Backstory: Randy Savage won the WWF Championship Tournament at Wrestlemania IV by defeating Ted DiBiase with the help of Hulk Hogan. Hogan and Savage began to team up afterwards, billing themselves as The Megapowers and taking on a variety of heels for the next six months. The seeds of Savage's turn were planted at Royal Rumble '89, when Hogan dumped Savage from the Rumble. They made up, but finally broke apart for good a month later during a Saturday Night's Main Event when he got jealous of Hogan spending a little too much time with Elizabeth. Savage turned total rudo heel, and Hogan challenged him for the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania V.


And we're LIVE from the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey (just like the year before) on April 2, 1989. Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura.

Match 1: King Haku v. Hercules. Haku was still in his inital WWF run; Hercules was getting pretty close to the end of his usefulness. The match isn't that bad, but it's severely clipped down to 2 minutes on my tape. Hercules wins with a belly-to-belly suplex.

Match 2: The Rockers v. Big Bossman & Akeem the African Dream. The Rockers were hungover from partying through the whole pre-Wrestlemania weekend, and Jannetty was stoned. Quiet weekend! Standard big guys vs. little guys match, but fairly entertaining. The Twin Towers win after Akeem gets a splash on Shawn Michaels.

Match 3: Brutus Beefcake v. Ted Dibiase. Wow. DiBiase went from being a major contender for the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania IV to being in the 3rd match from the top at Wrestlemania V. Ends in a lame double countout after Virgil interferes. A double count-out at Wrestlemania?! Why bother?

Match 4: The Fabulous Rougeaus v. The Bushwhackers. As with everything else involving the Bushwhackers, a comedy match. The 'whackers win with their usual tomfoolery.

Match 5: Mr. Perfect v. The Blue Blazer. Blazer is NOT Koko B. Ware *or* Mo *or* Jeff Jarrett here—it's Owen Hart in one of his first WWF matches. He sadly died doing the Blazer gimmick 10 years later. It's during Hennig's initial run as well. A good little match between two of the more technically proficient wrestlers on the WWF roster at the time; Perfect wins after hooking the Perfectplex.

Run DMC does a song. You know you love it.

Match 6: Demolition v. The Powers of Pain & Mr. Fuji in a handicap match for the WWF Tag Team Championship. The Demos were just insanely over at this point. The match itself was set up by Demolition getting double-crossed by Fuji at the Survivor Series. These two teams met a zillion times during this period, and this match is just as bad as the rest. Fuji goes for the CEREMONIAL SALT OF DOOM, which misses, and Fuji is left alone with the Demos. Mr. Fuji, RIP. Demolition retains the Tag Team titles--this was smack in the middle of an astounding 18-month run they had with the belts.

Match 7: Dino Bravo v. Ronnie Garvin. For some extremely odd reason, Howard Finkel introduces Jimmy Snuka after the ring introductions. He walks out, takes a bow, and leaves. Huh?! Anyway, this is a total squash as Bravo goes to town on Garvin, who I don't even remember ever being in the WWF.

Match 8: The Brainbusters v. Strike Force. This is Rick Martel's comeback match after being beaten so badly by Demolition that he was injured for 10 months. Really awesome match, as Tito Santana plays the Face In Peril for ages until FINALLY tagging in Martel... who promptly walks out on him, shocking everyone and becoming an awesome heel on the spot. If you want to truly be hated, turn heel at Wrestlemania. Just ask HHH about that one, 10 years later. Anyway, the Brainbusters easily finish off Santana with a spike piledriver for the pin.

Piper's Pit with Brother Love. Some idiotic segment with Morton Downey, Jr. Piper kicks his ass. Standard Wrestlemania celebrity appearance.

Match 9: Jake Roberts v. Andre the Giant. Who can forget the "Andre is AFRAID of snakes!" storyline? I can. Big John Studd is the special referee. Big clusterfuck when Roberts pulls out Damian, Ted DiBiase runs in, Studd gets into the bruhaha, and that's all she wrote. No contest, I guess.

Match 10: The Hart Foundation v. Greg Valentine & Honky Tonk Man. There are an awful lot of matches put on this card just to take up time, and this is one of them. Honky Tonk Man gets the pin.

Match 11: Ultimate Warrior v. Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Longer than usual match for Warrior—that is to say, longer than 20 seconds. Rude wins in a MAJOR upset, as Ultimate Warrior was being pushed to the moon during this period (he'd win the WWF Championship exactly a year later, at Wrestlemania VI). Heenan, who caused the interference that allowed Rude to win, gets his ass royally kicked by Warrior after the match.

Match 12: Hacksaw Duggan v. Bad News Brown. Duggan has snot hanging out of his nose the whole match, and that's the nicest thing I can say about the whole segment. Double disqualification.

Match 13: Bobby Heenan v. Terry Taylor. Because Heenan was beat up by Warrior, the match lasts 10 seconds as Heenan misses a charge and gets pinned by Taylor. Yay! The Brooklyn Brawler, bless his soul, makes his lone Wrestlemania appearance and attacks Taylor after the match.

Match 14: Randy Savage v. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship. THE MEGAPOWERS COLLIDE! Can't hear that catchphrase enough. Miss Elizabeth is in a neutral corner. The champion (Savage) enters first, just so egomaniac Hulk Hogan can make the dramatic entrance. This is pretty much considered Hogan's best match ever. I know that doesn't say that much, but it happens to actually be pretty good in its own right. Hogan wins cleanly, becoming WWF Champion for the first time since Andre the Giant won/stole the belt from him thirteen months before. And the crowd goes apeshit.


There are an AWFUL lot of worthless matches on this card. But, if you can look past that, there's some damn good matches (including one involving the Big Orange Goblin, of all people) to m

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