Nickrj’s rant for Wrestlemania VI
Live from the Skydome in Toronto Canada on April 1st 1990, also home of Wrestlemania X-8. A highly anticipated Ultimate Challenge match between Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior is scheduled and 67,000+ fans are packed into the Dome.
Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura
Robert Goulet sings a stirring rendition of Oh Canada to kick off the festivities.
Bad choice for an opener. I would’ve gone with the Rockers VS Orient Express. They brought back those mini wrestling ring carts that they used in Wrestlemania III and they haven’t used them since. Martel jumps Koko to start. He takes a spinning high cross body for 2. 2 dropkicks by Koko followed by a backdrop and a lariat sends Rick outside the ring. Koko sends Martel in the ring the hard way but Martel sends Koko flying to the outside. Back in Martel kicks away and hits a suplex for 2. Martel hits a double axhandle to the back of Koko and a backbreaker. He tries for the Boston Crab but Koko makes it to the ropes. Martel kicks on Koko but rams his head into the turnbuckle which Koko no sells and he starts fighting back. Koko kicks Martel in the head and hits 2 flying headbutts. Martel goes down on his own and Koko gets 2. Koko misses a spinning high crossbody and Martel gets the Boston Crab for the submission at 5:29. Again bad choice for an opener. Crowd seemed pretty dead for this. 1/2*
Tag Team Title Match: Colossal Connection (Andre The Giant and Haku with Bobby Heenan) VS Demolition
This is the last match in the career of Andre so I guess that tells you who’s winning. The connection jump the Demos at the start. Smash fights back on Haku. Ax comes in and pounds on Haku. Andre comes in and nails Ax though. Smash is back in and hits a weak snapmare into a chinlock. Ax back in and punches Haku some more. Smash takes an eyepoke but blocks a hiptoss. Smash gets the backslide for 2 but Andre kicks him. Ax works on Haku some more. Haku chops him in the throat to take advantage. Haku hits a backbreaker for 2. Superkick to the stomach by Haku on Ax. Bobby gets a cheap shot on Ax and so does Andre with a headbutt that gets 2. The Connection double team Ax in the corner. Haku hits another thrust kick in the chest. Ax starts fighting back but takes another shot in the eye. Haku gets the nerve pinch. Haku kicks Smash and Smash comes in to allow Andre to choke Ax with the tag rope. Haku gets a shoulderbreaker for 2. Haku runs into a boot in the corner and is clotheslined. Smash gets the hot tag and hammers on Haku. He hits a backdrop and a cross body gets 2. Ax hits a clothesline and Demo doubleclotheslines Andre. They hit a double clothesline but Andre holds Smash but he ducks and Haku superkicks Andre and tie him up in the ropes. The Demos take advantage and hits their finisher for the pin at 9:13 to become 3 time tag team champions! Big pop for that! You can tell this was Andre’s last match. He was never tagged in! 3/4* Bobby Heenan starts blaming Andre for the loss and yells at him in the corner. He slaps Andre though and Andre grabs him and slaps him around. He stops Haku trying to kick him. They try to go on the wrestling cart but Andre knocks both Haku and Bobby off and leaves in the cart alone getting a big pop! Good way for the big man to go out.
Gene Okerlund interviews Earthquake and Jimmy Hart. I mention this because why during the interviews does John Tenta jog in place?
Quake misses an avalanche in the corner and Herc takes advantage. Quake goes to the outside to regroup. Quake shoves Herc and jumps around. Herc goes to the test of strength with Quake. Crowd is going nuts for it. Quake pounds on him though and rams him into the corner. He puts his head down and pays for it. Quake no sells some clotheslines and Herc goes for the backbreaker but Quake is JUST TOO FAT and Earthquake hits his sitting butt splash for the pin at 4:52. DUD Quake hits the aftershock and leaves the ring.
Rona Barrett interviews Elizabeth about why she’s been away from the WWF for awhile.
Brutus Beefcake VS Mr. Perfect (with The Genius)
Perfect tries to jump Bruti from behind but fails. Beefcake nails Perfect to the outside. Perfecct is kicked in the head and takes an atomic drop. Perfect regroups with the Genius outside the ring. Perfect takes control with a knee and some chops. Bruti sends Perfect hard into the corner and goes to the lower back. Henning oversells another throw into the corner. Bruti signals for the Sleeperhold. Genius jumps on the apron and sneaks the metal scroll in the ring for Perfect and Perfect nails Beefcake in the head with it. Perfect stomps away and hits a necksnap for 2. Perfect kicks Beefcake some more and works on his lower back. He hits a loud chop and works on the head now. He slaps Bruti around and hits a lariat. Beefcake grabs on the ankle of Mr. Perfect and takes him down and slingshots him to the post and pins him at 7:48. Perfect’s overselling saves this match somewhat *1/4. Afterwards Beefcake cuts the hair of the Genius again after putting him to sleep.
We get a look at the feud between Roddy Piper and Bad News Brown. They eliminate each other at the Royal Rumble and brawl all the way back to the locker room. 3 weeks later Brown tells Piper to shave his bony legs and it turns into another brawl.
This is the infamous match where Piper paints half of his body black. Probally as an insult to Brown. Piper does some dance steps after showing off his half painted body. They brawl around to start. Piper hits a crossbody for 2. They brawl some more. Roddy chant starts in the audience. Piper hammers Brown in the corner. Brown comes back with some punches and hits a headbutt. Piper no sells 2 rams into the corner but Brown comes back and goes to a nerve pinch. Piper comes back and they slug some more. Brown hits a headbutt and fistdrop for 2. Brown slams Piper and hits another elbow for 2. Piper with an eye poke but is eye raked by Brown. Brown takes the turnbuckle pad off the corner as I hear “The Wild Blue Yonder” in the audience. Brown of course is rammed into the unprotected turnbuckle and Piper takes out a glove and hits Brown with it several times. He knocks Brown outside the ring and Brown pulls him out. Brown punches the ringpost and Piper misses a chairshot and both men are counted out at 6:38. Both these guys brawl back into the locker room once again. Major Yawner –1/4*
Steve Allen is in the shower room with a piano with the Bolsheviks. He wants to play the Russian Anthem and goes thru 3 different songs before he finally starts it but then the toilet flushes and Nikolai is very angry about it as Steve runs away. Funny stuff
The Russians sing their national anthem and draw major heat as usual. The Harts get tired of it though and they jump the Russians from behind, knock Nicolai Volkoff outside the ring and nail the Hart Attack on Boris Zhukoff at :18. DUD but pretty funny.
Tito Santana VS The Barbarian (with Bobby Heenan)
Barbie wins a tie up to start it off. Santana comes out and works on him in the corner. Barbie comes out and gets some advice from Heenan. Barbie works on Tito but gets kicked in the head. Cross body gets 2. Side headlock by Tito. Barbie hits a hiptoss but misses a headbutt. Tito gets caught but hammers down Barbie for 2. Barbie hits a big boot on Tito. Sloppy shoulder breaker by Barbie but he misses a 2nd rope elbow. Barbie misses a charge and Tito takes over. Barbie no sells a dropkick but another one sends him down. 2nd rope double axhandle and Tito hits the flying forearm but Bobby puts the foot on the bottom rope. Barbie comes back by ramming Tito’s neck into the top rope and he nails the top rope flying clothesline for the pin at 4:32. Another nothing match 1/2*
We look at the feud between Dusty Rhodes Sapphire Randy Savage and Sherri. At the Royal Rumble on the Brother Love show Savage attacks Rhodes but Sapphire jumps on Savage. We go to one week before Wrestlemania. Sherri jumps on top of Rhodes but it turns into a cat fight between Sherri and Sapphire
Rhodes announces out the Crown Jewel. Elizabeth! She’s going to be in the corner of Rhodes and Sapphire. Men against men and women against women in this match. Rhodes starts with Savage and works on him but Sherri nails Rhodes from behind and Sapphire grabs the hair of Sherri. Savage gets caught and dumped into Sherri. Sapphire is tagged and Rhodes throws Sherri in the ring. Sapphire nails Sherri with her hips. And hits a weak TKO for 1. Sherri comes back and tries a slam but Sapphire is JUST TOO FAT. Rhodes is tagged in and he nails the Macho King and is slapped by Sapphire. Savage jumps Rhodes from behind though and hammers on him outside. Sherri gets in a shot as well. Savage hits a top rope double ax handle and Sherri gets in a few more shots. Savage hits another top rope double ax handle. He tries another one but Sapphire stands over the dream. Savage responds by throwing Sapphire down and hits a double ax handle on Rhodes inside. He hits a suplex for 2. Savage grabs the scepter and nails Rhodes off the top with it. Sherri gets the tag and hits a top rope splash for 2. Rhodes nails Savage and nails both heels together. He hammers on Savage on the corner but is jumped from behind by the Queen. Sapphire gets the tag and takes down Sherri for 2. Sapphire sends Sherri outside and Liz sends her back in. Sapphire hits a suplex for 2 and Liz shoves Sherri and Sapphire school boy’s her for the pin at 7:31. Match really sucked and Jesse didn’t like it either -**.
Intermission time!
Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior give interviews talking about the upcoming matchup. These two may not be good wrestlers but they were awesome at the mike.
The Rockers VS The Orient Express (with Mr. Fuji)
Marty Jeanetty starts out
with Tanaka. Tanaka hits a thrust kick and an elbow. Marty comes back with a
powerslam and the Rockers double team the Express and hit double slingshot
bodypresses outside. Fuji regroups his men and Marty continues with Tanaka.
Fuji pulls the top rope down sending Marty outside and nails him with the cane
on Marty. Sato rams him into the post. Marty gets back in and Tanaka hammers.
Sato gets the tag and chops on Marty. Tanaka is back in and Marty comes out of
a back drop. Shawn Michaels is in and they do a double thrust kick. Shawn
backdrops Tanaka who tags Sato. Shawn hits a neck breaker but is kicked in the
head by Tanaka on the apron. Sato hits a gut wrencher. Tanaka hits a flying
chop. Sato is back in and hits a top rope kneedrop for 2. Sato goes to the
nerve pinch. Tanaka works on him some more. Shawn hits a clothesline and gets
the hot tag to Marty. Marty hammers on both Expressmen. He hits an elbow and
rams both Expressmen together for 2. Both Rockers hit a double dropkick which sends
Sato to the outside. Double backdrop on Tanaka. They both go to the top rope
but Fuji taps Marty with the cane. Marty threatens Fuji with the cane and Sato
throws salt right in Marty’s face and he runs into the audience and is counted
out at 7:37. Kind of a disappointing ending **3/4
Hacksaw Jim Duggan VS Dino Bravo (with Jimmy Hart and Earthquake)
Bravo shoves off Duggan
to start. Duggan no sells a shoulderblock and hits a clothesline and a
backdrop. He clotheslines Bravo to the outside. Back in Duggan hits an atomic
drop and does the 10 punch count and shoves the ref. Duggan misses a charge in
the corner and takes a clothesline. Bravo hits an inverted atomic drop for 2.
He hits an elbow for 2. Duggan comes back but gets kicked in the head. Bravo runs
into a knee in the corner and Duggan hits a series of clotheslines and tries
the 3 point stance but Earthquake grabs the leg and they get into it. Duggan
nails Bravo with the 2X4 with the pin at 4:15. Earthquake then hammers Duggan
and nails 3 butt splashes! Match was nothing though DUD.
We get a look at the feud
between Jake Roberts and Ted Dibiase. On May 5th 1989 Jake beats
Virgil but Dibiase attacks Roberts after the match and places the Million
Dollar Dream on Jake. Six months later Dibiase says to Jake “If you want my
Million Dollar Belt, you can have it!” Jake comes down to beat up Dibiase and
steals the belt!
Million Dollar Title Match: Ted Dibiase (with Virgil) VS Jake Roberts
Slugfest to start and
Jake gets a hammerlock and a kneelift. Ted slips out of the DDT. They both miss
elbowdrops and Jake almost hits the DDT again. Jake works on the right arm of
Ted. Series of kneedrops follow. He continues to work on the right arm and
tries to taunt Dibiase into submitting. Jake continues with the hammerlock and
sends Dibiase to the outside. Jake follows him and back in Jake puts his
headdown and pays for it. Ted runs into a knee though but nicely counters a
kneelift by Jake. Ted works on Jake’s neck now softening him up for the Million
Dollar dream. Down to the front facelock now. The wave starts going in the
Skydome now! These fans are great! Jesse does it too. Jake is kicked to the
outside and Ted rams Jake’s arm into the post. Back in and Jesse thinks Dibiase
is getting a huge pop. Ted hits a piledriver and arrogantly pins him which
allows Jake to roll him up for 2. Crowd is getting superjacked now! Dibiase
hooks the Million Dollar Dream but Jake gets his foot on the ropes. He gets
caught in the breadbasket and Jake takes advantage. He hits an inverted atomic
drop and a clothesline. Jake hits a backdrop and the short clothesline. He
signals for the DDT but Virgil pulls him to the outside. Jake slams Virgil on
the floor but Dibiase hooks the Dream again but Jake rams him into the post and
Virgil brings Dibiase in the ring and Jake is counted out at 11:53. Dibiase
still has the million dollar belt. Good match and the crowd was pretty hot for
this one ***1/4. Jake then comes in the ring and DDT’s Dibiase as Virgil takes
off with the belt. Jake steals Ted’s money and gives it to the crowd including
Mary Tyler Moore at ringside.
Big Boss Man VS Akeem (with Slick)
The Twin Towers Explode!
Dibiase comes out from underneath the ring and jumps the Boss Man from behind.
He puts a pounding on him before sending him in the ring. Back in Akeem starts
to hammer away on the Boss Man. He hits an avalanche for 2. Akeem contnues to
pound on the Boss Man in the corner. He tries the 10 punch count in the corner
but Boss Man comes out and hits a kick. He sends Akeem to the turnbuckles and
hits a clothesline and hits the Boss Man slam for the pin at 1:54. DUD
Rhythm and Blues (Honky
Tonk Man and Greg Valentine) come out in a pink Cadillac along with Jimmy hart
and the Honkettes (Two girls in poodle skirts) Diamond Dallas Page is the
driver for those who don’t know. They go in the ring and they sing their new
hit single “Hunka Hunka Hunka Honky Love” Afterwards The Bushwackers disguised
as vendors come in and clear the ring and destroy their guitars. Time filler if
you ask me.
The paid attendance is
announced at 67,678 setting a Skydome record which I think wsa broken at
Wrestlemania X-8.
Jimmy Snuka VS Ravishing Rick Rude (with Bobby Heenan)
Steve Allen is doing
commentary here but he doesn’t talk that much. Rude jumps Snuka from behind but
misses a dropkick. Snuka drops him face first. He hits a backdrop and a
headbutt. A dropkick sends Rude outside. Rude gets a sunset flip but Snuka
nails him. Rude hits a suplex. He hits a backdrop. Snuka slams his face down.
Shoulderblock by Rude but gets caught by a headbutt. Snuka goes to the top and
leapfrogs over Rude. Snuka slams Rude and goes to the 2nd rope but
misses a headbutt and Rude hits the Rude Awakning for the pin at 3:50. Decent
match **
We get a look at the feud
between Hogan and the Warrior. At the Royal Rumble they meet for the very first
time and it ends up with them clotheslining each other. One week later on SNME
they beat The Genius and Mr. Perfect but the heels jump them from behind.
Warrior clotheslines Perfect and Genius several times but accidentally nails
Hogan. One Month later on The Main Event. Earthquake tries to destroy UW but
Hogan makes the save. On Superstars Quake (in brown) hits a butt splash on
Hogan but UW makes the save and they tease a tune up match for WM.
THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE TITLE FOR TITLE!! Hulk Hogan (WWF Champ) VS The Ultimate Warrior (IC Champ)
This is what everyone
came to see! UW comes running full speed ahead while Hogan takes his time
getting in the ring. Both get huge pops! Referee Dave Hebner explains the rules
to both men before the match starts. UW shoves Hogan to start and Hogan
retaliates. Crowd is jacked up for this one now! They tie up and Hogan shoves
the UW in the corner. Test of strength follows. You would think Hogan would
have the edge because he’s bigger but UW gets the advantage and brings Hogan to
his knees! Hogan gets up and UW is down to his knees now. He gets back up and
Hogan takes him down for 2. Criss Cross and Hogan gets a slam but UW gets up!
Another Criss Cross and UW slams Hogan! He clotheslines Hogan outside and Hogan
starts selling a knee injury. UW comes out and kicks the leg drawing some heat.
Ref comes out and asks Hogan if he can continue and Hogan says that he’ll try
to get back in. UW comes back out and throws Hogan back in. He goes after the
injured knee. Hogan goes to the Eye Rake and they choke each other. UW gets a
shot over the ref’s shoulder. Hogan starts hammering UW and his knee injury is
healed all of a sudden! Hogan does the 10 punch count. He slams UW and hits 2
elbows for 2. Front facelock. Small package for 2. Chinlock by Hogan now. He
continues to pound on UW in the corner. He hits a clothesline and covers UW for
2. Backbreaker for another 2. Back to the chinlock again. Hogan drives the knee
to the back and hits a back suplex for 2. Chinlock once again. UW gets up and
elbows Hogan to break the hold. Double Clothesline spot occurs. UW gets up and
so does Hogan. UW shakes the ropes and starts no selling Hogan’s offense. He
starts hammering on Hogan now. Hogan grabs the ankle of UW buying some time but
UW hits a snap suplex for 2. UW hooks the Bearhug. It goes on for 3 minutes
before Hogan starts to fade but he gets his shoulder up the third time and
breaks the hold. UW runs into the ref and Hebner is out. UW hits a top rope
double axhandle and another one. He misses a flying tackle though and covers UW
but Hebner is still out. Hogan tries to wake him up but takes a back suplex. UW
covers Hogan but there’s still no ref. Hebner finally wakes up and counts slowly
but only gets 2. Hogan rolls up UW and gets 2. Hogan knocks UW to the outside.
They brawl outside and headbutt each other and Hogan is rammed into the post.
Back inside UW hits a clothesline and he does the Gorilla Press Slam and Big
Splash but Hogan kicks out and hulks up! Hogan is no selling UW’s offense now
and he hits 3 big right hands and the big boot but misses the legdrop and UW
splashes him for the pin at 22:48 becoming the new WWF champion!!! Crowd is
going bananas here. This match was **1/2 but the crowd was hot the whole way so
I have to give this match ****. Hogan then takes the WWF title and comes back
in the ring. The crowd goes silent as Hogan teases a heel turn but he hands the
title to the Warrior and raises his hand and they hug each other in the ring.
Great moment here! UW celebrates and the fireworks go off in the Skydome!!
Summary: Well most of the matches were pretty bad. However the main event really saves this show with the hot crowd! I’d like to note that my brother saw this show live on Closed Circuit with some friends and they went nuts when they saw UW beat Hogan. That shows you how great this match was. RECOMMENDED