wrestling recap

Wrestling Recap: Hogan vs. Warrior (Halloween Havoc ’98)

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The Date: 25 October 1998
The Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena; Paradise, Nevada
The Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Mike Tenay
The Referee: Nick Patrick
The Stakes: Grudge match

The Build-Up:
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) changed the wrestling industry on 4 September 1995 by airing the first episode of WCW Monday Nitro in direct competition to the World Wrestling Federation’s (WWF) Raw is War, kicking off the “Monday Night Wars” that saw WCW dominate for a staggering eighty-four weeks. WCW accomplished this by signing some of wrestling’s biggest names to lucrative contracts. with perhaps their biggest coup being signing the undisputed face of the WWF, “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan, after being wooed by promises of big paydays and future film roles. While his initial run saw Hogan going though the motions of his usual hero shtick, he reinvigorated his career when he turned heel, rechristened himself “Hollywood” Hogan, and ran roughshod throughout WCW alongside the New World Order (nWo). Despite being relieved of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in controversial fashion, Hogan and the nWo continued to dominate Nitro, leading to his old rival, the Ultimate warrior, to sign with WCW after numerous disagreements with the WWF. The Warrior’s arrival had been previously teased with a lookalike, the Renegade, but the real deal finally debuted in WCW in May 1998, going on a half-crazed rant, forming the “One Warrior Nation” (oWn), and critically injuring Davey Boy Smith with a gimmicked trapdoor. The Warrior would haunt Hogan with ridiculous mind games and tricks, which resulted in a dangerous fireball botch in this match, which is generally considered to be one of the worst matches in WCW history and incomparable to their WrestleMania VI classic.

The Match:
I’m somewhat amazed that Hogan didn’t politic his way into the main event spot of Halloween Havoc, which instead went to Goldberg’s much-celebrated victory over Diamond Dallas Page. While the commentary team big up the Warrior’s “magnificent body”, it’s clear he’s less than “Ultimate” here and much smaller than in his prime. Still, the crowd seemed anxious for the two old rivals to lock horns once more and, after a brief tie-up, Hogan took the early advantage with a knee to the gut and some clubbing blows into the corner. However, while working over the Warrior’s wrist, Hogan was overpowered and trapped in an arm lock then sent to the canvas by a hard shoulder block. After recuperating on the outside and dictating the pace of the early going, Hogan baited the Warrior into a test of strength, muscling the Warrior into another corner and deliver a beatdown. However, when Hogan clasped his hands to the Warrior’s and forced him to his knees, dominating and mocking his opponent, the Warrior powered up and overpowered Hogan, receiving a gut kick for his efforts. Hogan continued to dominate, keeping him on his knees and forcing him to expend precious energy, only for Hogan to keep his grip on the Warrior’s wrist. An Irish whip led to them criss-crossing until Hogan planted the Warrior with a scoop slam. However, as Hogan showboated, the Warrior popped up and hit a scoop slam of his own before awkwardly clotheslined Hogan over the top rope. The Warrior quickly followed, beating and slamming Hogan’s head against the security railing, smashing Hogan’s forehead off the ring post after raking the Warrior’s eyes.

A plodding match with a strange botch and an egotistical win for Hogan.

The match quickly returned to the ring, where Hogan accidentally collided with the referee and then doubled down by dropping a knee on him so the nWo could interfere. However, the Warrior dodged the Giant’s big kick and took both him and Stevie Ray out, only for the referee to miss his cover over Hogan. A back suplex scored Hogan a two count, so he repeatedly rammed his knee into the Warrior’s spine and whipped and choked him with his belt. Though he missed his signature Big Splash, the Warrior avoided Hogan’s elbow drops and returned the favour by whipping Hogan with his own belt. As Nick Patrick reprimanded the Warrior, Hogan struggled with some flash paper, resulting in the flames fizzling out in his hands and completely missing the Warrior’s eyes! Undeterred, the Warrior hit two top rope axehandles, somehow busting Hogan open. Hogan then hit an Atomic Leg Drop, but missed a second, allowing the Warrior to “pump up” and floor Hogan with repeated clotheslines. However, when the Warrior tried to win, Eric Bischoff distracted the referee, and Horace Hogan surprisingly cracked the Warrior over the head with a steel chair. This allowed Hogan to get his win back, though, luckily, WCW officials kept the Hogans from setting the Warrior on fire. I’d heard that this was a stinker, but honestly it wasn’t any better or worse than most Hogan matches. It actually had a bit of energy, with Hogan berating and clawing at the Warrior with an intense hatred, though the story of the Warrior being this resilient, powerful force fell completely flat as he was on the backend for most of it. The fireball botch was embarrassing, for sure, and the interference was annoying, and it’s definitely not on par with their WrestleMania VI match, but I’ve seen far worse efforts from Hogan.

The Aftermath:
Despite WCW going to great lengths to sign the Warrior and get him back in the ring with Hogan, this was Jim Hellwig’s last match in WCW. The last of three, I might add. He showed up on WCW Monday Nitro to rescue the Disciple from the nWo and then left the company, and the wrestling industry, prior to a brief return to the ring for the Nu-Wrestling Federation in 2008. Unfortunately, even the cataclysmic error that saw many viewers miss the Halloween Havoc main event match couldn’t distract wrestling critics from tearing this match apart. It was labelled a disaster only surpassed by the Warrior’s bizarre and lukewarm debut in WCW, with both competitors throwing barbs at each other for years to come regarding their respective attitudes and talents. Still, after years of being estranged from and vilified by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, made amends with Hogan, and gave a rousing speech to his fans that became disturbingly prophetic after he was found dead the very next day.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the long-awaited rematch between Hogan and the Warrior? Were you excited to see the Warrior in WCW? What did you think to his crazed rants and parlour tricks? Were you disappointed when the fireball spot went wrong? Do you think this match is as bad as everyone says? Were you happy to see the Ultimate Warrior honoured by the WWE after so many years of animosity? Which Halloween Havoc match is your favourite? Share your thoughts on this infamous match below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Kane vs. Austin (King of the Ring ’98)

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The Date: 28 June 1998
The Venue:  Civic Arena; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: First blood match for the WWF Championship and Kane’s life!

The Build-Up:
The day after my twelfth birthday (and clashing with Global James Bond Day), on October 5th 1997, Glenn Jacobs made a dramatic debut as Kane, the scarred, monstrous younger half-brother of the Undertaker. Following this, Kane ran wild throughout the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF), attacking everyone in a bid to force his reluctant brother to face him in the ring. Eventually, the Undertaker acquiesced, leading to two defeats for the Big Red Machine. However, on 1 June 1998, Kane defeated the Undertaker on Raw is War to become the number one contender to the WWF Championship, the company’s top prize, which was held by the phenomenonal “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. At the time, Austin was embroiled with an industry-defining feud with WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, refusing to confirm to Vince’s demands and openly defying the chairman’s authority with a brazen attitude. After repeatedly fending off Vince’s misguided stooge, Dude Love, Austin faced a physical threat like no other when Kane challenged him to this “First Blood” match. Speaking for the first time via a voice modulator, Kane drenched Austin with a blood bath and raised the stakes of the match by promising to immolate himself if he didn’t win the title!

The Match:
I think Kane said it best when he once stated that few people remember him winning the WWF Championship on this night thanks to the absolute war the Undertaker and Mankind enacted in the previous match! They didn’t even put a match between the Hell in a Cell and the main event to cool the audience down! I always remember it, though, since I was such a huge Kane fan back in the day and it saw him capture the WWF’s biggest prize from their most successful superstar, and all so soon after his initial debut. Proving that he isn’t some muscle-bound meathead, Kane sported a new attire for this match that completely covered every part of his body, making it seem all-but impossible that any trace of blood could be detected by the referee. Austin fearlessly stormed to the ring, his right arm heavily bandaged following a staph infection, and immediately hit his signature Lou Thesz Press and running elbow drop. Austin then clobbered Kane with the championship belt and removed a turnbuckle pad, though neither man could take advantage of the exposed bolt. Kane quickly ended Austin’s onslaught with some powerful strikes and chokes, shrugging off Austin’s blows but failing to hit the Tombstone Piledriver and being pushed outside. As they brawled around the ring, Austin bounced Kane’s face off the ring steps and the Hell in a Cell started to lower, much to J.R.’s anger. After whipping Austin into the steel steps, Kane ran him into the lowering cage and tried to crush Austin under the cell as it locked into position. Austin’s face bounced off the cage once more and J.R. quickly explained that the minor scratch on the Rattlesnake’s back wouldn’t count towards the match stipulation, allowing Kane’s decimation of the champion to continue. Austin began a comeback by ramming Kane’s head into the cell door, leading to Kane being lifted off the ground when the cage inexplicably rose! After a nasty tumble, Kane was repeatedly rammed into the security guardrail and walked up the entrance ramp, only for Austin to take an ugly back body drop to the concrete and a suplex on the rampway.

Despite a dominating performance, Kane didn’t look like a winner by the end of this mediocre match.

Kane smashed Austin’s head off a light and tossed a security railing at his head as McMahon watched anxiously from his luxury skybox. Austin brought the action back to the ring and finally bashed Kane’s head off that exposed ring bolt, choking him on the ropes and then taking him back outside to smash him over the head with an electrical fan. A touch more brawling led to Earl Hebner being taken out when Kane choke-tossed Austin at the railing. Kane then nailed his Diving Clothesline, though Austin countered a second attempt and stomped on Kane in the corner. This led to Mankind (somehow still not dead) inexplicably running in with a steel chair, though he never got a chance to use it as Austin quickly fought him off and planted him with a Stone Cold Stunner. This distraction allowed Kane to recover, though Austin booted Kane in the balls when he went for a Chokeslam and blasted him with a Stone Cold Stunner as well. J.R. just about had a coronary when the Undertaker came limping out to swing a steel chair at Mankind, but blasted Austin when Foley dodged the shot. The Undertaker clobbered Kane and Mankind and manhandled the referee back into the ring, reviving him with one of the gasoline cans, only to be smacked from behind by Kane. Austin frantically fought Kane off and damn near took his head off with a chair shot, but it was ultimately academic as Austin was bleeding profusely from the Undertaker’s chair shot! Thus, the unconscious Kane was declared the winner and a stunned, bloody Austin was left arguing with the referee. It would’ve been tough for any match to top the Hell in a Cell that preceded this one, but this match lacked a lot of energy. It told a good story of Austin being physically dominated by Kane, who clearly had the upper hand and allowed Austin to be a scrappy underdog, but there wasn’t much to this one. The ending has always irked me as it seemed like the Undertaker didn’t mean to hit Austin, yet he revived the referee to help Kane win, despite the two still attacking each other. Kane also looked pretty weak in the end as he was flat on his back when he was announced as the winner.

The Aftermath:
While many people might remember King of the Ring 1998 more for the brutal Hell in a Cell match, a greater and far less impressive footnote came out of the match as Austin confronted Kane over his tainted victory the very next night on Raw is War, challenging him to be a man and grant him a rematch. Austin won the match, regaining the championship and ending Kane’s title reign at around twenty-four hours, and all because the WWF had booked themselves into a corner with the ludicrous immolation stipulation! Still, Kane and Austin continued to feud into July, where the Undertaker and Austin defeated Kane and Mankind to become WWF Tag Team Champions. After defeating the Undertaker at SummerSlam, Austin was pinned by both Brothers of Destruction at Breakdown: In Your House, leading to the title being vacated and Austin being fired at Judgment Day: In Your House when he referred a match between the two and it ended in a no contest. This led to the infamous “Deadly Game” tournament at Survivor Series, where the Rock captured his first WWF Championship and the escalation of Austin’s war with the McMahons. As for Kane, it would take ten years for him to win another World Championship when he captured the revived Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) title at WrestleMania XXIV, and twelve years before he became a WWE Champion again, with him finally besting his brother in a heated rivalry over the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2010 Bragging Rights event.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to Kane’s anti-climactic title win at King of the Ring 1998? Were you surprised when Kane won or did you really think he was going to set himself on fire? Do you think it was a mistake to air this match after the Hell in the Cell match? What did you think to Kane dropping the title the very next night? How are you celebrating Kane’s debut this year? What are some of your favourite matches and moments from Kane’s long and complex career? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below to let me know what you think about Kane, and go support me on Ko-Fi.

Wrestling Recap: Rock vs. Lesnar (SummerSlam ’02)

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The Date: 25 August 2002
The Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum; Uniondale, New York
The Commentary: Michael Cole and Tazz
The Referee: Mike Chioda
The Stakes: Singles match for the Undisputed Championship

The Build-Up:
By 2002, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was in a state of flux. After their main rival, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), went out of business and the company was purchased by Vince McMahon, an ill-fated “Invasion” angle saw WCW superstars appear on World Wrestling Federation (WWF) programming. Once this storyline was abruptly ended, the WWF was legally forced to rebrand as WWE and, to keep the spirit of competition alive, the first-ever “brand split” occurred. This meant WWE Superstars and championship belts would be exclusive to either Raw or SmackDown!, with each brand favouring a different presentation (Raw focused more on storylines while SmackDown! focused on in-ring wrestling). Despite this, there was still one top prize in the company, the WWE Undisputed Championship, which “The People’s Champion”, the Rock, had captured the previous month. In a first for the WWE, the Rock’s SummerSlam challenger was decided at the annual King of the Ring tournament, which was won by newcomer Brock Lesnar. Debuting the night after WrestleMania X-8 and embarking on a tear, the monstrous Lesnar was an accomplished amateur wrestler and champion who quickly made a name for himself by decimating his opponents. Coined “The Next Big Thing” by his agent, Paul Heyman, Lesnar went unpinned following his debut and even made short work of the legendary Hulk Hogan on his path to the championship. After winning the King of the Ring, Lesnar immediately targeted the Rock, interfering in his matches and engaging in brawls, and much of the build-up for the match emphasised the training and conditioning the two were undergoing in preparation for it.

The Match:
I remember when Brock Lesnar first debuted, decimating opponents with powerbombs and his sick-ass F-5. At the time, I was somewhat unimpressed; he just looked like a generic big guy, after all. He rarely spoke (and, when he did, he sounded awful), and he didn’t have the same aura or charisma as, say, Batista, who debuted around the same time. Yet, I remember being very surprised when Lesnar won the King of the Ring and was catapulted to this main event match and I have to at least give the WWE credit for actually trying to push new stars in the main event scene. While the audience was in relative awe of Lesnar during his entrance, the Rock’s initial pop was soon joined by a chorus of boos since everyone knew he was leaving to film The Scorpion King (Russell, 2002). Yet, undeterred, the Rock sprinted out to kick off a slugfest with his monstrous young challenger. With the crowd chanting “Rocky sucks!”, Lesnar shut down the Rock’s flurry with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and repeated backbreakers, scoring a couple of two counts. Targeting the Rock’s already injured ribs, Lesnar repeatedly drove his shoulder into the Rock’s gut in the corner and then punted him out of the ring, where Heyman landed a cheap shot to the champion. Lesnar followed, knocking the Rock over the barricade and muscling him into it before the braying crowd. Back in the ring, Lesnar landed an overhead throw for another two count and Heyman tripped the Rock as he mounted a comeback, leading to the champion being stomped and choked on the canvas. A powerslam shut down another Rock comeback, who continued to be berated by the extremely vocal crowd as Lesnar worked the ribs. This eventually cost him when the Rock caused Lesnar to hit the ring post and, after both leapt to their feet and Lesnar challenged the Rock to knock him down, the Rock scored his first two count off a DDT. The Rock decked Heyman and then tied Lesnar into a Sharpshooter (to a sea of boos), but Heyman tossed a chair into the ring. With the referee distracted, Lesnar drove the chair into the Rock’s injured ribs and slapped on the bearhug that “retired” Hulk Hogan. Much to the chagrin of the crowd, the Rock fought out of the hold, hitting a low blow when the referee was distracted (to yet more boos!)

Lesnar’s dominating performance saw the monstrous youngster capture his first WWE Championship.

Lesnar quickly recovered, though, muscling the Rock into the corner, only to get dropped by a massive clothesline and smacked out of the ring. Visibly pissed by the crowd’s apathy and boos, the Rock tore apart the Spanish announce table, slamming Heyman face-first into it and absolutely launching Lesnar into the ring post! This gave the Rock the chance to hit a Rock Bottom on Paul Heyman through the announce table before tossing Lesnar back into the ring to hit another Rock Bottom. However, Lesnar kicked out at two, much to the delight of the crowd and the astonishment of the champion. Lesnar then surprised the Rock by suddenly hitting his own Rock Bottom (or “Brock Bottom”, as Tazz coined it) for another near fall! The Rock then countered an Irish whip, hit with a spinebuster, and prepared to hit the People’s Elbow…only for Lesnar to spring up and whip him out with a clothesline. However, the Rock slipped free when Lesnar went for his patented F-5 and tried for the Rock Bottom twice more. Each time, Lesnar fought back, but the second time saw him scoop the Rock up and annihilate him with the F-5! And, just like that, Brock Lesnar became the youngest WWE Champion in history, much to the adulation of the crowd, who showered the Rock with boos and insults. This was a decent enough match that told a very simple story of the fired-up veteran being absolutely dominated by his young, upstart challenger. The Rock showed no fear, constantly fighting out of the challenger’s holds, but was no match for Lesnar’s pure power. There was a story here about how the Rock’s veteran instincts weren’t to be counted out, but it wasn’t played into much since he spent most of the match on the receiving end of a beatdown. The most interesting thing, for me, is the crowd completely turning on the Rock, to the point where he was clearly annoyed by their jeers. When he tried to do a speech after the match, the crowd absolutely tore him apart, leading to him washing his hands of them.

The Aftermath:
As mentioned, the Rock left the WWE for about six months to film The Scorpion King, so he never got a rematch with Brock Lesnar for the title. In fact, the two never fought again in a televised match and, when the Rock did return, it was as an arrogant Hollywood superstar heel. Lesnar’s win meant the WWE Undisputed Championship became exclusive to the SmackDown! brand, leading to the belt being rechristened the WWE Championship. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff repurposed the WCW Championship as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for Triple H, kicking off his “reign of terror” with the belt. As for Lesnar, he spent the next few months defending the belt against the Undertaker, leading to a brutal and dominant Hell in the Cell victory at No Mercy, and Edge, before being screwed out of the championship when Paul Heyman turned on him in favour of the Big Show at Survivor Series. Lesnar would turn face in the aftermath, regain the belt (and suffer a nasty concussion) at WrestleMania XIX, and spent most of 2003 feuding with Kurt Angle. He eventually turned heel again and realigned with Paul Heyman before finally dropping the belt to Eddie Guerrero and eventually leaving the WWE in controversial fashion.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the generational clash between the Rock and Brock Lesnar? Were you impressed by Lesnar back then? What did you think to Lesnar’s dominating performance? Were you surprised that the crowd turned on the Rock? What did you think to Lesnar’s first run in the WWE? Which SummerSlam match or event is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts on Rock vs. Lesnar, and SummerSlam, leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wresting Recap: Women’s Money in the Bank (2017)

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The Date: 18 June 2017
The Venue: Scottrade Center; St. Louis, Missouri
The Commentary: Tom Phillips, John “Bradshaw” Layfield/JBL, Byron Saxton
The Referees: Danilo Anfibio, Jason Ayers, Mike Chioda, Dan Engler, Charles Robinson, and Ryan Tran
The Stakes: Five-woman ladder match for a chance to cash-in on a World Heavyweight Championship at any time within a year

The Build-Up:
Since World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has dominated the wrestling landscape, they’ve understandably been at the forefront of creativity with their celebrated Superstars, their impact on pay-per-view entertainment, and the creation of memorable matches. The company has long awed audiences with their Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) matches, a concept “Y2J” Chris Jericho took to the next level when he came up with the “Money in the Bank” ladder match. Debuting at WrestleMania 21, this multi-man ladder match saw the winner retrieve a briefcase to cash in for a championship match anywhere, anytime and immediately became an annual fixture following its first self-titled event. However, for about ten years, the gimmick was exclusive a men-only match, unsurprising considering women’s wrestling was long an afterthought in the WWE, where cheerleaders and models rolled around in mud pits. In 2015, competitors like Paige were at the forefront of changing the perception of women’s wrestling and, after Stephanie McMahon took credit for spearheading a revolution in the division, the women finally got their first-ever all-female WWE pay-per-view event. Though not a ratings success, WWE’s female superstars continued to push for a bigger spotlight, leading to this first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. The match came about after the competitors all brawled with each other and demanded a shot at SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi, leading to SmackDown Live General Manager Shane McMahon to announce the match and further fire up the competitors. Accordingly, much of the build-up regarding this match focused on the historic nature of it being the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, and many of the competitors sought to live up to their family’s legacy and set a new standard not just for the women of the WWE, but for all of wrestling.

The Match:
These days, it’s not uncommon for big matches and championship bouts to open shows. The Money in the Bank pay-per-view often staggers these extreme, violent, and pulse-pounding bouts so they open and close the show, thus ensuring the crowd doesn’t get burned out. This explains why the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match opened the show in 2017, though I do think it should’ve taken the main event slot just to add extra emphasis on the groundbreaking event. Regardless, the match featured some of the top women’s competitors at the time in the WWE, and perhaps ever, including two of NXT’s lauded “Four Horsewomen”: The overrated and insufferable “Queen” Charlotte Flair and the fiery Becky Lynch (some time before her incredible run as “The Man”). They were joined by Tamina (truly the odd one out), Carmella (accompanied by flash-in-the-pan sensation James Ellsworth), and a staple of the women’s division, Natalya. As soon as the bell rang, they all dashed outside to grab a ladder, except for Becky and Tamina, who duked it out in the ring before Tamina asserted her dominance and teased the first climb of the match. Charlotte quickly stopped to that and took over as queen bee, downing her foes with her long legs and suplexes, before Tamina took her out, crushed Becky in the corner, and destroyed Carmella with a Samoan Drop. Obsessed with keeping her ladder, Tamina superkicked Natalya to the canvas and catapulted her into the ladder after setting it up in the corner. After collapsing it onto Becky, Tamina was driven into the ladder by Charlotte, though she got dumped back outside by Natalya before she could do any more damage and Tamina finally dropped after Becky blasted her with the ladder. Becky and Natalya then fought over the ladder in a tug o’ war that ended with Becky being slammed spine-first onto it.

A disappointing bout with too many dead spots and an awful ending…but at least Charlotte didn’t win!

Though Natalya set the ladder up, she took too long positioning and climbing it, allowing Charlotte to hit an electric chair drop just as Natalya’s fingers grazed the briefcase. Carmella then cut off Charlotte’s climb, beating and clambering over her as she was caught in the rungs, resulting in the two exchanging shots at the top of the ladder, Charlotte almost unhooking the briefcase, and both being dumped when Tamina toppled the ladder. Natalya and Becky then resumed their rivalry, with Natalya tying Becky into the Sharpshooter. Carmella broke the hold and attacked Natalya before Charlotte squaring off with Charlotte, before Charlotte took a nice double-underhook suplex from Natalya. A whip into a ladder and a springboard kick saw Becky take Natalya out to begin her climb, before being whipped into and flung off a corner ladder courtesy of Carmella’s handstand headscissors. Charlotte reasserted herself with her big kicks but Tamina intercepted her as she went for the briefcase, resulting in both tumbling to the canvas following a headbutt. A Spear from Charlotte saw Tamina awkwardly tumble outside, and another saw her clumsily collide with the ring steps, before Charlotte took down Tamina and Natalya (and herself) with a corkscrew moonsault to the outside. Becky cut Carmella off with a powerbomb and, with the crowd behind her, clambered to the briefcase…only for James Ellsworth to topple the ladder to a cascade of boos! With Carmella unresponsive, Ellsworth climbed on her behalf and unhooked the briefcase, resulting in Carmella becoming the first-ever Ms. Money in the Bank, to a cacophony of displeasure and disbelief from both the crowd and some of the referees.

The Aftermath:
This was a disappointingly slow and uninteresting affair, save for the controversial, insulting, and absolutely ridiculous ending. Unlike most ladder and Money in the Bank matches, the competitors largely spent their time on the outside, leaving just two to four women in the ring at once, which was weird as half of them hadn’t really received that much damage! The match was structured to paint Tamina as a dominating force, which kind of worked but Charlotte also had to be a dominating figure and completely stole her thunder, as bland as Tamina is. The crowd favoured Becky and Natalya as plunky underdogs and fighting spirits, but were in uproar at Carmella’s win, and that she needed a man to get the victory! There was basically no extreme spots, no ladder play beyond the basics, and nothing memorable about this first women’s Money in the Bank contest except for its ludicrous conclusion (which is best forgotten!) Perhaps in an effort to course-correct, or perhaps as part of their awful booking, the WWE immediately addressed the controversy on the following episode of SmackDown Live, where Ellsworth defended the outcome since the match had “no rules”. However, General Manager Daniel Bryan decided that wasn’t fair and stripped Carmella of the briefcase. He thus had the six women redo the match in the main event of the show, banning Ellsworth from the arena, only for Carmella to win anyway! Carmella held the briefcase for just under a year, finally cashing in on Charlotte in April 2018 to become the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Despite successfully defending the belt against Charlotte and the “Empress of Tomorrow” Asuka, Carmella was dethroned in August…by Charlotte. Natalya defeated the other competitors at Battleground to become the number one contender, capturing the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Naomi at the 2017 SummerSlam. Becky, Carmella, Natalya, and Tamina were also forced to co-exist in a traditional Survivor Series match, the build-up to which saw Becky’s popularity skyrocket following an errant shot by Nia Jax. Following this inaugural women’s Money in the Bank match, the WWE’s female competitors have competed for the briefcase at every subsequent Money in the Bank pay-per-view, cementing their legacy in the stipulation.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank match? Were you pissed about the ending or did you think it garnered great heel heat for Carmella? Who was your pick to win? Were you disappointed by lack of big ladder spots? Which of the competitors was your favourite? Were there any competitors you would’ve liked to see included in this first match? What’s your favourite women’s Money in the Bank match? Whatever your thoughts on the Money in the Bank match, share them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling reviews!

Wrestling Recap: Hogan & Rodman vs. Luger & Giant (Bash at the Beach ’97)

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The Date: 13 July 1997
The Venue: Ocean Center; Daytona Beach, Florida
The Commentary: “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Mike Tenay, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Tony Schiavone
The Referee: Randy Anderson
The Stakes: Tag team match between heated rivals

The Build-Up:
On 4 September 1995, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) changed the wrestling industry with the debut of WCW Monday Nitro, which featured the unexpected WCW debut of Lex Luger and kicked off the “Monday Night Wars” by airing at the same time as the World Wrestling Federation’s (WWF) Raw is War. For eighty-four weeks, WCW dominated this ratings war thanks to signing wrestling’s biggest names to lucrative contracts, including Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, who regularly gatecrashed WCW programming to declare war on the organisation. At Bash at the Beach 1996, these “Outsiders” were joined by the legendary Hulk Hogan in a turn that legitimately shocked the wrestling world and reinvigorated Hogan’s career. Rechristened “Hollywood” Hogan, the former hero led the New World Order (nWo) as the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, leading to an alliance of WCW faithful to stand against the group. With Sting on a hiatus in preparation for dethroning Hogan, former nWo member the Giant and the aforementioned Lex Luger led the charge against the nWo, only for Hogan to bring in controversial basketball star “The Worm” Dennis Rodman for this tag team match. Rodman, who had long been a fan of professional wrestling, jumped at the chance to rub shoulders with Hogan and exacerbated the issues between him and Luger the previous month at Uncensored by costing Luger a triangle tag team match and joining Hogan in attacking and humiliating his opponent.

The Match:
This unlikely tag team contest occurred about one year after the nWo first dramatically formed and pretty much solidified that the group were the coolest baddies around since they were rubbing shoulders with the likes of Dennis Rodman. Amazingly, WCW Champion “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan and Rodman were accompanied to the ring by the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, a far more suitable pick for Hogan’s partner, though (as related by the commentary team) the purpose seemed to be to use Rodman to humble Hogan’s opponents and put WCW on the map using his celebrity status. Hogan and Luger started the match, with Luger getting the better of his opponent with some wrist and hammerlocks, so Hogan retaliated by baiting in and taunting his foe. After a bit of stalling, the two locked up and Luger muscled Hogan into the corner, though Hogan eventually answered back with a shoulder block, so Luger fired up and hit one of his own. Aghast, Hogan stalled on the ring apron, argued with the referee, posed, and pranced around the ring to drag out the action before luring Luger in with a test of strength and beating and choking him in the corners. Though downed by a slam, Luger dodged the Atomic Leg Drop and hit a big slam of his own, forcing Hogan to tag in Rodman. Rodman took a page out of Hogan’s book and pranced around, backing away from Luger’s challenge and sticking close to his corner, much to the annoyance of the crowd. When the two finally locked up, Rodman took Luger down with an arm drag, which caused everyone to lose their minds, so Luger retaliated by hitting Rodman and Hogan with multiple arm drags. Stunned, Rodman and Hogan retreated outside to reconvene with Savage before Rodman staggered back into the ring, leapfrogged over Luger, and hit a shoulder block.

After much stalling and messing about, Luger scored the victory in this dull match.

Although Rodman impressed with two more leapfrogs, he got blasted by a Luger clothesline. When Hogan tagged in, Luger answered the crowd’s calls and brought in the Giant. Hogan gained the early advantage with some clubbing blows, choking and chopping the Giant in the corner, but retreating when the Giant shrugged off Hogan’s clothesline and threatened to Chokeslam him. When Hogan returned to the ring, he eventually got planted with an atomic drop and Rodman returned to the fray. Despite his fearless arrogance, Rodman got caught in a bearhug and hit with an atomic drop, but Hogan attacked when the Giant lifted Rodman with a chokehold. The nWo continued to make a joke of the Giant with double team moves and cheap shots and, when the Giant refused to drop after a big boot or be hip tossed, Hogan brought in Rodman but the Giant easily powered out of the cover even with both dogpiling him. Luger tagged in and went on a tear before being shut down by Rodman and dropped by Hogan. More shots and choking from Hogan left Luger powerless to avoid the Atomic Leg Drop, though he kicked out at two to no reaction! Rodman took over with some elbows and a foot choke in the corner, easily dodging Luger’s charge before being repeatedly knocked down by the Giant. After smashing Rodman and Hogan’s heads together, the Giant went to Chokeslam Rodman, only for Sting to whack him over the back with a baseball bat! However, Luger got Hogan up in the Torture Rack and secured the win, before slapping the hold on both Rodman and Savage. Although Rodman showed some impressive agility and held his own in the ring, there was way too much stalling in this match and I hated how the nWo dominated the Giant, who was continuously overwhelmed by the simplest of strikes. They seemed hesitant to kick into a higher gear since Hogan’s repertoire is so limited and Rodman obviously isn’t a competitor, resulting in a plodding and frustrating affair with an anti-climactic finish.

The Aftermath:
If you’re wondering why Sting, who was touted as WCW’s saviour from the nWo at the time, attacked the Giant and tried to cost the WCW team the match, it turned out that it was actually Kevin Nash in disguise. Luger’s victory made him the number one contender for the WCW Championship but, while the match was scheduled to take place at Road Wild the next month, Luger famously challenged Hogan one week early on WCW Monday Nitro. Although Luger scored the victory and became the champion, he lost the belt back to Hogan at Road Wild and Hogan remained champion until the controversial 1997 Starrcade. Luger moved on to feud with Scott Hall, Buff Bagwell, and “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner before joining the nWo Wolfpac in 1998. He never became WCW Champion again, similar to the Giant, who rejoined the original nWo to feud with “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash before ultimately leaving WCW for the WWF in 1999. This wouldn’t be the last time we saw Dennis Rodman in a wrestling ring, either, as the Worm dressed as Sting to cost Luger the belt at Road Wild and teamed with Hogan again at the following year’s Bash at the Beach to take on Diamond Dallas Page and Rodman’s basketball rival Karl Malone before losing to Randy Savage at the 1999 Road Wild event.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Did you enjoy Dennis Rodman’s in-ring debut? What did you think to his performance in this match? Were you a fan of Lex Luger? What did you think to the way the nWo dominated the Giant? Who were your favourite members of the nWo? What are some of your favourite matches and moments from WCW’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-views? Whatever your thoughts on Dennis Rodman, Bash at the Beach, and WCW, feel free to voice them below, show me some love on Ko-Fi, and check out my other wrestling content.

Wrestling Recap: Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn (Hardcore Heaven ’99)

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The Date: 16 May 1999
The Venue: Mid-Hudson Civic Centre; Poughkeepsie, New York
The Commentary: Joey Styles
The Referee: John Finegan
The Stakes: Singles match for the ECW World Television Championship

The Build-Up:
In the nineties, while the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) dominated the professional wrestling scene in an all-out war for television ratings, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) offered an alterative product to its mainstream counterparts. Originally known as Eastern Championship Wrestling, ECW was re-branded in 1993 by pro wrestling genius Paul Heyman and quickly grew a cult following with the rabid Philadelphia crowd at the ECW Arena. While making waves with its violent and controversial matches and content, ECW also offered no-nonsense wrestling, greatly inspired the WWF’s “Attitude Era”, and gave future wrestling stars a chance to hone their craft. Up until 1997, ECW primarily presented non-televised supercard events from the ECW Arena, but Heyman got his big break with his first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, on this day in 1997. Unquestionably, one of ECW’s biggest stars was “Mr. Monday Night” Rob Van Dam, a trainee of the legendary Sheik who started out as enhancement talent for various independent promotions and WCW before honing his craft in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and being signed by Heyman in 1996. Depicted as a stoner, RVD made a name for himself with his rivalry with Sabu, which saw him transform into an arrogant heel, and his career-defining run with the ECW World Television Championship, which lasted 700 days! Widely considered one of RVD’s greatest rivals, Jerry Lynn had numerous clashes with RVD before and after his TV Championship reign, most notably earning this shot at the belt after declaring himself “The New Fuckin’ Show” and vowing to relieve RVD of the championship.

The Match:
This classic bout for the ECW Television Championship, a belt made famous my ECW’s most charismatic star, RVD, started with a lot of postering by “The Whole Fuckin’ Show” and his ever-annoying manager, Bill Alfonso, as they milked the crowd’s anticipation, laid down the law with the referee, and played into RVD’s arrogant character. Once the bell rang, however, Jerry Lynn wasted no time in going for the attack, fitting considering how badly he “coveted” the belt. Lynn’s opening wristlock kicked off an extended showcase of both men’s athleticism and wrestling fundamentals as RVD flipped his way into an advantageous position, took Lynn to the mat with a headlock, and the two effortlessly exchanged wristlocks, hammerlocks, and takedowns, proving themselves evenly matched and earning the respect and appreciation of the raucous ECW crowd. The next exchange emphasised their speed as both men shot off the ropes, ducked and dodged running attacks, and ended up in that classic wrestling standoff, with even the cocksure RVD giving his opponent his props for his quickness. Despite Alfonso’s irritating whistling, the crowd chanting the cocky champion’s name, and RVD’s showboating, Lynn remained laser focused and went right back working over the champion in the corner. Again, though, RVD proved too quick and constantly slipped out of every attack and Lynn answered right back, awkwardly flipping out of RVD’s patented corner monkey flip and leading to another stalemate. An errant elbow from the challenger caught RVD above the eyebrow, causing a minor wound that Alfonso tried to use as an excuse to call the match off, but RVD simply shrugged it off and went back to work with some martial arts kicks. The two then fought on the ring apron, with RVD missing a top rope backflip and being dumped out of the ring from Lynn’s springboard dropkick. However, RVD clumsily caught and countered Lynn’s top-rope dive and both men crashed to the concrete.

When the duo proved evenly matched, RVD upped his attack on the outside to gain the advantage.

RVD returned to the ring the hard way when Lynn stunned him with a dropkick and then hit a guillotine leg drop from the top rope that saw RVD folded up like an accordion on the ring apron! This scored Lynn the first near fall of the match and saw him work RVD over in the corner with some chops and a ludicrous avalanche bulldog…for a two count! When Lynn went back up to continue his assault, Alfonso tripped him and sent him crotch-first into the ropes, though Lynn fought the little weasel off and acquired a steel chair in the process, leading to a sickening shot to RVD’s head. The champion basically no-sold this, however, as he immediately crotched Lynn and sent him tumbling to the outside with a springboard kick. RVD took his time stalking Lynn and hauling the dead weight of his challenger back to his feet, then spitefully launched Lynn into and over the security guardrail. RVD followed up with an impressive flying clothesline, leading the dazed and bleeding Lynn to answer with a dropkick that sent RVD scurrying back into the ring. Lynn (who was either legitimately hurt or really good at selling), stumbled after him and even tangled RVD up with a rollup after dodging a corner attack. Although Lynn couldn’t hit a piledriver or avoid a rolling leg drop, he did roll out of the way of RVD’s Rolling Thunder. However, when Lynn went for a Tornado DDT out of the corner, RVD impressively countered into a Northern Lights Suplex pin for a near fall. With both men back in the corner again and battling on the top rope, Lynn took RVD to the mat with an avalanche sunset flip for another near fall then just decked him with a short-arm clothesline. With RVD down, Lynn set up a table at ringside but was again tossed into the front row when RVD intercepted him and ate a steel chair to the face thanks to an assist from Alfonso and a Van Daminator from the guardrail. However, Lynn quickly answered back by ramming RVD’s head off the ring post and teasing a top-rope hurricanrana through the table, only to be clunkily back body dropped through the wood!

The back and forth action culminated in RVD’s victory and a show of mutual respect.

RVD soon doubled down with a corkscrew guillotine leg drop off the top rope and across the prone Lynn’s back as he dangled over the railing. When Lynn still kicked out from the follow-up pin, RVD targeted his left knee and flip-dropkicked the steel chair into his face. RVD then countered a Tornado DDT onto the apron with a clothesline and a flying leg drop for another two count. Frustrated and impressed by his opponent’s resolve, RVD was sent through the ringside table when Lynn hit a sunset flip over the top rope and through the wood! RVD still kicked out of a pin fall and dodged a chair shot, but Lynn threw the chair in Alfonso’s face and nailed a nice bridging German Suplex for a near fall, though both men tumbled to the mat while fighting on the top rope in what could’ve easily been a very dangerous botch. A hush fell over the crowd as Lynn kicked out of the pin fall, but they soon got back into the action when Lynn dropkicked the steel chair into RVD’s face for a near fall. A clumsy pinning and reversal sequence saw Lynn switch his Cradle Piledriver attempt into a roll up and RVD hit the Split-Legged Moonsault for a two count. After slipping out of Lynn’s Inverted DDT attempt, RVD nailed a beautiful Five-Star Frog Splash, only for Lynn to roll into a pinning attempt. In the end, it was Alfonso who was the difference maker as he tossed the steel chair back into the ring, leading to a second Van Daminator and another Five-Star Frog Splash for RVD to retain his championship, though both RVD and Alfonso gave Lynn his props during their celebration. This was a very athletic and impressive showing from both men, though I would’ve preferred to see the stalling replaced with the guys selling the punishment they were dishing out as it seemed they were back on their feet far too quickly off the bigger moves. I liked how they made good use of all the space and were constantly portrayed as evenly matched, with both men easily dodging, countering, and exchanging strikes, holds, and crazy moves with tables and chairs. It felt as though the match could end at any moment and either man could be the victor, and they definitely built up a lot of anticipation and paced things out well, and the sloppier aspects actually fed into this narrative really well.

The Aftermath:
Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn’s iconic clash for the ECW World Television Championship was so well received that Paul Heyman opted to air the match in its entirety when ECW debuted on TNN. Given that a mutual respect had been earned between the two competitors, RVD and Lynn teamed up at ECW’s next pay-per-view, Heat Wave, to take on the Impact Players. While the duo won the match, RVD did accidentally hit Lynn with the Five-Star Frog Plash while aiming for Lance Storm. Despite this, Lynn branched off to feud with Storm and, later, Yoshihiro Tajiri and Super Crazy while RVD continued to defend his championship in a career-defining reign. Unfortunately, a broken ankle meant RVD was forced to vacate the belt and, when he returned at the 2000 Hardcore Heaven event, it was to face Lynn once again. This time, Lynn was victorious thanks to interference by Scott Anton, though RVD got another win over his rival at the start of 2001 in what turned out to be RVD’s final ECW match. Despite both men competing for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) during and after the ill-fated “Invasion” angle, their paths wouldn’t cross until they were in Total Nonstop Action (TNA), where RVD defeated Lynn on five separate occasions.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to this classic match between Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn? Who were you rooting for at the time? Were you a fan of Rob Van Dam’s time in ECW? What did you think to the two being portrayed as evenly matched? Do you agree that there could’ve been a bit more selling of the bigger moves? Did you watch ECW back in the day and, if so, who were some of your favourite wrestlers and what were some of your favourite matches and moments? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other ECW content across the site!

Wrestling Recap: Hogan vs. Warrior (WrestleMania VI)

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The Date: 1 April 1990
The Venue: SkyDome; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: “The Ultimate Challenge” singles match for the WWF Championship and the Intercontinental Championship

The Build-Up:
On 31 March 1985, Vince McMahon took a massive gamble on WrestleMania, a wrestling extravaganza watched by over one million viewers that forever changed the wrestling landscape. Today, WrestleMania is a peerless premier wrestling event known for career-defining matches and iconic “WrestleMania Moments”, with easily one of the most memorable of these being this unprecedented contest between Intercontinental Champion the Ultimate Warrior and WWF Champion “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. After years of Hogan being the undisputed face of the WWF and easily the most mainstream star in professional wrestling, McMahon wanted a passing of the torch to a new hero for the ages and so cooked up “The Ultimate Challenge” for the Hulkster. Born James Hellwig, the man who became known as the Ultimate Warrior (and, later, simply “Warrior”) started out as an amateur bodybuilder. After being spotted while training, Hellwig agreed to join a group of other bodybuilders (including Steve Borden) as a professional wrestling team. After touring the independent scene and teaming with Borden as the Blade Runners, the Ultimate Warrior initially made his name in the WWF by destroying competitors in quick matches. This culminated in a last-minute decision to have him crush reigning Intercontinental Champion the Honky Tonk Man in around thirty seconds, cementing his status as one of the WWF’s most popular competitors as much as his wild energy, chiselled physique, and colourful ring attire. With fans cheering the Ultimate Warrior just as loudly, if not more so, than Hulk Hogan, the stage was set for a showdown between the two after a confrontation at the 1990 Royal Rumble. Not only would this pit the WWF’s two top stars against each other, not only did both men stay as virtuous characters in the build-up, but this would also be the first time both the WWF and Intercontinental Championships would be on the line in a single match. The end result has gone down in history as one of the quintessential WrestleMania Moments as, despite the Ultimate Warrior failing to replace Hogan as the WWF’s top star, it represented a changing of the guard that would, eventually, change the landscape of the WWF’s main event picture.

The Match:
It’s funny to think about how fans gravitated to the Ultimate Warrior, favouring him almost as much if not more than Hulk Hogan, considering how similar their gimmicks and mannerisms were. Both men were larger-than-super superheroes decked out in colourful attire, both ploughed through opponents, and both had a never-miss finisher sequence with a ridiculous final move that never should’ve worked but, somehow, always did! Still, the Ultimate Warrior does stand out a lot more with his face paint and jacked-up physique; the guy was like a living action figure! Unfortunately, one aspect where they differed (as expertly observed by Ventura) was that the Ultimate Warrior would sprint to the ring, run the ropes, shake the ropes, and get all fired up and gassed before the match could even start! This was true here, on what would end up being the biggest night of Jim Hellwig’s entire career, though the crowd simply ate it up as they loved this guy…and it’s hard to blame them as he exudes superhero appeal. Of course, the crowd was at least 50/50 for both men as Hulk Hogan continued to get the same response as you’d expect, still every bit the living legend kids and adults gravitated towards, and the atmosphere of seeing both men in the ring was simply electric. Since both men were popular babyfaces, a rarity even nowadays, there wasn’t the same vitriol between the competitors as in a traditional face/heel dynamic, though the two still engaged in a tense stare down to start since they both wanted to be the undisputed top dog in the company. As the young up-and-comer, the Ultimate Warrior made the first move, shoving Hogan, initiating the first tie-up, and giving Hogan a taste of his own medicine by throwing him into the corner. Naturally, Hogan returned the favour during the second tie-up, with both men posing and playing to the crowd before going for the tired old “test of strength” spot. Again, the crowd loved seeing the two titans testing each other’s limits, which eventually saw the Ultimate Warrior overpower the Hulkster and drive him to his knees.

Despite the thrill of seeing these two titans clash, the gassed wrestlers spent more time in rest holds.

Of course, Hogan rallied and turned the tide, presenting both men as essentially evenly matched in terms of power and popularity. Though surprised to see the Ultimate Warrior power back to his feet, Hogan tripped his foe to the mat for a quick one-count and then the two titans ran the ropes looking for shoulder tackles and traded scoop slams, gassing themselves even more! The Ultimate Warrior then hit a stiff, clunky clothesline and sent Hogan tumbling to the outside, where he began favouring his left knee. Limping, clearly in pain, Hogan struggled to stay on his feet so the Ultimate Warrior immediately targeted the limb with sharp kicks, before the two traded eye rakes back in the ring. Referee Earl Hebner admonished both men as tensions rose, before Hogan forgot about his knee pain and unloaded on the Ultimate Warrior with big shots and the ten-punches and another scoop slam. Two elbow drops, a two-count, and a small package later and Hogan unloaded on the Ultimate Warrior with chops, a clothesline, and the odd rest hold just to catch his breath. Still, the Intercontinental Champion kept kicking out, even after a backbreaker, resulting in a frustrated Hulkster arguing with the referee and wearing his opponent down with a chin lock that just went on and on and on. Hogan then hit a few spiteful knee shots to the spine and a backdrop before returning to the hold, showing he’s not afraid to fight dirty, before the Ultimate Warrior caught a second wind. After the Ultimate warrior fought free, both men a double knock down gave them even more time to catch their breath, and both men struggled up at the same time. However, the Ultimate Warrior was in a frenzied state, shrugging off Hogan’s blows and sending him reeling with a headbutt and repeated clotheslines. His face paint all but gone and his adrenaline spiking, the Ultimate Warrior tossed Hogan into the corners and laid in some chops, driving Hogan to his knees once more before hitting a suplex and getting his first near fall. The Ultimate Warrior then continued to dominate the WWF Champion by grabbing him in a pretty weak-looking bearhug that was more of a cuddle than the devastating hold Ventura and Monsoon sold it as.

A missed Leg Drop and a Splash saw the Ultimate Warrior share the victory with Hogan.

Still, this allowed Hogan to do the time-tested “three arm” spot but, as you’d expect, Hogan’s arm refused to fall the third time and the Hulkster mounted a comeback with some rabbit-like punches. However, as the Ultimate Warrior ran the ropes, he collided with the referee, meaning there was no one there to make the count when Hogan tried to pin his rival after reversing a diving shoulder block. This allowed the Ultimate Warrior to hit a back suplex, but both he and Hogan had to settle for the visual pinfall and a slow two count as Earl Hebner was too out of it to make the final count. A back elbow saw the action spill to the outside for a slugfest, which ended when Hogan got rammed into the ring post. Once back in the ring, the Ultimate Warrior hit the Gorilla Press Slam (an impressive, if ungainly, achievement) and then hit his patented Running Splash! However, the Ultimate Warrior was too slow going for the pin, resulting in a rare finisher kickout and the Hulkster “Hulking Up” However, Hogan missed the Atomic Leg Drop (!) and the Ultimate Warrior splashed him again for the biggest win of his career! Hogan just had to power out at 3.1, though, and keep the spotlight equally trained on him by presenting the Ultimate Warrior with both belts and raising his arm in a passing of the torch. This was an okay match but, as ever, one bogged down by rest holds and plodding offense. Both men were so gassed at the start of the match that their blows and holds just came off as so weak and obvious stalling. The energy was there, however, and the crowd loved seeing the two share the ring and shrug off each other’s moves. I think this might’ve worked better with a big stare down, test of strength, unflinching clotheslines and trading scoop slams, and then a finisher-fest (with the Ultimate Warrior also kicking out of the Atomic Leg Drop), but it was okay for what it was: a spectacle between two titans of the company.

The Aftermath:
Despite the Ultimate Warrior’s win and the very specific requirement that the winner would become a dual champion, the Ultimate Warrior was forced to vacant the Intercontinental Championship, resulting in Mr. Perfect becoming the champion after a lengthy tournament. Surprisingly, Hogan didn’t immediately vie for a rematch and instead left to film the under-rated sci-fi comedy Suburban Commando (Kennedy, 1991). Though the Ultimate Warrior rekindled his rivalry with “Ravishing” Rick Rude and helped the Legion of Doom at the 1990 Survivor Series, none of these storylines benefitted him. His mega push fizzled out and saw him dropping the belt to turncoat Sergeant Slaughter at the 1991 Royal Rumble after interference by Sensational Sherri and the “Macho King” Randy Savage. This led to Hogan recapturing the belt and returning to the top of the mountain at WrestleMania VII, where the Ultimate Warrior “retired” Savage. Although the Ultimate Warrior fought with the Undertaker and was prepped to face Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Hellwig walked out of the WWF after demanding financial compensation. The Ultimate Warrior made brief (and infamous) comebacks in 1992 and 1996, but disagreements about money saw him follow Hogan to World Championship Wrestling (WCW). After a ludicrous tease regarding his presence, the Ultimate Warrior, more unhinged than ever, opposed “Hollywood” Hogan’s New World Order (nWo), leading to Davey Boy Smith being critically injured by a gimmicked trapdoor, a hilariously botched fireball incident, and one of the worst matches in WCW history as Hogan got his win back at the 1998 Halloween Havoc. After years of being estranged from and vilified by what’s now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, buried the hatchet with Hogan, and gave a stirring speech to his fans that became disturbingly prophetic after he was found dead the very next day.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the “The Ultimate Challenge” at WrestleMania VI? Were you a fan of the Ultimate Warrior back in the day and excited to see his big win? Do you think the match should’ve been altered to play into Hellwig’s strengths? Were you surprised when Hogan kicked out of the Ultimate Warrior’s finisher? What did you think to the Ultimate Warrior’s title reign and how should it have been done differently? Were you happy to see the Ultimate Warrior honoured by the WWE after so many years of animosity? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania moment? Let me know your thoughts and memories of this iconic clash, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Savage vs. Hogan (WrestleMania V)

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The Date: 2 April 1989
The Venue: Boardwalk Hall/Trump Plaza; Atlantic City, New Jersey
The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Referee: Dave Hebner
The Stakes: Singles match for the WWF Championship

The Build-Up:
Vince McMahon gambled it all with WrestleMania. The event aired on 31 March 1985 and was seen by an unprecedented one million+ viewers and ultimately altered the wrestling landscape by bringing in some of the biggest names in wrestling, music, sports, and television. Now regarded as the biggest wrestling event in the industry, WrestleMania has become synonymous with career-defining matches and iconic “WrestleMania Moments”, with easily one of the most dramatic of these being the implosion of the “Mega Powers”, a super-team comprised of “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan and the WWF Champion, “Macho Man” Randy Savage. After previously being fierce rivals, Hogan and Savage first joined forces in 1987 at Saturday Night’s Main Event XII after Savage’s wife, Miss Elizabeth, recruited Hogan to help Savage fend off the Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation. Sealing their partnership with a dramatic handshake, the Mega Powers teamed from 1987 to 1989, clashing with Hogan’s long-time rival, the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, and Hogan even helping his friend capture the WWF Championship at WrestleMania IV. However, cracks began to form in their partnership after Savage grew increasingly jealous and justifiably concerned about Hogan’s intentions towards Miss Elizabeth. After Hogan accidentally tossed Savage from the 1989 Royal Rumble match and then abandoned Savage during a tag team match at The Main Event II to get Miss Elizabeth to safety, Savage confronted his partner backstage. Despite Hogan and Miss Elizabeth’s best efforts, the furious Savage physically and verbally assaulted Hogan and Miss Elizabeth, dissolving the Mega Powers and leading to Hogan challenging Savage to this championship match to settle the score in what’s often touted as one of the best examples of long-term storytelling in wrestling.

The Match:
Even to this day, I find it baffling that the WWF decided to make Randy Savage the bad guy in this feud. Sure, the idea of Hulk Hogan turning heel was preposterous at the time, but Savage had every right to be suspicious of Hogan. Still, Savage’s turn into a neurotic, paranoid, jealous and obsessive character certainly fed into his already unhinged persona, though I think it was equally ridiculous not to change up his colourful ring attire and entrance music. Despite Savage being fully justified in attacking Hogan, the crowd were firmly against the champion, who notably came out alone since Miss Elizabeth chose to stand in a neutral corner during the match as she was loyal to both men. Ventura wasted no time in joining Savage in chastising Miss Elizabeth, branding her a “gold digger” who’ll favour whoever wins, a “smart” strategy according to Gorilla Monsoon considering the awkward position she’s found herself in. Hogan (labelled “Lust Hogan” by Ventura, who doesn’t hold back in criticising the Hulkster), still as popular as ever, marched to the ring and immediately riled Savage up with his posing and pageantry, to the point where Savage was ready to whack his friend-turned-foe with the championship belt! After handing the belt over to referee Dave Hebner, Savage whipped Hogan into a frenzy by slipping out of the ring and posing on the turnbuckles before the Mega Powers finally got into it. Overwhelmed by Hogan’s power, the champion retreated to the ring apron to keep some distance, again slipping to the outside after being floored by a shoulder block. When they tied up again, Savage gained an advantage with an eye rake and continued to psych Hogan out, leading to the challenger to chase the champion around the ring and Savage to use Miss Elizabeth as a human shield!

Savage riled Hogan up at every turn and and kept him grounded with dull rest holds.

With Ventura awkwardly advocating for spousal abuse and Savage inviting Hogan back into the ring, the challenger surprisingly kept Savage at bay with some wrestling fundamentals, favouring takedowns and headlocks, only to be planted with a back body drop. After avoiding a running elbow drop, Hogan resorted to throwing “illegal […] closed fists”, leading to another eye rake from Savage and a top-rope double axe handle for the first near fall of the match. Savage employed his own ground game with an arm bar, planting a knee into Hogan’s face and grabbing his hair to add insult to injury, only for Hogan to rally and send Savage flying through the ropes. After quickly tossing the champion back into the ring, Hogan rammed his face into the top turnbuckles and planted him with a clothesline, two elbow drops, and an eye rake of his own. However, Savage countered with a boot and brought Hogan down for another two count before slapping on a chin lock to the now-bloodied Hogan. Both men seemed extremely gassed and were sweating profusely despite the slow pace of the match as Savage maintained the hold, before the “Pukesters” encouraged Hogan back to his feet. This time, Hogan caught Savage’s kick, hit an atomic drop, but missed another running elbow. Savage quickly capitalised by shoving Hogan chest-first into a corner and trying to score a cheap victory off a roll up and a handful of tights, but the Hulkster still kicked out at two. Frustrated, the Macho Man redoubled his attack, throwing Hogan from corner to corner and targeting the cut above Hogan’s eye. Stomping on Hogan’s hand and delivering a disrespectful slap to his face, Savage basked in his glory and paid for it when Hogan rallied with a beatdown in the corner, only to suffer some kind of arm injury when clotheslining the champion. Regardless, Hogan easily lifted Savage and dumped him to the outside in an impressive show of strength. After aggressively waving off Miss Elizabeth’s help, Savage hit an eye poke and eventually shoved Hogan off a ring post after Miss Elizabeth caused Hogan to hesitate from hurting her man. After Savage couldn’t help but get in Miss Elizabeth’s face and chastise her, the referee sent her to the back to keep her from distracting from the match and Savage continued his methodical attack against his former partner.

Savage’s ground game and Diving Elbow naturally led to Hulk rallying and scoring the victory.

After landing a beautiful axe handle off the top rope and to the outside, Savage tossed Hogan back in the ring and began targeting his throat, using the ropes to his advantage and landing stiff elbow shots to his opponent. A quick scoop slam led to a standing splash and another two count before Savage took a page out of Ventura’s playbook to choke Hogan with his wrist tape. After choking Hogan to the canvas, the Macho Man went to the top rope and hit his gorgeous Diving Elbow…only for Hogan to power out and start “Hulking Up!” Despite Savage’s best shots, Hogan wouldn’t be deterred; he shrugged off every blow and dropped the champion with a big boot. The Atomic Leg Drop followed soon after and signalled the end of the match after Hogan pinned the champion for the three count. Naturally, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Hogan clumsily strapped the belt to his waist, Ventura just about had a coronary, and the Macho Man stormed from the ring in humiliation and rage, leaving Hogan to pose and play to his very vocal fans. This one was pretty decent, but still the same, tired Hogan formula. Hogan took quite a beating here and Savage looked pretty strong as he targeted Hogan’s wound and wore down the Hulkster with chin locks, takedowns, and repeatedly fleeing from the ring. Unfortunately, these elements dragged the match out way too much for me. I was expecting a bit more aggression and agility from the Macho Man, only to be frustrated by rest holds as the two obviously gassed competitors fought for breath. I was also disappointed that Miss Elizabeth didn’t factor into the match, or the ending, more, and that Hogan was dominated the entire time but won without any real issue in the end. I would’ve liked to see a bit more energy, some more moves being thrown, and to see Savage dodge the Atomic Leg Drop, miss a second Elbow Drop, and then take the fall…but I guess that didn’t work for Hogan, brother.

The Aftermath:
Despite his emphatic win, this wouldn’t be the end of the issues between the former Mega Powers. After Hulk Hogan starred in the much-maligned No Holds Barred (Wright, 1989), the Macho Man brought in Hogan’s co-star, Tom “Tiny” Lister, Jr., as his film character, Zeus, to battle Hogan and his friend, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake at the 1989 SummerSlam and in a tag team steel cage match at the 19989 No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie event. The Mega Powers collided for the WWF Championship once more at The Main Event III and, though Savage lost the match, he eventually aligned with Sensational Sherri, won the 1989 King of the Ring (transforming into the unhinged “Macho King” in the process) and eventually had an emotional reunion with Miss Elizabeth at WrestleMania VII, despite being forced to retire after losing to the Ultimate Warrior. However, disagreeing that his in-ring career was over, Savage followed Hogan’s example and jumped ship to World Championship Wrestling (WCW), eventually becoming WCW Champion and not only reforming the Mega Powers with Hogan but also fighting alongside him in the New World Order (nWo). However, the two eventually butted heads when “Hollywood” Hogan’s ego wouldn’t allow him to see anyone but him become WCW Champion, leading to Savage dropping the belt to his old rival and splintering off from the nWo with first the Wolfpac and then “Team Madness”. Their fates seemingly entwined, Hogan and Savage eventually found themselves on the same side with Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff rallied WCW’s young up-and-comers into a power-hungry group, though the company dissolved before he could really get involved. Although Randy Savage had a brief (and disastrous) appearance during Total Non Stop Action’s (TNA) early run under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), he wasn’t there when Hogan was present, though he and Hogan continued to be on-again, off-again friends and rivals over the years, with the Macho Man even recording an infamous rap track chastising the Hulkster! After tragically passing away from a heart attack in 2011, Savage was posthumously inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame (after a lengthy absence due to a strained relationship with Vince McMahon) and fondly remembered by many, including Hogan, as one of wrestling’s all-time greats.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the dramatic showdown between the Mega Powers? Do you agree that Savage was justified in suspecting and attacking Hogan? Were you disappointed that the match was more mind games and rest holds? Would you have liked to see Miss Elizabeth play a bigger role in the finish? Which of Hogan and Savage’s many matches was your favourite? Can you name a match between former tag team partners that you enjoyed? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year? Leave your comments about this classic WrestleMania match below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap [3:16 Day]: Austin vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)

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“Talk about your psalms, talk about “John 3:16”…Austin 3:16 says I just whupped your ass!”

With those immortal words, spoken by the legendary pro wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin after winning the King of the Ring tournament on 23 June 1996, a momentous wrestling career was about to unfold before our eyes that would see everyone’s favourite beer-swigging, finger-gesturing anti-hero become not just an industry icon but a mainstream icon as well. Here’s to yah, Steve!

The Date: 23 March 1997
The Venue: Rosemont Horizon; Rosemont, Illinois
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Vince McMahon
The Referee: “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (guest)
The Stakes: No disqualification submission match

The Build-Up:
Contrary to popular relief, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s rise to the top of what was then known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) didn’t happen with his infamous “Austin 3:16” promo. After shedding his awful “Ringmaster” persona and winning the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, Austin made a name for himself as a no-nonsense badass during his controversial feud with former tag team partner “The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman before punching his ticket to a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania 13 by winning the 1997 Royal Rumble. However, this victory was tainted as Austin had already been eliminated by Bret “The Hitman” Hart, leading to Austin’s first-ever main event match at In Your House 13: Final Four for the vacant championship. Since a knee injury saw Austin eliminated in the early-going, the Texas Rattlesnake bit back by costing Bret the WWF Championship, kick-started a prolonged feud between the two that would drastically alter their careers. The son of wrestling legend and hard-nosed trainer Stu Hart, Bret Hart first made his mark in the WWF as part of the Hart Foundation before graduating to notable singles success with his award-winning Intercontinental Championship run. Regarded as the “Excellence of Execution”, Bret eventually became WWF Champion following a shift in direction after a steroid scandal before clashing with brother Owen and pushing himself to the limit in a heated rivalry with the “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Following his WrestleMania XII loss, Bret took a hiatus and, upon declining a big payday from rival company World Championship Wrestling (WCW), returned to answer cocksure Austin’s challenge following his King of the Ring win. Frustrated at being overlooked and the fickle fans cheering such an uncouth anti-hero, Bret began one of the greatest turns towards the dark side in wrestling history and was set on a collision course with Austin, who was on the precipice of greatness.

The Match:
The introductory package for this classic, career-making match is heavily focused on Bret Hart’s displeasure with the direction the WWF was taking at the time and the lack of respect he felt he deserved for his in-ring ability. While Bret was absolutely justified in questioning this treatment, and Steve Austin’s rude, foul-mouthed attitude, the crowd knew who they wanted to cheer and Bret was largely seen as a “cry-baby”, leading to Bret lashing out at everyone and anyone, including WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, to get his respect. This pivotal match in Austin’s career stood out not just for the storyline surrounding it and the memorable ending, or for introducing Ken Shamrock to WWF audiences, but also for Austin’s iconic glass breaking entrance, which perfectly summed up his no-nonsense persona. Indeed, while he was universally cheered at this time, Austin was no baby kissing, hand shaking babyface and instead treated them with the same disdain and hostility as he did special guest referee Ken Shamrock. This was in contrast to Bret, who still had his fans on this night and who still gifted his sunglasses to a kid in the front row, but I find it incredibly ironic that McMahon called out Bret’s abusive behaviour and volatile attitude when many of this mannerisms and aspects (especially Bret’s contempt for McMahon) would be so integral to Austin’s developing, anti-authoritarian character. As if getting in Shamrock’s face wasn’t enough, the Rattlesnake demonstrated that he had no fear and far less respect for Bret by pouncing on the Hitman and pummelling him with punches the moment he got into the ring. For his part, Bret answered back with shots of his own, leading to the two rolling around like crocodiles wrestling for territory and spilling to the outside to exchange blows. Although Bret sent Austin flying into a ring post, Austin answered back by dumping him crotch-first on the security railing and then clotheslining him into the crowd. The camera struggled to follow the brawl, which saw Bret drenched in beer, Austin back body dropped onto the steps following a piledriver attempt, and Bret land a flimsy-looking fist drop off a guard rail jump.

Some ringside brawling, chair shots, and innovative offense saw Austin on the backfoot at the start.

Once back at ringside, Austin whipped Bret knee-first into the ring steps, though Bret saved himself from further harm by kicking Austin’s knee out from under him. Once the two returned to the ring, Bret nailed a neckbreaker and an elbow drop from the second rope, before focusing his attack on Austin’s knee and leg in preparation for his patented Sharpshooter. With Austin grounded, Hart pounded, wrenched, and “dissected” Austin’s knee, causing the Rattlesnake to stumble and be spitefully kicked to the canvas whenever he fought to his feet. Even when Stone Cold hit a desperation Stone Cold Stunner to create some distance, it didn’t matter as Bret was right back up and soon had Austin’s legs tied around a ring post with a modified Figure Four Leglock! Despite the agony and the additional leverage afforded by the move, Austin refused to tap out to the hold, so the Hitman tossed his opponent into the ring and brought a steel chair and the ring bell into the match. Bret looped Austin’s bad leg into the chair and teased leaping off the top rope, looking to break Austin’s limb, only for Stone Cold to scramble to his feet and send Bret tumbling from the top rope with a chair shot to the head! Austin then continued the assault, whacking the chair over Bret’s spine and assaulting his foe with slams, whips, and suplexes, firmly targeting the Hitman’s back and landing a sneaky stomp to Bret’s balls to add insult to injury. Despite attacking Bret’s spine, Austin locked in a modified arm lock and seemingly forgot his leg, landing an elbow drop off the second rope and applying a Boston Crab. Despite the pressure, Bret hauled himself to the bottom rope to break the hold (something that shouldn’t have counted as this was a no disqualification match), so Austin tried to slap on the Sharpshooter. However, a thumb to the eye put a stop to that and, though Bret was soon launched to the outside, the Hitman continued his comeback by tossing Austin into the timekeeper’s table and busting him open with closed fists to the forehead.

Austin’s sheer tenacity saw fans turn on Bret and applaud and Stone Cold’s defiant attitude.

Bret maliciously targeted the wound, causing blood to gush from Austin’s forehead, while being sure to work over Austin’s whole body with a backbreaker, another second rope elbow drop, and repeated strikes to Austin’s injured knee with the steel chair. However, Austin frantically fought Bret off when he tried to apply the Sharpshooter and the match descended into a brawl in the corner once again, which ended with a swift kick to the Hitman’s balls! Groggy and suffering, Stone Cold whipped Bret sternum-first into the corner and then stomped a mudhole in the Hitman’s ass (and walked it dry!) in the opposite corner before hitting a top-rope suplex. His face the literal crimson mask, Austin choked Bret with an electrical cord and received a shot to the head with the ring bell in recompense! The Hitman wasted no time in applying the Sharpshooter right in the centre of the ring, locking it in tight and giving Austin nowhere to go. Shamrock dropped to the mat and frantically asked Austin if he wanted to submit, but the Rattlesnake stubbornly refused and desperately tried to ease the pressure, almost powering his way out of it to chants of “Austin! Austin!” and delivering one of the most iconic WrestleMania visuals ever: his screaming, bloody face. In the end, Austin patently refused to tap out or submit and, as a result, eventually blacked out to the pain, losing the match but leaving Bret visibly frustrated since he couldn’t secure the tap out. Bret then took his frustrations out on Austin’s leg, forcing Shamrock to take him down and solidifying perhaps the greatest double turn in the history of wrestling as the crowd unanimously booed Bret and applauded Austin’s resolve! I’m gonna be honest and say that, as much as I like Austin, a lot of his matches can be very formulaic as he primarily relied on brawling and ringside shenanigans. However, this really showcased how his more in-your-face style can nicely compliment a more technical mat wrestler. The story of Austin not knowing any submission holds meant it made perfect sense for him to rely on weapons and underhanded tactics, while Bret’s clinical targeting of his foe’s limbs showed just how methodical the Hitman was and how resilient the Rattlesnake was!

The Aftermath:
This wouldn’t be the end of the rivalry between Stone Cold and Bret Hart, but it did signal a change in their dynamic since Bret was now a dastardly, besmirched heel and Austin was a tenacious babyface. Bret brought in his friends and family to re-form the Hart Foundation to escalate the feud, resulting in another inconclusive finish when the British Bulldog attacked Austin with a steel chair at In Your House 14: Revenge of the ’Taker. However, Austin got the last laugh when he fought off the Hart Foundation and even locked Bret into the Sharpshooter, resulting in ten-man tag team match at In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede. Airing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the Hart Foundation were cheered as national heroes and ultimately defeated Steve Austin’s team and had the Rattlesnake arrested after he attacked them at the end of the match. The matches between Austin, his allies, and the Hart Foundation earned them the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s “Feud of the Year” award and Bret Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Most Hated Wrestler of the Year” award, though it’s surprising to see that Austin was on the losing end of the feud. Austin and Bret’s issues fizzled out by the 1997 SummerSlam, which kick-started Bret’s long and troubled road back into the fan’s hearts, towards the WWF Championship and, ultimately out of the company. Austin pivoted into feuding with Bret’s brother, Owen Hart, for the Intercontinental Championship, resulting in a sickening injury that shaved years off his career. Thanks to this incident putting Austin on the shelf for some time, and the cataclysmic fallout of the “Montreal Screwjob”, Austin and Bret never wrestled each other again, though both men looked back on this match fondly and regarded it as one of the best matches of their respective careers.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to the Submission Match between Steve Austin and Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13? Which man were you rooting for at the time, and did your perception of one or both change after the match? What did you think to Austin’s crowd brawling and Bret’s more systematic attack? Can you name another double turn like this, or a similar bloody visual as Austin’s face? How are you celebrating 3:16 Day this year, what are some of your favourite matches and moments from Austin’s illustrious career? What dream match would you have liked to see him involved in? Let me know what you think about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin down in the comments, send me £3.16 on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other wrestling content across the site!

Wrestling Recap: Hogan vs. André (WrestleMania III)

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The Date: 29 March 1987
The Venue: Pontiac Silverdome; Pontiac, Michigan
The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Referee: Joey Marella
The Stakes: Singles match for the WWF Championship

The Build-Up:
On 31 March 1985, Vince McMahon gambled it all on WrestleMania, an event seen by over one million viewers that changed the face of the wrestling landscape forever by bringing together the biggest names in wrestling alongside numerous celebrity guests. Now regarded as the premier wrestling event, WrestleMania eventually became known for career-defining matches and iconic “WrestleMania Moments”, with perhaps the first and most memorable of these moments coming in this titanic clash between “The Eighth Wonder of the World” André the Giant and “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. Born in Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne and suffering from gigantism, the physically imposing yet kind hearted Andre became a larger than life attraction thanks to some clever booking and sensationalist claims. Just in the build up to this match alone, André was said to have been undefeated for fifteen years and to have never been slammed, to say nothing of the dramatic claims regarding WrestleMania III’s attendance figures! Still, with André’s health failing and his body deteriorating, the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) sowed the seeds of dissent between the giant and the Hulkster after Hogan was presented with an award for this three-year reign as WWF Champion. Unimpressed that his own trophy was much smaller and annoyed at Hogan stealing his spotlight, André shocked the world by aligning with Hogan’s long-time nemesis, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and challenging Hogan to a match for the belt, dramatically tearing the shirt and crucifix off the stunned Hogan in the process. The clash between the “Irresistible Force” and the “Immoveable Object” has since gone down as one of the most definitive and iconic WrestleMania matches of all time despite (or, perhaps, because of) Hogan’s wild claims regarding the contest.

The Match:
While a lot of this era of wrestling hasn’t aged too well, and the quality of the in-ring work doesn’t quite match a lot of the work horses who thrill us today, it can’t be denied that there was a certain energy about the business during this time. Hulkamania truly was running wild back then and Hulk Hogan was peerless at the top of the mountain for his iconic and celebrated status, which took wrestling into the mainstream and catapulted the WWF to greater heights back in the day. Also, while it’s symptomatic of André’s failing health, I really dig the old motorised carts that brought some of the larger Superstars to the ring during this time. But, getting back to the energy, you can practically feel the atmosphere oozing from the raucous crowd as Hogan and André stand toe-to-toe at the start of the match. Today, this stare down would garner a “This is awesome!” but, back then, the crowd simply ate up the anticipation of seeing these two larger-than-life titans squaring off in the middle of the ring. One thing I loved about this tense moment was that Hogan worked himself into a frenzy talking smack to André and shaking with rage at the big man’s actions, while André stayed completely stoic and simply swatted the Hulkster away like a gnat. This led to Hogan landing blow after blow to André’s massive head, which the giant no-sold, and to the Hulkster being crushed when he tried and failed to slam André. Though he squirmed out of the pin fall, much to André’s surprise, Hogan began favouring his lower back, which the giant immediately homed in on with plodding kicks and blows. André dictated the pace, easily toying with and manhandling Hogan and taunting him, humbling the champion and making him seem small. André flung Hogan from corner to corner, pounding his abdomen with his hips, but was stunned when Hogan dodged a headbutt and caused André to slam into the ring post.

An iconic clash, to be sure, but a plodding match handicapped by André’s ill health.

Hogan mounted a comeback consisting of blows to the head and shots to the chest, repeatedly slamming André’s forehead off the top turnbuckle pad, before being taken down with a lumbering big boot. André gave Hogan a receipt for those chops and clamped down hard with a bearhug for what felt like an ice age. Eventually, Hogan seemingly succumbed to the agony but, just as his arm was being raised for the third time, Hogan rallied, feeding off the energy of the crowd, and forced André to release the hold with yet more fists to the face. Hogan’s attempts to shoulder tackle André down were akin to running into a brick wall and, again, Hogan was taken down with a big chop. A simple, clumsy kick to the gut sent Hogan to the outside, where André again ate the ring post thanks to Hogan’s wiles. Hogan then pulled up the protective mat at ringside and threatened to hit a piledriver, only to be awkwardly dumped to the concrete. André dumped the champion back into the ring, missed a kick, and finally fell to the canvas from a clothesline. Fuelled by this small victory, Hogan “Hulked Up”, the crowd on their feet and in an uproar, and finally delivered the body slam heard around the world! Hogan then flew off the ropes with the Atomic Leg Drop and scored the pinfall, securing the WWF Championship and drinking in the adulation of his fans as André and Heenan were sent scurrying to the back. I talked about “energy” and “atmosphere” at the start of this review and this match is perhaps the greatest example of style over substance as there really was nothing to it. It’s not André’s fault, the guy was clearly struggling, was basically immobile, and was clearing in a lot of pain, but I don’t think enough smoke and mirrors were used to cover for that. I enjoyed seeing him toy with and humiliate Hogan, putting a hurting on the champion and dominating him, but Hogan’s comeback barely dealt any damage, leaving the ending a bit flat for me. A shot with the ring bell, belt, or a chair or seeing André make a massive mistake might’ve helped with this. The only reason this match gets two stars is because of how iconic the body slam, the stare down, and the atmosphere were. Strip that away and it’s a dull, slow, repetitive match that I’d say barely qualifies as a contest.

The Aftermath:
Despite André the Giant’s clearly failing health, this match wasn’t the end of his in-ring career. André and Hulk Hogan squared off again almost one year later at The Main Event I in a match for the WWF Championship that saw André finally end Hogan’s incredible run with the belt thanks to the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase bribing crooked referee Earl Hebner. As part of this deal, André sold the belt to DiBiase, though faux WWF President Jack Tunney overruled this and declared the title to be vacant. This led to a fourteen-man tournament that culminated at WrestleMania IV, where Hogan and André faced each other once more. This time, weapons were involved in the match and resulted in both men being disqualified. However, when André accompanied DiBiase to the ring for the final match of the tournament, Hogan evened the odds, allowing his friend and tag team partner, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, to capture the WWF Championship. After Hogan defeated André once again in a steel cage match, he moved on to his Mega Powers super-team and subsequent feud with the Macho Man. André, meanwhile, fought the likes Jake “The Snake” Roberts, revealing he was deathly afraid of snakes and the Ultimate Warrior, formed an intimidating tag team with Haku, and finally turned back to the light side after having enough of Heenan’s foul treatment. From there, André made sporadic appearances in America and Japan, before finally passing away in 1993 and becoming the first-ever inductee in the WWF Hall of Fame. As for Hogan, he milked this contest for all its worth, revisiting it during his World Championship Wrestling (WCW) run in matches against the Giant (initially billed as André’s son) and elaborating upon the match more and more as the years went on.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the iconic clash between André the Giant and Hulk Hogan? Do you think this is the best WrestleMania Moment? Did you enjoy seeing Hogan on the backfoot for most of the match? What did you think to the ending, and do you agree that the match lacked substance? Which of Hogan and André’s matches was your favourite? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania match? Let me know what you think in the comments below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other wrestling content across the site.