PPV REVIEW: WWF Wrestlemania 7

March 24th, 1991
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California

Wrestlemania 7 found the World Wrestling Federation in full-blown patriotic mode. With the Gulf War in full effect and American turncoat/Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter riding high as the WWF Champion, it was up to The Immortal Hulk Hogan to wage war on behalf of the United States and bring the title home.

Luckily, he had the full power of the red, white, and blue on his side. The whole of the LA Sports Arena was adorned in the Stars and Stripes, and the crowd was ready for what would turn out to be one of the better Wrestlemania shows in recent years.

Here's what went down.

Welcome to Wrestlemania!

As per the Wrestlemania tradition, Wrestlemania 7 began with Vince McMahon growling his head off over a series of graphics, this year's depicting both WWF Champion Sgt. Slaughter and challenger Hulk Hogan snarling at each other against a Star-spangled backdrop.

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We then went quickly to Willie Nelson for a rendition of America The Beautiful, which at least trumped Rockin' Robin's effort of a few years prior. 

Wilson, decked out in an array of WWF Merchandise, then left the ring as our host for the evening, Gorilla Monsoon, picked things up.

Monsoon was joined for the opening contest by Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Adorned in complete Uncle Sam garb, Hacksaw Jim Duggan was visibly pumped up for 'the big one.'

An interview with The Rockers

Before their opening match against Haku & Barbarian, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty gave an interview to Sean Mooney.

If you'd heard one Rockers PPV promo, you'd essentially heard them all, and this was no exception. The Rockers reminded everybody that they were 'tag team specialists' and that they were ready for their opponents.

Haku & Barbarian (w/ Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan) vs. The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)

And so the seventh annual Wrestlemania show got underway with Bobby Heenan's makeshift team tearing up the ring with perennial crowd-pleasers, The Rockers.

I've said before that I'm yet to see a bad Pay Per View match featuring Michaels and Jannetty,  and this opening contest certainly keeps up that tradition.

This was a thrilling opening match in which Heenan's family members pitted their size and strength against the speed and agility of The Rockers to create an exciting, exhilarating bout that got the crowds pumped up and ready for more.

After 10 minutes of solid back-and-forth action, The Rockers went over for the win.
Your winners: The Rockers

Backstage, Mean Gene Okerlund interviewed our three celebrity guests for the show; Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek, and Marla Maples.

Philbin claimed to be scared of Earthquake after he saw him, and I quote 'tip over a pizza hut delivery truck and eat everything inside', Marla Maples tried to keep her massive jaw from touching the floor, and Trebek stumped Okerlund with a Jeopardy-themed question.

It was neither good nor particularly bad, just one of the things that McMahon liked (and still) likes to use to kill up time on his pro wrestling shows.

Dino Bravo (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. The Texas Tornado

If things had turned out very differently, Kerry Von Erich could (and probably should) have been a huge star on a par with Hogan or Ultimate Warrior, if not at this stage of his career, then certainly within a year or two.

Instead, he was trapped in a slow, sluggish, though thankfully short encounter with a Dino Bravo who had long since stopped doing anything useful in the WWF.

Several minutes from the opening bell, the Tornado put away his opponent with the Spinning Tornado Punch, and that was all she wrote.
Your winner: The Texas Tornado

Backstage, Sean Mooney spoke to The Warlord and his manager, Slick. Both men claimed that The British Bulldog would fall victim to Warlord's impressive Full Nelson finisher when they met in the next matchup.

Offering a retort, Davey Boy Smith, accompanied by his pet bulldog Winston, promised that not only would he break out of the Full-Nelson, but he would powerslam his rival into oblivion. 

He then conferred with Winston and came out with the line 'There's no bull...in this bulldog' before grinning from ear-to-ear as though that were the smartest thing he'd ever said in his life. 

The Warlord (w/ Slick) vs. The British Bulldog

I seem to remember that Davey Boy Smith spent most of 1991 battling The Warlord. They would certainly meet again at This Tuesday in Texas, and I'm almost certain that, in the course of writing these pro wrestling reviews, I'll review at least one more Bulldog/Warlord clash before all is said and done.

In a nutshell, this was every Bulldog/Warlord match they ever had; better than you'd expect until Warlord slapped on his Full Nelson and Davey Boy predictably broke it off after both men stood there, selling the hold for a thousand years.

Don't let that put you off though, this was an entertaining contest which showed the Bulldog to be a fine pro wrestler with a talent to be envied by his less skilled contemporaries.

Much like he often would, the Bulldog scored the win with the Powerslam following eight minutes of solid action.
Your winner: The British Bulldog

Backstage, The Nasty Boys told Gene Okerlund that they were going to 'rock the foundation' when they met The Hart Foundation for the WWF Tag Team Titles. 

They also said the word nasty  n aful lot and blew their nose on Okerlund's hankerchief.

This was your typical Nasty Boys promo, complete with lots of shouting and little sense.

Offering a retort, WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart warned Brian Knobs and Jerry Sags that they didn't have what it took to dethrone them.

World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championship match
WWF Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation (Bret 'The Hitman' Hart & Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart) vs. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs & Jerry Sags w/ Jimmy Hart)

The crowd (including then very-young Home Alone star, Macaulay Culkin) were on fire for this fast-paced, hard-hitting battle bettween two of the WWF's most popular tag teams.

Though you'd imagine most of the credit for this high-octane bout going to future superstar The Hitman, it has to be said that all four men worked hard to deliver a highly entertaining, completely engrossing battle which came to an end with a loss for The Hart Foundation.

After the champions struck Knobs with The Hart Attack, the referee, Sags came in with Jimmy Hart's helmet, struck The Anvil and stole the tag team titles from the Hart Foundation in what would be their final pay per outing.

After Wrestlemania, the Harts would go their separate ways. The Anvil would eventually form The New Foundation with Owen Hart and as for The Hitman..well, let's just say he didn't do too badly.
Your Winners and NEW WWF Tag Team Champions: The Nasty Boys

Before our next contest, we were treated to a recap of the feud between Jake 'The Snake' Roberts and Rick 'The Model' Martel, all of which revolved around Martel spraying a little bit of perfume in Roberts' eyes and Roberts subsequently being blind for the next several months.

All of this, of course, led to one of the more infamous matches in Wrestlemania history.

Blindfold match:
Rick 'The Model' Martel vs. Jake 'The Snake' Roberts

Chances are, you've heard more bad things about this match than you've heard good. You've probably been told how awful it was, how little action there was, or what a complete waste of time this whole debacle really was.

In all honesty, it's really not that bad.

OK, so it is. As a television viewer, there's only so much fun you can have watching Jake Roberts walk around the ring with a bag on his head, occasionally pointing around the ring and getting the crowd to help him find Martel.

As a live spectacle though, you have to imagine that those in attendance at Wrestlemania VII had a blast as they played a pivitol role in helping Roberts, the hero, finally defeat the dastardly Rick Martel.

And defeat him he did, using his patented DDT after eight minutes of walking around the ring and pointing.
Your winner: Jake 'The Snake' Roberts

Afterwards, Roberts 'put his snake on' Martel and frightened The Model away.

Backstage, Marla Maple's jaw attempted to interview new tag team champions The Nasty Boys. Instead, the new champs yelled and screamed and poured champagne everywhere along with the rest of Jimmy Hart's clan (namely The Mountie, Earthquake and Dino Bravo). Maple and her epic chin got not a word in.

Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka vs. The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer)

And so it begins...

There was nothing much to see here. Undertaker annihilated Jimmy Snuka in a short, decent-for-what-it-was squash match which would be entirely forgetabble where it not for historical significance.

After four-plus minutes, Superfly ate a Tombstone Piledriver and The Undertaker was 1-0 at Wrestlemania.
Your winner: The Undertaker

Up next, we got a look back at the rivallry between The Ultimate Warrior and Macho King Randy Savage, a rivallry which began on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Eventi bac in November 1990, carried on through the 1991 Royal Rumble when Savage cost Warrior his WWF title, and led us to tonight, in an unforgettable Retirement Match.

Retirement Match
Macho King Randy Savage (w/ Sensational Queen Sherri) vs. The Ultimate Warrior

Right from the very outset, every single detail of this match told you it was important, beyond important, epic on a grandscale and possibly the most important thing to ever happen in a pro wrestling ring.

As we were preparing the arrival of the combatants, Bobby Heenan pointed out Miss. Elizabeth, no seen since Wrestlemania VI, sitting in the crowd.

Then came Savage and Sensational Queen Sherri, sitting on two thrones on a platform and carried to the ring by a group of jobbers.

Ultimate Warrior's music struck and, rather than bombing his way to ringside at the speed of lightning, he walked, slowly and deliberately to the ring, selling the importance of what was billed as a career-ending match for one of the two combatants.

With the excitement, the tension and the electricity all threatening to spill over, out of the ring, out of the arena and onto the streets of LA, the bell rang, and one of the greatest Wrestlemania matches of all time was officially underway.

Though it would be tempting to place all of the credit squarely on the shoulders of the always-flawless Macho King, that just wasn't the case in this thrilling, dramatic affair.

All three stars, Savage, Warrior and Sherri worked tirelessly to create an engrossing, completely captivating match which could have easily taken the place of Hogan/Slaughter in the main event.

Having been battered and beaten by Savage, and struck with not one, not two, but five of the Macho King's patented top-rope elbow drops, Warrior still kicked out, mounted a comeback and hit his rival with his gorilla press slam/big splash combo.

To the shock and awe of the LA faithful, Savage kicked out.

Questioning the Gods above, convinced that there was not hing more he could possibly do to win the match, Warrior contemplated leaving, only to be attacked by Savage and brought back into the match.

It was the beginning of the end.

Savage battered Warrior, Warrior battled back, regained control, drilled Savage with three devastating shoulder tackles, and pinned him for the three count.
Your winner: The Ultimate Warrior 

Yet the drama wasn't over yet. Sherri made her way into the ring and began kicking the hell out of Savage, distraught at having lost her meal ticket in the World Wrestling Federation.

Having seen enough, Miss Elizabeth raced from the crowd to the ring, tossed Sherri out, and had an emotional reunion with the Macho Man which left not a dry eye in the house.

Cut to camera shots of people crying in the crowd, hugs between Savage and Liz, and you had the very definition of a Wrestlemania moment.

Even your usually hard-hearted writer will admit to getting choked up by the ending of this one. It was perfect.

Intermission

Heading to the back, Regis Philbin attempted to interview The Undertaker and Paul Bearer. Neither man said anything, instead they took their interviews measurements, presumably for a coffin.

Cutting to Alex Trebeck and  Demolition V2.0 (with Crush in place of Ax), the tag team spent most of their interview putting over Mr. Fuji

Philbin then attempted to interview Genichiro Tenryu and Kōji Kitao, again, silence.

Back to Trebeck and interview with Jake Roberts. The man with the microphone was scared of Roberts' pet snake, Damien.

The words horrible comedy spring directly to mind.

Demoltion (Smash and Crush w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. Genichiro Tenryu and Kōji Kitao

There are few people who could have entered the ring following that epic Savage/Warrior clash and completed in an enjoyable match.

Sadly, Smash, Crush, Tenryu nor Kitao were such people.

What we got here was a short, forgetabble nothing match with a win for the imports from the shortlived Super World of Sports promotion.
Your Winners: Tenryu and Kitao

Backstage, a svelte-looking Big Boss Man said that Mr. Perfect had hurt his momma's feelings by insulting him (aww) and that he was going to get revenge by taking Perfect's Intercontinental Championship.

Offering a retort, Perfect and manager Bobby Heenan scoffed at Bossman's threats with Perfect listing the things that made him the perfect champion. This was an awesome promo from the two.

World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Championship match
WWF Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect (w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. Big Boss Man

With Heenan at ringside managing the champion, Gorilla Monsoon was joined at the commentary booth by Lord Alfred Hayes for this match. Thankfully, Hayes was much more animated here than he was at Wrestlemania 1.

As for the match itself, what we got here was another forgettable contest in which both champ and challenger fought tooth and nail over the WWF's secondary title.

Towards the finish, Andre the Giant, still at odds with Heenan and his family, waddled to ringside and too hold of the Intercontinental belt, walking around ringside with it as he stalked 'The Brain.'

 The finish came when Haku and Barbarian ran in and attacked Bossman, giving the win to the challenger via DQ.
Your winner via disqualification: Big Boss Man (Mr. Perfect retains the title)

In the post-match shenanigans, Mr. Perfect fell over and Big Boss Man celebrated with Andre.

Celeb time

Question: What do Donald Trump, Chuck Norris, The Fonz and The Incredible Hulk all have in common?

Answer: They were all sitting together at Wrestlemania Seven and were interviewed by Mean Gene as Earthquake made his way to the ring for the next match.

Earthquake (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine

Having broken away from Rhythm & Blues, Greg Valentine was working as a babyface during a period of career that nobody remembers.

They probably don't remember it for good reason, for it was during this period that Valentine had atrocious matches like this short, sloppy squash match against the Big Earthquake.

Quake won in less than four minutes by sitting on his adversary.
Your winner: Earthquake

Out in the back, Sean Mooney spoke to The Legion of Doom. 

Both Hawk and Animal were cross the Power & Glory had cost them a shot against the Hart Foundation for the tag titles, and were out for revenge.

Power & Glory (Hercules & Paul Roma w/ Slick) vs. The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal)
And revenge they got, in a short and sweet squash match lasting less than one minute.

50+ seconds into proceedings, Hawk and Animal struck a Doomsday Device on Paul Roma, and this one was all over.
Your Winners: The Legion of Doom

Up next, we got a look back at the break up of The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase and his bodyguard Virgil, and how Rowdy Roddy Piper somehow managed to get himself involved.

The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase vs. Virgil (w/ Rowdy Roddy Piper)

Piper, on crutches following a motorcycle accident, came out before Virgil, then introduced his man to the LA crowd. Needless to say, Piper was infinitly more over than the man he was tasked as seconding, and would remain so throughout the encounter.

That's not to say that Virgil didn't get any love from the Los Angeles crowd.

In the opening moments, as he rattled Dibiase around the ring with rights and lefts, the crowds were firmly behind him.

Dibiase, for his part, did a wonderful job of selling for his former bodyguard, helping to create an entertaining, if hardly spectacular bout.

Towards the finish, Piper once again rose to his feet to steal the spotlight, and was responsible for The Million Dollar Man being counted out.
Your winner via count out: Virgil

In the post-match, Dibiase attacked Virgil. Piper came to the rescue, only for Sensational Sherri to head to the ring, attack Piper and join forces with the Million Dollar Man.

Virgil then came to the rescue, and Piper slowly crawled to his feet to the delight of the audience, stealing the thunder from both Virgil and Dibiase, and giving the crowds their first real reason to go nuts since Savage/Warrior.

Before we got back to the ring, we got some final pre-match words from Sgt. Slaughter and his rambling mad man of a manager, General Adnan.

Slaughter claimed that he was playing by his own rules, and even threatened to get himself counted out in order to retain his championship belt.

The Mountie (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Tito Santana

This lasted less than 90 seconds and was entirely pointless. The Mountie won.
Your winner: The Mountie

Offering a response to the champion, number one contender Hulk Hogan, complete with Stars and Stripes bandana, cut a scathing promo in which he promised to defeat Slaughter and reclaim the title.

World Wrestling Federation Championship Match

WWF Champion Sgt. Slaughter (w/ General Adnan) vs. Hulk Hogan

Though Hogan had fought in better Wrestlemania main events, this was none the less a solid, well-paced match that delivered that all-important big match feel.

Following a long, hard-fought slog which saw Hogan get busted open and don the proverbial crimson mask, slaughter's rain as WWF Champion came to an end at the hands of the Immortal One.

A good, entertaining brawl which capped off one of the better Wrestlemania shows in the first ten years of its existence with Hogan's hand once again raised.
Your Winner and NEW WWF Champion: Hulk Hogan

Afterwards, Hogan celebrated with his new title to send the crowds home happy.

Wrestlemania VII was arguably a show of two halves. Everything up to the conclusion of Savage/Warrior was strong, enjoyable and exactly what a big-time pay per view should be. In fact, if the seventh annual Showcase of the Immortals ended with Savage and Miss. Elizabeth walking off into the sunset, you could say this was the perfect show.

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Instead, we then got a second half, a half full of squash matches, dud matches and other filler that nobody cared about and even less remember, all of which killing time until Hogan and Slaughter met in a bloody, hard-hitting brawl.
The crap in the second half spoiled things a little, but this is still a good pay per view worth watching for Savage/Warrior, the tag team title match and the Rockers' opening match if nothing else.

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Other 1991 pro wrestling reviews: 

• WWF Royal Rumble 1991
• WCW Clash of the Champions XIV: Dixie Dynamite
• WCW WrestleWar 1991
• WCW/NJPW Supershow 1
• WCW Superbrawl I
• WCW Clash of the Champions XV - Knocksville, USA!
• WCW Great American Bash 1991
• WWF Summerslam 1991
• WCW Clash of the Champions XVI - Fall Brawl '91
  
• WCW Halloween Havoc 1991
• WWF Battle Royal at the Royal Albert Hall
• WWF Survivor Series 1991
• WCW Clash of the Champions XVII
• WWF This Tuesday in Texas
• SWS/WWF SuperWrestle '91
• WCW Starrcade 1991

More WWF/WWE Wrestlemania Reviews

1. Wrestlemania I
2. Wrestlemania II
3. Wrestlemania III
4. Wrestlemania IV
5. Wrestlemania V
6. Wrestlemania VI
7. Wrestlemania VIII
8. Wrestlemania IX
9. Wrestlemania X
10. Wrestlemania XI
11. Wrestlemania XII
12. Wrestlemania XIII
13. Wrestlemania XIV
14. Wrestlemania XV
15. Wrestlemania XVI
16. Wrestlemania XVII
17. Wrestlemania X8
18. Wrestlemania XIX

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PPV REVIEW: WWF - Wrestlemania 6

April 1st, 1990
Toronto Skydome, Toronto, Canada

In 2013, we are all used to the WWE's Wrestlemania event being spectacular beyond compare. Yet, looking back over the first several years of its existence, it hardly seemed like the company's flagship show was anything more than your slightly more important-than-average WWF houseshow.

In this writer's mind, all that began to change with Wrestlemania VI. 

The first WWF Wrestlemania to be held outside the United States of America, the sixth installment of the Pay Per View came across as something really larger-than-life, a true spectacle if ever there was one.

Maybe it was the arena (Toronto's Skydome seemed enormous), maybe it was the return of the motorized wrestling rings driving the combatants to the ring, or maybe it was the idea that this show was headlined by the two biggest stars of the time.

Whatever it was, Wrestlemania 6 came across as a bonafide BIG DEAL.

Here's what went down.

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Hogan and Warrior are STARS

The first thing anybody watching Wrestlemania 6 saw was a graphic of the constellations in the night sky, with Vince McMahon growling about how those stars might have been big, but they were nothing compared to Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. 

After this, our commentators for the evening, Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, welcomed us to the show and to Robert Goulet singing Oh, Canada.

Koko B. Ware vs. Rick 'The Model' Martel

Our opening contest saw two perennial mid-carders going at it in an enjoyable if instantly forgettable battle. 

Both men traded the advantage several times before Rick Martel hooked in his Boston Crab for the win.

Your winner: Rick Martel

Backstage, Mean Gene Okerlund spoke to The Colossal Connection and Bobby Heenan.  Poking fun at the heels, Okerlund introduced his guests as The Colostomy Connection, much to the chagrin of Heenan and his men. 

Still, the tag team champions brushed off Okerlund's childish antics and vowed to destroy their upcoming challengers, Demolition.

Offering a retort, Ax and Smash told Sean Mooney exactly what they would do to Haku and Andre The Giant, mainly beating them up a whole bunch and taking their titles back.

World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championship Match
WWF Tag Team Champions The Colossal Connection (Andre The Giant & Haku w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. Demolition (Ax and Smash)

For the second Wrestlemania in a row, the WWE overdubbers have attacked the footage, and, in this video, Demolition head to ringside without the classic Rick Derringer theme. 

When they arrived, they were thrown right into what was effectively a two-versus-one handicap match pitting Demolition against Haku.

Indeed, you only need to know a little bit about wrestling history to know that, by the end of his WWF run, Andre The Giant's in-ring mobility was quickly and quietly slipping away.

With that in mind, Andre spent the majority of this fairly decent match stood on the apron, chipping in with dodgy heel shots whenever possible, but basically leaving Haku to pick up the slack until late on in the match, when he stepped into the ring and straight into the oh no, Andre's tied up in the ropes spot that the big man did in every single WWF match he was ever involved in. 

With Andre tied up, Ax and Smash were able to 'decapitate' Haku and pick up their third WWF Tag Team Championship.

Your Winners and NEW World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions: Demolition

Afterward, an irate Bobby Heenan berated Andre and even dared to slap his long-time charge. Standing for none of it, Giant struck back, then turned his attention to beating up his now-former partner, Haku.

With the crowds roaring their approval, a babyface, Andre The Giant rode out of the ring alone, ready to wind down his in-ring career completely.

A word with Earthquake

Backstage, Mean Gene spoke to Earthquake and Jimmy Hart about the former's upcoming battle with Hercules. 

A fat, hairy, and seemingly very sweaty Earthquake bounced up and down as Jimmy Hart promised big Herc' that he would fall victim to the mighty Earthquake.

Hercules vs. Earthquake (w/ Jimmy Hart)

Ah, the athleticism on display in the late 80s/early 90s WWF. That said, Hercules normally came up with the goods on Pay Per View, and Wrestlemania VI was no exception. 

As it was, this was a good, entertaining four-minute match that saw Hercules succumb to Earthquake, though not before busting 'Quake's nose.

Your winner: Earthquake

Cutting to a pre-recorded segment, some woman called Rona Barrett conducted an appallingly awkward interview with Miss Elizabeth. 

Liz claimed that she had been working for the WWF in an advisory role since we last saw her but that she would be returning to ringside before we knew it.

Barrett ended the interview by saying, 'Back to you, Sean.'

Sean Mooney then completely ignored her,  and instead went straight into his backstage interview with Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake, who promised to end Mr. Perfect's 'perfect record.'

Mr. Perfect (w/ The Genius) vs. Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake

We rejoined the action in the arena as The Genius was finishing up with an ode to Mr. Perfect (at least, I assume that's what his poem was about) before Perfect himself made his way to the ring to face Beefcake.

Following the trend of this particular show, Perfect and Beefcake engaged in a short, enjoyable battle which was fun to watch without being actually blowing you away. 

After taking a battering from Perfect for the bulk of the match, Beefcake eventually struck Perfect with an incredibly clumsy catapult into the corner. 

Perfect hit the post with his chest, then got his leg tangled in the ropes as he fell to the mat, yet somehow this was enough to knock him out, and Brutus Beefcake handed Mr. Perfect his first loss.

Your winner: Brutus Beefcake

In the post-match shenanigans, Beefcake had planned on giving Perfect a haircut yet, being the sneaky, devious little heel that he was, The Genius attempted to steal Beefcake's hedge clippers, only to receive his comeuppance and be the one to get a haircut courtesy of The Barber.

Sadly that would be the Barber's last Pay Per View match for a long while. 

After suffering an injury, he was out of action for a long time, and wouldn't return to WWF PPV until Wrestlemania 9.

Roddy Piper 'blacks up' 

Yup. First, we were shown clips of how Rowdy Roddy Piper and Bad News Brown first took a disliking to one another at the 1990 Royal Rumble, after which Bad News Brown told Piper to shave his legs on an episode of WWF Superstars (or Wrestling Challenge, I forget which).

We were then taken to a backstage promo in which Piper revealed that he had painted one entire side of his body black in order to mock his upcoming opponent, Bad News Brown. This was an unfortunate moment in Hot Rod's career, and I'm sure you don't need me to tell you why.

Bad News Brown vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper

Piper began the match by stripping out of his kilt and t-shirt and dancing like he was in Saturday Night Fever.

Honestly, only in a pro wrestling review (or possibly porn) would you ever read something so random and ridiculous.

As for the match itself, it was less a match and more an out-and-out brawl. 

Both men threw caution to the wind as they traded lefts and rights, battering one another inside the ring and out until referee Danny Davis (remember when he wrestled?) counted them both out.

Double count-out

Undeterred, Brown and Piper both brawled their way backstage.

Whatever the point in all that was, it was certainly lost on this fan.

Sing-a-long with The Bolsheviks

In another pre-taped segment, some doofus called Steve Allen messed with The Bolsheviks, promising to play the Russian national anthem, then playing something else instead. It was dull.

The Hart Foundation (Bret 'The Hitman' Hart vs. The Bolshevieks (Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov)

Carrying on the tradition of Wrestlemania matches which were over before they really began (the one that started with King Kong Bundy vs. Special Delivery Jones at the first Wrestlemania), this one was over in less than 20 seconds.

The Russians began to sing their national anthem, only to be attacked from behind by the Canadians. Zhukov, still in his ring jacket, then fell to the Hart Attack, and was put away by The Hitman.

Your Winners: The Hart Foundation

Afterwards, they announced that Wrestlemania VII would take place the following year at the Los Angeles Memorial Colliseum. Jesse Ventura was very excited about this, especially as all his Hollywood friends would be in attendance.

Tito will SURVIVE!

After his opponent, The Barbarian had already made his way to the ring, Tito Santana gave a backstage interview to Mean Gene Okerlund. 

As enthusiastic as ever despite his epic Wrestlemania losing streak, Tito promised that he would survive against The Barbarian. 

He didn't say he would win. He didn't say that he would kick some ass or beat up The Barbarian or anything like that. He simply vowed to survive. Hardly the most confident pre-match promise in the world, is it?

Tito Santana vs. The Barbarian

Having broken away from former Powers of Pain partner, The Warlord, the big Barbarian went at it with Chico in a fairly forgettable contest that could have been so much better.

After all, Tito was a solid performer, and the Powers of Pain were a decent team capable of having good matches. Yet for some reason, this didn't seem all that fun, and though not necessarily bad, it was by far the most boring match on the card so far.

The Barbarian won when he took Chico's head off with a top-rope flying clothesline.
Your winner: The Barbarian

Prior to our next contest, we got a recap of the feud between Dusty Rhodes & Saphire and Randy Savage & Sensational Sherri. It started when the two tussled at the 1990 Royal Rumble, continued on an episode of Wrestling Challenge, and would culminate in the upcoming mixed tag team contest.

Before any actual wrestling took place, however, we got a barely comprehensible promo from Rhodes and Saphire in which Rhodes promised that they would deliver 'the crown jewel', a fairly obvious hint at what was to come.

Mixed Tag Team match:
Randy 'Macho King' Savage and Sensational Queen Sherri vs. Dusty Rhodes and Saphire (w/ Miss. Elizabeth)

For whatever reason, Rhodes' Common Man theme had been overdubbed here much like Demolition's theme earlier in the show. Unlike Demolition however, Rhodes' theme had been replaced with, I kid you not, the theme from the UK version of Wheel of Fortune.

I'm not making that up.

Anyway, after getting their funk on to the Wheel of Fortune theme, Rhodes and his partner then revealed their crown jewel to be none other than Miss Elizabeth, who rode to the ring to back them up in this weird mixed tag team match.

It was weird because whenever Rhodes was in the ring, either against Savage or Sherri, things were actually entertaining. Not good in a technical, five-star classic kind of way, but entertaining, in a 'this is putting a smile on my face' kind of way.

Add Saphire into the mix, watch her do nothing more than smash her big butt into Sensational Sherri, and the results were pretty terrible.

Speaking of results, the end came when Sherri reached through the ropes to attach Elizabeth, only for Liz to push Sherri backward into a Saphire-sized roll-up, giving the win to the good guys.
Your winners: Dusty Rhodes and Saphire

As if watching Rhodes and Saphire dancing to the Wheel of Fortune theme wasn't weird enough, watching Miss. Elizabeth join in during the post-match celebrations was even weirder. 

Still, that happened too.

Intermission

Taking things into intermission, we first had Bobby Heenan losing his mind over the fact that Andre the Giant had cost The Colossal Connection the tag team titles, Ronda Barrett claiming to have x-rated footage of Jesse Ventura and an irate King and Queen of the WWF venting their frustrations to Sean Mooney.

Demolition then gave a post-match interview with Gene Okerlund, talking about how good it felt to win their third tag team championship, then the show went back to Monsoon and Ventura. 

Monsoon told us the show was going 'back to ringside,' by which he meant a backstage promo from Hulk Hogan, who promised to destroy The Ultimate Warrior.

Offering a retort, Warrior sent Sean Mooney packing before cutting a promo on 'Hoke Hogan.'

The IC champion promised that his Warriors and Hoke Hogan's Hokamaniacs could come 'together as one.'  and insisted they would feel the strength of 'The Wari-ass and the Hokamaniacs' combined.

The Orient Express (Sato and Pat Tanaka w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. The Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels)

If there was ever a trully bad Rockers match, this writer has never seen it. Though they would certainly have better matches, this textbook tag bout against Fuji's men that was just great to watch.

With a masked Paul Diamond in the place of Sato, The Rockers and The Orient Express would have an even better match at the 1991 Royal Rumble show, but still, this was a good midcard bout indeed.
Your winners via countout: The Orient Express

Wasting no time in getting right back to the action, we were next presented with one of Wrestlemania's more awkward moments.

Dino Bravo (w/ Jimmy Hart and Earthquake) vs. 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan

Heading into the Skydome in Toronto, Canada, Jim Duggan waved the flag of the United States of America and chanted 'USA! USA! USA!'

90% of the crowd stared back at him in dead silence. The other 10% roundly booed him. 'Listen to this ovation for Hacksaw Jim Duggan' swooned Gorilla Monsoon, clearly listening to a different crowd altogether.

At least the crowd (who, to be fair, were hot all night) eventually cheered up when the action got underway, even if that action was nothing to write home about.

This pretty sloppy brawl ended with a 2x4-assisted win for Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
Your winner: Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Afterward, Duggan was beaten down by Earthquake and a ticked-off Dino Bravo.

Backstage, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts cut a compelling promo against arch-rival Ted Dibiase as the two prepared to do battle over theMillion Dollar Title.

Million Dollar Championship match
'The Million Dollar Man' Ted Dibiase (w/ Virgil) vs. Jake 'The Snake' Roberts

Having been at war since the previous summer, Roberts and Dibiase finally clashed in a match every bit as good as you'd imagine it would be.

Moving at a steady pace, the two waged war in an intense, psychological battle that was entirely captivating from bell to bell.

After a lengthy fight, the two men brawled on the outside, only for Virgil to help his man back into the ring to break the count of ten.
Your winner and Million Dollar Champion: Ted Dibiase

Following the match, Jake Roberts chased off Virgil then nailed Dibiase with the DDT, grabbed several $100 bills that Virgil had left lying around, and handed them to members of the crowd, including Mary Tyler Moore. 

Backstage, Akeem The African Dream and his manager, Slick, talked about their rivalry with Akeem's former Twin Towers partner, The Big Boss Man.

Apparently, none other than Ted Diabase himself had attempted to pay the Twin Towers to help him out with something, only for Boss Man to refuse the money.

This was reason enough for Boss Man and Akeem to fight and for 'Keem and Slick to say 'mon-ay' a lot like they were recording backing vocals for Shane McMahon's theme. Yeah.

Not to be outdone, The Big Boss Man gave a reply. First, he insisted that he didn't mind being poor (because we were supposed to believe that a police officer who moonlighted as a professional wrestler had no money), then he said he was proud to be an American, apparently hoping his patriotism would endear him to the Canadian crowd.

Because clearly that worked so well for Hacksaw Duggan.

Akeem (w/ Slick) vs. The Big Boss Man
Before the match could even get underway, Boss Man was attacked by Ted Dibiase, who apparently had hidden at ringside after his losing effort and lain in wait for the Boss Man's arrival.

Regaining his composure, the Law Enforcement Officer overcame a beating from Akeem and put his former partner away in an unremarkable match lasting less than two minutes.
Your winner: The Big Boss Man

What happened next was the biggest pile of awkwardness ever seen in professional wrestling.

Rhythm & Blues

First up, Sean Mooney attempted to interview Mary Tyler Moore. Moore, who clearly didn't know much at all about professional wrestling, was constantly cut off by Mooney, probably because she had almost nothing to say for herself.

Rhythm & Blues (Honky Tonk Man & Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine) rode to the ring in a pink Cadillac driven by a pre-fame Diamond Dallas Page. They were accompanied by Jimmy Hart and two women known as the 'Honkyettes.'

Entering the ring, they tried to sing a song called Hunka Hunka Burning Love, with Honky on lead, the girls and Jimmy Hart on backing, and Greg Valentine on shuffle-around-looking-awkward-and-completely-out-of-place duty.

This was beyond terrible.

Things got even worse when Valentine and Hart attempted to share the lead vocals on a verse yet found their microphone wasn't working properly.

Poor Greg Valentine. 

There are no words in the English language to describe how utterly uncomfortable he looked in this abomination of a segment.

When the song was over, Honky Tonk spotted The Bushwhackers flogging merchandise at ringside and yelled at them to go away.

Instead, Luke and Butch entered the ring and cleaned house, ending this skit to the delight and relief of everyone who would ever have to watch it for the rest of time.

Ravishing Rick Rude (w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. Superfly Jimmy Snuka

Jimmy Snuka at least got his own match this year, much better than randomly walking in at the start of somebody else's match for no reason, such was his fate at Wrestlemania 5.

Sadly (perhaps) for Snuka, the match he had was one nobody really cared about.

To be fair, he and Rick Rude did have a decent little match, but the crowd, who had been pretty vocal throughout the show, were finally starting to wain, and this came across as exactly what it was: A little bit of filler before our main event.
Your winner: Rick Rude

Finally, it was on to the one we'd all been waiting for, champion vs. champion, title vs. title, Warrior vs. Hogan, The Ultimate Challenge.

Title vs. Title match 
WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior vs. WWF Champion Hulk Hogan

From the moment The Ultimate Warrior raced to the ring, eschewing the ring-carts used by his colleagues throughout the show, the intensity surrounding the Wrestlemania 6 main event grew to such a fever pitch that you have to wonder how anybody in the Skydome could contain themselves.

Hogan followed suit, the bell rang, and this match between the World Wrestling Federation's two biggest stars was underway.

And what a match it was.

Undoubtedly one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time, Warrior vs. Hogan was a dramatic, emotional affair between two superstars who made every single thing they did count.

Both men were shown to be equal to one another as they fought valiantly towards the conclusion, which saw Warrior land his big splash and capture the World Wrestling Federation title.
Your winner and NEW World Wrestling Federation Champion, The Ultimate Warrior

Post-match, Hogan handed the title to Warrior and sulked away looking very upset. Of course, the cameras were still on him, so Hogan looked as important in defeat as he ever did in victory.

Then, as the arena darkened and fireworks errupted, The Ultimate Warrior celebrated winning the WWF Title.

---

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And so after several years of slog, Wrestlemania finally delivered a fun show. Wrestlemania VI didn't drag half as much as Wrestlemania's V and IV did, and though there was still an awful lot on this card, most of the matches ranged from watchable to decent. Then you add in that main event, that dramatic, emotional, incredible main event, and what you have is a show that's very much worth checking out. Providing of course, that you can fast-forward past the Honky Tonk Man stuff.

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Other 1990 pro wrestling reviews: 

• WWF Royal Rumble 1990
• WCW Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shoot Out
• WCW Wrestlewar 1990
• WCW Capital Combat 1990
• WCW Clash of the Champions XI - Costal Crush 
• WCW The Great American Bash 1990
• WWF Summerslam 1990
• WCW Clash of the Champions XII - Fall Brawl '90: Mountain Madness 
• WCW Clash of the Champions XIII - Thanksgiving Thunder
• WWF Survivor Series 1990
• WCW Starrcade 1990

More WWF/WWE Wrestlemania Reviews

1. Wrestlemania I
2. Wrestlemania II
3. Wrestlemania III
4. Wrestlemania IV
5. Wrestlemania V
6. Wrestlemania VII
7. Wrestlemania VIII
8. Wrestlemania IX
9. Wrestlemania X
10. Wrestlemania XI
11. Wrestlemania XII
12. Wrestlemania XIII
13. Wrestlemania XIV
14. Wrestlemania XV
15. Wrestlemania XVI
16. Wrestlemania XVII
17. Wrestlemania X8
18. Wrestlemania XIX

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