The Mega Powers

The main event of Wrestlemania V was the culmination of a storyline which stretched back a massive 18 months and had no doubt been planned much further back than that. Hard to believe really considering these days WWE tend to only book a few weeks in advance. There are exceptions of course such as The Rock and John Cena but apart from the announcement they would headline Wrestlemania a year in advance there was only a few weeks of actual tv product, the rest was just occasional insults on twitter. Back in October 1987 Randy Savage was attempting to regain the Intercontinental Title from the Honky Tonk Man on Saturday Night's Main Event and just as he looked like being successful the Hart Foundation ran in to cause a disqualification. This led to the famous scene where the Harts held Savage allowing Honky to smash him over the head with his guitar. Elizabeth ran backstage for help and returned with Hulk Hogan who saved Savage from the 3-on-1 assault. A new alliance was born and would become known as the Mega Powers. At Wrestlemania 4 a similar incident occurred where the Macho Man was battling Ted DiBiase in the tournament final to crown an Undisputed WWF World Champion and Andre the Giant, who was at ringside with DiBiase was interferring in the contest. Once again Elizabeth ran backstage for the help of the Hulkster. In the end Hogan nailed DiBiase with a chair enabling Savage to win the championship and also gain revenge for himself. Hogan had been cheated out of the title by a DiBiase scheme and then eliminated from the tournament by his interference. The Mega Power alliance had been solidified.

 

Come the inaugural Summerslam event in August 1988, there were subtle signs of unrest between the Mega Powers. Savage looked miffed when Hogan hugged Elizabeth following their win over Andre and DiBiase in the main event. A similar scene took place following the duos victory at the Survivor Series but this time Savage pointed an accusing finger at the oblivious Hogan. Jesse Ventura did a wonderful job of stirring things up on commentary and later in backstage interviews but any question of dissention was denied by the Macho Man. A further incident took place at the 1989 Royal Rumble where Hogan inadvertently eliminated Savage from the Rumble match causing the latter to accuse the former of a double cross. Just as it looked like they would come to blows, Elizabeth entered the fray to help smooth things over. Things finally did come to a head on February 2nd during The Main Event where the Mega Powers battled the Twin Towers. During the action Savage was thrown from the ring by Akeem and landed on Elizabeth. Nobody saw the move coming and it looked quite shocking at the time. Hogan ran to Elizabeth's aid as the jealous Savage pointed the accusing finger at his partner once again. While Savage continued the match, Hogan carried Elizabeth backstage for medical attention before returning to help the Macho Man. Savage, angered by the attention Hogan gave to Elizabeth and for being abandoned during the match, slapped the Hulkster and returned the locker room leaving Hogan to battle the Twin Towers alone. Following the match Hogan returned to the medical room where Randy was yelling at Elizabeth. Savage then turned his attention to his partner, exploding with accusations of betrayal and using Elizabeth to get to the title. As Hogan looked to Elizabeth to talk some sense into her man, Savage blindsided Hogan and attacked him as Elizabeth begged him to stop. It was a powerful segment and one which sealed the end of their partnership beautifully.

 

The match itself, much like everything that preceded it, was expertly worked. Elizabeth proclaimed she would be in a neutral corner and would continue to support both men, which only led to her being ejected from ringside for causing complications in the match. Savage initially played the cowardly heel but showed a more intense mean streak as the match progressed. Hogan, the classic babyface, weathered the storm before making his signature comeback to win with the big boot-leg drop combination. The match was very well received and the event was a hit financially due to the hard work put in over the previous 18 months. It remains a shining example of how to work a top program for a Wrestlemania main event. It didn't even end there as Hogan and Savage continued to battle throughout the summer on the house show circuit and then with the addition of Zeus and Brutus Beefcake for the rest of the year. In the ring the Hulkster and the Macho Man had fantastic chemistry right from their first meeting in 1985 to their last in WCW some 14 years later. The last match between Hogan and Savage in relation to this feud took place in January 1990 on Saturday Night's Main Event. It just shows you that if a feud is booked correctly, it can last a long time and more importantly, can mean something to people.

@wrestlingspast