Later in this article, your writer will discuss how hard Bret Hart had worked to establish Yokozuna as a legitimate threat and future Champion, all to suffer heartbreak in defeat.
And it was all for this.
Hulk Hogan's "friend til the end" bullsh*t was all well and good with Brutus Beefcake, but the imagined kinship with 'The Hitman' that resulted in him taking a last-minute title match against new Champion Yoko was about as believable as his victory 22 seconds later.
If WrestleMania VIII's Hogan/Ultimate Warrior finale was a touch on the desperate side, this was - in every sense of the word - sad. Vince McMahon presumably regretted this decision within weeks once he'd gotten wind of 'The Hulkster' bantering off the belt in Japan, and though it sent the fans home happy, the same couldn't be said for Bret Hart and the colleagues left to make towns in Hulk's absence.
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
