WWE Recap: Wrestlemania IV (March 1988)

Gladys Knight opens things up singing America the Beautiful. That leads us directly into the opening match. Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura are our announcers. A battle royal is on tap to start the show.


Twenty-Man Battle Royal

As always, there's no real way to cover this thing. It's a mass of humanity, and it's hard to see anything, but it only takes about 30 seconds for Sam Houston to go flying over the top, eliminated by Danny Davis. Eliminated: Sam Houston

Five seconds later, another one bites the dust. Eliminated: Sika

George "The Animal" Steele is outside the ring, on the floor, randomly pulling on legs. I guess that's one strategy. Both Killer Bees are nearly eliminated, but manage to stay in. Danny Davis hangs on as well. Steele antagonizes Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, then grabs him and pulls him out when he leans down. Eliminated: Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart

Ramon Rougeau and both Killer Bees somehow go to the floor, while The Animal is still outside trying to grab feet. I have no idea if he's still even technically in the match. Eliminated: Ramon Rougeau, Killer Bees

It's hard to watch the match, and not Steele, who is now shoving a referee, who is either trying to get him to get in the ring, or to go to the back. Anyway, Junkyard Dog clotheslines Ron Bass over the top. Eliminated: Ron Bass

Bob Uecker is guest announcing, and is pretty funny. Apparently Hillbilly Jim was his pick, as he sounds upset when Jim goes out. Eliminated: Hillbilly Jim

Both Young Stallions are still in the ring for some reason, and one of them picks up Danny Davis and does his good deed for the day. Eliminated: Danny Davis

While that is going on, a Young Stallion takes the ride. I guess I jinxed them? Eliminated: Jim Powers

Harley Race and JYD stare at each other for a minute, then hilariously start headbutting each other. Ken Patera randomly throws Nikolai Volkoff over the ropes, then he tosses Boris Zhukov. Zhukov lands on the apron, and as Patera tries to kick him off, Bad News Brown comes in from behind and takes out both Zhukov and Patera. Eliminated: Nikolai Volkoff, Boris Zhukov, Ken Patera

Goodbye other Rougeau. Eliminated: Jacques Rougeau

We're down to five. Apparently Steele was somehow eliminated at the beginning of the match. No idea how. JYD and Race go at it again, with JYD getting the advantage. Eliminated: Harley Race.

Paul Roma and Bad News Brown are fighting in once corner, while JYD and Bret Hart are in another. Roma lands a few blows, but then is backdropped over the ropes. Eliminated: Paul Roma

Hart holds JYD for Brown, but JYD moves and The Hitman takes a clothesline. The Dog hits a few headbutts, but the heels gang up on him again. They finally double-team him over the ropes. Eliminated: Junkyard Dog

The two bad guys preen in the ring for a second, holding hands and celebrating, before Bad News hits the Ghetto Blaster on Hart. He beats on him for another few minutes then tosses him out. Winner: Bad News Brown.

They were building up Bad News as a big-time threat at this time. It's a shame things never really panned out. After the ending, Brown celebrates, but Bret sneaks in from behind, and attacks the winner. Then he breaks the trophy. As for this match, it was a standard battle royal. It was a way to get as many guys on the card as possible.


Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round One
Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs The Million Dollar Man w/ Virgil and Andre the Giant

We get classic Hacksaw at the start. Thumbs are up after every hold. The two men exchange punches before Duggan dodges and then lands an atomic drop that sends DiBiase over the ropes and onto the floor. Back inside, DiBiase begins chopping at Duggan, but Hacksaw lands a solid clothesline that puts the Million Dollar Man down. DiBiase sells his opponents' moves so well. Duggan runs at DiBiase in the corner and catches a boot to the face. Then DiBiase hits a clothesline of his own. A pin attempt doesn't work, though. DiBiase goes to the middle turnbuckle, but Duggan sees it and catches him in the midsection. A clothesline follows. Then it's a bodyslam. Now Duggan lines up for his finisher, but Andre reaches in and trips Hacksaw, who turns around and tries to hit Andre. DiBiase attacks Duggan from behind and then drops an elbow for the win. Winner: The Million Dollar Man

That was as entertaining as a Duggan match can get. It's silly that Andre was allowed to be at ringside, but whatever. The right man won.


Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round One
Dino Bravo w/ Frenchy Martin vs Don Muraco w/ Superstar Billy Graham

Bravo attacks first, driving Muraco into the corner. He tries again, but this time Bravo goes into the corner, and is clotheslined, then bodyslammed by Muraco. A pin attempt fails. A weird exchange follows, and somehow Muraco basically just falls to the ground, and Bravo starts landing elbows and a gutwrench suplex. Bravo misses a knee, and Muraco takes control. Frenchy Martin starts to climb up on the apron, but Billy Graham keeps him honest. Muraco works on Bravo's leg. As Rock is using a leg lock, Bravo kicks him into the ropes, and in an impressive display, Muraco flips over the top just right so that his headgets stuck in between the ropes, hanging him. He does get loose, but is piledriven by Bravo. He only gets a two-count, though. He tries again, but Muraco reverses it and Bravo is dropped to the mat. The combatants ran at, and then clotheslined each other. Both men are down. Muraco hits a flying forearm, then a bodyslam, but as he tries another move, the referee gets pulled in the way, and is taken out. Bravo hits the sideslam and covers, but the referee stops the match and calls for the bell. Winner: Don Muraco

The ending to that was a little wonky, but gets the job done. Muraco will face DiBiase in round two.


Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round One
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/ Jimmy Hart

 Ricky Steamboat comes to the ring carrying his son, wearing matching attire, in his arms. It was a cool moment for them. The Dragon starts strong, and he lands a series of punches. A couple of quick pin attempts only get a one-count. Valentine tries to knock Steamboat from the ring, but it backfires and The Hammer gets kicked from behind. Eventually, Valentine gets back on top with a couple of elbows. Valentine gets a two-count. That means ir's time for more elbows. Steamboat tries to fight back, and delivers some vicious-looking chops, but when he goes for a bodyslam, Valentine falls on him for a two-count. He goes for the Figure Four, but The Dragon kicks out. They trade chops, and Steamboat goes for a pin, but it's not enough. Valentine hits a punch from the top rope, and goes for the Figure Four again, but once again, Steamboat kicks out. Now, he gets some momentum, and hits a nice-looking flying shoulder block. Then he lands his own punch from the top rope. Valentine kicks out of the pin though. Steamboat goes back to the top and hits a flying cross-body, but The Hammer manages to roll it over and gets the pin. Winner: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

The match was good enough, but the ending was stupid. It doesn't make any sense. I wish the seeding was different. A Steamboat vs DiBiase match would be fantastic.


Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round One
Butch Reed w/ Slick vs Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Elizabeth

The cameraman tries his best to film down the front of Elizabeth's dress, but to no avail. The match starts, and Butch Reed uses his side to take control, shoving Savage to the corner. He hits a suplex, and goes for a cover, but it's too soon. He kicks Savage while he's down, and keeps physically dominating. However, he makes a mistake, and Savage kicks him in the chest. Reed knocks Savage down again, but stops to talk to Elizabeth. He finally climbs the ropes, but Savage is back up now and slams him to the mat. Now Savage climbs the turnbuckles and crashes down with the elbow for the win. Winner: Randy "Macho Man" Savage

The crowd is white hot for Savage right now. The match was really short, and Butch Reed sucks, but the fans ate up the finish.


Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round One
One Man Gang w/ Slick vs Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Oliver Humperdink

One Man Gang doesn't wait for the bell and attacks Bam Bam from behind. He hits a splash in the corner, then tries again, but misses. Bigelow does a cartwheel for some reason, then sort-of falls on Gang in a pin attempt that doesn't work. The world's ugliest cross body lands, but doesn't get a pin either. Bam Bam lands a couple of punches and a headbutt, staying in control. He takes Gang down, then attempts to bounce off the ropes, but Slick pulls them down, causing Bigelow to flip out onto the floor. The ref just shrugs his shoulders. Bigelow climbs onto the apron, but Gang won't let him in and the ref counts to ten. Winner: One Man Gang

Well, this was awful. Most of the moves were awkward, and the ref was clearly staring right at Slick pulling the ropes down, but had to act like he didn't see it. Sigh. Oliver Humperdink is useless.


Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round One
Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs Ravishing Rick Rude w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

The two men lock up, but Roberts pulls away suddenly, causing Rude to fall on his face. That's such a Jake Roberts move. Rude rebounds with a couple of bodyslams. The Snake gets consecutive bodyslams of his own, and Rude notices he's in the corner with Damien, causing him to run into the fist of Roberts. They go back and forth until Roberts hits Rude with a knee from the middle turnbuckle. He signals for the DDT, but Rude immediately flees the ring. Rude regains control and begins to stomp on The Snake. He slaps on a headlock and is wearing down Roberts. Heenan distracts the ref so that Rude can use a chokehold. A punch from the ropes comes next. A pin attempt gets two, then he goes back to the headlock. Jesse Ventura comments on Bob Uecker looking for Vanna White, saying "I know where she's at, but I can't say my room number over the air." Lol. Rude goes to the top turnbuckle and jumps down, landing a foot to The Snake's head. Roberts kicks out of a pin attempt though. He once more goes back to the headlock, then gets another near-fall. Roberts tries to get to his feet, but gets stomped by Rude. Finally, Roberts starts to fight back. He hits a big backdrop, and then a clothesline. He goes for the DDT again, but again Rude fights out of it. Rude hits a belly-to-back suplex, and gets a two-count. They get up and they clothesline each other. Both men are down. As they get up, Rude puts Roberts to the ground and goes for the pin. However, as he gets to two, the bell rings. Time has run out. Winner: Time Limit Draw

Since there was no winner, neither man advances, and One Man Gang gets a bye in the next round. This match was ok, but slower than it could have been. A large part of it was repeated wear-down holds by Rude. The ending makes sense if they plan to have these two continue to feud.


Hercules w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan vs Ultimate Warrior

The two strongmen collide in the center of the ring twice, with neither man getting an advantage. The Warrior lands a few punches, but Hercules gets in a cheap shot. Then he tries to clothesline the Warrior, but he no-sells them. A third one finally takes him down. The Warrior gets a clothesline of his own out of nowhere, then awkwardly drops Hercules on the top rope. Hercules gets tossed over the top, and I believe he was supposed to hold on, so he could show off his strength and pull himself back up and over. However, he lost his grip with one hand, and just gave up and pulled Hercules out too. They get back in the ring, and hit each other at the same time. That looked awkward too. They continue to land moves on each other with no real consequence. Hercules locks in the Full Nelson, but can't lock the fingers. Warrior pushes them backwards with his feet from the turnbuckle. They land with both men's shoulders down, but the Warrior rolls his up at the last second. Hercules did not. Winner: Ultimate Warrior

That was ugly. Every spot was awkward and the ending was out of the blue and dumb. It was not a pretty sight. This is too many endings where one person thinks they won when they didn't. Change it up WWF.


Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round Two
Andre the Giant w/ Million Dollar Man and Virgil vs Hulk Hogan

As soon as Hogan hits the ring, Andre attacks with a headbutt. A series of punches and headbutts follow, but Hogan fights back with a couple of shoulder blocks. Then he grabs DiBiase on the apron and slams he and Andre's heads together. Andre gets tied up in the ropes, and DiBiase and Virgil have to untangle him. Hogan continues to pound on Andre and finally takes him to the mat. He drops the elbow, but Andre manages to grab hold and choke Hogan. He puts the full weight of his body down on Hogan and DiBiase gets in a few shots as well. He chokes Hogan again as the crowd chants for the Hulkster. Now Hogan fights back, but Virgil gets up on the apron and distracts the referee. As Hogan goes for the bodyslam, DiBiase hits him with a chair. The ref turns and DiBiase jumps out, leaving the chair. Hogan gets it and hits Andre. The ref takes it away, but Andre grabs it and hits Hogan. The ref calls for the bell and disqualifies both men. Winner: Double Disqualification

Again, we have no winner, but it makes a lot of sense here. After the match, Hogan chases DiBiase and Virgil from the ring area and down the aisle. Then he goes back to the ring and bodyslams Andre to the delight of the audience.




Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round Two
Don Muraco w/ Superstar Billy Graham vs Million Dollar Man

The winner of this one goes straight to the Final because of the Hogan/Andre result. Muraco wastes no time and bodyslams DiBiase into the ring. He hits a massive powerslam, but only gets a two-count. Rock presses the advantage, hitting various moves on his opponent. After a dropkick from Muraco, DiBiase rolls out of the ring. Graham threatens him, so he goes back in and gets whipped to the corner. DiBiase finally gets control by yanking Muraco into the turnbuckle. He goes to work with a combination of chokes, punches, and knees. DiBiase goes for the pin, but Muraco has a foot on the ropes. He bodyslams Rock, but misses and elbow from the middle turnbuckle. Muraco hits a couple of power moves, but DiBiase lifts him and drops him down on the rope on his throat and gets the pin. Winner: Million Dollar Man

DiBiase is in the Final, which is the right call at this point. It was a solid match. Muraco is a good worker, despite a lack of charisma, which is probably what kept him from being a champion.




Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round Two
Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Elizabeth vs Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/ Jimmy Hart

Savage goes for the quick win, hitting a few punches and a knee drop before covering, but it doesn't work. Valentine then takes advantage of the referee trying to break them up and hits Macho with an elbow. He lands one of his patented elbow drops, and then he goes for a pin. He only gets one. A shoulderbreaker gets another one-count. They go outside the ring, and Valentine hits an elbow from the apron. Valentine drives elbows to Savage's throat on the apron before bringing him back into the ring. He starts to work on Macho's legs, but Savage gets to the rope before The Hammer can put the Figure Four on. A suplex gets Valentine a two-count. A backbreaker gets another near-fall. Out of nowhere, Savage gets a second wind and starts to fight back. He knocks Valentine to the mat, then hits him with a shot from the top rope. Jimmy Hart gets up on the apron and Savage chases him down. Valentine uses the distraction to get a cheap shot. He goes for a suplex, but it's Savage is the one who gets the move done. Savage goes back to the top rope, but Valentine catches him with a fist. Valentine goes for the Figure Four, but Savage reverses it into a small package and gets the three-count. Winner: Randy "Macho Man" Savage

That was pretty well done, and the ending was good. It told a nice story, and sets up the next match for Savage, who has to face One Man Gang after a brutal fight with Valentine.




Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart vs Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake (Intercontinental Championship)

They open with HTM landing a punch or two, but Beefcake hits an atomic drop and takes control. Beefcake messes up Honky Tonk Man's hair, which infuriates him. A knee drop takes the champ out of the ring, then The Barber brings him right back in the hard way. Brutus goes for an elbow drop and misses, giving HTM an opening. Honky goes to work now, hammering Beefcake. Hart gets involved as well. He sets up for the Shake, Rattle, and Roll, but Brutus grabs the rope and blocks the move. A big back drop follows, then Beefcake locks in the sleeper. Jimmy Hart gets on the apron and hits the referee with the megaphone, knocking him out. Beefcake goes for the scissors, but Hart takes off with them. It doesn't take long for Brutus to catch him, though. Now, he holds Hart down and begins to cut his hair. He goes after HTM, but Peggy Sue wakes him up and he escapes the ring. Winner: Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake via disqualification 

This is why the belt not being lost on disqualification is stupid. Why would a champion ever lose their belt? The cutting action was fun, and the action was decent. It protects Honky Tonk Man, but gets Beefcake a win.




The Islanders and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan vs The British Bulldogs and Koko B Ware

Dynamite Kid and Tama start us off. Tama gets slingshot over the ropes. Davy Boy Smith tags in, but Tama is able to tag out, and Haku is now in. Smith hits a flying cross body and gets a two-count. A bodyslam gets another two-count. Smith manages a nice-looking crucifix, but yet another two-count is all he gets. Tama gets back in, and Smith presses him over his head and slams him. Koko tags in and hits a dropkick where he got a ton of air. Dynamite Kid gets back in and he eats a foot from Haku in the corner. Heenan tags in and stomps on Dynamite. Tama gets back in and tries for a move from the turnbuckles, but catches a knee to the midsection. The Kid manages to tag in Koko, who back drops Tama. Haku comes in and catches a headbutt and gets whipped into his partner. Haku takes control back, though and works on Koko. Heenand comes back in and beats on Koko, possibly knocking a tooth out. Koko fights back, and shoves Heenan into the ringpost. The Islanders come in and attack Koko, so here come the Bulldogs, and all six men are in the ring. One of the Bulldogs goes flying out of the ring. The referee, as usual, ignores the heels to walk the other Bulldog to the corner. They gang up on Koko, and the Islanders slam Heenan down on him. The referee turns around and makes the count. Winners: The Islanders and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

These endings frustrate me so much. It's hard to suspend my disbelief as far as they want me to concerning the refs. He just completely ignores one whole team? It's asinine, and ruins the entire match. This happens way too often.




Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Round Three
One Man Gang w/ Slick vs Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Elizabeth

Gang immediately uses his massive size advantage to push Macho into the corner. He tries to punch him, but Savage moves and lands a shot of his own. He then used the rope to clothesline Gang. Savage grabs him, but Gang pushes him back into the corner again, and takes control. He hits Macho with a series of punches and elbows, then smashes him in the corner. Gang bodyslams Savage, then pins him, but Savage gets his foot on the ropes. An elbow drop leads to another pin attempt, but Savage kicks out. The big man tries a splash on the mat, but misses. Now Savage gains momentum, and starts peppering his opponent with punches. He knocks Gang to the floor, then hits a double ax-handle from the top rope. Back in the ring, Savage inexplicably tries to bodyslam Gang to no avail. He gets slammed for his trouble. Slick is outside the ring menacing Elizabeth, so she gets onto the apron. Gang tries an elbow drop, but misses. Macho now grabs slick on the apron, but Gang hits him from behind with the cane. The referee calls for the bell. Winner: Randy "Macho Man" Savage via disqualification

Gang gets in a few more shots with the cane after the bell, selling an injured Savage going into the Final versus Ted DiBiase. The match is exactly what you'd expect: slow and short.




Demolition w/ Mr Fuji vs Strike Force (Tag Team Championship)

Smash starts pounding Rick Martel to open us up. Martel tries a cross body, but Smash catches him. However, Tito Santana runs in and uses a dropkick to knock them down. Ax comes in as well, and we've already erupted into a brawl. Things get crazy for a minute, and eventually Strike Force hits a double clothesline on Smash. As order is restored, Santana tags in. He works on the arm of Smash. The babyfaces tag in and out quickly, keeping Smash in the ring. Santana goes off the ropes, but Smash catches him in a bearhug. Ax clotheslines him to the mat hard. Now, Demolition gets in a double-team. They pound Santana in the corner, then Ax hits a nice bodyslam. Smash gets a two-count after a suplex. Ax gets back in, but catches a flying forearm from Santana. Smash tags in, but Santana makes the hot tag to Martel. Martel dropkicks Smash, then Ax. Now, he puts the Boston Crab on Smash. Ax tries to come in, but Santana stops him. Fuji gets on the apron, and Santana nails him too. Ax, however, gets the cane and sneaks in and bashes Martel. The ref makes the count, and we have new champions. Winners: Demolition 

This was a really good match, with lots of action. They relied on a sneaky move to win, but this one was done much better, with the ref tied up with Santana and Fuji instead of just randomly turning his back.




Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Final
Million Dollar Man w/ Andre the Giant vs Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Elizabeth

They lock up and Macho hits an elbow, but right away, Andre gets involved, tripping Savage. Some quick back and forth leads to a shoulder block from Savage, but when he goes to the rope a second time, Andre again trips him. DiBiase goes for an elbow, but Savage quickly moves. They take turns with arm bars on each other before DiBiase slams Savage into the turnbuckle. A clothesline leads to a pin attempt, but it's not enough. DiBiase retakes control with a knee to the midsection. He lands a few elbows, but whiffs on a clothesline attempt and catches an elbow from Savage. A knee takes DiBiase out of the ring, but when Savage climbs the ropes, Andre stands in the way. Savage goes to Elizabeth, who leaves the ring area. The crowd buzzes, knowing where she's going. DiBiase attacks Savage from behind and goes to work on him. The announcers act like they don't know where Elizabeth went, but the crowd explodes as she comes back with Hulk Hogan in tow. In the ring, DiBiase is wailing on Savage, but stops and stares when Hogan gets to ringside. DiBiase beats on Savage in the corner, then as the ref breaks it up, Andre grabs him. Here comes Hogan after Andre. A clothesline gets DiBiase a near-fall. A suplex gets him another. Next is a gutwrench suplex, but it's not enough either. After a bodyslam, DiBiase climbs the ropes. Savage catches him and slams him to the mat. Now he climbs the ropes and goes for the elbow, but misses. DiBiase locks on a sleeper, but Savage grabs the rope. However, it's right in front of Andre, who breaks Savage's hands from the rope. The referee gets involved. Meanwhile, with the ref distracted by Andre, Hogan sneaks into the ring. He's got a chair, and he nails DiBiase from behind. Savage looks around confused, but climbs back up to the top rope. This time he hits the big elbow. The referee counts. One. Two. Three. Winner: Randy "Macho Man" Savage

I'm torn on this. The match told a nice story, but this feels like WWF's attempt to put the belt on somebody who isn't Hogan, but still have Hogan responsible for the belt. It was a great moment for the fans, though, who blew the roof off with the win for Savage.


Overall Impressions

This was a pretty terrific show overall, with a few rough moments. Savage winning the title is, of course, the highlight. It was another good showing for Don Muraco as well, who I think is underrated. The Tag Team Championship match was really good as well. The Ultimate Warrior match was pretty awful, as was anything with One Man Gang.

Winners:
Randy Savage getting the win was a huge moment. He deserves his run at the top.
Announcing: Gorilla Monsoon is always solid, but Jesse Ventura was especially good. He kept his lean towards to heels, but not in such a ridiculous over-the-top fashion. This was his best performance.

Losers:
The referees look incompetent again. This is commonplace these days.
Ricky Steamboat has fallen way off the list of importance in the company at this point. His stock has sunk so far from just a year ago.


Things I Would Have Changed

I keep saying this, but stop with the finishes involving referees just blatantly ignoring the heel teams to let them do what they want. It cheapens matches. I would have had a different finish to the Savage championship win as well. Having Hogan proactively attack DiBiase steals a little bit of the thunder that Savage deserved. He could have been involved, and maybe taken out Andre while Macho did the work, or something. I don't like the way this was done. It feels like a concession to Hogan's ego.