Mike Rickard
My Favorite
WRESTLEMANIA
Mike Rickard is a lifelong wrestling fan and retired bank robber as well as the author of the book Wrestling's Greatest Moments. He can be reached here and on Facebook.
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The amazing thing about WrestleMania is that it really has become the Superbowl of wrestling. Whether you’re a casual fan or a diehard fan, chances are you’re going to watch WrestleMania even if you don’t order any other pay-per-views (PPV) during the year. In recent years, fans may have been on the fence due to the PPV’s outrageous costs but with the WWE Network now in place, I think a lot more people are going to get back to watching it.
Just like the Superbowl, not every WrestleMania is a winner. Unlike the Superbowl though, “The Showcase of the Immortals” is not one linear event. There’s not much you can do about a bad Superbowl. WrestleMania, on the other hand is different. There may be some bad matches but you can almost always count on at least a few gems.
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Looking back, I have to say that WrestleMania V was an excellent card from top to bottom. Not every match meant something but nearly everyone seemed like it did as opposed to subsequent WrestleManias that had matches thrown together at the last minute. The talent here was deep and the match quality was excellent for the WWF product of the time. That is why WrestleMania V is my favorite WrestleMania of all time.
WrestleMania V had an epic main event with the story of “The Mega-Powers Explode” (see The Enduring Legacy of Hulk Hogan Part 18). People will forever argue whether or not people would rather buy a show with a strong main event and questionable undercard rather than a questionable main event and a strong undercard. In the case of WrestleMania V, you had a strong main event and a strong undercard. Perhaps feeling that quantity is better than quality, WrestleMania V’s undercard boasted thirteen matches in total. However as we shall see, several of these matches were excellent.
One match that really surprised me (and still holds up well today) was Brutus Beefcake vs. “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. When I first saw this match, I was certain that Beefcake was going to put DiBiase over, especially since DiBiase had recently debuted his Million Dollar Championship. To my surprise, the match ended in a double count-out. People who only remember Beefcake from his run in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) should check out his run in the WWF. Beefcake was a solid upper card performer who served his role well and while he wasn’t a technician like DiBiase, Perfect, or Bret Hart, he fit the bill perfectly as a brawler.
Two other tag matches rounded out the show. The Bushwhackers vs. The Rougeau Brothers and The Hart Foundation vs. Rhythm and Blues (The Honky Tonk Man and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine). The Bushwhackers/Rougeaus battle was pretty much the comedy match you’d expect while the Hart/Rhythm match was a good way to keep the Hart Foundation as a top team in the fans’ eyes.
WrestleMania V wasn’t a five star show from start to finish. For example, the opening bout between Hercules and Haku was an okay way to start the show. Both men got a lot of brawling, putting on a good opening match without setting the bar too high for the rest of the show. It was a good warm-up though and served its purpose.
Some might argue that the show relied a bit too much on brawling. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and “Bad News” Brown slugged it out in and out of the ring with 2x4’w and chairs finding their way into the match. The referee disqualified both men. Given both men’s position on the roster, it didn’t seem likely that either one was going to get pinned by the other.
And then there was the Intercontinental title match. The Ultimate Warrior dropped his Intercontinental championship to “Ravishing” Ric Rude in controversial fashion (Rude’s manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan lent a helping hand) in an uneven match. Fans have complained that the Ultimate Warrior was incapable of working long matches but he was decent here and actually quite good in the Summerslam rematch between him and Rude.
Another excellent tag match was between one former championship team and a future championship team. Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel) vs. Bobby Heenan’s Brainbusters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard).
Both teams put on an excellent technical match. A miscue by Tito Santana saw him accidentally hit Rick Martel. Martel was furious and walked out on Santana, leading to his eventual heel run as “The Model”. The Brainbusters would capitalize and win the match, helping them in their campaign to win the WWF Tag Team titles.
All of the men’s WWF titles were on the line at Wrestlemania V. The WWF Tag Team champions Demolition defended their belts in a handicap match against the Powers of Pain and their manager Mr. Fuji (Demolition’s former manager who had betrayed them to side with the Powers of Pain). This match was no technical showcase but it did feature some good brawling.
When I think back on all of the WrestleManias I have watched over the years, it’s really not that difficult to pick my favorite. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there have been some true classics such as the inaugural WrestleMania, WrestleMania III, WrestleMania X, WrestleMania XIV, and WrestleMania XXIII (the first WrestleMania I ever attended live). However for me, WrestleMania V will forever hold a special place in my heart.
In my mind, WrestleMania V was the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) at its finest. By 1989, the WWF had four PPV’s, weekly syndicated TV, and regular specials on NBC such as The Main Event and Saturday Night’s Main Event. The promotion boasted an incredible line-up of talent from the wrestling world and while rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) had some great stars of their own, the WWF seemed to be the place to be.
The venue itself was nothing special. The Trump Plaza (which had carried WrestleMania IV) wasn’t a large venue like WrestleMania III’s Pontiac Silverdome or a wrestling hotbed like Madison Square Garden (home to the inaugural WrestleMania). There were a lot of people who came to the Trump Plaza out of curiosity rather than attending because they were wrestling fans there to see the matches. This meant that while the crowd wasn’t dead, it didn’t have the same vibe as other WrestleManias like the first and third editions.
WrestleMania V had something to prove. While WrestleMania IV was by no means a disaster, it had the dubious distinction of being the follow-up to WrestleMania III with its much hyped (and deservedly so) main event of Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant and the show-stealing bout between Randy “Macho Man” Savage and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. The tournament for the WWF Title at WrestleMania IV left some fans feeling a little flat. In fact, some observers felt that Jim Crockett Promotions’ (JCP) Clash of Champions show (which JCP aired for free against WrestleMania IV) was the superior product.
During the Rock and Wrestling Era, it was commonplace for technical wrestlers to tone things done a notch when they came into the WWF. That being said, the level of talent in the WWF was so good that even guys who dialed things down a notch or two still put on impressive matches. One such match was between “Mr. Perfect” and the Blue Blazer. While the match’s outcome was never in doubt, “Perfect” and the Blazer entertained the fans during the Blazer’s path to counting the lights.
Of course you can’t talk about the PPV without talking about the “Piper’s Pit” featuring “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Brother Love, and Morton Downey Jr. All three men were known for their big mouths and the fans knew that there was no way that these three giant egos would be able to control themselves for long. Piper has always been good on the stick but Brother Love and Morton Downey really held their own against the “Rowdy Scot”.
In the end, though, Piper dispatched with Brother Love. Piper turned his attention to Downey and blasted him with a fire extinguisher after Downey repeatedly blew cigarette smoke into his face despite Piper telling him, “Don’t blow smoke in my face”.
Another so-so match was the match between Andre the Giant and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. On paper, Roberts had his work cut out for him but Andre was deathly afraid of snakes so the fans knew that Roberts might prevail if he could get his pet snake Damien involved in the match. Special referee “Big” John Studd (a long-time nemesis of Andre’s) served as special guest referee, adding another dimension to the match. A cheap disqualification finish (Andre slugged Studd) didn’t do anything for the match. Looking back, this match was more to set up an Andre/Studd program (which never happened) and to continue the program between Jake Roberts and Ted DiBiase.
Of course, few cards are perfect and WrestleMania V was no exception. The Bobby Heenan/Red Rooster grudge match was a definite excuse to hit the bathroom before the main event while the Dino Bravo/Ron Garvin match was largely forgettable.
Fans who enjoyed tag team wrestling had a lot to be excited about with this particular card. The 1980’s was seen as the Second Golden Age of Tag Team Wrestling and the WWF was no exception. WrestleMania V featured five tag team matches (including a handicap match for the WWF Tag Team championship) which showcased some of the promotion’s top teams.
The tag team match between the Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels) and the Twin Towers (Akeem and the Big Bossman) seemed like a guaranteed squash. However, Michaels and Jannetty did a great job of telling the David vs. Goliath story and they kept the fans thinking that maybe they just might do the impossible and beat the two juggernauts. Even though the Rockers lost the match, they emerged looking strong.
