Posted in: The Classroom The Classroom - History Of: WrestleMania Part 8
By Sean Taylor
Feb 3, 2009 - 5:19:08 AM
Yes, I cut your recess short because we have important things to discuss today. This is The Classroom and I am your educational leader, Sean Taylor. I hope you are all checking out the CSI Tournament going on in the LOP Columns Forum. We have some great columns being written there – and some are even written by columnists who aren’t me! Just kidding. You can check it out by clicking here.
But don’t go yet. Today’s lesson is all about WrestleMania VIII and there is a lot to talk about. I’m writing this just after learning that my brother is moving into a new place with three friends and a former lingerie model and so I’m attempting not be jealous of his newfound good fortunes by pumping out back-to-back columns. In a totally and completely unrelated note, if anyone knows a CURRENT lingerie model seeking a handsome, witty, Internet wrestling columnist and doesn’t mind being shown off in front of friends and family, let me know.
On with the lesson!
WrestleMania VIII
Date: April 5, 1992
Venue: Hoosier Dome (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Attendance: 62, 167
The world in 1992 was changing. Rap was taking over as the most popular form of music among young people. Barney the Dinosaur began teaching kids the alphabet, number, colours, and how to share. Concerned parents spoke out against the bloody and violent Mortal Kombat video game. And Right Said Fred announced, “I’m Too Sexy” in their one and only hit song.
Wrestling wasn’t changing yet but the foundation was being laid down. World Championship Wrestling (WCW) changed their television show’s name to WCW Saturday Night and were introducing stars from the former NWA to a more national audience. The AWA and WCCW territories were no longer running having lost most of their top talent to the WWE.
Starting with WrestleMania VIII, fans noticed that there was a drive to introduce, create, and push young talent more than they had in the past. WrestleMania VIII also became the first WrestleMania since the debut edition to feature less than ten matches allowing for more backstage interviews and storyline advancements. WrestleMania VIII emanated from the Hoosier Dome. It would be the last time the WWE would use a stadium for WrestleMania – opting for hockey arenas instead – until WrestleMania X-7 in 2001. It was also the first WrestleMania not to have a clearly given tagline.
Rockin’ No More
Country music superstar Reba McEntire sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” to start the festivities. The first match was “El Matador” Tito Santana versus a young “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Michaels and his Rockers tag team partner Marty Jannetty had been losing matches due to “miscommunication” and rumours of their split were being spread around the WWE. On December 2, 1991, The Rockers appeared on Brutus Beefcake’s Barbershop talk show to work out their differences and start anew. But Michaels had other ideas. After feigning interest in their tag team, Michaels Superkicked Jannetty and then threw him through a plate glass window portion of the set. Michaels then soon adopted the moniker “The Heartbreak Kid” (an idea given to him by Mr. Perfect) and was coupled with “Sensational” Sherri as a manager.
The initial plan for Michaels was to face Jannetty at WrestleMania VIII as a part of the Rockers split storyline. But Jannetty was overcome by personal demons (re: drugs and alcohol) and was released in March of 1992. Michaels was then booked to face perennial WrestleMania standby Tito Santana and maneuvered a sloppy pinfall victory.
Death of the Snake
In mid-1991, Jake “The Snake” Roberts entered into a feud with “Macho Man” Randy Savage after giving a cobra as a wedding present to Savage and Miss Elizabeth at their SummerSlam marriage. The feud continued until their payoff match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on February 8, 1992. Savage won the match and celebrated with Miss Elizabeth in the ring. Roberts waited behind the curtain with a chair in hand ready to hit whichever of the two walked through first. Just as Elizabeth was about to walk through the curtain, The Undertaker grabbed the chair preventing the attack. When Roberts was a guest on Paul Bearer’s Funeral Parlor talk show, Roberts asked Undertaker whose side he was on. Undertaker answered in his patented gravely voice, “Not yours.”
The Undertaker turned babyface and a match was set for WrestleMania VIII. Roberts did everything he could to take the Deadman off his feet but The Undertaker kept getting up. Finally, Roberts hit his DDT finisher but Undertaker sat up again. Roberts hit another DDT and went out after Paul Bearer. Undertaker sat up again and followed Roberts to the outside. Undertaker dropped Roberts with his Tombstone Piledriver on the outside floor before rolling him back into the ring and getting the pinfall.
Roberts left the WWE right after WrestleMania VIII upset that he wasn’t offered a position on the writing staff. He wouldn’t return for four years.
Canadian Showdown
Just two days before the 1992 Royal Rumble, The Mountie upset flu-ridden Bret “The Hitman” Hart for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. At the Royal Rumble, The Mountie dropped the title to “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. It was Piper’s first and only singles championship in the WWE. At WrestleMania VIII, the former champion Hart got a chance to regain his gold.
Both men were babyfaces and in a pre-match interview, Piper eluded to being a graduate of The Dungeon run by Bret’s father, Stu Hart. The match itself as a classic confrontation between a brawler (Piper) and a mat technician (Hart). Despite being known as a rule-breaking wrestler, Piper showed moments of heart. When Bret was knocked to the outside of the ring, Piper held open the ropes and allowed Bret free entry into the ring. Later on, the referee was knocked out and Piper grabbed the ring bell but couldn’t bring himself to use it. Even after Hart used the turnbuckle to gain the pinfall and become the new Intercontinental Champion, Piper showed he was a true professional and handed Hart is trophy. This match marked the first time Piper was ever pinned in his entire career.
Eight Man Warfare
The next match was an eight-man tag team match pitting “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Virgil, Big Boss Man and the recently babyface-turned Sgt. Slaughter against The Mountie, Repo Man (formerly Smash of Demolition), and the Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs/Jerry Sags). Family Feud host Ray Combs was the special guest ring announcer for the match and poked fun at the heel team with a mock survey of people from the crowd. The match quickly dissolved into a jumbled melee and Virgil ended up getting the pinfall over Nasty Boy Knobbs.
The Macho/Flair Affair
“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair was the top draw for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) but promoter Jim Herd didn’t quite see it the same way. Herd wanted Flair to cut his hair and change his name to Spartacus in order to “change with the times”. Flair refused and Herd fired him. When Flair signed with the WWE, he brought along with him the WCW World Championship belt (nicknamed “The Big Gold Belt) and claimed to be the “Real World’s Champion”. WCW sued Flair to get the belt back but Flair fought back claiming that he had put down a $25,000 deposit for the belt, which was a standard practice for NWA/WCW champions since the 1950s. WCW eventually paid Flair his $25,000 plus interest and Flair returned the belt.
Still proclaiming himself as the “Real World’s Champion”, Flair teamed up with financial advisor Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and executive consultant Mr. Perfect and targeted WWE Champion Hulk Hogan. At the 1991 Survivor Series, Hogan was facing The Undertaker. Flair walked to ringside and added a chair to Undertaker’s Tombstone Piledriver. The Undertaker pinned Hogan and became the new WWE Champion. Because of the controversial finish, WWE President Jack Tunney announced that a rematch would occur six days later at the This Tuesday In Texas pay-per-view special. Flair attempted to interfere again but failed. But with Tunney at ringside watching, Hogan threw ashes from Paul Bearer’s urn into Undertaker’s face, which led to Hogan regaining the title. Tunney announced that the title would be vacated and put up in the 1992 Royal Rumble.
Ric Flair won the WWE Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble and initial plans called for Hogan to challenge him at WrestleMania VIII. But Hogan got involved with a steroids scandal and had to take a hiatus. So Flair was put into a feud with the recently re-instated “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Flair produced photos of him and Savage’s wife Elizabeth in loving poses. The photos were actually of Savage and Elizabeth with Flair superimposed in Savage’s place. Flair continued wooing (no pun intended) Elizabeth, which raised the ire of Savage and a match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania VIII.
Flair and Perfect claimed to have a real photo of Elizabeth “au naturale” and after Flair won they planned on putting it up on the big screens of the Hoosier Dome. The match itself is sometimes underrated as one of the best matches in WrestleMania history. Savage and Flair wrestled for nearly twenty minutes and Savage eventually rolled up Flair, pulled the tights, and gained the three count. Elizabeth jumped into the ring and ran to her husband but was confronted by Flair. Flair kissed Elizabeth and Elizabeth retaliated with a series of slaps until Savage attacked. A post match brawl ensued that was broken up by WWE officials.
This match marks a couple of significant and/or trivia moments. This was the first time the WWE Champion was not involved in the main event of WrestleMania. Also elements of the Savage/Elizabeth/Flair love triangle would be copied by WCW for a Savage/Flair feud years later.
Tomahawk Chopping A Model
The following match featured Rick “The Model” Martel taking on the undefeated newcomer Tatanka. Tatanka portrayed a Native American warrior from the Lumbee tribe. Prior to his first WrestleMania match, actual members from the Lumbee tribe from North Carolina performed a tribal dance in the ring. Tatanka kept his undefeated streak alive by pinning Martel after a flying cross body.
Financial Disaster
In mid-1991, fan favourite and personal friend to Hulk Hogan, Tugboat, turned heel, changed his name to Typhoon, and joined forces with Earthquake to form The Natural Disasters. Managed by “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, they would challenge WWE Tag Team Champions Money Inc but always come out on the losing end. Money Inc – “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Shyster (IRS) – defeated the Legion of Doom and the Natural Disasters were shocked to see their manager in the corner of their archenemies.
Angered by Jimmy Hart’s betrayal, the Disasters used a rematch technicality in their contracts to get a title shot against Money Inc at WrestleMania VIII. Despite dominating most of the match, Earthquake and Typhoon wouldn’t win the titles as Money Inc walked to the back causing them to be counted out.
WrestleMania Milestone
The following match lasted only one minute and eleven seconds as Owen Hart defeated the evil gator wrestler Skinner (formerly Steve Keirn of the Fabulous Ones). This match was the 100th match to happen in WrestleMania history.
With Liberty & Justice For All
Sid Justice was another recent former WCW superstar acquired by the WWE. Justice stood six-feet nine inches tall, weighed over three hundred pounds, and was in great physical shape. Wrestling experts at the time, considered Justice to be the “next Hulk Hogan”. When Sid entered the WWE in July of 1991, he worked as a babyface feuding with The Undertaker and Jake Roberts but soon suffered a bicep injury.
At the 1992 Royal Rumble, Justice lasted until the final three alongside Hogan and Flair. Sid eliminated Hogan but Hogan grabbed his arm. While Hogan pulled Sid’s arm from the outside, Flair dumped Sid out of the ring to win the match and the WWE Championship. Hogan and Sid argued at ringside and had to be separated by WWE officials. On the January 25, 1992 episode of Superstars, a WrestleMania press conference was held to announce who Ric Flair would face at WrestleMania VIII. Before Jack Tunney announced the name, Justice stood up thinking it was him. But Tunney announced Hogan’s name. Sid was angry and called it “the most bogus act Jack Tunney has ever pulled off”.
After the press conference, Sid apologized to Hogan for his outburst and teamed up with Hogan to face The Undertaker and Ric Flair on Saturday Night’s Main Event. When Hogan desperately needed to tag out, Justice dropped the floor and walked out. On February 22, Justice destroyed the set of Brutus Beefcake’s Barber Shop and later that night, it was announced that Hogan would face Justice at WrestleMania VIII, not Flair.
At WrestleMania VIII, his new manager, Harvey Whipplemen, introduced Justice while Hogan came out to thunderous applause. This match was billed as possibly being Hogan’s retirement match due to family concerns and outside endeavours (movies, TV, etc). Sid dominated most of the match until Hogan “hulked-up” and delivered the Leg Drop but Whipplemen broke up the pinfall causing a disqualification. Then the voodoo-chanting Papa Shango (aka The Godfather) ran down to the ring to help beat down Hogan. Suddenly, the opening riffs of The Ultimate Warrior’s music played and the Warrior ran down to ringside to save Hogan. Warrior joined Hogan in his celebratory poses as WrestleMania VIII went off the air.
Other Notes of Interest
The dark match prior to WrestleMania VIII saw the Bushwhackers (Luke/Butch) defeat newcomers The Beverly Brothers (Beau/Blake).
The scheduled match between the “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith and the Berzerker was cut from the lineup due to time constraints. Presumably because of the twenty-minute Savage/Flair match.
The ending of the main event didn’t quite go off as planned. Papa Shango was scheduled to be the one to break Hogan’s pin but missed his cue. So Justice was disqualified for Whipplemen’s interference instead.
During the match against Savage, Ric Flair cut his head – “bladed” – to cause it to bleed. This was and continues to be a standard process for professional wrestlers but unfortunately Flair was caught doing it on camera. For revealing one of wrestling’s protected tactics and possibly breaking the suspension of disbelief for the audience, Flair was reportedly fined several thousand dollars.
Many fans that saw the Warrior’s return didn’t believe it was the same man who had portrayed the original Ultimate Warrior. The new Warrior didn’t seem to as ripped as they had remembered and his hair was cut shorter. Many fans actually believed that the original Warrior had died and the WWE found a look-a-like to replace him. This was untrue. The only man to ever portray the Ultimate Warrior was Jim Hellwig or Warrior after his legal name change in 1996.
Each year’s WrestleMania was an improvement from the previous one. New matches, new storyline, new wrestlers. Every year the event would, metaphorically speaking, blow the roof off of the building. But what would happen if WrestleMania . . .
. . . didn’t have a roof?
Well that about wraps up Part 8. As always, I thrive and survive on your feedback so either post it in the feedback forum or email it to me here. I’m still jealous about my brother getting to live with a lingerie model so I’m going straight to bed from here. Part 9 will be coming out soon and I’ll have the return of the Pop Quiz then.
Gold Star Achievements
Since it’s only been a day or two since my last post, I only have one new column for you to check out. But I think it’s worth a look. The Phatman Diaries – The Commentator Part 1 by Phatman
And also don’t forget:
