WrestleMania IV Flashback: Savage survives to become champion

The WrestleMania Flashback series continues, as our next stop is WrestleMania IV. Trump Plaza (owned by 2013 Hall of Fame inductee Donald Trump), hosted this event as well as the following year. The night was capped off by a tournament where one man would have to win four matches to become champion.

The night started with a 20-man battle royal. The winner would receive a huge trophy that would stand as their prize for winning the match. After 18 eliminations, only Bad News Brown and Bret "Hitman" Hart remained. After they eliminated Junkyard Dog, Bret decided they would share the trophy. That idea went wrong moments later, when Brown turned on Hart and eliminated him to win the match. Enraged, Bret returned to the ring and destroyed the trophy and would become a huge favorite by the fans.

The focus of the night however, was on the WWF Championship. Just weeks prior to the event, WWF President Jack Tunney vacated the title after Andre the Giant sold it to the devious "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. He sold it just moments after he won it from Hulk Hogan. That set up a 14-man tournament that was held at Trump Plaza.

Both Hogan and Andre were involved in the tournament, but a double disqualification took them bout out and gave DiBiase a free ride to the finals. He would await "Macho Man" Randy Savage, who had to get past Butch Reed, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, and One Man Gang to get into the finals.

During the deciding match, DiBiase dominated the match mostly in part to him only having wrestled once earlier in the evening. He beat "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan in the first round, and sat waiting for Savage. Andre, who was ringside with DiBiase, played a role in distracting the referee while DiBiase had Savage locked up in the Million Dollar Dream sleeper hold.

The lovely Miss Elizabeth, who was in Savage's corner, brought Hogan out to keep Andre in check. But while the referee was distracted, Hogan grabbed a chair and hit DiBiase with it. This allowed Savage to hit his signature top rope elbow drop and pin DiBiase to cap off an exhausting night and become champion.

After winning the title, Savage and Hogan formed The Mega Powers. They would battle throughout the year with Andre and DiBiase (who would be known as The Mega Bucks), resulting in a match later that year at the inaugural SummerSlam event. Following SummerSlam, they would split and engage in a bitter feud with each other, culminating with a showdown as WrestleMania V.

FULL WRESTLEMANIA IV RESULTS:

• Bad News Brown eliminates Bret Hart to win battle royal
• FIRST ROUND MATCH: Ted DiBiase def. Jim Duggan
• FIRST ROUND MATCH: Don Muraco def. Dino Bravo by DQ
• FIRST ROUND MATCH: Greg Valentine def. Ricky Steamboat
• FIRST ROUND MATCH: Randy Savage def. Butch Reed
• FIRST ROUND MATCH: One Man Gang def. Bam Bam Bigelow by countout
• FIRST ROUND MATCH: Rick Rude and Jake Roberts fought to time limit draw
• The Ultimate Warrior def. Hercules
• QUARTERFINAL MATCH: Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant fought to double DQ
• QUARTERFINAL MATCH: Ted DiBiase def. Don Muraco
• QUARTERFINAL MATCH: Randy Savage def. Greg Valentine
• Brutus Beefcake def. Intercontinental Champion Honkey Tonk Man by DQ
• The Islanders & Bobby Heenan def. The British Bulldogs & Koko B. Ware
• SEMIFINAL MATCH: Randy Savage def. One Man Gang
• Demolition def. Strike Force to become new WWF Tag Team Champions
• Randy Savage def. Ted DiBiase to win vacated WWF Championship

These WrestleMania Flashbacks will continue right up until April 7, when WWE rolls into MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for WrestleMania 29.

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