WrestleMania 31 is drawing near and soon more history will be added to the most epic wrestling tradition ever created. The event has given the WWE Universe three decades of unforgettable moments, classic matches and memories that will last a lifetime.
Countdown to WrestleMania 31: 3 Best Moments from WrestleMania VI
Over the next month, Sports World News will delve into each of the first 30 WrestleMania events as part of a special countdown to WrestleMania 31 on March 29 at Levi's Stadium in California.
After a patriotic installment in an arena setting in 1991, WrestleMania VIII saw the WWE go back to a large stadium environment in a card that was headlined by a double main event featuring Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice and "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair for the WWE Championship.
Countdown to WrestleMania 31: 3 Best Moments from WrestleMania VII
The eighth annual WrestleMania took place live from the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis in front of 62,167 fans on April 5, 1992.
Here are our three best moments from WWE WrestleMania VIII:
3) Hart of Gold: In 1992, Bret "Hitman" Hart began to branch out as a singles star and wanted to win the Intercontinental Championship back against title holder "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
The two decided to settle the score at WrestleMania VIII in a rare moment where two babyfaces went head-to-head over the gold.
The match was a classic that lasted over 13 minutes and saw Piper use some heel tactics throughout the bout to make sure the crowd's support wasn't split. Bret was busted open during the contest in a time where the WWE had a policy that Superstars weren't allowed to bleed.
Hart won the match after Piper opted not to cheat and hit him with the ring bell when the referee was knocked out.
The "Hitman" eventually reversed a sleeper hold into a pinning combination to become a two-time Intercontinental Champion in one of the best I.C. title matches in WrestleMania history.
2) The Warrior Returns: The Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice match wasn't a classic by any stretch, but it did lead to the return of The Ultimate Warrior.
This was dubbed as Hogan's farewell match, though he'd be back, and he took on Sid after the two had a falling out at the 1992 Royal Rumble.
The finish was supposed to see Papa Shango come out on behalf of Sid and draw the DQ, but he missed his cue and Sid was forced to improvise and kick out of Hogan's leg drop. Shango eventually made it to the ring to draw the DQ and the two heels began to beat Hogan down.
Then, out of nowhere, a familiar sound blazed over the arena as The Ultimate Warrior's music began to play and he ran out frantically to the ring to save Hogan.
The show ended with Hogan and Warrior -- WrestleMania opponents two years prior -- celebrating as fireworks went off.
It marked The Warrior's first appearance since being fired following SummerSlam 1991 while Hogan took a hiatus following this event.
1) The Macho/Flair Affair: Randy Savage had some issues with WWE Champion Ric Flair heading into WrestleMania VIII as not only did Savage want his belt, but "The Nature Boy" claimed to have an affair with Savage's wife Elizabeth in storyline.
Originally, the WWE planned on a Hogan vs. Flair match, but it was scrapped with the most common explanation being the two didn't click on house shows.
This all led to Savage and Flair battling in Indiana at the "Show of Shows" for the title. Much like Savage's bout with Steamboat, he and Flair meticulously planned out their match and while it's not as highly regarded as the contest at WrestleMania III, it was still an epic encounter.
The back-and-forth match saw Flair blade himself on camera -- and subsequently get fined heavily -- and had a great pace throughout it, leading to the climax of Elizabeth coming out to help support Savage.
In the end, Savage rolled Flair up to end a match that lasted over 18 minutes to win his second and final WWE Championship. It was another crowning moment for Savage and his last truly great WrestleMania match.
The only shame was that this match was held in the middle of the card and not saved for the main event.
Looking Ahead: WrestleMania VIII was a good event for the most part, but the WWE was about to produce the most polarizing WrestleMania in history as the company was set to go outside in Las Vegas for the biggest toga party ever.
Rank-O-Mania: As we go through each year, we will rank each WrestleMania as it comes along. WrestleMania VIII was one of the better ones of the first eight installments and finds its place in between WrestleMania III and VII in our rankings:
1) WrestleMania VI
2) WrestleMania III
3) WrestleMania VIII
4) WrestleMania VII
5) WrestleMania V
6) WrestleMania IV
7) WrestleMania I
8) WrestleMania 2
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