1989: Every WWF Championship Match, Ranked According To Cagematch

1988 marked the end of Hulk Hogan's legendary 1,474-day WWF Championship reign, and by the time 1989 began, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage was firmly established as the champion. The World Wrestling Federation Title scene was hotter than ever in the first quarter of '89, as tensions grew within the Mega Powers. Savage turned heel and that led to their iconic clash in the main event of WrestleMania 5, where The Hulkster regained the gold.

RELATED: 1988: Every WWF Championship Match, Ranked According To Cagematch

Hulk Hogan held the championship for the rest of the year - and beyond. Unfortunately, the WWF Championship was pushed to the sidelines from there, since Hulk Hogan's feud with Zeus dominated the second half of 1989. As of this writing, there are six televised WWF Championship matches from that year rated on Cagematch. In this article, we'll revisit each bout and see which one is considered the best by fans.

WWF Champions In 1989	Televised Defenses In 1989	Number Of Successful Defenses
Randy Savage	3	2
Hulk Hogan	8	8

Note: The following Cagematch ratings are updated as of October 13, 2025.

6. Hulk Hogan Vs. The Honky Tonk Man (WWF Saturday Night's Main Event #22 - July 29)

Cagematch Rating: 3.46

IMG credit: WWE

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Hulk Hogan	The Honky Tonk Man	Singles Match	6:14	Hulk Hogan	3.46

The Honky Tonk Man's name is synonymous with the Intercontinental Championship. Nearly a year after his record-setting IC Title reign (a record that would only be broken some 35 years later) came to an end, Honky got a rare opportunity to win the "big one" when he challenged Hulk Hogan for the World Wrestling Federation Championship at Saturday Night's Main Event in July.

While this was little more than an extremely basic 6-minute TV match, Hogan and Honky still managed to keep the crowd entertained while it lasted. Several Cagematch users acknowledged it as a fun bout, with JoeyBingBong calling it a "crowdpleaser", but many thought it followed the standard Hulk Hogan formula. That predictability ultimately dragged down the overall rating.

5. Hulk Hogan Vs. Ted DiBiase (WWF Saturday Night's Main Event #23 - October 14)

Cagematch Rating: 4.13

IMG credit: WWE

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Hulk Hogan	Ted DiBiase	Singles Match	8:00	Hulk Hogan	4.13

For a period of time in 1987 and 1988, Hulk Hogan vs Ted DiBiase was the hottest program the World Wrestling Federation had to offer. After all, The Million Dollar Man was a major reason why Hogan lost the title in the first place. By late '89, DiBiase found himself as a random Saturday Night's Main Event "challenger of the month" during Hogan's long program with Zeus.

Speaking of Zeus, the big man stormed out and interrupted what had been a pretty solid title bout up to that point. He even attacked Hogan right in front of the referee at one point, which somehow didn't result in a disqualification. In the end, Hogan managed to retain his WWF Championship thanks to a quick inside cradle.

4. Hulk Hogan Vs. The Genius (WWF Saturday Night's Main Event #24 - November 25)

Cagematch Rating: 6.40

IMG credit: WWE

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Hulk Hogan	The Genius	Singles Match	8:34	The Genius (count-out)	6.40

Everyone remembers Hulk Hogan's battles with Randy Savage in 1989, but The Hulkster also had an entertaining WWF Title bout with Savage's brother, Lanny 'The Genius' Poffo, in the same year. On paper, Hulk Hogan vs. The Genius (of all people) sounds like an extremely weird WWF Championship match.

In execution, they put on the perfect 'sports entertainment' match at Saturday Night's Main Event. The Genius did everything to distract the champion with his unique mannerisms, and Hogan sold it really well. The Genius was so annoying that Hogan finally snapped, and The Genius actually scored a (count-out) win over The Hulkster! It wasn't a classic, but it was undeniably fun from start to finish.

3. Hulk Hogan Vs. The Big Bossman (WWF Saturday Night's Main Event #21 - May 27)

Cagematch Rating: 6.62

IMG credit: WWE

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Hulk Hogan	The Big Bossman	Steel Cage Match	10:01	Hulk Hogan	6.62

Fresh off reclaiming the World Wrestling Federation Championship at WrestleMania 5, Hulk Hogan inside a steel cage with The Big Bossman for one of his most memorable title defenses. As a member of The Twin Towers tag team with Akeem, Bossman had wrestled Hogan a million times during the build to WrestleMania.

This match is obviously most remembered for Hogan delivering a massive superplex to Bossman off the top of the cage, a spot that WWF fans just weren't used to seeing at the time. Hogan escaped the cage and retained the title. However, the debuting Zeus made his presence felt at ringside and attacked the champion, starting their long program.

2. Hulk Hogan Vs. Randy Savage (WWF On Sky One - October 10)

Cagematch Rating: 6.86

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Hulk Hogan	Randy Savage	Singles Match	14:04	Hulk Hogan	6.86

Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage crossed paths several times in 1989. A match that hasn't been seen by many people was their clash on a UK-exclusive broadcast aired on Sky One in October. It only has 13 ratings on Cagematch as of this writing, but most fans who had seen it had a great time watching it, even though the Mega Powers explosion had cooled off and Savage was already the Macho King at this point.

It's easy to see why those who watched it had a great time, as any battle between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage carried significant weight in the Golden Era, whether it happened in the main event of WrestleMania or on a UK-exclusive show. If you've never seen this match - and I imagine most of you haven't - go ahead and give it a shot!

1. Randy Savage Vs. Hulk Hogan (WWF WrestleMania 5)

Cagematch Rating: 7.26

Defending Champion	Challenger	Stipulation	Time	Winner	Cagematch Rating
Randy Savage	Hulk Hogan	Singles Match	17:54	Hulk Hogan	7.26

Was there ever any doubt that the iconic main event of WrestleMania 5 between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage would top this list? For a year, the Mega Powers (and Miss Elizabeth) were involved in one of the greatest and most dramatic storylines of all time. Hogan and Savage slowly went from tag team partners to bitter rivals, with Savage turning heel ahead of their championship clash.

The match was everything you'd expect from these two legends. The heated story asked for an intense matchup right from the get-go, and that's exactly what happened. Savage, being the brilliant heel that he was, tried to use Elizabeth as a shield numerous times. The referee eventually sent Liz back to the dressing room, and Hogan ultimately dropped the big leg on Macho Man to win his second WWF Title.

What was your favorite WWF Title match from 1989? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading.