A new documentary is set to reveal the story behind one of WWE’s most infamous events.
On one level, WrestleMania IX set a prescient for the company, and in April 1993 became the first of the events to be held outdoors.
That, of course, is something that has been repeated by WWE five times since.
But despite boasting the likes of Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart on the card, WrestleMania IX was panned by fans and critics alike.
While the match between Undertaker and Giant Gonzalez was poorly received, and the overall theme of the ‘World’s Largest Toga Party’ was more than forgettable, much of the anger was directed towards Hogan’s shock title win.
The return of the Hulkster, who had departed the WWF following WrestleMania VIII in 1992, was major storyline both in and out of the ring.
A steroid scandal had hit the company hard, and Hogan took a leave of absence around the time, amid intense public scrutiny.
He returned to action in February 1993, teaming with Brutus Beefcake as the Mega-Maniacs to set up a match against the WWF Tag Team Champions, Money Inc.
While the Mega-Maniacs lost the tag team bout at WrestleMania IX, Hogan went on to have an impromptu, unadvertised 22-second match for the WWF Championship to close the show.
In what was expected to be the main event, Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart to win the gold.
Hogan then hit the ring, and Yokozuna’s manager Mr. Fuji challenged him to face his client immediately in an impromptu bout.
The returning star agreed and entered the ring, only for Fuji to try and throw salt in his eyes. But he missed, and the salt hit Yokozuna.
Hogan then performed a leg drop and pinned Yokozuna to win the title in less than 30 seconds.
Following all the chaos, WrestleMania IX received overwhelmingly negative reviews, and remains one of the strangest pro-wrestling spectacles of the 1990s.
Now, more than three decades on, WWE and Peacock are releasing a new documentary on the event.
Featuring never-before-seen footage from the archives, WrestleMania IX: Becoming a Spectacle follows the making of the show that aired from Las Vegas in 1993.
In a trailer, the likes of The Undertaker, Hart and longtime WWE producer Bruce Prichard all discuss the event, and the shock around Hogan’s comeback.
“I was told not to worry about him at all,” Hart says in one clip, before another voice suggested ‘all hell’s gonna break loose’ when it came to Hogan’s return and the uncertainty around the situation.
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“No one saw that coming,” Hart then adds.
As well as covering Hogan’s return, WrestleMania IX: Becoming a Spectacle will ‘pull back the curtain on the World’s Largest Toga Party’ with an in-depth look at both ‘the chaos outside Caesars Palace and the action inside the ring’.
The documentary is set to premiere on Peacock on April 11, ahead of WWE’s return to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 41.
