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WrestleMania IV

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WrestleMania IV
Promotional poster featuringAndré the GiantandHulk Hogan
PromotionWorld Wrestling Federation
DateMarch 27, 1988
CityAtlantic City, New Jersey
VenueAtlantic City Convention Hall
(Promoted asTrump Plaza)[a]
Attendance19,199
Tagline(s)What the World is Watching!
Pay-per-view chronology
←Previous
Survivor Series 		Next→
SummerSlam
WrestleManiachronology
←Previous
III 		Next→
V

WrestleMania IVwas the fourth annualWrestleManiaprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view(PPV)eventproduced by theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF, now WWE). The event took place on March 27, 1988, atBoardwalk Hall(advertised as Trump Plaza)[a]inAtlantic City, New Jersey.The announced attendance of the event was 19,199.

Themain eventfeatured the finals of a one-night,14-man single-elimination tournamentfor theWWF World Heavyweight Championship,in whichMacho Man Randy Savagedefeated"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiaseto win the vacant title. This marked the first WrestleMania that did not featureHulk Hogan- regarded as the WWF's biggest star in the 1980s - as a participant in the main event (though he was at ringside in Savage's corner).

Theundercardfeatured a 20-manbattle royalwon byBad News Brown,Demolition(AxandSmash) versusStrike Force(Tito SantanaandRick Martel) for theWWF Tag Team Championship,andBrutus "The Barber" BeefcakeversusThe Honky Tonk Manfor theWWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship.

Contemporary critics gave the event a lukewarm reception, noting its extended length. Retrospective analysis, some by sociologists, noted the presentation of wrestler's interpersonal relationships, and how the event's sponsor,Donald Trump,used the event to craft his public persona.

Production[edit]

Background[edit]

WrestleManiais considered theWorld Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) flagshippay-per-view(PPV) event, having first been held in1985.It is held annually between mid-March to mid-April.[2]WrestleMania IV was scheduled to be held on March 27, 1988, at theHistoric Atlantic City Convention HallinAtlantic City,New Jersey.[3][4]This event was advertised as being held at theTrump Plaza Hotel and Casino,[5]but taking place across the road at Convention Hall.Donald Trumpused the event to promote his properties and, although only an audience member, was highlighted in the broadcast.[6]

Much of the promotion of the event featured the continued rivalry ofAndré the GiantandHulk Hogan,who had faced off in theprevious edition's main event.[7]This took place inside of asingle eliminationfourteen-man tournament for the vacantWWF World Heavyweight Championship.[7][8]The event was broadcast acrossclosed circuit televisionto 175,000 homes, and also on PPV.[9]

Storylines[edit]

André vs Hogan[edit]

André the Giant(pictured) andHulk Hoganmet in the quarter-finals of the championship tournament, having headlined the event the year prior.

The most heavily promotedfeudheading into the event was betweenHulk HoganandAndré the Giant,similar to the year before when the two met atWrestleMania III.In January 1987, Hogan was awarded a trophy for his third year asWWF World Heavyweight Champion,while Hogan's on-screen friend André was awarded a smaller trophy than Hogan's for being undefeated in the WWF for the previous fifteen years.[10][8]Hogan congratulated André over winning the award, but André exited the arena before Hogan's speech was finished. In February, on an episode ofPiper's Pit,André announced his newmanager,Bobby Heenan,Hogan's longtime on-screen rival.[8]Hogan asked André to leave Heenan, which André refused.[8]André then challenged Hogan to a WWF World Heavyweight Championship match atWrestleMania III,before ripping off Hogan's Hulkamania shirt and golden cross necklace,turningfrom an on-screen hero to villain (heel).[8]At WrestleMania III, Hogan defeated André to retain the title.[11]

Atthe first Survivor Seriesin November 1987, André along with team membersOne Man Gang,King Kong Bundy,Butch Reed,andRick Rudedefeated Hogan,Paul Orndorff,Don Muraco,Ken Patera,andBam Bam Bigelowin a traditionalSurvivor Series match.[12]Shortly after Survivor Series, during Hogan's WWF World Heavyweight Championship defense against Bundy, André sneak-attacked Hogan, applying a chokehold. Heel characterTed DiBiase,who wasportrayedas "The Million Dollar Man", an evil millionaire, offered Hogan a large sum of money to sell DiBiase the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, which Hogan refused. Atthe first Royal Rumblein January 1988, Hogan and André had an official contract signing for a WWF World Heavyweight Championship rematch.[13]Their rematch took place onThe Main Event Iin February, where André defeated Hogan with adusty finish.[14]André won the match when refereeDave Hebner's identical twinEarl Hebnermade the decision.[15][16]

Shortly after being awarded the championship, Andrékayfabesold the title to DiBiase.[16]Whilst André's championship reign is recognized by the WWF, DiBiase was stripped of the title. Plotwise, WWF PresidentJack Tunneyvacated the title due to it having not been won in a sanctioned match and ordered it to be decided in asingle elimination14-man tournament at WrestleMania IV.[15]As previous champions, André and Hogan receivedbyesto the second round of the tournament, but faced each other in their second-round matchup.[16]

Hogan formed an unlikely alliance with a former enemy and top challenger to his WWF World Heavyweight Championship,Randy "Macho Man" Savage(which was later known as theMega Powers). Savage had been portrayed as anegomaniacalheel during most of his first two years in the WWF, but in the late summer of 1987, began to slowly turn face.[17]Their on-screen friendship, then, was formed when Hogan (at the persuasion of Savage's valet,Miss Elizabeth) intervened when Savage was being attacked byThe Honky Tonk Manandthe Hart Foundationin anangle.Although Hogan and Savage teamed together at un-televised house shows, nothing more was made of it on national television until shortly before WrestleMania IV, when Hogan rescued Savage in a similar angle featuring Andre, DiBiase andVirgil.[17][18]

Undercard[edit]

Brutus Beefcakehad become one of the most popular WWF superstars after turning face at WrestleMania III (after several years of playing a self-absored heel), and after feuding with former tag-team partner Greg Valentine, was receiving his first huge push toward theWWF Intercontinental Championship,held byThe Honky Tonk Man.Beefcake, nicknamed "The Barber" after his gimmick of a barber, vowed "to cut his (Honky Tonk Man's)ducktailhair "before winning the championship.[18]Honky, meanwhile, was portrayed as a cowardly champion, frequently relying on outside interference from managerJimmy Hartor on-screen girlfriendPeggy Sueto win matches,[18]or intentionally getting himself counted out or disqualified to retain his championship with thechampions advantage.[18]

The Ultimate Warriorhad debuted in the WWF in the fall of 1987, and his feud withHerculeswas his first major angle, the two feuding over who was the stronger, gladiatorial-style superstar in the WWF. To further the angle, the two met in a match on WWF television, wherein Hercules attacked Warrior with his steel chain and beat him down, but Warrior was able to fight back, gain control of the chain and began using it on Hercules until other wrestlers and officials were able to separate the two.[17]

After being left off the WrestleMania III card,The Islanderswere in the middle of their second major feud since turning heel in the spring of 1987, going up againstThe British Bulldogs.The storyline began shortly after the inauguralSurvivor Series,when during a match onWWF Superstars Of Wrestling,the Islanders took the Bulldogs'mascot,Matilda thebulldog,from ringside. Following a brief suspension in connection with the dog-napping incident, Islanders members Haku and Tama began bringing dog collars tied to a chain to ringside to taunt the Bulldogs. At the same time, the Islanders' manager Bobby Heenan began making remarks on the legality of having animals at ringside (in lieu of official managers), and also made derogatory remarks aboutKoko B. Ware'smacaw,Frankie, who accompanied Ware to ringside. This led to aSix-man tag team matchwith manager Heenan tagging with the Islanders against the Bulldogs and Ware.[18][17]

Demolition,a leather-outfitted tag team who had their faces painted in a combination of black, white, red and silver colors, received their first major push in the fall of 1987, where they began aggressively dominating and overwhelming their opponents. After dominating most of the established face tag teams, Ax and Smash began targetingStrike Force(Tito SantanaandRick Martel), which had recently become theWWF Tag Team Championsand had defeated several top heel tag teams, includingThe Hart Foundation(from whom Martel and Santana won the belts),The Bolsheviksand The Islanders before Demolition demanded a match at WrestleMania IV.

Event[edit]

Opening match, 20-man battle-royal[edit]

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
Commentator Gorilla Monsoon
Jesse Ventura
Bob Uecker
(Battle Royal)
Interviewer Gene Okerlund
Craig DeGeorge
Ring announcer Howard Finkel
Special Guest Timekeeper Vanna White(Main Event)
Supporting Robin Leach
Vocalist Gladys Knight

WrestleMania IV's coverage began withGladys Knightsinging a rendition of"America the Beautiful".The first match of the pay-per-view event was a twenty-man over the top ropebattle royal.The winner of the match would receive a trophy. After fourteen eliminations, the final six participants wereBad News Brown,Bret Hart,Paul Roma,Harley Race,Jacques Rougeau,andJunkyard Dog.[19]

Race hit aback body dropon Rougeau, sending him over the top rope before Junkyard Dogpunchedhim over the top rope.[20]Brown eliminated Roma as Junkyard Dog was left to battle Hart and Brown. The duodouble teamedDog before Brown attempted aclotheslineon Dog, but hit Hart instead. Junkyard Dog hit both men with severalheadbuttsbefore they both decided to cooperate and they eliminated Junkyard Dog. After eliminating Dog, Hart indicated that he and Brown would share the trophy; however, Brown caught Hart with hisGhetto Blasterbefore eliminating him over the top rope to win the battle royal.[21]Brown was presented with the trophy, but Hart interrupted and hit Brown with the trophy. Hart and partner Jim Neidhart laterturnedbabyfaceover the next few months.[19][22]

First round[edit]

Before the 14-mantournamentfor theWWF World Heavyweight Championshipbegan,Robin Leachfrom the TV show"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"outlined the background for the tournament, and how the championship was vacated. As former champions,André the GiantandHulk Hoganwere given a bye and had directly qualified for the next round. In the first round,"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase(with bodyguardVirgiland André the Giant) defeated"Hacksaw" Jim Dugganby pinfall.[21]"The Rock" Don Muraco(withSuperstar Billy Graham) defeatedDino Bravo(withFrenchy Martin) by disqualification after Bravo pulled the referee in front of him, causing the referee to be hit by a flying forearm from Muraco.[21][19]

"Macho Man" Randy Savage(withMiss Elizabeth) defeated"The Natural" Butch Reed(withSlick),Greg "The Hammer" Valentine(with"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart) defeatedRicky "The Dragon" Steamboat,theOne Man Gang(with Slick) defeatedBam Bam Bigelow(withOliver Humperdink),[23]and"Ravishing" Rick Rude(withBobby "The Brain" Heenan) foughtJake "The Snake" Robertsto a time limit draw. The winners of these matches advanced to the quarterfinals. As Rude and Roberts tied, they were both eliminated from the tournament, thereby giving the One Man Gang a bye into the semifinals.[21][19]

Tournament intermission one, singles match[edit]

In his PPV debut,The Ultimate WarriorfacedHercules.The pair locked up with WarriorchoppingHercules in the corner. Hercules fought back as he hit twoclotheslineson Warrior, whono-soldthem before a third from Hercules took Warrior off his feet. Warrior then countered a Hercules clothesline and hit a clothesline of his own. In the corner, Warrior hit him with tenpunches,but while Warrior was looking at the referee, Hercules hit aninverted atomic drop.He then tried to apply hisfinishing move,a full-nelson, but could not lock his fingers behind Warriors head. Warrior then pushed his feet off the top turnbuckle and both men fell to the mat with both men being pinned. Warrior lifted a shoulder before the end of the count, awarding Warrior the win.[21][19][22][20]

Quarter-finals[edit]

Greg ValentinefacedRandy Savagein the quarterfinals of theWWF Championshiptournament

The first of three quarterfinals saw Hulk Hogan take on André the Giant. During the match, Hogan hit André with a chair in front ofrefereeJoey Marella.André retaliated, grabbing the chair and hitting Hogan. After both men hit each other with the chair, they both were disqualified by Marella and, as a result, were eliminated from the tournament.[24]

The second quarterfinal saw Ted DiBiase (without either André or Virgil after Virgil had beenSuplexedin the aisle by Hulk Hogan) defeat Don Muraco by pinfall.[25]With both André and Hogan disqualified, DiBiase got a bye to the final.[26]The third quarterfinal saw Randy Savage defeat Greg Valentine also by pinfall. As One Man Gang had received a bye in the quarter-finals due to Rick Rude and Jake Roberts having wrestled to a time limit draw in the first round, Gang faced Savage in the semi-finals.[21][19]

Tournament intermission two, Intercontinental title match and six-man tag team match[edit]

Brutus "The Barber" BeefcakefoughtWWF Intercontinental ChampionThe Honky Tonk Manfor the Intercontinental championship.[19]Early in the match, Beefcake connected with anatomic dropat the outset of the matchup. Beefcake then hit Honky with ahigh knee,before missing anelbow dropon Honky, who took control with asecond turnbuckle fist drop.Honky went for hisSwinging neckbreakercalled Shake, Rattle & Roll on Beefcake, but instead Beefcake kneed him in the face.[22]Beefcake put Honky in a sleeper hold. With Beefcake in charge of the match, Honky's manager Jimmy Hart hit the referee with hismegaphone.The bell didn't ring, but it was announced that Beefcake won bydisqualification,which meant that Honky was still the champion.[b][20]Post-match, with Honky Tonk apparently knocked out in the ring, Beefcake cut the hair of Hart with his barbershears.[21]

The Islanders(HakuandTama) and managerBobby Heenantook onThe British Bulldogs(Davey Boy SmithandDynamite Kid) andKoko B. Warein a six-man tag team match. Dynamite and Tama started the match with DynamitecatapultingTama over the top rope. Smith tagged in, but missed anelbow dropon Tama, allowing Tama to tag Haku.[22]Smith hit aflying crossbodyon Haku for anear-fall.Haku hit an arm wrench and tagged Tama. Tama grabbed Smith's arm and came out of it with amilitary press slam.Tama tagged in Haku who put Davey in abackbreaker,but Smith flipped out of it and tagged in Koko.[19]He hit Haku with amissile dropkickand aFrankensteiner.Dynamite tagged in and clotheslined Haku before he ran into Haku's boot. As a cowardly manager, Heenan tagged and stomped Dynamite before quickly tagging out to Tama. Tama hit aback body dropon Dynamite, but missed abig splashto allow Dynamite to tag Koko whilst Tama tagged Haku.[20]Both members of the Islanders squared up to Koko prompting the Bulldogs to enter the ring. All six men brawled in the ring before being separated by the referee, who ordered the Bulldogs into their corner. The Islanders used this distraction to pick up Heenan and throw him onto Koko, leading to a pinfall victory.[21]

Semi-finals[edit]

Next, Randy Savage faced One Man Gang for a place in the final of the tournament. Ted DiBiase had already received a bye in the semi-finals due to the double disqualification of Hulk Hogan and André the Giant and met the victor. Savage hit ahotshoton the One Man Gang, but Gang quickly took control of the match. Gang attempted a747 splash,but missed after Savage dodged and later fell to the outside as Savage connected with adiving double axe handle.Savage then went for ascoop slamwhich failed.[21][19]One Man Gang's manager Slick jumped on the apron and handed One Man Gang acane;which he hit Savage with and attempted to jab him as he lay on the mat, but Savage kept rolling away. Therefereecaught Gang using his cane and disqualified him, awarding the match to Savage.[22]

Tournament intermission three, Tag-team title match[edit]

Before the final round,Strike Force(Tito SantanaandRick Martel) defended theWWF World Tag Team ChampionshipagainstDemolition(AxandSmash), with their managerMr. Fujiin their corner.[27]The match started with Strike Force hitting Smash with adoubleback elbowfor a near-fall. Santana applied anarmbaron Ax before Martel tagged in and applied an armbar, but Axheadbuttedhim and tagged out to Smash. Santana tagged in, but was caught in abear hugand wasclotheslinedby Ax, before ascoop slamandsuplexon Santana.[28][20]Santana hit aflying forearm smashon an interfering Smash and tagged in Martel, whodropkickedboth Ax and Smash a number of times and applied aBoston crabon Smash. Santana grabbed Mr. Fuji up onto the apron, allowing Ax to get his manager's cane. He nailed Martel with it as Smash covered Martel with apin.As a result, Demolition won the match, and the WWF Tag Team Championships.[21][19]

Main event, WWF title tournament final[edit]

Themain eventof WrestleMania IV was the tournament final for the vacantWWF World Heavyweight Championshipbetween "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.[29]DiBiase was accompanied to the ring by Andre The Giant, whilst Savage had his regular valet Miss Elizabeth. Savage had wrestled three prior matches, whilst DiBiase had wrestled one fewer, having received a bye from the quarterfinals. DiBiase controlled much of the match, before a fightback from Savage, who attempted a top ropeelbow dropon DiBiase, but DiBiase moved out of the way. DiBiase applied aMillion Dollar Dreamsubmission on Savage.[22]To aid Savage, Elizabeth went backstage to bring Hulk Hogan to ringside to neutralize André being at ringside.[20][30]

André the Giant interfered in the match on behalf of DiBiase, and whilst the referee was distracted, Hogan attacked DiBiase with asteel chair.[31]Freed from the submission, Savage climbed up the top rope for a second elbow drop attempt and hit the Diving Elbow. He followed it up with apinfallvictory.[32]He won the tournament and the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship, making Randy Savage the first person to ever win the world championship at WrestleMania (as the championship was not defended at the inaugural event and Hulk Hogan successfully retained at the following two installments). After the match, Hogan, Elizabeth and Savage celebrated Savage's WWF Championship win.[33][21][19]

Reception[edit]

The attendance for the event was announced as 19,199, with a total of $1,400,000 in admission fees.[9][14]This total was significantly reduced from that of theprevious year's event,which sat at 93,173, and was similar to the following year's 20,369.[34]It drew a 6.5 PPV buyrate, which was reduced from 8.0 the previous year.[9]

WrestleMania IV received mixed to poor reviews from critics. Most reviews criticized the show's length as well as the number of matches. Rob McNew from411Mania.comgave the show a 3.5/10 rating when reviewing the show, claiming the show was "bad".[35]McNew was frustrated by the number of matches on the show, and the size of the tournament, saying "This show could have been so much better had they trimmed the tournament down to eight guys from fourteen. Instead, we got a bunch of short matches, none of which ended up being memorable. The show had its moments and isn't all terrible. Just way too long. Savage-Dibiase provides a great moment, but the rest of the show is a pass."[35]Retoprowrestling.comwas also highly critical of the show's length, calling it "a chore to watch",[36]and that "there's probably nothing wrong with a wrestling pay per view running nigh on four hours, but when about three and a half of those hours don't actually feature much in the way of entertainment, it often feels like you've spent your entire weekend just watching this one show."[36]

John Canton ofTJR wrestlingcalled the event "a below-average show", citing the event being "a 16 match card. That’s too many matches."[37]Canton also commented on the length of these matches, and primary usage of "rest holds", and bad finishes.[37]Bryan Rose fromVoices of Wrestlingcalled the show a "dud", before stating there was a "lot of nothing for 3 1/2 hours." Rose also suggested similarities that the event's length had to watch twoGodfatherfilms.[38]Mike Powell ofprowrestling.netcalled the event "really bad", and commented that had the show been less than three hours in length, rather than 4, it would have been an allround better show.[28]

However, John Powell, fromSLAM! Wrestlingcalled the event "excellent", saying that the show's greatness comes from its unpredictability.[39]Powell, says that the show was "another tricky venture for Vince McMahon and he hits the jackpot again."[39]Powell was very positive about the show's tournament, stating that it and Savage's title win was the highlights of the night.[39]Bret Mix fromWrestling DVD Networkcommented on the structure of the event, before calling the event "average", but "underrated" for its high quality of matches throughout the show, despite the number of matches.[40]

As an event in the annualWrestleManiaseries of events, WrestleMania IV is considered to be one of the weaker events; with reviews commenting that the event was most notable for a year-long feud betweenRandy SavageandHulk Hoganthat preceded the event, with the two facing off a year later atWrestleMania V.[41]Scott Keith ofSmarK rantgave the event a "recommendation to avoid", and commented it was "long, boring (and) dull", and that the event was simply to "serve as a prelude to WrestleMania V"[42]

Aftermath[edit]

In the months that followed the event, Savage defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship on multiple occasions, primarily against DiBiase, but also granted title shots to others such as the One Man Gang and Bad News Brown. Hogan, meanwhile, took a leave of absence from the WWF during the late spring and part of the summer to film the movieNo Holds Barred.[30]André the Giant was shortly placed in a feud with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, however, the DiBiase-André alliance was renewed when the two attacked Savage during a television taping for the WWF's syndicated showSuperstars of Wrestling.DiBiase and Andre offered a tag team match to Savage at theinaugural SummerSlam,where Savage chose to partner with Hogan and create "The Mega Powers".[43][30]The team of Hogan and Savage won the match before Savage turned heel against Hogan atThe Main Event II.[44]Hogan challenged Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship atWrestleMania V,with Hogan winning the title.[45]

In Hogan's absence, André the Giant's main focus for much of the summer of 1988 would be on Hacksaw Jim Duggan. The feud began when Duggan confronted André during a squash match involving the latter, before André suddenly grabbed Duggan and began attacking him violently, only for Duggan to knock him out with his2x4 board.André would win a majority of these matches, although Duggan did have offensive moments in almost all of their matches.[45]

Having wrestled to a time limit draw in the championship tournament, Jake Roberts and Rick Rude were placed into a feud regarding Rude making kayfabe advances over Robert's real-life wife, Cheryl.[7]For Rude, this was his second high-profile feud after several months of being primarily a mid-card wrestler.

The Honky Tonk Man continued to feud with Brutus Beefcake over the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship during the spring and summer of 1988, with Honky retaining the championship by being intentionally counted out or disqualified on multiple occasions. Beefcake was granted a "final" match at SummerSlam, but was sneak attacked byRon Bassone week before the event. Honky then lost his championship at Summerslam toThe Ultimate Warrior.[7]

Demolition defended the tag team championships against former champions Strike Force, The Young Stallions, and occasionally theRougeau Brothers.In June 1988, Rick Martel took a leave of absence from the WWF to tend to real-life family issues, so a storyline was devised to end the Demolition-Strike Force feud, whereby Martel would be (in kayfabe) seriously injured by Ax and Smash by using their finishing move, the "Demolition Decapitation", on him outside of the ring. Following this, Santana introduced another power team,The Powers of Pain(The BarbarianandThe Warlord) to avenge both the injury and title loss. The Powers substituted for Strike Force in their remaining scheduled return title matches, after which The British Bulldogs andThe Rockersbecame Demolition's primary challengers.[46]The Powers became top challengers again in late 1988 after an incident at the1988 Survivor Serieswhere Mr. Fuji lured Barbarian and Warlord to his side, thus turning the Powers into villains and champions Ax and Smash – which had been getting more fan support during the summer and fall – into good guys. Martel, meanwhile, would return in early 1989 and reform Strike Force with Santana, but during their WrestleMania V match against Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, Martel turned on Santana after a (kayfabe) botched move and became a heel.

Following Bret Hart's elimination from the battle royal, he returned to the ring to challenge Bad News Brown.[47][48]Bret saw a face turn, alongside partnerJim Neidhart.The pair also engaged in a new feud withThe Fabulous Rougeaus(who turned heel and allied themselves with the Harts' former managerJimmy Hart) and also challenged Demolition for the tag team title at SummerSlam.[22]Two years later, they would finally regain the belts from Demolition (by then once more villains) but for Bret Hart, this was merely the prelude to a run of singles championship success spanning the 1990s and including fiveWWF World championships,twoWCW World championships,twoWWF Intercontinental Championshipsand, at the time, fourWCW US championshipsuntil his sudden retirement early in 2000, from which he briefly returned in 2010 to win a fifth US title. Aside from guest appearances in theUSWAin 1993 as a heel WWF invader, the babyface run Bret began at this show would last until his double turn withSteve AustinatWrestleMania XIIIin 1997.

Bam Bam Bigelow continued with the WWF through the summer of 1988, wrestling mainly One Man Gang and André the Giant. Bigelow, along with manager Sir Oliver Humperdink, left the WWF for Jim Crockett Promotions in September 1988, just before Ted Turner's purchase of JCP to form WCW.

Harley Racehad competed in the battle royal at WrestleMania IV, despite suffering a legitimate injury during a match against Hulk Hogan taped for aSaturday Night's Main Eventprogram aired earlier in March 1988. Following WrestleMania IV, he took several months off, and his robe and crown were given to Haku. Haku thus went on to a major singles push during the rest of 1988 and into 1989 as "King Haku," the push coming after the Islanders were disbanded with the departure ofTama(of The Islanders) and a short-lived teaming withSiva Afi,still as The Islanders. Race returned for a short run at the end of 1988, including the 1988 Survivor Series and 1989 Royal Rumble, his final major in-ring wrestling matches for the WWF in his lifetime.

Several other wrestlers finished their WWF runs at or shortly after WrestleMania IV, including Butch Reed, Sika and Ricky Steamboat, although Steamboat would return to the WWF briefly in 1991.

WrestleMania IV was later released onVHS,and became the only WrestleMania event to be released over two VHS tapes.[49][50]The event was later released in 2014 on theWWE Network.[51]

Results[edit]

No.Results[21][52][53]StipulationsTimes[22]
1Bad News Brownwon by last eliminatingBret Hart[c]Battle Royal9:44
2Ted DiBiase(withVirgilandAndré the Giant) defeatedJim DugganFirst round tournament match5:02
3Don Muraco(withSuperstar Billy Graham) defeatedDino Bravo(withFrenchy Martin) bydisqualificationFirst round tournament match4:53
4Greg Valentine(withJimmy Hart) defeatedRicky SteamboatFirst round tournament match9:12
5Randy Savage(withMiss Elizabeth) defeatedButch Reed(withSlick)First round tournament match5:07
6One Man Gang(with Slick) defeatedBam Bam Bigelow(withOliver Humperdink) bycountoutFirst round tournament match2:56
7Jake Robertsvs.Rick Rude(withBobby Heenan) ended in a time-limit drawFirst round tournament match15:00
8The Ultimate WarriordefeatedHercules(with Bobby Heenan)Singles match4:29
9Hulk Hoganvs. André the Giant (with Ted DiBiase and Virgil) ended in a double disqualificationQuarter-final tournament match5:52
10Ted DiBiase defeated Don Muraco (with Superstar Billy Graham)Quarter-final tournament match5:44
11Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated Greg Valentine (with Jimmy Hart)Quarter-final tournament match6:06
12Brutus BeefcakedefeatedThe Honky Tonk Man(c) (with Jimmy Hart andPeggy Sue) by disqualificationSingles match for theWWF Intercontinental Championship6:30
13The Islanders(HakuandTama) and Bobby Heenan defeatedThe British Bulldogs(Davey Boy SmithandDynamite Kid) andKoko B. WareSix-man tag team match7:30
14Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated One Man Gang (with Slick) by disqualificationSemi-final tournament match4:05
15Demolition(AxandSmash) (withMr. Fuji) defeatedStrike Force(Tito SantanaandRick Martel) (c)Tag team matchfor theWWF Tag Team Championship12:33
16Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated Ted DiBiase (with André the Giant)Tournament final for the vacantWWF World Heavyweight Championship[33]9:27
(c)– the champion(s) heading into the match

Tournament bracket[edit]

[54]

Round of 14 Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
Hulk Hogan 5:52
André the Giant DDQ
BYE
Ted DiBiase
Jim Duggan 5:02
Ted DiBiase Pin
Ted DiBiase Pin
Don Muraco 5:35
Don Muraco DQ
Dino Bravo 4:53
Ted DiBiase 9:27
Randy Savage Pin
Ricky Steamboat 9:12
Greg Valentine Pin
Greg Valentine 6:07
Randy Savage Pin
Randy Savage Pin
Butch Reed 4:09
Randy Savage DQ
One Man Gang 4:05
Bam Bam Bigelow 2:56
One Man Gang CO
One Man Gang
BYE
Jake Roberts 15:00
Rick Rude Draw

Pin-Pinfall; CO-Countout; DQ-Disqualification; DDQ-Double disqualification

Notes[edit]

  1. ^abThe venue was referred to as theTrump Plaza Hotel and Casinoduring the broadcast.[1]
  2. ^Like other professional wrestling championships, they can only be won or loss by pinfall, submission or knockout unless stated in the stipulations placed before the match.[20]
  3. ^Order of elimination:Sam Houston,Sika,Jim Neidhart,Jim Brunzell,Raymond Rougeau,B. Brian Blair,Ron Bass,Hillbilly Jim,"Dangerous" Danny Davis,Jim Powers,Nikolai Volkoff,Ken Patera,Boris Zhukov,Jacques Rougeau,Harley Race,Paul Roma,Junkyard Dog,andBret Hart.George "The Animal" Steelewas also supposed to participate in the match however, he spent the whole time ringside and left shorty after Hillbilly Jim was eliminated.[21]

References[edit]

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External links[edit]

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