WWF Saturday Night's Main Event (11/05/85)

Saturday Night's Main Event was a WWF (later WWE) TV special that aired several times a year on major free-to-air network NBC, a rarity for professional wrestling. The show ran from 1985-1991 on NBC to huge success peaking in 1987, although ratings fell in 1991 as the WWF's popularity waned. Fox picked up the show in 1992 but dropped it after just two episodes.

The idea of the show was to capitalise on the huge popularity of the WWF in the 1980's boom period and provide a replacement for Saturday Night Live on week's it did not air. It was a rare chance to see major star Hulk Hogan who did not tend to wrestle on TV and unlike syndicated shows such as Superstars of Wrestling, featured mostly competitive bouts between stars as opposed to enhancement (or squash) matches.

Due to the success of Saturday Night's Main Event, a spin-off show called The Main Event aired occasionally on Friday nights between 1988-1991. Famously the initial show featuring Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant pulled in a massive 15.2 rating (33 million viewers) and remains to this day the most watched professional wrestling show of all time.


Here's a re-cap of the debut show...


Saturday Night's Main Event
11/05/85 (Taped 10/05/85)
Long Island, New York


The U.S. Express and Ricky Steamboat beat Nikolai Volkoff, The Iron Sheik and George Steele in a fun bout although the faces were on the offense for virtually the whole match. Steele got ditched by his partners towards the end and Barry Windham rolled up "The Animal" for the win. After the bout Steele was attacked by Sheik and Volkoff but was able to fight them off. Lou Albano attempted to calm Steele in the aftermath... During an in-ring edition of "Piper's Pit", Roddy Piper blamed Paul Orndorff for their defeat to Hulk Hogan and Mr T at Wrestlemania. Piper and Bob Orton assaulted Orndorff until Mr T came to his aid... Hulk Hogan retained the WWF Title over Bob Orton in a pretty basic affair by disqualification. After Hogan had hit the leg drop Piper punched Hogan for the DQ. Could Hogan not have beaten the sidekick? ... Cyndi Lauper introduced a new music video featuring Lou Albano, Roddy Piper, Fred Blassie, The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff and The Fabulous Moolah. Piper said it was the "greatest music video of all time... and then she started to sing"... Moolah revealed a contract barring Lauper from ringside during her title match with Wendi Richter. Lauper was annoying in her protest... 23 year old Wendi Richter pinned 61 year old Moolah to retain the Women's Title with a small package in a dreadful match. Moolah did little more than hair snap mares and forearm strikes at this point of her career. Lauper ran down to the ring to celebrate Richter's win afterwards... The Junkyard Dog, accompanied by his mother (it was Mother's Day) beat Peter Doherty (not the one from The Libertines) in a terrible squash bout... As a Mother's Day treat Mean Gene Okerlund spoke to JYD and his mum, Fred Blassie and a young lady who was supposedly his mum (Jerry Lawler did that same gag 10 years later at In Your House), Hulk Hogan and his mum, and finally Cyndi Lauper with her mum and Wendi Richter. Moolah came by to cause trouble but she and Okerlund ended up getting a face full of cake which was much more the stuff of Saturday morning rather than prime time Saturday night.

Results
The US Express & Ricky Steamboat def Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik & George Steele by pinfall (6:40 shown) **1/4
Hulk Hogan (c) def Bob Orton Jr by disqualification to retain the WWF Heavyweight Title (6:53) *1/2
Wendi Richter (c) pinned Fabulous Moolah to retain the Women's Title (3:18 shown) DUD
The Junkyard Dog pinned Pete Doherty (3:08) DUD