1988: Every WWF Championship Match, Ranked According To Cagematch

When 1988 began, Hulk Hogan was still the WWF Champion. After holding the belt for over four years, Hogan's first title reign finally ended at The Main Event in February, when he lost to Andre the Giant. The giant tried to sell the championship to 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase immediately afterwards, but WWF President Jack Tunney refused to acknowledge DiBiase's reign. Instead, the championship was vacated and there was a tournament to decide the new champion at WrestleMania 4. The three men involved in the title picture at the time (Hogan, Andre and DiBiase) were the favorites to win, but someone else rose up to the occasion.

RELATED: 10 Best WWF Championship Matches Of Hulk Hogan's First Reign, Ranked According To Cagematch

'Macho Man' Randy Savage scored four victories in one night and walked out of 'Mania as the new champion after defeating The Million Dollar Man in the final. Savage would hold the prestigious championship for one year, successfully defending it against several challengers while also forming the Mega Powers tag team with Hulk Hogan. As of this writing, there are seven televised WWF Championship matches from 1988 rated on Cagematch; in this article, we'll revisit those bouts and find out which was the greatest, according to fans' votes!

WWF Champions In 1988	Televised Defenses In 1988	Number Of Successful Defenses
Hulk Hogan	2	1
Andre The Giant	0	0
Randy Savage	20	20

Note: The following Cagematch ratings are updated as of October 9, 2025.

7. Randy Savage Vs. One Man Gang (WWF Saturday Night's Main Event #16 - April 30)

Cagematch Rating: 5.04

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Randy Savage	One Man Gang	Singles Match	6:03	Randy Savage	5.04

Randy Savage won four tournament matches to capture the vacant World Wrestling Federation Championship at WrestleMania 4. His victories over Butch Reed (first round), Greg Valentine (quarter-finals) and Ted DiBiase (final) all came via pinfall. The only man not pinned by the Macho Man at Trump Plaza was One Man Gang, who was disqualified in their semi-final bout after his manager, Slick, got involved. As a result, Gang got a title shot at the following edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, which aired one month after 'Mania.

While their six-minute match was fairly basic, it helped establish Savage as a fighting champion early in his title reign. Slick did everything he could to ensure his man walked out of Saturday Night's Main Event as the new champion, but 'The Doctor of Style' ultimately missed with his cane and struck his own client instead. Savage capitalized, hitting his classic Flying Elbow Drop to finally pin the future Akeem and retain his WWF Title before moving on to bigger and better things as champion.

6. Randy Savage Vs. Ted DiBiase (WWF WrestleMania 4)

Cagematch Rating: 5.47

Defending Champion	Challengers	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
None (Vacant Title)	Randy Savage & Ted DiBiase	Tournament Final Singles Match	9:27	Randy Savage	5.47

The main event of WrestleMania 4 has received mixed reviews on Cagematch over the years, partly because the event had already dragged on for hours by that point. Additionally, the focus of the match was split between the in-ring action and the outside shenanigans involving Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Miss Elizabeth. However, Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase deserve all the credit for delivering a strong performance (at least from a technical standpoint) especially considering it was their fourth and third matches of the night, respectively.

Randy Savage ultimately overcame the chaos after Hulk Hogan came out to save the day. Macho Man was the brand new WWF Champion, but more importantly, The Mega Powers had just been created. That was the message the company wanted to send, as Macho Man's first title defense on pay-per-view wouldn't take place until... WrestleMania 5! While the match with DiBiase was solid from start to finish, it was overshadowed by a lot of things. The pair actually had a better one at Saturday Night's Main Event a few weeks before WrestleMania. Check it out here!

5. Hulk Hogan Vs. Andre The Giant (WWF The Main Event - February 5)

Cagematch Rating: 5.64

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Hulk Hogan	Andre The Giant	Singles Match	9:08	Andre The Giant	5.64

At WrestleMania 3, Hulk Hogan pinned Andre the Giant in the middle of the ring moments after slamming him in arguably the most iconic moment in wrestling history. However, early in the match, Andre fell on top of Hogan and nearly scored a three count. Bobby Heenan, Andre's manager, spent months complaining about a slow count from referee Joey Marella. It finally led to a rematch, which took place in February 1988 on The Main Event, a primetime special that aired on NBC and drew an astonishing 33 million viewers - a record for pro wrestling in North America.

Andre ended Hogan's 1,474-day reign as WWF Champion in one of the most controversial finishes of all time. After delivering a double-underhook suplex, Andre the Giant went for a cover. Hogan kicked out at one, but referee Dave Hebner kept counting despite Hogan's shoulder clearly being up. Moments later, a second "Dave Hebner" (Dave's twin brother, Earl) showed up and the commentators immediately claimed 'The Million Dollar Man' had orchestrated the entire setup, especially since Andre sold the championship to DiBiase afterwards. This was a true spectacle much like any other Hogan/Andre clash, and one that changed the landscape of WWF's main event picture going forward.

4. Randy Savage Vs. Andre The Giant (WWF Saturday Night's Main Event #18 - November 26)

Cagematch Rating: 5.79

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Result	Cagematch Rating
Randy Savage	Andre The Giant	Singles Match	8:51	Draw	5.79

As mentioned earlier, Randy Savage formed the Mega Powers alongside Hulk Hogan following WrestleMania 4. The main event of the inaugural SummerSlam saw the Mega Powers take on the Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase & Andre the Giant) in a huge tag team match with Jesse Ventura serving as the special guest referee. As a result of this feud, Savage defended the title in singles matches against both DiBiase and Andre during - and after - the build to SummerSlam '88.

Savage put his belt on the line against Andre at Saturday Night's Main Event in November. They delivered a fun match, especially considering Andre was struggling to move, let alone wrestle, at this point in his life. Naturally, the Macho Man did all the bumping and played the underdog against Andre, which elevated the match's overall quality. Eventually, Jake Roberts made his way to ringside, and the mere presence of his snake, Damien, threw Andre completely off his game. The match was ruled a draw a few moments later in a flat ending to an otherwise solid contest.

3. Randy Savage Vs. Andre The Giant (WWF On MSG Network - October 24)

Cagematch Rating: 6.50

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Randy Savage	Andre The Giant	Singles Match	6:59	Randy Savage (DQ)	6.50

Just a few weeks before the aforementioned clash at Saturday Night's Main Event, New York fans got an early preview of what would soon play out on television. On October 24, Randy Savage defended the World Wrestling Federation Championship against Andre the Giant at Madison Square Garden in a really entertaining contest that was even better than the Saturday Night's Main Event matchup.

As it usually happened in Andre's matches in the late 1980s, this was all about storytelling and the reaction from the passionate New York fans. Savage once again sold brilliantly and relied on his agility to stay one step ahead of the challenger's power, keeping the fans invested throughout. Bobby Heenan also did everything in his power to help Andre regain the championship, but it wasn't enough since Macho Man retained the title after another disqualification finish.

2. Randy Savage Vs. Bad News Brown (WWF On MSG Network - December 30)

Cagematch Rating: 7.39

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Randy Savage	Bad News Brown	Singles Match	9:54	Randy Savage	7.39

By the end of 1988, Randy Savage was just a couple of months away from turning heel ahead of his clash with Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania 5. One of Macho Man's final challengers as a babyface was the no-nonsense Bad News Brown, who faced Savage in some hard-hitting title matches. Arguably their best bout took place at Madison Square Garden on December 30, 1988.

Brown's brawling style and Savage's intensity meshed perfectly, and the result was a physical match that played to both men's strengths. Miss Elizabeth was a huge part of their brief storyline, and her concern at ringside while Brown dominated added extra drama. Macho Man ultimately picked up the win, closing the year as WWF Champion.

1. Randy Savage Vs. Ted DiBiase (WWF On MSG Network - June 25)

Cagematch Rating: 7.83

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Randy Savage	Ted DiBiase	Steel Cage Match	12:20	Randy Savage	7.83

Finally, the best WWF Championship match of 1988 according to Cagematch was the steel cage showdown between Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase at Madison Square Garden. The stipulation was there to prevent Virgil, The Million Dollar Man's bodyguard, from getting involved, but he kept preventing Savage from escaping the cage anyway. Fans and critics on Cagematch praise the match for its drama and tension, with the crowd hanging on every single escape attempt.

At one point, a fan actually climbed the cage to prevent Virgil from interfering - that's how wild the atmosphere was! Despite DiBiase's (and Virgil's) best efforts to steal the title, the champion overcame the odds and climbed out to retain the strap. This bout received an impressive ****1/2 rating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter back then, and whether you agree or disagree with that rating, it remains one of the best cage matches of the WWF's Golden Era.

Do you agree with these Cagematch ratings? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!