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Post by DiBiase is Good on Apr 21, 2007 21:38:33 GMT -5
So I was watching this show recently. I've noticed WM4 gets some pretty harsh comments, but I don't think it's that bad at all.
Anyway, onto the observations.
Jim Korderas looks really young at this show. And he's either damn good at selling or he got genuinely knocked senseless by the megaphone. He goes down like a sack of bricks.
Bob Uecker was great at Wrestlemania 3 and he's not bad here either. The trying to find Vanna White thing was a bit lame, but he seems to really enjoy himself. I also noticed him mentioning that it was Vince McMahon who called him and asked him to be a part of WM4. There were very few mentions on air in the late 80's that McMahon was the boss.
The Battle Royal is a bit all over the place, but harmless fun nonetheless. I thought I saw Tony Chimel as one of the officials outside the ring after the match ended, but could be wrong.
And speaking of Battle Royals, why do the commentators always seem to say that Hillbilly Jim is a "favourite"?
As mentioned in another thread, the "Angry Ref" completely f***s up the ending of the Bam Bam / One Man Gang match.
Great botch near the beginning of the Bravo/Muraco match. Jesse and Gorilla try to cover up by saying Muraco slipped. Yeah right!
Why does the Anthology series have to replace Muraco's amazing entrance theme? And also blur out the "WWF" on Koko b Ware's ass. Thank god for Tagged Classics.
I know they were heels at the time, but it annoys me to see a team as great as Demolition beating Strike Force with a cane shot.
Did we really need that section of pure Ego-Boosting of Jesse Ventura posing for the crowd? I love Jesse, but that was so pointless. Even if he does get one of the loudest reactions of the night. They did it the next year too.
Hercules / Warrior is really painful to watch.
Damn, Bret Hart is a really good aim with that trophy.
How awesome does Macho Man look in the black robe?
And why is the crowd so dead?
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Post by Milkman Norm on Apr 21, 2007 22:54:00 GMT -5
The crowd was probably dead because they were made of plants at the Casino. I don't know if the Strike Force split was in the works yes so maybe they were keeping the door open for a feud with Demoliton.
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Post by avilas on Apr 21, 2007 23:39:48 GMT -5
Jim Korderas looks really young at this show. He was 26. Gorilla Monsoon liked to do that. I remember when he would refer to Virgil as "one of the more popular superstars in the WWF". The show was just boring. I found Savage's title win at WM8 to be much more exciting (he should have closed the show, but Hogan's ego put the kibosh on that). |
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Post by humanoid on Apr 22, 2007 0:22:18 GMT -5
I loved this show when I was a kid. It's not my favorite now but I still like it more than a bunch of others.
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Post by Mister Yummy on Apr 22, 2007 1:33:21 GMT -5
I loved Wrestlemanis 4. I liked the fact that it was long, and that I got to see my 2nd favorite wrestler ever win 4 matches, and his first WWF Championship. Sure, his matches at Wrestlemanas 3, 5, 7, and 8 were better than any of the 4 at WM 4, but still!
It's also good that every single person on the WWF Roster at the time got to be in the show. There's no reason Wrestlemanias these days can't open with a Battle Roayle to let more people in on the show. Battle Royales kick ass!
Speaking of which, why didn't George Steele ever get into the ring in this one?
Bob Uecker is great on commentary. Too bad he only ever did the 2 shows. Does he still do Baseball commentary?
There were some great matches on this card. Savage vs. DiBiase is a classic, Valentine vs. Steamboat was pretty good except the finish. Valentine vs. Savage was pretty good too. Most people hated it, but I liked Muraco vs. Bravo. And Honkey vs. Beefcake was very fun to watch, especially with Jimmy Hart getting his hair cut at the end!
I think this show gets a bad rap because it's so long, and most people are impatient. It's one of my favorite wrestlemanias, and it will always have a place in my heart.
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Tim
Dennis Stamp
myers.timothyTheTimMyers
Posts: 4,358
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Post by Tim on Apr 22, 2007 1:37:33 GMT -5
My thoughts on why the crowd was dead:
Even though Savage was popular at the time, the match the fans wanted to see was Hogan/Andre most likely, as the belt was won by Andre (then sold to DiBiase) through dubious circumstances, then they had that match at WMIV right in the middle of the show, and on top of that, it ended in a disqualification!
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Post by Austin's Middle Finger on Apr 22, 2007 7:19:54 GMT -5
Good Mania.
Though I never really got into the Savage/DiBiase main event. Maybe it was the dead crowd that did it, but I think this is one of the more forgettable WM title matches. Real anti-climatic.
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Post by skillz on Apr 22, 2007 9:33:28 GMT -5
One of my favorite WM's. I don't care if it is universally panned, for that time it was a huge deal and Savage winning with Liz in tears of joy at the end was fantastic. Monsoon and Ventura really know how to sell a moment.
The dead crowd was due not a lot of storylines being resolved (due to the tournament format) and a lack of a hyped up main event, IMO. Hogan getting eliminated early probably hurt the crowd as well, as 1988 was still a huge year for Hogan's popularity. Even during the main event, the crowd was chanting "Hogan" louder than they were cheering for Savage (and this was minutes before Liz even went to the back to get Hogan to the ring).
I don't think the card was that bad. My only real gripe was not having Steamboat face Savage in the 2nd round. It would have given Savage his win back, and Steamboat was leaving the company anyway. Instead they had Valentine go over Ricky. Oh well. Still a solid card, IMO. The only real drawback was a lack of a true main event.
This WM won't jive with the newer fans, but for people who saw this at the time and are familar with the time period and the wrestlers involved, it's a very good show. I loved it at the time, and still love it today. Maybe it's just me.
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Post by themanwithnoname on Apr 22, 2007 10:14:33 GMT -5
I loved WrestleMania IV as well. Strike Force and Demolition were going to have a feud before Martel got hurt. I remember and interview with Strike Force at Madison Square Gardens following their title loss to Demolition and it was obvious that they were going to feud with Demolition at least throughout the summer, and probably up until Survivor Series. It wouldn't surprise me if Strike Force vs Demolition was the original match for SummerSlam.
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Agent P
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wooo
Posts: 18,180
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Post by Agent P on Apr 22, 2007 10:15:25 GMT -5
Hillbilly Jim was a favorite because of his size.
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Post by willywonka666 on Apr 22, 2007 10:26:00 GMT -5
They should bring Eucker in to commentate on Heat, and say "Goddamn" and after he's told he can't say that on the air, he can say "Noone's watching anyway"
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Post by blacklungs on Apr 22, 2007 10:38:29 GMT -5
george steele never entered the battle royal because he injured his ankle on the way to the ring. apparently the the aisle at trump plaza was pretty treacherous.
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Post by DiBiase is Good on Apr 22, 2007 12:09:14 GMT -5
Hillbilly Jim was a favorite because of his size. That bit I understand, but Hillbilly Jim was basically a Jobber with a Gimmick. I don't recall him ever pinning anyone (except for the WWF Superstars Squashes) so that makes him a favourite how? |
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Post by willywonka666 on Apr 22, 2007 12:20:51 GMT -5
Hillbilly Jim was a favorite because of his size. That bit I understand, but Hillbilly Jim was basically a Jobber with a Gimmick. I don't recall him ever pinning anyone (except for the WWF Superstars Squashes) so that makes him a favourite how? Maybe they just meant he was a fan favorite |
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Post by DiBiase is Good on Apr 22, 2007 12:22:37 GMT -5
That bit I understand, but Hillbilly Jim was basically a Jobber with a Gimmick. I don't recall him ever pinning anyone (except for the WWF Superstars Squashes) so that makes him a favourite how? Maybe they just meant he was a fan favorite They call him an odds-on favourite on more than one occasion. |
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crup
Bubba Ho-Tep
The Loose Cannon
Posts: 639
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Post by crup on Apr 22, 2007 14:25:27 GMT -5
I really like these "Some random _______ thoughts".......I think you should do one on Wrestlemania 8. Eh?
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4real
Wade Wilson
Posts: 27,930
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Post by 4real on Apr 22, 2007 14:50:19 GMT -5
Valentine vs. Steamboat is one of the most underrated WM matches ever. Most of the card apart from that is, well, loooooooooooooooooooong.
Watch Rude vs. Roberts for extra woozy ness.
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Post by Aceorton on Apr 22, 2007 16:24:30 GMT -5
Maybe they just meant he was a fan favorite They call him an odds-on favourite on more than one occasion. It's just kayfabe. Sure, we all knew in our hearts that Hillbilly would never win the thing, but for commentating purposes, a big ol' country boy (and former Hogan protege) should be expected to chuck a lot of people over the top rope. |
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Post by skillz on Apr 22, 2007 16:38:38 GMT -5
Hillbilly Jim was a favorite because of his size. That bit I understand, but Hillbilly Jim was basically a Jobber with a Gimmick. I don't recall him ever pinning anyone (except for the WWF Superstars Squashes) so that makes him a favourite how? They always said that about big guys in battle royals, regardless of their win/loss record. They still do it now to some degree, but people don't take it as seriously since the battle royals today are so predictable (and the fans are "smarter"). |
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Post by humanoid on Apr 22, 2007 17:49:22 GMT -5
They should bring Eucker in to commentate on Heat, and say "Goddamn" and after he's told he can't say that on the air, he can say "Noone's watching anyway" Dynamite drop in Monty, that broadcasting school really payed off. |
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