Saturday Night’s Main Event #28
Date: October 13, 1990
Location: Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper

It’s time for Oktoberfest because…well you don’t need an excuse for Oktoberfest. That makes it a theme show and therefore we could be in for some rather terrible jokes. Those will be on top of what could be some less than great action, as this isn’t the most thrilling time in the company’s history. Let’s get to it.

We open at Oktoberfest with wrestlers running around and thankfully we have all kinds of lederhosen.

Vince and Piper welcome us tot he show in front of some green screen and run down the card.

Opening sequence and dang that song still rocks.

Demolition is ready to demolish the Ultimate Warrior and the Legion of Doom. The team just did not feel special with Crush involved, even if he was kind of perfect for the spot.

The Legion Of Doom is ready to party at Oktoberfest and ask what Demolition is going to do about losing the Tag Team Titles. Cry in their beer? Sob in their schnitzel? The Ultimate Warrior comes in to shout about blitzkrieg. I would have put him as more of a Konnan guy.

Ultimate Warrior/Legion Of Doom vs. Demolition

The good guys clear the ring in a hurry but we settle down to Crush clotheslining Animal. A powerslam plants Smash for two and it’s off to Warrior to run Ax over. The Warrior Splash misses though and Crush gets in some cheap shots on the floor to really take over. The beating is on but Hawk breaks up the Demolition Decapitator. Hawk comes in for the top rope clotheslines as everything breaks down. It’s back to Warrior for the running clotheslines and the splash to finish Smash at 5:37.

Rating: C. As tends to be the case with Saturday Night’s Main Event, this was more of a “send the fans home happy in a hurry” match, with the good guys getting in some trouble before coming back for the win. Warrior was clearly floundering as champion as the best they had for him was just a six man tag here. He has nothing to do and that played a big role in why his reign as champion went so poorly. At the same time, it’s still a shame that we never got a big LOD vs. Demolition match, as this would have been the perfect place.

We go to Oktoberfest and where Gene Okerlund introduces us to some of the wrestlers, all of whom are in some rather amazing costumes. Alfred Hayes is drinking and complaining about the beer not being as good as the English version.

Randy Savage vs. Dusty Rhodes

Savage has Queen Sherri with him so Piper compares him to over kings, including his dog. Dusty is fresh off losing Sapphire to Ted DiBiase but he does have his son Dustin in the front row. Savage gets distracted by an Ultimate Warrior poster and gets whipped hard into the corner. A slow motion backslide gives Dusty two so Sherri offers a distraction, allowing Savage to hit a knee to the back. The chinlock goes on so Sherri slaps the mat, which feels a bit backwards.

Cue Ted DiBiase and Virgil to buy the front row seats so they can sit there alone. Only Dustin won’t take the money so DiBiase and Virgil sit next to him, making quite the visual. Dusty fights up but DiBiase pulls Dustin back down, which has Dusty going outside after him. We take a break and come back with Savage choking away before getting two off a cheap shot. The over the top rope neck snap lets Savage go up for the ax handle to the head and another near fall.

Dusty fights up and sends him into the buckle before knocking Savage off the top. A headbutt of all things puts Savage down as DiBiase talks trash to Dustin. The villains finally beat Dustin up on the floor, which is basically assaulting a fan but security is nowhere to be seen. Savage is tied in the ropes and Dusty finally sees what is going on, only for Savage to ax handle Dusty into the barricade for the countout at 8:18.

Rating: C-. There was only so much that Savage could do here and that was part of the problem with Dusty’s time in the company. He could do the talking and the segments, but at some point you can only get so far with what he can do in the ring. Then DiBiase and Savage kept beating him so there was only so much of a chance anyway.

Post match Dusty tries to cover Dustin from the beating so DiBiase and Virgil beat on Dusty instead.

Hulk Hogan and Tugboat are ready to make Rhythm and Blues play the flugelhorn and the glockenspiel in an Oompah band (1990 was WEIRD) so they can get to Earthquake and Dino Bravo. Somehow this turns into a D Day story with Hogan promising to give Rhythm and Blues a “Barbarian Creaming”. For some reason Hogan and Tugboat talked way more about Earthquake and Bravo than the team they’re facing tonight. This was strange even by Hogan standards.

The Bushwhackers practice cutting cheese. This is a Vince McMahon segment if I have ever seen one.

Alfred Hayes is starting to like the British beer and tells stories about being on the Danube.

Hulk Hogan/Tugboat vs. Rhythm and Blues

Hogan wastes no time in cleaning house and drops some elbows. Honky Tonk Man is sent into Tugboat’s boot in the corner before Tugboat comes in to crank on Valentine’s arm. Hogan goes aerial for a middle rope ax handle to Valentine’s arm but an elbow to the head staggers Tugboat. The bearhug slows Honky Tonk Man down but Valentine makes the save so the villains can take over.

Valentine’s elbow to the head gets two and Honky Tonk Man adds some weak knees to the back. Tugboat shrugs off the lame offense and brings in Hogan to clean house. A clothesline and right hands have Valentine in more trouble and the big boot sets up…nothing as Earthquake and Dino Bravo come out for a distraction. We take a break and come back with Tugboat coming in for a headbutt. Jimmy Hart offers a distraction though and Honky Tonk Man hits Tugboat in the back with the guitar for the DQ at 7:23.

Rating: D+. Oh come on. Honky Tonk Man or Greg Valentine can’t lay down for the legdrop? I get not wanting to lose to Tugboat but give me a break. This was a perfect choice for a match where Hogan can get a win but instead it’s this lame DQ, which does nothing but feel like a waste of time

Post match the villains beat Hogan down and Earthquake hits an assisted splash. Earthquake loads up the Earthquake but Tugboat makes the save with the guitar. Vince: “What would they have done to Hulk Hogan?” What the heck do you think they were going to do?

Back to the festival for the sausage stuffing contest (oh dear) with Honorary Sausage Stuffer Hall Of Fame inductee, the Genius. It’s Jim Duggan/the Hart Foundation vs. Mr. Fuji/the Orient Express. Fuji is accused of cheating (with a pre-made sausage) so we go to Alfred Hayes for a ruling but he’s drunk and telling stories. Again, this was a Vince McMahon segment if there has ever been one.

Intercontinental Title: Haku vs. Texas Tornado

The Tornado is defending, having beaten Mr. Perfect at Summerslam, leaving Haku to try to bring the title back to the Heenan Family. An early attempt at the Claw sends Haku bailing to the floor for some advice from Heenan. Back in and Haku grabs a chinlock to slow things down but Tornado slugs away. Haku knocks him into the corner and hits a headbutt but the Claw goes on to cut things off. The Tornado Punch retains the title at 3:10.

Rating: C. It’s easy to see why Tornado got chance after chance as he looked great and the fans were into him but the backstage issues were just too much to overcome. There was only so much that can be done when he has that many problems and they caught up to him in a hurry. This was the quick title defense for Tornado and that’s why you bring in Haku.

Hulk Hogan and Tugboat use a bunch of sailing terms as I try to figure out what in the world the appeal of Tugboat was really supposed to be. I remember liking him as a kid, but egads he does not hold up whatsoever.

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Koko B. Ware

Slaughter has General Adnan and is ready to start the biggest push of his career. They start slowly until Ware snaps off some armdrags and dances, which is just not going to work for an American hero. Ware misses a charge into the corner though and the pace slows way down. An elbow drop gives Slaughter two but he misses a shot, allowing Ware to hammer away. That’s broken up and the Atomic Noogie (thankfully not officially called that) finishes Ware at 5:09.

Rating: C. They were late in the show at this point and there was no reason to think that this would be anything more than Slaughter slaughtering Ware. Slaughter was going to be the big heel and while that isn’t exactly the best fit, there wasn’t anyone else to get the spot. He’s fine, but tying into a real world story is quite the questionable move.

Post match the Iraqi flag is waved but Nikolai Volkoff pops up to wave the American flag.

Back to the festival for a dance off between Jim Neidhart and Slick (who is far better). Then a food fight breaks out. Didn’t we all know that was coming?

Ultimate Warrior says Queen Sherri is no challenge and she has only enraged the legion of warriors. He accepts the challenge from Randy Savage and the title match is on.

Sherri and Savage promise to win “that belt”.

Vince and Piper wrap it up.

We go back to the festival where Alfred Hayes yells at Gene for not calling him, as his earpiece was taken out while he was drinking. Hayes berates him so Gene hits him with a cake.

Piper wants to go to the food fight, which is still ongoing.

Overall Rating: C-. This one is going to depend on your nostalgia taste, as the wrestling is pretty terrible, but the Oktoberfest stuff is so goofy that it’s hard to not at least chuckle. Yes some of the jokes are horrible, but that’s kind of the point of the whole thing. The company was in a bad place at this point and it’s not a good show, though it was fun in a very (very) goofy kind of way.

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Saturday Night’s Main Event #38
Date: January 25, 2025
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re back with another of these just over a month after the big return in December. The card isn’t quite as big this time around, though there are multiple title matches and some interesting showdowns. It’s going to be a bit more tricky as the Royal Rumble is next week so there was only so much to offer here. Let’s get to it.

Joe Tessitore welcomes us to the show, including a bunch of people, such as Ted DiBiase, arriving.

Dig that opening sequence.

Tessitore and Jesse Ventura (in a Public Enemy hat) are on the podium and Jesse can’t believe that Texas can’t handle some Minnesota weather. Jesse is interested in the Intercontinental Title match and he’ll be on commentary for that one.

Raw Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending and gets decked during the Big Match Intros so we start fast. A dropkick and tornado DDT put Jax on the floor and there’s a flip dive from the apron as we’re starting fast. Jax is right back with a pop up headbutt though and Ripley is rocked again. A super Samoan drop gives Jax two and we take an early break.

Back with Ripley striking away but not being able to grab a springboard hurricanrana. Instead it’s a Code Red for two on Jax, with the fans sounding impressed. Another Samoan drop cuts Ripley off again though and a middle rope legdrop gets two. The Annihilator is loaded up but Ripley is right there with a powerbomb out of the corner for the massive crash. Jax blocks the Prism Trap but gets sent outside, where Ripley hits a heck of a dive to take her out. Back in and Jax runs her over, setting up an Annihilator to the back, but somehow Ripley electric chairs her down. The Riptide retains the title at 10:38.

Rating: B. This was a different kind of Ripley, as she was having to fight from underneath and didn’t go with just the power game. Instead she was mixing in some more athletic stuff and it made for a nice change of pace. Jax was good as well, as she played quite the monster for Ripley to slay. Good stuff here, almost in a weird version of Sting/Vader.

Alundra Blayze and Mark Henry are here.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus

Sheamus is challenging and Jesse Ventura is on commentary. Ventura thinks Breakker is physically impressive, but since he’s a Steiner, 2+2=5. Even Ventura has to laugh at the ensuing Steiner Math jokes. They fight over a lockup to start until Sheamus takes him into the corner as Jesse gives us a history of the “WWF” Intercontinental Title.

Breakker fights back with a suplex and runs the ropes to knocks Sheamus outside. Sheamus is fine enough to cut off a charge and send Breakker into the timekeeper’s area. The ten forearms are broken up and Breakker spears a diving Sheamus out of the air (that looked GREAT) and we take a break. Back with Sheamus wanting Breakker to fight before dropping him with a jumping knee for two.

Now the sixteen forearms can connect and the Celtic Cross gets two more. Breakker is right back with the gorilla press powerslam for two of his own as Ventura seems to be having a good time. Sheamus flips himself up to the top but Breakker runs the corner for the super Frankensteiner. The super spear is cut off with a Brogue Kick for two, with the foot on the rope, with Ventura going on a rant about how the referee shouldn’t have counted three (he didn’t seem to). Another Brogue Kick misses though and Breakker hits an ugly spear to retain at 11:29.

Rating: B-. I’m no sure if they’re ever going to do it, but my goodness they are setting up one heck of a moment if Sheamus ever wins the title. For now, it was another hoss fight, though it felt a bit off for some reason. They weren’t quite clicking, even with that outstanding spear on the floor. Ventura wasn’t quite as hot as he was last month, but he’s still more than good enough to warrant a spot like this.

Video on Shawn Michaels.

Ted DiBiase, Dory Funk Jr. and Jim Duggan are here.

Here is Shawn Michaels, who says he is sweating through his clothes, for the contract signing between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. Michaels promises to get the job done when Nick Aldis couldn’t and brings both of them out. They stare each other down rather than sitting, but Michaels isn’t having this. Michaels says he has to get the signatures and Rhodes signs without saying a word.

Owens (in a CODY SUCKS EGGS shirt) teases signing but doesn’t do it, instead talking about how Rhodes accused him of always taking the easy way out. That’s not what he did at Bash In Berlin, but Rhodes is the one who quit when things got tough. Rhodes: “ENOUGH!” He is done dealing with Owens trying to justify himself and wants to find out who he is facing at Wrestlemania.

Owens still won’t sign and goes on a rant about how he is taking everything he has deserved for the last ten years. Michaels says Owens sounds jealous, which leaves Owens incredulous. Owens thinks Michaels is jealous because he’s bringing more prestige to the title than Michaels ever did. The only one who is going to LOSE HIS SMILE is Rhodes and Owens signs.

Now Michaels needs them to hand over the titles and hang them above the ring (presumably they’ll be moved before the Rumble and not left hanging there until WWE is in San Antonio again). The titles are hung and Michaels wishes both of them good luck. Owens decks Rhodes so Michaels shoves him, leaving Owens to try the package piledriver. Rhodes breaks that up and Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music to leave Owens on the floor. That was an intense segment and Michaels was the perfect choice here, though having him drop Owens might not have been the best idea.

Video on Braun Strowman vs. Jacob Fatu.

Fatu rants about how violent he can be.

Jacob Fatu vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman shoves him around to start and hits a hard shoulder, followed by an elbow to the face. A missed charge sends Strowman outside though and Fatu scores with a suicide dive as we take a break. Back with Strowman hitting a sidewalk slam and a running big boot drops Fatu again.

A big beal sends Fatu outside and there’s the running shoulder to send him into the barricade. Another shot sends Fatu flying over the announcers’ table but a third is countered into a Samoan drop onto the table. Back in and six straight running Umaga Attacks have Strowman on another planet so the referee cuts Fatu off. Fatu shoves the referee to the floor and the match is thrown out at 8:30.

Rating: B-. As a match it wasn’t anything great as Strowman as moving rather slowly, but as an angle to get Fatu over as a monster, this was a smashing success. Fatu took Strowman’s big shots and shrugged them off before wrecking Strowman in the end. This is going to make Fatu look like that much more of a monster and my goodness it worked.

Post match Fatu beats on him even more, followed by taking out security. Strowman is bleeding from the mouth and Fatu hits a moonsault to make it even worse. Tama Tonga comes out to try to calm Fatu down but Fatu hits another moonsault. Fatu finally leaves, with the fans giving him quite the cheers. Then Fatu goes back in for another moonsault. This was outstanding.

The Brainbusters are here.

Joe Tessitore and Jesse Ventura recap the night, with Ventura praising Jacob Fatu.

Royal Rumble rundown.

IShowSpeed will be live streaming at the Royal Rumble. Ok then.

Raw World Title: Jey Uso vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and since Uso spends too long giving his glasses away, gets kicked in the head to start. Uso tries to hammer away but gets sat on top for a big chop to the floor. We take a break and come back with Gunther hitting a heck of a clothesline as Uso can’t get anything going.

Uso actually gets the better of a chop off but Gunther runs him over again without much effort. The chinlock goes on but Uso powers out and hits a needed Samoan drop. Gunther is right back with the dropkick into the powerbomb for two and a kick to the head sends us to a break.

Back with Uso hitting a superkick and avoiding another dropkick in the corner. Gunther fights up and hammers away in the corner, only to get powerbombed back down for two. The spear gives Uso two more and another spear into the Superfly Splash gets another near fall as the fans are losing it over these near falls. Gunther has had it with this and hits the powerbomb to retain at 17:12.

Rating: B. This felt like a good house show main event, as it wasn’t so much about the drama of a potential title change but rather seeing Gunther have to work to survive. Uso is a perfectly good choice for this kind of title shot, as he is so over with the fans but still an underdog so the loss isn’t really going to hurt him. Good main event here, with Uso looking solid in defeat.

We get what might be a look of respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show as Saturday Night’s Main Event is off to a great return with the first two episodes. What mattered here was that you had big time matches, putting this just a step below a pay per view level card. For what is essentially a bonus show, I had a good time, with Fatu’s insanity owning the night. Check this out if you get the chance, as it was quite good.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Nia Jax – Riptide
Bron Breakker b. Sheamus – Super spear
Braun Strowman b. Jacob Fatu when Fatu shoved the referee
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Powerbomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Saturday Night’s Main Event #18
Date: November 26, 1988
Location; ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
Attendance: 15,900
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

The Vault strikes again with a look back at a classic Saturday Night’s Main Event before the big revival this weekend. We’re just past Survivor Series and that means Randy Savage is still the WWF Champion with a title defense against Andre The Giant. Odds are Hulk Hogan will be doing something as well so let’s get to it.

The Ultimate Warrior says this is a time of thanks…but not when Mr. Fuji’s Super Ninja is coming after his Intercontinental Title!

Bobby Heenan is ready for Andre The Giant to get the WWF Title back.

Randy Savage, with Elizabeth, knows that Andre is the greatest threat to his title but it’s going to be David vs. Goliath again.

Ted DiBiase, with the shirt on but no jacket for a weird look, is all about buying and selling. He bought Hercules and now he’s going to collect.

Hulk Hogan doesn’t like Brother Love setting him up for a beating from the Big Boss Man. Tonight, he’ll talk to Brother Love but it might not go well.

Dig that opening sequence.

Jesse insists that he get top billing over Vince because they’re close to Hollywood.

Mr. Fuji promises that the Super Ninja has been trained in the seven arts on seven continues. Naturally we get a Pearl Harbor reference as well, which kind of negates the whole surprise aspect.

Ultimate Warrior has seen battles beyond Gene Okerlund’s imagination and is ready to win again.

Intercontinental Title: Ultimate Warrior vs. Super Ninja

The Ninja (as played by Rip Oliver) is challenging and has Mr. Fuji in his corner. Ninja slugs away to start and is shoved down in a hurry, setting up a leapfrog into a big boot. With those two new moves added to Warrior’s arsenal, he throws Ninja back inside, elbows him in the face, and hits the gorilla press into the Warrior Splash to retain at 2:10. That was a fun squash with the Ninja being all hyped up and then being absolutely nothing.

We recap Bobby Heenan selling Hercules to Ted DiBiase, who called Hercules a “slave”. Believe it or not, this didn’t go well.

Jesse Ventura talks to Ted DiBiase (with Virgil) and says this is pretty cut and dry: DiBiase should own Hercules! DiBiase agrees because Hercules is his slave to do with as he sees fit. Jesse: “Why don’t you step into the ring with Hercules and show that slave once and for all who the master is?” DiBiase: “That’s for people like Virgil to do!”

Hercules is ready to beat Virgil because he’s a free man. He wears these chains freely!

Hercules vs. Virgil

Virgil and DiBiase jump Hercules before the bell but he clears the ring and chases DiBiase around a bit. Back in and an elbow drops Virgil before DiBiase’s distraction completely fails. Virgil’s right hands don’t do anything either and Hercules drops him again. A running powerslam finishes Virgil off at 3:24.

Rating: C. Total destruction here and that’s what it should have been. Hercules gets to show what he can do while being just a step away from DiBiase himself. To say the subject matter of this story was a bit rough is an understatement, but at least Hercules is looking good in the early stages.

Post match Hercules throws Virgil onto DiBiase before spinning his chain around.

We look back at Jake Roberts scaring Andre the Giant with Damian and possibly giving Andre a heart attack.

Andre and Bobby Heenan are ready to get the WWF Title back because Randy Savage is going to run into a giant wall.

Randy Savage, with Elizabeth, has to beat Andre to prove he is a great champion, just like Hulk Hogan.

WWF Title: Andre The Giant vs. Randy Savage

Savage, with Elizabeth, is defending. Andre wins a strike off to start and crushes him in the corner without much trouble. A knee to the back finally slows Andre down but a Heenan distraction lets Andre choke with the strap, as is his custom. For some reason Savage tries a slam, which is cut off as quickly as expected. Andre chokes, this time with his hand, which might be worse, but Savage gets in a jawbreaker.

Savage sends him into the buckle and hits a middle rope ax handle to knock Andre down (which Jesse declares as Savage “wrestling smart”). Cue Jake Roberts to put Damian underneath the ring and we get a quick chat with Roberts. We take a break and (after Hulk Hogan promises to see Brother Love) come back with Andre knocking him down, only for Savage to go after him again. Andre gets smart by sitting on him as Heenan finds Damian…but gets cut off by Roberts. Heenan runs inside and that’s a DQ at 8:51.

Rating: C. Savage fighting through everything he could but ultimately being outmatched makes sense and they had a nice enough match. At the end of the day, almost no one can hang in there with Andre one on one so this went as well as it could. Having Roberts come in there was a fine way to get out of the match and it was a perfectly acceptable showdown, especially as it didn’t go on that long.

Post match Savage whips Heenan into Andre to tie him in the ropes. Damian is pulled out but Andre escapes and lumbers off.

Jim Duggan says the American flag should be the only flag raised in this country, including Dino Bravo and Boris Zhukov’s flags.

Jim Duggan vs. Boris Zhukov

The winner gets their flag raised. Duggan slugs away to start and hits an atomic drop out to the floor. Back in and Zhukov manages a few shots but Duggan drops him with a clotheslines. The three point clothesline finishes Zhukov in a hurry at 2:25. That’s all the match needed to be and an 80s crow will always go for the patriotic stuff.

The American flag is presented in a stretch that almost takes longer than the match.

We look at the Big Boss Man attacking Hulk Hogan on the Brother Love Show.

It’s time for another Brother Love Show with a REAL AMERICAN guest in the form of…Boss Man’s manager Slick. We cut to Hulk Hogan in the back and he really isn’t pleased. Love praises Slick and here is Hogan to interrupt. Love asks Hogan about the beating Boss Man gave him and pulls the microphone away before he can answer. He does it again, but lets Slick talk about how bad Hogan was beaten up.

Hogan takes the mic and threatens violence from one of the Hulkamaniacs. As for Love, Hogan is ready to be the judge who passes execution on him (Hogan LOVED that line and used it probably four times on Saturday Night’s Main Event alone). Hogan has finally had enough of the back talk and sends slick flying before handcuffing Love to the ropes and giving him a running clothesline to the floor (geez that could have wrenched Love’s shoulder). Posing ensues.

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers are officially living in America, with Jimmy Hart being rather proud that they have moved to Memphis, Tennessee.

Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. Young Stallions

Jacques shoulders Powers down to start and hits a quick dropkick. Powers reverses a whip into the corner though and hammers away, only for Raymond to come in and take over. A neckbreaker gives Jacques two as commentary talks about anything else. Powers fights up and brings in Roma to clean house, with a powerslam planting Jacques. A missile dropkick gets two on Jacques but the referee has to get rid of Powers. That means a rake to the eyes sets up Le Bombe de Rougeau to finish Roma at 3:05.

Rating: C-. This was the standard “we have no time so here’s a match to fill in the bit of the show we have left”. That doesn’t make for the most thrilling match, even though these teams could have a good match if they were given the chance. If nothing else, the Rougeaus’ finisher was always cool so this could have been worse.

Andre the Giant swears vengeance on Jake Roberts. And he is NOT afraid.

Jake Roberts says a snake can feel the fear and he and Damian will not stop until they have consumed a giant.

Hulk Hogan does his judge, jury and executioner thing again, promising to take out Slick and the Big Boss Man.

Vince and Jesse wrap it up.

Credits roll.

Overall Rating: C. It’s not a great show but it was a nice flashback to the older days. Savage vs. Andre is a match you don’t get to see very often, which might be a good thing given how the match was only so good. It was nice to see the focus on someone other than Hogan for once, though the results were only so successful. This probably isn’t worth another look as there are better editions of the show, but I’ve seen worse.

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Saturday Night’s Main Event #37
Date: December 14, 2024
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Ventura, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

This show is back after more than 18 years and in this case, the card might be the biggest of all time with basically a pay per view quality show. There are two World Title matches and the inaugural Women’s United States Champion will be crowned. The show is also in prime time (well for a Saturday night) so this could be a big deal. Let’s get to it.

After a quick opening to this year’s show, we get a retro look at the show, with a bunch of clips from the 80s and 90s.

The opening video featured modern clips to classic commentary, which is quite the way to go. We even get the still shot of Cody Rhodes next to the logo.

Jesse Ventura joins Joe Tessitore (yes he has the feather boa and the snake skin jacket) and he isn’t impressed with Cody Rhodes.

If that’s not enough, Pat McAfee is back (as are the red, white and blue ropes).

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Zayn starts fast and hammers away in the corner before a clothesline sends him to the floor. The Arabian moonsault hits McIntyre and Zayn knocks him over the top again. A slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and McIntyre tosses him over the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with McIntyre tossing him by the neck but charging into a boot in the corner.

The Helluva Kick is blocked though and a spinebuster into a sitout powerbomb gives McIntyre two. A super White Noise is countered into a sunset bomb to give Zayn two and they’re both down. Back up and the Claymore is blocked with Zayn hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. The threat of a Helluva Kick sends McIntyre outside but he comes back in to catch Zayn with the Claymore for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: B. They got going here and were having a hard hitting back and forth match, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there. McIntyre seems to be on a revenge quest and that should make for an interesting story. If nothing else, McIntyre might cross paths with Roman Reigns sooner than later and that could be a rather different way to go.

Tito Santana, Rich Hering (worked backstage) and Jimmy Hart are all here.

Raw Women’s Title: Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan

Sky is challenging and flips away from her to start. A running dropkick puts Morgan down and a flapjack does it again for two. Sky sends her outside for a springboard moonsault and we take an early break. Back with Sky hitting a dive to the floor, followed by a missile dropkick for two.

Morgan is back with a Codebreaker for two of her own but Sky rolls some German suplexes for another near fall. Sky tries another springboard but slips, allowing Morgan to hit another Codebreaker for two. An enziguri staggers Morgan and Sky pulls her into a knee to the face for two more. Over The Moonsault hits raised knees though and Oblivion retains the title at 9:09.

Rating: C+. This could have been worse as they started to slip a bit near the middle but got it together well enough. It’s a bit weird to see Morgan beat Sky clean but it’s not the biggest stretch in the world. For now though, good enough match here, even if it’s weird to see a serious Women’s Title match on this show.

Post match Morgan (with a rather banged up nose) is cut off by Rhea Ripley for a big staredown.

Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Gunther is defending. They start fast with Gunther going after Balor and then headbutting Priest. Balor rolls Gunther up to block a powerbomb attempt but gets punched out to the floor. Priest elbows Gunther out to the apron and then to the floor, with a big flip dive just barely clearing the ropes (Priest banged into them a bit) as we take an early break.

Back with Gunther booting both of them down and looking rather fired up. Priest is back up with chops and running elbows in the corner as McAfee randomly congratulates the Heisman Trophy winner, with Cole having to point out that people are talking about Saturday Night’s Main Event. Something close to Old School hits Gunther and Priest’s lifting Downward Spiral gets two on Balor. Priest knocks Balor outside but gets choked by Gunther, only to power out.

The South Of Heaven connects but Balor is in with the standing reverse DDT. Balor dropkicks Priest into the corner, only for Gunther to break up the Coup de Grace. A Razor’s Edge out of the corner hits Gunther and the Coup de Grace makes it worse, with Priest having to make the save. Gunther rolls outside and Priest hits South Of Heaven, with Gunther making a save with a grab of the hair. The sleeper has Priest in trouble on the floor and a powerbomb onto the steps drops him again. Back in and Gunther dropkicks Balor into the powerbomb to retain at 11:18.

Rating: B. This got rolling by the end and Gunther gets a nice win to look like the monster that he can be. The last few seconds with Gunther powering Priest down and running over Balor made him look that much better. Heck of a fight here and Gunther is looking like his old self, which is nice to see.

Jesse Ventura is impressed with Liv Morgan.

Women’s US Title: Chelsea Green vs. Michin

For the inaugural title and Green has little pictures of herself attached to her gear (which has the half tights/half trunks for an old Zack Ryder look. Michin gets sent to the floor to start but cuts off a charge with a slap. Niven offers a distraction though and Green takes over again as we take a break.

Back with Michin hitting a tornado DDT for two but Green sends her outside. The big dive only hits Niven though, allowing Michin to flip dive off the apron. Eat Defeat drops Niven on the floor but Green kicks her in the face. Another Eat Defeat gives Michin two, with Green getting a boot on the rope. Back up and Niven offers a distraction, allowing Green to flip onto Michin for the Unprettier for the pin and the title at 8:08.

Rating: C. There were some rough parts in there (the Eat Defeat to Green didn’t work at all) but that was a monster reaction to Green finally winning a singles title. She has put in the work and gotten the fans behind her, which is quite the sign of respect. I’m not sure how Green is going to do as champion, but she got the important win here and she earned the spot.

Greg Valentine and Koko B. Ware are both here.

Jesse Ventura joins commentary and says that his snake skin used to be Damien.

We recap Kevin Owens challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title. Owens spent four years fighting the Bloodline but then Rhodes teamed with them. That doesn’t work with Owens, who thinks Rhodes turned his back on him. Now Owens has hurt Randy Orton and wants to do the same to Rhodes.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens

Rhodes is defending and has a bad ankle coming in. Owens drops to the floor to start as is his custom but Rhodes is right there after him. Back in and Rhodes sends him to the floor but comes up favoring his ankle, which has Ventura wondering how bright of an idea that really was. Owens is back up to knock him down and drops Rhodes onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Owens hitting a Swanton for two (Jesse: “GET ON THE LEG!”) but Rhodes snaps off the powerslam.

Rhodes stops to pose, with Jesse saying “feed off of them all you want, win the d*** match”, because he’s really good at commentary. The Disaster Kick gets two and they go outside, where Owens gets caught with an RKO onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the Cody Cutter gets two on Owens but Rhodes takes him up, only to get caught with the swinging superplex for two. And yes, Ventura thinks there was a slow count, as is tradition.

Back up and the referee gets bumped so Owens’s Stunner doesn’t get a count. Ventura is losing it on commentary over the lack of a referee as another comes down to count two. Another Cody Cutter hits the second referee So Owens grabs a chair, only to get caught with the Cody Cutter. Cross Rhodes onto the chair gets the three (with the original referee counting from the floor) to retain at 12:03.

Rating: B. This was a good main event to close the show and while there was only a sliver of a reason to believe that Owens was going to win the title, they did some nice stuff with the ref bumps to make you wonder where it was going. That being said, Ventura absolutely stole the show here and I can’t imagine people were expecting him to be THAT good. He’s a great example of someone who just gets wrestling (telling Cody to try and win the match is a perfectly logical point) and he was a lot more than just a special nostalgia act. Anyway, nice main event here, feeling like a solid house show finale.

Jesse says the pleasure was all his in a classy move to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. For a free special on network television, this couldn’t have gone much better. Even the worst match was watchable enough, but above all else, the show was fun. Everyone seemed fired up to be there and I can see this being a nice regular quarterly feature. It doesn’t need to be something they do more often than that and odds are the novelty will wear off, but dang this was a heck of a way to start with a pay per view level card. Nice job here, and Ventura managed to steal the show.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Liv Morgan b. Iyo Sky – Oblivion
Gunther b. Damian Priest and Finn Balor – Powerbomb to Balor
Chelsea Green b. Michin – Unprettier
Cody Rhodes b. Kevin Owens – Cross Rhodes onto a chair

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Saturday Night’s Main Event #35
Date: August 18, 2007
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 16,827
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jim Ross

It’s time for the annual hour and a half long commercial for Summerslam which makes you want to watch the original run of this series again. This show has nothing advertised outside of an update on who Vince McMahon’s illegitimate child might be. The show doesn’t make a difference anyway but I’m almost worried about what is going to be on here. Let’s get to it.

Vince McMahon and Coach are in the back to recap the illegitimate child deal. Coach has been looking through the roster and thinks he has an idea of who Vince’s child is. Vince has told him about all of his dalliances (which he just has records of I guess), except for this one in Kansas City (where Coach is from), back in the 70s….when Coach was born…..and then put up for adoption. Vince thinks this is going to be a long night.

Opening sequence.

Batista/Kane vs. Great Khali/Finlay

Take two Summerslam matches, put them in a tag match. Finlay and Kane, with his taped up ribs, start things off, with Kane knocking him into the corner. It’s quickly off to Batista, who takes Finlay down by the arm. A MuscleBuster drops Finlay again and we take a break. Back with Khali working on the ribs and putting on the stomach Claw.

Kane fights up but gets kicked in the face to put him right back down. That doesn’t last long though as Finlay gets over for the tag off to Batista as everything breaks down. Khali gets tied in the ropes so here is Hornswoggle…who is launched into Khali’s chest. A double chokeslam puts Khali down and the Batista Bomb finishes Finlay.

Rating: C. Total house show style main event and that’s about as good as you’re going to get. Ultimately, the wrestling isn’t so much the point of this show as much as just seeing these wrestlers doing something to get you ready for Summerslam. They didn’t have another option for the ending either so this was about as good as it could have been done.

Vince McMahon has to know who his kid is….and then he looks in a mirror to turn him into his 80s version. Coach gets Vince out of there so Ron Simmons comes up and catchphrases at his own reflection.

MVP is very happy to see Evander Holyfield here to beat Matt Hardy in a boxing match. Holyfield does seem to know him.

Here are Coach and Vince McMahon for Illegitimate Child Corner. Since DNA tests have taken so long, it is time to find out who the child is. Coach talks about how Vince is man with urges but Vince tells him to GET ON WITH THIS. First up, Vince had a tryst in Kentucky, which brings out Eugene. Vince says that’s not possible, because he slept with a woman, not his cousin. Eugene says his Uncle Eric wanted to get into wrestling because Vince nailed his sister….and that’s enough for Vince to cut him off. Eugene: “I LOVE YOU DAD!”

Vince throws him out so Coach brings in Melina, who might have been conceived when Vince was at a Wrestlemania II after party in Los Angeles. Cue Melina, who looks rather upset. They both insist that it isn’t her, as….apparently they had, ahem, a “meeting” on the Fourth of July. Melina better hope that their meeting was, ahem, harmless, or she’s suing him for everything he has. I think he’ll be fine as Vince was in New York for Wrestlemania II, not Los Angeles.

Anyway, there’s one more person but Coach doesn’t want to bring them out. Vince insists though and the glass shatters, meaning we get that classic Vince panic. Austin thinks Vince could be his pops and he could be the fruit of his loins. The result of what came from Vince’s grapefruits if you will. Vince says there’s no chance of that, which Austin says is too bad.

They never had the chance to play catch, go to a football game, build a go kart or teach him how to water ski. Vince never even got to have that talk about the birds and the bees with him. They didn’t get to have a beer together but Vince has had enough of this. Austin thinks the easy thing would be Stunning Vince, but he would rather help him out with the grapefruits instead, meaning a bunch of low blows. Coach gets the Stunner instead and beer is consumed. Vince pulls himself up and gets a Stunner of his own. This was a few jokes until we got to the Austin/Vince moment and that’s always going to work. The search continues.

John Cena vs. Carlito

Non-title and this is the Big Apple Showdown. Cena tackles him down to start and pounds away with right hands. Carlito is sent outside but manages to pull Cena to the floor as we take a break. Back with Cena hitting the top rope Fameasser for two and the STFU makes Carlito tap in a hurry. Not enough shown to rate but this was almost a Cena squash.

Post match Randy Orton comes in and gives Cena an RKO through an open chair. Cena is out cold and Orton yells at him a lot before staring, evily.

Post break, Randy Orton says that’s just the beginning and he’ll take the WWE Title at Summerslam.

There are a bunch of women at ringside for the boxing match.

Matt Hardy vs. Evander Holyfield

Michael Buffer is here to handle the introductions, including one for MVP, in Holyfield’s corner. Matt is at least wearing headgear to prevent a bad case of destruction. We have two minute rounds and Holyfield knocks him down in about a minute. Hardy gets back up and is down again in about twenty seconds. Somehow he survives again to end the round, with MVP being very pleased. The bell rings for the second round and Holyfield doesn’t want to beat him up anymore. MVP comes in and tells Holyfield to do it, earning himself a knockout. This is about all they could have done and at least they made it fast.

CM Punk/Boogeyman vs. John Morrison/Big Daddy V

ECW actually gets the closing spot. Matt Striker is here with V and they’re moving through the entrances pretty fast. Punk and Morrison start things off with Punk rolling him up for tow. Morrison sends him throat first into the middle rope so Punk clotheslines him over the top to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Boogeyman backdropping Morrison a bit harder than he needed to but Striker’s distraction lets V come in. That means Boogeyman is thrown around this time but he does avoid a charge in the corner. It’s back to Punk with the springboard clothesline to Morrison but he’s back up with a knee to the head. Not that it matters though as Punk grabs a small package for the pin.

Rating: C-. This felt like they were running out of time and had to squeeze everyone in there while they could. I’ll take that over not having the match, though V didn’t do much here, which might be a good thing. Punk gets another boost for his title match and that was the point here.

Commentary sends us to a fast highlight video to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: C. Keeping in mind that this was just a way to build to a pay per view, it was completely watchable. They probably could have cut this down to an hour instead of an hour and a half, but at least they covered a lot of stuff and had the Vince/Austin deal in the middle. Absolutely not a show you need to see, but it would have been completely acceptable background noise while you fold your neighbor’s towels.

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Saturday Night’s Main Event #34
Date: June 2, 2007
Location: Air Canada Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 16,176
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

It’s the night before One Night Stand 2007 and this is a show that WWE is required to do while showing a bare minimum of interest. There has been almost no mention of this show on WWE TV and that is rarely a good sign for what we have coming. The show is only an hour and a half though so maybe we can get a little break this time around. Let’s get to it.

We have a theme this time: Biggest, Smallest, Strongest, Strangest. This is going to be a rough sit.

John Cena vs. Great Khali

Non-title and a preview of tomorrow night’s title match. After a video on Khali being big and scary, we’re ready to go. Cena goes right at him to start but the FU attempt is blocked with a forearm to the back. Khali punches him into the corner without much effort and we hit the choking. An attempt at a takedown for the STFU is shrugged off and Khali runs him over with a clothesline. The fans tell Khali that he sucks as he pounds Cena down again and again. Another FU attempt manages to get Khali off of his feet but he elbows his way to freedom. The chokeslam finishes Cena, with Khali putting his foot on the chest for the pin.

Rating: D+. I’ve never cared for this one as we are a day away from One Night Stand and I don’t really care to see the match again. It wasn’t that good here and the original match was only so much better. I get the idea that it’s now a trilogy and Cena needs to overcome incredible odds, but it isn’t working for me here.

Post match Khali rants, which is translated to Khali saying he can beat Cena anywhere.

Here is Vince McMahon for some arm wrestling with Bobby Lashley, so we see a long history package recapping their feud. Lashley comes out and since this is WWE arm wrestling, we spend a good time on Vince getting ready to go. Actually hold on, because here is Mark Henry to take Vince’s place. Lawler: “Mr. McMahon always has something up his sleeves, even when he’s not wearing sleeves!” Henry takes over to start but Lashley makes the comeback, causing Henry to jump him to start the brawl. Lashley hits a spear to drop Henry but Vince smashes Lashley with a chair to leave him laying.

Maria asks Edge if he is the smallest or the strangest. Edge says none, and explains how he won the World Heavyweight Title. That’s why he isn’t the biggest, strongest, smallest or strangest, because he is the greatest. Good line.

Batista/Chris Benoit vs. MVP/Edge

Batista has a taped up leg coming in. Joined in progress with MVP hammering on Benoit in the corner and then dragging him over to Edge (who gets the hometown pop). Benoit is fine enough to snap off a suplex for two on Edge and then runs him over for a bonus. Batista comes in so Edge bails immediately, leaving Batista to beat up MVP instead. A boot to the face gives Batista two and it’s back to Benoit for the chops.

The rolling German suplexes plant MVP but Edge offers a distraction, meaning the Swan Dive misses. The villains take over on Benoit as Lawler accuses him of taking the coward’s way out. Some shots to the ribs set up a waistlock to keep Benoit in trouble, allowing commentary to list off Edge’s resume. MVP comes in to drop an elbow to the ribs but Benoit kicks him away. There’s the hot tag to Batista to pick up the pace as Edge walks out. The spinebuster into a Swan Dive finishes MVP.

Rating: C. This was pretty much any main event level tag match and it makes sense that Edge would walk out of a match that doesn’t mean anything to him. At the same time, it makes Edge appear to be afraid of Batista to make their cage match a little more interesting. I would think MVP vs. Benoit would be over, but why let it go so soon?

Finlay/Hornswoggle vs. Boogeyman/Little Boogeyman

The big guys start with Boogeyman shoving Finlay down despite having a mouth full of worms. A running shoulder in the corner sets up an atomic drop to keep Finlay in trouble so it’s off to Little Boogeyman for a running seated senton. Little Boogeyman punches away at Finlay, setting up a short (you know the jokes) DDT. Hornswoggle comes in for the brawl but Finlay dropkicks Little Boogeyman in the face. That means a jig from Finlay and Hornswoggle but Boogeyman chases Hornswoggle to the back. Finlay uses the distraction to kick Little Boogeyman in the head for the pin.

Rating: D. We’ll file this under “well what else were you expecting”. The wrestling wasn’t anything to see here but that also wasn’t exactly the point. This was about getting the wacky characters in the ring to continue their feud which likely doesn’t have much of a major endgame in mind. At least they kept (about half of it) short.

Extreme Expose, but we cut to the back where Little Boogeyman is chasing Hornswoggle. That leads into the regular Boogeyman but Finlay makes the save with the Shillelagh. We cut back to the dancing…and here is Hornswoggle, still running from Little Boogeyman. Naturally, this turns into a chicken fight between Brooke and Layla until everyone falls down. Little Boogeyman chases Hornswoggle away as WWE is somehow managing to make EXTREME EXPOSE too complicated.

Kane/Eugene/Doink the Clown vs. Kevin Thorn/Umaga/Viscera

This was originally Kane/Goldust/Shannon Moore/Kamala vs. Umaga/Viscera/Doink/Thorn but Goldust backed out and we get this instead. That’s not fair to Kamala, but nothing ever was. As a bonus, Eugene is now a superhero. Doink and Thorn start things off and the YAY/BOO chants begin. They circle each other for a good bit until Doink grabs a boot to the ribs. That finally earns him a push into the corner and the beating is on. Back up and it’s off to Eugene….who gets to face Umaga.

Eugene gets hammered down and Viscera comes in to send Eugene outside. Gyrations send us to a break and we come back with Umaga coming back in to stomp away. The nerve hold goes on to keep Eugene in trouble and Thorn’s chinlock does the same. Eugene finally manages to escape and brings in Kane to clean house. Everything breaks down and Kane hits the top rope clothesline on Thorn but Umaga makes the save. Viscera misses a charge at Kane in the corner and gets chokeslammed for the pin.

Rating: D. That’s about all you could have hoped for it to be. This was as exciting as a match where they sat around for nine minutes waiting on the hot tag to Kane was going to be. The original lineup wouldn’t have made this any better as it was going to be Kane and a bunch of goofs vs. Umaga and his slightly more effective goofs, so how good could this have been?

A two minute highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: D-. Oh yeah this was terrible, as they managed to have one ok match, a bunch of bad ones, and then somehow found a way to turn Extreme Expose into a joke. I’m sure this was a required show from NBC but it would have been nice to see the slightest bit of effort. The EST theme was something, but egads they managed to waste an hour and a half of everyone’s time with this mess.

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Saturday Night’s Main Event #33
Date: July 15, 2006
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 17,343
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s time for another special, which is really code for a commercial for the Great American Bash and ultimately Summerslam. These shows don’t mean much in the days of Raw and Smackdown, but there is something about that name that makes it feel special. It helps that the card is fairly stacked so hopefully it works out. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here are Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke (Lawler approves) to open things up. Brooke says it has always been her dream to be here with her dad. Hulk says thank goodness she looks like her mom and talks about being on the first ever Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cue Randy, with a rose, to interrupt. He says Hulk is the biggest legend anywhere and says Brooke is beautiful, even presenting her with the rose. Randy is a Hulkamaniac as well, so he would like to respectively challenge Hulk to a match at Summerslam. Hulk respectively accepts, but doesn’t seem to like how Randy is looking at Brooke. Short and to the point.

Video on Batista.

King Booker/Finlay/Mark Henry vs. Rey Mysterio/Bobby Lashley/Batista

Lashley sends Finlay into the corner to start and it’s a six man standoff as we take an early break. Back with Finlay slapping a chinlock on Rey before it’s quickly off to Booker. Various things start breaking down, allowing the Leprechaun to slip Finlay the shillelagh to deck Rey for two. Rey is fine enough to kick Henry down (oh dear) but the referee doesn’t see the hot tag to Batista. Booker comes in but Rey dives between their legs and NOW the hot tag brings in Batista. House is cleaned and it’s a 619 to Booker, setting up the Batista Bomb for the pin.

Rating: C-. And that’s going to be Henry’s last televised match for about ten months as Henry completely destroyed his knee (the patella was split completely in two) so forget about Batista’s big revenge. The injury shook things up a lot as you can only get so much out of the good guys being up 3-2, but they did what they could. They did what they could, and it could have been a lot worse.

Vince McMahon gives the Spirit Squad a pep talk but DX takes over the audio, turning it into Vince giving the team spanking instructions.

We see highlights of the first round of Diva Bull Riding from earlier today. Victoria and Michelle McCool made the finals.

Melina/Johnny Nitro vs. Carlito/Trish Stratus

The men start but Nitro tags Melina in, meaning Trish has to do the same (come in, not tag Melina). Nitro trips Trish down early on and Melina adds a thumb to the eye (JR: “You wouldn’t see Meredith Vieira doing something like that.”), setting up a double hair takedown. That bangs up Melina as well so it’s a double tag to the men as everything breaks down. The women fight to the floor and the Backstabber gives Carlito the fast pin. This was really rushed so it didn’t have the chance to go anywhere.

Earlier today, Kevin Von Erich got to make a quick appearance. Nothing wrong with the local legend.

Spirit Squad vs. D-Generation X

Non-title elimination tag and there is a cell on either side of the ring for eliminated members. Shawn says the following thrashing of five male cheerleaders is brought to you by DX, and if you’re not down with that, catchphrase. Shawn gets taken into the corner to start but he manages to grab the megaphone and clean some house. The Squad bails to the floor for a huddle, which HHH breaks up with an air horn. Back in and Shawn superkicks Mitch for the first elimination.

Back from a break with HHH getting rid of Johnny with a spinebuster. Shawn chases Kenny up to the stage, where Vince gets in a chair shot to put Shawn in trouble. They head back to the ring where Shawn suplexes his way out of a sleeper. It’s off to HHH to clean house, including another spinebuster. A double clothesline sets up the Pedigree to get rid of Nicky and it’s 2-2. The superkick gets rid of Mikey and it’s a top rope elbow, followed by Sweet Chin Music into the Pedigree to complete the shutout.

Rating: D. You could say this about any match involving these two sides, but what were you expecting? It’s a pair of the best of all time against five goons. It’s almost a miracle that the Squad lasted this long and it isn’t hard to believe that Shawn and HHH could dispatch them this fast. There was no reason to believe this would be a competitive match and it wasn’t but it also wasn’t anything more than a DX workout session.

Post match Vince tries to unlock the cage but Shawn superkicks him inside with the rest of the Squad.

Video on Sabu.

Here are Great Khali and Daivari for a chat. Daivari talks about how awesome Khali is….and here are Big Show and Paul Heyman to interrupt. Show lists off his size and resume and says one day they’ll have to see who the real giant is. That’s for later though, as he wants to put Khali over tonight. He brings up the Punjabi Prison match but here’s Undertaker to interrupt. Undertaker goes after Khali and clotheslines him to the floor before going after Show. Khali gets back in and a double chokeslam leaves Undertaker laying.

Post break, Big Show says Undertaker can come face him on ECW if he has the guts.

Stevie Richards vs. Sabu

Extreme Rules. Sabu wastes no time in throwing a chair at Richards, setting up the Triple Jump Moonsault for two. Richards misses a charge in the corner and gets laid on a table, setting up the….flying something with a chair kind of in the same area to drive Richards through an already broken table for the pin. This was vintage WWECW: take away any story, feud, reason for these two for fighting and the character that made Richards work and have a match with weapons for the sake of having weapons, because that’s all ECW was about.

We get Brooke Hogan’s About Us music video.

Randy Orton is talking to Brooke Hogan in the parking lot but Hulk comes in to break that up. The Hogans go to leave but Orton runs back in with an RKO onto the trunk to leave Hulk laying.

Michelle McCool wins the Diva Bull Riding contest. Much like the Diva Search, it’s an excuse to have the Divas in various outfits doing various things that involve a lot of shaking.

Video on John Cena losing the Raw World Title to Rob Van Dam, who lost it to Edge, setting up tonight’s title match (which isn’t a triple threat for Van Dam’s title because Van Dam screwed up).

Raw World Title: Edge vs. John Cena

Edge is defending and has Lita with him. We get the Big Match Intros and Edge drops straight to the floor, only to have Cena cut him off in a hurry. Edge low bridges him to the floor though and we take an early break. Back with Edge hammering away in the corner and loading up a superplex, only to slip off the ropes and crash down hard. The referee makes sure they’re both alive and Edge gets two off a big boot. Cena pops up and initiates the finishing sequence but Lita pulls the referee out. The referee is down and Edge misses a spear, setting up the STFU. Lita slaps the referee to send him back inside to call the DQ.

Rating: D+. This was nothing with barely five minutes factoring out the commercial. The biggest problem was the time, which only gave them a chance for one memorable deal, which wound up being Edge nearly killing both of them (it was just a slip). They’re destined for the real match at Summerslam so for now, this worked out fine for the “we’re out of time but here’s what we promised” main event.

Cena celebrates but thankfully understands what the word DISQUALIFICATION means and immediately knows he didn’t win the title. That’s not cool with Cena, who hits a pretty good looking FU off the steps and through the announcers’ table.

Overall Rating: D. Completely skippable show here and you can see how unimportant this series has become. There is no need for some big special when you have the same thing done every Monday and Friday night. The wrestling wasn’t important, the Undertaker appearance was to set up a guest star spot on ECW and there was a bull riding contest for obvious reasons. Nothing to see here, and thankfully WWE/NBC seemed to understand that, as the next one wasn’t for almost a year.

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IMG Credit: WWE

Saturday Night’s Main Event #32
Date: March 18, 2006
Location: Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, Tazz

And then there’s this, as we need a two hour commercial for Wrestlemania. The main event is a handicap match between the John Cena/HHH (the Raw main event) and Rey Mysterio/Kurt Angle/Randy Orton (the Smackdown main event), though it could wind up at any part of the show. There’s also Shawn Michaels vs. Shane McMahon in a street fight, which could have some strong potential. Let’s get to it.

Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon promise to destroy Shawn Michaels tonight.

Shawn Michaels says if he’s going down, Shane is coming with him.

HHH is going to be champion again at Wrestlemania when he beats John Cena. Cue Cena to say HHH is tagging with the champ tonight.

JBL admits that it was a bad idea to challenge Steve Austin to a beer drinking contest but he’ll teach Austin something tonight.

The Boogeyman is coming to get us.

I miss these fifteen second promos. Why don’t we get these things more often today?

Opening sequence.

HHH/John Cena vs. Randy Orton/Kurt Angle/Rey Mysterio

Cena and Orton slug it out to start but Angle tags himself in and suplexes Cena down. There’s another suplex but it’s too early for the Angle Slam. Instead Cena hits a spinebuster as the arena is rather full of smoke from the pyro. HHH comes in so Angle suplexes him for a change. There’s the tag to Rey for a few near falls on HHH until he pokes him in the eye. Cena shoulders Rey down but a headscissors takes HHH over for a change. HHH pulls Cena out of the way of the 619 and blasts Rey with a clothesline as we take a break.

Back with HHH sending Rey hard into the barricade, much to Cena’s annoyance. Cena won’t tag in but Angle does come in to break up a cover off a spinebuster. The sleeper cuts off the EDDIE chants but Rey is out in a hurry. Rey knocks HHH off the top though and hits the moonsault. A dropkick is enough for the hot tag to Orton, who gets beaten up by Cena in a hurry.

The FU hits Orton but HHH Pedigrees Cena and walks out. Actually hold on as HHH comes back and puts Orton on top…and Mysterio breaks up the cover. HHH Pedigrees Mysterio but gets taken out by Angle. There’s an RKO to Angle but Cena counters another RKO into a rollup to finish Orton.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t the point here but it was a good idea to have the pin be a fluke. It also made sense to have such complete insanity for most of the ending, as it fit everything that was going on. None of these people wanted to team together and it wasn’t like this was anything more than a spectacle. They didn’t treat it as anything such either and that was the right idea here.

Cena and HHH pose at each other.

Here’s who is going into the Hall of Fame.

Booker T. has a bad knee and can’t face Boogeyman tonight. Teddy Long cancels the match and Booker limps out of the trainer’s room with Sharmell. They both break into big smiles.

Here are Edge and Lita for the Cutting Edge, complete with a table covered in weapons. Tonight’s guest is Mick Foley, who is so pathetic that all he can do is say a city’s name and put a sock on his hand. That isn’t exactly cutting edge, so Edge wants him out here right now for the Wrestlemania beating.

Cue Foley, with Edge lighting the table on fire. Foley turns it over and beats Edge up before pouring out the thumbtacks. Lita gets in a cheap shot though and Edge knocks Foley onto the tacks. Foley gets up, smiles, and chases Edge up the ramp for a neckbreaker. He even gets extra violent with a Conchairto. Once Edge started talking, this whole thing was only about six minutes long.

Long recap on Vince McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels. They’ve done a very good job of making me want to see Shawn superkick his head off so well done on the build.

Sharmell and Booker have gotten changed and dance in happiness. Cue Boogeyman from the ceiling and they run off screaming through the hall.

It’s time for the beer drinking contest between Steve Austin and JBL, who Texas Two Steps out of the limo. After another opening sequence for the second hour (or second hour and ten minutes or so), JBL talks about how happy NBC is to have him on the show. JBL gets in the insults to Detroit, including the jokes about the carmakers, the labor unions, the mayor, and of course the sports teams. He’ll win the US Title at Wrestlemania and make everything better, but here’s Austin in the truck to cut him off.

Austin says it’s good to be on this show and back in Detroit, but he’s thirsty. He doesn’t understand why JBL challenged him to the contest and thinks JBL is about 6’1 and 205lbs. JBL tries to correct him and talks about drinking a case of beer for breakfast and fifteen pitchers for lunch. That sends JBL into a rant about how Austin tries to buck the system but here are the rules for the contest. Austin: “All right.”

JBL has Canadian beer and they each have 25 beers with a minute to drink each. He insists that they go back to back, with JBL insisting that he isn’t Brokeback Mountain. Austin: “No comment.” JBL mentions the one minute time limit and Austin asks if he’s a one minute man. JBL: “You been talking to my wife?” They start, with JBL pouring his beer out instead of drinking it. Austin calls him out so JBL throws a beer at him and runs. Cue Chris Benoit to throw JBL back in for more beer dousing and the Stunner to complete the extended cameo.

Candice Michelle and Victoria admire Candice’s Playboy cover.

Candice Michelle/Victoria vs. Trish Stratus/Mickie James

JR: “Mickie James is a little psycho.” We get a recap of Mickie’s obsession with Trish and we’re ready to go. Trish and Candice start things off, so of course we get the Go Daddy dance. Candice chokes away both with hands and rope, allowing Victoria to get in a kick to the face. The slingshot flipping legdrop gives Victoria two and we hit the front facelock. The fans are rather pleased with Mickie bouncing on the bottom rope to cheer Trish on and Trish throws Victoria off. Victoria is smart enough to knock Mickie off the ropes, only to walk into Stratusfaction for the fast pin.

Post match Mickie says this is goodbye, but she wants to say it the right way. She tries to kiss Trish but only gets the cheek, allowing Mickie to hit the Chick Kick and scream a lot. Mickie even hits the Stratusfaction, with Lawler saying she doesn’t get even but she gets odd.

During the break, Mickie says she loved Trish and shouts if Trish loves her now.

Wrestlemania rundown, including Booker T. vs. Boogeyman.

Here are Mark Henry and Daivari for a chat. After a video on Henry attacking Undertaker and the casket match being set up as a result and a break, Daivari rants about how Henry isn’t scared of anything, including Undertaker. Henry says Undertaker is afraid of him and he will shove Undertaker into the coffin.

There’s the gong and the druids bring out the casket, followed by Undertaker himself. After the long entrance, the slugout is on with Henry running him over. They head outside with Undertaker whipping him into the steps and then chokeslamming Daivari onto the casket. A Tombstone puts him onto the casket as well as Henry is gone.

Shawn Michaels vs. Shane McMahon

Street fight and Vince is here with Shane. Shawn runs up the ramp to jump Shane and we start in a hurry. A chair goes over Shane’s back and Shawn loads up an early table. Vince gets in a cheap shot from behind to put Shawn down though and Shane throws in a ladder. Shawn goes back first into the post twice in a row and Shane climbs the ladder. Shawn doesn’t stay on the table long though and superplexes Shane from the ladder (in the ring) through the tables (on the floor) for the huge crash to send us to a break.

Back with Shawn knocking Shane down again and loading up the ladder in the corner. Shawn climbs said ladder but Vince gets in a few kendo stick shots to the back to knock him back down. Shane drops the ladder onto Shawn’s back and Vince is rather pleased. It works so well that Shane does it again for two and there’s the running ladder shot to the face for the same. We hit the double arm crank for a breather but Shawn is up with a DDT. Shane is fine enough to chair him in the face but Coast To Coast misses, with Shawn pulling Vince in the way of the trashcan.

There’s the flying forearm into the nipup and the comeback is on. The top rope elbow connects and Sweet Chin Music does the same, only to have Vince pull the referee out. Shawn goes after Vince but Shane gets in a low blow, setting up the Sharpshooter. Vince immediately calls for the bell to give Shane the win. JR: “Michaels has been castrated of his dignity!” JR never was one to let things feel small.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up well, but that big superplex spot was a weird thing to put in the first half of the match. It worked out well enough though and the anger continues to build in Shawn, to the point where he should be ready to annihilate Vince at Wrestlemania. It was a story building match, but it was entertaining at the same time.

Overall Rating: C. This was nothing but a big commercial for Wrestlemania and in that sense it worked out well enough. Nothing on here is overly bad and the show really did seem to fly by. It isn’t a show you need to see, but it also isn’t anything that you would regret watching. The energy was there and for a one off special to set up a big show, it was perfectly fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Saturday Night’s Main Event #11
Date: May 2, 1987
Location: Edmund P. Joyce Center, Notre Dame, Indiana
Attendance: 9,345
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

We’re after Wrestlemania III now and that means it’s time for the annual post-Wrestlemania fallout show.  In other words it’s time for some lighter stuff here, including Randy SAvage vs. George Steele….again.  Savage of course lost the Intercontinental Title to Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania III and Steamboat is defending here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Savage vs. Steele, including Steele costing Savage the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania III. Savage promises that this is the final showdown in a lumberjack match.

Steamboat says Savage never learns, and that’s why he’s defending tonight.

The Hart Foundation is sick of hearing the Bulldogs whine about cheating them out of the titles. Tonight is the long awaited rematch.

Somewhat newcomer Jim Duggan has a front row seat and promises to stop Nikolai Volkoff from singing the Russian national anthem.

Bobby Heenan, wearing a neck brace, says Andre is still undefeated and he has the video proof.

Hogan is going to show us how he faced his greatest challenge.

Opening sequence.

We see a clip from earlier today, likely on TV, of a debate between Bobby Heenan and Ken Patera. Heenan ran his mouth off and Patera beat the tar out of him, necessitating the neck brace. This isn’t referenced for the rest of the show.

Kamala’s new manager Mr. Fuji says he’ll help Kamala overcome his fear of snakes. Kamala is panicking in the background.

We get a clip from Jake Roberts’ Snake Pit segment where Honky Tonk Man blasted him in the head with a guitar, all the way back in February.

Roberts says Damien wants to face Kamala, sending Okerlund running for cover.

Jake Roberts vs. Kamala

Damien scares Kamala out to the floor but the giant finally sneaks in behind him and nails Jake. That’s fine with Roberts who comes back with some right hands until Kamala gets in a shot to the throat. Off to an early bearhug until Jake goes after the leg, just like he did against Bundy last time. He even stomps on Kamala’s bare feet until Kamala clobbers him with a chop to the head.

Roberts gets choked on the apron but he draws Kamala out to the floor for a chase, allowing Jake to score with a pair of knee lifts coming back in. Fuji offers a distraction though, allowing Kim Chee to nail Jake from behind. Kamala’s big splash is enough for the pin, much to Jesse’s delight.

Rating: D+. This was a step beneath the Bundy match from last time but Kamala isn’t quite as talented as Bundy. I like Jake’s methods of dealing with monsters, especially going with the kicks to the legs to slow them down. It’s a passable match, but when is Jake going to actually win something on this show?

Post match Kim Chee takes off his jacket and mask to reveal the Honky Tonk Man. Roberts gets laid out again with the Shake Rattle and Roll swinging neckbreaker. This was kind of odd given that Honky Tonk Man won the match at Wrestlemania III.

We see some quick clips of Hogan vs. Andre.

George Steele doesn’t seem to understand the idea of a lumberjack match. He’s worried that he’ll never see Elizabeth again.

After we see Kim Chee and Honky Tonk Man as lumberjacks, Ricky Steamboat accuses Okerlund of trying to confuse Steele. He’ll be escorting Steele to the ring as a thank you for Wrestlemania III.

Savage says tonight is all about vengeance and he’ll be getting his title back.

George Steele vs. Randy Savage

There are fourteen (advertised as fifteen) lumberjacks, including the Hart Foundation, Danny Davis, the British Bulldogs, Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik, Ricky Steamboat, Jim Duggan, Hercules, Kim Chee, Honky Tonk Man and the Can-Am Connection (Tom Zenk/Rick Martel). Savage gets mad at Steele for oogling Elizabeth and attacks, only to be sent out to the floor. Steele whips him across the ring and shouts YOU as Savage unsuccessfully tries to roll outside again.

A face claw sends Savage to the floor but the lumberjacks throw him back in. This time it’s Savage taking him into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs before tossing Steele outside. The bad guys try to beat him down but Duggan makes the save with a 2×4. Duggan even gets in the ring to chase Volkoff and Sheik, earning him an ejection. We take a break and come back with Steele still on the floor and headbutting Davis.

Back in and Steele slams Savage before eating a turnbuckle. Savage tries to bail to the floor but Steamboat is right there waiting to throw him back inside. More biting ensues and George throws him to the floor again, triggering a brawl with Steamboat. All of the lumberjacks start brawling, allowing Davis to sneak in with the ring bell to knock George sillier. The big elbow gives Savage the pin.

Rating: D. I’m so sick of these two fighting but thankfully this is the last of their series. As has been my issue since their first match: it’s always the same stuff, over and over with nothing really changing. The lumberjacks helped here, but there’s just no interest in seeing them fight yet again.

The lumberjacks get in a big brawl until Roberts runs in with the snake to clean house and go after Kim Chee and Honky Tonk Man. Chee has to run from the snake.

We go to Heenan and Andre in a sitdown interview. Heenan says they won at Wrestlemania III but all of the referees are biased towards Hogan. Bobby shows us the video of the opening of the match where Hogan tried a slam but Andre fell on top of him for a three count, but Hogan had his shoulder up at two. The referee called it a two count though and the match continued. Andre doesn’t know what the referee is trying to pull but he should be the champion. That’s the controversy that would set up the rematch down the road.

The Hart Foundation is thrilled to give the Bulldogs their rematch. Danny Davis goes after Okerlund and has to be pulled back.

Tag Team Titles: British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation

The Harts are defending and this is 2/3 falls due to the Harts using crooked referee Danny Davis to win the titles back in January. Tito Santana, Danny Davis and Jimmy Hart are all at ringside but the Bulldogs have their actual bulldog Matilda with them to go after Jimmy, sending him running for cover. Davey and Bret get things going with Smith flipping around to grab a wristlock. Bret counters into a headlock, only to take a monkey flip to put him back down.

They start to run the ropes but Hart buries a knee in Smith’s ribs to take over again. Off to Neidhart to slam Davey’s head into the mat. Hart sends him into the buckle but misses a charge, allowing for the hot tag off to Dynamite Kid. Things speeds up and the snap suplex gets two on Bret. Everything breaks down and Tito chases Davis around ringside as the Harts double team Dynamite for the DQ to end the first fall.

The second fall begins after a break with the Harts still double teaming Dynamite. A modified version of what would become known as the Demolition Decapitator (backbreaker/middle rope elbow combination) gets two but Dynamite comes back with a headbutt, drawing a nice flow of blood. Davey chases Bret and Davis around ringside before Bret nails Dynamite from behind to keep the advantage.

Hart misses a charge into the ropes though and Davey comes back in off the hot tag to clean house. A vertical suplex gets two on Neidhart but he comes back with a shot to the ribs to stop Davey cold. The Harts collide though and Santana nails Davis again and Davey throws Dynamite on top of Neidhart for the pin and the titles.

Or not actually as there’s an obscure rule that says if one fall in a 2/3 falls match is a disqualification, the title can’t change hands. This is the first and only time this rule is referenced on this show. Remember that for a show in about two years. I’ll give them this though: the fans went insane for the near title change and their anger at the surprise ending was great.

Rating: B-. This was a solid match with a screwy ending, which would be the case far more times than it should have been. These teams had excellent chemistry together due to knowing each other so well from their Stampede Wrestling days. The Harts are starting to dominate the division and establish themselves as one of the best teams of all time.

We go to Hogan for his take on the controversial count. He looks at the slam attempt but doesn’t make much of the near fall, saying he knew what he had to do after the referee said two. Hogan would be fine with a rematch but there’s no way he’s being stripped of the title. Hulkamania will live forever, long after he’s gone.

Steamboat is ready to defend his title for the first time on this show and has come too far to be stopped by the likes of Bobby Heenan.

Randy Savage is shown in the back, freaking out over the idea of Steamboat losing to anyone other than him. That’s an interesting idea that makes things feel so much more personal.

Intercontinental Title: Hercules vs. Ricky Steamboat

The champ tries to go straight at Hercules to start and is easily knocked away. Realizing that isn’t getting him anywhere, Ricky opts for some dropkicks to knock Hercules out to the floor instead. Hercules comes back by sending him into the post as we see Savage giving Steamboat something resembling a pep talk if you had put it in a blender. It actually works though as Ricky fights back with some chops and a snapmare, only to eat an uppercut. A neckbreaker drops Hercules again but he pops up and slaps on his full nelson finisher.

Cue Savage to come out and grab Hercules’ foot to break up the hold, sending Heenan into a frenzy. We take a break and come back with Hercules slamming the champ down but missing a big elbow drop. More chops have Hercules reeling but he brings Steamboat out of the corner with an atomic drop. In a fairly stupid ending, Heenan throws Hercules a chain to draw the DQ, just as Hercules had taken over again.

Rating: D+. This was all storyline as the fans were drooling over the idea of Savage going over to the good side and saving Steamboat from the beating. The last few months had made the fans respect Savage despite how evil he was for one simple reason: at the end of the day, the fans are going to respond to good wrestling and talented workers. The match was nothing special though.

Savage teases helping Steamboat but runs to the top for the big elbow instead, crushing the fans’ hopes again.

Jim Duggan is in the front row with a ticket (without a location, date, show name or anything suggesting that there’s any effort put into it), saying he will not let Volkoff sing his national anthem again.

Slick says Volkoff can sing under the Freedom of Speech. They have the right to party. The COMMUNIST Party!

Nikolai Volkoff/Iron Sheik vs. Can-Am Connection

Volkoff starts singing and takes a 2×4 upside the head. We take a break and come back with Volkoff somehow not in traction and hammering on Martel in the corner, only to take a dropkick. Sheik takes a double hiptoss but he sends Zenk’s head into Volkoff’s boot. A pair of suplexes get a pair of twos for Sheik before it’s back to Nikolai for a kick to the ribs and another to the back.

Sheik gets two more off a belly to belly and puts on an abdominal stretch. Zenk fights out but eats a clothesline, allowing Sheik to spit on him. The villains double team Zenk on the floor as Duggan is about to explode. Duggan gets in with the board, offering a distraction so Martel can roll Sheik up for the pin.

Rating: D. Just a match here to fill in that late part of the show when most of the audience had gone to bed. Duggan chasing around the evil foreigner of the month would keep him employed for years because it’s as basic of a story as you’re going to find in wrestling. The Connection was good but they needed a better opponent and an actual match instead of an angle disguised as one.

The wrap up ends things.

Overall Rating: D. The Tag Team Title match is worth checking out but they’re just in a holding pattern at the moment before the big stuff starts later in the year. This wasn’t the best show to go on before summer break but when you’re coming off the biggest show ever, you have to expect a bit of a cooling off period.

IMG Credit: WWE

Saturday Night’s Main Event #10
Date: March 14, 1987
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 21,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

This show is all about Hogan vs. Andre and everything else is just kind of going on in the background. The company is rolling right now though and it’s all going to pay off in the Silverdome soon after this. It’s very interesting that they’re running this show basically in the same city as Wrestlemania just about a month before the big show. Let’s get to it.

Hogan has no friends in the battle royal but knows he’s in there himself. All he wants to do is get even with Andre the Giant and that’s the only reason he’s in this match. It’s going to be just the two of them and Hogan will get what he wants.

Heenan says Andre is the best.

Elizabeth explains the stipulations for Savage vs. Steele: the winner gets the title and her.

The Hart Foundation say it’s their first defense on this show but it’s going to be Santana and Spivey’s last time period.

Jake Roberts and Damien will be feasting on 400lbs of King Kong Bundy.

Opening sequence.

Jesse says Vince looks like the Penguin from Batman.

Hogan says he lives in the danger zone and he’ll face Andre anyplace anytime. It doesn’t matter if every member of the Heenan Family comes after him at once, he’s getting his hands on Andre.

We recap Savage vs. Steele, which we covered last time. Steele loves Elizabeth but it’s really just a background story for Savage vs. Steamboat. Of note here, the wrestlers now have customized graphics, such as Savage’s saying Macho Man underneath a picture of his signature sunglasses.

Elizabeth says she’s scared but Savage says he’ll win. Okerlund says Elizabeth has to go out last due to some rules. Savage: “Well rules are made to be broken. LIKE YOUR NECK!”

After Savage’s entrance, Steele comes up to Elizabeth and says “George! Manager! BYE BYE!”

Intercontinental Title: George Steele vs. Randy Savage

Winner take all. Before we get the bell, we get our fourth separate segment with Elizabeth in the first ten minutes, with Gene wishing her luck. Elizabeth is sitting in a chair at ringside like a lifeguard. George goes over to her but Savage jumps him from behind to get things going. He immediately tries to take Elizabeth to the back but Steamboat is waiting on him.

The distraction lets George get in a shot from behind as the match really gets going. Savage goes face first into the buckle and takes a blind swing at the referee. Naturally Steele stops to eat a turnbuckle. The champ uses the distraction to knee Steele in the back and nail the top rope ax handle. Steele just bites the arm and chokes Savage in the air but again goes for a turnbuckle. This time he shoves the stuffing in Randy’s face, only to go outside and look at Elizabeth. Savage sends him into the barricade and knocks Elizabeth’s chair onto the Animal for the countout win.

Rating: D. I’m sick of these two fighting as they had a ridiculous three matches on the first ten episodes of this series. Thankfully this would be it for these two as Savage would go after Steamboat full time after this. Steele would have been easier to sit through if he mixed things up every now and then but it was always the same thing.

Steele takes the title belt and finds a poster of Elizabeth as a consolation prize.

Hogan is warming up and keeps saying the name of someone in the battle royal with every other name being Andre.

Heenan and Andre say the Giant will win.

Battle Royal

Hillbilly Jim, Ron Bass, Sika, Haku, Tama, Lanny Poffo, Hercules, Butch Reed, Paul Orndorff, Billy Jack Haynes, Koko B. Ware, Nikolai Volkoff, Blackjack Mulligan, Ax, Smash, Honky Tonk Man, Jim Brunzell, B. Brian Blair, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan

You should know most of these people. Sika’s sons are Rosey and Roman Reigns. Haku and Tama, collectively known as the Islanders, are actually faces here. Reed is a power guy who was around for a few years but never really did much. Billy Jack Hayes was around even less time and accomplished even less. Demolition and Honky Tonk Man are both newcomers. The announcers make no secret of the fact that this is all about Hogan vs. Andre.

Everyone gangs up on Hogan to start but some guys go after Andre instead. Hogan fights back and dumps Honky Tonk Man before Andre does the same to Sika. Andre dumps Sika before hitting a massive headbutt on Poffo to bust him open, followed by a quick elimination. Hogan fights back as Poffo is taken out on a stretcher with pools of blood underneath him. Things settle down a bit as the ring has cleared out a little. Bass gets eliminated by Hogan and Andre does the same to Mulligan.

Hogan dumps Volkoff as we’re just waiting for the clash of the titans. Andre gets rid of Blair before stepping on Koko’s face. Orndorff and Hercules (now minus the Hernandez) whip Hogan across the ring and HERE WE GO. Hogan runs right into Andre and the fight is on. A few right hands stagger Andre but Orndorff and Demolition come over to break it up. Hogan dumps Orndorff but a single headbutt from Andre is enough to knock Hogan out and stun the crowd. We stop for a slow motion replay with a focus on Andre’s sneer at Hogan on the floor.

After a break we come back with Hogan still leaving. Andre tells him to come back for more and literally swats Koko away without even looking at him. Brunzell quickly gets tossed but everyone left gets together and dumps Andre. Hercules dumps Tama and Ax is gone a second later. Smash tosses Jim out and we’re down to Smash, Hercules, Koko, Reed and Haynes. Koko dropkicks Reed out, setting up their Wrestlemania III match.

Haynes goes after Smash and Hercules stomps Ware down in the corner. Pure power dumps Koko and we’re down to three. A double clothesline puts Haynes down but he nails a clothesline of his own to eliminate Smash. Heenan gets on the apron for a distraction and Hercules puts Billy Jack out for the win.

Rating: D+. There wasn’t much good here but it’s rare to hear a crowd come to life like they did when Hogan and Andre went at it. It was clear that that match was going to be huge but I don’t think anyone realized just how big. Hercules winning is more of a footnote than anything else as the interest just died after the two big names were gone. To be fair though they wrapped it up in a hurry after Andre was eliminated.

Andre says it took eight men to eliminate him but it took one giant to get rid of Hogan. Heenan comes in and brags about Andre’s success before declaring him the next Heavyweight Champion of the World. Bobby never mentioned Hercules whatsoever.

Jake says he and Damien will always be at the top of the food chain.

Jake Roberts vs. King Kong Bundy

Roberts tries to work on the arm to start and Bundy runs from the snake bag. Things settle back down with Bundy going to a standing armbar but Jake kicks the knee out to escape. Bundy goes to a test of strength and easily takes the Snake down for some near falls, only to have Jake go right back to the knee to get out again. A front facelock has a more lasting effect on Roberts but Jake slithers out and drills Bundy with a knee lift.

Jake goes for the bag, only to have Bundy drag him back to the middle of the ring and Heenan steals the bag. We take a break and come back with Roberts walking down the aisle with the snake bag, making Heenan’s actions fairly pointless. Jake sidesteps a big charge and Bundy hits the buckle hard. Some right hands and clotheslines put Bundy down but the referee stops Jake from going for the bag, earning a knee to the ribs for the DQ.

Rating: C. This was much better than I was expecting until the fairly lame ending. Jake was so smart in the ring and even acted like a snake, right down to the slithering around. I was surprised by how good the chemistry was here, especially when the match was looking like a filler.

Jake plants Bundy with the DDT and tries to get the snake, only to be tackled by the referee. Vince: “Put the snake on the referee!” That’s exactly what Jake does because he listens to his boss.

We see crooked referee Danny Davis costing the British Bulldogs the Tag Team Titles back in January.

The Hart Foundation introduces Danny Davis as their official ringside observer, whatever that means.

Tag Team Titles: Hart Foundation vs. Dan Spivey/Tito Santana

The Harts are defending and Davis cost Santana his Intercontinental Title over a year ago in another questionable decision. Spivey is a tall guy who looks a lot like Barry Windham (so much that he replaced Windham when he left the US Express). He takes Neidhart down with a headlock to start but a big clothesline drops Spivey right back. Off to Bret vs. Santana, which should be awesome.

Unfortunately it only lasts a few seconds before Spivey comes back in for a shoulder. The Harts take over on Dan though with Neidhart dropping him throat first across the top rope. Bret chokes against the rope and gets two off a middle rope elbow. Off to a front facelock from Bret, of course drawing in Neidhart so the referee misses Spivey’s tag to Santana.

Bret misses a charge into Neidhart, allowing Tito to come in off the real hot tag. Santana cleans house with his flying forearm to both Harts before putting Bret in the Figure Four. The other two are still fighting though, allowing Davis to nail Santana with the megaphone to give Bret the pin.

Rating: D+. This was decent while it lasted but there was no way we were getting new champions here. Spivey wasn’t much of a partner as he couldn’t even neutralize the likes of Danny Davis. The tag division was about to take off and once the Harts started getting some better competition, they never looked back.

Ricky Steamboat says his fire is getting hotter and hotter, even if people go after his injured throat.

Iron Sheik vs. Ricky Steamboat

Savage comes out to yell at Steamboat before sitting in on commentary. Sheik uses the distraction to hammer Ricky down but the Dragon skins the cat and suplexes Sheik down. As Ricky slaps on a front facelock, Savage stays on a rant about how none of this would work on him because he’s the best in the world. A suplex puts Ricky down and Savage swears he would have gotten a pin right there. Sheik puts on an abdominal stretch but Steamboat hiptosses out and nails a top rope chop for the pin.

Rating: D+. The match didn’t have a ton of time but Savage’s commentary carried the whole thing. They’ve done a great job of keeping these two apart before they finally get to destroy each other in about two weeks. Savage’s commentary was great here as he can say all these things but we know he’s capable of backing them up. Fun match but not very good if that makes sense.

Savage and Steamboat yell at each other.

Hogan is distraught about the loss and says Andre cheated. He doesn’t actually say how but he swears it happened. Hogan thinks Andre must have cheated in every win of fifteen years, apparently because Hogan has never watched an Andre match. He has the big man upstairs in his corner and there’s no way Andre can beat him at Wrestlemania III.

Roddy Piper is retiring after Wrestlemania III and is humbled by having a tribute video made for him. Wrestling kept him out of jail when he was a kid, but he’s going to Hollywood to give it all he’s got. We see the tribute video, set to Frank Sinatra’s My Way, which really is an appropriate song.

The standard recap ends the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was one of the weaker shows in the series, but it’s only there to set up Wrestlemania III, which was already set in stone by this point. Piper’s tribute is good stuff, even though at least half the clips were from the previous Saturday Night’s Main Events. The company is about to explode even more than it already has and the next few months and years will be outstanding stuff.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6