Royal Rumble (1989) - Aftermath

Aftermath

Royal Rumble became an important part in the breakup of The Mega Powers. Hulk Hogan accidentally eliminated Randy Savage from the match. On the February 3 edition of The Main Event, Hogan and Savage faced The Twin Towers (Akeem and The Big Boss Man) in a tag team match, filled with controversy. During the climax of the match, Akeem threw Savage onto Elizabeth and Hogan did not help Savage. Savage questioned what was happening but Hogan did not reply. Hogan picked and took her to the backstage. He left Savage alone in the ring to handle the Twin Towers. When Hogan came back Savage slapped him in the face, took the belt in his hand, and left. Hogan still managed to pick up the win, however, but afterward got into a heated argument with Savage backstage. Savage declared that Hogan was jealous of him, that he lusted after Elizabeth, and that he would defeat Hogan if it came to it for the belt. Hogan tried to talk sense into Savage but was unsuccessful as the Macho Man turned heel on his now former partner by attacking both him and Brutus Beefcake, who tried to intervene on Hogan's behalf. Hogan and Savage then began feuding with each other, which culminated in a match at WrestleMania V dubbed "The Mega Powers Explode" where Savage, who had won the WWF Championship over a year earlier at WrestleMania IV with Hogan in his corner, would defend against his former friend. Hogan defeated Savage to win the title ending Savage's reign of 371 days.