40 Greatest Stories Wrestling Ever Told

The WWF had it all mapped out in 1988. They had the ideal storyline that'd see them through both WrestleManias IV and V. The Mega-Powers were going to come together, rock the house then explode and do even bigger business as rivals. Realistically, the product sorely needed Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage after a lacklustre tournament concept for 'Mania IV.

V had to be better, and it was.

Everyone played their role well. Hulk was mystified about the allegations coming his way from a super-paranoid Savage, and Miss. Elizabeth was in the middle innocently going about her business as an occasionally in-over-her-head cheerleading rep for 'Macho Man'. When she started to cheer just as loudly for Hogan, Randy got jealous. He pointed to the "lust" in Hulk's eyes for Liz.

The federation squeezed a few big matches out of their new Mega-Powers before the split. Most memorably, a main event showdown with Mega-Bucks duo Ted DiBiase and Andre The Giant at the first SummerSlam turned heads. Then, they fractured in February '89 ahead of WrestleMania V and a WWF Title bout between old partners that promised to make up for the prior year's fairly uninspired tourney.

Savage was on top form as a crazed madman wrecked by jealousy, but his finger-pointing did have some credibility. Meanwhile, Hogan claimed that Randy was losing his mind and blinded to the truth (that he and Elizabeth were just good friends) before both turned up in a big, big way at 'Mania.

All of this was done to elevate Savage and find a way to get the belt back on Hulk. It was superbly handled.