WWF Wrestlemania VII 3/24/1991

WWF Wrestlemania VII 3/24/1991

Pre-event thoughts: The build to this hasn't been good. Slaughter/Hulk, Warrior/Macho, Jake/Martel, Warlord/Bulldog and Virgil/Dibiase are the only matches that have really had true builds to this. Jake/Martel is getting near it's shelf life at this point as Jake has been healed for a while after being blinded by Rick and on TV, we never got to see them fight 1v1. Warrior/Macho came about through a lame storyline where Macho challenged Warrior to a title match. Warrior accepted then changed his mind later. Macho then attacked him at Royal Rumble 1991 and cost him the title against Sgt. Slaughter. They then made the career vs career match off of it.

Slaughter turned into an Iraqi sympathizer after the fans cheered Nikolai Volkoff for turning face and becoming pro-USA. He's gone on and on about the Iraqi War for months and of course, Hulk is going to be the one to stop him. While Hulk did win The 1991 Royal Rumble to get this shot, he skipped past Warrior to get the shot, who everyone acknowledged got screwed. He also skipped past Jim Duggan, who beat Sarge by DQ on The Main Event. Macho also got promised title shots from Sarge and Warrior yet was also skipped by as Jack Tunney chose Hulk for the title match here. The endless war talk has been tiresome and boring to listen to. One would hope this is the end of Sarge and Hulk here, but we got another six months of this which sucks.

And at least on the Superstars feeds we have, it was never really acknowledged that this show was moving from the LA Coliseum to the Sports Arena. 

Willie Nelson sings "America The Beautiful". Gorilla Monsoon brings out Hacksaw Jim Duggan to do commentary which is weird as he was not one of their usual commentators at the time. However, Heenan and Piper were both going to be involved in matches and Jesse Ventura had been long gone. Duggan wears a USA themed suit and hat. Duggan picks Warrior to beat Macho tonight and also picks Hulk.

Sean Mooney interviews The Rockers. Marty says Barbarian and Haku are big dudes but they have been defying odds since the start and are tag team specialists. Shawn says Barb and Haku are two of the biggest and baddest but they will put them away.

The Rockers vs The Barbarian and Haku

No entrance for the heels. The heels were put together right before this match and only had one match on Superstars prior to this. Haku boots Shawn. Haku catches him with a bearhug and drives him into the corner. Shawn flying shoulders Haku and pounds on him. Haku takes a double hiptoss and double elbow drop. Barb comes in and double lariats The Rockers.

Haku takes a double superkick as does Barb. Barb knees and chops Marty. Barb headbutts him. Marty hits some shots on him. Barb blocks a sunset flip and misses a punch. Marty is on Barb's shoudlers and Shawn dropkicks Barb to send Marty over.

Barb headbutts Marty then Marty takes a double headbutt. Marty is held up in the powerbomb position by Haku and Barb pulls Marty's neck down over the top rope. Haku back elbows him. Marty takes a double boot. Barb gorilla press slams Marty. Haku and Marty collide in mid-air.

Haku stomps Marty. Barb lariats Marty. Marty comes off the 2nd rope and is caught with a powerslam by Barb. Barb misses a top rope headbutt on Marty. Marty hot tags in Shawn. Shawn pounds on Haku then flying back elbows him. Shawn hits corner punches then crossbodies him.

Shawn neckbreakers Haku for 2. Haku blocks a sunset flip but Marty lariats him over. Barb takes a double dropkick out and Haku takes a double clothesline. Marty top rope dropkicks Haku and Shawn top rope crossbodies Haku for the win.

Thoughts: I'm going to be honest with you. The Rockers had reached such a high level in-ring wise on their PPV matches leading up to this that anything less than perfection was somewhat disappointing. Haku and Barb were a little slow here and didn't quite have the teamwork done to really beat up The Rockers like they should have. The Rockers ended up winning this after a hot tag and we really didn't get the epic that we had gotten at Royal Rumble 1991. It made sense and was okay but this could have been a classic. Haku and Barb here lose in their first big match together.

Mean Gene interviews Marla Maples, Regis Philbin and Alex Trebek. Regis says it's been an incredible experience and he's had all the stars on his shows. He says now he's a guest on their show and is having fun hanging out with them. He said he can't get to Earthquake though and is scared of him. He said he heard Earthquake tipped over a pizza delivery truck and ate everything in it.

Marla says she's excited for tonight and Gene says he has that effect on women. Marla said she has never conducted an interview in the men's locker room before and says she will call it just the way she sees them.

Alex calls Gene "Jim". Alex does a jeopardy question that confuses Gene and says they will penalize him by going back to ringside.

The Texas Tornado vs Dino Bravo

Bobby Heenan is on commentary here. Dino slicked his hair back and looked at least 10 years older. Dino hits Kerry as he enters. Kerry fights back with his jacket on then Kerry is clotheslined over the top rope. Dino hits shots on Kerry then Kerry atomic drops him. Kerry clotheslines him.

Dino his chops then boots him out of the corner. Dino atomic drops him and elbow drops him. Dino side slams him. Heenan takes a shot at Boss Man's mom, saying she could count as fast as the ref. Dino hits Kerry off the ropes then boots him. Kerry iron claws him then discus punches him to win.

Thoughts: It was short and ugly. It was little but boots, lariats and punches and none of their offense looked too good.

Sean Mooney interviews The Warlord and Slick. Slick says it takes more than one dog to put down Warlord, it takes a pack of dogs. He tells British Bulldog to get ready as he will be fixed. He says every dog knows when you gotta go, you gotta go. Warlord says no wrestler has escaped his full nelson and says Davey will be no exception to this rule. Slick says it's a dog eat dog world and Bulldog will be devoured.

Mean Gene interviews The British Bulldog. Winston the bulldog is with him (he had only started appearing a few weeks prior). Bulldog says he can and will break Warlord's full nelson. He says there's isn't a man in the WWF he can't powerslam and break. He says his dog says there's no bull in this british bulldog.

The British Bulldog vs The Warlord

The build to this was pretty much all about whether Bulldog could survive the full nelson or not.

War knees him in the gut and elbows him in the back of the neck. Davey flying shoulders him out. War clubs him, Davey goes for the crucifix and is dropped backwards. War hits elbow drops then shots to the gut.

War bearhugs Davey. Davey hits some shots. War stun guns him. They trade shots. War eye rakes him and belly to belly suplexes him. War chinlocks him. Davey hits shots to the gut, headbutts him and dropkicks him. War gets his head banged off the buckles. Davey hits him off the 2nd rope and crossbodies him.

War blocks a sunset flip at first but then Davey gets him over. War boots him out of the corner. War full nelsons him. Davey breaks it up and powerslams him and wins.

Thoughts: It was what you would expect with a lot of basic strikes. War got the full-nelson on, Davey broke it then powerslammed him to win. I thought they could have teased the full nelson a little more here before War got it on. It also would have been nice if Davey sold the full nelson more.

Jimmy Hart and The Nasty Boys are interviewed. Jimmy says they are mean, nasty and will be the next tag champs. Saggs says The Hart's time is up and says it's time to find out what nasty sensation is all about. Knobbs says it's time to put an end to the stink and pink. He says when you crank the foundation, everything comes crumbling down. He says you will see new WWF tag champs when it does. The Nasties then take Mean Gene's hanky and blow their noses with it.

The Hart Foundation are interviewed by Sean Mooney. He says to crack the foundation, you have to be at the bottom. He says the Nasties are at the bottom. Hart says they are at the bottom of the barrel and calls them scum. He said they don't have the heart to win the tag titles.

WWF Tag Titles - The Hart Foundation (c) vs The Nasty Boys

The Nasties just had debuted a month or so prior to this and were getting pushed pretty fast despite being so new. It felt like they took the place of Power and Glory.

Hart and Saggs lock up. Saggs hits shots and kicks him in the gut. Hart thesz presses him and hits mounted punches. Hart atomic drops Knobbs and Knobbs takes a great bump out for a punch. Saggs is slingshotted in. Hart boots Saggs in the gut.

Anvil comes in and Knobbs hits punches and knees on him in the corner. Anvil fires back and hiptosses him. Anvil shoulders him out. Knobbs hits punches on Anvil. Saggs hits punhes on Anvil then Anvil pulls him down backwards.

Hart hits shots to the gut of Saggs then hits corner punches. Hart russian legsweeps him then Hart 2nd rope elbow drops him. Hart hits shots on Knobbs then is hit from behind. Saggs lariats Hart and Hart rolls out.

Hart is sent into the buckles then Saggs backbreakers him. Saggs camel clutches Hart then Knobbs camel clutches Hart. Saggs neckbreakers Hart for 2 then Hart neckbreakers him. Saggs camel clutches Bret and Bret dumps him backwards.

Bret avoids a double team. Anvil is tagged in but the ref doesn't see it. The Nasties get Hart's megaphone and Saggs gets hit with it on accident. Anvil slams Knobbs onto Saggs then double clotheslines them.

Anvil back elbows Knobbs and lariats him for 2. Anvil powrslams Knobbs. Knobbs runs into Saggs on accident. Knobbs takes a hart attack. The ref tries to get Bret out and Anvil gets hit with Jimmy Hart's helmet. Knobbs then pins Anvil and wins!

Jimmy Hart is ecstatic and kicking his feet around like he won the lottery.

Thoughts: As I said, I felt like this spot was probably meant for Power and Glory but somehow The Nasties got it instead. It was okay but not great. It went longer than it needed to and The Nasties had limited rest hold offense which wasn't super exciting.

Jake Roberts is interviewed. He said the blind is leading the blind. He says a man has 5 senses but a snake has 6. He says we always do it better in the dark.

Blindfold Match - Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs Rick "The Model" Martel

The two search for each other and can't find the other. Jake points his hands in the direction of Rick but Rick is gone. Jake grabs him by the foot but Rick gets out. Rick trips over Jake then Jake grabs him. Rick hits some shots on him. Rick whips him into the ropes and bends over but Jake just moves to the side. 

They each run at the ropes and miss the other then Rick bumps off of them. They get near each other and Rick slams Jake. Rick goes for the elbow drop but nobody is there. Rick grabs the ref thinking it is Jake.  

They search for each other. Jake claps at Rick and moves around. Jake gets him from behind and Rick ropebreaks. The crowd chants "ddt". Rick grabs Damian in the snake bag on accident and backs off. Jake side headlocks him and falls out of the ring when they bump shoulders.

Rick goes outside and grabs a chair. Rick chairs the post and hurts his hand. Rick hits a shot to the gut then backbreakers him. Jake grabs Rick from behind and ddt's him. Jake then gets the pin.

Thoughts: I remember this being a lot longer. It was a really clever match and had a super unique stipulation here. They really worked this one well. Jake got help from the crowd which got the fans into it and we had some fun with Rick grabbing the snake and the ref. It really couldn't have been done much better than it was done and is a classic.

Jake stomps on the Arrogance bottle after and puts Damien on Rick. Rick runs for it.  

Marla Maples is with The Nasty Boys, Jimmy Hart and various heels. They yell and act wild and Saggs tries to kiss Marla. They spray champagne and celebrate and Marla cuts the interview.

The Undertaker vs "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka

You know, I like Snuka's chances here...not. Taker stares down Snuka and doesn't move. Taker nails him form behind and bangs Snuka's head off the buckles. Taker hits boots and punches on Snuka and bangs his head off the buckles.

Taker flying clotheslines him. Snuka charges at him in the corner and eats a knee. Snuka goes out then Taker suplexes him back in. Taker misses an elbow drop. Snuka headbutts him and hits shots to the body. Snuka flies at him, lands on the ropes and goes over the top in a cool bump.

Snuka is caught on a springboard crossbody. Taker then hits a tombstone after and wins.

Thoughts: It was the start of something legendary here and nobody really knew it at the time. It was pretty much a squash here but Snuka moved well and Taker did his part as usual. Taker didn't even need to do his full arsenal here on this one.

Career Ending Match - The Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage

Heenan points out Miss Elizabeth in the seats. She was last seen a few months earlier during the Dusty/Macho feud. Macho and Sherri come out on a throne. Warrior walks out instead of running and Heenan asks if that's actually The Ultimate Warrior. That's funny because there would later be rumors about fake Warrior's.

They lock up and roll on the ropes. Warrior slaps Macho's hand away and shoves him. Warrior eye rakes him. Sherri distracts Warrior and Macho nails Warrior from behind. Warrior hits a big lariat then throws him down out of the double arm chokeslam. Warrior atomic drops him. Warrior lifts him up, Sherri comes in and Warrior throws Macho back at Sherri, sending her out.

Macho running lariats him. Macho is caught on a top rope crossbody. Warrior slaps him. Macho goes out and throws a chair in then nails Warrior when the ref takes the chair. Warrior decks Macho with punches. 

Warrior boots him in the corner and drops him with more punches. Warrior goes for a splash and goes over the top rope. Sherri hits Warrior outside then Macho top rope double axe handles Warrior. Sherri takes more shots on Warrior then Warrior shoves her down. Macho hits Warrior from behind.

Warrior is sent into the post and Sherri kicks him. Macho slams Warrior and knee drops him. Warrior bakcslides him then Macho spits on him. Warrior lariats him, runs the ropes and misses a splash.

Macho chinlocks him. Warrior shoulders him over then they double clothesline each other. Sherri gets in to revive and help Macho up. Warrior cradles Macho when the ref isn't looking. Warrior yells at the ref and Macho knocks Warrior into the ref.

Macho holds Warrior. Sherri comes off the top with a shoe but nails Macho. Warrior goes after Sherri and Savae rolls up Warrior for 2. Warrior is sent into the buckles then is dropped throat first on the ropes. Miss Elizabeth looks worried in the crowd.

Macho pulls Warrior's throat down over the top then Macho lariats Warrior from behind. Macho slams Warrior. Macho five elbow drops and Warrior kicks out. Warrior starts to hulk up and no sells Macho. Warrior hits punches then running lariats. Warrior gorilla press drops him then splashes his back. Warrior shockingly only gets a 2 count.

Warrior looks up to the skies and talks to his hands and the sky. Macho knocks Warrior off the apron while he does it. Sherri holds Warrior on the rails but Warrior escapes and Macho goes into the rails. Warrior flying shoulders Macho out of the ring, gets him back in and does it again. Warrior flying shoulders him again and wins by pinning him with his foot on his chest.

Thoughts: This was a classic. The stakes were high and the crowd was super hot. They did some big kickouts here but unlike in today's wrestling, they saved it for the biggest match of their careers so it actually worked. They sold well and Macho took some big bumps here. I thought they played up Warrior just being tougher than Savage well and made it obvious that Savage was going to need help to win. I thought Sherri should have been kicked out multiple times here and I wouldn't have had Macho do so many top rope elbow drops on Warrior. I think I also would have cut Warrior talking to the gods some.

Queen Sherri beats up Macho after for losing. Miss Elizabeth watches from the stands and then heads down to ringside. Liz grabs Sherri by the hair and throws her out. Macho doesn't know what's going on and wants no help getting up. Macho wakes up and almost nears Liz. He is shocked and doesn't seem to know what is going on. Sherri yells at him and I think calls him a loser. Liz cries and they hug in a beautiful moment. Macho puts Liz on his shoulder and poses, turning face. We see fans crying and Liz and Macho walk out together. 

Thoughts: This was one of the best and most memorable angles ever. They got people crying in the crowd over this.

This was not on the Peacock version of the show. Lord Alfred Hayes calls it a special moment. He says it's the end of Macho's career but the beginning of a lovely alliance. Mean Gene then interviews Liz and Macho. Macho says his emotions are high and low. He said he doesn't know if he should feel good or bad and says he's in a state of confusion. He says Warrior cracked the Kingdom of Madness in half. He says he has mixed emotions. He says he wants to fight in the ring again but look at Liz at the same time. He says it was wild, different and awesome and hugs Liz. Gene says we will happen down the pike. Macho asks if anyone knows what will happen down the pipe. Gene says he doesn't have a clue. Macho says he faced the best in Warrior and says he's out of here.

Instant Replay Debate

This was not on the Peacock version of the show for some reason. Vince talks about the Warrior/Slaughter match where Macho interfered. He said Warrior would still be champ if we had instant replay. Paul Mcguire and George Steinbrenner are the guests for this.

George says him and Jack Tunney are good friends. He says he is for instant replay but he doesn't like the replay officials wasting time on obvious calls. He says if it takes you more than 60 seconds to make the call, you get fired. Paul says he was a player's player in the NFL. He says the fewer rules the better. He complains about getting suspended for eye pokes. He says let the wrestlers wrestle and play hurt. He says to suck it up. George says the ref in Warrior/Sarge wasn't doing his job and should be fired. Paul calls George a "butthead" and then lies about it. They argue about butting heads and George says Paul was a punter nobody remembers.

Vince says let's go to our neutral corners and cool off. We go to instant replay and it's The Bushwhackers looking at the footage. Paul says this isn't good and we see him calling George a "butthead". The Bushwhackers argue and get film everywhere. George says it's over 60 seconds and they are out of here. Vince says the replay was inconclusive and the result stands as The BW's are covered in film.

Thoughts: I remember this being a lot longer than it was. It didn't accomplish a lot and was just comedy.

Gorilla and Heenan talk about the Perfect/Boss Man match and some of the other happenings. 

Regis Philbin interviews The Undertaker and Paul Bearer. Reg says it's a great day to be alive and neither one says anything. Taker measures Reg and Reg says they are dying out here. He then cuts it as they won't reply.

Alex Trebek interviews Mr. Fuji and Demolition. Alex calls Fuji "Mister" instead of "Master" and Smash yells at him. Alex talks about Jeopardy and says the catlike reflexes of his contestants could help them. Smashs says Alex thinks he has all the answers but only Fuji does here. Crush says Fuji knows all about pain and suffering. Alex says he doesn't have anything else to say and Crush says, "good".

We go back to Regis and Regis says Alex is approaching Final Jeopardy sooner than he would like. Regis interviews Genichiro Tenryu and Koji Kitao. They don't speak English and don't understand anything he's saying. He says "Toyota" and they react then. Tenryu and Kitao say "Kathy Lee". Regis says Kathy Lee is at home and explains their names.

We go back to Alex Trebek who is with Jake Roberts and Damien. Alex says snakes make him nervous. Jake says there's nothing to be afraid of and says Damien watches the show all the time. He says "Reptiles of the World" is his favorite category and Jake says Damien wants to ask him to be a contestant. Alex leaves and Jake says Damien will have to settle for the home version.

Heenan takes credit for setting all of that up after. 

Thoughts: The whole segment was hilarious. Regis was fantastic as an interviewer but you know, he had a little practice at it which may explain it.

Kitao & Tenryu vs. Demolition (Crush & Smash)

There was no build to this and it was as random as it came across.

Smash nails Kitao from behind. Crush hits punches on Kitao then Kitao jumping knees him. Kitao hits forearms and chokes Smash. Mr. Fuji hits Kitao with the cane.

Kitao takes a double team. Smash backdrops Kitao then Crush 2nd rope double axe handles Kitao. Smash chokes Kitao on the ropes and Crush jumping headbutts Kitao. Kitao lariats Smash.

Tenryu gets in and hits chops on Smash. Tenryu dropkicks Crush then slams Smash. Tenry misses his top rope back elbow drop. Crush backbreakers Tenryu. Smash backdrops Tenryu. Demolition try to do demolition decapitation but Kitao breaks it up twice. Crush is pushed off the top by Kitao.

Tenryu enzugiri's Smash then powerbombs Smash for the win.

Thoughts: If I'm Demolition, I knew my run was over here. Demolition losing to these guys was unthinkable a year ago but Ax left and the LOD feud didn't happen. The crowd wasn't into this and the Japanese took a lot more offense than they got in.  Heenan had a bunch of funny jokes here that would get him destroyed today.
 
The Big Boss Man is interviewed by Mean Gene Okerlund. Boss says he will be champ when it's all said and done tonight. He says the days and months of insult hurt his mama's feelings. He said when you hurt her feelings, you hurt his. Boss said he moved down Heenan Family members one by one except Perfect. He says Perfect has no more chances of appeal and says his stay of execution is up. He said he will make a perfect example of why crime does not pay.

Sean Mooney interviews Mr. Perfect and Bobby Heenan. Heenan says we are in sunny California and says it's the home of the LAPD. Heenan says Perfect will dish out his own brand of justice and says we will not find him on his back. He says he's cool. He says he has all the tools it takes to be a champ. 

WWF Intercontinental Title - Mr. Perfect (c) vs The Big Boss Man

Lord Alfred Hayes is on commentary now in place of Heenan. Perfect throws his towel at Boss, Boss wipes himself and throws it at him. Boss then slaps him with it and spits on him. Perfect slaps him. Boss flips Perfect with a punch outside then swings him by the hair inside. Boss hits uppercuts and running lariats him. Perfect takes a big bump over the top.

Boss misses a corner charge and Perfect hits shots. Perfect is sent into the buckles and takes a silly bump. Boss leg lariats him on the ropes. Boss whips Perfect with his belt. Perfect hits strikes and sends him hard into the buckles.

Perfect abdominal stretches him. Perfect dropkicks him then pulls his neck forward. Boss cradles him off a perfectplex attempt. Perfect running headhunters Boss while he's on his knees. Perfect comes off the top and eats a nice boot from Boss.  

Boss throws Perfect and crotches him into the post. Boss is thrown into the steps and Heenan gets some boots in. Andre The Giant comes out and is still able to walk on his own at this point. Perfect takes off a turnbuckle pad and Andre grabs the IC Title as he stalks Heenan.

Andre hits Perfect with the title. Boss goes for the pin then The Barbarian and Haku come out. Boss avoids a double team and Andre nails Perfect. Boss hits shots on Barb and Haku then Andre gets shots in outside.

Thoughts: It wasn't the best match they could have had and the ending was disappointing. It's Mania, if you can't do a clean finish here, when can you? Boss was really on a good run up to this and should have been rewarded for it here. Andre wanting revenge on Heenan and crew made sense but sadly isn't wasn't built up that much outside of Superstars and Stripes Forever. If it had been, it would have been more exciting than when he came down. Boss did his usual nice strikes and bumping and Perfect did wild bumps like usual here.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Donald Trump in the crowd. Trump says it's an unbelieveable day and they did a fantastic job. Gene and Trump both say they hope they will see the WWF soon in Atlantic City. Gene interviews Chuck Norris. He says the wrestlers are great athletes. He says he worked out with Hogan and did a movie with Professor Tanaka, so he knows what they are. Henry Winkler aka The Fonz is interviewed. Fonz says he's happy The Ultimate Warrior got the ultimate win. Lou Ferrigno is interviewed. He said it's unbelieveable and like seeing superheroes in front of your eyes.

Thoughts: This was a cool little segment here.

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs Earthquake

Heenan says it's amazing that Lou Ferrigno can talk with 15lbs of crackers in his mouth in a funny line.They actually had a decent story here with Rhythm and Blues breaking up and Hammer leaving Jimmy Hart's watch. Unfortunately, they really didn't go into it that much on TV and somehow blew a story that was already there. Quake was coming off being the top heel against Hogan so this was a big drop down for him.

Quake backs up Greg in the corner. Quake hits shots to the gut then powerslams him. Quake misses a corner charge. Greg hits chops and elbows to the head. Quake bends over and is hit by Greg. Greg hits a running clothesline and 2nd rope elbows him in the head. Greg elbow drops him.

Greg goes for the figure four and Hart gets on the apron (they tried it 10 seconds earlier and I think Hart forgot). Quake hits Greg from behind and elbow drops him. Quake then hits his butt drops and wins.

Thoughts: They gave Greg a little bit of offense in here but it didn't do much for him. He had just turned face and this wasn't the best way to re-introduce him.

Greg avoids the aftershock butt drop after.

Sean Mooney interviews The Legion of Doom. Animal says they should have had the title shot against The Harts and been champs. Animal said Power and Glory interfered and will be put down. They say they are coming for The Nasties next. Hawk says Power and Glory will be Sour and Gory when they are done with them.  There's apparently a second version of this promo out there that I haven't seen where Hawk is more animated.

The Legion of Doom vs Power and Glory

No entrance for P&G here. P&G jump LOD from behind and double club on Hawk. Hawk hits a double clothesline. Roma slams Animal. Roma top rope crossbodies him but Animal slams him off of it. Roma takes a doomsday device and is pinned.

Thoughts: Like The Demolition match, P&G should have known it was the end here. This was bogus. They should not have been destroyed like this. It's a real shame because this could have been a great match and I was looking forward to it.

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase vs Virgil

Piper was in a motorcycle accident about 3 weeks or so before this happened and is on crutches. Piper calls for Virgil and tells him to come on down. Virgil doesn't come out to any music here.

Virgil hits punches on Ted and does some footwork. Virgil drops him and Heenan says he has more steps than The Temptations. Virgil hits more jabs and winds up for a punch. Virg hits more punches and Ted goes out.

Virg slingshots Ted in then lariats him out of the ring. Ted running lariats him inside. Virg takes him down. Ted trips him and bangs his head off the mat. Virg's head is banged off the buckles. Ted back elbows and clotheslines him. Ted piledrivers him for 2.

Ted suplexes him then gutwrench suplexes him. Ted chops him outside then shoves Piper over for some heel heat. Ted powerslams Virg. Ted runs the ropes and Piper uses the crutch to pull the rope down on Ted. Ted goes outside and Ted nails Piper. The ref then counts out Ted who was too focused on Piper to notice.

Ted hits shots on Virg and puts the million dollar dream on him. Piper hits Ted with the crutch. Sensational Sherri runs down and grabs the crutch. Piper teases hitting her then Ted nails Piper from behind. Sherri stomps on Piper then Ted hits Piper's leg with the crutch. Sherri loses her wig in a funny moment as the refs try to break things up. Virg grabs the crutch and the heels back off. Piper tries to get up, fights for the crutch with the ref and drops him by throwing it at his knee.

Virg tells Piper to do the right thing and get up. Piper does and Virg holds him up.

Thoughts: The match wasn't that much. Virg didn't do much but punches here and it all became secondary to the Piper/Ted stuff. One would think those two are headed for a feud. Sherri getting involved was a surprise and we'll have to see what the explanation is on that.

Sean Mooney interviews Sgt. Slaughter and General Adnan. Adnantalks in his language and Sarge says to listen up. Sarge says he's the new ruler in the WWF and Hulk is playing by his rules. He says there's nothing Hulk can do about it. We see Sarge hit Hulk with a chair and Sarge talks about what a great feeling it was. He says it will feel good tonight to see Hulk on his back and defeated. Sarge says Hulk might win the battle but not the war. He says he might even get himself counted out. He says he will still be laughing at the end.

The Mountie vs Tito Santana

Mountie had debuted a few months earlier but hadn't really impressed me much lately. This is Tito's 7th Mania in a row and they put that over during promos for this.

Tito side headlocks him. Mountie jumps in the air and Tito flying forearms him out. Mountie hugs Jimmy Hart and Tito bangs their heads together. Tito winds up and drops Mountie with a punch. Mountie holds onto the ring skirt and Hart gives Mountie the shock stick. He sticks it in Tito's gut and pins him.

Thoughts: This was a short and unimpressive squash for Mountie. Tito deserved better than this. Gorilla said it was a win for Mountie but not anyone who viewed this and that was a true statement.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan.  Hulk says Sarge won't get the last laugh. He said he tried to scorch the dreams of Hulkamaniacs when he burnt his banner. Hulk says all Sarge knows is hand to hand combat and says this is new technology. He says Sarge underestimate the enemy and says Sarge doesn't know the secret battle plans he has.

We see clips of Sarge interfering in the Hulk/General Adnan match and we see Sarge putting the camel clutch on Hulk.

Hulk says he's not the same Hulkamaniac he was a week ago. He says to wait until he's in the ring to see what kind of man he is now. Hulk says he will be the new champ and makes Star Spangled Banner references.

WWF Title - Sgt. Slaughter (c) vs Hulk Hogan

They bring out Regis, Marla and Trebek again. Trebek does the intros. Regis is on commentary.

The match starts and Sarge still hasn't taken off the title or his hat and shirt. They lock up and Sarge backs him up. Hulk shoves the ref away and they keep locking up. Hulk shoves him back. Hulk side headlocks him.

Hulk shoulders him over and Sarge does a nice backroll bump, getting caught in the ropes. Sarge goes out. Adnan nails Hulk then Hulk grabs him. Sarge chairs Hulk right in front of the ref. Hulk no sells it and throws him in. Sarge eye rakes him. Hulk's head is banged off the buckles.

Sarge back elbows Hulk then punches him in the head. Sarge kneedrops Hulk in the head then misses an elbow drop. Hulk hits punches and lariats Sarge. Adnan is on the apron and Hulk nails him. Hulk eye rakes Sarge then back elbows him in the corner.

Hulk atomic drops Sarge for 2. Hulk back rakes Sarge then running elbows him. Hulk bangs Sarge's head off the buckles then back body drops him. Hulk flying knees Sarge in the back and sends him into the buckles. Hulk catapults Sarge into the buckles. 

Hulk hits mounted punches then corner lariats Sarge. Hulk hits more corner punches and bangs Sarge's head off the buckles. Adnan pulls on Hulk's leg and Hulk is hit off the 2nd rope. Hulk slams Sarge and elbow drops him. Hulk goes up top again and is thrown down. Sarge hits a bad clothesline over the top.

Hulk is thrown into the post then Sarge chairs Hulk in front of the ref. Sarge chokes Hulk with a cable. Sarge backbreakers Hulk for 2 then stomps on him. Sarge crabs Hulk. Sarge hits knees to Hulk's back. Sarge top rope kneedrops Hulk's back. Adnan gets on the apron as Sarge tries to pin Hulk, hurting his own guy.

Sarge chairs Hulk is busted open. Sarge camel clutches him. Sarge buries Hulk in the flag and tries to pin him. Hulk tears the Iraq flag up and starts hulking up. Hulk hits a big boot on Sarge then legdrops him for the win.

Thoughts: It was longer than it needed to be and wasn't that good of a match. It was mostly all punches and Sarge didn't get to the bumping that he was really good at here.

Overall thoughts: It was a mixed bag and I'd hesitate to give it better than a 6 out of 10. Warrior/Macho and Jake/Martel were classics. The main wasn't good and went too long. The Rockers vs Haku and Barb was good but not what it could have been. Boss Man/Perfect getting a dirty finish sucked and us getting no clean winner from Ted/Virgil also sucked. I couldn't believe Demolition and Power and Glory both got jobbed out here the way they did. Taker got his first Mania win here to start the streak. Valentine/Quake was too short and the booking didn't make the most of the story they had. The Mountie didn't impress and The Nasty Boys won the tag titles in an upset. Warlord/Bulldog wasn't that good as expected and Tornado/Bravo was ugly. The show also went too long. The Celebrities did a great job here though and really helped out the show. 

If I had to fix this show, I would have had Macho/Warrior for the title. Hulk/Sarge would have had a much shorter match. Power and Glory would have fought The Hart's and either that match or Demolition/LOD would have been for the tag titles. I would have had Virgil turn on Dibiase here after teasing it at The Rumble. I would have had Boss beat Perfect as well. I probably would have had The Rockers rematch The Orient Express again as well since their last match was so good. Maybe I would have squeezed some type of Bulldog/Tornado/Tito 6-man tag in here as well.