Saturday Night's Main Event (03/05/86)

Saturday Night's Main Event
03/05/86 (Taped 01/05/86)
Providence, Rhode Island

Bobby Heenan substituted for Jesse Ventura in the announce booth for this show... Hulk Hogan and Junkyard Dog beat Terry and Hoss Funk in a wild tag team brawl that was lots of fun. Hogan pinned Terry after the leg drop. The crowd were hot for this... King Kong Bundy scored an easy win over Uncle Elmer in a predictably awful match... Adrian Adonis, who was wearing a dress, defeated Paul Orndorff by disqualification when Orndorff shoved the referee down in anger. The match wasn't much of anything... Gene Okerlund interviewed Hulk Hogan in the empty arena (taped before the show) reflecting on his Wrestlemania match with Bundy... Jake Roberts versus Ricky Steamboat did not take place as Roberts attacked Steamboat before the bell giving him a DDT on the concrete floor which looked devastating... World Tag Team Champions the British Bulldogs defeated Nikolai Volkoff and Iron Sheik in a best two out of three falls match. Davey Boy Smith submitted to the Camel Clutch in about 90 seconds but came back to pretty much win the match on his own as Dynamite Kid was injured according to Vince McMahon. A good match though which the crowd were really in to.

Results
Hulk Hogan & The Junkyard Dog def Terry Funk & Hoss Funk by pinfall (10:19) ***
King Kong Bundy pinned Uncle Elmer (2:33) DUD
Adrian Adonis def Paul Orndorff by disqualification (9:32) *1/4
British Bulldogs (c) def Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik in a Best 2/3 Falls Match [2:1] to retain the World Tag Team Title (9:08) **3/4

Saturday Night's Main Event (01/03/86)

Saturday Night's Main Event
01/03/86 (Taped 15/02/86)
Phoenix, Arizona

Somebody obviously decided that the Saturday night light entertainment segments weren't working and from here on the show reverted to the tried and tested formula of promos and matches... After various hype videos and promos Mr T defeated Bob Orton Jr by count out in a rubbish worked boxing match which was mildly entertaining in terms of comedy. It did work well as an angle to set up Mr T versus Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania II... King Kong Bundy squashed Steve Gatorwolf and challenged Hulk Hogan... Hulk Hogan beat Don Muraco by disqualification to retain the WWF Heavyweight Title when Bobby Heenan interfered. Heenan was managing Muraco for the night in place of Mr Fuji who was "unwell". Fuji was shown backstage with an ice pack on top of his hat. Bundy attacked Hogan after the match with multiple Avalanches and splashes until other babyfaces ran to his aid. Hogan was taken away on a stretcher. This was a good angle to build towards the Hogan/Bundy cage match at Wrestlemania... The Dream Team defeated The British Bulldogs in a good match to retain the World Tag Team Title.  Greg Valentine fell on top of Dynamite Kid after a collision for a lucky victory. The two teams would meet again at Wrestlemania... Hulk Hogan's hilariously bad Real American music video aired for the first time... Junkyard Dog pinned Adrian Adonis after Jimmy Hart accidentally hit his own man with the megaphone. The match was pretty poor but the crowd was hot. Having gained so much weight Adonis looked really embarrassing at this stage of his career... A doctor confirmed Hogan had suffered cracked ribs and other internal injuries as a result of Bundy's attack.

Results
Mr T def Bob Orton Jr by count out in a Boxing Match (4:30) 1/2
King Kong Bundy pinned Steve Gatorwolf (0:40) SQ
Hulk Hogan (c) def Don Muraco by disqualification to retain the WWF Heavyweight Title (6:55) *3/4
The Dream Team (c) def The British Bulldogs by pinfall to retain the World Tag Team Title (9:27) ***
The Junkyard Dog pinned Adrian Adonis (6:35) *

Saturday Night's Main Event (04/01/86)

Saturday Night's Main Event
04/01/86 (Taped 19/12/85)
Tampa, Florida

Bobby Heenan replaced Jesse Ventura in the commentary booth for the opening contest. Roddy Piper, Bob Orton Jr and Jesse Ventura beat Uncle Elmer, Hillbilly Jim and Cousin Luke by referee stoppage. It wasn't bad for a bit of a fun match... Jimmy Hart challenged Junkyard Dog to a water slide race at a Tampa water park, which Hart lost. Ventura interviewed Terry Funk in the pool ahead of his title match with Hulk Hogan. This was all a bit daft... Hulk Hogan pinned Terry Funk to retain the WWF Heavyweight Title in a really entertaining brawl. Hogan won with the Axe Bomber clothesline... Back at the water park Randy Savage was teaching Elizabeth how to swim, by shoving her in the pool... Randy Savage defeated George "The Animal" Steele in an awful match refereed by a young Dean Malenko... Nikolai Volkoff pinned Corporal Kirschner in a "Peace Match" which was meant to be a clean wrestling contest. Volkoff won after using some slightly heelish tactics. It wasn't very good... Junkyard Dog and Ricky Steamboat beat Don Muraco and Mr Fuji in another nothing match when JYD headbutted Fuji.

Results
Roddy Piper, Bob Orton Jr & Jesse Ventura def Hillbilly Jim, Uncle Elmer & Cousin Luke by referee stoppage (7:25) **1/4
Hulk Hogan (c) pinned Terry Funk to retain the WWF Heavyweight Title (8:30) ***1/4
Randy Savage pinned George Steele (3:46) DUD
Nikolai Volkoff pinned Corporal Kirschner in a "Peace Match" (4:23) 3/4
Ricky Steamboat & The Junkyard Dog def Don Muraco & Mr Fuji by pinfall (5:19) *

Saturday Night's Main Event (02/11/85)

Saturday Night's Main Event
02/11/85 (Taped 31/10/85)
Hershey, Pennsylvania

Halloween edition! Terry Funk pinned The Junkyard Dog in a wacky brawl which was fun but just passable as a match. JYD 'branded' Jimmy Hart on his backside after the bout... Backstage the wrestlers were in fancy dress for the Halloween competition. Hulk Hogan was Hercules, Randy Savage and Elizabeth were Tarzan and Jane, King Kong Bundy was Abraham Lincoln, Bobby Heenan was Davy Crockett, but best of all were Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff as Batman and Robin. Lou Albano (Caesar) beat Bundy in a pie eating contest... On Piper's Pit were Uncle Elmer, Hillbilly Jim and Cousin Junior. Piper blamed Ventura for mocking the wedding but Ventura had no regrets. It got physical and the heels ran... In round two of the Halloween competition, Bobby Heenan beat Cousin Junior at Pumpkin Bobbin'... Hulk Hogan & Andre the Giant defeated Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy by disqualification. It may have only been basic stuff but the heat was immense... Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana fought Randy Savage to a lame double count out... A nutty segment at Roddy Piper's house (supposedly) followed showing him dealing with trick or treaters... Ricky Steamboat defeated Mr Fuji in a "Kung Fu Challenge" which was actually just a pro wrestling match. Don Muraco and Fuji attacked Steamboat afterwards... In the deciding round of the Hallowen competition the faces defeated the heels in a Pumpkin Pass contest when Elizabeth dropped the pumpkin. Savage was not pleased with her... To finish Jesse Ventura challenged the hillbillies to a match on the next SNME.

Results
Terry Funk pinned The Junkyard Dog (5:14) *1/2
Hulk Hogan & Andre the Giant def Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy by disqualification (5:35) *
Tito Santana (c) fought Randy Savage to a double count out. Santana retained the Intercontinental Title (4:10) *1/2
Ricky Steamboat def Mr Fuji in a "Kung Fu Challenge" match (2:50) 1/2

Saturday Night's Main Event (05/10/85)

Saturday Night's Main Event
05/10/85 (Taped 03/10/85)
East Rutherford, New Jersey


Ahead of the WWF Heavyweight Title bout, challenger Nikolai Volkoff said he'd have "no problem taking the title back to Russia and pressing the missile button". Imagine a foreign heel saying that today. In response champion Hulk Hogan told Mean Gene he was not happy about Volkoff singing the national anthem, but waving the Soviet Union flag in the ring was the last straw... Hogan pinned Volkoff in a decent brawl with good heat. After the match Hogan spat on the Soviet flag and used it to shine his boot... Uncle Elmer, on his wedding night, defeated Jerry Valiant in a record six seconds. This beat the pretend eight second record set by King Kong Bundy at Wrestlemania... An in-ring edition of "The Body Shop" followed as Jesse Ventura interviewed Bobby Heenan. Heenan said there was now a $50,000 bounty on Paul Orndorff's head... Orndorff had an intense brawl with Rowdy Roddy Piper that went to a double count out. The battle went backstage where Piper locked himself in his dressing room to get away from Orndorff...

Uncle Elmer legitimately married his bride Joyce Stazko in the ring with Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Hillbilly Jim, Lou Albano and others present. Gene Okerlund supposedly played the organ. An object thrown from the crowd hilariously hit the bride during the vows. Jesse Ventura's mocking commentary made this bearable. Roddy Piper came out to protest but the ceremony continued... Andre the Giant & Tony Atlas defeated Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy by disqualification. After the bell Hogan came out to the aid of Andre to a huge pop... A pre-taped segment saw Okerlund (in safari outfit) at Detroit Zoo looking for George "The Animal" Steele, because that's where he lived I guess... The Dream Team beat Tony Garea & Lanny Poffo in a decent enhancement match... Uncle Elmer's wedding reception was backstage, complete with farm animals running around. Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura joined Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff at a table. Okerlund tapped a glass and smashed it which I found quite funny. Poffo recited a poem (didn't he just wrestle?) and Hillbilly Jim made a toast. Musician Tiny Tim made an appearance before Ventura read a mocking poem but got tripped up into the wedding cake by Hillbilly Jim. Two cake finishes in a row!

Results
Hulk Hogan (c) pinned Nikolai Volkoff to retain the WWF Heavyweight Title (5:17) **1/2
Uncle Elmer pinned Jerry Valiant (0:06) SQ
Roddy Piper fought Paul Orndorff to a double count out (4:04) **1/2
Andre the Giant & Tony Atlas def Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy by disqualification (4:26) 1/2
The Dream Team (c) def Tony Garea & Lanny Poffo by submission to retain the World Tag Team Title (3:35) *3/4

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

WWF Wrestlemania X

WWF Wrestlemania X
Venue: New York City, New York
Date: 20/03/94
Attendance: 18,065
Commentators: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

The World Wrestling Federation returned to Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 10th annual Wrestlemania and Vince McMahon pulled in the celebrities for the occasion. Little Richard (badly) mimed "America The Beautiful", Rhonda Shear (TV personality) and Jennie Garth (actress) were guest time keepers, while Donnie Wahlberg (singer, actor) and the biggest coup of all Burt Reynolds (actor) were guest ring announcers. There was also a Bill Clinton lookalike that fooled nobody. It had been decided that Royal Rumble co-winners Lex Luger and Bret Hart would both receive championship matches on the night. Luger would face Yokozuna first (decided by coin toss on Raw) and Hart would take on the winner later in the evening. Hart would also be in the opening match after finally agreeing to battle his brother Owen after the younger Hart went full heel at the Royal Rumble. There was also a certain Intercontinental Title Ladder Match on the card which you may have heard about. Jerry Lawler made his return to TV as colour commentator and did an excellent job.

Review

Owen Hart scored a big upset win over older brother Bret in a fantastic opening bout. Owen had to cut some of his more high flying manoeuvres out of his arsenal to suit his new heel stance but that did not detract from this technically superb contest. Owen was of course the aggressor as the younger hot-headed sibling but he didn't overdo the heel shortcuts. Bret was excellent in his role as babyface older brother and the match told a great story. Both men survived each other's version of the Sharpshooter. Bret attempted to perform a victory roll but Owen countered it for a shockingly clean three count. Lawler sold the significance of Owen's victory fantastically.


Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon defeated Doink and Dink in an acceptable mixed tag team match that was always going to feel flat after the Hart classic. It was what it was, a bit of fun. Bigelow scored a decisive win for his team when he pinned Doink following his top rope head butt.


After being built for around five months, Randy Savage and Crush finally collided in a "Falls Count Anywhere" grudge match. The rules were amended so that falls had to take place outside of the ring and the beaten wrestler would get one minute to return to the ring or lose the match. It was not a change for the better. Crush beat Savage in less than a minute after dropping him onto the guard rail in the aisle. Savage survived and pinned Crush after the big elbow off the top rope. He then had to roll Crush outside to pin him but Crush just made it back inside in time with the help of Mr Fuji. The finish came when Savage threw Crush into a few doors and attempted to hang him upside down after pinning him. Crush did not make it back and Savage was declared the winner of a fairly good brawl.

Women's Champion Alundra Blayze beat Leilani Kai in a short match which nobody really cared about. Kai's appearance was a nice nod to the original Wrestlemania but this did nothing for Blayze or the women's division.


Men on a Mission scored a weak count out win over tag team champions The Quebecers. The match wasn't very good but at the same time not as bad as expected.


Lex Luger was unsuccessful in his quest to become WWF Champion after he was screwed by guest referee Mr Perfect in his match with Yokozuna. Going nearly 15 minutes and filled with rest holds, the match was offensively boring. Towards the end Luger finally made his comeback by body slamming Yoko and KO-ing him with the formerly illegal elbow. He then nailed Jim Cornette and Mr Fuji before covering the champion but Perfect refused to count. Luger lightly shoved Perfect urging him to count but instead Perfect disqualified Luger. The crowd chanted "bulls**t" in response to the screwy finish. Apparently McMahon changed his mind about Luger very late in the day and effectively killed him as a top babyface. His feud with Perfect went nowhere as Curt Hennig would soon leave the company once again.


Harvey Whippleman made fun of Howard Finkel's new hairpiece and bullied him until "The Fink" shoved him down. Adam Bomb came out and grabbed Finkel but Earthquake made the save and squashed Bomb in about 30 seconds. Pointless. Who did this benefit?

Then came the match to determine the undisputed Intercontinental Champion in the first ever WWF ladder match on pay-per-view. There had been ladder matches before, even in the WWF but this one was a game changer. Featuring an incredible performance by Shawn Michaels who bumped like a man possessed, this match remains the ladder match that all others are judged by. Michaels claimed to be Intercontinental Champion despite being stripped of the title in September and still carried the belt when he returned from suspension. Meanwhile a new champion had been crowned in Razor Ramon who defeated Rick Martel to lift the vacant title so the two men were on a collision course the moment Michaels returned. The difference between this ladder match and the previous one in the WWF between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in 1992 was the ladder was now being used as a weapon as well as a way of getting the title belt. Ramon and Michaels thought up many innovative ways to do this including baseball sliding the ladder, jumping off the ladder, performing moves off the ladder and just plain old beating your opponent with it. Watching this match when it first took place you knew you were watching something special. Ramon won the match after shoving Michaels off the ladder causing his leg to be tied up in the ropes meaning Ramon could retrieve the title belts to be confirmed as the undisputed champion. There was lots of talk of Michaels being WCW-bound at this time but although he took an extended break from in-ring action he remained with the WWF.

The main event was always going to feel a bit of an anticlimax after Ramon/Michaels but the introduction of Roddy Piper as guest referee helped as he came out to a great reception. You could argue that as entertaining as Piper was, he overshadowed the match itself. Yokozuna and Bret Hart had an okay title bout but it wasn't was good as the one they had in Las Vegas. However the finish was equally lame. Yokozuna inexplicably just fell backwards off the middle rope as he prepared to hit the Banzai Drop. Hart then pinned him for a complete fluke victory. That being said the crowd did pop huge for the three count. After the match wrestlers and celebrities filled the ring to celebrate with Bret. Owen Hart then appeared in the aisle to stare at his brother which was important because Owen now had a legitimate claim to be the number one contender.


Overall
Wrestlemania X is remembered as a great WWF show on the strength of two phenomenal matches. Without them the card is just average but that's how strong they were. The ladder match was the one that really pushed Shawn Michaels to the next level while at the same time casting the die for all future ladder matches. Owen Hart was also well and truly put on the map after his world class match with Bret. The brothers were set to collide for the title at Summerslam and would remain on opposite sides of the fence for the next three years. Wrestlemania X drew 390,000 buys for a Wrestlemania low buy rate of 1.68. Considering how business had been going this was still a satisfactory number.


Results
1 Owen Hart pinned Bret Hart (20:26) *****
2 Bam Bam Bigelow & Luna Vachon def Doink & Dink by pinfall (6:09) *1/2
3 Randy Savage def Crush in a "Falls Count Anywhere Match" (9:43) **1/2
4 Alundra Blayze (c) pinned Leilani Kai to retain the WWF Women's Title (3:23) *
5 Men On A Mission def The Quebecers (c) by count out. Quebecers retained the WWF Tag Team Title (7:45) *1/4
6 Yokozuna (c) def Lex Luger by disqualification to retain the WWF Heavyweight Title (14:40) 1/2
7 Earthquake pinned Adam Bomb (0:35) SQ
8 Razor Ramon (c) def Shawn Michaels in a "Ladder Match" to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title (18:47) *****
9 Bret Hart pinned Yokozuna (c) to win the WWF Heavyweight Title (10:36) **1/4


Rating
19/45 = 42.22%