There's a surprisingly rich history of wrestlers going from bust to boom and back again between WrestleManias, but King Kong Bundy's fall from grace was especially damning considering the scale of the Detroit crowd.
A year earlier, he'd taken on the industry's mainstream and cultural giant with much of the world watching. 12 months on, and with what literally looked like half of the universe in attendance, he took on men less than half 'The Hulkster's size.
Bundy the bully was as well cast as Hillbilly Jim was in the role of their protector, but Haiti Kid, Little Beaver, Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook's banter spots could only go so far before your sympathy is actually with Bobby Heenan's dilapidated monster.
He's not grunt and growl on the 'Grandest Stage' again for another eight years.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
