Hulk Hogan v Randy Savage (Lumberjack Match) (WWF, 2/17/86)
This is still a blast. I had it as the 99th best match in WWE history during a WWE matches poll way back forever ago, and at this point I feel like Savage v Hogan is pretty much a can't fail prospect as a match up. The early Savage/Hogan matches are my favourite and I thought this was the best of them. Hogan comes in with a big bandage around his waist from the recent Bundy angle, but early on he throws Savage around and doesn't appear to be hampered by it. Savage works super small here and it doesn't feel like he really has a chance of winning. He takes over when Hogan ends up on the floor and Bundy and Muraco squash him against the post. When he rolls back in I love how Savage just throws him back out immediately so Bundy can squash him again. It's hard to argue with the strategy. After that Savage goes for the ribs and hits a couple top rope axe handles to the midsection. There was one point where Savage had unwrapped Hogan's bandage and was using it to walk him around the ring like a dog, putting the boots to him before hitting another top rope axe handle. Savage even landed on his knees off that one and it's no wonder his legs were shot to pieces a decade later. I also liked how Hogan would make a point of not kicking out of pin attempts, but rather shrugging his shoulder out at the last second, basically rolling out and looking like it was a struggle to even do that. Savage's top rope elbow being a catalyst for the Hulk Up is the sort of thing that might drive people crazy and I must concur that there was probably a better way to go about it. The set up for the legdrop was cool though, with Steele tripping Savage from the floor to further their own feud.
Randy Savage v Hulk Hogan (Wrestlemania V, 4/2/89)
This wasn't as good. It's certainly different and they get much more time to work with, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. 9-12 minutes feels like the sweet spot for them. Savage stalls early and I'll always get a kick out of Randy Savage stalling. Savage is wound up like a 10-day clock, twitchy and ready to snap but unwilling to engage unless it's on his terms. Hogan grasses him up to the referee for bailing, because of course Hogan would grass you up to the referee. Hebner's like "Hulk mate I'm a terrible referee but also I can see him and what do you want me to do?" Hogan wins the early exchanges with his strength advantage and even does a swank hammerlock takedown that Fujinami probably showed him, so Savage goes to the armbar and yanks Hogan's flowing wisps to keep him on the mat. There was one bit where Savage must've been holding Hogan's hair for about eight seconds trying to pull him to the deck and Hogan was shouting in Hebner's face like "any chance you could check him there, buddy?" and Hebner did not move once inch. I'm honestly astounded Gorilla never called him a disgrace to his profession. I still don't know what caused it but Hogan gets a cut above his eye and I liked that Savage went after it a little. Nothing overt, no biting or blood-drinking (unfortunately), but he'd rip at it once or twice and throw a few punches to the cut. When he hits his axe handle to the floor - from 20 feet in the air, according to Gorilla - Hogan hits his throat off the rail, so Savage goes after that for a minute as well. A two-pronged attack, very much the precursor to King's Road. It was decent, even if the lengthy choking segment was a wee bit goofy. The stuff with Elizabeth didn't actually feel overbearing. She checks on Savage a couple times and Savage is having none of it, even after she outright stops Hogan from ramming Savage into the ring post. Then she checks on Hogan and Savage is apoplectic and Hebner throws a rager and tells her to leave ringside. He got right in her face about it as well, like this was Fuji or Heenan getting up to no good. If the elbow drop being a catalyst for the Hulk Up was bad before then it could be argued that this one is EGREGIOUS. Elbow drop, kick out, Hulk Up, boot, legdrop. When it comes crashing down and it hurts inside.
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