To be honest I've got no idea if this was actually billed as a double main event show, but it certainly should have been. The build to both big matches: Randy Savage vs The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan vs Sgt Slaughter started at the Royal Rumble. On that night Sgt Slaughter defeated The Ultimate Warrior to win the WWE Championship thanks to Savage, who knocked out Warrior with his King's sceptre. Hogan had won the Royal Rumble, and even though that didn't officially lead to a title shot back in 1991, it certainly gave the rarely beaten and in form Hogan a claim to a title match, which he would receive tonight.
So it was Savage/ Warrior, with the loser forced to retire and The Real American Hulk HOgan taking on Iraqi sympathiser Sgt Slaughter. This show was considered a financial disappointment at the time it happened, though fans in nearly twenty years on can't complain as it gave us one of the greatest matches in WWE history.
The early matches saw The Rockers: Shawn Micheals and Marty Janetty defeating Barbarian and Haku with Bobby Heenan at ringside in an entertaining opener. Next up former Intercontinental Champion Kerry Von Erich defeated Dino Bravo in a short match, and the British Bulldog, on his own after being in a tag team with Dynamite Kid for years, defeated The Warlord in a slow match.
Next up saw the brawling Nasty Boys defeat the Hart Foundation, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart, to win the WWE Tag Team Titles. This was a fun match. The Nasty Boys weren't great technical wrestlers but were rather good at kicking people's asses, which is what they did here.
Next up Jake Roberts defeated Rick Martel in a blindfold match. A risky match type, to say the least from an entertainment perspective. The Undertaker then defeated Superfly Jimmy Snuka in what looked like a fairly meaningless match at the time, but turned out to be the start of the Undertaker's long Wrestlemania undefeated streak.
Next came the first really big match on the card as The Ultimate Warrior, in arguably the best match of his career, defeated Randy Savage in an absorbing, outstanding contest. There were near falls aplenty, and both guys projected extremely well that their careers were on the line here. Savage turned on Queen Sherri after the match. He would be back wrestling within six months, while the Warrior would soon be gone, back, and then gone again.
Tenryu and Kitao then defeated Demolition Ax and Smash in a match I have no recollection of. Mr Perfect retained the IC Title after getting disqualified against the Big Bossman., and Erathquake defeated Greg Valentine.
Next up saw the Legion of Doom Hawk and Animal, better known as the great NWA Tag Team the Road Warriors defeat Power and Glory Hercules and Paul Roma, in their first Wrestlemania appearance.
Ted DiBiase's former slave Virgil, now emancipated then defeated Ted DiBiase by count out, bringing the house down. Classic stuff. This was followed by the Mountie, formerly Jacques Rougeau, with Jimmy Hart defeating Tito Santana in a charmless squash.
Finally comes the main event, in which "The Real American" Hulk Hogan defeated Iraqi Sympathiser Sgt Slaughter. Overcoming the unpatriotic tool and his offsider General Adnan in a decent match. Slaughter controlled most of it, really focusing on Hogan's back before Hogan hulked up, hit the leg drop and got the pin.
Hulkamania was back, sort of. But this would be a weaker, short lived and less successful version than the 1984-1990 variety. There was just something missing from Hulkamania in 1991.
So it was Savage/ Warrior, with the loser forced to retire and The Real American Hulk HOgan taking on Iraqi sympathiser Sgt Slaughter. This show was considered a financial disappointment at the time it happened, though fans in nearly twenty years on can't complain as it gave us one of the greatest matches in WWE history.
The early matches saw The Rockers: Shawn Micheals and Marty Janetty defeating Barbarian and Haku with Bobby Heenan at ringside in an entertaining opener. Next up former Intercontinental Champion Kerry Von Erich defeated Dino Bravo in a short match, and the British Bulldog, on his own after being in a tag team with Dynamite Kid for years, defeated The Warlord in a slow match.
Next up saw the brawling Nasty Boys defeat the Hart Foundation, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart, to win the WWE Tag Team Titles. This was a fun match. The Nasty Boys weren't great technical wrestlers but were rather good at kicking people's asses, which is what they did here.
Next up Jake Roberts defeated Rick Martel in a blindfold match. A risky match type, to say the least from an entertainment perspective. The Undertaker then defeated Superfly Jimmy Snuka in what looked like a fairly meaningless match at the time, but turned out to be the start of the Undertaker's long Wrestlemania undefeated streak.
Next came the first really big match on the card as The Ultimate Warrior, in arguably the best match of his career, defeated Randy Savage in an absorbing, outstanding contest. There were near falls aplenty, and both guys projected extremely well that their careers were on the line here. Savage turned on Queen Sherri after the match. He would be back wrestling within six months, while the Warrior would soon be gone, back, and then gone again.
Tenryu and Kitao then defeated Demolition Ax and Smash in a match I have no recollection of. Mr Perfect retained the IC Title after getting disqualified against the Big Bossman., and Erathquake defeated Greg Valentine.
Next up saw the Legion of Doom Hawk and Animal, better known as the great NWA Tag Team the Road Warriors defeat Power and Glory Hercules and Paul Roma, in their first Wrestlemania appearance.
Ted DiBiase's former slave Virgil, now emancipated then defeated Ted DiBiase by count out, bringing the house down. Classic stuff. This was followed by the Mountie, formerly Jacques Rougeau, with Jimmy Hart defeating Tito Santana in a charmless squash.
Finally comes the main event, in which "The Real American" Hulk Hogan defeated Iraqi Sympathiser Sgt Slaughter. Overcoming the unpatriotic tool and his offsider General Adnan in a decent match. Slaughter controlled most of it, really focusing on Hogan's back before Hogan hulked up, hit the leg drop and got the pin.
Hulkamania was back, sort of. But this would be a weaker, short lived and less successful version than the 1984-1990 variety. There was just something missing from Hulkamania in 1991.