WWF WrestleMania IV (Version III)

 

Original Airdate: March 27, 1988

From Atlantic City, New Jersey; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura

Gene Okerlund opens the show in the ring, welcoming everyone, and introducing Gladys Knight to sing America the Beautiful

Opening 20-Man Battle Royal: AKA: a way to get all the tag teams a payday. Bob Uecker sits in on commentary here. We've got: Sam Houston, Ken Patera, Jim Brunzell, B. Brian Blair, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jacques Rougeau, Raymond Rougeau, Paul Roma, Jim Powers, Nikolai Volkoff, Boris Zhukov, Bad News Brown, Hillbilly Jim, Junk Yard Dog, Danny Davis, Harley Race, Sika, Ron Bass, and George Steele. Say what you will about this venue choice, but they did a phenomenal job of dressing it up, and making it look like a big deal event. We get down to Bret, Roma, Brown, and JYD, and Bad News quickly gets rid of Roma. JYD starts throwing headbutts at everyone, but Bret works with Bad News, and Dog is done. With two heels left, they decide to just split the winnings, but Brown turns on Hart, and dumps him to win at 9:43. Afterwards, Bret flips out about the betrayal, and smashes the trophy, which effectively turns him (and the Hart Foundation) into babyfaces. This wasn’t a great match, but I appreciated that they used it to tell a story, and develop Bret. ¼* (¼*; ¼*) (Three review average rating: 0.25)

Robin Leach is out to officially declare the tournament open and underway. Via an official scroll, presumably handwritten by Jack Tunney

WWF Title Tournament First Round Match: Jim Duggan v Ted DiBiase: Ted tries to corner him so Andre the Giant can get a shot in, but Duggan outmoves him, and an atomic drop sends Ted over the top. DiBiase comes back in all fired up with chops, but a clothesline misses, and Duggan throws one of his own. Duggan takes him into the corner for a ten-punch count, and a corner whip follows, but the charge in hits a boot. That allows DiBiase a turnbuckle smash, and he tunes Hacksaw up. DiBiase with a cross corner whip, and he delivers a clothesline on the rebound. Ted adds a 2nd rope axehandle to set up a backelbow-drop for two, but a backdrop gets countered with a sunset flip for two. Ted cuts him off with a knee, and a fistdrop follows. DiBiase tries a vertical suplex, but Duggan reverses, so DiBiase hustles to the middle rope for another axehandle - only for Jim to block this time. Duggan unloads in the corner, and a cross corner whip rebounds into a clothesline. Duggan with a bodyslam, and he tries for the three-point stance, but Andre trips him up. That allows DiBiase to clobber him, and a fistdrop finishes at 4:58. A very solid start to the tournament, though they were flying through this, trying to squeeze everything within the allotted time. * (DUD; * ½) (Three review average rating: 0.83)

Okerlund catches up with Brutus Beefcake, and I have to say, the backstage interview set they had for this show was top notch. It’s so huge that it gives it a really grandiose feel

WWF Title Tournament First Round Match: Don Muraco v Dino Bravo: Muraco with a clothesline and a pump-splash, but he botches it so badly that the announcers have to say that he ‘slipped off the ropes.’ Dino fights back with a few elbowdrops, and a gutwrench suplex follows. Bravo with a turnbuckle smash and a cross corner whip, but a knee in the corner misses, and Dino hits the buckles. That allows Muraco to work the leg, and he grabs a spinning toe-hold to try for the submission, but Bravo shoves him off, and Muraco ends up in a noose between the ropes. That allows Bravo to recover, and he unties him for a piledriver, but it only gets two. Dino goes back to the well, but Don backdrops him this time, and a criss cross results in a double knockout spot. Both guys stagger up, and Muraco gets the jump on him with fists. Muraco lands a jumping forearm, and a bodyslam follows. Another jumping forearm, but Dino shoves the referee into the path. That allows Bravo to grab Muraco with a sidewalk slam, but the referee recovers to call a DQ on Dino at 4:55. More than a few sloppy exchanges, but energetic, at least. ¾* (DUD; ¾*) (Three review average rating: 0.50)

Bob Uecker catches up with WWF Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man, and Honky thinks Bob should spend less time looking for Vanna White, and more time enjoying the company of the champion. Yeah, stop being disrespectful to your hosts, Bob

WWF Title Tournament First Round Match: Ricky Steamboat v Greg Valentine: A nice, crisp criss cross is won by Steamboat with an armdrag into an armbar, but Greg fights to a vertical base. Steamboat stays on him with a few shots for two, and he goes to a wristlock, but Greg whips him into the ropes. Steamboat hits him with a shoulderblock for two, then another for two, but a third is dodged, and Ricky goes over the top. He skins the cat and throws a dropkick for two, and it’s back to the wristlock from there. Valentine slugs free, and he goes to work, putting the boots to the Dragon. Greg with a forearm drop for two, but Steamboat blocks a side suplex, and turnbuckle smashes him. That allows the Dragon to go back to the armbar, but Greg uses an inverted atomic drop to escape, then adds a clothesline. Valentine hammers him with elbowsmashes, then moves on to chops, but Steamboat responds in kind for two. Bodyslam, but Greg topples him for two, then delivers a stomachbreaker. That knocks the wind out of the Dragon, and Greg capitalizes with a headbutt drop to the groin. Figure four, but Steamboat blocks, and they trade chops instead. Steamboat gets the better of it for two, so Greg goes to the eyes, and delivers a shoulderbreaker for two. That allows Greg to dive with a flying axehandle, and he tries for the figure four again, but Steamboat is able to pull off another block. That allows Ricky a series of smashes into the mat, and a jumping backelbow finds the mark. Steamboat goes up with a flying tomahawk chop for two, and a series of turnbuckle smashes rattle the Hammer. The referee objects, and Steamboat nearly decks him, but the official shows leniency. Steamboat tries to refocus with a flying bodypress, but he must still be rattled, because Valentine is able to roll through at 9:02. And that was it for Steamboat in the WWF until 1991, as he’d leave after this show, and wouldn’t appear for any major promotion until surfacing in WCW early the following year. A solid contest to go out on here. * ¼ (* ¼; *) (Three review average rating: 1.17)

Okerlund catches up with Koko B. Ware and the British Bulldogs, and Matilda is officially back, so you know it’s WrestleMania. Until watching all the build up shows for the first time (in advance of this review), I never realized just how big of a deal Matilda was

WWF Title Tournament First Round Match: Randy Savage v Butch Reed: The announcers give Macho the real star treatment here. Reed corners Randy right away, and uses a snapmare to set up a fistdrop. Reed with some turnbuckle smashes, but Macho reverses one on him. He goes for a vertical suplex, but Reed reverses, and delivers an elbowdrop for two. Reed with some right hands, and he snaps Savage’s throat across the top rope to dump him to the outside. Randy beats the count, so Reed welcomes him with boots, and plants a backelbow. Reed with a 2nd rope fistdrop, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and gets nailed. That allows Macho to get some shine, but Reed pops him with a jumping clothesline to cut it off. Reed flirts with Miss Elizabeth as he climbs the ropes, allowing Savage to slam him off, and the flying elbowdrop finishes at 4:08. This was pretty dull, and not helped by the fact that the crowd hasn’t been invested in anything. ¼* (DUD; ¼*) (Three review average rating: 0.17)

Uecker catches up with Bobby Heenan and the Islanders, and Uecker thinks the ASPCA should team with the KGB to deal with Bobby for what he did to Matilda

WWF Title Tournament First Round Match: Bam Bam Bigelow v One Man Gang: Gang jumps him to kickstart things, but Bigelow fights back. Bigelow lands a bodypress for two, and a headbutt drop follows. Bigelow with a punch for two, and he unloads more punches and headbutts. Bigelow goes in for the kill, but Slick pulls the top rope down as he runs them, and Bam Bam takes a spill over the top. He gets back up to the apron, but Gang hammers him, and Bigelow is counted out at 2:56. Oh man, this was really bad, with nothing put punching, and then a really poorly executed finish. This was bordering on negative stars, saved only by Bigelow’s bump over the top. DUD (DUD; DUD) (Three review average rating: 0.00)

Okerlund catches up with Hulk Hogan, and Hulk is sick of all the controversy, and ready to prove once and for all that he can beat Andre the Giant tonight. This is the infamous ‘dog paddle to safety’ promo, and it’s just as good as you remember

WWF Title Tournament First Round Match: Jake Roberts v Rick Rude: Oh man, I was dreading this one. I can still remember fighting to stay awake through this when I’d rent this show from Blockbuster as a child. Posturing to start, with Rude dominating. Rude with a bodyslam, but he goes to well again, and Jake blocks, then delivers a pair of his own with success. Jake grabs a wristlock, but Rude is able to block the DDT, and bail. Back in, Roberts goes back to the wristlock, but Rick fights him off, and gets a chinlock on. He grinds on that for a while, until Jake fights out, so Rude clotheslines him for two. Back to the hold to wear Jake down, and Rick dives with a flying fistdrop for two. Back to the chinlock, until Jake chincrushes his way out, and he’s finally able to go on the comeback trail. He lands a backdrop and a short-clothesline, but Rude railroads into the corner to block the DDT. Rick manages a cross corner whip, but the charge in gets blocked, and Roberts delivers a stomachbreaker for two. Headlock, but Rude immediately escapes with a side suplex for two. They collide for a double knockout, and both guys stagger up, with Jake a step ahead. He corners Rude, but Rick manages to sweep into a leveraged pin - only for time to expire at 15:12. Oh man, two goofy finishes in a row. Doing a time limit draw isn’t bad booking (both in the context of the story they were going for in the tournament, and to build a feud between these two), but did it really need to be a fifteen minute chinlock to get there? The crowd has already been disengaged, and this didn’t help. ½* (½*; *) (Three review average rating: 0.67)

Okerlund catches up with Vanna White over at the tournament board, and again, another great, grandiose set piece. Such a far cry from the shitty one they had at the Wrestling Classic just a couple of years before

Ultimate Warrior v Hercules: Posturing to start, and Warrior throws some clotheslines. Hercules responds by backdropping him over the top, but Warrior lands on his feet, and drags Hercules out with him. They slug it out, and Warrior smashes him into the steps a few times. Gorilla makes sure to note that they’re ‘metal,’ despite very obviously being wood. Inside, Hercules pops him with a few elbows, but it just wakes Warrior up, and he slugs back. Warrior with a ten-punch, but Hercules manages to shake him off with an inverted atomic drop. Hercules adds a turnbuckle smash, but a cross corner whip gets reversed - only for Warrior to miss the charge in. That allows Hercules to get the full nelson on, but Warrior kicks off the ropes into a cradle at 4:26. The execution here was bad, with Hercules thinking he won, before the referee breaks the news to him that Warrior got a shoulder up, therefore pinning Hercules by fluke. Warrior needed guys who could walk him through stuff at this point (and, really, any point in his career), and Hercules wasn’t the type of worker to do that. DUD (DUD; DUD) (Three review average rating: 0.00)

Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant feud review video

WWF Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Hulk Hogan v Andre the Giant: Andre attacks as Hulk gets into the ring, and he unloads. Hulk absorbs it all and starts slugging back, so Ted DiBiase interferes. Hulk takes him out, and manages to hit the incoming Andre as well. Andre ends up tied in the ropes, so Hogan unloads, and then delivers a series of elbowdrops. Andre fights back with some choking, and lots of it. Hulk fights him off, and calls for the slam, so DiBiase comes in to whack him with a chair while the referee is caught up for Virgil. Hogan chases his off, bu then grabs the chair for himself, and drills Andre. The referee takes it away, but Andre gets the weapon, and returns fire - triggering the frustrated official to call a double disqualification at 5:26. I get that Andre wasn’t in the best of shape, but it’s kind of a joke that they went five minutes in what was effectively the main event of this show. Four bad matches in a row, coupled with the disappointment of the double elimination of the two biggest stars really sunk this show. And that’s not even mentioning the bad finishes in all four. It wasn’t going badly up until, but this was a tough run to try and recover from. I will say that Hogan actually made a real (and successful) effort to engage the crowd, as opposed to just going out and having his match without thinking about it. DUD (DUD; -¼*) (Three review average rating: -0.08)

Okerlund catches up with Randy Savage, who thinks Hulk was cheated, not defeated. This was an important segment for the story of the show, as it reminds us that Savage is still in it, and now ‘our guy’

WWF Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Ted DiBiase v Don Muraco: DiBiase doesn’t have Andre or Virgil with him, after Hogan took both out in the last match. Muraco sees weakness, and kickstarts things. He delivers a powerslam for two, and a backelbow finds the mark. Muraco with a 2nd rope fistdrop for two, and a turnbuckle smash follows. Don with a snapmare into a somersault necksnap, and a matslam follows. Don with a standing dropkick for two, and DiBiase wisely bails to break the momentum. He nearly gets into it with Superstar Billy Graham out there, and there’s no Virgil to protect him! That allows Muraco to beat on him as he comes back inside, but Ted manages to reverse Don into the corner. That allows DiBiase to put the boots to him, and a backelbow gets him two. Ted with a knee to set up a pair of fistdrops for two, and he unloads a few chops, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets nailed. DiBiase pops back up and delivers a bodyslam anyway, but a 2nd rope backelbow-drop misses. That allows Muraco to properly make a comeback, but he runs into a hotshot during a criss cross, and DiBiase advances at 5:41. This was mostly fine. ¾* (¼*; ¾*) (Three review average rating: 0.58)

Uecker catches up with Demolition, who want pointers on swinging baseball bats ahead of their title match later

WWF Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Greg Valentine v Randy Savage: They bring One Man Gang out to formally accept his bye to the next round here, which feels like a good idea from a storyline perspective, but a terrible one from the perspective of how overloaded this show already is. They slug it out to start, won by Macho. Savage snapmares him to set up a kneedrop for two, but Greg blocks him in the corner, and dives with a flying elbowsmash. Valentine adds an elbowdrop for two, and a shoulderbreaker is worth another two. Greg tosses him to the outside, and follows, feeding Macho the guardrail. Valentine hammers on him for a while, and he starts pounding on the leg. Figure four, but Savage is in the ropes before he can lock in. Valentine responds with a vertical suplex for two, and a backbreaker is worth two. Macho manages to pop him with a turnbuckle smash, and that allows him a backelbow. Savage adds a bodyslam, and a flying axehandle gets him two. Jimmy Hart distracts him, allowing Greg to nail him, and Valentine plants a backelbow. Greg tries a suplex, but Macho reverses, and dives with another flying axehandle, but Valentine blocks this time. Both guys stagger, and Randy tries a straddling ropechoke, but it misses. That allows Valentine to try for the figure four again, but Randy counters with an inside cradle at 6:06. Pretty dull, though some of that fell on the dead crowd more than the workers. Though, unlike Hogan, they weren’t making a concerted effort to pull them in. ¾* (¾*; ¾*) (Three review average rating: 0.75)

Okerlund and Vanna are at the big board, where White claims to have no clue who Bob Uecker is. She also ‘still likes Hulk’ to win, despite him being eliminated. Gene tries to steer her towards the Macho Man

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Honky Tonk Man v Brutus Beefcake: Honky hammers on him out of the initial lockup, but a backelbow misses, and Beefcake delivers an atomic drop. Beefcake messes up the hair, which Gorilla quickly notes ‘doesn’t actually hurt you.’ Thank you for clearing that up, sir. Honky bails for a bit, and he stalls. Honky gets a cheap shot in, but a turnbuckle smash gets reversed, and Brutus unloads a series of them. Beefcake with a high knee, but the champion bails again, killing the momentum. Beefcake drags him back in, and fakes telegraphing a backdrop, then dodges Honky’s kneelift counter. Unfortunately for Beefcake he then misses an elbowdrop, and Honky takes control. A snapmare sets up a fistdrop, and the champ works him over with stomps. He goes for the swinging neckbreaker, but then changes his mind, delivering a low blow instead. Honky sets it up again, but Beefcake hooks the ropes to block. I guess that’s why they did that fake out sequence, they were too far from the ropes. Beefcake makes a comeback, and gets the sleeper on to finish, so Jimmy Hart blasts the referee with his megaphone! There’s no one to declare Brutus the winner, so Beefcake lets off. He decides to go after Hart to get retribution, and gives him a haircut on the outside. Meanwhile, the referee is still down, so two others come in to try and revive him, as Peggy Sue revives the champion. With all that going on, the official decision is announced as Beefcake winning by DQ at 9:22. Another weak finish here, but I get not wanting to change the title yet, and the crowd could at least enjoy Jimmy getting a haircut in exchange. ¼* (DUD; ¼*) (Three review average rating: 0.17)

Uecker catches up with Andre, who is fine with being out of the tournament, because so is Hulk, and that’s what DiBiase was paying him for anyway. And now Hulk won’t get his belt back, which is the best part of all. This is the famous segment where Andre casually wraps his hands around Bob’s throat like Homer and Bart Simpson

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Koko B. Ware and The British Bulldogs v Bobby Heenan and The Islanders: Heenan shows up in a dog bite suit, which is his big surprise counter to Matilda. Dynamite Kid forces Tama into the ring to kickstart things, and Tama bumps around for him, before going over the top off of a catapult. Tag to Davey Boy Smith for a bodyslam, but an elbowdrop misses, and Haku tags in. Haku grabs a standing headlock, but Smith forces a criss cross, and wins it with a bodypress for two. Davey with a bodyslam for two, and a crucifix is worth two. Smith uses a snapmare into a chinlock, but Haku counters to a wristlock, and he passes to Tama to work one as well, but Davey press-slams his way out of trouble. Back to Haku for a backelbow, but Smith blocks a backbreaker, and tags Koko for a dropkick. That lures Tama in, but Koko takes both Islanders down, and gives it back to Kid. Kid blasts Haku with a clothesline, and a corner whip follows, but the charge in is met with a boot. Haku stomps away, before letting Heenan tag in, and he unloads on the downed Dynamite. Kid starts fighting back, so Bobby immediately tags out to Tama, who backdrops Kid. Pump-splash, but Kid gets the knees up to block, and Koko catches a tag in. Koko with a backdrop on Tama, so Haku comes in, but Koko dominates both again. He eventually gets overwhelmed, and the heels take control on Koko. They work him over, and the Islanders slam Bobby onto Koko for the pin at 7:36. Man, after all the disappointing finishes on this show, you’d think this would be a slam dunk way to put a babyface over, but nope. Just such off booking for the WWF in this era, especially since letting Bobby eat a pin doesn’t hurt anyone. Of everything on this show, this match has the widest spectrum of ratings, as I seem to feel completely differently about it each go around. ¾* (DUD; * ½) (Three review average rating: 0.75)

Jesse gets introduced to the crowd for some posing, since this show is apparently too short

WWF Title Tournament Semifinal Match: Randy Savage v One Man Gang: Ted DiBiase is out to officially accept his bye to the finals here. Gang tries to corner him, but Savage uses his speed to evade, and Randy snaps his throat across the top rope. He looks to do it again, but Gang railroads him into the corner, and the game is over. Gang hammers, and a bodyslam gets him two. An elbowdrop is worth two, and the crowd is just silent here. Gang with another bodyslam, but a splash misses, and Macho gets fired up. Gang ends up on the outside, and Randy dives with a flying axehandle. Gang beats the count in, but Macho stupidly tries a slam, and that ends badly. Meanwhile, Slick harasses Miss Elizabeth on the outside, and Randy goes after him. That allows Gang to hit Macho with the cane, and that’s a DQ at 4:07 Man, for a star-making performance and crowning achievement of a great worker, Macho did not have a great run of matches on this show. This was terrible. DUD (-½*; DUD) (Three review average rating: -0.17)

Okerlund checks out the board with Vanna ahead of the finals. She heads off to get ready for her role as timekeeper, but just after she leaves, Uecker bursts in

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Strike Force v Demolition: Rick Martel and Smash start, and Gorilla is way too proud of himself being able to tell Ax and Smash apart. Rick tries a bodypress, but gets caught, so Tito Santana comes in to assist, and that draws Ax in for a brawl. Strike Force dominate, and Martel covers Smash for two. Over to Tito for a 2nd rope axehandle, but Smash fights off an armbar, and passes to Ax. Ax rushes into an armdrag, and Santana passes to Martel to hold an armbar. Ax throws a headbutt to shake him off, and he tags, but Smash runs into a hiptoss. Back to Santana to work an armbar, but a criss cross ends badly for him when the challengers double team. That’s enough to start the heat segment, and the heels go to work on Santana. He gets away for the hot tag to Rick, and Martel runs wild. He gets Smash in the Boston crab, so Ax runs in, but Tito cuts him off, and Roseanne Barr the door. Tito knocks Ax out of the ring, but Ax returns with Mr. Fuji’s cane, and breaks it over Martel’s head to break the hold. That allows Smash to cover, and we have new champions at 7:29. This never really clicked. ½* (½*; ¼*) (Three review average rating: 0.42)

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Ted DiBiase v Randy Savage: Bob Uecker acts as the guest ring announcer for this, with Vanna White as the guest timekeeper, and Robin Leach is on hand with the title belt. Meanwhile, Andre is back at ringside to watch DiBiase’s back. Sadly, the crowd dies the moment the bell rings, which is depressing. Posturing to start, and the entire crowd suddenly looks over to the entrance area, but nothing is happening. Did Hulk jump the gun on his cue? Andre keeps tripping Macho up, allowing Ted to grab a wristlock, but Savage reverses. DiBiase responds with a turnbuckle smash, and he unloads with chops in the corner. DiBiase with an elbowsmash, and a clothesline gets him two. Macho fires back with a hangman clothesline for two, and DiBiase hides in the ropes to stall. That allows Ted to pop off a backelbow, but a second misses, and Macho rebounds with an elbowsmash, then snaps DiBiase’s throat across the top rope. A high knee sends DiBiase over the top, and Macho looks to dive after him, but Andre blocks his path, and Randy rethinks things. Instead, he goes over and whispers something to Elizabeth, and she runs off to the dressing room. All that allows DiBiase to attack, and he beats Macho down for a series of fistdrops for two. DiBiase holds a chinlock, allowing us to focus on Liz returning - with Hulk Hogan in tow! Hulk takes a seat in Savage’s corner to keep an eye on things, but DiBiase is still in control. He hammers on Macho, and Andre is quick with a cheap shot for good measure. That draws Hogan over to attack Andre, but too little too late, and DiBiase delivers a clothesline to set up an elbowdrop for two. Ted with a vertical suplex for two, and a gutwrench suplex is worth two. DiBiase uses a bodyslam to set up a dive, but Macho slams him off before he can leap. That allows Randy to go up for the flying elbowdrop, but DiBiase dodges! Ted slaps on a cobra clutch, though that hadn’t been established as his finisher yet, so it doesn’t ‘mean’ as much. Anyway, Hogan slides in to hit him with a chair to break it, and Savage delivers the flying elbowdrop to win the title at 9:16. This wasn’t a great match, but it was a solid sports entertainment one, though it would have worked a lot better with a proper crowd. ¾* (*; * ¼) (Three review average rating: 1.00)

BUExperience: Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I don’t hate this show as much as I used to. I mean, yes, it’s still very obviously (and majorly) flawed. Yes, the crowd was terrible. Yes, it was too long. Yes it dragged. Yes, a lot of the wrestling and finishes were subpar. Yes, a lot of the matches lacked story. But, the production itself was out of this world. The commentary was terrific. It didn’t ‘feel’ like a bad show, even if, objectively, it was one. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting this show over, but I’m softening on it just a little. 

*