Greatest Videos Eeeeeever: WM8 Flair vs. Savage

We stepped away from reliving Wrestlemania moments last week to celebrate 3:16. This week we’re getting back to the “Granddaddy of Them All” with a look at Wrestlemania VIII. The card was filled with future champions and Hall of Famers. The first 3 matches saw Shawn Michaels beat El Matador, Bret Hart capture the Intercontinental Title from Rowdy Roddy Piper and The Undertaker extend his Wrestlemania win streak from 1-0 to 2-0. But the most heated battle of the night was Macho Man Randy Savage getting a shot at WWF Champion Ric Flair. That brings us to this week’s Greatest Videos Eeeeeever…

Title: Best Promo Ever ! Ric Flair Mr. Perfect Macho Man – Wrestlemania 8
Views: 158,633
Uploaded by alexshirili

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlBcsC1v8wA]

The Story

Wrestlemania is as much about the hype as it is the match. If a match was in the middle of the card, it could be a candidate to steal the show. If it had too much hype however, it could easily be a disappointment. Flair and Savage at ‘Mania VIII had the build-up, had the hype and it still stole the show. That’s because it was a mid-card match despite the fact that the WWF World Championship was on the line! Amazingly, this classic wasn’t even supposed to happen.

Hogan was the champion when Ric Flair arrived in WWF. It seemed inevitable that the two legends would meet, but before Flair could challenge for the title, Hogan was stripped of it and began to discuss taking a hiatus from WWF to make movies. Vince knew he’d have to keep the belt off of Hogan, but he also knew Hogan wouldn’t be happy ending his WWF on a losing streak. Flair ended up winning the vacated title when he won the Royal Rumble in 1992. A week after the Rumble, Hogan vs. Flair was announced as the WM8 main event despite the uncertainty of Hogan’s future.

Once it became evident that Hogan was really going to leave, Vince called an audible. Sid had eliminated Hogan in the Rumble, so there was grounds for tension between the two. Their Wrestlemania match was solidfied when Sid walked out on Hogan during a tag match vs. Flair and Undertaker. That left the Nature Boy without a Wrestlemania opponent. That’s where 1992’s most memorable feud began.

Flair started making claims that he had ‘been with’ Ms. Elizabeth, Macho Man Randy Savage’s valet and real life wife. Enraged by this, Savage challenged Flair to a match at Mania VIII. That night the two men put on a clinic in front of 62,000 fans. In a shocking ending, Savage pulled out the win. The video above occurred right after the match and the two continued this feud until Survivor Series!

Conclusion

It’s rare to see a feud continue on after Mania but Flair and Savage’s interviews after the match showed that this battle was just beginning. The fact that the bad blood continued even after Savage had dropped the title to Flair and Flair had dropped it to Hart shows just how well received the rivalry was. High quality matches and intense exchanges are what make wrestling great. It’s why we watch. Flair and Savage gave that to us each and every time their paths crossed.

5 out of 5 El Matador Action Figures