| Company | WWF/WWE |
| Event | WrestleMania V |
| Series | WrestleMania |
| Edition | 5 |
| Format | Pay-Per-View |
| Date | Sunday April 2 1989 |
| Venue | Trump Plaza/Boardwalk Hall |
| Location | Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA |
| Attendance | 18,946 |
WWF WrestleMania V
WWF WrestleMania V provided the pay-off to one of the longest and greatest storylines in WWF/WWE history. Indeed, this was where we got to see The Mega-Powers explode, as Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan finally collided in one of the most anticipated matches in history. There was more to WM V than the main event, though, as I will explain.
Before the show began proper, we had a rendition of America The Beautiful by Rockin’ Robin, then a member of the roster (I believe the original planned singer no-showed, though I could be very wrong about that). It’s been over 30 years, but some WrestleMania traditions continue to this day. On the call here were the ever-reliable duo of Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura, and this was also the second straight year that Trump Plaza hosted Mania V, the only time that the same building has hosted consecutive WrestleMania events.
King Haku vs. Hercules
I have to be honest, when I watched this show back, this wouldn’t have been my suggestion for the opening bout. Mind you, Haku was going places in a singles role as the King of the WWF (back when it was treated as an unofficial prize to be won and lost in the ring), and Hercules had recently split from Bobby Heenan after he had sold him to The Million Dollar Man (which is hilarious when you think about it). That was the extent of their issue really, but the match provided a decent start, albeit nothing special by any means. Hercules surprisingly pinned Haku to get the win here, but because the crown wasn’t on the line, Haku remained King. I’m as confused as you probably are, so let’s move on.
The Rockers vs. The Twin Towers
And so we have the first WrestleMania appearance for the man who would later be known as Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels. It was an inauspicious start given that it was in a second-match defeat alongside his Rockers team-mate Marty Jannetty, and he and Marty had gone out on the town the night before, leaving them a bit worse for the wear heading into the ring. Still, it was WrestleMania, and they were facing two monsters who were still feuding with the mighty Hulk Hogan. And it was a good doubles match, one of the better bouts on the show that saw the two vastly different ring styles mesh nicely. A double dropkick from the top rope almost put Boss Man away, but it wasn’t enough, and Akeem pinned Shawn to seal the victory for his squad.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS TV SHOWS? READ OUR PRE-PPV REVIEWS OF SUPERSTARS & WRESTLING CHALLENGE!
Brutus Beefcake vs. Ted DiBiase
Considering how popular The Barber was and how The Million Dollar Man was one of the company’s biggest heels, this match went on rather early. Amusingly, DiBiase shook hands with Donald Trump at ringside; sure, Trump hosting the event technically made him a babyface to WWF fans, but why wouldn’t someone as rich as The Donald be pals with The Million Dollar Man? The match was pretty good, since DiBiase was one of the best workers in the company at this time, but it had a bit of an iffy ending: after the referee was kept away from seeing Virgil interfere, he was privy to Ted and Brutus brawling on the floor, leading to a double countout.
The Bushwhackers vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers
Luke and Butch had only been on the WWF scene for a few months at this point, making this their first big tag team bout together as a duo. Jacques and Raymond Rougeau, meanwhile, were well-established to WWF fans as heels that were easy to hate, and their blase attitude towards mocking the United States (they would wave miniature flags in a fake attempt at showing American solidarity) combined with the humorous actions of Luke and Butch made for a fun match. The Bushwhackers sealed the win with the Battering Ram to earn a minor WrestleMania moment for the New Zealanders; the two combos would clash again at Royal Rumble 1990, again with The Whackers winning, and that particular bout would be the last for The Rougeaus in the WWF.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS EDITION? READ OUR WWF WRESTLEMANIA IV REVIEW!
Mr. Perfect vs. The Blue Blazer
Next up, we have another Mania debutant in Mr. Perfect. Curt Hennig was slowly climbing up the ranks during this period, and he had now adopted the famous two-tone singlet. His opponent was also making a PPV bow, though he was more famous for competing under his real name: Owen Hart. This didn’t get a lot of minutes and was clearly a card-filler, but the two men made the most of their relatively brief time by putting together a good little match. Perfect scored the pin with the Perfectplex. Incidentally, it’s interesting that despite them having numerous classics, Perfect and Bret Hart never did clash at WrestleMania, yet Perfect and Owen officially did.
Before the next match, Run-DMC appeared to cut the WrestleMania Rap. Run-DMC were a big deal at the time so it was a bit of a coup to have them here, and for them to create a tune all about WrestleMania. I’m not sure if the fans bought into it that much, but it was a noteworthy celebrity cameo if nothing else.
WWF World Tag Team Championship Handicap Match
Demolition (C) vs. The Powers Of Pain & Mr. Fuji
Mr. Fuji had betrayed Ax and Smash back at Survivor Series and aligned himself with The Warlord and The Barbarian. The double-turn led to this big match, one which saw Fuji himself don the tights again to make it a two-on-three affair. This sort of thing with a title at stake was a novelty in 1989, though if any team were capable of overcoming the odds, it was Demolition, who had captured the belts in the same venue one year earlier at WrestleMania IV. And so it proved, as Ax and Smash did enough to waylay Warlord and Barbarian so that Fuji could receive the Demolition Decapitation (read as: Fuji competed in order to take the loss for his team), thus keeping the titles around the waists of Demolition.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS PPV? READ OUR WWF ROYAL RUMBLE 1989 REVIEW!
Prior to the next bout, Superfly Jimmy Snuka made a surprise return to the WWF, following a very successful tenure in the early 1980s. Snuka didn’t achieve too much over the next three years in the company, but it was better to have him on the roster than to not have him, I guess.
Rugged Ronnie Garvin vs. Dino Bravo
I’ll be honest, I barely even knew this match happened. Even with this being the era of marathon Mania line-ups, I had no recollection at all about this one, to the point where I’d have sworn that Garvin never appeared at a WrestleMania. All of which probably tells you how the bout went from an entertainment standpoint. Bravo scored the pin, though Garvin got some revenge by pummelling Dino’s manager Frenchy Martin when he attempted an unnecessary post-match attack.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FIRST EDITION? READ OUR WWF WRESTLEMANIA 1 REVIEW!
Strike Force vs. The Brain Busters
Here we have an interesting bout. At first glance, this stands out because it marked the only in-ring Mania appearance for Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, and given their involvement, this was unsurprisingly a well-worked and logical bout. But the spotlight was actually on Strike Force: Rick Martel had been sidelined for a good while, meaning that he and Tito Santana were unofficially getting the band back together here. However, some miscommunication led to Santana accidentally, erm, striking Martel, and in response, Rick walked out on his partner, thus turning heel. Santana was left to take the loss from Arn and Tully, and Martel told Mean Gene Okerlund afterwards that he was sick and tired of Tito, hence his decision to turn his back on his longtime team-mate. This would lead to Martel transforming into The Model and a lengthy rivalry against Santana that was never truly settled.
Piper’s Pit w/ Brother Love & Morton Downey Jr.
Before the next match, we had the official WWF return of Rowdy Roddy Piper, who had officially retired at WrestleMania III. Here, he was hosting his signature promo segment Piper’s Pit, though Brother Love initially tried to take over and delivered an impression of Piper, complete with a kilt. As expected, Piper got a huge reaction, and he quickly humbled Love by removing said kilt from his person. Then came his interaction with Morton, and this was … interesting. If Morton was playing the role of a disinterested and annoying antagonist, then he was fantastic, but I get the feeling he really was that way, which rubbed up Piper the wrong way. After repeatedly blowing cigar smoke into Hot Rod’s face, Downey paid the price when Piper sprayed him with a fire extinguisher. This had its moments, but it felt out of place during this era (some of the jokes clearly went over the kid’s heads), and it would be the last Piper’s Pit segment for over 14 years. Roddy would resume actual in-ring competition later in the year.
Big John Studd Is Special Guest Referee
Jake Roberts vs. Andre The Giant
This was the culmination of a lengthy storyline which was based on Andre, the seemingly untouchable monster, being afraid of snakes. Although the issue was clearly between Jake and Andre, somehow the WWF tied in a separate feud that he had going on with Studd, who was in the midst of a brief yet eventful comeback, having triumphed in the Royal Rumble two months earlier (imagine that nowadays if the Rumble match winner only got to be a special referee at WrestleMania). This was okay; Andre was starting to become more limited in what he could do, but he was still able at this point to have a respectable outing, especially against a master like Roberts. In the end, Ted DiBiase and Virgil tried to steal Jake’s reptile Damien though Roberts curtailed the attempt, thus setting up a feud that wouldn’t end until WrestleMania VI; meanwhile, Andre (having gotten fed up of Studd) ludicrously started choking the referee (I laughed out loud just writing that because it sums up how daft wrestling is when you really think about it; I mean, where else would a participant even consider choking an official?) and so Roberts, who had clearly now won via disqualification, threw the snake into the ring to chase Andre away. Shenanigans aplenty here.
The Hart Foundation vs. Rhythm & Blues
It’s strange to think that The Honky Tonk Man went from being the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all-time to being in a tag team within eight months. This bout was set up by Honky previously smashing his guitar over Bret Hart’s head, and so he and Jim Neidhart were searching for retribution (and I don’t mean the current Raw faction). They got it too, albeit via somewhat dubious means for a babyface tandem: while the referee was preoccupied with Greg Valentine, Bret clocked Honky with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone, allowing him to get the pinfall win.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LATEST EDITION? READ OUR WWE WRESTLEMANIA 36 REVIEW!
WWF Intercontinental Championship Match
The Ultimate Warrior (C) vs. Ravishing Rick Rude
Now we come to the second biggest match on the show, as The Ultimate Warrior defended his IC crown against Rick Rude, who had waylaid him during a Super Posedown at Royal Rumble. This was a really enjoyable clash, as Rude knew how to get the best out of Warrior, and though Ultimate is often criticised, he very rarely had a bad PPV match, especially during his prime, hence this being a strong outing. It’s also one which had a surprising outcome: Rude actually won the belt when Bobby Heenan tripped up Warrior as he was attempting a suplex, allowing The Ravishing One to get the pin and capture the title. It was a shock result given how invincible Warrior seemed at the time, though he would get some post-match revenge by press-slamming Heenan (Warrior carelessly dropped him, which understandably infuriated The Brain). Warrior would eventually regain the gold from Rude in a rematch at SummerSlam 1989.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Dino Bravo
At this stage, fans were starting to think ahead to the main event, meaning that matches like this were absolute filler. The fact that we didn’t get a proper ending here (instead there was a double disqualification as Dino Bravo brought in a steel chair and Duggan got his 2×4) makes this feel even more pointless. I’d have preferred Duggan simply walking out and waving Old Glory than to endure a totally unnecessary match like this one.
The Red Rooster vs. Bobby Heenan
At least this bout had a storyline (Heenan had fired Rooster and recruited The Brooklyn Brawler as one of his new Heenan Family members), even if it lasted mere seconds. Well, Bobby was a manager and not a wrestler, so of course this wouldn’t go long. Rooster beat Bobby in little more than 30 seconds, and he managed to fend off an attempted post-match attack by Brawler. The recaps are getting shorter at the same rate as the fan’s attention spans were in Trump Plaza, so let’s get to the main event at long last.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING PPV? READ OUR WWF SUMMERSLAM 1989 REVIEW!
WWF Championship Match
Macho Man Randy Savage (C) vs. Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage first formed the Mega-Powers in October 1987, and Savage became WWF Champion at WrestleMania IV thanks to some help from The Hulkster. Their bond seemed unbreakable, but then the cracks appeared. At SummerSlam and Survivor Series, Savage felt that Hogan was getting a little too close to his woman Miss Elizabeth, and by the time that Hogan inadvertently eliminated Savage from the Royal Rumble, it was clear that a major split was imminent. That came in spectacular fashion on The Main Event when Savage slapped Hogan and abandoned him during a tag team match, and then pummelled him backstage afterwards in a wild assault, turning heel in the process.
The stage was set for these two to clash, but Savage wanted to tell his side of the story. He made it clear by showing past footage that he not only believed Hogan was trying to steal Elizabeth away from him, but he was also eyeing up his WWF Championship. Hogan would defend himself by using similar footage which conclusively proved that he was not attempting to do any of those things, and instead Savage was paranoid. The lady in the middle of it all, Elizabeth, began to fear for what all of this was doing to The Macho Man, and so she stated that she would stand in a neutral corner for this match. It was an awesome storyline, partly because WWF fans had never been treated to something with such depth before.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING EDITION? READ OUR WWF WRESTLEMANIA VI REVIEW!
I always enjoyed the spectacle of this bout due to Savage winning the belt in the very same building a year prior; it felt like Mania IV was the beginning of the story, and this marked the climactic end. And this was a great battle between two of the all-time great WWF/WWE superstars, as Savage pushed Hulk to bring his A-game to this encounter, which may be Hogan’s best actual wrestling match ever. Savage was very cagey early on before gaining the upper hand. The two men traded the advantage as well as big moves (well, big moves by 1989 standards anyway), before Savage almost put Elizabeth in harm’s way, leading to her being sent backstage. Savage used the ringside chaos to really take charge and even busted Hulk open a tad, before drilling him with his patented Big Elbow (Savage had suffered a serious elbow injury going into this, so his arm was all bandaged up for this manoeuvre in particular). Hogan wouldn’t stay down, though, and he Hulked Up, leading to the three big punches (I love the way that The Macho Man spun into the first strike), the big boot and the Legdrop. Three seconds later, and Hogan was your new and two-time WWF Champion.
It could be argued that this was Hogan’s greatest result. Sure, he became immortal when he slammed Andre two years earlier, but he was already the WWF Champion there, and the match itself wasn’t up to much. Here, he had an excellent match to culminate a superb storyline, and he won the top title in the process. Afterwards, Jesse Ventura suggested that he might have to come out of retirement to sort out Hulk, a line he had used at the end of the previous two Manias. The feud between Hogan and Savage wasn’t quite over yet, incidentally: though the major aspect of their rivalry had been settled, they would continue battling for the rest of 1989 in various forms and even into 1990, when Hogan beat Savage on Saturday Night’s Main Event to finally draw a line under their conflict. From start to finish, the two men were regularly linked on-screen for almost 2 ½ years. That is simply amazing.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING TV SHOWS? READ OUR POST-PPV REVIEWS OF SUPERSTARS & WRESTLING CHALLENGE!
WWF WrestleMania V is the best Mania from the early years. WM III is more famous, and it did have a match that was superior to anything here (Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat), but as an overall show, this is way better. There’s a fair few enjoyable matches, as well as returns for Piper and Snuka, a heel turn for Martel, the settling of some feuds and the initiation of others and two major title changes, one of which capped off an all-time great storyline. Given that the card also achieved a major PPV buy rate despite NWA/WCW Clash Of The Champions VI trying to take away some of the audience, it’s safe to say that WWF WrestleMania V was a complete success.
WANT TO RELIVE WWF WRESTLEMANIA V? WATCH IT RIGHT NOW ON WWE NETWORK!
