Today we will be taking a look back on one of the most historic moments in the history of professional wrestling: when the late great Macho Man Randy Savage attacked Hulk Hogan on February 3rd of 1989 during The Main Event as well as the events which led to Hogan getting hit in the head with the WWF Championship.
An alliance between Hogan and Savage began at the October 3, 1987 taping of Saturday Night’s Main Event. Savage was seeking to win the Intercontinental Championship from The Honky Tonk Man. When Savage hit his diving elbow drop finisher on Honky Tonk for the pin, The Hart Foundation came in and attacked Savage, getting Honky Tonk disqualified.
When Honky Tonk shoved Miss Elizabeth, who was trying to stop them, he ran away to the backstage area; meanwhile, Honky completed his attempt to break his guitar over Savage’s head. Shortly afterward, Elizabeth returned with Savage’s former rival Hulk Hogan, at the time WWF Champion, who came and saved Savage from the assault. Afterwards, Savage extended his hand in friendship to Hogan, who accepted and the three paraded around the ring with their hands adjoined. Later that night, Hogan stated that the combination of “Hulkamania” and “Macho Madness” may become the most powerful force in WWF history, that of course being the Mega Powers!
They officially formed as a tag team at WrestleMania 4, after Hogan helped Savage win the WWF Championship in a 14-man tournament. The tournament was made after Hogan lost the belt to Andre the Giant at The Main Event on February 5, 1988. Andre promptly sold the belt to “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, causing WWF President Jack Tunney to strip the big man of the belt.
Hogan and the Giant were both given byes in the first round of the tournament, fought to a double-disqualification in the quarterfinals. This had the side effect of giving Ted DiBiase a bye in the semifinals. Ultimately, Savage and DiBiase met in the final match of the tournament. The “Million Dollar Man” did all that he could to take out Savage but he couldn’t keep him down. Savage eventually went to Elizabeth, whispering something to her. She ran backstage, as the fans were trying to figure out what was going on.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth reemerged with Hogan. Andre and DiBiase were shocked by the turn of events. Hogan got revenge on DiBiase by hitting him in the back with a steel chair while Andre had distracted the referee by preventing Savage from getting to the ropes while locked in DiBiase’s Million Dollar Dream.Savage was able to hit his diving elbow drop finisher and got the three count. After the match, they celebrated as a group.
A few months later, with Hogan on leave of absence from the WWF and Savage feuding with DiBiase over the title. DiBiase and André attacked Savage during an interview segment, prompting Savage to challenge the two to a tag team match versus him and the partner of his choosing, which was accepted. Savage then revealed that his partner would be the returning Hogan. They let all wrestling fans know that they have become The Mega Powers and that they would meet The MegaBucks at SummerSlam. Hogan and Savage defeated them with the help of Miss Elizabeth who distracted them by revealing her undergarments.
However, problems between Savage and Hogan developed, however, in early 1989 after Hogan also took Elizabeth as his manager. Hogan did not need a manager at that stage in his career. Hulk Hogan had previously headlined three Wrestlemania’s in a row and was a former world champion when Hogan chose Miss Elizabeth as his manager. Logically there is no reason from a career standpoint, however that only really leaves Hulk with one reason he wanted her as his manager:the Hulkster wanted to be more then friends with her.
At the Royal Rumble Hogan eliminated Savage from the Royal Rumble match and they started to fight until Elizabeth separated them. While the winner of that years Royal Rumble would not have earned a championship match at Wrestlemania there is certainly bragging rights as well as the glory of victory, not to mention pride as well as Hogan clearly having eyes towards Savage’s woman. Savage was clearly upset after the event and rightfully so.
Things came to a full boil on NBC’s prime-time special, The Main Event, when the two wrestled The Twin Towers. During the match, Akeem threw Savage out of the ring. Savage was thrown onto Elizabeth, knocking her unconscious.
Hogan saw what happened and carried Elizabeth from the ring to the medical area. However, by doing this he left his tag team partner high and dry against Akeem and the Big Boss Man. Not only that, but medical assistance would’ve come out and given Elizabeth the help she needed. Once again, Hogan did this solely because he was lusting after her.
When Elizabeth was revived, she implored a distraught Hogan to return to the ring to help Savage, who had been left to fight the two big men on his own for several minutes. This shows that she not only thought Hogan was wrong for walking out on Macho Man, but that she was loyal to Randy.
Hogan eventually made his way back to ring side, where he should have been all along, and called for the tag however Savage slapped him in the face. After some words to a confused Hogan, Randy took his World Title belt, and stormed back to the locker room. Hulk Hogan defeated The Twin Towers by himself. After the match, Hogan went to check on Elizabeth. Macho Man was back there too, who was caught in mid-tirade yelling to Elizabeth that as world champion he was tired of taking a backseat to both Hogan and Elizabeth in the Mega Powers pecking order. Upon Hogan’s arrival, Savage turned his frustration to him, accused Hogan of trying to steal Elizabeth from him, and manipulate the belt away from him. Hogan implored Elizabeth to try and talk some sense into him before Savage attacked him by hitting him in the face with the title belt,
sealing the end to their partnership and beginning their feud, which culminated in a match that many say is one of the best matches in Wrestlemania history.