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Listing The Best Matches From All 35 WrestleManias

By Brandon Slone

WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston. Photo Credit: WWE.com
WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston. Photo Credit: WWE.com /
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ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 03: Ted DiBiase attends the 2011 WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Philips Arena on April 3, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 03: Ted DiBiase attends the 2011 WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Philips Arena on April 3, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images) /

WrestleMania IV: “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase (WWE Championship Match)

WrestleMania IV was yet another experiment. Rather than the series of grudge matches that would typically make up a WWE pay-per-view, the show was dominated by a tournament for the WWE Championship, which had been declared vacant following the controversial finish of the match between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant at “The Main Event.”

The finals of the tournament saw “Macho Man” Randy Savage, a recently minted babyface, taking on dastardly heel “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, the man whose actions had led to the title’s vacancy in the first place. What followed was hardly a spectacular bout, but it was a more than solid addition to the WrestleMania canon.

The third longest match on a 16 match card at less than ten minutes, Savage entered as the underdog, having gone through 3 other opponents earlier in the night, while DiBiase had received a bye in the second round. In addition, DiBiase had an enforcer at ringside in the form of Andre the Giant. The reaction when Ms. Elizabeth retrieved equalizer Hulk Hogan can best be described as raucous.

After attempted interference from Andre, and a distracted referee, the Hulkster entered the ring and decked “The Million Dollar Man” with a steel chair, allowing Savage to ascend the top rope and hit his patented diving elbow drop for the victory.

The image of Hogan, Savage, and Elizabeth celebrating at the show’s close is iconic, and sowed the first seeds for the finest match from the next year’s WrestleMania.