WWE WrestleMania: What every main event should have been
By Luke Norris
WrestleMania V
Actual main event: Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan
What the main event should have been: Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan
To this day, the build to WrestleMania V is still my favorite storyline of all time, so I have to once again keep the main event from this show. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were easily the biggest stars in WWE in the late 1980s, and this was all done so brilliantly. After helping Savage win the title at WrestleMania IV, Hogan tagged with him to defeat Andre the Giant and Ted Dibiase at the inaugural SummerSlam event. Dubbed “The Mega-Powers,” Hogan and Savage were unstoppable as a duo but dissension rose when Hogan and Miss Elizabeth got a little too cozy for the Macho Man’s liking. It started at SummerSlam as a small thing, but by the time Survivor Series rolled around, it got worse.
After Savage took a vicious beating, Hogan saved the day and won the match for their team, but instead of tending to the Macho Man, he chose to celebrate with Liz more than he should have. Throw in the accidental elimination at the 1989 Royal Rumble and the stage was set for the turn, which finally happened on The Main Event as Hogan and Savage took on The Big Boss Man and Akeem. Savage was thrown from the ring and landed hard on Elizabeth. Honestly, go back and watch the bump she took. It’s actually quite impressive. Hogan then picked her up and carried her to the back, leaving Savage to fend for himself against The Twin Towers.
The Hulkster would return to the match, eventually winning it, but not before Savage slapped him in the face, grabbed his belt and walked out. The heat spilled over to the backstage area, and Savage accused Hogan of having eyes for Liz and not being man enough to just ask him for a title match. Macho Man then assaulted Hogan with the WWE Championship and left him laying. Such great stuff. This led to the tagline “The Mega-Powers Explode” at WrestleMania V, and Hogan went on to defeat Savage to regain the WWE Championship. The storytelling, during both the build and the match, was done so well, and this was easily the way to go here.