The Colossal Connection vs Demolition (WWF, 4-1-1990)

Event: WWF WrestleMania VI, Toronto, ON

Andre and Haku, already in the ring without a televised entrance, jump the challengers before the bell, Andre dumping Ax to the floor and leaving Haku to start with Smash.

Demolition are attempting to become three-time WWF tag team champions with this match, and they have some advantages on paper, namely being the more experienced team, with better continuity, as Gorilla Monsoon points out.

Andre is tough to watch at this stage. Well, he’d been tough to watch for a few years. WrestleMania III was really his last stand, and after that he was basically the walking dead. His rematch with Hogan at WrestleMania IV was miserable, his match with Jake Roberts at WrestleMania V was painful, and now you have him here, in what is really his last stand, one-half of the tag team champions with Haku, a man noted later by Bobby Heenan to be one of two men he know of that Andre feared. (The other was Harley Race.)

It’s always interesting to watch Demolition work babyface, because they were a better heel team in their work, but people just loved them. Haku has to carry everything for his side, because Andre just can’t do much of anything anymore, so it’s Haku dominating Smash and then Ax, with Heenan getting a shot in on Ax, and Andre headbutting Ax from the apron. Poor Ax is being beaten pillar to post, and the champs are cutting the ring in half.

Haku works on the trapezius. The crowd tries to encourage Ax to get out of this and make the hot tag to Smash, but not time yet. Haku takes a foot swipe at Smash, then leaves Ax in the corner to get choked by Andre’s tag rope, goading Smash into distracting the referee further. Smash is a real fuck-up right now.

I dig Haku’s chop to the thigh of Ax. Leg work like that could be used more in wrestling. I mean we’ve all taken a shot to the thigh or calf, even if just by accident. That shit’ll put you down. But I guess it’s not flashy — maybe Tim Thatcher can work in some thigh chops going forward.

Smash gets the hot tag finally, and he is on fire. Haku not only has to do all the offense, but take all the offense from Demolition, too. This is really a pretty heroic effort from Haku, considering he was never “a worker” in a major sense, either. Andre stumbles in, eats a double clothesline, and falls back into the corner. Demolition now in total control.

But then Andre comes up from behind, grabs Smash, holds him for Haku, and Haku accidentally kicks Andre in the chin. The Giant does his “tied in the ropes” bit off of that, and Heenan can’t free him quickly enough. Demolition hit their finish on Haku, three count, and the SkyDome goes banana, 65,000 strong.

Past the Demolition win, the big moment comes when Heenan gets in the hobbled Giant’s face after the match. It works as well as it does because Andre is so clearly in real pain, so clearly trying his best while his body fails him, that we feel for Andre just looking at the hurt on his face.

Heenan slaps Andre, who grabs Heenan by the jacket and shows some rage. Andre paintbrushes Heenan (which is what Gorilla calls it, and has stuck with me for decades), then turns around and Haku tries to put him down with another kick. Andre catches it, chops the shit out of Haku, headbutts him, and we’ve got Andre back to being the hero again, as he deserved to go out. He famously tosses Heenan and Haku from the cart and rides it back alone, standing tall once more.

Rating: 2.5/5. Partly for Demolition and Haku doing their best to have a good match around Andre’s inability to work at all anymore, partly for the great moment after the match. It’s memorable, even if it’s not a classic by any means. Truly a WrestleMania Moment in the end, both for Demolition and Andre.