He who rejects change is the architect of decay.
The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.
—Harold Wilson
The 1980s was a time of great change for wrestling. New technologies would revolutionize the way promoters did business. Change in the sport itself came both in the form of a rebirth in tag team wrestling and in the influx of bodybuilders. For the fortunate few, regional territories blossomed into national promotions. But many other promoters saw the end of businesses they’d spent a lifetime building.
During a meeting with promoter Jerry Jarrett, Bill Watts was asked, “Where are the blow jobs?” Soon after he brought in the Fantastics — to appeal to female fans. |
Thanks to cable television, promoters were free to promote shows in more than one arena, and profits increased dramatically. It didn’t take the innovative minds long to reach for the stars.
Like all times of change, there were positives and negatives. Tag team specialists blossomed — lightweight competitors, typically, who executed lightning fast moves and developed team finishing maneuvers. (Ironically, however, the most successful tag team of this era — perhaps any era — was a heavyweight duo who practiced a power-based style, the Road Warriors.) With the success of pretty boy teams like the Fabulous Ones and the Rock and Roll Express, promoters wisely recruited their own teams to draw in a new type of fan: teenage girls. Even promotions like Mid-South Wrestling, which prided themselves on tough, rugged action, realized that young women were an untapped source of revenue — and likely to come to the show accompanied by teenage boys.
The physiques of wrestlers also changed, primarily after the incredible success of Hulk Hogan and the Road Warriors. Again, promoters rushed to duplicate the success of the hard bodies. Some fans felt this wasn’t necessarily a good thing: as appearance rather than wrestling ability seemed to be the new criteria for stars, it often lead to poor in-ring performances.
More than anything else, one man changed the business.
When Vince McMahon bought the WWF from his father, few people had any idea what to expect. There were warnings that Vince Jr. was going to do things differently — but most promoters wrote off his big ideas as a pipe dream. McMahon knew differently. He launched a careful campaign to transform the WWF from a northeastern territory into a promotion that spanned the United States and Canada.
McMahon was not the first person to try running on a national scale. During the 1970s, the IWA took a shot, but the ambitious undertaking failed. He wasn’t the first person to recognize the potential of cable television either. During a meeting of the NWA in 1979, promoters Mike LeBell and Jim Barnett warned their colleagues that cable television would change the way business was done.
The unfortunate truth was that many promoters had become complacent. When McMahon began airing matches from promotions across the United States, fans were in heaven. Rival promoters didn’t seem to mind supplying McMahon with footage of their top stars, probably viewing the practice as free advertising. Had they known McMahon’s true motives, they might have reconsidered. It wasn’t long before McMahon’s rationale became clear. All of the stars McMahon was featuring would soon work for him. Wrestlers hyped on WWF shows oftentimes disappeared from their promotions overnight.
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Wrestlers have reported that as they were brought into the WWF, they were told to leave the promotions they had been working for without notice. This broke another taboo: promoters traditionally got wrestlers on their way out to do jobs to put over wrestlers who were staying. This left rivals with egg on their face, as wrestlers announced for house shows suddenly were unavailable and storylines already in place had to be dropped prematurely. |
The reaction to McMahon varied. In some cases, promoters were bought out; others simply folded. A few refused to sell and went to war. The NWA and AWA had a longstanding policy of banding together when an outsider tried to compete in their territories. They created Pro Wrestling USA, a promotion made up of top stars from both companies. Pro Wrestling USA got off to a good start (and even ran a show in the WWF’s backyard, at the New Jersey Meadowlands) but infighting between the various promoters eventually led to its demise.
The WWF’s success in the mid-1980s was astonishing. And while Vince McMahon made his share of mistakes, his triumphs outstripped them and the WWF steamrolled its competition.
Despite the WWF’s incredible rise in the Rock and Wrestling Era, not everyone was happy. After the demise of JCP, the traditional style of wrestling which emphasized realism and athletics took a backseat to the “show over substance” approach of the WWF. The days of bloody matches and sixty-minute broadways faded as short matches centered on muscular wrestlers with flashy gimmicks became the norm.
By 1984, Tito Santana had become a WWF fixture. The popular Latin-American wrestler had achieved considerable success, winning the tag team championship with “Polish Power” Ivan Putski and grabbing the Intercontinental title from the Magnificent Muraco. With a babyface having a stranglehold on the WWF championship, Santana had gone as far as he could. Still, the adoration of the fans and the gold around his waist meant life was good.
Santana’s climb to the top had been arduous, but nowhere near as hard as the climb back up would be. In September 1984, Santana’s world came crashing down when Greg “The Hammer” Valentine defeated him for his Intercontinental belt, hospitalizing him in the process. The scene was London, Ontario, and Santana was set to square off against Valentine in a title defense. The son of legendary grappler Johnny Valentine, the Hammer’s reputation as a wrestler who liked to hurt people preceded him. Santana knew he was in for a hellacious title defense but he hadn’t counted on Valentine’s ace in the hole — “Captain” Lou Albano. The ever-crafty manager distracted Santana before the match, allowing Valentine to blindside him and clip his knee. At 100 percent physical capacity, Santana would have been in for a tough battle; injured, he proved to be no match for the heel and Valentine won the belt despite the champ’s spirited defense. After the pin, Valentine clamped his figure-four leglock on Santana’s already injured leg, hoping to end his opponent’s career.
As a result of that attack, Santana’s knee had to be surgically repaired. (Of course, Santana was already scheduled for knee surgery — the injury was used to set up his absence during recovery.) At WrestleMania, Santana returned and defeated the Executioner. Later in the card, he made an appearance during Valentine’s title defense against the Junkyard Dog, sending the message that he was ready to take back what Valentine had stolen.
While the Hammer may have underestimated Santana’s resilience and willpower in their first encounter, he didn’t aim to repeat his mistake. Once Tito had worked his way back into title contention, Valentine threw every trick in his arsenal at him. He used all the advantages of being champion in defending his belt, getting himself disqualified or simply bailing out of the ring to avoid defeat. But when a lumberjack match (a match where wrestlers surround the outside of the ring to prevent the combatants from bailing out) against Santana was finally signed, it seemed like Valentine had nowhere to run. Still, thanks to an assist from fellow heel “Big” John Studd, Valentine managed to steal a victory.
Valentine’s questionable tactics were not unnoticed by WWF officials. So when Tito Santana demanded a cage match, there were no qualms about sanctioning the bout. Valentine would be locked inside four walls of steel, with no one to rely on but himself.
The match was held at the Baltimore Civic Center in July 1985. Cornered, Valentine proved more dangerous than ever. He understood the rules he had bent to his advantage were useless in a cage. In the WWF, pinfalls and submissions were meaningless; the match could only be won by beating an opponent senseless and escaping over the walls or through the door.
The match went down to the wire. Both men had beaten each other to the point where the fans wondered how either could still stand. Somehow, Santana found the strength to climb the cage while Valentine took the easier path to victory, crawling toward the door. As Santana lowered himself over the fence, it looked like Valentine would escape first. But in an ingenious move, Tito had positioned himself near the cage door. And on his way over he kicked the door into Valentine’s head. The champion was stunned. Santana’s feet touched the floor and he became the Intercontinental champion for the second time.
Santana held the championship for seven more months before falling prey to Randy “Macho Man” Savage. This would be Santana’s last WWF singles reign, but tag team gold still loomed. In 1987, Tito would win the WWF tag team championship with Rick Martel as a member of Strike Force. In 2004 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Valentine’s run as a singles champion ended here as well, but like Santana, he found championship success in the tag ranks when he teamed with Brutus Beefcake to form the Dream Team. In 1985, Valentine and Beefcake defeated Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham (a.k.a. the U.S. Express) to win the WWF tag team championship; they held the belts for nearly eight months before dropping them to the British Bulldogs at WrestleMania 2. In 2004 Valentine’s career would mirror Santana’s once more when he too was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
When Bill Watts brought manager Jim Cornette to Mid-South Wrestling, he wasted no time in casting the youngster as one of the area’s top heels. Cornette, a lifelong fan of the squared circle, had become a manager in CWA after working as a photographer, adopting the gimmick of the spoiled rich kid. Unfortunately, it was hard to manage standing in the shadow of the area’s number-one heel mouthpiece, Jimmy Hart.
Things changed when Cornette came to work in MSW in a talent trade. Cornette began managing the Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton) and soon, championship gold was theirs.
To celebrate, a party was held on Mid-South Wrestling, complete with cake and champagne. Cornette and his men reveled in their victory, taunting the fans at ringside. But the celebration turned sour when the Rock and Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) snuck up from behind and shoved Cornette’s face in the cake.
MSW promoter Bill Watts loved the incident so much he decided to replay it every week. Cornette was furious — no one did such a thing to him! The boisterous manager made it clear that he was going to sue, sue, sue. No one in Mid-South Wrestling would escape his wrath, not even the Irish McNeil Boys Club (the site where MSW was taped every week). Bill Watts had enough of Cornette’s threats and confronted him. Then Cornette made the mistake of a lifetime when he made fun of Watts’ son Joel. An angry “Cowboy” slapped Cornette, ending the confrontation.
But the quarrel wasn’t over in Cornette’s mind. The next week he appeared on Mid-South TV, replacing Watts as the show’s host. The fans were curious; Watts was a regular part of the program. Soon they understood. During a taped interview with Butch Reed, Watts had been jumped by the Midnight Express and beaten like a dog. The attack was so heinous Reed (who was arguably the promotion’s top heel) shook his head and walked away.
Like many before him, Cornette underestimated the Cowboy. Watts’ best years were behind him but he wasn’t going to let the assault go unanswered. During an interview with Jim Ross, Watts told the fans that he knew fining Cornette would be ineffective. (Cornette’s spoiled mama’s boy gimmick included a fabulously wealthy mother as part of its backstory.) Instead, he would challenge the Midnight Express and their manager to a match known as “the Last Stampede.”
More promos followed, with Watts promising he’d find the toughest partner he could. Watts was seen visiting his long-time friend the Junkyard Dog. The Dog was serving out a ninety-day suspension after losing a loser-leaves-town match, but he led Watts to someone who could help him, a mysterious masked wrestler known as Stagger Lee. Stagger Lee was a controversial figure in the Mid-South region. His resemblance to the Junkyard Dog was uncanny, to the point that the area’s top heels accused the Dog of donning a mask and working as Lee to circumvent his suspension.
Eager for revenge, Watts threw out match stipulations to sweeten the victors’ pot. If Cornette’s team won, the heel manager would gain control of Mid-South Wrestling for six months. Watts having to work for Cornette would only add to his satisfaction. However if Watts won, Cornette would be forced to wear a dress.
On April 7, 1984, a sellout crowd of over 23,000 saw the Cowboy exact his revenge. Watts and Lee started off strong, using the Midnight Express as their personal punching bags. Eventually though, the double-team tactics of the Express, and Cornette’s interference, gave the heels the upper hand, putting Watts’ anticipated victory in doubt. But when Bobby Eaton tried to throw powder into Watts’ eyes, his scheme backfired — thanks to the timely intervention of Stagger Lee. Watts moved in for the kill, scoring the pinfall victory. Knowing what was coming, Cornette did his best to get out of Dodge, but Watts, Lee, Magnum T.A., and Pierce Boyd surrounded him. Cornette was stripped, doused with baby powder, and forced to wear a diaper. The crybaby manager now looked the part he habitually acted.
When “Rowdy” Roddy Piper came to the WWF in 1984, the promotion was in a state of flux. Vince McMahon had recently taken control, and he prized showmanship above all else. Stars who had been the bedrock of his father’s company were being phased out in favor of newcomers. Given his incredible charisma and showmanship, Piper’s success in the WWF was all but guaranteed. At first, McMahon used him as a manager for “Dr. D” David Schultz and Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff, and the Rowdy One quickly earned the hatred of WWF fans. While Piper was no stranger to the role of manager, it was a role beneath a worker of his caliber. Still, he quickly jumped into the spotlight, hosting a weekly talk segment called “Piper’s Pit.” The mini-show allowed him to show off his mic skills as he routinely insulted the WWF’s top babyfaces. He angered their fans, too, and often set up matches with his patter. Fans quickly became accustomed to Piper’s biting wit — but nothing could prepare them for the day when Piper interviewed “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka.
By the time Superfly appeared on “Piper’s Pit,” he was one of the most beloved wrestlers in the WWF. He’d recently completed a feud with the Magnificent Muraco and he was at the peak of his popularity, a fame rivaling that of Hulk Hogan at the time. What better way for Piper to make himself a main-eventer than to cross paths with Snuka?
When Snuka arrived on his show, an unusually gracious Piper told him he wanted to make him feel at home. Piper produced a grocery bag and began to empty its contents. He reached into the brown bag and a pineapple emerged. He then reached in and pulled out a bunch of bananas. Piper suggested the tropical fruit would remind Snuka of his Fiji Islands home, but all his antics seemed to do was bring Snuka’s blood to a boil. With Snuka watching on in disbelief, Piper continued the charade, revealing some coconuts. Snuka stood in silence as Piper told him this was his chance to talk, his chance, in Piper’s words, “to be a big shot.” It was clear from the look on Snuka’s face he wasn’t amused. But Piper continued antagonizing his guest. He falsely apologized, feigning sadness because he didn’t have a tree for the Superfly to climb.
Snuka had finally had enough, and he asked Piper if he was making fun of him. Clearly aware Snuka’s patience had reached its end, Piper grabbed one of the coconuts and cracked it over his guest’s head. Snuka fell back onto the backdrop, knocking it over as Piper asked, “Am I making fun of you?”
But the assault had only just begun. Piper proceeded to humiliate Snuka, rubbing a banana in his face and screaming, “You want a banana?” Then he circled around the fallen wrestler, repeating Snuka’s “Are you making fun of me?” Next, he screamed, “You want to be a big shot?” and as Snuka crawled toward him, Piper whipped him with a weight belt, tearing the skin off Snuka’s back.
“Everybody wants to be a big shot,” Piper taunted.
Piper continued the verbal and physical beating; finally Snuka rose to his feet and let out a blood-chilling battle cry. Piper left through a door and locked it — but not before making a rude gesture at Snuka. Snuka rushed for the door and smashed against it, but Piper was gone. Wrestlers from the dressing room (including Tito Santana and B. Brian Blair) came onto the scene and stopped Snuka from doing something he might regret for the rest of his life.
Thanks to this event, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Superfly” Snuka created an instant feud. The two would battle repeatedly, including a match that led to a storyline where Piper broke Snuka’s neck, sidelining the popular star. While Snuka recovered, his cousin, the Tonga Kid, showed up seeking revenge. Snuka and the Tonga Kid would work tag team matches against Piper and “Cowboy” Bob Orton (Piper’s storyline bodyguard), adding more fire to the already hot feud.
The Snuka feud established Piper as the WWF’s number-one heel. He became the villain Vince McMahon would build the main event of WrestleMania around. Unfortunately for Jimmy Snuka, personal problems soon pushed him out of the spotlight.
Memphis-area fans remember the wild stipulation matches that were a big part of the promotion’s perennial charm. In CWA, wrestlers fought over more than titles (though there were plenty of those to go around), often putting money, property, or their careers on the line. But most of the time, in Memphis a stipulation match meant you put up your dignity, with the loser having to undergo any manner of humiliation: being powdered and diapered, tarred and feathered, or shaving off their hair. One man who was no stranger to stipulation matches was Jerry “the King” Lawler. In particular, he excelled at the hair vs. hair match. Many an opponent walked away shorn after falling victim to the King. Lawler’s record in hair vs. hair matches was highlighted by a victory over “Superstar” Bill Dundee, after which Dundee’s wife had to have her head shaved. It seemed like Lawler was unbeatable in these matches, but everything changed on the night of April 27, 1987, when he battled Austin Idol.
With the nickname “The King of Memphis,” it was clear Lawler was the top man in the territory. Whether he wrestled as a heel or a face, he played second banana to no one. More often than not, that led to conflict with the other top stars when it came time for title shots, especially world title shots. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and American Wrestling Association (AWA) world champion toured the country. In the case of CWA, a world champion might show up only once or twice a year to defend the title. Naturally, this meant world title shots were a huge deal, and the competition was so fierce it could turn friends into enemies.
That was just what happened between Austin Idol and Jerry Lawler. Idol, a notorious hothead, took offense when the powers that be decided Lawler would receive a title shot against the AWA champion Nick Bochwinkel. His anger led to a chain match in which Lawler prevailed in under a minute, completely humiliating Idol in the process. Furious, Idol enlisted the help of Tommy Rich in an attempt to exact payback. The blonde bombers tried to take Lawler out on several occasions but found him an elusive target. After several frustrating encounters, Idol agreed to a steel cage match against Lawler. It was more than a cage match though — it was a hair vs. hair cage match. Worse, if Idol lost, the fans would have their tickets refunded — thanks to Idol putting up $50,000 of his own money as security.
Longtime CWA announcer Lance Russell introduced the two combatants. Idol’s manager Paul E. Dangerously was forced outside the cage, despite his protests. Lawler wasted no time getting down to business, determined to settle things for good. At one point, the referee was knocked out, but neither man seemed in a hurry to score a pinfall. Things were looking pretty good for the King, until Idol’s friend Tommy Rich appeared out of nowhere and blindsided Lawler. (Rich had hid under the ring earlier in the day, playing possum for hours until it was time to strike.) Rich piledrived Lawler and then Idol joined in the fun, double-teaming Memphis’s other favorite son with a spike piledriver.
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Through the years, shrewd promoters incorporated real-life injuries into wrestling angles. Jerry Lawler remembers the famous match with Idol and how he worked an upcoming surgery into an angle: “They did the number where they each took one of my legs and pulled me into the post. I got posted. It looked like it wrecked me. Well, the truth of the matter was that I was scheduled to have a vasectomy reversal the following morning. We had cameras at the hospital, filming me going into surgery to have my testicles worked on. It was a real-shoot operation, but we did the angle to play off it, to utilize the operation. I had to be off a couple of weeks anyway. It turned out to be one of the hottest angles. It looked great when they ran me into the post. I kind of turned my ass up when they did it so it hit my butt, more or less, but I got a big bruise.” |
The fans were furious, but there was nothing they could do but watch in horror as their beloved hero was eventually pinned. After winning the match, Idol and Rich each grabbed one of Lawler’s legs and rammed his groin into the ring post. By now, Lawler had no idea where he was. The King was summarily escorted into a chair and a barber executed the match’s haircut stipulation. Lawler’s personal barber was on hand to administer the haircut as Paul E. Dangerously collected Lawler’s hair into a plastic bag. While Lawler had lost, he actually received more of a brush cut than a complete shave. Nevertheless, fans were shocked that he had lost hair, as well as a good portion of his dignity, to the hated heels.
As Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer, the Memphis Coliseum fans were close to rioting. Rich and Idol were safe as long as they stayed in the cage — but the crowd didn’t seem to be in any hurry to go home. Eventually, security managed to run the heels to safety.
For a brief moment, the Rock and Wrestling Connection made Wendi Richter a bigger star than even WWF champion Hulk Hogan. On the night of July 23, 1984, Richter wrestled the Fabulous Moolah for the WWF Woman’s Championship in a match nicknamed The Brawl To Settle It All. The confrontation would help pave the road to WrestleMania and make the WWF a pop culture phenomenon.
The match’s roots extended months back, to when rising pop star Cyndi Lauper had asked long-time heel manager “Captain” Lou Albano to appear in her video “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Never one to pass up a chance in the spotlight, the charismatic Albano agreed and his appearance in the video earned him mainstream fame as MTV viewers delighted in Albano’s over-the-top performance as Lauper’s father. Soon, Albano was everywhere, riding the waves of success.
After a noted career as a wrestler, Albano had smoothly transitioned from wrestler to manager, becoming one of the unholy trinity of heel managers in the WWWF (with “Classy” Freddie Blassie and the Grand Wizard). Albano was known for managing team after team to the WWWF tag championship. His outrageous interviews and colorful appearance were eclipsed only by the equally off-the-wall duos he managed, including the Wild Samoans. Not surprisingly, Albano’s charisma caught the eye of Hollywood.
Following his success with Lauper, Albano appeared on “Piper’s Pit” to boast about his newfound career in music. Albano talked up his accomplishments, mentioning the periodicals he’d appeared in and claiming a key role in Lauper’s success. After further self-congratulation, Albano was asked by Piper if he might be able to get Lauper to show up on “Piper’s Pit.”
For weeks, Albano promised to produce Lauper, but after repeated no-shows, fans were beginning to wonder if this was just more of the usual baloney they’d come to expect from the Captain. Then the moment that would forever change the face of women’s wrestling finally occurred — Lauper appeared on “Piper’s Pit.” During the buildup to Lauper’s appearance, When Lauper finally appeared, she thanked Albano for his help, but told Piper and his audience that Albano was not her manager. An enraged Albano began shouting and screaming at Lauper (of course, shouting and screaming was Albano’s normal tone of voice), berating her and once more claiming responsibility for her success.
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Richter would later have problems with WWF management, which led to the company taking the belt off of her and putting it back on Moolah by subterfuge. This controversial finish predated wrestling’s infamous “Montreal Screwjob” by twelve years and has become known as the “Original Screwjob.” |
Albano was clearly of the mindset that a woman’s place was in the home, and he began patronizing Ms. Lauper. “The Manager of Champions” was in for a shock when Lauper yelled back and shoved him out of her personal space. A stunned Albano looked on as Lauper left him to rethink his actions.
WWF fans had come to know that Albano wasn’t satisfied unless he got the last word. And when Lauper popped his balloon, he swore revenge. Albano had boasted of his tremendous success as a manager and argued for the superiority of men over women. But the young singer was not going to back down and she issued a challenge. They would each select a wrestler to manage, and their match would determine who was the superior manager. The erstwhile battle of the sexes led to Lauper selecting a wrestler named Wendi Richter to face a wrestler of Albano’s choosing. A cocky Albano selected the legendary WWF women’s champion, the Fabulous Moolah. Moolah had held the title for the better part of twenty-seven years, and he was confident Lauper’s charge had no chance.
Thanks to Lauper’s connections in the music industry, it was natural for MTV to be involved. Lauper’s videos were in heavy rotation, and with the help of her manager/boyfriend David Wolff, she was able to get the spectacle aired on MTV. Thanks to the publicity, a woman’s match would headline Madison Square Garden as a WWF main event. The Brawl To Settle It All opened with Lauper accompanying Richter into the ring as “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” played on the loudspeakers.
The match itself was nothing memorable, but the hype surrounding it made it a phenomenal success both for MTV and the WWF. In the end, Richter triumphed, winning the women’s championship and ushering in a new era of women’s wrestling.
After the match, Albano saw the error of his ways and slowly began the turn from heel to hero. Albano’s switch would be cemented after he worked with Lauper to raise money to fight multiple sclerosis.
While WrestleMania I is best known for the main event, featuring Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Roddy Piper, and Paul Orndorff, it also featured a highly publicized match between Andre the Giant and “Big” John Studd. The $15,000 Body Slam Challenge had Andre putting his career on the line against Studd’s money, with the winner being the man who was first able to body-slam his opponent. What led to this match was an angle known as the haircut match, and it was one of the biggest angles of the Giant’s career.
After arriving in the World Wrestling Federation, manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan set out to make a name for himself and his wrestlers (collectively known as “The Bobby Heenan Family”) by taking out the biggest man in the WWF. Heenan knew he had his work cut out for him, but he also knew he had two of the toughest men in the game — “Big” John Studd and “The Olympic Strongman” Ken Patera.
Ken Patera was a former Olympic weightlifter who had been the first American to clean-and-jerk 500 pounds. He was also a skilled wrestler and, while not as big as John Studd, a powerhouse in his own right.
Heenan put out a challenge for Andre and a partner of his choosing to face off against Patera and Studd. Who would be Andre’s partner? There were many greats who would jump at the chance to team with the legend, but no one could have predicted he would choose “Special Delivery” Jones. Jones, a journeyman with a less-than-stellar win-loss record, was an undercard wrestler and probably the last man fans would have expected. Perhaps Andre was sending a message, telling Studd and Patera that he didn’t need anyone’s help. But Andre would soon learn otherwise.
The match started off strong, with Jones holding his own against Patera. Jones then tagged in Andre who dominated Patera. When Jones returned to the ring he lost his momentum, being overwhelmed by the power of Studd and Patera. When the opportunity to escape presented itself, Jones wisely tagged out. Unfortunately, on his way back to his corner, Jones was tossed from the ring by Patera, and when he hit the floor hard he was knocked senseless. Now on his own, Andre went after the Olympian. Andre threw Patera into the corner, then smashed his 500-pound frame against him. However, when he tried the move a second time, Patera lifted his knee and stunned the giant. Patera then climbed the turnbuckle and delivered a devastating kneedrop across the back of Andre’s head.
Patera was quickly joined by his tag partner. Studd entered the ring illegally and joined Patera in beating Andre senseless. Heenan’s henchmen pummeled Andre mercilessly and, in an impressive feat of strength, lifted Andre up for a body slam. Andre crumpled to the mat as Studd and Patera continued their thrashing, dropping elbows and knees until the Giant was unconscious.
When Bobby “The Brain” Heenan mounted the mat apron, it suddenly became clear that the challenge had actually been a set-up. Heenan handed Studd a pair of scissors, and the big man began clipping the Giant’s bushy head of hair while Patera held him down. In one of the greatest bits of hyperbole ever heard in professional wrestling, announcer Vince McMahon cried out: “This is humiliation. This is sheer humiliation. . . . Studd and Patera are raping the dignity of Andre the Giant.”
After the assault, Patera grabbed some of Andre’s hair and held it up for the fans to see.
For the next few weeks, Studd and Patera traveled across the country with a bag of Andre’s hair. Fans couldn’t wait to see the Giant get his revenge. Andre’s started with Patera. After defeating the Olympic Strongman, he next targeted John Studd, issuing the body slam challenge for the first WrestleMania. Despite Patera’s loss, Heenan was confident in Studd’s ability, putting up a $15,000 guarantee that Andre wouldn’t be able to slam him. When Vince McMahon asked Andre on Tuesday Night Titans why he hadn’t put anything on the line for the match, the Giant became enraged and announced he’d retire if he didn’t slam Studd.
The match at WrestleMania saw Andre make short work of Heenan’s man, slamming Studd in less than six minutes. Andre began disbursing Studd’s cash to the fans at ringside — until Bobby Heenan snuck up behind him and stole the duffel bag containing the money. (Heenan would later make the outrageous claim that Studd had been hip-tossed rather than slammed.) But Andre’s victory proved that he was still professional wrestling’s only true giant.
Looking back, the haircut match holds up as one of the greatest angles of all time. Few wrestlers possessed the size or strength to be legitimate opponents for Andre, but Patera and Studd fit the bill. Studd’s size and Patera’s power made Andre being beaten unconscious believable. Bobby Heenan helped sustain the heat by appearing on WWF television week after week, bragging about what his men had done. Studd and Patera got instant heat whenever they pulled out the bag of Andre’s hair. With the exception of the buildup between Andre and Hogan that led up to WrestleMania III, this was unquestionably the greatest angle of the Giant’s career.
Top coat, Top hat,
And I don’t worry coz my wallet’s fat.
Black shades, white gloves,
lookin’ sharp and lookin’ for love.
They come runnin’ just as fast as they can
coz every girl crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man.
—“Sharp Dressed Man,” ZZ Top
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One of the many innovative promotional techniques used by Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett was the music video. According to Lawler, “We started doing music videos with our wrestlers, which few promotions had really done before. We used them to get people over. Taking the most popular songs of the day, we’d add some wrestling footage and shots of the guys getting into a Corvette with girls. A two-minute video got some guys over much better than a fifteen-minute match or an interview.” |
It’s difficult to place the exact moment when tag team wrestling took off again. There were always good teams to be found, but by the early 1980s, tag specialists were in vogue in just about every promotion. Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood have often been credited for the tag team resurgence. And certainly the Road Warriors were a tremendous draw, wherever they went, in the 1980s.
One pivotal duo is often overlooked in discussions of what made tag team wrestling so popular during the ’80s. This team spawned a legion of imitators: the Rock and Roll Express, the Midnight Express, the Fantastics, and the Rockers.
Not surprisingly, the team was developed in Memphis’s Continental Wrestling Association, a promotion always ahead of its time in terms of booking and angles. In the early 1980s, heel manager Jimmy Hart introduced the latest of the many tag teams he had formed to taunt the area’s faces (and more importantly, their fans). Dressed in white tuxedos and top hats, the combination of the Love Machine and Rick McGraw were known as the New York Dolls.
In typical Jimmy Hart fashion, he promised his new team would win a championship in their first title match or he would leave the Memphis area. Eager to see the hated manager exiled, Memphis fans were disappointed when the Dolls defeated Spike Huber and Steve Regal for the World Wrestling Association (wwa) world tag team championship, one of the many titles used in the CWA promotion.
Even angrier though was local legend Jackie Fargo. Fargo had wrestled solo in the 1950s, and with his “brother” Don Fargo as “The Fabulous Fargos” he had gone on to big regional success in the Tennessee area during the ’60s and ’70s. Fargo took exception to Hart’s team, feeling that they were nothing but cheap imitations. So, in true wrestling form, Fargo formed his own team to send against Hart’s New York Dolls.
Behind the scenes, the Fabulous Ones had been born when CWA promoter Jerry Jarrett happened upon MTV and the station’s cutting edge music videos. The CWA had combined music and video before, but Jarrett wanted to take things to the next level. After pairing veteran wrestler Steve Keirn with Stan Lane (a protégé of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair), he costumed them in top hats, tuxedos, and canes and shot a video set to Billy Squier’s “Everybody Wants You.” Soon after, the Fabulous Ones debuted — and they began working against the New York Dolls.
The Fabulous Ones became the hottest tag team in the CWA, combining wrestling, brawling, and a touch of Chippendales to win the attention of male and female fans alike. The Fabs’ popularity saw them eventually compete in the AWA against world tag team champions the Road Warriors. The Fabs were even booked by promoter Verne Gagne to win the championship, but the Road Warriors refused to put them over. Over time, the Fabulous Ones wrestled in several regional promotions, including Florida Championship Wrestling, until the team disbanded in 1987 with Steve Keirn’s short-lived retirement from wrestling.
While the Fabulous Ones made their mark, their biggest contribution to wrestling was perhaps in the legion of teams who emulated their style. After the Fabs proved box office draws, local promoters did what promoters always do — they copied the Fabs ad nauseam. First came the Rock and Roll Express — Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson. Morton and Gibson wrestled on the CWA “B” shows while the Fabs wrestled on the “A” shows. Other promoters formed their own versions as well. By the middle of the 1980s the Fabulous Ones’ success had created a chain reaction, with tag teams becoming popular across the nation. The British Bulldogs, the Hart Foundation, the Fantastics, the Midnight Express, and the Midnight Rockers were just the tip of the iceberg.
Professional wrestling has had its share of classic rivalries, and while Jack Brisco vs. Dory Funk Jr., Triple H vs. Michaels, Austin vs. Rock, and Hogan vs. Savage all come to mind, there was nothing quite like Flair vs. Steamboat. These two epitomized the NWA style of wrestling, creating money-making programs whenever they locked up. Better yet, their matches have long been considered some of the finest in wrestling’s history.
As with many of the great feuds, it’s hard to choose a favorite program. Steamboat and Flair first met in Jim Crockett Promotions, where Steamboat quickly won fans. His speed and technical prowess, coupled with his good looks, made him a natural babyface. (Steamboat would remain a babyface throughout his career, one of the very few individuals in the sport’s history to manage the feat.) Putting Steamboat in a program against the area’s top heel, Ric Flair, was a no-brainer.
Their matches were built up with angles that would be repeated throughout their careers. One of the most memorable was when Flair attacked Steamboat and drove his face into a concrete floor in an attempt to destroy Steamboat’s good looks (the angle would be revisited during the 1980s during Flair’s program with Ricky Morton). Steamboat would avenge himself by attacking Flair during an interview and stripping him of his custom-made suit.
The two men would meet in the squared circle countless times over the next two decades, sometimes against each other, sometimes wrestling together. During the late 1980s, WCW decided to revisit the feud after Steamboat’s WWF run. Steamboat’s WCW return came when “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert enlisted the aid of a mystery partner against the tandem of Flair and Barry Windham. After unveiling Steamboat as his partner, Gilbert and the fans saw Steamboat pin Flair in the center of the ring. The message was received: not only was Steamboat back, he was gunning for the belt that had previously eluded him — the NWA world championship.
What followed next was one of the most celebrated series in professional wrestling. Steamboat captured the belt in an epic match at the Chi-Town Rumble pay-per-view on February 23, 1989. He held the title until May 7, when Flair regained it at the Wrestlewar pay-per-view. Along the way to Wrestlewar, Flair and Steamboat set the wrestling world on fire with show-stopping matches across the country and on television. Their two out of three falls match at Clash of Champions VI is still considered by many fans to be one of the finest matches ever broadcast on television.
The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.
—Vince Lombardi
Despite the widespread popularity of the WWF, not all wrestling fans enjoyed the product. Fortunately, there were still promotions offering the gritty, traditional style of wrestling people had grown up with. No match epitomized this better than the classic “I quit” confrontation between Magnum T.A. and Tully Blan-chard.
Both Blanchard and Magnum had seen their stars rise in JCP and their eventual feud propelled them to true stardom as they battled over the U.S. title. Magnum had earned the prestigious belt after defeating Wahoo McDaniel in a steel cage match. He was later cheated out of the title thanks to Tully’s bodyguard, Baby Doll. Disguised as a security guard, Baby Doll was able to pass a foreign object to Blanchard during a title match, giving him the edge he needed to win. Baby Doll’s interference continued throughout Blanchard’s title defenses against the popular T.A., making it seem as if Magnum would never regain the belt.
Magnum was no stranger to adversity. His work in Bill Watts’ MSW had made him tough, whether it was enduring a tar and feathering at the hands of the Midnight Express or being whipped after his partner Mr. Wrestling II walked out on him in a fit of jealousy. He continued campaigning for the U.S. title, even going as far as disguising himself as a security guard to attack Blanchard.
An exasperated Blanchard decided to end the chase by agreeing to a title defense inside a steel cage. But this would be no ordinary cage match. Both Blanchard and T.A. stipulated that the only way to win the match was to make your opponent quit. A referee would be in the cage with a microphone, and unlike in traditional matches, his only role would be to check and see if one of the competitors was ready to give up.
With Baby Doll locked outside, Magnum finally had his chance to face Blanchard without interference. Blanchard knew Magnum would be looking for payback as well as the United States championship. The men beat each other senseless, with neither man giving ground. And as often happens in cage matches, the structure itself became a weapon.
As the match progressed, it became clear that Blanchard still needed something extra. He naturally looked to Baby Doll. Although she was unable to enter the locked cage, the crafty Blanchard knew she could still be of use. He instructed her to throw a chair into the structure, and then he smashed it and used a piece of the broken chair leg against T.A. Before the referee could even protest, Tully kicked him, knocking him to the mat.
A bloodthirsty Blanchard then jumped on top of his opponent, shoving the jagged wood toward his eye. Magnum T.A. grabbed Blanchard’s hands and fought back with every ounce of strength he had. With the referee out of action, Magnum must have known Blanchard was trying to end his career. He held Blanchard’s hands back and finally positioned himself so he could take his opponent out. Using his free leg, Magnum kneed Blanchard in the side, finally knocking the champion off of him. Magnum scrambled for the chair leg and grabbed it. Wasting no time, he jumped behind Blanchard and drove the sharp piece of wood down onto his head. After Blanchard’s attempt to take out his eye, Magnum wasn’t holding back. Within seconds, Blanchard gave up, no doubt aware that his career was in jeopardy if he didn’t surrender.
The “I quit” match would be remembered as one of the highlights of JCP during the 1980s. The “I quit” concept was strong enough that it would be brought back time and time again. One of the most memorable of these matches would involve “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and Terry Funk.
In Fritz Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling, the Von Erichs reigned supreme. The brothers’ individual stars outshined all others in the promotion, but there was one outsider who came close to achieving the Von Erichs’ popularity. “Gentleman” Chris Adams had earned the respect and love of Texans, becoming so closely aligned with the Von Erichs that he was considered part of the family. A native of England, Adams’ good looks, dazzling ring skills, and English charm made him very likeable.
Imagine the fans’ horror then when Adams turned on the Von Erichs and joined forces with hated manager Gary Hart. Hart was one of the most despised men in WCCW, managing some of the territory’s nastiest heels and constantly making life miserable for the Von Erichs. He was also successful, something that did not go unnoticed by Adams. Despite Hart’s background, Adams told the fans to give him a chance as he was sure the manager would guide him to greater success. Against the wishes of both the fans and the Von Erichs, Adams hired Hart.
Eventually, everyone’s worst fears came true as Adams turned his back on long-time friend Kevin Von Erich. In a tag bout against Gino Hernandez and Jake Roberts, interference from Stella Mae French backfired, and Adams became enraged. French had taken over for her storyline niece Sunshine while Sunshine was injured, but her well-intentioned interference had cost her team dearly. And when Gary Hart began berating French, Kevin Von Erich intervened — only to catch a superkick in the face from Adams.
Von Erich was willing to let bygones be bygones if Adams fired Hart. Adams’ response was to break a chair over Kevin’s head. This led to a lengthy war, with both men doing their best to put the other out of action. Not long after that, Adams fired Hart and began teaming with Hernandez, forming a tag team nicknamed the Dynamic Duo.
The Dynamic Duo quickly became a thorn in the side of the Von Erichs. At the 1985 David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions, they spoiled Kevin Von Erich’s victory when they destroyed a brand new car he had won in a tag team contest. This led to a series of matches with the Von Erichs, but neither team could score a conclusive victory.
Around this time, the Dynamic Duo began cutting the hair of defeated opponents. Adams and Hernandez would bring golden scissors to the ring and use them to add insult to injury. Emboldened by their success, they challenged Kevin and Kerry Von Erich to a hair vs. hair match. Their cockiness cost them their locks, however, as they lost the match and were shorn in front of thousands of fans in the Cotton Bowl.
Adams and Hernandez vowed to use the misstep to their advantage — and that they did, by wearing identical masks into the ring and using them to get the upper hand. Whether it was loading the masks with foreign objects or tricking the referees by their similar appearances, Hernandez and Adams continued to plague the Von Erichs.
After taking the Dynamic Duo’s hair, the Von Erichs next focused on their belts. After thwarting the brothers’ numerous attempts to capture the tag titles, Adams and Hernandez finally refused to fight them anymore. With the Dynamic Duo unwilling to wrestle, the Von Erichs tried a different tack. A match was signed between the Dynamic Duo and a new team of masked men named the Cosmic Cowboys. Just as the match was set to begin, the Cowboys took off their masks, revealing themselves as the Von Erichs. As the match progressed, it was clear that the tag team titles were in jeopardy. At the same time, the Dynamic Duo’s partnership began to crumble before the fans’ eyes when Gino Hernandez refused to take a tag from Chris Adams, acting as if his knee was injured.
Sensing that everything was going awry, Adams got his team intentionally disqualified. While the titles were saved, the partnership ended that night. When Hernandez’s knee injury miraculously healed, Adams exploded, superkicking his partner and effectively dissolving the team.
Adams and Hernandez would go on to have a brief feud, but it was cut short when Hernandez died from a cocaine overdose. Those who worked with Hernandez, however, have doubts about whether Hernandez’s death was an accident. Although Adams would continue wrestling for another two decades, he too would see his life cut short. On October 17, 2001, Adams was shot to death after a drunken brawl.
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As confusing as it may sound, a six-man championship is actually held by only three wrestlers. “Six-man” refers to the fact that two teams of three compete in these matches. |
From the start of their JCP debut, the Road Warriors were cheered. Hawk and Animal’s brutal style wowed the Carolinas, just as it had wowed audiences wherever they’d wrestled. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Roadies battled some of the promotion’s most hated heels, including the Russians and the Four Horsemen. But to the Road Warriors being on the side of the angels mattered little, especially when one triumph proved elusive — the NWA world tag team championship.
Their style hadn’t really changed, but the Roadies felt that they had grown soft playing to the fans. Their failure to win the NWA title seemed to call for a new approach — or rather a return to the take-no-prisoners style that had served them so well early on. Unfortunately for the man called Sting, he was in their way.
While the Road Warriors didn’t possess the belt they wanted, they did share the NWA world six-man tag team championship with “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. When three were scheduled to defend their belts against the Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda, Kevin Sullivan, and Rick Steiner), Rhodes was unable to participate (he was reportedly at the Special Olympics). His friend, Sting, agreed to fill in for him. Things were looking rough for the Roadies and Sting until Animal tagged in Hawk. As often happens in these matches, all six men soon found themselves in the ring and the referee quickly lost control. After Sullivan and Steiner were tossed out, Sting slapped the scorpion death lock on Rotunda. Inexplicably, Hawk pulled him off the TV champion. Sting confronted him, only to be waylaid by Animal. Rotunda was thrown over the top rope, prompting a disqualification by referee Tommy Young. Paul Ellering directed traffic while the Roadies beat down Sting, culminating in a “doomsday device” (a double-team move by the Road Warriors where one would hold their opponent in a bearhug and the other would hit a clothesline off of the top rope), that saw Sting do a 360. A stunned Lex Luger ran in to make the save, only to get clotheslined and beaten down himself until the babyface dressing room emptied.
Backstage, announcer Tony Schiavone asked the Road Warriors to explain the attack on their own partner. An angry Animal said Sting had no business coming in and that the Legion of Doom (LOD) was tired of carrying guys like Sting and Dusty, tired of being the team newcomers jumped to make a name for themselves. From now on, he explained, the only people he needed were Hawk and Ellering. Hawk echoed Animal’s comments, while manager Precious Paul blamed Dusty for shirking his commitments and helping out “special kids.”
Sting, it seems, was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It didn’t take the LOD long to go after Rhodes. On an episode of WCW, Dusty squared off against Animal in an impromptu bout. Rhodes held his own, but he was soon attacked by Hawk. As Dusty and Hawk battled, Animal unscrewed a spike from the LOD shoulderpads and struck Dusty in the head. Things became even nastier when Animal jabbed the spike into Rhodes’ eye. Once again, an army of babyfaces charged the ring.
Speaking from the announcers table at Clash of the Champions IV , Lex Luger said it best when he talked about how the fans loved to cheer for the bad boys of professional wrestling. But the Road Warriors’ new attitude was different. They were now out to end people’s livelihoods, whether it was their attempt to break Sting’s neck, or take out Dusty’s eye. The Road Warriors had to be stopped.
After everything that happened, there was no way the NWA six-man champs would remain partners. This resulted in a match at Clash of Champions IV where Rhodes battled Animal to determine who would hold the six-man belts. If Rhodes won, he would get to choose two new partners; if Animal were victorious the Roadies would control the title. The match began with Rhodes eliminating Ellering with a bionic elbow, then going after Animal. With his face painted to mimic the Road Warriors’ look and his injured eye heavily bandaged, the Dream fought fiercely. It was clear to anyone watching that Dusty was more interested in revenge than any championship. Rhodes grabbed Animal’s leg and smashed it against the ring post several times before clamping on the figure-four leglock in an attempt to break his former ally’s leg. Rhodes continued the assault, drawing concern from the referee. When Tommy Young tried to stop Rhodes’ brutality, he was elbowed and hurled out of the ring. With Young dispatched, Animal’s teammate Hawk rushed in and the two began double-teaming Rhodes.
The arrival of Sting saw the odds evened. Sting battled Hawk outside the ring, leaving Rhodes to attend to Animal. Rhodes continued his quest for payback as he grabbed a chair and beat Animal with it. Referee Young had seen enough, and Rhodes was disqualified. The Warriors ultimately chose Genichiro Tenryu as their new partner, but the six-man belts were soon retired.
As a booker, Dusty Rhodes was put to pasture after the spike incident, with WCW officials facing stiff criticism over the violence from executives at Ted Turner’s Superstation TBS executives. The Road Warriors’ heel turn would soon end as the fans just couldn’t bring themselves to boo the team, no matter what tactics they used or who they fought.
There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile:
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a crooked little house.
—Nursery rhyme
“Danny Davis is suspended for life!”
With those words, WWF President Jack Tunney barred long-time WWF referee Danny Davis from ever officiating another match. In the words of Gorilla Monsoon, a “miscarriage of justice” had taken place because of Davis’ biased officiating during a WWF tag team championship match between the British Bulldogs and the Hart Foundation.
The storyline — a crooked referee costing the tag team champions their belts — underscored a classic series between two of the greatest teams in WWF history. In one corner the British Bulldogs: Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid. In the other, the Hart Foundation: Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart.
Even before the British Bulldogs had captured the WWF tag team titles from the Dream Team (Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) at Wrestle Mania 2, the Bulldogs had scrapped with the Hart Foundation in fast-paced exciting matches across the United States and Canada. The four men were no strangers to each other, each having worked in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling before coming to the WWF.
By the time the title was to switch hands, the Dynamite Kid was wrestling in agony — the result of injuries he had suffered over the years. Dynamite was respected for his high-risk maneuvers, but years of performing stunts with no regard for his body had finally taken their toll. In essence, he was unable to wrestle — but the title still had to change hands. Despite his injuries, a scheme was hatched that would allow the Bulldogs to drop the belts without Dynamite having to step into the ring.
Around this time, the WWF had been running a storyline about a crooked referee, Danny Davis. Although this type of angle had been tried before, it was something the WWF had never explored. Smartly, the WWF took its time establishing Davis as corrupt. At first, his questionable calls were ignored. Then a pattern began to develop. Davis would disqualify babyface wrestlers, or make fast counts on them for no apparent reason. Curiously, all of his bad calls seemed to favor the heels. Eventually, Gorilla Monsoon pointed out that Davis seemed to live a nicer lifestyle than other referees — the announcer was implying the ref was on the take.
Eventually, Davis’ calls became so bad that it was obvious that he was in cahoots with the heels. In a match between Randy “Macho Man” Savage and Billy Jack Haynes, the ref disqualified Haynes when Savage kicked him (when a wrestler strikes a referee, it is usually grounds for immediate disqualification, resulting in a loss). The call was impossible to justify, but Davis made it nonetheless. Soon after, Davis would involve himself in a title match between Savage and Ricky Steamboat, breaking up a count made by another referee when it looked like Savage was going to be pinned.
So by the time the Bulldogs/Hart Foundation match came along, the fans knew Danny Davis was on the take. What happened next, therefore, wasn’t unexpected. The Bulldogs came to the ring with Davey Boy Smith carrying Dynamite (who couldn’t walk) on his shoulders. Before the match could begin, Dynamite was struck with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone, and knocked out cold. As Dynamite lay outside, Davey Boy wrestled alone against Hart and Neidhart. Despite the two-to-one disadvantage, he held his own. As the match progressed, it became apparent that Davey Boy was actually at a greater disadvantage: Danny Davis did nothing to stop the Hart Foundation from working over Smith together. Instead, Davis spent most of the match checking on the Dynamite Kid. It was clear the referee was simply turning a blind eye to the Hart Foundation’s tactics.
At one point it looked like Smith might even win the match. After knocking Bret Hart out of the ring, he power-slammed Neidhart and covered him for the pin. Alas, there was no one to make the count; Davis was still outside, “checking on Dynamite.” A frustrated Smith reached his hands through the ring ropes and dragged Davis in by the hair. As he did, Bret Hart smashed into Smith from behind, knocking him down. From there, the Hart Foundation regained their bearings and worked Smith over mercilessly, double-teaming him while Danny Davis again disappeared from the ring.
Davis ultimately ignored the carnage until the Hart Foundation hit their finishing move (Neidhart held Smith in a bearhug while Hart clotheslined him). Then, finally, he returned — to count to three and crown the Hart Foundation the new WWF tag team champions.
Following the match, WWF President Jack Tunney reviewed Davis’s actions and suspended the ref for life. It was too little, too late; the Hart Foundation’s title win remained on the books.
Danny Davis would return to the ring soon thereafter. This time as a wrestler: “Dangerous” Danny Davis. He teamed with the Hart Foundation to defeat the Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware at WrestleMania III.
In true wrestling fashion, Davis returned to refereeing after his career as a wrestler cooled, once again proving that nothing lasts forever in the world of the squared circle.
At WrestleMania, I bring you The Ultimate Warrior. I Bring you The Ultimate
Challenge. I bring you, Hulk Hogan . . . Ultimate Reality.
—The Ultimate Warrior
With each WrestleMania, the WWF found it more difficult to top itself. Hulk Hogan had defeated Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III and guided Randy Savage to win the WWF championship at WrestleMania IV; circumstances dictated Hogan challenge Savage at WrestleMania V after the MegaPowers exploded. What more could they do?
For WrestleMania VI, the WWF made the unprecedented move of pitting the Hulkster against another babyface. As befitting the main event of the WWF’s flagship pay-per-view, he would meet no ordinary babyface — it was the Ultimate Warrior, a man who seemed destined to cross paths with Hulkamania.
The WWF knew they had to build the matchup carefully. Face vs. face battles were rare, and the company couldn’t risk damaging either superstar. Hogan’s popularity was a given, but the Ultimate Warrior’s rise had been nearly as impressive. Soon after debuting, the Warrior shot to the top of the federation. He boasted a body that was even more impressive than Hogan’s — in his autobiography, the Hulkster talked about how he was blown away by the Warrior’s physique — and undeniable charisma. At the same time, however, his promos, while unique, were often incomprehensible — and his matches had to be kept short. Incredibly, he possessed even less wrestling ability than Hogan. Nonetheless, the WWF made him a top star.
After winning the Intercontinental Championship, the Ultimate Warrior seemed to have plateaued: fans were long used to the WWF keeping its top baby-faces from meeting. But in this case Vince McMahon decided to smash the glass ceiling. Events were put into motion that would lead to Hogan vs. Warrior.
The 1990 Royal Rumble saw the first rumblings. During a pre-match interview, the Warrior talked of a very special opponent competing in the Rumble: “If they refuse to understand that the power of the Ultimate Warrior has spread like a virus through the WWF then let them continue to walk as normal as they seem. But if those twenty-eight normal men want to have special attractions such as the Royal Rumble then you and I, as the Warriors, the most powerful force in the WWF, will continue to see it only as another challenge, only as another day of combat. Twenty-eight of those normal men stacked one on top of another can’t come close to the billions and the destinations from parts unknown. You realize, as I do, that the twenty-ninth man, you Hulk Hogan, walk with a different force field around you, walk on horizons that are close to where I’ve been. But no one in the Royal Rumble shall form a team. Every man will fight for what he feels is within himself. And I, the Ultimate Warrior, will fulfill another destiny.”
The Ultimate Warrior relished the chance to meet a competitor of Hogan’s stature and soon got his wish. It was a classic battle of strength with neither man keeping the upper hand for long. In the end, however, Hogan won the match, eliminating the Warrior, albeit from behind.
Things were teased on WWF television, until finally WWF President Jack Tunney made the announcement: a confrontation that would become known as “The Ultimate Challenge.” Over the next few weeks, Hogan and the Warrior began watching each other’s backs. Neither man wanted the other to be at anything less than 100 percent.
Like Andre vs. Hogan, the hype was huge. The two biggest stars in the WWF were facing each other, not to settle a grudge, but to determine who was the very best. And unlike Andre vs. Hogan, this match would feature two competitors in their prime.
Toronto, Ontario’s SkyDome hosted WrestleMania VI. A crowd of about 68,000 was on hand, including a young fan by the name of Adam Copeland, a.k.a. current WWE superstar Edge. The event featured a strong undercard as well. Although some questioned just how good the main event would be given both wrestlers’ limitations, the match was surprisingly good. In the end, the unthinkable happened. Hogan went to deliver his famous finisher legdrop — and the Warrior rolled out of the way. Seconds later, Hogan was on his back, with the Warrior covering him for a three-count.
The throng at the SkyDome and those watching at home were in shock. Hogan had never surrendered a clean pinfall during his entire WWF reign. The Ultimate Warrior was the new WWF champion. How would Hogan react? Outside the ring, Hogan grabbed the WWF title belt and paused. Was he going to turn heel? As Hogan entered the ring, fans wondered. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had gone to the dark side after losing to another babyface. Fortunately for the Warrior, Hogan simply handed the belt to him, passing him the torch.
Behind the scenes, Hogan wasn’t convinced that the Warrior could shoulder the burden. In his autobiography, he writes: “68,000 people in SkyDome watched me go. Ultimate Warrior held the belt over his head in victory and no one cared. It turned out I was right about Ultimate Warrior. He couldn’t carry the load as heavyweight champion, not the way Hulk Hogan had. Vince’s attempt to move in a different direction hadn’t been the success he had hoped it would be.”
The Warrior would hold the belt for nearly a year before ultimately losing it to Sgt. Slaughter at the 1991 Royal Rumble. At WrestleMania VII, the Hulkster would regain the championship. After the 1991 Summer Slam PPV the Warrior would leave the WWF over a pay dispute.