The Year in PPV- 1988

This year can be summed up in two words: Mega Powers. This year was all about the experiment of building Randy Savage as the next main event player. However, it was easy to see that the WWF didn't want to defect TOO far away from Hulk Hogan in case the experiment failed, so they went with the best scenario possible: combine the two for the most insane team up EVER!!!! Having Savage and Hogan together was a gold mine for 1988 since you had tons of charisma and merchandise you could shell out for both these superstars, plus Hogan's matches were boosted in quality thanks to the type of worker Savage was as a tag team partner.

Let's see how the year of the Mega Powers started by going to the first ever Royal Rumble event...


1. Royal Rumble

Just as a disclaimer: the first Royal Rumble event has nothing to do with the Mega Powers. Moving on. With the first ever Royal Rumble show, I have one question on my mind: Why on earth is the Royal Rumble match not only NOT the main event of the show, but why is it not even the SECOND biggest focus on the show? The first Royal Rumble match may be historic, but it in no way has aged gracefully. Something about this particular era in wrestling didn't work for the Rumble match. It may be from the poor ring work solely since it does have the star power for it. It should be pointed out that this match only had 20 participants, yet it seemed to go on forever. The best thing to do if you want the historical value is to just fast forward to the end of the match.

The main event of the show was actually a two out of three falls tag team match between the Islanders and the Young Stallions. WHAT?!?!? But the main thing this show is booked around is the contract signing between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant for their WWF Championship re-match at The Main Event. WHAT?!?!?!?!??!?!? Talk about a disjointed show that needed to find a focus. When your PPV's main draw is a contract signing, then there is a SERIOUS problem to discuss in booking the card. Just put the darn Rumble match last on the card? It's the NAME of the show....how hard is that?

Skip It


2. WrestleMania IV

This is the largest WrestleMania card in history with 16 (I repeat...SIXTEEN) matches. However, not many of them really amount to anything. Their roster was so stacked they had to open with a 20-man battle royal, and were still able to have a WWF Tag Team Championship match, an Intercontinental Championship match, a six-man tag, a regular singles match, AND a 14-man (I repeat...FOURTEEN) tournament to crown the vacant WWF Championship. However, most of this WrestleMania is all about that "epic" tournament that took place in Trump Plaza so let's focus on that.

The tournament featured 14 men: Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Ted DiBiase, Bam Bam Bigelow, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude, Dino Bravo, Don Muraco, Jim Duggan, Greg Valentine, Butch Reed, One Man Gang, and Ricky Steamboat. At the end of the day, EVERYONE knew it was going to come down to some kind of main event clash between Hogan, Savage, Andre, or DiBiase and that's just what we got when Hogan and Andre were simultaneously eliminated (in a rather big disappointment of a Mania re-match), giving DiBiase a BYE in the semi-finals, making him much more fresh for the main event than Savage (who had to fight in three matches to get to the finals). It's a fantastic setup for the main event that not only pitted an underdog babyface against a well-rested heel, but it also promised a NEW WWF Champion, and arguably a new face for the company. It's one of those absolutely perfect pay offs, and I just wish the buildup had a little more pomp and circumstance (PUN INTENDED) to it.

Mild Recommendation


3. SummerSlam

So the first SummerSlam may have emanated from Madison Square Garden and had a 10-match card, but it's a show that revolves around 2 moments: a match that lasts less than a minute and a skirt. That may undercut the moments a little, but they are pretty important historical matches nonetheless. After Brutus Beefcake was unable to make it to SummerSlam to challenge the Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship. So an open challenge was put forth to see if someone could end the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in history, and that challenge was answered by the Ultimate Warrior. I think you could figure out what happens next.

The main event saw four of the biggest icons of the '80s clash in an epic tag team match. The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) engaged in a war against the Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant). To add to the match, Jesse Ventura was the special referee, and the ending was made very memorable thanks to Miss Elizabeth. Like the first WrestleMania this show is pretty underwhelming until the iconic main event tag team match. And in even more irony, SummerSlam is usually considered the second biggest show of the year, and both first installments of these iconic shows took place at Madison Square Garden.

Mild Recommendation


4. Survivor Series

Survivor Series back in the day only had about 4 to 5 matches on the card, and they all go on a for a while, so its watchable factor is all in the hands of whether or not you like those kind of matches. To open the show they went with Team Warrior (Ultimate Warrior, Sam Houston, Brutus Beefcake, Jim Brunzell, and the Blue Blazer) taking on Team Honky Tonk (Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, Ron Bass, Danny Davis, and Bad News Brown), followed by a match that brought 10 (I repeat.....TEN) tag teams together with Team Demolition (Demolition, the Brain Busters, the Bolsheviks, the Fabulous Rougeaus, and the Conquistadors) taking on Team Powers of Pain (Powers of Pain, the Rockers, the Young Stallions, the Hart Foundation, and the British Bulldogs). Look at the talent featured within the first two matches and you have why so many fans had fun during this era in wrestling.

Then, we had Team Andre (Andre the Giant, Rick Rude, Harley Race, Mr. Perfect, and Dino Bravo) challenging Team Duggan (Jim Duggan, Jake Roberts, Ken Patera, Scott Casey, and Tito Santana), once again showing how star studded some of the teams could be at Survivor Series. Finally, we had the main event that saw the Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) team up with Hercules, Koko B. Ware, and Hillbilly Jim take on The Twin Towers (Akeem and Big Boss Man) and their team featuring the Red Rooster, Haku, and Ted DiBiase. The most crucial part about this match is towards the end, which cleverly planted the seeds for events that would occur within the next year. But I'll save that for another time...

Mild Recommendation


Thoughts: Let me get one thing clear...the Mega Powers REALLY work for this year. Unfortunately, not much else does. The rest of the year in terms of booking is pretty subpar. The company knew they had the crowd's money in their wallets by the time they formed the Mega Powers that it didn't matter what else happened on the cards. Still, this is the first year to incorporate the Big Four PPVs, so there is some historical value to it. If you love Savage and Hogan, this is the year for you to watch. But if you like more variety in your shows, this is one you could probably skip.


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