10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 4 Facts
Looking back at the pinnacle of The Macho Man.
WrestleMania III was to Jaws what WrestleMania IV was to Jaws 2: a seminal, genre-defining event followed by a wearying drop-off. Make no mistake, Macho Man Randy Savage's victory in the WWE World Championship tournament was a career-defining moment for an individual overqualified for the limelight. Sadly, Savage's ascendance into the realm of immortality did not take place on the best of shows.
Sixteen matches over the course of a four-hour show is enough to make your head spin, but at least WWE stuck the landing with the finish. To put it another way, imagine walking twenty miles, and at the end of it, you attend an unforgettable party. You'll always cherish the party, but geez, the walk was enough to sap your strength.
Even though WrestleMania IV was far from the greatest of shows, it holds up surprisingly well as a landmark of its time, boasting virtually every major WWE star of the Rock 'n' Wrestling Era (sans Piper, Orndorff, and Bundy), while showcasing some fresh faces in The Ultimate Warrior, Bam Bam Bigelow, Demolition, and the fastest rising heel in some time, 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted Dibiase.
It's certainly a night enriched with its share of stories and memories. Here are ten you may not have known.
10. "Trump Plaza" Was Actually Boardwalk Hall
You'll hear the name of the eventual forty-fifth President of the United States throughout WrestleManias IV and V, and "The Donald" popped up in the front row of both. Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura made copious references to the events taking place at Trump Plaza, but that's a wee bit untrue.
Trump Plaza was the name of a hotel/casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk that opened in 1984, while the event itself took place at Boardwalk Hall, site of future episodes of Raw and SmackDown, as well as an annual house show these days, usually in the weeks before WrestleMania.
So why was the show billed as being from "Trump Plaza"? Because Vince McMahon's old friend Trump sponsored both 'Manias IV and V, getting the "naming rights" in trade.