WrestleMania History
By JOHN POWELL -- SLAM! Wrestling
WrestleMania. It is the most distinguished event in pro wrestling. Simply
put, it is the show of shows. The brainchild of Vince McMahon Jr., the first
WrestleMania, broadcast in 1985, expanded the pay-per-view market (along with closed circuit TV) and added a
whole new dimension to the industry as a whole. So influential was
McMahon's venture that the business of pro-wrestling now is almost entirely
built around pay-per-view broadcasts.
If you're like us at SLAM! Wrestling, every year you like to refresh your
memory and once again experience those WrestleMania moments that are an
essential part of why you remain a devout wrestling fan. You dust off those
tapes, DVDs or that Best Of WrestleMania tape you dubbed on your own and
distributed to the other members of the office staff, slam them into the
player and transport yourself back in time. To help guide you along your
journey and celebrate the history of WrestleMania, SLAM! Wrestling will be
publishing a WrestleMania review each and every day (Monday to Friday) leading up to the big
show. We invite you to come along for the ride and share in your favourite
moments too. The events are rated as Poor, Average, Good and Excellent.
WrestleMania 8, a two-for-one deal
History Of WrestleMania
Date: April 5, 1992.
Place: Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Flair begs off on Savage.
|
Promoted as a double main event, this WrestleMania foreshadows years of
mediocrity for the WWF. The Hogan and Sid Justice duel was a total
write-off before they ever laced up their boots that night. It's a
forgettable match that acts as nothing more than a push for The Ultimate
Warrior who saves Hogan from Sid and Papa Shango. By next year, the Warrior
and Hogan are gone leaving the WWF scrambling for someone to carry the
company. Saving Sid and Hogan for last ends the show on a sour note even
though the Savage - Flair and Piper - Hart bouts were very well booked and
wrestled. Both were bitter grudge matches. Piper and Hart was a
professional rivalry while Flair had been getting under Savage's skin for
months by flirting with Elizabeth. Without those two matches to support it,
WrestleMania 8 would've tanked hard.
Favourite Moments: Piper contemplating using the ring bell against Hart.
Hart and Piper patching up their friendship after the match. The work rate
of Savage and Flair.
Least Favourite Moments: Skinner at WrestleMania. The Natural Disasters
getting a tag title shot. The whole Sid - Hogan bout.
Rating: (Barely) Average.
WrestleMania 8 Results
Match | Winner(s) |
| 1. El Matador (Tito
Santana) vs Shawn Michaels |
Shawn Michaels. |
| 2. Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs The Undertaker |
The
Undertaker. |
| 3. Bret "Hitman" Hart vs "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (Intercont.) |
Bret
"Hitman" Hart. |
| 4. Repo Man / The Mountie / Nasty Boys vs
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan / Big Bossman / Virgil / Sgt.
Slaughter |
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan / Big Bossman / Virgil / Sgt.
Slaughter. |
| 5. Ric
"Nature Boy" Flair vs Randy Machoman Savage (World Title) |
Randy Machoman
Savage. |
| 6. Rick "The Model" Martel vs
Tatanka |
Tatanka. |
| 7. Money Inc. vs The Natural
Disasters (Tag Team) |
Natural Disasters (CO). |
| 8. "The Rocket" Owen Hart vs
Skinner |
"The Rocket" Owen Hart. |
| 9. Sid Justice vs
Hulk Hogan |
Hulk Hogan (Justice
DQ.). |
Toronto Sun WrestleMania 8 Stories
