Date: 2 April 1989
Tagline(s): The Mega Powers Explode
Venue: Boardwalk Hall
Promotion: WWE
Attendance: 18,946
10. Ted Turner Wanted To Run NWA WrestleWar On PPV - Opposite WrestleMania 5
Imagine, if you will, if this had actually happened. You may be thinking, "Well, Vince woulda slaughtered NWA/WCW once more," but there's a twist to the tale.
After McMahon planned to run a three-hour episode of Prime Time Wrestling opposite NWA's Chi-Town Rumble pay-per-view, Turner fired back by plotting to hold WrestleWar on April 2, the night of WrestleMania 5. Dave Meltzer noted in a Wrestling Observer of the time that Turner had deeper broadcast connections than Jim Crockett Jr. had in 1987, and actually had the drop on McMahon in terms of getting cable companies to side with him. McMahon may have been left to make most of his non-arena revenue off of closed circuit airings.
So what happened? McMahon lowered his demand for a cut of PPV revenue in order to get the cable outlets to choose WrestleMania 5, which dampened his profits a bit. Turner chose to hold WrestleWar in May instead, and ran a free Clash of the Champions on TBS against WrestleMania, just as had been done in 1988.
A number like $1.6M might be peanuts for a latter-day WrestleMania, but in 1989, that sort of scratch was a big deal. The fact that WrestleMania 5 made $1.6M in advanceticket sales was the sort of news that would have McMahon dancing The Charleston on a credenza.
When all was said and done, WrestleMania 5 wound up with $1.7M at the box office, toppling WrestleMania 3 by more than a hundred thousand bucks. Even though the sizes of the crowds were staggeringly different, WrestleMania 5 charged way more per ticket, while two years earlier tickets were cheaper as a means of selling out the massive Silverdome.
If only WrestleMania 5 were as incredible an event as the one in Michigan was...
7. Shawn Michaels Was Severely Hung Over
At the age of 23, the future "Heartbreak Kid" had himself a reputation as routine partier. He and Rockers partner Marty Jannetty looked the part of two fun-loving hooligans that enjoyed fast times by the boatload, and the weekend of WrestleMania 5 was no exception. In this case, however, Michaels wasn't drinking in the best of spirits.
Michaels recalls having a fight at the hotel with his then-wife Theresa, and then storming off to the establishment's bar with Jannetty, drinking until four in the morning on WrestleMania day. By his account, Michaels had only gotten four hours of sleep.
He also admits to popping energy pills and chugging down plenty of coffee to get himself in working shape. In a testament to Michaels' god-given talent, few onlookers would've noticed him being even slightly off his game.
6. Mr. Perfect Debuted His Singlet At WrestleMania 5
The shoulder strapped-tights were such an identifiable part of Curt Hennig's wrestling image that it's kinda hard to picture him without the getup. WrestleMania 5 was Mr. Perfect's third pay-per-view appearance with WWE, and in the first two, he wore generic short trunks that did very little to help him stand out from the pack.
Commentators Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura did their part to draw attention to Perfect's new attire, which Ventura erroneously referred to as "Olympican" in a colorful malapropos. Couple the threads with him letting his hair grow out into a Ramen-like lion's mane, and Mr. Perfect would cultivate a successful look that set him apart from even the most colorful of talents on WWE's impressive roster of the day.
5. Roddy Piper's Appearance Was Initially A One-Shot Deal
What's often misunderstood regarding the 1989 return of "The Hot Rod" to the WWE fold is the idea that WrestleMania 5 was the beginning of his comeback. Yes, it was his first televised appearance for the company in two years, but it wouldn't be for another month that Piper officially climbed back into the saddle as a working wrestler once more.
Until then, Piper fielded overtures from both WWE and WCW, trying to work out the best possible deal for himself. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter paints the story as Piper getting a generous offer from then-WCW boss Jim Herd, and using that dollar amount to leverage the deal he wanted from McMahon. Soon after, Piper was back on the house show circuit, working with Ted Dibiase on a run through California.
4. Rick Martel Was Nearly Denied Entry Into The US
One of the more memorable occurrences on the show was the dissolution of Strike Force. Martel was accidentally struck by partner Tito Santana, and a pride-hurt Martel deserted him, leaving Santana to get pounced on by The Brain Busters. The angle was well-executed, and breathed life into Martel, who found his calling as a preening priss soon to be known as "The Model". As it turns out, there was a very real danger of the angle not taking place.
French-Canadian Martel had found it onerous to get back into the States in time for WrestleMania, having to work out visa issues. Fortunately, everything was settled in the nick of time, and the heel turn was able to take place without a hitch
3. Bobby Heenan Was Legitimately Injured By The Ultimate Warrior
There have been many stars of yesteryear that had little patience for the Warrior for one reason or another. Heenan's made his feelings known about the face-painted muscleman, dismissing him as a buffoon with no idea what he was doing inside the ring. "The Brain" has some insight into what Warrior could do between the ropes, based on first-hand experience.
When Heenan aided Rick Rude in his upset victory over Intercontinental Champion Warrior, the post-match angle was to see Warrior assault the manager in an act of riled-up revenge. Sure enough, Warrior picked Heenan up into his trademark gorilla press, but dropped him awkwardly. Heenan's neck had been bothering him for years, and the fall only exacerbated the residual pain he felt until finally having much-needed surgery in the mid-nineties.
2. WWF Snuck A 900-Number Commercial Onto Clash Of The Champions' Broadcast
More than likely, you've seen TNA commercials during episodes of Raw before. All is fair in love and war, after all. Nobody seemed to love harassing the competition more than Vince McMahon and WWE, as the 1980s territorial conquest proved. When WCW ran a free Ric Flair-Ricky Steamboat two-out-of-three falls match for the championship of the world on cable, opposite WrestleMania 5, McMahon struck back.
Shortly after the thrilling conclusion in which Steamboat retained the gold, the block of ensuing commercials on TBS included one paid for by WWE, promoting a 900 number that one could call to obtain WrestleMania results. You know those numbers, where you pay by the minute. It wasn't like there was widespread internet for getting results back then, so if you wanted to know who won Hogan vs. Savage, you may as well fork over some cash to Uncle Vinnie. Quite a hearty middle finger at Turner, isn't it?
1. Savage Lost The Belt, Despite Selling Out Arenas As Heel Champion
In hindsight, it's hard to envision WrestleMania 5 without the designed hero standing tall. It's the WWE way most of the time, to give its audience a happy ending that fits the story they want to tell. Hogan felling Savage to recapture the gold was as inevitable as sunrise.
There are those who argue that Savage should've retained the belt, perhaps with a DQ finish, as it made good business sense. After "Macho Man" turned on Hogan, the shows headlined by Savage in the ensuing weeks sold out, whether he was working heel-vs-heel matches with Bad News Brown, or champion-vs-champion bouts with Warrior. Boston, St. Louis, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York are just some of the cities where detestable Savage proved to be a true headliner.
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