List of WrestleMania 5 Awards and Critical Reception

PWI Match of the Year 1989 — Main Event

Hogan vs. Savage Won Match of the Year

The WM5 main event (Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage) won Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Match of the Year award for 1989 — reflecting both the match's quality and the cultural impact of the Mega Powers Explode storyline's conclusion.

Main Event Critical Rating — Most Praised WM Main Event Since WM3

Widely Considered Best WM Match Since WM3 at That Time

The WM5 main event was widely considered the best WrestleMania main event since WM3's Hogan-Andre — with Dave Meltzer and Wrestling Observer critics giving the Mega Powers Explode match its highest WM rating between WM3 and WM12.

Overall WM5 Critical Rating — Better Than WM4

Considered Superior Entertainment to WM4

WM5 is generally rated higher than WM4 for entertainment value — without the compressed tournament format forcing short matches, WM5 had more opportunity for individual matches to develop stories.

Rude vs. Warrior — Best Undercard Match

IC Title Match Most Praised Supporting Bout

The Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior IC Championship match is most frequently cited as WM5's best undercard match — Rude's cheating finish, Warrior's first pin loss, and the match's storytelling making it the night's second-most-praised bout.

Strike Force Breakup — Most Praised Mid-Card Story Moment

Martel Turn on Santana — Most Discussed Undercard Moment

Rick Martel's WM5 heel turn on Tito Santana during the Brain Busters match is the most discussed undercard moment of WM5 — the in-ring story development of a team breaking up in real-time is praised as one of WM's most effective storytelling moments.

Weakest Match — Duggan vs. Bad News Brown Double DQ

3:49 Double DQ — Least Praised WM5 Match

The Jim Duggan vs. Bad News Brown double DQ at 3:49 is most frequently cited as WM5's weakest match — an inconclusive finish in a brief match that left the feud unsettled without providing entertainment value.

IMDB Rating — 7.0/10

Positive Fan Reception on IMDB

WrestleMania 5 holds a 7.0/10 rating on IMDB — a positive score reflecting the event's entertainment value driven primarily by the Mega Powers Explode main event and the IC title match.

Historical Significance — High for Storyline, Moderate for In-Ring

The Definitive Critical Split of WM5

WM5's critical split is consistent — very high historical and storyline significance (Mega Powers Explode, Strike Force breakup, Shawn Michaels debut), moderate in-ring quality across most of the undercard.