The WrestleMania V review features a show that was memorable for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons immediately came to my attention when starting up the show on the WWE Network.
Three hours and 40 minutes. That’s how long the show is. But the good news is that this was in the days where there was more action and less fluff. But still, a nearly four-hour show is still intimidating. Someone tell that to the WWE in 2020.
Let’s get to Blake’s WrestleMania V review.
Date: April 2, 1989
Location: Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, NJ
King Haku (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Hercules
Two of my favorite badasses duking it out. We’re off to a good start. Haku with a Pearl Harbor job to start the match. Herc sends Haku to the outside after that and he goes to work. Herc then goes outside to chase after Heenan but Haku clotheslines him. We get our first Donald Trump sighting of the evening.
Haku in control in the ring as he locks in the bear hug. Herc uses his power to break out but this man Haku isn’t impressed and starts choking him out on the ropes. Gorilla doesn’t like this. Herc responds with a cross body for a near fall. A powerslam from Herc gets another two count.
Then we get Herc coming off the top rope, but Haku catches him with a superkick. That was unexpected.
And in a rather anti-climatic finish, Herc uses the back suplex and bridges it for the pin at 6:57. This got the job done.
• Rating: **
The Twin Towers (w/Slick) vs. The Rockers
In case you haven’t been reading reviews of the previous shows leading up to this one, just know that the Towers were putting on some great performances. Rockers use their speed to take advantage early and Akeem and Big Boss Man are dumbfounded. But shenanigans from the Towers allow them to start beating the hell out of Jannetty.
Akeem and Boss Man continue to alternate tags as they squash Jannetty like a jobber. Trump has a huge smile on his face during this beatdown. Trump has always struck as me as the kind of guy that would cheer the heels and boo the faces. Miscalculation causes Akeem to barrel into Boss Man and Jannetty makes the hot tag to Michaels.
Double flying shoulder block from the Rockers send Akeem down for the two count. AKEEM THEN DESTROYS MICHAELS. Boss Man then goes up top and Michaels moves out of the way. Jesse continues to point out the illegal double teams from the Rockers. Double dropkick off the top from the Rockers now and chaos has ensued.
Michaels comes off the top but Boss Man catches and turns it into a slam. Great spot. Then Akeem hits the Air Africa for the win at 8:02. Great stuff here. The Towers were hot and everyone loved the Rockers.
• Rating: ***
BACKSTAGE: Tony Schiavone now works for the WWF and he’s here to talk with Ted DiBiase and Virgil.
Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil) vs. Brutus Beefcake
Man did DiBiase deserve better than this. But this was Beefcake in 1989, so the people loved him. Beefcake goes to work after DiBiase shoves the Million Dollar belt in his face prior to the match. DiBiase retreats, comes back in, and gets beat on before getting thrown back outside. DiBiase wisely calls for a timeout.
More offense from Beefcake back inside and Virgil gets involved to turn the tide. Jesse: “If you can’t win fair, cheat.” Truth. The crowd sucks for this one, but this is Trump Plaza and the match isn’t great thus far. A little more back and forth before Beefcake reverses and hits a suplex. Double clothesline and both men are down.
Back up and DiBiase locks on the Million Dollar Dream. Beefcake hits the ropes to force the break. Beefcake gets the offense and then slaps on the sleeper before Virgil gets involved again. Virgil slams Beefcake into the apron on the outside while DiBiase distracts the ref. That naturally leads to DiBiase going out and taking it to Beefcake. And they both get counted out at 10:01. Well then.
The match really didn’t go anywhere, and like a lot of the stuff on this card, would have benefited from a better crowd.
• Rating: **
The Fabulous Rougeaus (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The Bushwhackers
This Rougeaus’ theme song has to be top 10 all-time. Well maybe not, but damn it’s good. Luke and Butch take Hart’s jacket before the match and then send Jacques and Raymond into him. Total domination from the Bushwhackers in the early going as the Rougeaus regroup on the outside.
Rougeaus in control now as Raymond obliterates Luke into the corner. Abdominal stretch from Jacques and then Raymond delivers the side kick for good measure. Battering ram from the Bushwhackers while the Rougeaus are gloating gives them the win at 9:10. Nothing to see here and the wrong team won.
• Rating: 1/2*
Mr. Perfect vs. The Blue Blazer
SIGN ME UP. Perfect debuts the new neon green gear that we’d all grow to love. Good wrestling action to start, which you’d expect from these two. Perfect with some slaps and then Blazer gets the crowd going with a dropkick to send Perfect over the top.
Back in the ring, Blazer delivers some chops and then counters a few moves from Perfect. Blazer goes for the big move up top but Perfect brings the knees up. Now Perfect goes at the back. But Blazer gets out and hits the powerslam, then hits a belly-to-belly for a near fall.
Crucifix gets another near fall and Perfect has had enough. He hits the Perfect Plex for the victory at 5:38. This was good but too short to be anything special.
• Rating: **
VIDEO: We get the classic video of Mr. Fuji participating in the pre-WrestleMania 5K race. Fuji somehow finishes the race in less than 20 minutes in his awesome suit. Incredible.
IN THE RING: Run DMC does their thing.
Powers of Pain and Mr. Fuji vs. (c) Demolition – Handicap Match for the WWF Tag Team Titles
While this is a highly anticipated match due to the double turn at Survivor Series ’88, you knew this wasn’t gonna be a wrestling classic. Let these dudes brawl for 10 minutes and let that be that.
The crowd is completely silent while Ax and Smash begin the beating. Warlord and Barbarian get an advantage and that leads to Fuji making his first appearance in the match. He beats the tar out of Ax and then tags back out. Flying shoulder block from Barbarian before he lets Warlord get some work in. More tagging and the crowd is zapped.
Fuji goes up top and nearly breaks his leg after Ax moves out of the way. Ax tries to make the tag but just misses. After more battling, Ax finally makes the mild tag to Smash who starts unloading. Powers regain control but Fuji ruins it by accidentally throwing the salt into the eyes of Warlord. Then Ax and Smash hit the Decapitation Device to retain the titles at 8:20.
This was all power from start to finish. Once again, the crowd gave it nothing and it really hurt the match.
• Rating: *1/2
Dino Bravo (w/Frenchy Martin) vs. Ronnie Garvin
Before the match, the Fink introduces Jimmy Snuka. He does some posing and then leaves the ring. Like a total buffoon, Garvin turns his back on Bravo in order to figure out where he wants to throw his towel into the crowd. This leads to Bravo immediately jumping him and taking control.
Shoulder blocks from Bravo and he tries to cover Garvin with the boot on the chest. That doesn’t work and here comes Garvin. The rolling cradle gets a two count, and then Garvin locks in the sleeper. Garvin then goes for a piledriver but Bravo reverses. Another near fall before Bravo hits the side slam to win at 3:06. Squash.
• Rating: 1/2*
The Brain Busters (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Strike Force
Strike Force is back. This is yet another good tag matchup, showing how truly loaded this division was at the time. Good guys jump out quick. Technical sports from Martel and he goes for the crab on Arn, but Arn gets the tag to Tully.
Double figure fours in the ring now from Strike Force as the crowd is finally going bananas. Miscommunication sees Santana strike Martel with force. Martel isn’t too happy about it. And this of course leads to the outstanding moment where Santana goes for the tag but Martel struts around on the ring apron, thus officially breaking up Strike Force.
Martels hits the road to leave Santana out there in a 2-on-1 situation. Good effort from Santana for a bit but the piledriver spike wins it for Arn and Tully at 9:17.
• Rating: **1/2
BACKSTAGE: Martel says he’s sick and tired of carrying Santana and calls him a loser. Magnificent.
IN THE RING: It’s time for Piper’s Pit. Brother Love comes out first to fool everyone, as he’s got the kilt on. Then we get the guest appearance of Morton Downey Jr., and that leads to the eventual appearance of Piper to give the crowd a big boost. Long segment, but Piper’s return is great.
VIDEO: We get a preview for No Holds Barred. Simply cannot wait to review that movie.
OUTSIDE THE RING: Sean Mooney interviews Trump. He says Hillary Clinton can’t beat him, or something like that.
ANNOUNCE BOOTH: Jesse cuts an awesome promo on Hulk Hogan taking his spot in Hollywood.
Andre the Giant (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts – Special Guest Referee: Big John Studd
It feels like this feud has been going on forever, and the entire thing is based around Andre hating snakes. So here we go. Andre removes the turnbuckle pad prior to the match without anyone noticing, and then throws Jake into it immediately. And then Andre looks to crush Jake’s head.
Andre smashes Jake into the corner and uses his mammoth body to keep him there. Andre continues smashing him and goes over to get instructions from Heenan. Jake begins to fight back as he goes at Andre’s midsection, and you will not believe this, but Andre gets hooked in the ropes. You know what happens next. After Jake controls for a while, Andre takes over once again.
They fight back and forth a bit before Andre sends Jake outside. He does it another time before Studd gets in Andre’s face. Andre then sends Studd into the corner while Jake is grabbing the snake. DiBiase arrives and takes the snake from Jake while Andre chokes out Studd in the ring. All hell has broken loose. Then Jake gets back inside and throws the snake in there. Studd then DQ’s Andre at 9:44.
A bit of a mess. They worked hard, but it was more about the storyline advancement than the match.
• Rating: *1/2
BACKSTAGE: Schiavone with Sensational Sherri. She says she’s gonna take the title back from Rockin Robin. Then she disses Elizabeth. FORESHADOWING.
Greg Valentine and Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The Hart Foundation
What a fall for Honky. Goes from being IC champ to working in a jobber tag team. Quick start to the match for the Hart Foundation, but eventually we work towards the mandatory “Bret gets worked over before making the hot tag” sequence.
Here comes the tag and Neidhart is cleaning house. Near fall on Valentine but Honky saves the day. Bret back in and he hits the flying elbow off the top. Another near fall as Valentine saves the day this time around.
The megaphone makes an appearance as Bret catches it and hammers Honky with it for the victory at 7:40. Decent match.
• Rating: **1/2
Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. (c) The Ultimate Warrior – IC Title
Rude calls out the sweat hogs before the match and also has the IC belt on his tights. This man was a treasure. Warrior all over him early as he slings Rude around like a rag doll. Bear hug from the Warrior and Trump is leaning back unimpressed in the crowd. Clearly a Rude fan.
Dropkick off the top from Rude as Jesse is going ballistic calling for the upset. But Warrior kicks out before a one count. Now the Warrior is back to the bear hug. Rude works his way out and delivers an awesome piledriver but only gets the two count. More offense from Rude but he’s favoring the back.
Clothesline from Rude but another two count. Neckbreaker from Rude for another near fall. Warrior with some slams now and a clothesline of his own. Warrior misses the splash in the corner as Rude moves out of the way. Rude goes for the Rude Awakening but Warrior powers out and delivers yet another clothesline.
Rude rolls to the outside and Warrior goes after him. Back inside and another clothesline sends Rude over the top. Warrior goes for the suplex with Rude on the apron, but Heenan pulls Warrior’s feet down and holds them while Rude gets the pin to win the title at 9:36.
They’d have a better match down the road, but this was a lot of fun and keeps the feud going with a new champ crowned.
• Rating: ***
Bad News Brown vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Time for a slobberknocker. Duggan knocks Bad News out of the ring and he goes to leave ringside before thinking better of it. They beat the hell out of each other until we work towards the quick double DQ at 3:49.
• Rating: 1/2*
BACKSTAGE: Red Rooster is ready for Heenan. What a gimmick.
Bobby Heenan (w/The Brooklyn Brawler) vs. The Red Rooster
Heenan rocking the Andre singlet. He immediately runs and hides in the corner as Rooster throws him into the turnbuckle. Heenan then goes for the Rooster but gets rammed into the post. Rooster quickly covers for the win at :31. Brawler attacks afterwards.
Well, this did its job of bringing down the crowd before the main event.
• Rating: DUD
BACKSTAGE: Okerlund interviews Elizabeth. She says she’ll be in a neutral corner and is clearly upset about this turn of events.
Hulk Hogan vs. (c) Randy Savage – WWF Title
Jesse rightfully complains about Savage entering the ring first since he’s the champion. Savage goes to the stalling early as Hogan has all the momentum. Put this match somewhere other than Trump Plaza and the atmosphere would have been electric. But like every other match, they’re just kind of there.
More stalling from Savage frustrates Hogan, which I’m all for. Savage then pulls Elizabeth in front of him when Hogan is about to go for a punch. Brilliant, and Jesse agrees. Hogan tries to pull off some wrestling moves but Macho counters with a back suplex. Hogan back in control with punches, but Savage gets him down and gets a two count.
Armbar from Savage causes the crowd to chant for Hogan. Jesse is furious when Hogan eventually uses the tights to send Savage to the floor. Elbow drops from Hogan inside and Jesse continues to point out the illegal tactics being used. He’s on fire here because of how much he hates Hogan. And Hogan is cut open at this point.
Rollup from Savage gets the crowd back on their feet as he almost gets a three count. Hogan takes back over and Savage is reeling. Hogan slams Savage over the top rope and Jesse brilliantly points out that he should stay outside and get counted out. Wonderful plan. Elizabeth checks on Savage but he’s having none of that. Hogan follows to the outside and blocks Savage’s move before throwing him into the apron. Then Hogan goes to ram Savage into the post but Elizabeth blocks the path. Savage makes him pay by sending Hogan into the post after Elizabeth moves out of the way.
Savage back outside to intimidate Elizabeth after decking Hogan. Hebner orders Elizabeth to leave the ringside area. Hogan gets drove into the barricade and Savage is in complete control. Back in the ring where Savage is decimating him. Incredible amount of offense by Savage and he hits the flying elbow off the top, but Hogan with the no sell as he kicks out violently at two.
Hulk up time and you all know what’s next. Hogan hits the boot and the leg drop to win the title at 17:54. Really good match. And while Hogan is easy to hate on, this was good work from him. But it still feels like they left a lot of money on the table by not taking this feud further. They just broke up a few months before, and Savage winning due to shenanigans could have pushed this feud all through the summer. But nonetheless, the execution was good and this was highly enjoyable.
• Rating: ***3/4
SHOW SUMMARY
This was a marathon of a show. However, it didn’t really drag all that match due to the spacing out of certain matches. Hogan winning was inevitable, but you had solid stuff elsewhere. I probably liked this show more than most, and the length is really what makes it a struggle at times. It’s still a fun viewing for the WWF and IC title matches. The Rockers/Towers match is sneaky good as well.
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