10 Precise Turning Points Where WWE Did The Impossible

4. Randy Savages Fails Upwards

WWE Raw Sami Zayn Jey Uso
WWE.com

At WrestleMania IV, Randy Savage experienced the highlight of professional career on WWE's grandest stage.

Victorious in a one-night single elimination tournament for the vacant WWE Championship, Savage was a made man by virtue of the spot, and used the evening to kick off a programme that'd nail down a lifelong industry legacy as a result. One sharp glance at Hulk Hogan during the celebrations alongside Elizabeth kicked off a year of them, culminating in an epic title match featuring the same three in the same building one year later. The programme was box office WWE didn't know could be possible after theoretically peaking with Hogan/Andre The Giant two years prior...but it almost didn't happen.

On the very same night 'The Hulkster' was screwed out of the WWE Championship by Ted Dibiase, Andre and the "evil twin" referee, Savage was supposed to dethrone Intercontinental titleholder The Honky Tonk Man. Honky Tonk just wasn't feeling it, leaving Savage out of luck and out of contention.

To make good and continue making Savage the babyface star, Vince McMahon decided to rocket-strap him with the richest prize instead. Planned winner Ted Dibiase was shunted into the losing finalist's spot, and the Mega Powers Explosion was placed into motion from what was thought to be the Macho Man's greatest triumph.

In this post: 
Jey Uso
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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