Wrestlemania VIII (1992)
“Friendship Torn Apart!”, “The Macho/Flair Affair!”
– This piece has been edited as of January 2018. I took out any broken videos and cleaned it up some. The text remains the same. Added new display picture & poster.
Wrestlemania VIII drew 62,167 fans to the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis on April 5th 1992. The card included two main events (hence two taglines instead of one) of Randy Savage vs Ric Flair for the WWF Championship, and Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice. Gorilla Monsoon worked as lead commentator for the last time at a Wrestlemania event alongside Bobby Heenan, who served as full-time color commentator. Heenan did not play the wrestling manager role for the first time In Wrestlemania history, although he did show his support for Ric Flair by leaving the commentary booth to participate in a backstage interview after Flair’s match.
Production – The British Bulldog and Berzerker match did not take place due to time constraints. Hulk Hogan’s main event match was billed as his “last match”, however it was only billed as such to write him off due to the steroid scandal. Despite an announcement for the main event of Wrestlemania VIII to be Hogan vs Flair for the WWF Championship, the card was changed and the two main events were decided instead.
Ric Flair was the NWA/WCW’s biggest draw, however a dispute with WCW president Jim Herd encouraged Flair to leave the company in controversy with the “Big Gold Belt” representing the WCW Championship. He appeared on WWF programming with the belt, claiming to be the “real champion”. WCW was unable to reclaim the championship belt as Flair required his title belt deposit ($25,000) to be paid back before he would return it.
He never received his deposit, and WCW was forced to create a new championship belt and suffer the embarrassment of their title belt being shown on a rival broadcast. 113 days into his WWF career, Flair won the Royal Rumble to become WWF Champion, and set the record for least amount of days in the company before winning the title.
– I was intrigued by the booking of Wrestlemania VIII. Apparently, the “fans were robbed” of Hogan vs Flair for the WWF Championship because Hogan didn’t want to put Flair over (and vice-versa). I don’t see it that way. As Vince was dealing with the steroid scandal, it made sense for Hogan to have a one-off feud with someone like Sid then to spark a long term feud with Flair over the WWF Championship.
Vince wanted Flair to feud with someone who could work post-Wrestlemania, and Flair vs Savage continued for several months after. It was bad luck for the fans, as they were robbed by the steroid scandal, not because of Hogan’s ego. Also, Vince wasn’t to know Flair would return to WCW before Hogan would make a comeback. The only place Hogan vs Flair could have happened was here, but I can’t blame Vince for making alternative arrangements.
Before I talk about the card, I will highlight how many “Wrestlemania” wrestlers (up to this point) did not feature in any capacity: Hercules, Greg Valentine, Demolition, Jim Neidhart, Marty Jannetty and Dino Bravo.
Country Singer Reba McEntire sang The Star-Spangled Banner to start the show. After a slow start, she redeemed herself in the end as the fans gave her a standing ovation. Wrestlemania VIII was noticeably shorter to previous events, and featured nine matches (with one dark match) instead of 14-16. I have to admit, previous Wrestlemania events were long-winded in comparison.
Match #1 – Shawn Michaels (with Sensational Sherri) vs. El Matador – Michaels ditched The Rockers in favour of the Heartbreak Kid gimmick, which at this point was notoriously arrogant. Also it was funny to hear Sherri singing his theme instead from her point-of-view. Tito Santana was portraying El Matador, which is likely the inspiration for Los Matadores.
The match was average, which was a little disappointing. There was no history between them, so it was just to put Shawn over as an arrogant punk. Not sure if Sherri cheated to help Shawn win, as the camera wasn’t even close to showing it.
Following this, Gene Okerlund interviewed LOD and Paul Ellering (making his WWF debut). Hawk was suspended, so they were replaced in the tag team championship match by The Natural Disasters. The interview was cringe-worthy, as Animal channeled his inner-Hogan, Ellering slowed the pace, and Hawk saved it on occasion.
I love Legion of Doom, but this interview went on forever as they claimed to be the greatest team of all time, and how they were screwed out of a tag team title match. Thankfully, Hawk ended with “WHHHHAAATA RUUSSSHH!”, which immediately made you forget how terrible the previous few minutes were.
Match #2 – The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) vs. Jake Roberts – This was the last Wrestlemania match for Jake Roberts in his first stint with the WWF. Considering it was only the second time The Undertaker appeared at Wrestlemania, he was clearly the fan favourite (many Undertaker signs in the audience) while Roberts portrayed the heel. It was no wrestling clinic that’s for sure! I don’t really want to spoil anything here, although you likely already know the result. Roberts did the job, and the ending was superb.
Match #3 – Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper (c) – WWF Intercontinental Championship
This was Piper’s last match before a two-year hiatus. As Bret Hart lost the title to The Mountie on a house show, only for Piper to beat The Mountie shortly after, Bret demanded a title shot. Piper didn’t like his negative attitude during their interview .. so he got in his face.
I knew this would be a classic. Piper was noticeably smaller to previous years, and Bret had beefed up some. Oddly enough, Piper was the good guy and Bret was the bad guy. The match was excellent, and one of the reasons to watch Wrestlemania VIII. They had great chemistry, and the tempo of the match was solid. Piper showed his wrestling skills off to begin with, but as expected, it turned into a fight eventually. Hart was busted open (although it appeared he bladed, despite the “no-blood” policy), and his face became a crimson mask.
Piper thought about using the ring bell on Hart when the ref was knocked down, but after much thought (and everyone in attendance telling him to stop) decided not to. This was his downfall, as Hart surprised Piper by pushing off the ropes and rolling over into a pinning predicament. Piper was unable to kick out and lost the match. The aftermath saw Piper embrace a bloodied Bret Hart, as they showed respect for one another. Piper handed the belt over to Hart, and helped him to the backstage area, a rare sight from the Hot Rod. I loved every minute.
Following this, WBF superstar Lex Luger made a surprise appearance, as Heenan conducted an interview with him as he sat in a chair at home. Monsoon was horrified by the blatant arrogance portrayed by Heenan and Luger during the interview. Luger expressed his love for his perfectly chiseled physique, and after Heenan asked for a “sneak peek”, Luger obliged and gave Heenan what he always lusted after .. a good look at another dude’s body. Lovely.
Match #4 – Big Boss Man, Virgil, Sgt. Slaughter and Jim Duggan vs. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs and Jerry Sags), Repo Man and The Mountie (with Jimmy Hart) – Interviews between the two teams aired prior … but they were rather silly and forgetable. Ray Combs of Family Feud took a survey from the audience before the show, and he spent a good amount of time quoting negative remarks from fans over members of The Nasty Boy’s team. At first I thought it was a waste of time, but I was surprised to find myself laughing at some of the insults.
As expected, Ray Combs did not introduce Duggan’s team as the heels were so angered by the insults they tried to attack him, only to be cut off by the faces which started an all-out brawl. Needless to say, this match was a mess, I would rather have seen Bulldog vs Berzerker on the card. The Flair/Savage interviews were far more entertaining.
The Randy Savage interview I posted did not air on the live event, or given as a bonus on a DVD. On the PPV, Mooney claimed Savage wasn’t in the mood for interviews as he stood outside his dressing room. Lord Alfred Hayes (who also did not appear on the PPV) conducted the interview. It could only be found in the Coliseum Home Video exclusive. Enjoy!
Match #5 – Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) vs. Ric Flair (c) (with Mr. Perfect) – WWF Championship
As I’m sure many would agree, this was the true main event. Miss Elizabeth was not at ringside initially, she appeared later in the match after much interference from Mr. Perfect. Flair bladed at one point, and it was so obvious he was fined. As Miss Elizabeth walked down to ringside, she was surrounded by executives frantically trying to persuade her to return backstage. They remained at ringside for a while, as Miss Elizabeth repeatedly shooed them away. Savage took inspiration seeing Elizabeth at ringside, and the crowd was steaming hot. I was invested in the match too, even though I had seen this match a few years before, I didn’t realize the importance back then.
Flair dominated most of the match, however his cockiness was his downfall as Savage took advantage with a roll-up and a handful of tights. If the Hoosier Dome had a roof, it would have blown off. The fans went crazy as Flair appeared dumbstruck. Heenan was irate, and Perfect wasn’t sure what to do. Flair literally got in Elizabeth’s face by kissing her, which made Savage even madder than he already was. Savage attempted to kill (not literally!) Flair as executives and referees pulled them apart.
Before the match, Flair and Perfect claimed they were going to show a naked centerfold of Miss Elizabeth in the Hoosier Dome, but it never happened … so your guess is as good as mine. The aftermath is posted below, as Flair delivered a promo with his hair and face covered in blood, and Savage appearing supremely focused on making Flair’s life a living hell. In reality, Savage and Elizabeth were to be divorced soon, and the video below shows their last appearance together at a Wrestlemania event. Flair and Savage continued their feud without mentioning her absence in kayfabe.
Match #6 – Tatanka vs. Rick Martel – Just something to bridge the gap between the WWF Championship and Tag Team Championship matches. A weak match and nothing more.
Match #7 – The Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) vs. Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster) (c) (with Jimmy Hart) – WWF Tag Team Championship
I don’t know about this one. It was meant to be LOD vs Money Inc, but that couldn’t happen so we got this travesty instead. I was not a fan of Earthquake’s previous Wrestlemania work, and this one didn’t make me a fan either. Loving the name of the tag team, but I’m sure Earthquake and Typhoon as babyfaces was never going to work. The match was terrible, the crowd wasn’t into it, and Money Inc retained by walking away. Next!
Match #8 – Owen Hart vs. Skinner – Again, what is this? The match lasted just over a minute .. and Owen won with a roll-up. I suppose it was another bridge gap like the Tatanka match. Such a waste of Owen Hart’s talent. Following the string of bad matches, the hype for Hogan vs Sid began. Not sure what to make of Sid’s promos .. they seem to be loud for the sake of being loud. Hogan’s interview with Vince was so different to the usual “Hogan saves all the hulkamaniacs and swims to the mainland with them on his back” promos. Hogan appeared MUCH smaller, his face was thinner, his arms were not the pythons of previous years. His look was gone, and it’s rather coincidental considering the steroid scandal.
Match #9 – Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice (with Harvey Wippleman) – Hilarity ensued as Hogan made his way to the ring, only for his entrance music to carry on despite Sid attacking him. Once Hogan dispatched of Sid (with his music continuing to play), Hogan finished his entrance so his music could end. Got to feel bad for Sid right there, the writing was already on the wall.
So yeah .. the match was a mess. The winner was obvious, and the ending was botched by Papa Shango, who was meant to break up a pin-fall victory to make it a disqualification victory. As Shango took a lifetime to make it to the ring, Sid had to kick out of the pin. The referee disqualified Sid for no reason, as Shango finally made it to the ring. The Ultimate Warrior made a surprise entrance, and appeared smaller as they fended off Sid and Shango. Hogan and Warrior celebrated in the ring and sent the crowd home happy. I wasn’t too impressed with the main event, and I think Hogan/Sid should have been switched with Flair/Savage so the title match would close the show instead .. but that’s just my opinion.
Conclusion – Although I enjoyed the PPV overall, it really was an event of two halves. The quality of the matches were good (except the 8-man tag) until after the Flair/Savage match. I have praise and light criticism for the commentary team, as I felt Heenan and Monsoon provided much comic relief, but they often forgot to call the action. Heenan’s intensity remained throughout, until he almost lost his voice during the Flair/Savage match. By the time he got backstage to say his part in Flair’s interview, he was exhausted and barely got his words out. Nevertheless, the contrasts in their characters provided many hilarious comments and arguments. I’m going to miss hearing Gorilla on commentary, the original lead commentator of Wrestlemania. RIP.
Gorilla Monsoon Quotes
“They’re literally hanging off the rafters here at the Boston Garden.”
“He hit him in his occipital protuberance.”
“Madison Square Garden: The Mecca of professional wrestling.”
“Do something, ref, even if it’s wrong!”
“You don’t get paid in there by the hour.”
“The Garden has gone strictly bananas,”
“He doesn’t know a wristlock from a wrist watch.”
I hope you enjoyed the write-up as much as I enjoyed Wrestlemania VIII. It’s a PPV with two excellent matches, and breakthroughs for future Hall of Famers. Every Wrestlemania has its positives and negatives, and on this occasion I stay positive. The main event was a letdown .. to me, but I can imagine dedicated Hulkamaniacs and Warriors loving the moment for nostalgic reasons, and that’s fine with me.
Which match was better? Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart, or Ric Flair vs Randy Savage? Please leave an answer in the comments. It’s a tough choice for me, so I am going to let you decide. Thanks for reading.
