The first half of the winners’ bracket had some surprises, as the lower-seeded wrestler prevailed in five of the eight matches. The #5 and #8-seeded wrestlers were among those sent to the losers’ bracket. 28th-seeded Bam Bam Bigelow provided the biggest upset.
Winners’ Bracket First Round matches:
(1) Hulk Hogan vs. (32) Curt Hennig: Hennig hit Hogan with everything he had. He landed back-to-back Perfect Plexes, and a short while later, a running forearm. Hogan kicked out each time, however. Hogan wore down Hennig, but despite being nearly out cold, Hennig managed to hit the Perfect Plex one more time. Still, he couldn’t keep down Hogan. A short while later, Hogan hit the leg drop to finish the match. Hogan def. Hennig by pinfall at 26:00.
(16) Paul Orndorff vs. (17) Kamala: Thanks to his manager’s interference, Kamala hit Orndorff with a big splash early, then landed two more to take an early advantage. Orndorff was able to get a piledriver in, but Kamala easily kicked out. Three more splashes and Orndorff didn’t have anything left. Kamala def. Orndorff by pinfall at 14:00.
(25) Hercules vs. (8) King Kong Bundy: Bundy hit Hercules with his finisher right at the start, but Hercules was able to power out of the pin. Hercules began to get his shots in. When the action moved outside of the ring, Hercules was able to dive back in just before the 10-count, while the slower Bundy didn’t make it in time. A first-round upset! Hercules def. Bundy by countout at 6:00.
(9) Ricky Steamboat vs. (24) Rick Martel: This one was over before it began. Steamboat put Martel down with a shot, then went to the top rope, where he hit the high crossbody and locked in the pin. Steamboat def. Martel by pinfall at 2:00.
(4) Randy Savage vs. (29) Bob Orton: Early in the match, the referee got bumped and was knocked unconscious. Orton hit Savage with his cast, and then covered Savage for the 1-2-3, but there was no referee there to see any of it. A second ref came out and the match continued. A brutal bout finally ended when Savage came off the top rope with his flying elbow. Savage def. Orton by pinfall at 25:00.
(20) Honky Tonk Man vs. (13) Greg Valentine: The one-time tag team partners were forced to square off thanks to the luck of the draw. Their matches turned into a classic. Both men were pushed to the limit. Momentum swung back and forth. Both got their finishers in early but without success. Action spilled to the outside and there was a double countout, but it was declared that the match would continue to the end. Valentine appeared to be on the verge of putting the Honky Tonk Man out, but the Shake, Rattle & Roll came out of nowhere and Valentine couldn’t get up. Honky Tonk Man def. Valentine by pinfall at 35:00.
(5) Ted DiBiase vs. (28) Bam Bam Bigelow: Bigelow got a few licks in, but DiBiase was in control for the entirety of the match. Nearing desperation time, Bigelow found a way to connect with his slingshot splash, knocking DiBiase out cold, and Bigelow pulled off the big, big upset. Bigelow def. DiBiase by pinfall at 15:00.
(12) Junkyard Dog vs. (21) Brutus Beefcake: A five-star match for certain! Both wrestlers were down to their last breath in this slugfest. Beefcake hit JYD with a couple of high knees that evened the match. JYD landed headbutt after headbutt, but couldn’t put Beefcake down for the count. Each wrestler put the other in a sleeperhold, only to escape. Punch after punch, kick after kick, until neither one had anything left, and both were searching for the finisher. Beefcake managed it first, slapping the sleeper onto JYD, and this one finally ended. Beefcake def. Junkyard Dog by submission at 36:00.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 