WrestleMania Rewind: Hulkamania lives again (WM9)
By FRANK ZICARELLI - Toronto Sun
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Slots and slams forged one of the weirdest tag teams yesterday as the
WWF and Caesars Palace staged the world's largest toga and tombstone party.
At the end of this rousing head butt between roulette and rules-breakers,
Hulk Hogan, not surprisingly, stole the spotlight.
He rolled a seven and rolled over Yokozuna to claim the WWF's heavyweight
title for a fifth time as Hulkamania ran wild and kept sprinting to the finish
line at WrestleMania IX.
WWF boss Vince McMahon, the squared circle's head ringmaster, outdid
himself, organizing a day of mat mayhem that was truly unpredictable, but
predictably glitzy in light of the Vegas venue.
McMahon shocked the pundits and the raucous crowd of 16,000 as Hogan made
his ballyhooed return to the ring by winning a belt in a bout he was never
scheduled to wrestle.
In the scheduled bout he wrestled, Hogan failed to win a belt. Go figure.
Then again, it's hard to figure out the WWF.
The script was as juicy as the twin referees routine that felled the mighty
Hulkster a few years ago in Indianapolis, against Andre the Giant.
In WMIX's co-main event, Calgary-born grappler Bret (Hitman) Hart fell to
Yokozuna, who hails from the land of the rising sun, when manager Mr. Fuji
sprayed Hart with salt as the Hitman was applying his patented sharpshooter.
In the aftermath of the win, Fuji challenged Hogan, who had run into the
ring in aid of the beaten Hart.
Fuji, however, made like a wild Juan Guzman and threw salt in Yokozuna's
eyes when Hogan ducked. Hogan knocked Yokozuna to the mat and delivered his
trademark atomic leg drop for the pinfall.
As quickly as money gets exchanged on a crap table in this casino playpen,
the WWF belt changed hands just as quickly. Twice, to be exact.
The procession went from the Hitman to Yokozuna to the Hulkster.
The mayhem began when Shawn Michaels, who will now feud with Mr. Perfect,
retained his Intercontinental title against Tatanka when the boy toy was
counted out of the ring. Of course, a belt can't change hands on a count-out.
The Steiners defeated the Head Shrinkers on a less than perfect
Frankensteiner; two Doinks were needed to crush Crush; Lex Luuuuuger, whose
entrance was a throwback to the great Liberace, defeated Perfect by pinfall;
Razor Ramon pinned Bob Backlund; and Money Inc. retained their belts over the
Mega Maniacs.
One of the most gruesome bouts featured the Uuuundertaker, whose tombstone
and urn were applauded by the crowd (mat fans will cheer anything), and the
Giant Gonzalez. The Pale Destroyer won, but not before Gonzalez tried to
suffocate the Taker.
The WWF now embarks on a European tour.
2004 Wrestling Headlines
2003 Wrestling Headlines
Wrestling Headlines Archive
