Their byes distorted the brackets and forced double DQ's etc to make it work. a 14 man tourney makes no sense... it has to be 4-8-16 for it to work.
That is what dragged the show down for me - they had some exciting new talent to showcase, but it still came down to Hogan and Andre...
It's hard to fault Savage and DiBiase who did their best with it (even though the wrong guy won) but at the end of the day it made very little sense how it all worked out and the whole scenario was based on politicking, be it Hogan making sure he was in the tourney and involved in the win for Savage or Honky refusing to drop the IC belt... Surely they could have stripped him or had Andre or Dynamite "talk to him" about it?
What would I change... the whole damn card!!! - Strap yourselves in you're about to get my Mania 4 with both barrels!
First off I make a fundamental shift to 16 competitors... While I disliked them being in the tourney, for reasons I will explain I am keeping them in. The show begins with the Battle Royal as originally done but with a place in the tournament up for grabs which is won by Bret Hart last eliminating Bad News... News is furious and Bret jubliant....
Round 1
Andre The Giant vs "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan - Andre wins by DQ when Duggan is caught with the 2 by 4 that Heenan throws in the ring and Andre feigns being hit with it. Duggan chases Heenan with the 2 by 4 after the match.
Hulk Hogan vs Harley Race - Strong match and Hogan bests the aging Race.
Bret Hart vs Jake Roberts - Jake never makes it to the ring as Bad News Brown simply knocks him out and takes his place... We see a version of their classic match from Stampede with Bret stealing the win with a roll up after the match Jake attacks Bad News and chases him from the arena with Damien.
Ted DiBiase v "Mystery Opponent" - DiBiase manipulates this so that Virgil is is opponent who simply stands outside the ring allowing the countout win for DiBiase, in effect a bye.
Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat - Rude wins this if it was real as Steamboat was being punished for his "paternity leave and on the outs". I'm going to go with the latter winning for reasons I'll explain later... It's a great match however when Steamboat wins he and Heenan work over Steamboat enough so he is carrying a "back injury" going forward into the tourney.
Randy Savage v Butch Reed - A solid opener with Savage picking up the win but Reed looking dangerous.
Honky Tonk Man vs Brutus Beefcake - Honky tries to use his IC champions #1 contender privilage to get into the tournament. Jack Tunney allows it but tells him that his IC title is on the line until the final. If he loses a match before then he loses his title. Honky manages to best Beefcake by interference from Jimmy Hart and the megaphone.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs One Man Gang - Bam Bam emerges the winner when Slick's interference backfires.
Round 2
Hogan vs Andre - This is the "rubber match" and the announcers tout it as such... it is a titanic effort on both men's part and as good as their prior encounters. The finish comes when Hacksaw blasts Andre with the 2 by 4 in full view of the ref causing the disqualification. Duggan is shocked and Hogan pleads with the ref to reverse the decision as Andre laughs... Duggan shocks the world by blasting Hogan from behind with the "rigged" 2 by 4, breaking it as he does so and knocking Hogan cold. Ted DiBiase laughs at the top of the ramp as Heenan, Andre and Duggan all walk back. DiBiase hands Duggan a briefcase as Hogan is stretchered from the ring... As DiBiase makes his way to the ring for his match, he is seen telling Hogan "Everybody Has A Price" and laughing.
Bret Hart vs Ted DiBiase - This is a classic near fall filled match of the type the two later had at Survivor Series 90. DiBiase wins of course but the story is it is Bret's 3rd match of the evening while DiBiase is fresh having that "win" over Virgil... Bret is defeated by the old 3 arm drop to the Million Dollar Dream, he never submits as such much as Austin didn't at WM13... his push as a singles competitor has begun while DiBiase advances to face Andre as part of his masterplan.
Steamboat vs Savage - the rematch from the prior year - a different match as Steamboat is selling the beating Rude gave him earlier in the night. After a valiant effort, Savage wins with the elbow drop. The two men shake hands and finally bury their differences after the bell.
Honky Tonk Man vs Bam Bam Bigelow - Honky is very afraid of Bam Bam and attempts to leave, only for Brutus to return and prevent the countout. Bam Bam pins Honky with the first ever moonsault in the WWF to win the IC title and advance in the tournament.
Round 3
Andre The Giant vs Ted DiBiase - Before the match begins as both competitors are in the ring, Jack Tunney makes his way to the ringside area and decrees that both men will wrestle this match cleanly or be eliminated from the tournament. This ruins the plan that Andre was, as Virgil did to just "step aside" in favour of DiBiase. DiBiase is able to beat Andre when he uses his own momentum against him into an exposed buckle and places Andre into a floor based Million Dollar Dream. As DiBiase celebrates he attempts to stuff notes into Andre's mouth - this raises the ire of the Giant whose throat instantly wraps around DiBiase's throat... Andre gets to his feet and threatens his DiBiase as Heenan tries to get in between them (this is basically their split of 2 years later, same thing "I'm the f***ing boss and the slap) Andre attacks Heenan as DiBiase and Virgil scamper away to the final.
Randy Savage vs Bam Bam Bigelow - A great semi final between the new IC champion and the man who lost that title a year before. The match ends in a countout when Honky Tonk returns and nails Bigelow with his guitar... Savage nobly tries to help Bigelow back into the ring but has to roll back in and take the win. This establishes Savage as a noble face against DiBiase's nasty character and sets up the feud with Honky and Bigelow to go on further.
The Final
Savage v DiBiase - After a night filled with controversy, Jack Tunney bars everyone from ringside on pain of a $100,000 fine and indefinite suspension and guarantees a clean win. The match must end in pinfall or submission. Virgil is furious while Savage is not happy to let Elizabeth leave... eventually security escort her from the ringside area.
The match is see saw and much as the original a great showing for both men... The finish occurs when Savage misses the big elbow and DiBiase uses the ropes for a leverage pin. Eizabeth races to the ring to plead the case that DiBiase's feet were on the ropes but the referee refuses to listen and Ted DiBiase is crowned the World Champion joined by Jim Duggan, Rick Rude, Virgil and Heenan. After DiBiase has the title and is about to stuff the notes in Savage's mouth... Hulk Hogan's music hits and he and Andre come to the ring forcing the heels to flee... However the final image is Ted DiBiase laughing with the title around his waist...
So - I have DiBiase winning sure, I have a lot of controversy and the makings of a WWF style "Rat Pack" with Duggan, DiBiase and Rude... this stable would replace the Heenan family in effect. 2 new stars are created in Bam Bam and Bret Hart and a summer of new feuds are created culminating in Summerslam's main event - Hogan, Andre and Savage vs DiBiase, Duggan and Rick Rude.
