WrestleMania VI

Legacy Review

WrestleMania VI

April 1, 1990 from the Skydome in Toronto

Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura (his last WWF PPV in the booth)

Before the Double Gold Dash, there was the Ultimate Challenge.

Cool intro with both Hogan and Warrior as animated constellations in the sky. Vince McMahon, however, is not the best voiceover artist. This is also the debut of what I consider to be the definitive Wrestlemania theme music, which would be used again for 7 and 8. The Skydome looks suitably impressive for the big event. Great atmosphere. Famously, Edge, Christian and Lance Storm all attended this show. And the little ring carts are back! Sadly for the final time.

"The Model" Rick Martel def Koko B Ware in 3:51- Martel gets a cheap shot in while the ref is checking Ware. Ware hops up to the 2nd rope and gets a reverse crossbody for 2, and follows it up with two quick dropkicks and knocks Martel out of the ring. Nice high octane sequence. You have to wonder what a guy like Ware would do today with more respect for that kind of skillset. Then again, he could just as well be Apollo Crews. Back in Martel uses Ware's momentum off the ropes to throw him over the top and out. Martel rams Ware's back into the apron then works exclusively on the back in the ring, setting up for the Boston Crab. Tight psychology. He tries to roll Ware into the Crab but Ware fights it and gets to the ropes. Martel makes the mistake of attacking Ware's head and pays for it. A couple of flying headbutts by Ware get a 2 count. He goes for the reverse crossbody off the 2nd rope again but this time Martel ducks it, hooks in the Boston Crab, and good night. Not a hot opener by any means, but it was inoffensive and, to use a non-wrestling phrase, tightly plotted. They did the best they could with the time they got. Yet another TV loss for Hall of Famer Koko B Ware. *3/4

Bobby Heenan gives what might be his worst promo ever with some very Vinceified "humor" about Mean Gene mistaking colossal for colostomy.

WWF Tag Team Championship: Demolition def The Colossal Connection (w/Bobby Heenan) (c) in 9:30- Andre and Haku teamed up both to give Heenan a new team to replace the Brain Busters, and to try to keep Andre working despite his obvious ill health. They beat Demolition for the titles on weekly TV in December. Big pop for Demolition. The heels pull the Suzuki-Gun assault before the bell. Andre gets two shots in and parks it on the apron. Smash takes over on Haku. Ax taunts Andre in, Andre does come in and gives Ax a shot, but then Ax and Smash just swap without a tag and it amounts to nothing. OK then. Smash wraps Haku up in a backslide. Andre comes in and nudges him with his boot to break the pin up. Haku gets a karate thrust to the throat to send Ax face in peril. They move Ax into the heel corner multiple times so Andre can get in a shot without tagging in. Heenan casually slaps Ax as he's walking by him! Nice. Haku locks in the Double Handed Nerve Pinch of Tongan Gripping +1. Ax gets in a few hope spots but Haku shuts him down. Finally Ax gets a boot up on a charge, a clothesline, and the hot tag to Smash. Andre comes in and ties up Smash, but Smash ducks Haku's kick and Andre eats it and ties himself in the ropes. The Demos finish off Haku with the Decapitation Device and we have new champs! Huge pop for the win. Demolition becomes the first WWF team to ever be 3 time tag team champs, and together with their then-record 478 day first reign they would definitely have the claim to be the best tag team in WWF history to this point. Haku worked the whole match as Andre really couldn't do anything by this time. Sad to see, really. Fortunately this would be Andre's last actual match and he would be limited to special guest appearances before he passed away in 1993. 1/2*

Big moment after the match, as Heenan lays into Andre, blaming him for the loss. Andre fights back and, after 3 years with the Heenan family, turns back face in a classic Wrestlemania moment. Andre throws Heenan and Haku out of the cart so he can ride back alone.

Earthquake (w/Jimmy Hart) def Hercules in 4:52- Monsoon says Quake has sent "28 men" to the hospital. And the jobbers he beat on weekly TV really were stretchered out every time. That's how you get a monster heel over. He also dropped the "Canadian" part of his name right before this show because someone pointed out to Vince the show is in Canada and he's supposed to be a heel. Quake tries an ambush while Herc's putting the chain away but Herc dodges it. Strangely, Quake takes a powder. Back in, Quake does his earthquake jumping stomps to psych out Herc, then wants a test of strength that goes on for half the match. Quake gives Herc a stiff shot in the back. Herc counters a backdrop but can't get Quake down. Finally after multiple clotheslines he's down to one knee. Herc then stupidly tries to lift Quake up and gets killed for it. The Earthquake splash (which gets a nice gasp of horror from the crowd) ends it. As usual, Quake hits a second splash after the match but Herc's not a jobber so he doesn't do the stretcher job. An extended squash. Quake was on his way up quickly and would spend most of the rest of the year feuding with Hulk Hogan. 3/4*

Next we have a pretaped talk show style segment with Elizabeth, pretty much reminding the audience she still exists. She explains she's been away for reasons and when she comes back she'll be "more active than ever".

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake def Mr. Perfect (w/The Genius) in 7:48- Another attempted heel ambush before the bell. Must be Wrestlemania. A Beefcake uppercut sends Perfect flying over the top and down to the floor. As soon as he gets back in he goes flying out again. Perfect is bumping like only he can. He stays out a minute to regroup. Back in we get a couple of the classic Perfect double bumps off the buckles. Perfect is wrestling himself, Beefcake just happens to be there. Beefcake calls for the sleeper. Genius gets on the apron to distract him and slips Perfect his scroll. Perfect waffles Beefcake with it. The neck snap gets a long 2 count. Perfect goes on offense for a while but only works about 50% his normal speed and only 25% of his moveset. Beefcake gets a double leg takedown in the corner, slingshots Perfect headfirst into the post, and that's enough for the pin. These guys did not mesh well at all. After the match Genius tries to steal the shears but Beefcake stops him. Perfect abandons Genius to Beefcake, who puts him in the sleeper and cuts his hair in a segment that seems to go on longer than the match did. Not a great night for Perfect, but it'd just be a small speed bump as after this show he'd dump The Genius for Bobby Heenan, then go on to win his first Intercontinental title. *

Bad News Brown and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper go to a double countout in 6:48- This is the infamous match where Piper painted half his body black. Why he did it, we've never gotten a full explanation. I mean, it's Piper. This was the first WM feud to be set up by guys eliminating each other at the Rumble and on paper it made sense. Piper reveals the paint during his promo and calls the black half the "Hot Scot". Lots of stalling at the start as Piper slowly takes his gear off to show it is in fact his whole body painted. Finally they run in to lock up and end up collapsing in a brawl. The ref breaks them up. Piper charges in and gets a crossbody for 2. More brawling that the ref breaks up again. Brown gets the advantage and slowly works Piper over. They trade eye rakes. Brown takes the top turnbuckle pad off but Piper reverses and rams him into it. Piper pulls a white glove out of his tights to counter Brown's glove. He goes to work on Brown with it and the ref does nothing to stop it. Both guys tumble outside and they both get counted out. The fight continues all the way back up the ramp. Even outside debating the ethics of Piper's body paint this was fugly. 1/4*

The Hart Foundation def The Bolsheviks in :19- The Harts attack during the Soviet National Anthem, nail Zhukov with the Hart Attack, and it's over. A quick squash to establish the Harts as the #1 contenders. NR

Announcement for Wrestlemania 7, at the LA Memorial Coliseum with "100,000 fans". Yeah, about that....

The Barbarian (w/Bobby Heenan) def Tito Santana in 4:33- Finally, a proper lock up. Santana gets a quick start and Barbarian powders. Barbarian no sells some shoulderblocks and Santana gets a crossbody for 2. They go back and forth for a bit in a pretty decent speed vs power exchange until Barbarian kills Santana with a big boot. Santana dodges an elbow off the second rope. He hits the flying fajita but Heenan gets Barbarian's foot on the rope. Santana tries a roll up, but Barbarian uses the momentum to clothesline Santana across the top rope. He goes up and hits the clothesline off the top, punctuated by a A+ super sell from Santana, for the 3. This match had no reason to exist other than to fill the 14 match card as Barbarian wasn't going anywhere, but Santana had his working boots on. **

Mixed Tag Team Match: "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire (w/Elizabeth) def "Macho King" Randy Savage and Sensational Queen Sherri in 7:52- This match was killed before it even began by the booking. Savage/Dusty would have been a proper dream match even if it was 4 or 5 years too late as Dusty was a shell of his former self, and Sherri was always game, but throwing non-wrestler Sapphire in was a recipe for disaster. Dusty grabs the mic during his entrance and announces Elizabeth. Savage is incensed. The guys start. Savage sells some bionic elbows. Sherri runs in and hits Dusty from behind. Savage tries to take advantage but Dusty catches him off the top rope and throws him into Sherri. Dusty tags out and throws Sherri back in to Sapphire. Sherri then proceeds to sell Sapphire's gentle ass nudges and I resist the urge to go full Jim Cornette on this match. Sapphire picks Sherri up for an "airplane spin", and by airplane spin I mean about three quarters of a very slow rotation and drop her back down. Sherri tries to slam Sapphire but she's too fat. Tags and thankfully the guys are back in. Another Sherri distraction gives Savage an opening to send Dusty outside with a high knee in the back. Savage hits a series of double ax handles off the top to the floor until he's blocked by Sapphire. Sherri gets shots in on Dusty while the ref is distracted. Another ref distraction, and Savage gets his sceptre and waffles Dusty off the top with it. But he doesn't try for a pin. Instead he tags in Sherri, who hits Dusty with a big splash off the top and for some reason despite the rules gets a 2 count on Dusty. Dusty comes back with a double noggin knocker. Donnybrook. In the confusion Elizabeth pushes Sherri over Sapphire, and Sapphire stacks her up to get the pin. What an ungodly mess. DUD

Intermission time in the arena means promo time on TV. Heenan makes up for his dud earlier by knocking it out of the park ranting about Andre's turn. He promises fresh blood in the family soon (Mr. Perfect). Hogan and Warrior give their main event promos where they both offer to save each other's souls or something. Warrior throwing Mooney out calling him a "normal" that doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as him is pretty funny.

The Orient Express (w/Mr. Fuji) def The Rockers by countout in 7:38- This is the original, and inferior, Express combination of Tanaka and Sato. Janetty and Tanaka start. Double teams on both sides. Rockers with a double plancha! Despite that they seem awfully sluggish. Even Monsoon calls them lethargic. Not themselves at all. Fuji pulls the top rope down on Janetty to send him tumbling out then gives him a cane shot in the back. Janetty flips out of a backdrop attempt and tags out. Double superkick! Tanaka kicks Shawn in the back of the head as he's running the ropes to send him face in peril. Shawn tries a backdrop, Tanaka flips out of it, Shawn congratulates him with a clothesline and gets the lukewarm tag. Tanaka does a full 360 sell on a backdrop. Both Rockers go up top. Fuji hits Janetty with the cane. Sato comes in and blinds him with salt. Blinded Janetty walks right through the guardrail and into the crowd and is counted out. Meh. I thought I'd hate this more than I did as the Rockers were very, very off here, but even 50% Rockers is still decent. The Express would swap Sato out for Kato to reunite Badd Company later in the year and these two teams would tear the house down in the opening match of the '91 Rumble. **1/4

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan def Dino Bravo (w/Earthquake and Jimmy Hart) in 4:15- Bravo and Quake were one of those unofficial tag teams where they'd second each other a lot. Bravo celebrates a lockup win in true heel fashion. Shoulderblock standoff. Monsoon brings up the infamous bench press record spot from the '88 Rumble. Bravo dodges a charge and Duggan goes head first into the top buckle. Quake gets his shot in. Duggan comes back with clotheslines. He goes down into the 3 point stance but Quake grabs his leg. In the ensuing chaos Hart slips Bravo the 2x4, but Duggan steals it, waffles Bravo with it, and gets the pin. Afterward Quake murders Duggan with elbows and THREE Earthquake splashes. Monsoon even thinks the last one is a replay but we're live, pal. Did I mention that Quake had a rocket strapped to him? WWF officials come to ringside with spatulas to get Duggan off the mat. 1/2*

Jake Roberts gives one of his classic promos, ending by telling DiBiase he'll be wallowing in the muck of his own avarice.

Million Dollar Belt on the Line: "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil) def Jake "The Snake" Roberts by countout in 11:50- This is the long awaited final blowoff of a feud that was delayed most of '89 due to a Roberts' injury. These guys also feuded in Mid-South so they knew each other very well. Quick shoving to start. Roberts does the usual early DDT tease. DiBiase takes a time out. Each guy dodges an elbow and another DDT tease. DiBiase has another think. Roberts works the arm for a while. DiBiase tries to reverse the hammerlock, Roberts leverages him out of the ring. DiBiase counters a kneelift, sending Roberts flying into the corner upside down. As DiBiase works him over the crowd is going crazy for Roberts.....oh, no, it's the wave. Crazy Canadians. Some obvious stalling in the ring as the crowd wears itself out. DiBiase posts Roberts' arm. Piledriver. But DiBiase doesn't cover. Finally he goes for an arrogant cover with two knees. Roberts reverses it for a long 2 count. DiBiase gets serious and hooks in the Million Dollar Dream. Roberts goes down but luckily by the ropes and gets a foot on the bottom one. Roberts catches DiBiase coming off the 2nd rope. Short clothesline. DDT call. Virgil distracts the ref and pulls Roberts out. Virgil eats a slam on the floor for his trouble. DiBiase rolls out and hooks the Dream in on the outside. Roberts counters by running him into the post. Both guys are down. Virgil rolls DiBiase in just before the 10 count and Roberts is counted out. Afterward Roberts attacks the heels. Virgil escapes with the belt but DiBiase eats the DDT. Roberts takes DiBiase's money and gives it away to the crowd, then stuffs a bill in DiBiase's mouth just like he does to all the jobbers. Virgil runs in and pulls DiBiase away as Damien is coming out to play. Solid stuff. **3/4

The Big Boss Man def Akeem (w/Slick) in 1:49- The Twin Towers explode!.....Er, well, you know what I mean. This is to solidify Boss Man's face turn after he refused Slick's orders to take DiBiase's money like a good crooked cop. Speaking of DiBiase, he's still at ringside and ambushes Boss Man on his entrance. Akeem takes the ball and rolls with it, but Boss Man has a strong kick out at 2. Akeem goes for the mounted punches. Boss Man tries to counter it with an inverted atomic drop but can't hold Akeem up. He recovers nicely by going for a kick to the face instead. He runs Akeem into multiple buckle shots. The Boss Man Slam finishes it. 1/4*

Rhythm & Blues come out to sing their new song. Greg Valentine as Honky Tonk Man 2.0 will never not look odd. I don't know why anyone thought that was a good idea. The most notable thing about this segment is the pink Cadillac is being driven by future WCW legend Diamond Dallas Page. They sing for a bit before being interrupted by the Bushwackers, who run them off and destroy their guitars.

"Ravishing" Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) def "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka in 3:59- Rude Suzuki-Guns Snuka. Snuka grabs the rope to dodge a dropkick and mocks Rude's hip swivel. Rude flies around off a couple of backdrops and over the top off a dropkick, bumping like a maniac. Snuka blocks a sunset flip attempt. Rude counters a backdrop into a suplex and gives us the real hip swivel. Rude almost falls down himself taking Snuka down off a shoulderblock. Snuka tries a diving headbutt off the second rope but Rude dodges. Rude Awakening, and we're done. Short but pacey. Just a quick win to give Rude some momentum ahead of going into another title feud with Warrior, this time for the top belt. *1/4

Title For Title Match: WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior def WWF Champion Hulk Hogan in 22:51- A spot was included in the '90 Rumble match for Hogan and Warrior to encounter each other one on one to gauge if there would be any crowd interest for it. There certainly was. So here we are, the first true face vs face match in the modern WWF era, and the first ever title for title match. Or "winner take all", as is the common phrase now. No cart for Warrior, he's running to the ring like always. Tonight's Warrior strap color is yellow. Hogan also walks to the ring. The crowd is electric and split 50/50. Epic standoff. Both guys take their time handing their belts over. More standoff. Warrior shoves. Hogan shoves. Lockup. Warrior wins. Then Hogan wins. Warrior wants a test of strength. Warrior gets the advantage, then Hogan. Hogan trips up Warrior, drops an elbow and gets a 2 count. Warrior pops right back up. Shoulderblock standoff. Criss cross. Hogan scoops up the running Warrior and slams him. Warrior no sells it. Same sequence, but with Warrior slamming Hogan. Hogan sells it. Warrior clotheslines Hogan over and out. Hogan tweaks his knee on the way down. Warrior goes out and attacks it. Hebner jumps out to check on him. Hogan says his knee is gone. Warrior throws him back in. They trade eye rakes and chokes, and Ventura is thrilled both the "goody two shoes" are throwing the rulebook out the window. Warrior has words with Hebner and Hogan uses it to take over. Guess the knee is OK then. Hogan works his usual arsenal. Small package for 2! Hogan with some decent chops in the corner. About .6 Flair. Hogan has several near falls with rest holds mixed in between. Well paced. Double clothesline! Warrior gets up first and reaches for the ropes to Warrior up. Hogan can't believe someone is doing that to him. Clotheslines. Bear hug! This is the one spot that goes on a bit too long and makes the match lose some momentum. They do the 3 arm drop spot. Hogan powers out. Hogan ducks a Warrior dive and Hebner's taken out! Warrior hits two double ax handles off the top rope, but Hogan counters the flying tackle. He covers but there's no ref. Warrior side suplexes Hogan but still no ref. Finally Hebner crawls over, counts super slow, and Hogan JUST gets a shoulder up. Hogan gets a roll up but Hebner was still out of position and it's another long 2. A back elbow from Hogan sends Warrior over the top and out. They fight to try to post each other, with Hogan getting it. Gorilla press! Big splash! Hulk Up! Warrior's done for now. 3 punches, big boot, legdrop......no, Warrior dodges! Big splash! Warrior gets the 3! New champion! After the match Hogan presents Warrior with the belt and they hug it out. Warrior gets the massive victory celebration with pyro and fireworks. This was epic, brilliantly laid out (Pat Patterson's masterpiece it's generally called), and well worked by two guys who have a, let's say, wide range of possible outcomes when it comes to match quality. This lived up to all the hype and then some. Too bad Warrior couldn't handle the top spot, requiring Hogan to come in and take back over a year after this torch passing moment. ****1/4

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- This is the textbook definition of a one match show. The main event is must see, everything else is for completionists only. Great crowd though, as you always get with shows in Canada.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C-