Being brand new to wrestling at that point, I had no idea if Savage or Hogan was going over and was disappointed when Hogan did. If I'd been savvy to the business it would have been pretty obvious. It was a fine result to close out WrestleMania, though I do wish they had swapped the belt back and forth once more after this before Hogan continued on with his reign.

If you think about it, Savage even having that 1 year run was such a huge deal considering the 80's started with Backlund the man, then the Sheik having that 5 minute transitional run before Hogan dominated the rest of the decade with Savage being the only other guy to hold the belt.

Then again, if you were going to plot a heel turn just a couple months after he won the belt and give it right back to Hogan, some may wonder what was really the point?

Thinking about what I just wrote now. I wonder if Sheik beating Backlund 6 years into his run was about as shocking to people then as Brock going over Taker. Had to be a forgone conclusion Backlund would beat the Sheik.

Hogan left after WrestleMania IV to go shoot a movie and didn't return until SummerSlam, so I think part of the point was to get the belt on a champ who could work the house shows etc. Think it was probably a decision of either putting it on DiBiase at WM IV and then having Hogan win it back at SummerSlam, or putting it on Savage and then transitioning it back to Hogan somehow eventually. Either choice would have been fine really, though I prefer the one they took and am glad they took it. Tough to tell if they knew at WM IV that they were going to go the heel turn route with Savage or if they would transition it back to Hogan through another heel.

I know I'm in the minority based on many discussions around the two matches, but I've always thought this match was superior to Hogan/Warrior the following year. Savage's psychology was superb throughout, he made the fans believe that he could beat Hogan -- no small feat in that era. The crowd really did kill this one somewhat, put it in the SkyDome and there's no doubt whatsoever which match is better.

The one thing I hated about the match was Hogan kicking out with authority after the elbow at two. There was no need for that, it made Savage look super weak. Just have him barely get a shoulder up, have Savage go up for a second elbow and miss, and do the same sequence. But it's Hogan, so whatever.

And holy ****, those promos are just pristine.

As for the Main Event, it's probably still the second biggest thing to ever happen in the Bradley Center after the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals.

Randy Savage introduces Sensational Sherri as his new manager on the Brother Love Show

Date: April 15, 1989

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCrAp4X7wjs

Less than two weeks after WrestleMania, Savage appeared here on the Brother Love Show and declared that he was done with Elizabeth and was moving forward with a manager that was more gorgeous than Liz ever was. That part wasn't true of Sherri obviously, but she was great in tandem with Macho and this pairing worked really well going forward for the next two years.

I find Savage/Hogan tricky to rate, because I rented that tape a billion times as a kid and it has a ton of nostalgia for me that makes it a less-than-objective viewing. Rating it as I watch it now, I honestly am still inclined to rate it generously, but I do disagree with having it above Hogan/Warrior. Something about that moment of "OMG Hogan just put Warrior over 100% clean" and then graciously handing the title over is so awesome that I have a hard time not giving it the nod between the two.

MSG House Show: WWF Title - Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Randy Savage

Date: April 29, 1989

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAv-okziYPI

Background: Nobody is just reading this post in a vacuum ITT while simultaneously not knowing the background by now, c'mon. This would be the first time that Savage would have Sherri at his side when he faces off with Hogan though.

The Match: Savage strikes the first blow in this match by running at Hogan with his robe and sort of throwing Hogan off with that before hitting him. Hits an axhandle and Hogan is down early. Drapes his robe across Hogan; as Hogan gets up he can't see anything, and Macho hits another axhandle. Hogan flings the robe off pissed, pulls Savage off the second rope and hits an atomic drop. Chops away in the corner, flings him into the other corner, and a black elbow fells the Macho Man. Irish whip and an elbow strike follows, before throwing Savage out over the top to the floor.



Hogan follows him out and bangs his head against the stairs. Rakes his back afterward, which was always one of the really bizarre moves in any wrestler's arsenal. Back into the ring, Hogan sends Savage into the ropes, drops his head too early, but was actually baiting Macho into throwing a kick that he then catches. I like that spot, and I'm not sure I've ever seen a wrestler do that. Fires in some right hands then holds him up in a choke before dropping him when Sherri gets up on the apron.



Hulk mocks her, and she slaps him. As he lunges at her as if he's going to punch her back or something, Savage hits a running knee in Hogan's back and knocks him outside. Sherri tries to post Hogan on the outside. He blocks it, then starts stalking her down, but Savage hits an axhandle to the floor. This is a pretty great managerial debut for Sherri. And as I say that, Savage distracts the referee multiple times as Sherri chokes Hogan. With the help of his manager, Macho is in full control now, applying a reverse chinlock in the middle of the ring.

Hulk works his way back up to his feet, elbows his way out of the hold, goes off the ropes, and as Savage drops down to the mat to let Hogan run over him, Hogan puts on the brakes and drops an elbow. I like it. Hulk gets tripped by Sherri outside before he can really get going though, then gets distracted and attacked from behind by Macho. Hangs Hogan over the top. Up to the top now, Savage gets a foreign object from Sherri and uses it as he hits an axhandle to Hogan in the middle of the ring. Pin gets a two-count, and we have hulk-up time.

No-sell. Finger-wag. Right hand. Big boot. Savage actually rolls out of the ring after the boot though, interrupting the usual ending sequence. Hogan follows him out, Savage scrambles back in, and as Hogan is going to follow Sherri jumps on his back from behind. Thanks to the distraction, Savage hits Hogan from behind, sending him into the barricade, and allowing Savage to roll back inside for the countout win.



Hogan comes back in angry and slams Savage's head into Sherri's. Well that's not gentlemanly.

Result: Randy Savage via countout (10:37)

Rating: Thought this was a good match. Not amazing, but they seem to have worked their way into a nice groove together. 3 stars out of 5.

Jesse Ventura's call at the end should go down in sports history with top 10 greatest calls when he says, "I do believe that Hulkamania, will live forever!"

Saturday Night's Main Event XXI: Randy Savage vs. Jim Neidhart

Date: May 27, 1989

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X3uAuL5KsM#t=16m02s

Background: Well you see, the Hart Foundation held Randy Savage up while the Honky Tonk Man cracked him over the head with his guitar, and…oh, we've totally forgotten that now, and Anvil is suddenly the noble one here? Alright never mind, no background.



The Match: Savage and Anvil tie up into the ropes. Sherri grabs Neidhart's ankle, and the distraction allows Savage to get the first blow in. Sunset flip attempt by Savage, but Neidhart sits down and gets a two-count. Neidhart sends Savage into the ropes, cinches in a bearhug on the way back. Eye rake by the Macho Man gets loose, and he takes over on offense.

Axhandle off the top by Macho. Neidhart kicks out with authority on the pin attempt. Savage attempts a scoop slam, but collapses under the Anvil's weight and has to kick out after another two-count. Neidhart from the apron lowers a shoulder block into Savage, then slingshots himself over the top with a flying shoulderblock. That was always his best spot. Sends Savage into the ropes, misses with one clothesline but hits the next. Standing dropkick by the big man; he actually looks surprisingly versatile here.

Savage takes a walk, Neidhart follows. Gets distracted by Sherri, but when Savage attempts to capitalize, Neidhart alertly spins around and hits another standing dropkick on the floor. Back into the ring, Neidhart hits a powerslam on Savage, then beats him into the ropes which causes the Macho Man to get tied up. Sherri gets him free just as Neidhart charges at him; Randy ducks, and the Anvil goes sprawling out to the outside after coming up empty.

Axhandle to the floor from the top rope. Rolls the Anvil back into the ring, heads up top, and hits the flying elbow going back inside to get the three-count.



Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (5:54)

Rating: Better than I expected. It was clear that they used this primarily as a showcase for Sherri and how effective she was going to be at getting involved in Savage's matches, since that Savage-Hogan house show match wasn't on nationally-syndicated TV. 2.5 stars out of 5.

Randy Savage, Sensational Sherri, and Zeus appear on the Brother Love Show

Date: July 8, 1989

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA10RgMRRpE

Sherri brings out Savage, Savage brings out Zeus, and then Savage proceeds to challenge Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake to a tag team match. The following week, Hogan and Beefcake would accept, and the match was set as the main event for SummerSlam. Zeus was actor Tiny Lister; Zeus was his villainous character in Hogan's No Holds Barred movie.

Saturday Night's Main Event XXII: Brutus Beefcake defeats Randy Savage via DQ

Yeah I can't actually find a copy of this anywhere. From what I've read, Brutus had his sleeperhold locked in on Savage, causing Zeus to come in and attack him, so that's what led to the result. Obviously just a way of building up Brutus in advance of that SummerSlam main event.

SummerSlam '89: Randy Savage & Zeus vs. Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake



Date: August 28, 1989

Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x41...n-brutus_sport



Background: The Hogan/Savage history goes back a while. The Hogan/Zeus history is that Vince wanted to give a marketing boost to Hogan's movie. As for Beefcake…well obviously he was tossed in because he was Hogan's buddy, but he did have a run-in with Savage earlier in the year when he called Sensational Sherri "Scary Sherri" on the Brother Love Show.

The Match: Hogan in a backstage promo before the match: "Ever since me and the Barber hooked up, we've been hanging and banging, brother!" Well that does nothing to dispel Linda Hogan's accusations. Lanny Poffo (as The Genius) is out to read a poem before the match; don't think he ever even briefly aligned with Savage on-screen, so this was probably the closest he came during their WWF years. Savage and Zeus come out with Sherri; Hogan and Beefcake come out alone. Before the match gets going though, Hogan goes and whispers to Howard Finkel, who introduces Miss Elizabeth, who is going to be in the corner of Hogan and Beefcake.



All four men brawl to open the match. Savage and Beefcake end up fighting outside, with Zeus fighting Hogan inside. Hogan attempts a bodyslam on the big man, but fails. Zeus applies a bearhug, but Brutus breaks it up with an axhandle from behind. Zeus dispatches of Beefcake in a hurry and goes back on the attack, double-teaming Hogan with Savage. The match finally settles into a normal tag match, with Hogan and Savage getting the first official exchange.



Savage with the reverse chinlock for a while on Hogan. Hogan eventually breaks free, but is unable to tag out, and Savage manages to isolate him and tag the big monster Zeus in. Bearhug. Zeus is awful, though what can you expect from a non-wrestler I suppose. He did have a good look. This bearhug goes on for an eternity before Zeus finally smashes him into the turnbuckle with it and lets go to tag Macho in. Savage hangs Hogan over the top, jumps back into the ring and spits in Brutus's face. Back suplex on Hogan.

Hogan finally gets free for the hot tag. Brutus with a high knee on Savage, followed by a whip into the rope, and Brutus locks in the sleeperhold. Savage tries to break free, but fades to one knee before finally desperately running Beefcake into the corner and getting the hold to break. Randy tags Zeus in, but Brutus actually manages to get a sleeper on him pretty quickly too.



Macho comes in, Hogan comes in, referee Earl Hebner gets distracted by Hogan and Savage hits Beefcake off of Zeus with Sherri's loaded purse. Beefcake seems to be out cold, and Hogan has to break up two pinning attempts to keep Savage from winning the match right there. He seems to come to as Savage picks him up and runs him into Zeus's raised boot in the corner. The monster tags back in. Applies a choke to Brutus that Hebner forcibly pulls him off of when he won't release it. Holds him up in another choke and throws him into the corner, then holds him up and drops him throat-first on the top rope.

Zeus tags Savage, and after Beefcake ducks one clothesline, Savage comes racing back and they clothesline each other. Both laid out and looking to tag. Brutus kicks Savage off, then he's stuck in the ring as Hogan gets the hot tag. Sends Macho into the ropes, big boot sends him outside. Hulk's momentum is interrupted when Sherri trips him from outside, which allows Savage to go up top and hit the flying elbow. Hogan immediately pops up, no-selling the elbow. Savage had tagged before the elbow, so Zeus comes in.

Repeated right hands from Hogan on the big man, but he can't knock him off his feet. A running clothesline finally causes Zeus to drop to one knee. Sherri up on the apron, and Elizabeth pushes her off into the ring. Through this chaos, Hogan ends up with Sherri's loaded purse. He closk Zeus with it, staggering him enough to bodyslam him. Drops the big leg, and we have a three-count.



Hulk, not satisfied with just winning, delivers an atomic drop to Sensational Sherri after threatening to punch her. This staggers her toward Elizabeth, who whacks her with the loaded purse. Liz then holds Sherri up while Brutus Beefcake cuts her hair. Hulkamania, everybody.



Result: Hogan and Beefcake via pinfall when Hogan pins Zeus (15:04)

Rating: Ehh. It wasn't without its entertainment value, but I'm only inclined to give it like 2 stars out of 5, and that feels slightly generous.

Savage defeats King Duggan, becomes new King of the WWF

Date: September 25, 1989

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJgDPvfqntQ

I can only find the WWF Update segment showing the highlights of Savage beating Duggan to win the crown, but good enough I suppose. It was only a Duggan match, after all.

Coronation: "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri become "Macho King" Randy Savage and Queen Sherri



Date: September 30, 1989

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJgDPvfqntQ

All of the heels gather in the ring in reverence, and watch on as Savage is demoted to the dumbest nickname of his career. Thankfully it didn't really negatively affect his character for the most part. The Genius reads him a poem, and Ted DiBiase presents him with a gold sceptre. I guess this was one route to go with him after they decided to move him on for the most part from the Hogan feud.

subscribing to remind myself to read more later. these are fantastic LKJ..I haven't watched wrestling in a long while but was an 80's baby and watched for a couple years in the late 90's/early 00's and reading through this one and the mr perfect one seem like they'll be great

thanks for doing these. I've only read the first ~20 posts, but you really seem to have put a lot of work into them, well done. ever thought of publishing them and/or getting them to a larger audience?

Thanks for the kind words, wiper; always glad to have more people reading along and enjoying. I guess I'm not too sure how I'd get it out to a wider audience or how much interest there would really be out there for it. I do put quite a bit of effort into it, but I'm just glad to have interested 2p2 readers at this point.

neither do I, but it was the only thing in the back of my head as it was dawning on me the amount of hours you obviously put into this.

surely there have to be fan sites or large blogs where you could "promote" these in some way. clearly you enjoy the research side of it, and your writing style is informative with just the right amount of personal opinion...just seems like presented to the right audience, you would receive the credit you deserve.

either way, keep up the good work.

Saturday Night's Main Event XXIII: Randy Savage defeats Jimmy Snuka

YouTube has a lot of SNME episodes, but there's a period of a few here that are missing. They'll be showing up on the WWE Network in like 4-8 weeks it sounds like, but in the meantime I have no way of watching this match either. Savage won via pinfall in just over five minutes in what sounds like a typical late 80's/early 90's Jimmy Snuka match (meaning...Snuka loses and then clears the ring like a sore loser, probably while the babyface announcer talks about how great that is).

MSG House Show: For the Crown of the WWF - Randy Savage vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Date: October 28, 1989

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13m9KsSXtx4

Background: Savage had just gone over Duggan dirty to win the crown, so he and Duggan feuded for a few months as Hacksaw tried to win it back.

The Match: This clip joins the match already in progress, but with lots of time to go, so I'm guessing it didn't crop much off the beginning. Duggan is executing an atomic drop as the clip begins, but he gets distracted by Sherri to the outside, and as the referee attends to Savage, Sherri posts Duggan. I always remembered Sherri positively as Macho's manager, but I'm enjoying her even more than I remember here.



With Duggan laid out after being rammed into the post, Savage goes out and gets his licks in, then again returns inside to distract the referee as Sherri gets another big kick in outside. Savage heads to the top, hits the double axhandle to the floor. Duggan rolls back in and Savage attempts the pin, but they're too close to the ropes. Macho goes and hangs Hacksaw over the top rope, and gets two on a pin attempt. He bitches about the count to the official before going up top, which clearly telegraphed his axhandle getting cut off by a punch from Duggan, but…no? The axhandle connected squarely. Huh. Once in a while the really predictable thing doesn't happen.

Randy has the match in full control, but as he has Duggan draped over the bottom rope he charges at him and comes up empty when he tries to jump on him. He's hurt, but manages to move when Duggan drops an elbow. Heads to the top, and this time the axhandle gets cut off by Hacksaw on the way down. I keep expecting a full flurry by the babyface to start, but Savage cuts another one off with an eye rake. Still, a moment later Savage gets elevated high on a backdrop all the way over to the floor. Duggan follows and flings him hard over the steel guardrail before slamming him into the steel steps. Grabs a chair and jabs him in the gut with it, which apparently the referee was fine with.



Duggan in control back to the ring. Bodyslam, knee drop, and he goes for a pin but Sherri distracts the referee. Gorilla Monsoon cries about Savage having been down for a good 15-count, but c'mon son. Wrestlers don't need to kick out when there's no referee counting. Hacksaw makes another pinning attempt, and Sherri grabs Savage's foot and puts it on the bottom rope. Duggan yells at Sherri, but he doesn't leave himself open to being attacked, as he clobbers Savage just as soon as he gets back up. Savage does reverse the tide though, and lays in a hard clothesline on Duggan to get things turned around. Up to the top, takes way too long on the flying elbow, and misses.



Multiple clotheslines by Duggan. Twice now the camera has gotten close to him and they've had to bleep out him randomly cussing for some reason. Hacksaw gets set up for the three-point stance into the clothesline (how that makes a clothesline more powerful, I have no idea), and it hits, but it knocks Savage outside instead of leaving him in to be able to pin. Duggan goes out after him, but more interference by Sherri gets him wound up, and he actually ends up grabbing her by the hair and threatening her in the ring.

The referee stops Duggan from doing anything to Sherri by getting in the way, but then Savage lays in a running knee from behind, and we have a ref bump. Small package by Duggan, but the bumped ref of course can't count. Hacksaw tries unsuccessfully to revive the referee, then executes another pinfall attempt. Ref still isn't awake, dumbass. As he goes to wake him again, Sherri slips the loaded purse to Savage, Savage clocks him, and Duggan is out. Savage slowly covers, Sherri wakes the referee up, but after such a long wait Savage can only get a two-count.

Macho attempts to climb the ropes, Duggan pulls him down and stops him, but Savage executes a double-leg takedown, puts his feet up on the ropes, and with the leverage he makes the pin for the win. They threaten a Dusty finish as another official comes in to help the referee out and maybe tell him of the cheating, but no, Savage is announced the winner.



Result: Randy Savage via pinfall (roughly 15:30)

Rating: It wasn't terrible, but you don't put ****ing Hacksaw Jim Duggan in 15+-minute matches. He tried pretty hard, but the dude only knows like three moves. This probably wouldn't have made the cut to get published in the thread, but since Savage did feud with Duggan and since I can't find a link for their SNME match a few months later, I figured I should include one of them. 1.75 stars out of 5.

I can't believe how bad Schiavone was announcing that Summerslam match. He sounded like he came during the ending sequence. Even McMahon at his worst wasn't that bad.

Yeah I agree, Schiavone was awful throughout that entire SummerSlam. He was really never good at all in the WWF. Thankfully Jesse wasn't putting up with it.

I didn't mind him in the WWF. His best work was without a doubt in WCW though.

Yeah Schivanoe's hyperbole in WCW was very entertaining

Yeah he grew into a pretty good announcer in WCW, though his inability to get along with the other commentators seemed to cause problems. Not too sure why he got the nod over Gorilla for SummerSlam in 1989, but at Survivor Series (which is coming next here in the thread) it was back to Monsoon and Ventura.