WWF Wrestlemania IV Review

WWF Wrestlemania IV Review
February 22, 2014 (Edited May 19, 2026)
By Ryan Porzl

Event: Wrestlemania IV
Tagline: What The World Is Watching!
Date: March 27,1988
Location: Atlantic City, New Jersey
Live or Tape: Live
Arena: Atlantic City Convention Center
Attendance: 19,199
Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Interviewers: “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Bob Uecker, and Craig DeGeorge (Coliseum Video only)
Other: Bob Uecker (Guest Commentator for Battle Royal, Guest Interviewer, & Guest Ring Announcer for Main Event), Vanna White (Guest Timekeeper for Main Event), Robin Leach (Presenter), Gladys Knight (Vocalist)
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View

The biggest story going into Wrestlemania IV was the tournament for the vacant WWF Championship. A few days after the Main Event I, WWF President Jack Tunney stripped Ted Dibiase of the title due to him being given the belt instead of winning it. The title was declared vacant due to this as well as Hogan officially losing to Andre and Andre surrendering the title to Ted Dibiase.

All in all, the tournament was a great idea. With the WWF having a legendary event and attendance with Wrestlemania III along with having the biggest match in American wrestling history as the main event, this seemed like the best route to go as it was something the WWF never did before. It's always nice when the WWF/WWE tries to give Wrestlemania's an identity and make them as different as possible.

We start out with a nice intro

“Mean” Gene Okerlund opens the show and introduces Gladys Knight who sings America the Beautiful.

Monsoon and Ventura open the show as the battle royal participants enter the ring. In a cool bit, Ventura is pumped cause he's with Monsoon and not Vince. Can't blame him as Monsoon and Ventura were great together. They preview the matches and introduce Bob Uecker who's back for another Wrestlemania. Uecker joins them for the battle royal though neither Ventura or Uecker are happy to see each other.

In a Coliseum Video exclusive, Craig DeGeorge (who sounds like he had laryngitis) brings up the events that happened over the weekend including parties, autograph signings, and a 5K race.

20 Man Battle Royal- Bad News Brown vs. Bret Hart vs. Jim Neidhart vs. Paul Roma vs. Jim Powers vs. Sika vs. Danny Davis vs. Brian Blair vs. Jim Brunzell vs. Sam Houston vs. Raymond Rougeau vs. Jacques Rougeau vs. Ken Patera vs. Ron Bass vs. The Junkyard Dog vs. Nikolai Volkoff vs. Boris Zhukov vs. Hillbilly Jim vs. Harley Race vs. George Steele- The usual battle royal craziness begins. Steele doesn't enter the ring despite referees telling him to. I believe the reason was because he legitimately injured his knee coming down to the ring. Weird moment as Uecker makes a joke about Billy Martin being in this somewhere. Sorry, you're three Wrestlemanias late, Uecker. Davis backdrops Sam Houston out to give us our first elimination. A few wrestlers dump Sika. Bret tries to eliminate Race but can't. Blair gets tossed but lands on the apron and slides back in. Back to more craziness with nothing happening. Blair gets tossed again but lands on the apron. Steele trips Neidhart from the outside so Neidhart starts arguing with Steele. Steele then pulls him out by his goatee to eliminate Neidhart. Jacques and Brown work together to eliminate Blair. Raymond and Brunzell go at it with Brunzell eliminating Raymond but Jacques avenges his brother by eliminating Brunzell. JYD dumps Bass out.

The Bolsheviks try to double team JYD but he survives. Zhukov goes after Jim and eliminates him. Roma gets Davis in a fireman's carry and dumps Davis to a good pop. Ironically enough, his partner Powers gets eliminated by Brown shortly after. Jacques tries to get Zhukov in a fireman's carry but he's too heavy and that doesn't work. Race foolishly tries to headbutt JYD which doesn't go well. Volkoff works over Patera until Patera back drops him out. Zhukov suffers the same fate and goes out by Patera but Volkoff grabs Patera which allow Brown to eliminate him. Race back drops Jacques out and then gets clotheslined out by the JYD with awesome 360 sell. We're at the final four with Paul Roma sticking out like a sore thumb. Brown agrees and back drops Roma out to get rid of him. Heel miscommunication sees Brown hit Bret with a clothesline to a pop. JYD hits some headbutts and then some four legged headbutts which the crowd approves of.

Eventually Bret and Brown come back and start double teaming JYD. Brown and Bret then discuss strategy in the corner. They gang up on JYD who starts fighting back but not for long as they double team him again. Brown holds JYD for Bret as he comes off the second turnbuckle with a bionic elbow. They then try to eliminate JYD. He holds on but not for long and he's out. Brown and Bret start to celebrate until Brown takes advantage of the fact that Bret's a gullible idiot and nails him with the Ghetto Blaster. Brown kicks Bret's ass for a bit and whips him to the corner with Bret doing his chest first bump. Brown tosses Bret to win the Battle Royal at 10:40. After the match, Brown celebrates with his trophy until Bret comes back in and dropkicks him out of the ring. Because a trophy is around, that only means one thing. You guessed it, Bret destroys it.

Thoughts: *** Fun battle royal and started things off well. The participants and the match were good and never dragged. The ending from Brown/Bret/JYD to the finish was well told. The match also has some historical significance as it marked the next phase in Bret's career as the WWF by this point clearly began to see something in him. The aftermath began to sow the seeds of the Hart Foundation turning face but it didn't officially happened until a few months later when the Harts fired Jimmy Hart. Brown winning was a good choice especially for what they were planning and it's arguably his biggest win in the WWF.

Uecker leaves the announce booth to look for Vanna (which gives us our lousy running gag and one of the dumber stories of the show) as Howard Finkel announces the rules of the WWF Championship Tournament.

Robin Leach comes out to read the proclamation officially beginning the tournament. Leach is, of course, best known for being the longtime host of the TV show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. Leach reads the proclamation which is appropriately a scroll. It's a nice bit to start the tournament.

In a Coliseum Video exclusive, DeGeorge is in “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase's plush locker room interviewing Dibiase with Virgil. DeGeorge says Dibiase will face “Hawksaw” Jim Duggan and this is his first step in the parade of the championship tournament. Dibiase says he was gracious enough to allow DeGeorge and all the penny pinching peons the opportunity to come into his locker room and see what true class looks like. He says you'll never see The Million Dollar Man in a stinking, dingy locker room with a bunch of bumbling buffoons. Dibiase says he's got too much class, character, and dignity to lower himself. He says this locker room is fit for a king and a king he will be today when he becomes the undisputed World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion. DeGeorge brings up Duggan first and if he gets by then he'll have to face the winner of Hogan/Andre. Dibiase says “if?” and then says Duggan is the lowest class of all of them and if he steps in the ring, he's in over his head. Dibiase then tells DeGeorge this interview is over and he'll take care of business. Fine promo but nothing special.

WWF Championship Tournament First Round: Ted Dibiase (w/Virgil & Andre the Giant) vs. Jim Duggan- Ironic match since Dibiase and Duggan were former allies in Mid South as part of the Rat Pack with Matt “Doink the Clown” Borne and Mr. Olympia while later having one of the biggest feuds in the territory's history. I should point out, Dibiase had one of the ugliest suits when he came in. That pink and silver suit was an eye sore.

They circle to start with Dibiase briefly stalling and Duggan giving out a “Ho!”. Tie up with Dibiase muscling Duggan to the corner and giving a clean break. Another tie up with Dibiase muscling Duggan into the corner again. This time, Dibiase goes for cheap shots but Duggan blocks them and punches Dibiase. They trade punches until Duggan ducks a punch and hits an atomic drop which sends Dibiase over and out. Back in, Dibiase hits Duggan with a few chops and works over Duggan on the ropes. Dibiase whips Duggan to the ropes, Duggan ducks the elbow, and comes off the ropes with a running clothesline with Dibiase doing a great sell job. Duggan gets the mounted corner punches and whips Dibiase to another corner. Duggan charges but runs into Dibiase's boot. Dibiase rams Duggan into the turnbuckle and punches the stomach. Dibiase whips Duggan to the corner and catches him coming out with a clothesline.

Dibiase hits a second turnbuckle double ax handle and follows with a million dollar fist drop for 2. Duggan tries to fight back back but Dibiase rakes the eyes. Dibiase whips Duggan to the ropes but lowers his head too early and Duggan gets a sunset flip for 2. Dibiase comes back by whipping Duggan to the ropes and catching him with a knee to the stomach. Dibiase hits another million dollar fist drop. Dibiase attempts a suplex but Duggan blocks it and gets his own to a small pop. Dibiase climbs and comes off the second rope but Duggan catches him coming down with a punch to the stomach and Dibiase continues to bump his ass off. Duggan works over Dibiase in the corner. Duggan whips Dibiase to another corner and catches him with a clothesline as he comes out. Duggan whips Dibiase to the ropes and catches him with a bodyslam. Duggan signals for the three point stance but stupidly sets up near Andre who takes advance by tripping Duggan. Duggan tries to reach for Andre which allows Dibiase to hit a jumping knee to the back while Andre punches him. Dibiase hits the million dollar fist drop to get the win and advance at 4:54. After the match, Duggan chases the heels away with the 2x4.

Thoughts: *** Nice short match with both guys working hard and it was much better than I remember it which isn't surprising since, like I said, these two were no strangers. The action was good, Dibiase bumped good, and I like Duggan pulling out a sunset flip as it shows you he was willing to try new tricks to win. The finish was well done showing the obvious in that Andre was Dibiase's ace in the hole.

Okerlund interviews Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and mentions Beefcake already gave him his haircut. He asks where Beefcake gets his tights from with Beefcake saying he got them from the boardwalk then says he's Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and the Honky Tonk Man will never forget it. When it's all said and done, he'll be the new champion. Okerlund brings up Jimmy Hart interjecting himself in Honky's matches more than once. Beefcake mentions he has but he has the sharpest steel blades ready for Jimmy Hart. Snip, snip, snip, a little off the side or a little off the top, you never know. An ok promo.

WWF Championship Tournament First Round: Don Muraco (w/”Superstar” Billy Graham) vs. Dino Bravo (w/Frenchy Martin)- I'm probably in the minority but I liked Muraco as a babyface. Muraco wasn't a fan of the move but it was necessary as he was stale as a heel. Also despite not being a fan of the face turn, he seemed to give his best performances in a long time. I love how Monsoon and Ventura praise Muraco's physique. Of course he looks great! You think tye dye t-shirts were the only thing Superstar gave Muraco? Funny bit as Ventura brags he taught Graham everything he knew but when Monsoon says Graham held the WWF Championship and Ventura didn't, Ventura says he beat an easy champion. A possible dig at the recently departed Bruno Sammartino?

Tie up to start which no one wins. Another tie up with Bravo shoving Muraco in the corner and works over Muraco in the corner. Muraco reverses an irish whip to the corner and follows with a running clothesline. Muraco gets a bodyslam and a shitty Vader Bomb for 2. Bravo charges but Muraco catches him with a back body drop. Muraco hits an armdrag but Bravo dodges a second attempt. Bravo comes off with elbow drop and follows with another elbow drop. Bravo hits a gutwrench suplex. Bravo follows with stomps and ramming Muraco into the corner. Bravo whips Muraco to another corner and works him over. Bravo whips Muraco to another corner but misses a running jumping knee. Muraco kicks the leg twice which knocks Bravo down. Muraco snaps the leg to hyper extend it. Bravo gets up but Muraco knocks him down with another leg kick. Another leg snap and Muraco comes off with forearm. Muraco applies the spinning toe hold but Bravo eventually kicks him off. 

Muraco takes Bravo down with a single leg and reapplies the hold again. Bravo kicks Muraco off with Muraco's neck getting caught between the ropes. He escapes but Bravo goes after him with offense. Bravo hits the piledriver but wastes time taunting and gets 2. Bravo goes for another one but Muraco back body drops Bravo off to a small pop. They run the ropes and hit each other with a clothesline. Muraco recovers first, whips Bravo to the ropes, and comes off the other side with a flying forearm. Muraco hits a bodyslam. Bravo gets up and pulls the referee in the way as Muraco comes off the ropes with a running forearm. Muraco goes to check the referee which allows Bravo nail him with a forearm and the side slam (which was always called a side suplex for some reason). Bravo goes for the pin but the ref recovers and stops the match. Bravo thinks he won but Muraco wins by disqualification at 4:53.

Thoughts: *1/2 Alright match that wasn't too special and the finish was lousy. I felt this was all Muraco with Bravo not doing much. The only complaint I have for Muraco was he didn't put Bravo in the right position for the vader bomb so it came off awkward. I didn't care for the finish as Muraco should've won by pinfall since they was really no need to protect Bravo.

In a Coliseum Video exclusive, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is with his wife Bonnie and son Richie. Steamboat says 1988 in the Oriental calendar says it's the year of the dragon which is what he is. He dedicates this year and this day to his son and that everything he does in professional wrestling going forward is for his son. Nothing special but Steamboat is mostly vanilla on promos.

Bob Uecker wastes some time talking about Vanna White and brags about seeing her later while saying Monsoon and Ventura fooled him last year with Moolah but not this year. Uecker then interviews The Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart. Honky says he doesn't think he's looking for Vanna White but something else if you know what he's talking about? Uecker says they'll be looking for Beefcake and warns Hart about possibly losing his locks. Honky says let's talk about Uecker's lifetime batting average if you want to make jokes. He says we're talking about the Intercontinental Heavyweight Title and cutting hair before telling Beefcake he's going to get it if Honky has to backstroke the Mississippi. Nothing special with Honky and Hart while I'm already tired of Uecker.

WWF Championship Tournament First Round: Greg Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Ricky Steamboat (w/Little Dragon)- The Little Dragon is Steamboat's son and future WWE developmental wrestler Richie Steamboat who was less than a year old. Nice little touch as I believe Hart wasn't out there when Valentine was announced and came down before the match which makes sense since he and Honky just did a promo and Valentine was already in the ring during his introduction.

We get a few tie ups that go nowhere. Finally, we get a tie up with Steamboat getting a side headlock. Valentine whips Steamboat to the ropes. Steamboat jumps over Valentine, then again, then slides between Valentine's legs. Valentine runs the ropes but gets caught with a hip toss to a small pop. Armdrag takedown and Steamboat works the arm. Steamboat continues to work the arm and hits a side kick. Steamboat follows with a chop and drops another chop. More arm work until Valentine whips Steamboat off but Steamboat comes off the ropes with a shoulderblock for 1. Steamboat comes off with another shoulderblock for 2. Steamboat runs the ropes but Valentine grabs him and tosses him over the top rope. Steamboat skins the cat back in and dropkicks Valentine and the two botch a roll up. Steamboat pins for 2. Steamboat gets an arm wringer until Valentine hits a knee to escape. Valentine hits a few forearms to follow up.

Ventura brings up future Beyond the Mat director Barry Blaustein as he claims Blaustein picks Steamboat to win the tournament. Valentine hits a few bionic elbows and a chop which knocks Steamboat down. Steamboat rolls near the ropes and Valentine drives his knee into Steamboat. Valentine pulls Steamboat away from the ropes and drops him back first onto the canvas. Valentine drops a forearm for 2. Valentine goes for a belly-to-back suplex but Steamboat escapes with a backflip and rams Valentine into the turnbuckle with Valentine doing a timber. Steamboat drops a knee and gets another armbar. Valentine escapes with an inverted atomic drop and comes off with a running clothesline. Valentine hits bionic elbows. Valentine sets Steamboat on the apron and leaves the ring where he chops the throat twice. Back in, Valentine works over Steamboat until Steamboat comes back with chops and pins for 2.

Steamboat attempts a bodyslam but Valentine falls on top for 2. Valentine comes back with a gutbuster and drops a headbutt on the stomach. Figure Four is attempted but Steamboat kicks Valentine off and into the corner. The two go into a chop battle and can barely stand. Valentine comes off the ropes with a running forearm. Steamboat staggers and comes off with a running chop which makes Valentine timber. Steamboat pins for 2. Valentine gives an eye poke and nails a shoulderbreaker for 2. Valentine climbs the top and connects with a diving chop. Valentine goes for the figure four but Steamboat fights him off. Steamboat rams Valentine several times on the canvas. Steamboat whips Valentine to the ropes and hits a jumping elbow. Steamboat climbs to the top and comes off with a diving chop for 2. Steamboat rams Valentine a few times on the turnbuckles and Valentine timbers again. Steamboat climbs the top turnbuckle. Steamboat comes off with a diving crossbody but Valentine rolls over and pins Steamboat with a handful of tights to win at 9:12. After the match, Steamboat argues about the tights but the decision stands. Steamboat waves goodbye as this was it for him.

Thoughts: *** Good match that never got boring or slow outside the arm work. I would go higher but the botched school boy and the arm work that went no where hurt it. This would be Steamboat's last match in the WWF as he would go back to retirement before resurfacing in the NWA in 1989 for his series with Ric Flair.

Okerlund interviews The British Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware who say that Matilda has been through training and is now a weasel dog. They're going to go weasel hunting (referencing Bobby Heenan). Koko says he smells a weasel and they're fired up. I don't know what it is, but I always want to cheer Heenan on after watching this interview. Yeah, this wasn't good.

WWF Championship Tournament First Round: Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. Butch Reed (w/Slick)- On a cool bit, Savage and Elizabeth match with Savage having a blue robe and Elizabeth a blue dress.

Stalling and posing to start. Reed muscles Savage into the ropes but misses a punch. Savage goes for a waistlock but Reed backs him into the corner and works him over with knees to the stomach. Reed hits a snapmare and a drops a fist. Reed rams Savage into the corner. Savage blocks a second attempt and rams Reed to a small pop. Savage kicks Reed and attempts a suplex but Reed blocks and hits his own. Reed comes off with an elbow drop for 2. Reed punches Savage to follow up. Reed snaps Savage's neck on the rope and Savage falls to the floor which allow Reed some time to celebrate with Slick. Back in, Reed stomps Savage on the apron. Reed whips Savage to the ropes and hits an elbow. Reed comes off the second turnbuckle with a fist drop and Savage rolls to apron. Reed whips Savage to the ropes but lowers his head too early and Savage kicks him. Savage starts to come back with jabs. Reed reverses an irish whip to the corner but misses the running elbow. Reed reverses another irish whip and connects with a clothesline. Reed then starts talking to Elizabeth as he slowly tries to climb the top turnbuckle. This allows Savage to recover and toss Reed off. Savage goes to the top and hits the diving elbow drop for the win at 5:07.

Thoughts: 1/2* Forgettable match that was nothing but all Reed until Savage got the finish. That said, the finish was creative especially with Ventura first thinking he prefer Slick in his corner only to have to correct himself. This was Reed's last WWF match. Like Steamboat, he take time off before going to the NWA in 1989 but unlike Steamboat, Reed never wrestled for the WWF again.

Uecker Is in the back still babbling about Vanna White until Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and the Islanders thankfully come in to shut him up. Uecker says Matilda's back which is bad for Heenan and says what Heenan did to that dog the ASPC and KGB should be on him forever. Heenan gets a funny bit in on Uecker saying he got 700,000 letters to the baseball hall of fame but would've had more but he ran out of stamps. He says he has a surprise. Terrible segment. Heenan was entertaining as usual but he was only human as Uecker dragged this down.

WWF Championship Tournament First Round: The One Man Gang (w/Slick) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Sir Oliver Humperdink)- Bigelow's theme music at the time was really weird and didn't fit him. The music has a nice sax but seems to fit something like a casino not the Beast from the East.

Gang jumps Bigelow and works him over for a while. Bigelow gets whipped into the corner chest first and Gang hits an avalanche. Gang whips Bigelow to another corner but misses another avalanche and Bigelow knocks him down after coming off with a shoulderblock. Bigelow cartwheels and gets a weak splash for 2. Bigelow runs the ropes, ducks the clothesline, and comes off with a high crossbody for 2. Bigelow drops a fist and gets some more punches for 2. Bigelow continues to work over Gang and knocks him down with a clothesline. More punching and Gang goes down again with a headbutt. Bigelow comes off the ropes with a jumping headbutt. Bigelow goes to run the ropes but Slick pulls the top rope down with Bigelow crashing and burning on the canvas. Slick, to no surprise, denies it as Bigelow tries to recover. Bigelow gets back on the apron but the Gang hammers him to prevent him from entering. During this, the ref continues to count Bigelow which makes no sense as referees are supposed to stop the count when one wrestler prevents the other from entering the ring. For some stupid reason, Bigelow gets counted out right before he gets back in at 2:56.

Thoughts: DUD Didn't go long and the finish was pathetic. I like Bigelow but the Gang should've got the pinfall here. I don't get why the WWF booked Gang to look so weak at this point. As mentioned, the finish didn't make any sense as the referee is supposed to stop counting when one guy prevents the other from getting in and separate them not continue counting. I felt this had more potential but going too short and the finish killed this. Bigelow and Humperdink were gone by June and The Bammer would be a world traveler until returning in 1992.

In a Coliseum Video exclusive, DeGeorge is in the back and heard Bobby “The Brain” Heenan is expecting a package of some kind. A delivery guy wheels the package to Heenan's dressing room and knocks on the door. DeGeorge asks what's in the box but the delivery guy denies knowing or seeing anything being put in it. Heenan opens the door, signs for it, and actually tips the guy. Heenan must've really been desperate for it. Anyway, Heenan says it's none of DeGeorge's business what's in it and it's for his personal use before once again telling the camera guy to turn off the camera. He says Wrestlemania IV is sold out and there's millions of people there so worry about them. DeGeorge asks if he's hiding something but Heenan denies it. Heenan then asks if they want to know before slamming the door shut. Pretty entertaining segment and a nice one to set up Heenan's match later. Heenan was, of course, fun to watch. Kind of surprised this didn't make the PPV since it sets up the six man tag later. Certainly does a better job than Heenan's previous promo with Uecker.

Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan. Okerlund mentions how for the past couple of months it's been difficult to introduce Hulk Hogan without “World Wrestling Federation Champion” but Hulk has the chance to change that. Hogan says fi, fi, fo, fum, one long year and his time has come to Andre. No scars on the outside but he's been scarred on the inside for one year with the controversy. He says at Wrestlemania IV, they'll end the controversy. From here, Hogan goes WAY overboard as says when he bodyslams Andre through the Trump Plaza, the fault line will break from New York to Tampa. As Andre falls into the ocean as his two other opponents fall into the ocean, so will Donald Trump and the Hulkamanics. He mentions Trump will barely hang on to the Trump Plaza as he holds on to his materials and family. But thank god, Trump is a hulkamanic because he'll releases his materials and dog paddle to safety with his family. But if he and the hulkamanics run out of gas, they can hang on to the largest back in the world as Hogan dog paddles and back stroke them to safety. Wow. This was hilarious. Believe the hype. This was a promo for the ages. I love Hulk Hogan and am a proud Hulkamaniac but what was Hogan snorting or taking before he did this?

WWF Championship Tournament First Round: Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude (w/Bobby “The Brain” Heenan)- Oddly enough, these two actually started their legendary feud a few weeks later. So they weren't even rivals yet. Rude's intros were always excellent.

Tie up to start with Rude shoving Roberts into the corner and poses to the crowd. Another tieup with Roberts slamming Rude face first into the canvas. Rude gets a punch and a bodyslam. More punching and another bodyslam. Rude tries for another bodyslam but Roberts escapes and hits his own. Roberts hits another bodyslam and Rude stalls near the corner where Damien is. Rude tries to sneak up but gets punched back into the corner. This time, he sees the sack and gets startled as he walks into another punch. Roberts applies arm wringer. We get a series of Rude missing a punch, Roberts connects with his own, and reapplies the arm wringer. Rude punches Roberts to the canvas but Roberts holds on and pulls Rude down while continuing to apply the hold as we get a minor “Weasel” chant. Rude gets up and muscles Roberts into the corner. Rude hits some shoulder blocks, puts Roberts on the top turnbuckle. and works him over.

The referee tries to separate them which allows Roberts to come off the second rope with a knee. Roberts signals for the DDT but Rude blocks it and bails to regroup with Heenan. Back in, Roberts goes back to the arm wringer. Rude whips him off the ropes. The two criss-cross with Roberts dropping down, Rude jumping over, and Roberts catching Rude coming off the ropes with a bodyslam. Roberts attempts the running knee lift but Rude dodges and Roberts takes a big bump to the canvas which looked nice. In sign of things to come, Heenan tells Rude he's wasting time as Rude stomps at Roberts. Rude whips Roberts to the ropes and hits a clothesline only to waste time by posing to boos. Rude drops a fist for 2 and goes to the chinlock. As if the results weren't getting obvious, Monsoon and Ventura criticize it because it's a wear down hold which you shouldn't do when you have 15 minutes. Roberts tries to get up but Rude pulls him back down with the hair as Heenan tells the timekeeper to ring the bell.

Heenan distracts the ref long enough for Rude to choke Roberts and return to the hold. Roberts gets an armdrag to escape but Rude keeps the control by coming off with a second turnbuckle chop. Heenan tells Rude to hurry up as Rude works over Roberts. Rude comes off with a clothesline but gets 2 and goes back to the chinlock. Roberts gets up and fights out. He comes off the ropes but Rude hits a flapjack. Rude goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving fist drop for 2. Rude goes back to the chinlock as Heenan is getting concerned about the time. During the chinlock, Heenan keeps telling the timekeeper to ring the bell but that doesn't work as fans chant “weasel”. Roberts gets a belly-to-back suplex but Rude keeps the chinlock on. Rude goes for the pin but gets 2. Roberts stumbles to the apron which allows Rude to stomp away and argue with the ref to kill more time. Rude pins again for 2. Back to the chinlock as the fans are getting restless and pissed as they're shouting “boring”.

Roberts teases fading but eventually escapes with a jawbreaker. Roberts hits some jabs which wakes the crowd up. Roberts whips Rude to the ropes and hits a back body drop as the fans want the DDT. Roberts hits the short-arm clothesline and once again signals the DDT to a pop. Roberts goes for it but Rude rams him into the corner to block it. Rude whips Roberts to the ropes but runs into a knee from Roberts. Roberts follows with a gutbuster for 2. Rude comes back with a belly-to-back suplex for 2. Rude comes off the ropes, ducks Roberts' clothesline, and both hit each other with clotheslines. Rude covers for 2. Both get up and head to corner. Rude takes Roberts down and tries to pin with his feet on the ropes but time runs out at 15:00 making this a draw and neither advancing. After the match, Roberts takes his frustrations out on Rude by getting Damien out which sends Rude and Heenan out.

Thoughts: -* This was brutal to watch at times. It started fine but after Roberts missed the knee lift and Rude went for the chinlocks, this fell apart. I understand the match was going to a draw but that doesn't excuse this match as matches that end with a draw can be fun. Simply put, as much as I like Roberts and Rude, these two didn't seem to try to have a good match. They were more focused on killing 15 minutes. To make matters worse, it was amateur hour as they went for every trick in the book including rest holds, stalling, and arguing with the referee. Then there is the fact they lost the crowd who were dead for a lot of it and even did a “boring” chant. I don't blame WWF for having this be a draw since these two were going to start feuding after this (though I'm surprised they didn't cancel it after this match) so it didn't make sense for either wrestler to get a win.

Okerlund is with Vanna White as they look at tournament brackets. Okerlund asks Vanna if she's seen Bob Uecker but she doesn't know who he's talking about. They go over the tournament with Vanna liking Hogan, Savage, and Elizabeth but wasn't fond of Dibiase. Very vanilla segment.

The Ultimate Warrior vs. Hercules (w/Bobby “The Brain” Heenan)- These two had a small feud with Hercules getting disqualified during a match with the Warrior on the February 7^th episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge which was followed by Warrior snapping Hercules' chain during a tug-o-war. This was the Warrior's first feud of his legendary WWF run.

Hercules starts by coming off the ropes with a shoulderblock but Warrior doesn't budge. They both come off with shoulderblocks but neither falls. The two staredown, take turns pushing each other and posing. Tie up with Warrior muscling Hercules in the corner. Hercules gets a punch which has no effect and Warrior responds with chops. Warrior whips Hercules to the ropes but misses the clothesline and Hercules comes back his own but Warrior still stands. Another and the Warrior is still up. A third knocks him down. Herc goes for a short arm clothesline but Warrior hits his own. Warrior hits another clothesline and a sloppy hot shot. Warrior whips Herc to the ropes and hits a chop. Warrior attempts to follow up but Herc back drops him over the top. Warrior pulls Hercules out and the two exchange some pathetic offense. Warrior rams Hercules on the metal step and throws him back in. Herc comes back with an eye poke and works over Warrior. Herc with the elbow but Warrior hits a clothesline. Warrior gets the mounted punches in the corner but Herc comes back with an inverted atomic drop. Herc rams Warrior into the turnbuckle. Warrior reverses an irish whip to the corner but misses the charge. Herc goes for the full nelson but Warrior kicks off the turnbuckle and lands on top of Herc. The ref counts both of them but Warrior gets his shoulder up at 2 while Hercules are down for the the 3 giving Warrior the win at 4:29. After the match, Herc jumps Warrior and chokes him with his chain but Warrior pulls it off and swings it around the ring to chase Herc away.

Thoughts: -** Another awful match. I'm a big Warrior fan but this was painful. The offense was bad, plodding, and their timing wasn't there. Very clunky. The finish was also a crock of shit. The WWF was trying to push the Warrior but it did nothing as it was more about Hercules pinning himself. And really, it's Hercules. He could take a clean pinfall.

We get a nice video package highlighting the Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant rivalry. It follows Andre and Hogan's friendship ending, the WMIII match, Dibiase trying to buy the championship, Hogan turning down the request, Dibiase buying Andre's contract, and The Main Event title change.

WWF Championship Tournament Quarter-finals: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (w/Ted Dibiase & Virgil)- Hogan charges into the ring and Andre jumps him to start. Andre works Hogan over and hits a headbutt. Hogan gets rammed into the turnbuckle and Andre continues his offense. Andre hits a headbutt but Hogan finally gets offense and he comes off with a forearm to stagger Andre. Another one and Andre is stunned. A third one but Andre is still standing. Dibiase jumps on the apron and Hogan starts choking him to a good pop. Andre tries to jump him but Hogan hits them with a noggin knocker which knocks Dibiase off the apron and Andre to his knee to another good pop. Hogan chops Andre and we get the Andre spot as he falls into the ropes and his arms get tangled up. Hogan finally removes his headband and rips his shirt off while Dibiase and Virgil frantically try to release Andre. The fans are going nuts. Easily the loudest they've been all show. Andre gets released but Hogan punches him and comes off with a punch.

He tries for another but Andre falls to one knee and then to the canvas. Hogan gets three elbow drops and tries for the pin but Andre chokes him. Andre drops a headbutt and follows with a seated senton. Andre starts choking but keeps breaking it up to prevent a disqualification. Andre goes to the trapezes muscles and Hogan starts to fade as the fans chant “Hogan”. The ref checks the arm but Hogan keeps it up and starts to come back. Hogan breaks the hold and starts working over Andre. Hogan comes off with a clothesline that sends Andre to the corner. Hogan signals for the bodyslam but Virgil distract the ref which allows Dibiase to come in and hit Hogan with a chair. It doesn't have much effect and Hogan chases Dibiase out of the ring. Hogan grabs the chair and the two fight over it. Hogan kicks Andre and hits him with the chair. Referee Joey Marella takes it away but Andre grabs it and the two fight over it again. Andre kicks Hogan and hits him with the chair which results in a double disqualification at 5:22. After the match, Hogan comes off the ropes with a running chair shot which sends Andre to the canvas. Hogan goes after Dibiase and Virgil at the entrance way. Dibiase sacrifices Virgil to escape and Hogan suplexes him on the concrete floor in a weird move as Hogan doesn't go down on the suplex. Hogan goes back in the ring and bodyslams Andre for good measure then poses for the fans.

Thoughts: ** Decent match. I give Andre credit as he was much better here than the Main Event. Definitely had his working boots. The crowd was more lively than they've been all show which isn't surprising. The finish was good since it allowed WWF to get both men out. The biggest problem was this match was getting stale by this point. When you watch Wrestlemania III and the Main Event I, you can still feel the magic, how special it was, and the matches were very fun. This seemed like another day in the office and been there, done that. You seen those matches, you seen this one.

Okerlund interviews “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth. He says Hogan is a cheated man not a defeated man. He says nothing is going to stop him right now in regards to Greg Valentine. Nothing is going to stop the Megapowers from making it to the end. Miss Elizabeth thinks he will. Good promo.

WWF Championship Tournament Quarter-finals: Ted Dibiase vs. Don Muraco (w/”Superstar” Billy Graham)- Dibiase is by himself after Hogan took out Andre and Virgil. Muraco starts by pulling Dibiase onto the apron and rams him into two corners. Muraco bodyslams Dibiase into the ring and follows by coming off the ropes with a clothesline. Muraco hits an elbow drop. Muraco whips Dibiase to the ropes and catches him with a powerslam for 2. Muraco works over Dibiase, whips him to the ropes, and hits an elbow. Muraco follows with a second turnbuckle forearm for 2. Muraco rams Dibiase to the turnbuckle. Snapmare and the perfect necksnap follow. Dibiase goes to the corner but Muraco pulls him out and slams him on the canvas. Muraco follows with a standing dropkick for 2. Dibiase rolls out but Graham motions he'll hit Dibiase with his cane. Dibiase goes back in and argues with Graham which allows Muraco to punch him. Muraco whips Dibiase to the ropes and tries to pull him out of the corner. 

Dibiase holds on and propels Muraco to the ringpost. Dibiase follows with stomps and chokes Muraco. Dibiase stomps Muraco and rams him to the turnbuckle. Dibiase whips Muraco to the ropes and hits a clothesline for 2. Dibiase whips Muraco to the ropes and connects with a knee to the stomach. Dibiase drops two million dollar fistdrops and covers but Muraco gets his foot on the ropes for 2. Dibiase chokes Muraco and chops him. Dibiase whips Muraco to the ropes but lowers too early and Muraco kicks him. Dibiase recovers first and rakes the eyes. Dibiase connects with a bodyslam but misses a second rope back elbow drop and gives us a great selljob. Muraco starts working Dibiase in the corner, whips him to another corner, and catches him coming out with a clothesline. Dibiase begs and gets a punch to the stomach. Muraco gets a side headlock but Dibiase whips him to the ropes. Muraco comes off with the shoulderblock. Muraco runs the ropes, Dibiase drops down, Muraco jumps over, and Dibiase catches him coming off the ropes with a hot shot to win at 5:44.

Thoughts: ***1/2 Really nice match, definitely the best so far. Both guys did a great job. I love Dibiase going it alone and winning cleanly. It was a nice reminder to fans that even though he cheats, he doesn't need to and is a threat to anyone even without Virgil or Andre.

Bob Uecker is back and still babbling about Vanna White before interviewing Mr. Fuji and Demolition. Smash tells Uecker it's only a couple of minutes away. Smash asks Uecker if he remembers his baseball days when someone would hit him over the head with a bat. Well Master Fuji wants them to hit Strike Force in the head and they'll go down. Ax says a lot of bad things happened but the baddest is about to happen. They're going to get into brutal contact. The golden goose is flying low in Atlantic City. All they need to do is reach up and ring it's neck to get the gold belts. Uecker then hurts it with more lousy jokes. Awesome promo by Demolition though Uecker continues to suck.

Because Jake Roberts and Rick Rude went to a draw. The One Man Gang gets a bye to the semi finals. In a cool moment, Gang comes to the ring to get his hand raised while ring announcer Howard Finkel explains it.

WWF Championship Tournament Quarter-finals: Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. Greg Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart)- Savage and Elizabeth now have matching pink.

They circle to start. Tie up is teased but Valentine punches Savage 2 times. Valentine puts Savage to the corner and works him over. Savage fights back with a bionic elbow and rams Valentine to the turnbuckle. Savage whips Valentine to the corner chest first. Savage hits a snapmare and knee drop for 2. Savage works over Valentine on the ropes until the ref breaks it up. Valentine punches Savage and goes to the top. Diving forearm finds it's mark. Valentine hits an elbow drop and comes off the ropes with an elbow drop for 2. Shoulderbreaker gets 2. Valentine hits a bionic elbow and throws Savage over the top rope and to the floor. Valentine follows out with a bionic elbow from the apron. Valentine hits some chops and rams Savage on the guardrail. Valentine goes back in while Savage slowly follows. Valentine catches Savage on the apron, sets him up, and drops an elbow to the chest. Valentine stomps Savage, sets him up on the apron, and comes off the apron with a chop to the throat.

Valentine drops elbows on Savage's throat and chokes him from the outside. Back in, Valentine knees the hamstring and goes for the figure four leglock but Savage crawls to the ropes. Suplex gets 2. Backbreaker gets 2. Savage comes back by ramming Valentine into the turnbuckle. Savage whips Valentine to the ropes and connects with an elbow. Savage gets a bodyslam and goes to the top. Savage comes off with a diving double ax handle for 2. Hart jumps on the apron to distract Savage and jumps off before Savage can get him. Valentine comes back by hitting the throat. Savage gets whipped to the ropes and Valentine hits an elbow. Savage blocks a suplex and gets his own. Savage goes to the top and goes for the diving double ax handle but Valentine hits him coming down in the stomach and timbers. Valentine gets to the ropes and Savage goes for a running seated senton on the ropes but misses. Valentine pulls Savage in the middle and goes for the figure four but Savage reverses into a small package for the 3 at 6:06.

Thoughts: ** Decent match and had some good back and forth action. Nothing bad but nothing special.
Okerlund and Vanna are in the back and recap the quarter-finals. Again, nothing special but it's nice to keep the fans up to date.

WWF Intercontinental Championship: The Honky Tonk Man (c) (w/Jimmy Hart and Peggy Sue) vs. Brutus Beefcake- Before the match, Ventura says hi to his wife, son, and daughter.

Tie up to start with Honky getting Beefcake to the ropes and hits him with a knee. Honky hits a few forearms and whips Beefcake to the ropes. Clothesline misses, Beefcake comes off the ropes, grabs Honky's foot, spins him around, and hits an atomic drop. Beefcake messes Honky's hair and hits him with a punch. Honky rolls out to regroup while Beefcake struts. Back in, we get some stalling in the corner with Beefcake motioning he'll cut Honky's hair. Honky eye pokes Beefcake and tries to ram Beefcake into the turnbuckle but Beefcake blocks and rams Honky a couple of times. Beefcake whips Honky to the ropes, leapfrogs, and connects with a jumping knee. Honky bails out but Beefcake pulls him back on the apron by his hair. Beefcake hits a few bionic elbows and snapmares him back in the ring. Beefcake whips Honky to the ropes but lowers his head too early. Honky tries for a kick but Beefcake moves out of the way and Honky crashes to the canvas.

Beefcake comes off the ropes with an elbow drop but misses. Honky works over Beefcake. Honky follows with a snapmare and comes off the ropes with a fist drop before taunting the crowd. Honky continues to work over Beefcake and distracts the ref which allows Hart to choke Beefcake. Honky positions for the shake, rattle, and roll but instead hits a knee. More punching and Honky goes for it but Beefcake grabs the rope to block it to a pop. Beefcake comes back with punches. Beefcake whips Honky to the ropes and gets a back body drop. Honky begs in the corner. Beefcake whips Honky to the ropes and applies the sleeper hold to a good pop. Honky starts to fade as Hart jumps on the apron to distract the ref. When the ref turns his back, Hart nails him with the megaphone. Honky is asleep but the ref is out. Beefcake signals he'll cut Honky's hair to a big pop. Hart desperately grabs Beefcake's bag and tries to crawl underneath the ring but Beefcake grabs him, pins him in the corner of the ring on the ring steps, and starts cutting Hart's hair to a pop.

Meanwhile, other referees check on the fallen one while Peggy Sue tries to wake Honky. Eventually Peggy dumps a pitch of water to revive Honky as Beefcake finishes Hart. Honky and his entourage leave as the refs try to keep Beefcake and his hedge clippers at bay. Beefcake is announced the winner by disqualification at 6:30. After the match, Honky screams at Beefcake for what he did.

Thoughts: * Dull kick/punch match. This was “Honky 101” which isn't always bad but this wasn't special. The finish was the most interesting and well done as the WWF tries to give the fans everything but Beefcake winning the title or cutting Honky's hair with the DQ win and cutting Hart's hair.

In a Coliseum Video exclusive, DeGeorge is in the back and brings in Honky, Hart, and Peggy while talking about Hart's haircut. Hart says he looks like little lulu before covering with his coat as Honky tells him not to let anyone see it. Honky says Beefcake will stoop to any level and they need another adjective besides “embarrassing” for what happened to Hart. He says Beefcake set out for strutting and cutting but he cut Hart's hair and not his. Honky denies being put to sleep before saying he's still got the belt, he's still the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time, and he'll get Beefcake for this. Another fine promo. Kind of surprised this wasn't included but I guess you need stuff for the home video.

Uecker's still in the back and moaning about not seeing Vanna. Andre comes in to shut him up. He says he's still undefeated. He says Dibiase paid him to keep Hogan out of the tournament and Hulkamania is over. Then in one of the most overrated moments in WWF history, Andre chokes Uecker. This moment is supposed to be some classic Wrestlemania moment but it isn't. Andre's promo was fine but the choke was unfunny just like everything else Uecker's been involved in this show.

The Islanders & Bobby Heenan vs. The British Bulldogs & Koko B. Ware- The feud is one of the dumbest in WWF history as the Islanders and Bobby Heenan stole The Bulldogs mascot Matilda and supposedly did horrible things to her. The WWF would then encourage fans to write “get well” cards. Pardon me for not giving a fuck. I love animals but this is too lousy. Heenan is dressed in an attack dog like suit with a padded jacket and pants with the jacket being too big.

Dynamite starts by slingshotting Tama into the ring from the apron. Haku comes in only for Dynamite to catch him with a hip toss. Dynamite gets a side headlock but Tama whips him off the ropes and Dynamite comes off with a shoulderblock. Dynamite comes off the ropes, Tama drops down, and tries to catch Dynamite with a hip toss but Dynamite reverses with his own. Dynamite follows with a back body drop. Dynamite slingshots Tama to the ring post and Tama goes over and out. Tag to Smith as Tama gets back in. Smith hits a bodyslam and comes off the ropes but misses the elbow drop. Tag to Haku who gets a forearm and a side headlock. Smith whips Haku to the ropes and Haku gets a shoulderblock which barely moves Smith. Haku comes off the ropes, Smith misses a clothesline, then both come off the ropes with Smith getting a high cross body for 2. Smith comes off the ropes and then hits a bodyslam for 2. Haku reverses an irish whip but Smith gets a crucifix for 2.

I think the bodyslam part was then trying a crucifix before they realized they wouldn't get it. Smith gets a snapmare and applies a chinlock. Haku escapes and gets an arm wringer. Tag to Tama who gets some chops and an arm wringer. Smith counters with a gorilla press slam. Smith goes for an arm wringer but Tama gets out and tags Haku. Haku whips Smith to the ropes and connects with an elbow. They go back and forth until Haku attempts a pendulum backbreaker but Smith flips out and tags Koko. Smith whips Haku to the ropes and Koko hits a dropkick. By the way, I should point out when I originally reviewed this, this was WWE video release as the WWE is so extreme that they blur Koko's tights because it has “WWF” on it. It's reasons like this that make me not want to buy WWE DVDs though they corrected this for Netflix. Koko hits Tama and gets a side headlock on Haku. Tama comes in but Koko gets his legs on Tama and takes both down with flying head scissor/side headlock takedown.

Tag to Dynamite who whips Haku to the ropes and hits a clothesline. Dynamite whips Haku to the corner but charges into Haku's foot. Tag to Heenan who works over Dynamite with stomps and chops. Dynamite gets a chop and no surprise, Heenan tags out to Tama. Dynamite gets a side headlock but Tama whips him to the ropes and hits a back body drop. Tama hits a bodyslam and goes for a Vader bomb but Dynamite gets his knees up. Tag to Koko who whips Tama to the ropes and gets a back body drop. Haku gets in only to get headbutted by Koko. Haku gets whipped into Tama. Koko whips Haku to the ropes but lowers his head too early and Haku kicks him. Haku whips Koko to the ropes and Haku hits a clothesline. Koko gets worked over and Haku tags Tama. Haku holds Koko for Tama to come off the top turnbuckle with a diving chop. Heenan tags in and proceeds to open a can o' whoop ass on Koko. Koko tries to fight back but his punches don't work due to the padding in Heenan's jacket and Heenan goes for the trapezes. Koko fights back but Heenan rakes the eyes. Koko reverses a whip to the corner and Heenan goes chest first. Koko follows with a dropkick which sends Heenan shoulder first into the ringpost to a good pop. The Islanders come in to jump Koko and the Bulldogs come in to even things out. Smith gets thrown out and the ref sends Dynamite back to the apron. Meanwhile, The Islanders pick Heenan up and drop him on top of Koko for the win at 9:27. Ha! Serves Koko right for claiming to have smelled a weasel. After the match, the Bulldogs act like sore losers by beating up the Islanders and chase Heenan to the aisle where Matilda starts “biting” him.

Thoughts: * Another mediocre match. Nothing really happened or stood out but for some reason, after the previous promo, it makes me happy Heenan got the pin..

In a Coliseum Video exclusive, Heenan grabs the mic off screen and tells DeGeorge he doesn't need him and can do it alone. He says if you think anyone is going to mistreat him like that again and stick him in a match where someone will sic a rabid infested animal on him. He says he's wearing the attack suit cause otherwise, he be in the hospital right now with not enough stitches to put him back together. He says Matlida can be contained but he survived because of his Islanders and his brain. He says he's still standing, still talking, and nobody will take that away from him. He says as long as he's got his brain and the people he manages, nobody can stop him and he means nobody. A good promo from Heenan especially as it got going.

Howard Finkel acknowledges Ventura who briefly leaves the broadcast booth to pose for the fans. It's always interesting that Ventura got good pops despite being a pro-heel commentator but Ventura was awesome so it's understandable.

Finkel then announces that due to the double disqualification between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase receives a bye to the finals. Dibiase even goes to ringside to get his hand raised.

WWF Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. The One Man Gang (w/Slick)- Savage and Elizabeth now have matching black.

Tie up to start with the Gang muscling Savage into the corner but misses the punch. Savage gets a punch and rakes the eyes until the referee separates them. Savage gets a beard pull hangman. Back in, Savage tries a front facelock but Gang easily rams him into the corner. Gang works over Savage by raining down blows and works him over in the corner. More punching and forearms. Gang gets Savage in another corner, hits a few small avalanches, and chokes him with his boot. Gang hits a bodyslam and covers but Savage gets his foot on the ropes at 2. Gang drags Savage to the middle and drops an elbow for 2. Another bodyslam but Gang misses the 747. Gang misses a running shoulder block in the corner and Savage fights back with jabs and a bionic elbow. Gang is leaning on the ropes and Savage sends him out with a running double ax handle. Savage follows out with a diving double ax handle off the top. Slick helps Gang back in. Back in, Savage tries for a bodyslam but that obviously doesn't work as the Gang elbows him off. The Gang follows with a throat toss as Slick starts going after Elizabeth while the Gang misses an elbow. The referee eventually separates the two managers. While the referee is tied up with Elizabeth, Slick jumps on the apron. Savage starts choking him but Slick tosses the cane to the Gang who hits Savage with it. Gang tries to follow up but Savage keeps rolling out of the way until the referee catches it and disqualifies the Gang at 4:05. After the match, the Gang knocks Savage out of the ring with the cane and gets consoled by Slick. Not taking that shit, Savage climbs to the top and nails a diving double ax handle on the Gang which results in the Gang falling on top of Slick.

Thoughts: * Another average match but it served it's purpose to give Savage some more sympathy as he continues scrap and claw his way to the finals. It also builds the main event with Savage having been worked over by the monster. The DQ was also a great idea since it gave Savage a ready made match for the next SNME.

We then go back to Okerlund and Vanna who update the bracket and Vanna leaves. Just as she leaves, Uecker comes in and asks for her but just missed her. We get some more stupid WWF “comedy” as Uecker claims she wants to see him and he was getting letters from some guy named Vance White with Okerlund having to correct him. Wait, what? Everybody has been saying “Vanna” all day, including Uecker. Where the fuck did this come from? What a stupid segment.

WWF Tag Team Championship: Strike Force (c) vs. Demolition (w/Mr. Fuji)- Smash and Martel start with Smash hammering away on Martel with punches and forearms. Smash whips Martel to the ropes, misses a clothesline, but catches Martel attempting a high crossbody. Santana comes in and hits a dropkick with Martel falling onto Smash. Ax is now in and Demolition work over Strike Force. Demolition try to whip Strike Force into each other but Santana reverses and Martel hits a high crossbody on Ax. Ax bails as Strike Force whips Smash to the ropes and hit double punches and a double clothesline for 1. Martel gets an arm wringer and tags Santana who comes off the second turnbuckle with an elbow to the arm. Santana goes to the arm wringer but Smash hits a knee to the stomach. Tag to Ax who comes in but Santana hits an armdrag takedown and briefly works the arm until tagging Martel. Martel continues the arm work until Ax headbutts Martel and tags Smash.

Martel catches Smash with a hip toss and more arm work. Tag to Santana who continues the arm work. Smash whips Santana to the ropes, Santana leapfrogs, and Smash catches him in bearhug. Smash then goes to his corner which allows Ax to nail a clothesline. Tag to Ax as Demolition shove Santana into their corner and Ax hits a double chop. Ax rams Santana into Smash's boot. Tag to Smash as the Demos ram Santana into their corner again. Smash hits a few knees in the corner and tags Ax. Fans rally behind Santana as Ax hits a powerslam for 2. Santana tries to come back but a knee stops that. Ax rams Santana into Smash's boot and Smash tags in. Smash chokes Santana with his boot as Martel comes in. With Martel arguing with the ref, Smash sets Santana on the apron and Ax hits a hangmen on Santana. Smash hits a suplex but gets an awkward 2 as if Santana forgot to kick out. Smash gets the bodyslam and comes off the ropes but misses an elbow drop.

Tag to Ax with Demolition blocking Santana from tagging. Ax whips Santana to the ropes but lowers his head and Santana hits him with an elbow. They lay around with Smash illegally coming in and dragging Santana into the corner. Ax hammers away on Santana and whips him to the ropes but Santana comes off with the flying forearm. Both drag themselves to their corner and make the tags. Martel goes to work on Smash. Martel whips Smash to the ropes and gets a back body drop and hits Ax on the apron. Martel hits a dropkick on Smash, then one on Ax as he comes in, and then a second to Smash. Martel nails Ax with a polish hammer and then one on Smash. Martel applies the boston crab on Smash to wake the crowd as Santana prevents Ax from breaking it. The ref tries to separate them as Fuji climbs onto the apron but Santana hits the flying forearm to knock Ax out of the ring. Santana goes after Fuji with Fuji dropping his cane in the ring. This allows Ax to sneak in and nail Martel with it as the ref is distracted by Santana and Fuji. Smash then rolls on top as Santana shoves the ref. As Santana continues to relentlessly kick Fuji's ass, referee Joey Marella sees Smash on top and counts the 3 giving Demolition the titles at 12:23. Talking about taking a bullet. Don't ever say Fuji never did any favors for the Demos.

Thoughts: ** Decent tag match. Demolition were always a treat to watch especially when they hammer opponents with forearms and double ax handles. Great move for the WWF to put the belts on Demolition as they were easily the best option at that time. Also, as I said in my SNME 14 review, I was never into Strike Force as champions. Demolition would go on to hold the title for a record sixteen months or 478 days which would be the longest reign in the history of those titles.

In a Coliseum Video exclusive, DeGeorge interviews new champions Demolition and Mr. Fuji. Fuji says all the hard work Ax and Smash did paid off. He says it paid off and they are the new WWF Tag Team Champions. Smash says what Master Fuji wants, he gets and they produce. Ax says they are a team of destiny and everybody knows this was the first encounter between Demolition and Strike Force. He says Strike Force couldn't run forever and once they put their name on the dotted line, put the gold belts up, and they'll take care of the rest. Ax says their first mistake was signing the contract and the second was getting in the ring but they took care of the rest. He says they are the champs and Strike Force can do the crying because there's nothing they can do about it. Really good promo

Howard Finkel announces the celebrities. Robin Leach is the guest presenter and has some nice piano music. Bob Uecker is the guest ring announcer and has “Take me out to the ball game”. Vanna White is the guest timekeeper and kisses Uecker. Great, now I can sleep at night.

WWF Championship Tournament Finals/WWF Championship: Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. Ted Dibiase (w/Andre the Giant)- Savage and Elizabeth are now white.

Tie up to start with Dibiase muscling Savage into the corner. Savage blocks both punches and hits a bionic elbow but Andre trips him. Big “Hogan” chant. Tie up with Savage getting a hammerlock. Dibiase tries for an overhead wristlock but Savage gets another hammerlock and transitions to a side headlock. Dibiase whips Savage to the ropes and Savage comes off with a shoulderblock. Savage comes the ropes, jumps over Dibiase, but Andre trips him again. We get a stalling session until the two tie up. Dibiase goes for the arm wringer but Savage reverses into his own. They trade reversals until Dibiase gets Savage in the corner and works him over. Dibiase hits Savage with an elbow which knocks Savage down. Dibiase whips Savage to the ropes and connects with a clothesline. Dibiase applies a side headlock but Savage whips him to the ropes. Dibiase comes off with a shoulderblock, runs the ropes, and goes for the sunset flip but Savage punches him off.

Savage follows with a clothesline for 2. Dibiase rolls in the corner to stall for a bit. Dibiase knees the stomach, hits some punches, and a chop. Dibiase whips Savage to the ropes and hits an elbow. Dibiase rams Savage in the corner and whips him to the ropes, misses the clothesline and Savage comes off with a running elbow to a pop. Savage follows with a hair pull hangman and Dibiase does a big bump on his upper back and neck. No wonder he retired due to neck issues. Back in, Savage hits running jumping knee from behind that sends Dibiase over and out. Savage climbs to the top but Andre protects Dibiase. Savage then goes to Elizabeth and whispers something to her and she leaves with the fans cheering since they know what that means. Dibiase jumps Savage and hits him with a bodyslam. Three million dollar fistdrops get 2. “Hogan” chant as Dibiase gets a snapmare and applies a chinlock. Elizabeth returns with Hogan to a big pop.

Hogan grabs a chair and sits a ringside with Dibiase noticing. Dibiase rams Savage into the corner. Dibiase distracts the ref for Andre to grab Savage but Hogan jumps Andre. Savage starts to come back but Dibiase rakes the eye. Dibiase whips Savage to the ropes and hits him with a clothesline. Elbow drop gets 2 for Dibiase. Suplex gets 2. Gutwrench suplex gets 2 and Dibiase is frustrated. The fans are hot as Dibiase goes to the top but Savage recovers and throws him off. Savage goes to the top rope but misses the diving elbow. Dibiase locks in the million dollar dream. Savage tries to make it to the ropes but Andre slaps him off. The referee gets distracted with Andre and this allows Hogan to come in and nail Dibiase with the chair. Savage recovers and climbs to the top as the fans are going nuts. Diving elbow drop finishes to give Savage the championship at 9:27. After the match, Hogan grabs the belt to give to Savage and the Megapowers and Elizabeth celebrate to end the show. By the way, the pleasure was all Monsoon's according to Ventura.

Thoughts: *** Good match and good finals. Good back and forth action, good story telling, and a hot crowd. It's even more sweeter with Savage avenging his SNME loss to Dibiase and Hogan got some revenge.

Final Thoughts and Verdict
Wrestlemania IV is easily the weakest Wrestlemania up to this point and many of the problems are very well documented. The first being the length of the show as this was one of the first Wrestlemanias to go 4 hours and it dragged. 16 matches were way too many matches as the WWF would've been better with an eight man instead of fourteen man tournament. Sadly, this continued through VII with the WWF having 14 – 16 matches. I personally think 9 – 12 is the right number. Second was the crowd was awful and quiet for most of the show. There was no excuse for the crowd to be this dead for most of the show and they were among the worst crowds for an event like a Wrestlemania. They popped here and there but other than Hogan and a few others, they really didn't consistently react to anything. I'm almost surprised the WWF went back there for V but I guess the money was good. Third, no match was worth going out of your way to see tand two of them were flat out atrocious. Finally, there was the Bob Uecker stuff. Look, I'm sure Uecker was a nice man, a likable guy, and popular behind the scenes but he was brutal here as he wasn't needed as an interviewers, he wasn't funny, he didn't add anything, and he was annoying. I rather have Craig DeGeorge and his laryngitis do the interviews.

As far as positives, there are a few as there isn't any great matches but there are some solid stuff as all of Dibiase's matches were fun to watch and the tournament was booked well for the most part having good drama. There was a lot of history from Savage and Demolition's big title wins to this being the first Wrestlemania Hogan didn't main event to the battle royal which sowed the seeds for Bret Hart's eventual ascension to the top in the next few years. Even though the show dragged, I also give WWE credit for doing the tournament as it made this event unique and I always appreciate when WWF/WWE tries something different or have a different vibe for their Wrestlemanias.

Similar to Survivor Series 1998 with The Rock, I really only recommend this if you are a Macho Man fan and want to see his big crowning moment. Maybe throw Demolition's title win as well. Otherwise, I can't really recommend this event.

Not Recommended

Wrestlemania IV Facts-
First of two straight Wrestlemanias to be held at the Atlantic City Convention Center. The WWF would promote the event being from Trump Plaza but Trump Plaza was just the sponsor.

First Wrestlemania Hulk Hogan didn't main event.

Bob Uecker would be the last celebrity to return to a Wrestlemania (not counting celebrities in the audience) until Pete Rose at Wrestlemania XV in 1999.

Wrestlemania IV featured the last WWF matches for Sika and Butch Reed.

Wrestlemania IV was Ricky Steamboat's last WWF match until 1991.

Harley Race made his last appearance for six months. Race took time off due to a hernia injury he suffered at SNME 15 a few weeks earlier.

Second time Bret Hart was the runner up in a battle royal.

Last Wrestlemania to have a battle royal until Wrestlemania XIV in 1998.

Wrestlemania IV has the most matches to date in Wrestlemania history with 16.

First Wrestlemania appearance of Donald Trump.

Wrestlemania IV competed with NWA's first Clash of the Champions on TBS

“Macho Man” Randy Savage competed in four matches at Wrestlemania history. More than any wrestler has done in a single Wrestlemania

First Wrestlemania to feature a new WWF Champion

First Wrestlemania not to feature “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. It would be the last until Wrestlemania IX in 1993.