Wrestlemania IV (1988) – “What the World is Watching” – Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall
Wrestlemania IV drew 18,165 fans to “Trump Plaza”. Donald Trump’s casino was sponsoring the event. The attendance pales in comparison to Wrestlemania III, however the venue was sold out weeks in advance, The commentary team of Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura remained. The show began with Gladys Knight singing a well-received America The Beautiful.
Before I delve into the sixteen match card, I would like to explain the WWF Championship situation. The title had been vacated due to controversy during a previous Hogan vs Andre match. A corrupt referee had made the pin fall, and Andre handed the title over to Ted Dibiase. The result was nullified, and the championship vacated, meaning Wrestlemania IV focused on a 14-man tournament to decide a new undisputed champion.
The participants included: Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Randy Savage, Ted Dibiase, One Man Gang, Don Muraco, Greg Valentine, Ricky Steamboat, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude, Bam Bam Bigelow, Butch Reed, Dino Bravo and Jim Duggan.
Aside from the WWF Championship tournament, the Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships were also on the line. A twenty-man battle royal started the show, and the winner received a large trophy.
Match 1 – Twenty Man Battle Royal including Bad News Brown, The Bolsheviks The Hart Foundation The Killer Bees, Danny Davis, George Steele, Harley Race, Hillbilly Jim, The Rougeau Brothers, The Young Stallions, Junkyard Dog, Ken Patera, Ron Bass, Sam Houston, and Sika
This was a disappointing battle royal. Junkyard Dog appeared to be the fan favourite, but was eliminated at the end as Bret Hart and Bad News Brown joined forces (as both were heels). Somehow Bret never thought that Bad News Brown would attack him from behind as they celebrated the elimination of JYD. He was the last wrestler eliminated (like Wrestlemania II), and the best part about all of it was watching Bret Hart destroy the seven foot trophy afterwards. This was the beginning of a face turn for the Hart Foundation.
The WWF used Bob Uecker (again), Vanna White and Robin Leach as guest celebrities. Uecker spent most of the night looking for Vanna. She spent a lot of time with Gene Okerlund giving her choices for the tournament, while also having no idea who Bob Uecker was. Robin Leach read a proclamation for the WWF Championship tournament to the live audience after the battle royal, and he also carried the WWF Championship to the ring for the main event.
Match 2 – First round tournament match – Ted DiBiase (with Virgil and André the Giant) vs Jim Duggan
And the tournament began … with
Screwy Finish #1. The match was fitting of the overall tone of the tournament. As this was meant to be a singles tournament, Gorilla was displeased with Ted DiBiase having Virgil and Andre in his corner. Duggan was busted open at one point, which was probably unintentional. Andre tripped Duggan behind the referees back to give DiBiase the easy victory.
Backstage with Gene Okerlund, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake cut a promo with his trademark shears. It was an average interview, as he continued to threaten the Honky Tonk Man’s hair and Intercontinental Championship.
Match 3 – First round tournament match – Don Muraco (with Superstar Billy Graham) vs Dino Bravo (with Frenchy Martin)
Considering the match only lasted five minutes, I enjoyed it. Muraco delivered a sweet gutwrench suplex early on (after completely botching a second rope elbow drop). Dino Bravo hit him with a nasty piledriver.
Screwy Finish #2 coming up. I was fooled by this finish completely until I saw the slow-motion replays The referee was knocked down by Muraco as he ran towards Dino Bravo. What I didn’t see (as the camera wasn’t in position, and it was quickly done) was Dino Bravo pull the referee in front of him like a shield.
And here’s the screwy part. The match continued with the referee down, and Bravo hit Muraco with his side suplex finish. Bravo went for the pin cover, as the referee woke
up and crawled towards them. Instead of counting the pin-fall, the referee tapped Bravo’s shoulder three times … and the bell rang. I literally said “what the hell happened there?”, as we waited forever for a decision. Eventually they told us Muraco had won by disqualification, as the referee noticed Bravo’s use of him as a shield. Muraco would advance as DQ victories were allowed.
Match 4– First round tournament match – Greg Valentine (with Jimmy Hart) vs Ricky Steamboat (with Little Dragon)
Steamboat carried his son, Richie Steamboat, down to ringside. I can’t say much about this match. The quality was clearly better than previous matches, but the ending was abrupt. Valentine rolled through on Steamboat’s trademark cross body, and used the tights to defeat Steamboat in just over nine minutes.
It was shocking to see Steamboat go down so easily, but I found out after the PPV that Steamboat was leaving the WWF, which explains it. The fans were robbed of a rematch between Steamboat and Randy Savage later in the night. Can we class that as
Screwy Finish #3? I think we can.
After the match we got to see the wonderful Donald Trump for a moment. Such a beautiful looking man, even in those days. After that we went backstage to Gene Okerlund, The British Bulldogs, Koko B. Ware, and Matilda. The Bulldogs explained how their dog Matilda, (who appeared docile) had gone under “weasel training”, to take down Bobby Heenan. I guess they expected Matilda to rip Heenan to shreds in the middle of the ring in their tag team match. That wasn’t going to happen obviously, but all their focus was putting Matilda over. She was the star.
Match 5 – First round tournament match – Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) vs Butch Reed (with Slick)
Ohhh Yeah! Randy Savage in his prime .. yeah. No one can stop Macho Madness. He was majorly over by this point, and the quality of his robes had improved a lot. Miss Elizabeth was carrying very expensive jewelry around her neck tool. The match against Butch Reed was short, and for the first time in this tournament, had no screwy finish. It was a squash match. The fans popped loud for the elbow drop.
Match 6 – First round tournament match – One Man Gang (with Slick) vs Bam Bam Bigelow (with Oliver Humperdink)
Screwy Finish #4? Within three minutes, Bigelow fell to the outside. He tried to get back in but One Man Gang blocked his way, and the referee decided to count Bigelow out anyway. Never seen anything like it. Lame. We know how good Bam Bam Bigelow was, which made the match embarrassing.
And then a wild Hulk Hogan appeared! This was something special. I don’t want to spoil anything, just listen to it!
Match 7 – First round tournament match – Rick Rude (with Bobby Heenan) vs Jake Roberts
Rick Rude and Jake Roberts? Should be a classic right? Sadly, no. It was a long match, and it dragged on in places. To my surprise there was a “boring” chant during a long chin lock. The match didn’t grab my attention like I expected, and it ended as a time-limit draw after 15 minutes. We didn’t even get to see a Damien spot. I was annoyed because it meant both men were eliminated from the tournament. One Man Gang would be given a BYE to the semi-finals. I guess they stunk the place out on purpose as they knew it was going to end badly.
Match 8 – The Ultimate Warrior vs Hercules (with Bobby Heenan)
Screwy Finish #5. This was the debut of The Ultimate Warrior, as he continued his feud with Hercules. They were not ready to end the feud yet, which explains why it ended like it did. Hercules hooked the Full Nelson in, and both men fell backwards. To me it looked like Hercules was covering Warrior, so when Warrior kicked out at two, and the ring bell sounded, I was left as confused as the Bravo/Muraco match.
They were in a position where you could argue both men were covering one another. I didn’t pick up on that until afterwards, as I tried to make sense of how Warrior managed to win.
Match 9 – Quarter-final tournament match – Hulk Hogan vs André the Giant (with Ted DiBiase and Virgil)
It would have been nice to show equality in this tournament. Hogan and Andre had automatic BYES to the second round, just because. There was more action from both men compared to Wrestlemania III. Even though I felt the match had lost some of its appeal, the fans remained excited. And then
Screwy Finish #6. Ted DiBiase hit Hogan in the back when the referee was distracted. Hogan got the chair somehow, and hit Andre with it right in front of the referee. Normally this would result in an instant DQ, but this is Hogan, so the referee just kinda stood there … staring. Andre got the chair and hit Hogan with it. The referee stood there and let it happen for a while, until he ended up disqualifying both men.
Hogan attacked all three men afterwards and was able to scare them off. Virgil took a suplex to the concrete floor and was never seen again. Hogan posed in the ring as Ventura blasted him for doing so. He felt Hogan had failed to advance, so he had no right to celebrate. I agree with Ventura.
We were blessed with a Randy Savage promo. He said Hogan had given his blessing, and he was going to win the tournament to become the new WWF Champion. Miss Elizabeth believed he was ready for it.
Match 10 – Quarter-final tournament match – Ted DiBiase vs Don Muraco (with Billy Graham)
DiBiase showed his class by defeating Muraco on his own in six minutes. Muraco didn’t do a lot to shine here. Not sure what else to say other than a quarter final match deciding the finals should be important and have more time. Following the match, Demolition made their Wrestlemania debut in a backstage interview. It was different to every other promo on the show. I can admit to not knowing a lot about Demolition, so the promo peaked my interest.
Match 11 – Quarter-final tournament match – Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) vs Greg Valentine (with Jimmy Hart)
I liked this match. It was one of the better matches on the card, and I liked the finish too. Valentine brought intensity (and Jimmy), as he took advantage early on. Savage made a comeback and finished him with a surprise roll-up. Savage took damage though, it was not a squash match. Savage would move on to a semi-final match against One Man Gang.
Match 12 – WWF Intercontinental Championship – Brutus Beefcake vs The Honky Tonk Man (c) (with Jimmy Hart and Peggy Sue)
Screwy Finish #7 … The match was acceptable. The fans were behind Beefcake, and Honky Tonk was working the match well. Beefcake hooked in the sleeper, then Jimmy Hart threw his megaphone at the referee on the six-minute mark. Honky Tonk was disqualified and retained the title. Beefcake grabbed Jimmy Hart after stealing his bag of hair equipment, literally pinned him against the steps, and cut his hair. Peggy Sue poured a bucket of water over Honky Tonk’s head to wake him up, so he could run away from an impending haircut.
We then witnessed the legendary Andre/Bob Uecker interview. Andre claimed Hulkamania was dead, and ended the interview wrapping his large hands around Uecker’s neck and choking him.
Match 13 – The Islanders (Haku and Tama) and Bobby Heenan vs The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) and Koko B. Ware
Good match! Some fast paced action, and Heenan tagging in when he could without taking damage. All of the guys contributed to the match in some way. Matilda and the parrot sat at ringside. The Islanders managed to pick up the win by picking Heenan up and splashing him down on Koko. Once again, The Bulldogs failed to get their Wrestlemania moment. Davey Boy Smith and Matilda chased Heenan afterwards .. and Davey picked Matilda up and put her on a fallen Heenan. Matilda had a confused look on her face as she had no idea what was happening. Not sure who was more distraught, Heenan or the dog.
Afterwards, Jesse Ventura stood up high and posed for the crowd, which was well received. I thought this was great, never seen anything like it. It was so random, but funny. Ventura should come out of retirement already. “Well, you know Gorilla?”
Match 14 – Semi-final tournament match – Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) vs One Man Gang (with Slick)
Third match of the night, third different ring gear and dress for Savage and Elizabeth. The robes worn by Savage glimmered so well, as did Elizabeth’s jewelry. Ready for
Screwy Finish #8? Ohhh Yeah you are! The match lasted four minutes, One Man Gang took Slick’s cane and hit Savage with it behind the referees back. He kept hold and continued to strike the mat as Savage dodged the attacks.
The referee turned to see One Man Gang striking the mat and disqualified him. So One Man Gang get’s disqualified immediately for missing an opponent with a cane, but Hogan & Andre don’t get disqualified right away for using a chair? Savage easily makes his way into the final match, but does so in disappointing fashion.
Match 15 – WWF Tag Team Championship – Demolition (Ax and Smash) (with Mr. Fuji) vs Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) (c)
The fans were worn out by this point, so neither team got much reaction. I enjoyed the match though, and Demolition proved to me why they became the longest reigning WWF World Tag Team Champions. They were really good as a unit against Strikeforce. I am looking forward to seeing more Demolition.
Screwy Finish #9. The match ended when the referee was bumped to the floor somehow. Santana punched Fuji on the ring apron, Fuji dropped his cane, Ax picked it up and hit Martel with it. Smash covered Martel as the referee came around and delivered the 1-2-3 to crown new champions.
Match 16 – Tournament final for the vacant WWF Championship – Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth and Hulk Hogan) vs Ted DiBiase (with André the Giant)
Screwy Finish #10! As you can imagine, Andre interfered early on, and this encouraged the fans to chant for Hogan to appear. After a few more interferences, Savage whispered something to Miss Elizabeth. She walked backstage, and in a short time, appeared again to escort Hogan down to the ring. Hogan served as the equalizer.
As DiBiase held Savage in a sleeper, Andre distracted the referee long enough for Hogan to come in and swing a chair at DiBiase’s back. This was odd for me, because Hogan was stooping down to DiBiase’s level to help Savage win the match. Savage hit his elbow drop shortly after, pinned DiBiase, and became the Undisputed WWF Champion.
The show ended with Macho Man, Miss Elizabeth and Hulk Hogan celebrating in the ring. Hogan gave his blessing, then Savage hoisted Elizabeth on to his shoulders, so the world could see he had the title and the girl. Overall, a very satisfying end to Wrestlemania IV.
Conclusion
Are you a Randy Savage fan? If you are, you have probably already seen this. If you haven’t, I would recommend it. At the same time I would warn you about the rest of the card. With at least ten screwy finishes, I felt like I was watching an episode of WCW Monday Nitro. It contrasted so much to previous Wrestlemania, as the majority of matches ended without controversy. I’m not sure what they were trying to achieve with so many odd finishes. The match quality throughout was average, although I believe the tag team/six man tag team matches were pretty good.
I cannot understand why they decided to go with a 14-man tournament. Why have Roberts/Rude in there if it’s just going to be a draw? The tournament included four BYES as well. It felt like the tournament (match quality/length) wasn’t really important, It was all to keep Hulk Hogan relevant after losing the title. They were afraid that Savage winning wouldn’t go over so well on its own, so they forced Hogan and Andre into the picture. Imagine how good the tournament would have been if Savage had fought the likes of Steamboat, Roberts/Rude, and Hogan to become champion? With no screwy finishes?
They wanted to put the belt on someone other than Hogan. Everyone knew DiBiase wasn’t up for the challenge on his own against either Hogan or Savage. It’s a confusing time in WWE history where they had two major babyfaces, but they didn’t want to turn either of them heel, so they forced them together. Everyone knew who the top two guys were.
Wrestlemania IV provided some classic moments. Randy Savage winning the title made the PPV worthy, but the rest of the card dragged it down. The overall show was not better than Wrestlemania III, and I cannot decide if it was worse than Wrestlemania II. The show was very long, and very average, but it wasn’t the worst PPV ever. I would recommend it to Randy Savage fans, otherwise you should give this one a miss. Thanks for reading. Wrestlemania V coming soon.
