WWF Wrestlemania IV
Venue: Atlantic City, New JerseyDate: 27/03/88
Attendance: 18,165
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura
The WWF Heavyweight Championship was declared vacant for the first time in its history following Hulk Hogan's controversial defeat to Andre the Giant on 5th February 1988. Andre had tried to sell the championship to Ted Dibiase and was stripped of the title by on-screen President Jack Tunney shortly thereafter. As a result of this the title was put up for grabs in a 14-man single elimination tournament. Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were both given a bye in the first round and would face each other in the quarter finals. The event was held at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City which was quite a comedown from the Pontiac Silver Dome.
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| Bad News Brown double-crosses Bret Hart |
Review
Before the tournament began there was a 20-man battle royal for which the winner would receive... a trophy. The match seemed to exist just to get a few more of the mid-carders and tag teams on the show and the only thing remotely memorable about it was the ending. Bad News Brown turned on Bret Hart and eliminated him after the two had joined forces to eliminate the Junkyard Dog. Hart gained a measure of revenge by ruining Brown's celebration and destroying his trophy. It would be one of many false starts for Hart as a singles wrestler... First Round: Ted Dibiase, accompanied by Andre the Giant and Virgil defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan in an acceptable tournament opener. The Giant was instrumental in Dibiase's victory... Don Muraco beat Dino Bravo in a barely passable affair with a lousy finish. Bravo was disqualified for pulling the referee in the way of the onrushing Muraco... Greg Valentine's win over Ricky Steamboat was a decent effort let down only by Valentine's overuse of the delayed falling tree-like sell... Randy Savage pinned Butch Reed in a nothing match... The One Man Gang's count out victory over Bam Bam Bigelow was dreadful... Ravishing Rick Rude fought Jake The Snake Roberts to a dire fifteen minute time limit draw to complete the first round... In a break from the tournament the Ultimate Warrior beat Hercules in another rotten match...
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| Ravishing Rick Rude battles Jake "The Snake" Roberts |
Quarter Finals: Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant at least woke up the crowd as they fought to a double disqualification, thanks in part to interference from Ted Dibiase and Virgil. Inexplicably the result was not announced to the live crowd and many assumed Hogan had advanced by disqualification. It was only when Dibiase was awarded a bye later in the show they realised Hogan and Andre had been eliminated as there were no big screens to show the tournament brackets. Andre later revealed keeping Hogan out of the tournament was part of Dibiase's master plan... Dibiase returned to the ring, alone this time, to meet and defeat Don Muraco in a satisfactory bout. The win took Dibiase all the way to the final... Randy Savage's pinfall victory over Greg Valentine was okay...
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| Brutus Beefcake threatens The Honky Tonk Man with a haircut |
The Honky Tonk Man escaped with the Intercontinental Title following a disqualification loss to Brutus Beefcake. Beefcake treated Jimmy Hart to a haircut during the proceedings. The match was pretty poor... The six man tag pitting Bobby Heenan and the Islanders against Koko B Ware and the British Bulldogs wasn't up to much. Heenan wore an attack dog outfit to protect himself from Matilda, the most placid dog imaginable. Heenan scored the winning fall before being chased off by the Bulldogs and Matilda... Semi Final: Randy Savage scored a disqualification win over the One Man Gang in a rubbish match to advance to the final. Gang was disqualified for attempting to strike Savage with Slick's cane multiple times. The finish made Gang look incredibly stupid... Demolition picked up their first tag team championship by defeating Strike Force in a pretty good bout. Smash pinned Rick Martel after he'd been KO'd by a cane shot from Ax... Final: Randy Savage defeated Ted Dibiase in a decent final match to become the Undisputed WWF Heavyweight Champion. Savage pinned Dibiase after a chair shot from Hulk Hogan who had come down to ringside to combat interference from Andre the Giant.
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| The Ultimate Warrior unloads on Hercules |
Overall
Wrestlemania 4 was a big disappointment. Of the sixteen matches on the card only two could be considered good while the rest ranged from average to dreadful. The tournament may have seemed a good idea on paper but not in execution as it didn't produce much excitement until the finale. Randy Savage's big moment was the only real memorable part of the show which also tied up the loose end of Hulk Hogan gaining revenge on Andre the Giant and Ted Dibiase. It would also begin a year long story which would culminate at Wrestlemania 5, but that's for later. A major problem for Wrestlemania 4 was the location, Trump Plaza. The crowd was filled with Donald Trump friends and associates and casino high rollers leaving little room for the hardcore wrestling fans. Those who were able to attend had to pay high ticket prices. This meant you had a crowd who were not emotionally invested in the product and as a result the show played out to silence for large parts. It made the biggest show of the year appear even worse than it actually was. It may well have been a great deal for Vince McMahon and Donald Trump but for the people who matter the most, the wrestling fans, it wasn't. Wrestlemania IV drew 485,000 buys on pay-per-view plus a further 175,000 at closed circuit television locations.
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| Ted Dibiase helps ensure Hulk Hogan doesn't advance in the tournament |
Results
1 Bad News Brown won a 20 man Battle Royal (10:40) *1/2
2 Ted Dibiase pinned Jim Duggan (4:54) **
3 Don Muraco def Dino Bravo by disqualification (4:53) *1/4
4 Greg Valentine pinned Ricky Steamboat (9:12) **1/4
5 Randy Savage pinned Butch Reed (5:07) *1/4
6 One Man Gang def Bam Bam Bigelow by count out (2:56) DUD
7 Rick Rude fought Jake Roberts to a time limit draw (15:00) 1/2
8 The Ultimate Warrior pinned Hercules (4:29) DUD
9 Hulk Hogan fought Andre the Giant to a double disqualification (5:22) *1/4
10 Ted Dibiase pinned Don Muraco (5:44) **1/4
11 Randy Savage pinned Greg Valentine (6:06) **
12 Brutus Beefcake def WWF Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man (c) by disqualification (6:30) 3/4
13 The Islanders & Bobby Heenan def The British Bulldogs & Koko B Ware by pinfall (7:30) *1/2
14 Randy Savage def One Man Gang by disqualification (4:05) 1/2
15 Demolition def Strike Force (c) by pinfall to win the WWF Tag Team Title (12:33) **1/2
16 Randy Savage pinned Ted Dibiase to win the WWF Heavyweight Title (9:27) **1/2
1 Bad News Brown won a 20 man Battle Royal (10:40) *1/2
2 Ted Dibiase pinned Jim Duggan (4:54) **
3 Don Muraco def Dino Bravo by disqualification (4:53) *1/4
4 Greg Valentine pinned Ricky Steamboat (9:12) **1/4
5 Randy Savage pinned Butch Reed (5:07) *1/4
6 One Man Gang def Bam Bam Bigelow by count out (2:56) DUD
7 Rick Rude fought Jake Roberts to a time limit draw (15:00) 1/2
8 The Ultimate Warrior pinned Hercules (4:29) DUD
9 Hulk Hogan fought Andre the Giant to a double disqualification (5:22) *1/4
10 Ted Dibiase pinned Don Muraco (5:44) **1/4
11 Randy Savage pinned Greg Valentine (6:06) **
12 Brutus Beefcake def WWF Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man (c) by disqualification (6:30) 3/4
13 The Islanders & Bobby Heenan def The British Bulldogs & Koko B Ware by pinfall (7:30) *1/2
14 Randy Savage def One Man Gang by disqualification (4:05) 1/2
15 Demolition def Strike Force (c) by pinfall to win the WWF Tag Team Title (12:33) **1/2
16 Randy Savage pinned Ted Dibiase to win the WWF Heavyweight Title (9:27) **1/2
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| New WWF Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage with Elizabeth |
22/80 = 27.5%
Star Rating Guide
***** Excellent/World Class**** Very Good
*** Good
** OK/Acceptable
* Poor
DUD Abysmal
SQ Squash (Less than 1 min)
Gotta mention five things:
ReplyDelete1.The ending of the battle royal marked the first signs of a babyface turn for the Hart Foundation.
2.This was Butch Reed's final WWF PPV, as he would leave for the NWA/WCW and team with Ron Simmons.
3.Honky's valet Peggy Sue was played by Sensational Sherri.
4.The legendary visual of Bobby Heenan in an attack dog suit is classic.
5.The Coliseum Video release contained the following exclusive segments:
#1.An extended opening sequence which begins with footage of Atlantic City on a sunny afternoon inter-cut with the WWF roster getting themselves ready for the event, before cutting to Monsoon, Ventura, and Craig DeGeorge talking about the WrestleMania festivities that took place twenty-four hours prior to the PPV, such as the WrestleMania 5K Fun Run and the meet-and-greet autograph sessions.
#2.Right after the battle royal, Craig DeGeorge interviewed DiBiase and Virgil in their hotel room, where DiBiase discusses his upcoming match with Duggan.
#3.Prior to his match with Valentine, Steamboat cut a promo in his hotel room sitting with his wife and son, bringing up 1988 being the year of the dragon, and he dedicated his upcoming match to his son.
#4.Just before the Savage vs. Reed match, DeGeorge interviewed Heenan, who was signing for a special delivery (which is revealed to be the protective suit he wears when teaming with the Islanders against Koko and the Bulldogs) brought to his hotel room.
#5.Just before the six-man tag-team match, DeGeorge interviews Honky, Jimmy, and Sherri, as Honky vowed revenge on Beefcake for cutting Jimmy's hair.
#6.After he and the Islanders beat Koko and the Bulldogs, Heenan cuts a promo about how he survived the match by using his brain.
#7.Just before the World Championship tournament's grand final between Savage and DiBiase, DeGeorge interviewed Demolition and Fuji after they won the Tag-Team Championship from Strike Force.