WrestleMania VIII

Infobox Wrestling event
name=WrestleMania VIII


tagline=The Macho/Flair Affair
promotion=World Wrestling Federation
date=April 5 1992
venue=Hoosier Dome
city=Indianapolis, Indiana
attendance=62,167
lastevent=Royal Rumble (1992)
nextevent=SummerSlam (1992)
event=WrestleMania
lastevent2=WrestleMania VII
nextevent2=WrestleMania IX

WrestleMania VIII was the eighth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on April 5 1992 at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the last WrestleMania to be held in a stadium until WrestleMania X-Seven. The Theme Song of this event is called "Worldwide Spectacle" by WWF's own Jim Johnston.

Production

Reba McEntire sang a rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the show. "Family Feud" host Ray Combs was a special guest ring announcer for the eight-man tag match.

A scheduled match between The British Bulldog and The Berzerker did not take place due to time restraints. The finish to the Justice-Hogan match actually did not occur as planned. The original plan was for Hogan to hit the leg drop on Justice and for Papa Shango to do a run in and break up the pin causing a disqualification. However, Papa Shango missed his cue and was late in getting down to the ring. Justice improvised by kicking out of the leg drop. From there, Earl Hebner would disqualify Justice when his manager, Harvey Wippleman, interfered. The Legion Of Doom were originally supposed to be the challengers for the Tag Team Championships but left the WWF briefly before returning at WrestleMania.

The original plan for the main event was the long awaited bout between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Title. The two had wrestled against each other in several house show matches and a televised tag match but never in a big money bout. Rumors persist that the 1990s "Steroid Scandal" forced a change in the main event booking. However, this has never been confirmed. For storyline purposes Sid Justice lobbied to wrestle Hulk Hogan due to tensions starting between that two that had began at that year's Royal Rumble. Interestingly, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair would finally have their long awaited pay per view match two years later. In 1994, Ric Flair had been back with WCW for over a year and Hulk Hogan had just signed a contract with the promotion. The two met for the WCW World Title at Bash at the Beach '94. Hulk Hogan would not only make his WCW debut against his dream opponent but he would also win the match. The two would then have a on/off again feud for the next six years.

Ric Flair was caught blading directly on camera and was fined several thousand dollars.

Results

Other on-screen talent

This was the last WrestleMania to feature Gorilla Monsoon as the play-by-play commentator.

References

* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm8/factsstats/ WrestleMania VIII Facts/Stats]

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm8/ The Official Website of WrestleMania VIII]