Wrestling

List of WrestleMania 4 Battle Royal Participants

A complete list of all 20 participants in the opening battle royal at WrestleMania 4 on March 27, 1988.

10 itemsUpdated Mar 18, 2026

The WrestleMania 4 opening battle royal featured 20 participants competing for a large trophy. Bad News Brown won by last eliminating Bret Hart — then famously smashed the trophy when Bret objected to sharing it, creating one of WM4's most memorable and consequence-filled moments.

#	Name	Result	Aftermath	Last eliminated
1	Bad News Brown — WINNER Battle Royal Winner — Trophy Smasher Bad News Brown won the WM4 opening Battle Royal by last eliminating Bret Hart after agreeing to share the trophy — immediately smashing the trophy when Bret objected, igniting their 1988 feud.	WINNER	Smashed trophy — ignited Bret Hart feud	Bret Hart
2	Bret Hart — Runner-Up Last Eliminated — Betrayal Victim Bret Hart was the last man eliminated by Bad News Brown — having worked together with Brown to clear the ring before being betrayed when Brown smashed the trophy.	Runner-Up — Last Eliminated	—	—
3	Jim Neidhart The Anvil — Battle Royal Participant Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart participated in the WM4 Battle Royal alongside tag partner Bret Hart — working as the Hart Foundation power representative in the match.	Participant — eliminated during match	—	—
4	Hillbilly Jim Fan Favourite — Battle Royal Hillbilly Jim participated in the WM4 Battle Royal — the beloved country character making one of his final major WWF appearances in the opening battle royal.	Participant — eliminated during match	—	—
5	George Steele The Animal — Battle Royal George 'The Animal' Steele participated in the WM4 Battle Royal — the wild animal character who had been involved in Randy Savage's IC title reign the previous year.	Participant — eliminated during match	—	—
6	Ken Patera Battle Royal Participant Ken Patera participated in the WM4 Battle Royal — the powerful former IC Champion and Olympic weightlifter making one of his final major WWF appearances.	Participant — eliminated during match	—	—
7	Junkyard Dog JYD — Fan Favourite Battle Royal Junkyard Dog participated in the WM4 Battle Royal — the beloved fan favourite continuing his WrestleMania tradition of appearing in multi-man matches.	Participant — eliminated during match	—	—
8	B. Brian Blair Killer Bees — Battle Royal B. Brian Blair of the Killer Bees participated in the WM4 Battle Royal alongside various other WWF lower-card and mid-card competitors.	Participant — eliminated during match	—	—
9	Jim Brunzell Killer Bees — Battle Royal Jim Brunzell of the Killer Bees participated in the WM4 Battle Royal — competing alongside tag partner B. Brian Blair.	Participant — eliminated during match	—	—
10	Boris Zhukov Battle Royal Participant Boris Zhukov (part of the Bolsheviks tag team with Nikolai Volkoff) participated in the WM4 Battle Royal as a mid-card heel representative.	Participant — eliminated during match	—	—

This list is compiled from verified public records and reference sources. Last verified: March 18, 2026.

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