perfect does the majority of the promo, then Bobby Heenan walks in there and starts ranting and raving. Once Flair gets his wind, he delivers a great series of lines. Flair said he wasn’t going to cry, and that he was going to get his belt back. Good luck beating him again, he says.
Randy Savage has his own interview, and said that Flair hadn’t been beaten up properly. When Savage said he didn’t care if it was in the parking lot, they should have taped a fight in the parking lot.
Now, it’s time to show the WrestleMania 8 press conference again. I’m cool with that. Sid’s promo on Hogan never gets old. They also showed Sid’s turn on Hogan, a match I hadn’t seen until recently. I also like the clip where Sid destroys the Barber Shop. It was cool when they showed his clips of destroying jobbers too. They even brought back his stretcher gimmick from WCW!
Rick Martel vs. Tatanka
Pre-Match Thoughts: So, from that match to this. Definitely not something I would consider favorable to either worker. They had Native Americans play music in the ring during the intermission, which was a neat touch. Martel cut a promo in the back, and had a lame joke about Tatanka being outside of the dome scalping tickets. Tatanka shouldn’t have run to the ring, and it’s out of character for him to have been wearing pants at this show. Don’t recall him doing that much.
Match Review: Martel takes Tatanka to the corner for some knees, but Tatanka comes back with a hip toss and a couple of bodyslams. Martel ducks to the outside, as Heenan does a great gag on commentary. Amazing stuff. Martel comes back in with more knees, but Tatanka rams him into the buckle and dodges a charge to the other side. Martel chokeslams Tatanka, then throws him hard over the top. Martel throws Tatanka back in there, and follows with a backbreaker. Now Martel heads up top, and Tatanka shakes the ropes to crotch him. Tatanka hits Martel with some big chops, and dishes out a backdrop. Tatanka lands some chops to the head, but has another backdrop blocked. Martel slams Tatanka, and clotheslines him. Tatanka takes Martel down with a cross body, and that picks up the win for him at 4:31.
My Thoughts: This was a tough match for both guys, as the crowd did not even remotely care. They did work hard, but the match was really short and Martel was used in a role that I think he was above doing at this stage of his career. Veteran enhancement talent Rick Martel just didn’t feel right. *1/2, at least they tried.
The Natural Disasters vs. Money Inc. (w/Jimmy Hart) for the WWF Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: This match has been so boring every time I’ve seen it that I’ve never been able to give it my undivided attention. Let’s see. I’ve always thought that the Natural Disasters made for terrible babyfaces. Why would anyone want to cheer them? At least DiBiase finally won a belt, one that was much deserved. The Natural Disasters inspired no confidence in their promo before the match. The dork in the crowd with a fistful of $1’s sent me into a laughing fit. Heenan said something about it right after I typed that.
Match Review: Earthquake and IRS will begin the match, or rather not, as DiBiase tags in. Quake shoves him into the corner, and DiBiase tries a wristlock, only to be thrown down again. Quake nails DiBiase with a clothesline, and IRS runs in only to get hit with a bunch of them. Money Inc. gets taken out with a noggin-knocker, and they regroup on the outside. When they get back in there, it’s Typhoon and IRS, with Typhoon hip tossing IRS. Typhoon throws IRS down and grabs IRS’ tie, then rams him into the buckle 10 times. Typhoon misses a splash in the corner, so DiBiase tags in there. DiBiase chops away at the guy, who does almost nothing in terms of selling or anything. Typhoon takes control with clubbing shots, then they have a sequence where nothing happens off an Irish whip. DiBiase then ducks out of Typhoon’s way, and the fat guy has to propel himself over the top rope. IRS rams Typhoon into the steps, and sends him back in for knees from DiBiase. IRS tags back in there, and they hit Typhoon with a double clothesline for 2. I can’t really describe Typhoon’s badness here. IRS and DiBiase try to take turns on him, hitting him with a nice double back elbow. IRS puts a front face-lock on Typhoon, then DiBiase tags in for a double axehandle that gets 2. Typhoon and DiBiase clothesline each other, and both men make tags out. Quake crushes IRS in the corner, then clotheslines him down. DiBiase gets clotheslined too, and all four guys are in there. IRS and DiBiase get thrown into each other, and DiBiase takes a tumble over the top after a clothesline. Typhoon splashes IRS, but he’s not legal and can’t pin him. Quake signals for the BUTT SPLASH, but Jimmy Hart gets in the ring and pulls IRS out of there. Money Inc. gets their titles, and they’re smart enough to leave at 8:36. The Disasters only got a count-out win.
My Thoughts: Typhoon was really awful, but I don’t think this was an egregiously bad match. Yes, it sucked, but I can’t go to negatives or anything like that. Finish was disgusting, especially given that this was WrestleMania. DUD, with extra emphasis on Typhoon’s bumps and selling, or lack thereof. The crowd didn’t pop for the Disasters winning at all.
Brutus Beefcake is with Gene Okerlund, and Brutus is dubbed as an all-time great. Get outta here. He takes no part in the main event, and is merely interviewed to talk about Hulk Hogan. Terrible interview.
Skinner vs. Owen Hart
Pre-Match Thoughts: I’m surprised they bumped Bulldog vs. Berzerker instead of this, given that they had plans for those two and none for these two. After all, Berzerker should have been on the show given that he was going to try to stab the Undertaker with his sword.
Match Review: Skinner spits his tobacco juice in Owen’s face, and decides to follow with a shoulder-breaker. Interesting way to start a match. Skinner then takes Owen and drops him with a REVERSE DDT, which gets 2. Skinner throws Owen over the top, but Owen skins the cat back in and cradles Skinner up for the win at 1:10.
My Thoughts: That’s the most meaningless WrestleMania match ever, I think. Maybe something else I watch later will compare to it. DUD, not a whole lot else to say about it.
Sid Justice (w/Harvey Wippleman) vs. Hulk Hogan
Pre-Match Thoughts: Sid looks absolutely enormous in his interview, towering over Wippleman and Okerlund. These guys were playing heavily on the idea this would be Hogan’s last match. Not just last during this run, but LAST. I love Sid, but Hogan was completely incapable at this point. Sid was too. Sid’s promo style is the funniest thing. I mean, there’s a formula there, but I can’t exactly describe it. During his interview, there was a clip shown of Hulk Hogan answering a question about this being his last match. He said he wouldn’t know if it was his last match until it was over. Sid then got back in the picture and dropped a big line about NOT GIVING A DAMN. “I CURSE YOU HULK HOGAN.” That cracked me up. This is a great show for comedy as well as the wrestling on the first half of it. Hogan did not get a promo, which I found odd. I love Wippleman’s introduction of Sid, who had an awesome theme to get the crowd’s interest immediately. Hogan was nearly completely lacking muscle definition in his arms.
Match Review: Sid attacks as soon as Hogan gets in the ring, but Hogan fires back with punches to clear Sid from the ring and pop the crowd. Hogan then beats Sid up on the apron, and clotheslines him off of it to a big roar. Now things settle down in the ring, even though the crowd is extremely hot. Hogan and Sid then do a staredown, until Sid knees him in the gut. Sid rakes the face, while comically snarling and being generally funny. Hogan comes back with more right hands, and Sid goes out of the ring again the same way the match started. Sid gets back in the ring and wants a test of strength, bringing Hogan to his knees. Hogan gets back into it as the crowd wills him on, but this test of strength really does take forever. Sid knees him again, and Hogan clotheslines Sid in the corner as a response. Sid comes back with a CHOKESLAM, and you talk about a heated crowd. Look at this one. Sid goes over to the camera, and he said “DO UNTO THE MAN AS HE WOULD DO UNTO YOU…BUT DO IT FIRST.” WHAT A QUOTE. Sid goes to work on Hogan’s back with forearms and stuff, then kicks Hogan out to the floor. Sid hits Hogan with the DOCTOR’S BAG, which sounds like it has a brick in it. Sid slaps a nerve hold on Hogan, which takes up a load of time, just like the test of strength. Hogan doesn’t give up, but Sid drops him with a SIDE SLAM. Sid signals for the finish, and drops Hogan with the POWERBOMB. Hogan does his seizure sell and kicks out at 2, which pops some of the crowd. Some shake their heads. Hogan hits Sid with the big three punches, then rams him into the turnbuckles. After the big boot, Hogan slams Sid and DROPS THE LEG on him. Because Papa Shango blows his spot, Sid has to kick out at 2! Wippleman tried to give some sort of signal not to do anything, but anyway, he gets on the apron and in the ring. Hogan picks Wippleman up and the bell rings at 12:26 for a disqualification, then he throws Wippleman onto Sid.
Papa Shango finally starts running down to the ring, but the mark is missed. What a disaster. Shango attacks Hogan, then starts choking him in tandem with Sid. All of a sudden…BAH GAWD IT’S THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR. Warrior clotheslines Shango over the top, then when Sid hits him with a chair, it’s no-selling time. Hogan grabs the chair before a second shot, and Sid decides to get out of town. Hogan and Warrior decide to do a series of poses, and that closes the show!
My Thoughts: This match was even worse than the tag match, despite how heated the crowd got. I mean, strictly as a wrestling match. Sid and Hogan just couldn’t do a match of any sort with each other, it was a bad mix. I’m glad this wasn’t Hogan’s last match in the WWF, because he deserved a whole lot better. The fans also got what they wanted, basically. Savage had to win the title earlier in the show to get this kind of reaction for a Hogan match in which he didn’t even get the pinfall. -* for the lack of quality work. They straight out repeated the spot where Sid got cleared from the ring, it looked EXACTLY the same. The ending was also absolutely terrible. Warrior’s return popped the crowd very loudly and probably saved the whole thing.
As a show, it’s one of my favorites although it doesn’t feature a lot of good wrestling matches. The commentary on this was excellent, and the two good matches were actually great matches. Piper/Bret featured a new guy being put over in the right spot, and Savage getting the title back was a great decision. The fans didn’t know that Hogan was going to be back in the WWF, although Hogan wasn’t back for long in any case. I think the attendance suffering does lie with Hogan having gone away. Warrior and Savage weren’t stars big enough to sell shows on their own, and that’s why the WWF’s touring schedule had changed so much. Neither was Ric Flair, despite what many people would think. Flair was a regional draw at this point, and was definitely on the downside. There were guys in the WWF that they could have made new stars out of, but promotions can try to make new stars all the want. If eyeballs aren’t there to see it, then people are wondering who those guys are when they change the channel over to something. The plan after WrestleMania was to have a series of matches between Papa Shango and the Undertaker, with more Flair/Savage matches. On the second touring roster they planned to do Warrior vs. Sid and Hart vs. Michaels matches. As everyone knows, Sid was out of the WWF nearly right after this event. By the end of the year they were barely doing business on both tours. Next up, it’s over to WCW for the matches leading into WrestleWar ’92. There are many.
Wrestling Time: 1:22:23. Nowhere near as much as it would seem.
Best: Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair. I’ll give this the nod given that it was advertised as a main event and delivered.
Worst: Sid Justice vs. Hulk Hogan. This wasn’t good, but the return of the Ultimate Warrior saved the awful finish.
Card Rating: 6.5/10. It’s a middle of the road card as a whole, even with the great matches. To get higher, the matches would have had to be even better. There is a WrestleMania where that turns out to be the case, too. I wonder which one.
