10 Surprising Last-Minute WWE WrestleMania Card Twists

In 1993, the idea of adding impromptu matches to a PPV card was pretty taboo, especially when talking about the main event.

But that’s exactly what happened 30 years ago in one of the most infamous plot twists in WrestleMania history.

Bret “Hitman” Hart defended the WWF Championship against Yokozuna in the main event of WrestleMania IX, the first Mania main event to feature Hulk Hogan in some capacity… or so we thought. Mr. Fuji managed to blind Hart with salt, allowing Yoko to beat Bret and win the world title. In another WrestleMania first, the heel had won the main event of WrestleMania.

But hold on a minute. Hogan came out to protest the chicanery, when Fuji started running down Hogan (who had lost a tag title match by DQ earlier in the night), inexplicably challenging Hulk to a title match right on the spot.

Hart waved Hogan on, and seconds later, Hulk ducked another Fuji salt toss and toppled Yokozuna to become world champion yet again, “main-eventing” his last Mania. The move ultimately would backfire in dramatic fashion, with Hogan ultimately losing the title back to Yoko that summer and leaving WWF for nearly nine years.