40 Years Of Fascinating WWE WrestleMania Facts (Part 1)
5. 'Mania VI - The Ultimate Warrior Was Sabotaged
WrestleMania VI was a night of firsts: it was the first flagpole event held outside of the United States, and was the first to promote a babyface versus babyface main event.
The idea was for Hulk Hogan to pass the torch to the Warrior, but given how it all turned out, Vince was probably better off selecting a transitional heel champion.
The match wasn't as compelling a purchase as the 'Mania V headliner - VI drew a disappointing 550,000 in comparison - and Warrior's run was probably doomed to underwhelm no matter how it was launched. Warrior had already ran through the same heels, he was significantly better on the chase, and he lacked the substance and deep connection with the crowd that Hogan possessed.
Hogan's antics in the post-match did not help, but then again, Hogan was the centre of attention two years earlier, and that did not prevent Randy Savage from succeeding at the box office subsequently. What happened was that, after a remarkable over-delivery of a match built on the idea that both men were incomparable, Warrior pinned Hogan. Hogan kicked out at 3.1 and looked skyward as if to remonstrate with God for denying him. It was a majestic bit of politicking; he did not lie on his back, symbolically, but rather dominated the entire screen with his histrionic posing. Warrior's victory was about Hogan's defeat.
Hogan did the "magnanimous" bit, and while you can't take his own unreliable narration seriously, he admitted in his own book that he did it to make himself look like the hero of the day.