On this day March 27 1988 one of the most memorable head to head moments in wrestling history took place as the WWF and NWA went to war for television ratings. WWF aired WrestleMania IV live on pay per view while the NWA countered with Clash of the Champions airing free on TBS.
WrestleMania IV featured a one night tournament for the vacant WWF Heavyweight Championship which ended with Randy Macho Man Savage defeating Ted DiBiase to win the title. Meanwhile NWA’s Clash of the Champions delivered an epic main event between Ric Flair and a young Sting in a 45 minute time limit draw that turned Sting into a breakout star. This showdown marked a turning point in the rivalry between the two major wrestling promotions and set the tone for the intense battles to come during the Monday Night Wars years later.
Fun fact: The NWA aired Clash of the Champions for free as a direct move to hurt WrestleMania’s pay per view buys and it worked—drawing over 5 million viewers on TBS.
Trivia question: Who was the special guest announcer for the main event at WrestleMania IV?
WrestleMania IV featured a one night tournament for the vacant WWF Heavyweight Championship which ended with Randy Macho Man Savage defeating Ted DiBiase to win the title. Meanwhile NWA’s Clash of the Champions delivered an epic main event between Ric Flair and a young Sting in a 45 minute time limit draw that turned Sting into a breakout star. This showdown marked a turning point in the rivalry between the two major wrestling promotions and set the tone for the intense battles to come during the Monday Night Wars years later.
Fun fact: The NWA aired Clash of the Champions for free as a direct move to hurt WrestleMania’s pay per view buys and it worked—drawing over 5 million viewers on TBS.
Trivia question: Who was the special guest announcer for the main event at WrestleMania IV?
