So far on these reviews, I've mostly focused on the business side of each show, especially during my intros. However, there's more than enough to get into for the wrestling portion of this show, and with Jim Crockett Promotions slowly dying around this time, competition wasn't exactly breathing down Vince's neck. That allowed for a big risk, at least in storytelling, which began at The Main Event 1, where Andre the Giant met champion Hulk Hogan in a WrestleMania III rematch. Andre won(!), but under screwy circumstances, as referee Dave Hebner was replaced by "evil twin" Earl Hebner, who made the three count despite Hogan's shoulders not being on the mat. Somehow, this win counted, however when Andre then sold the title to Ted DiBiase, president Jack Tunney stepped in to vacate it, setting up a tournament at WrestleMania for the gold. The idea of this one night tournament sounds interesting on paper, but the reality is that this 'Mania isn't exactly held in high regard, largely due to the 16 match card. Also, Donald Trump is sponsoring the event, but I'm not planning on mentioning his name again on this review, as he has very little actual involvement with this show. With the set-up all done, let's get to it, WrestleMania 4!
- I'll be honest enough to say that I've not been looking forward to making this review, especially after reviewing The Wrestling Classic about a week ago. Much like that show, this one is just stuffed with matches, and it's going to be extremely difficult for me to try and remember each one individually. Even if most of the action just sort of blobs together for me, I will at least attempt to break down the overall story and presentation of this card.
- I will shout out the golden stairs and walkway that leads to the ring, it does look very regal. There's not too much in terms of style going into a lot of these early shows, and though the ring carts from 3 are more famous, this was still pretty nice.
- We open the show with a 20 man battle royal, and as I noted before, these type of matches are very rarely anything too great. The final sequence is at least memorable, as after Bad News Brown and Bret Hart team up to eliminate the Junkyard Dog, it seems like both heels are going to share the big trophy and winner's purse. Instead, Brown hits Hart with the Ghetto Blaster and tosses him out, leading to the Hitman destroying the trophy in revenge. He struggled a bit with the trophy destruction but manged to take it apart in the end, getting a big pop and signaling a face turn for the Hart Foundation, which is nice and remains one of the first big highlights in Bret's career.
- In the first match of the opening round, Ted DiBiase defeats Jim Duggan thanks to interference from Andre. Nothing much here, neither man even got close to second gear in a match that was more designed to just warm the crowd up.
- Our second match of the first round is a bit of a slugfest, as Don Muraco takes on Dino Bravo. The match wasn't bad but like the previous match, was just too short to achieve anything. Muraco wins by DQ after Bravo pulled the ref into harm's way.
- Ricky Steamboat had been hyping up a possible rematch of the century with Randy Savage, who will be in our following contest. But to set up that match, Steamboat would have to win here against Greg Valentine. This is the best match thus far, as both men knock lumps out of each other with stiff chops. In the end, Steamboat comes up short after Valentine rolls through the diving crossbody, grabbing a handful of tights to secure the three count. Steamboat's time in the WWF would come to an end shortly after this match, and he knows it, as he waves farewell to the fans. Just in general, it seems like Vince really dropped the ball with Ricky who could've been so much bigger than he was, and missing out on that Steamboat-Savage rematch really stings.
- Speaking of which, Randy Savage is here and ready to go deep in another tournament, beginning his night by defeating Butch Reed. They go for the classic David vs Goliath story here, which is fine but a bit difficult to tell in such a short time. A distraction from Miss Elizabeth leads to the "Macho Man" advancing.
- In a true stinker, Bam Bam Bigelow faces One Man Gang. Putting two slow big guys in the same ring was a really bad idea, and this match is wrestled about as slowly as it ever could be. Gang picks up the win by count-out, let's move on.
- It's the final first round match and it's going the distance, as Jake Roberts and Rick Rude wrestle to a 15 minute time limit draw. For as much as almost every match so far has suffered from not enough time, this one probably had way too much, as well both men are very talented, the match slows to a crawl during an endless headlock sequence. To their credit, the final few minutes are good and they got the crowd back in it, but the draw was just too obvious of a finish.
- Oh boy, we got another slow a** big man collision on the cards, as Hercules faces the Ultimate Warrior, who is making his pay-per-view debut. Warrior, similar to Goldberg, is at his best in short, impactful matches, and this is certainly not that. These two men wrestle for 4 excruciating minutes, both trying desperately to sell and failing miserably, before Warrior gets a fluke win in a double pinfall sequence. Why he couldn't just win this match definitively is beyond me, but that was far from the biggest problem with this one.
- The second round opens with Hulk Hogan against Andre the Giant, as both former champions had been given a bye through the first round. The opening minute or two is red hot, as both men brawl, leading to Hogan getting the upper hand and tearing off his shirt to a big pop. Then it slows way down, as they slowly club into each other. All the drama and intrigue of this clash is virtually gone by this point, we've seen these two guys in the ring way too often. Add in a stupid finish involving a chair and a double DQ, and you have the recipe for another stinker. Just to top it all off, Hogan delivers a dangerous looking suplex to Virgil, who was in Andre's corner, on the ramp, then poses for several minutes despite not even winning the match. Man, I'm already turning on the Hulkster and he ain't going anywhere anytime soon.
- Up next, Ted DiBiase faces Don Muraco, with the winner receiving a bye straight to the finals courtesy of the previous match's non-finish. I gotta be honest, I tuned out of most of this match, and what I did see was decent but unspectacular. DiBiase wins with a stun gun off the top rope.
- Greg Valentine meets up with Randy Savage in our next match, with the winner facing the fresh One Man Gang in the semi-finals. This match was pretty good, as Savage is all over the place trying to add some life to this sorry card, and bumps like a boss to make Valentine look good. "The Hammer", for his part, is a solid old school worker, and hits some nice offense. The finish is neat, as Savage counters the figure four into a small package to advance.
- The Honky Tonk Man defends his Intercontinental Championship in our next match against Brutus Beefcake, technically the first title match of the night. This match focuses more on comedy and pantomime than actual wrestling, and the crowd is with it for the first couple minutes. But both men's offensive repertoire is so uninspiring that they lose the crowd shortly after, and the match ends in another DQ, as Honky Tonk again escapes with the gold, a classic chickensh** heel "victory" but not anything that belonged at WrestleMania.
- Six man tag action up next, as the British Bulldogs team with Koko B. Ware to face The Islanders and Bobby Heenan. This match was set up by the heels kidnapping Davey Boy and Dynamite's mascot, the bulldog Matilda, and is another comedy oriented affair. It plays somewhat similar to the six man tag involving the Bulldogs last year, but lacks the heel heat that Danny Davis provided in that match, making it significantly less fun to watch. I just felt bad for the Bulldogs, knowing their talent level and seeing them still stuck in the exact same spot on the card. "The Brain" gets the win after Haku and Tama splash him on top of Ware, but gets his comeuppance afterward when Matilda goes on the attack.
- The first and only semi-final match of the tournament pits Randy Savage against the One Man Gang, and it's a very poor waste of Savage's time. Gang gets himself disqualified, the absolute dolt, by using Slick's cane to attack Randy following 4 minutes of nothingness. Seriously, OMG, what are you doing, you were one win away from the finals and were facing a tired opponent. What is wrong with you?
- Tag titles on the line, as Strike Force defend against Demolition. I like the Demolition gimmick and didn't love their relatively little in-ring time at Survivor Series, so it was good to see them wrestle a proper match here. Their power moves are crisp and look great, and I thought they were perfect foils for the uber babyface Martel and Santana. The match did get a little too simple at times, as they work the old school, wear down a man and build toward the hot tag formula, but it was still a fun watch. Demolition get a cheap win by using Mr. Fuji's cane, as they begin their long term title reign that was only topped in length a couple of years ago by The New Day.
- Main event time, as the vacant WWF Championship finds a new home, with Ted DiBiase taking on Randy Savage. Savage is starting to get a little bit overexposed by this point in his fourth match of the night, but that doesn't detract from this one any. This match, for as long as it lasts, is very good, and shows what both men could've been capable of in a proper main event. Most of the offense is extremely slick and both are extremely good at selling, but the story here isn't the match, even though the company has spent all night building up to it. No, it's about one man and one man only- Hulk f***ing Hogan. Andre interferes multiple times, drawing massive "Hogan" chants from the crowd, which I can't fault them for, it's obviously what Vince wanted. The action in the ring is entirely unimportant, they could've just sat there and played Battleship for 10 minutes and it would've served the same purpose. Elizabeth fetches Hogan, who takes advantage of an Andre distraction to hit DiBiase with a chair, allowing Savage to deliver the elbow drop and become the new champion.
- The Hulkster isn't finished there, as he's already on his way to fetch the belt before the three count is made, getting his hands on the title first before handing it over to Savage. Even though I would love to be excited about Randy finally becoming champion, he doesn't look legitimate, needing help to win the title and not being allowed to celebrate on his own. At least the shot of him, holding Elizabeth on his shoulder while she holds the title was heartwarming, but the circumstances leading up to this moment make it feel hollow.
2/10
I wanted to like this show, and even despite it's many faults, I could've forgiven it if the man who won this whole tournament had actually been put over properly as a true top face. But that didn't happen, and so it feels pointless, just another vehicle to get Hulk Hogan over despite the fact that he didn't even win the damn thing. Most of the matches in the tournament were at best mediocre, and while the booking was good for the most part, a lot of that good was erased at the end. This show felt extremely monotonous, especially the backstage segments with Bob Uecker, though at least that included a classic moment when he got choked by Andre. The crowd was nowhere near as hot as last year, and "Trump Plaza"(this show was actually in Boardwalk Hall) simply cannot compete with the Silverdome as a host venue. WrestleMania 4, more than just about any show I've watched thus far, is a tale of lost potential. The pieces were in place for at least an average 'Mania, that could've gotten to the stage of being a possible classic, but it failed to come together in a cohesive, entertaining package.
Next time on Henry's Pay-Per-View Reviews: the Big 4 is truly getting underway, as we go to the very first SummerSlam. The '88 version features a couple classic moments and a big name tag match in the main event, as the Mega Powers team up to face Andre the Giant and Ted DiBiase. See you soon.
- Henry
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