SATURDAY NIGHT'S MAIN EVENT 8
This is where the power lies!...Randy Savage looks to jazz up his Intercontinental title...Frankie B. Ware is blowing raspberries over the Soviet Bloc...And, Hulk Hogan takes a break from the Garden of Eden, because he knows where the power lies...
History in the Making
The ‘Mr Wonderful’-Hulk Hogan feud was not dead after the last edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, but we would have to wait for the final blow-off to their feud. In the meantime, one of the genius aspects of having managers came into play, as Orndorff’s manager, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan, was just as much as Hogan’s nemesis as ‘The Wonderful One’. So, in the absence of Orndorff this month, another member of The Heenan Family stepped up to challenge The Hulkster: Hercules Hernandez. The massive man of indeterminate heritage/gimmick had been part of the Freddie Blassie-to-Slick sale, only to then have his contract sold on again, this time to ‘The Brain’.
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So, Heenan will try once again to wrest the WWF Championship away from Hulk Hogan, with the hope that his new charge can succeed where King Kong Bundy and ‘Mr Wonderful’ had so far failed in 1986…
Elsewhere, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper was now very much a babyface, and had recovered from the leg injury he had sustained at the hands of Adrian Adonis, Bob Orton and The Magnificent Muraco. With Adonis’s arm dangling by his side following last month’s SNME, Piper had begun his systematic revenge, aiming to go through all three men. His first stop on this tour would be his former bodyguard, and guy he would have kept even if he gave up wrestling and girls, ‘Cowboy, Ace, Boxing, Battling’ Bob Orton…
Interestingly, this edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event would also feature a match between two of the best heels of the year, as Intercontinental Champion ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage would defend against Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Both men had big feuds on the horizon: Savage was just beginning his famous feud with Ricky Steamboat, and Jake was just about to film an angle that would start a feud with Hulk Hogan over the WWF Championship. Only of those feuds would pan out as planned…The idea here was that Savage was being considered for a babyface turn, and Vince McMahon and co. were eager to see the level of reaction ‘The Macho Man’ would get against Roberts, who had done a fantastic job during his feud with Ricky Steamboat. As a result, we get something that almost never happened in the WWF: a heel vs. heel match…
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In addition to these big matches, we’ll also get the debuts on Saturday Night’s Main Event of Koko B. Ware, ‘The Rebel’ Dick Slater, The Killer Bees, and, best of all, The Hart Foundation…We’re in Jesse’s town, and it’s a happening!
It's A Happening!
Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura greets us – seemingly sporting Tony Garea’s hair – and he’s happy to be at home in LA…It’s time for the opening promo package…
Jake Roberts is going to squeeze the life out of Randy Savage, well, Damien is…Elizabeth is cleaning ‘The Macho Man’s’ Intercontinental belt, and Savage tells her that if he loses, it will be all her fault. “Rub it up!” (How has Savage been absent from SNME since January?)…Koko B. Ware and his bird, who is called Frankie B. Ware, which is a little disturbing, is going to drop some bombs when he flies over evil foreigner Nikolai Volkoff…Roddy Piper tells us to put our grandmas to bed before he fights…Weird close-ups and cutting introduce us to Jimmy Hart and The Hart Foundation, who simply tell us their names and different ways to kill bees…Hulk Hogan is going to face “the body of a God”, which should be easy to beat without the other appendages…
Jake Roberts is going to squeeze the life out of Randy Savage, well, Damien is…Elizabeth is cleaning ‘The Macho Man’s’ Intercontinental belt, and Savage tells her that if he loses, it will be all her fault. “Rub it up!” (How has Savage been absent from SNME since January?)…Koko B. Ware and his bird, who is called Frankie B. Ware, which is a little disturbing, is going to drop some bombs when he flies over evil foreigner Nikolai Volkoff…Roddy Piper tells us to put our grandmas to bed before he fights…Weird close-ups and cutting introduce us to Jimmy Hart and The Hart Foundation, who simply tell us their names and different ways to kill bees…Hulk Hogan is going to face “the body of a God”, which should be easy to beat without the other appendages…
Vince McMahon welcomes us, and for sure, Jesse Ventura has stolen Tony Garea’s hair. McMahon makes some jokes at the hairpiece’s expense.
Backstage, Jake ‘The Snake’ creeps up on Mean Gene, and dares him to turn his back again. As Roberts threatens Randy Savage, Gene’s hand is shaking with great fear, no doubt worried about another shower trip, his fear of which is becoming clearer due to Roberts’s threats. Vince and Jesse discuss the upcoming title match, and in a line that no one would ever be allowed to get away with today, Jesse is not sure whether Mean Gene was “holding a mike or a vibrator.” Wow… Mean Gene is backstage again, this time definitely with a microphone, trying to talk to Elizabeth but being blocked by Randy Savage. To celebrate his victory, Savage is going to have a Jake-skin belt made. |
Intercontinental Title Match:
'Macho Man' Randy Savage (c) (w/Elizabeth) vs. Jake 'The Snake' Roberts
We get our compulsory cleavage shot of Elizabeth – “Oh my she is nice!” Vince exclaims. Roberts goes for Liz with Damien and Vince puts over how evil he is, as the fans chant, “DDT!” Right from the beginning, then, the crowd are giving a different response to the one expected. Savage goes for a word with Roberts, but when Damien is offered in response, ‘The Macho Man’ runs behind Elizabeth.
As they are both heels, they begin by trading arm wringers and hair yanks. After a lock-up, Jake arm drags Savage and ‘The Macho Man’ ends up in Damien’s corner, which he’s none too pleased with. Roberts begins to take control with a headlock and almost gets the DDT after some hair-pulling squabbling. Another DDT attempt sees Savage ram Roberts into the corner. A big knee to the face from Macho gets him a two, as does a straight-up face plant into the canvas and a snapmare/knee combo. Savage, who is firmly in charge of the match, blocks an attempted uppercut. Despite his dominance, Macho is getting frustrated. Following a flying axehandle, he pins Roberts repeatedly without getting that three count.
Jake gets caught up in the ropes, giving Savage a chance to grab the bag that contains Damien and hide it under the ring. There’s not enough time to celebrate in his sneakiness, as Roberts nails a kneelift as Macho re-enters the ring. Damien is rescued, and this seems to give Roberts a boost. The short-arm clothesline gets a two-count but doesn’t lead to the DDT, despite the crowd very much wanting it. The crowd is getting firmly behind ‘The Snake’, which even McMahon has to acknowledge. The crowd perk up as it seems that Roberts was setting up for a DDT, but instead he nails an impressive face-planter front suplex.
Savage tries a flying kick to the face, that doesn’t really connect, and isn’t really sold, but it gives Savage a chance to get outside. Roberts slithers out after him, but Savage jumps behind Elizabeth. Going to Plan B, Roberts heads for Damien, but in turning his back it allows Savage the chance to hitting a running knee that sends ‘The Snake’ into the ring post. Savage scoots up to the top turnbuckle and flies to the outside with an axehandle. A second axehandle, this time inside, gets a two count. A third attempt at the move is met with an uppercut, and the match descends into a brawl. Both wrestlers push and throw referee Dave Hebner, including a particularly nasty-looking tumble on to his head and the timekeeper’s table. As Savage grabs a chair and Jake goes for Damien, Hebner calls for the bell. The Fink announces that, “As a result of the uncontrollable nature of this contest, the referee has disqualified both parties.” Or, double-DQ. Good match, and the ending was logical as they were both frustrated heels that didn’t have the patience to win in a legitimate manner.
As they are both heels, they begin by trading arm wringers and hair yanks. After a lock-up, Jake arm drags Savage and ‘The Macho Man’ ends up in Damien’s corner, which he’s none too pleased with. Roberts begins to take control with a headlock and almost gets the DDT after some hair-pulling squabbling. Another DDT attempt sees Savage ram Roberts into the corner. A big knee to the face from Macho gets him a two, as does a straight-up face plant into the canvas and a snapmare/knee combo. Savage, who is firmly in charge of the match, blocks an attempted uppercut. Despite his dominance, Macho is getting frustrated. Following a flying axehandle, he pins Roberts repeatedly without getting that three count.
Jake gets caught up in the ropes, giving Savage a chance to grab the bag that contains Damien and hide it under the ring. There’s not enough time to celebrate in his sneakiness, as Roberts nails a kneelift as Macho re-enters the ring. Damien is rescued, and this seems to give Roberts a boost. The short-arm clothesline gets a two-count but doesn’t lead to the DDT, despite the crowd very much wanting it. The crowd is getting firmly behind ‘The Snake’, which even McMahon has to acknowledge. The crowd perk up as it seems that Roberts was setting up for a DDT, but instead he nails an impressive face-planter front suplex.
Savage tries a flying kick to the face, that doesn’t really connect, and isn’t really sold, but it gives Savage a chance to get outside. Roberts slithers out after him, but Savage jumps behind Elizabeth. Going to Plan B, Roberts heads for Damien, but in turning his back it allows Savage the chance to hitting a running knee that sends ‘The Snake’ into the ring post. Savage scoots up to the top turnbuckle and flies to the outside with an axehandle. A second axehandle, this time inside, gets a two count. A third attempt at the move is met with an uppercut, and the match descends into a brawl. Both wrestlers push and throw referee Dave Hebner, including a particularly nasty-looking tumble on to his head and the timekeeper’s table. As Savage grabs a chair and Jake goes for Damien, Hebner calls for the bell. The Fink announces that, “As a result of the uncontrollable nature of this contest, the referee has disqualified both parties.” Or, double-DQ. Good match, and the ending was logical as they were both frustrated heels that didn’t have the patience to win in a legitimate manner.
We see the footage of Bobby Heenan buying the contact of Hercules Hernandez from Slick – who won’t take a cheque from ‘The Brain’. Mean Gene is backstage with Heenan and his new charge. The pair talk as if Hercules is already the champion, but Gene points out that saying it doesn’t make it so.
We cut to a disturbing close-up of the ‘Hulkamania’ on the Hulkster’s shirt, under which we can see his pecs bouncing up and down. In order to battle the immortal Hercules, Hogan has been hanging in the Garden of Eden with his “main squeeze, Eve”. He keeps pointing at his palm and declaring, “This is where the power lies.” Jesse is suitably confused as to its meaning.
We cut to a disturbing close-up of the ‘Hulkamania’ on the Hulkster’s shirt, under which we can see his pecs bouncing up and down. In order to battle the immortal Hercules, Hogan has been hanging in the Garden of Eden with his “main squeeze, Eve”. He keeps pointing at his palm and declaring, “This is where the power lies.” Jesse is suitably confused as to its meaning.
WWF Championship Match:
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Hercules Hernandez (w/Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan)
The crowd are more than a little excited to see the WWF Champion, who is wearing blue kneepads for the occasion.
We begin with a test of strength, that Hercules initially takes control of, but Hulk turns to the crowd for the support needed to power out. A sneaky head-butt gives Hercules control and he throws the champion into the corner with surprising ease. Some punches are traded, and after a minute both men are already sweating profusely. Hogan hits his running corner clothesline and a running elbow, which prompts Heenan to try and get involved. Hogan takes offense to this, and he takes off after ‘The Brain’, who makes a tremendous bump over the top rope to the floor. Despite the distraction, Hogan maintains control with a big boot to Hernandez. A missed elbow lets Hercules back in the match, and he takes advantage by dropping shins on to Hogan’s back. Jesse is upset because Dave Hebner is refereeing this match despite the beating he received in the previous match. Hercules locks in the bearhug, but as this is network television, he doesn’t hold it in too long. Hernandez starts to focus on the back of the WWF Champion, with a backbreaker, a backbreaker submission over his knee, and then the Torture Rack submission hold on his shoulders. The crowd are going crazy, and Ventura thinks that he can hear Hogan submitting. Hercules drops him as a result and celebrates. |
Dave Hebner informs him that Hogan didn’t submit, so he casually makes a cover without hooking the leg. The Hulkster makes a big kick out at two, and the Hulk Up begins. Punches from Hercules have no effect, and Hogan unleashes with big rights, a running elbow, eleven rams into the turnbuckle. Big boot, big leg, three count for the Hulkster. Jesse is furious.
The posing begins, as Ventura argues that Hogan submitted. McMahon doesn’t exactly deny it, which is interesting, but says that if he did the crowd was so loud that perhaps Dave Hebner couldn’t hear him. Which is plausible, as the crowd were going crazy the whole match, which certainly added the excitement levels of the bout.
Jesse Ventura is at one of his favourite restaurants with Jimmy Hart and ‘Cowboy’ Bob Orton. Orton suggests that he and Piper were never friends, and that ‘The Rowdy One’ used him and was never a good wrestler.
There is a wonderful short video about the Piper-Orton friendship, which shows them hugging and expressing their love over some wistful guitar music, and ending with a heart motif over the pair. Awesome.
Roddy Piper is beetroot colour, as he mentions to Mean Gene all the things he has done for Bob Orton, such as spending 14 months trying to get him a date with ‘Lucky Lucy’. He calls The Magnificent Muraco “the Fat Albert of professional wrestling” and proclaims that he was “rowdy before rowdy was cool”, which seems to be a new catchphrase as it’s mentioned multiple times throughout the night.
There is a wonderful short video about the Piper-Orton friendship, which shows them hugging and expressing their love over some wistful guitar music, and ending with a heart motif over the pair. Awesome.
Roddy Piper is beetroot colour, as he mentions to Mean Gene all the things he has done for Bob Orton, such as spending 14 months trying to get him a date with ‘Lucky Lucy’. He calls The Magnificent Muraco “the Fat Albert of professional wrestling” and proclaims that he was “rowdy before rowdy was cool”, which seems to be a new catchphrase as it’s mentioned multiple times throughout the night.
'Rowdy' Roddy Piper vs. 'Cowboy' Bob Orton (w/Jimmy Hart & The Magnificent Muraco)
The heels are all tarted out in tartan, those devilish fiends. Piper is now over huge with the crowd as a babyface.
We come back from the commercial, as Piper and Orton circle one another. Piper moves too close to the wrong corner, and Fat Albert spits at him. Piper invites him into the ring, but all he gets is another big wad of saliva, which leads to him returning the favour this time. The referee decides that this is all too gross for him, and sends Muraco to the back.
A BIG slugfest erupts between the two, ending with Piper nailing a bulldog. Piper starts biting Orton’s forehead, and keeps fighting dirty with a thumb to the eye. A running knee lift gets a two count for ‘The Rowdy One’, but he drops his head and allows Orton a way back in to the match. The crowd start to chant “Roddy!” as Orton blasts him with a gut-wrench suplex. Piper rolls out of the way of an elbow, but Jimmy Hart grabs him. Piper ducks Orton’s punch, but the Cowboy stops short before nailing his manager. Piper helps him on his way though, pushing him into the ‘Mouth of the South’ and as Orton staggered back, Piper rolled him up for the three count and the completion of the next stage of his revenge mission.
We come back from the commercial, as Piper and Orton circle one another. Piper moves too close to the wrong corner, and Fat Albert spits at him. Piper invites him into the ring, but all he gets is another big wad of saliva, which leads to him returning the favour this time. The referee decides that this is all too gross for him, and sends Muraco to the back.
A BIG slugfest erupts between the two, ending with Piper nailing a bulldog. Piper starts biting Orton’s forehead, and keeps fighting dirty with a thumb to the eye. A running knee lift gets a two count for ‘The Rowdy One’, but he drops his head and allows Orton a way back in to the match. The crowd start to chant “Roddy!” as Orton blasts him with a gut-wrench suplex. Piper rolls out of the way of an elbow, but Jimmy Hart grabs him. Piper ducks Orton’s punch, but the Cowboy stops short before nailing his manager. Piper helps him on his way though, pushing him into the ‘Mouth of the South’ and as Orton staggered back, Piper rolled him up for the three count and the completion of the next stage of his revenge mission.
After another break, Mean Gene is with the victorious Piper, who asserts that he wears a kilt, but what Muraco and Orton were wearing were dresses. He finishes with, “When I’m good, I’m good. When I’m bad, I’m better.”
The Hart Foundation is going to turn the Killer Bees into the Queen Bees. That is all.
The Killer Bees vs. The Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart)
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The Hart Foundation are, over a year into their run, finally wearing the pink outfits that they are best known for, and in the midst of a classic series with their complexly-related in-laws and Tag Team Champions The British Bulldogs.
Bret Hart and Jim Brunzell start off the match with a lock-up. Brunzell hits a very, very high knee that looked tremendous. As the Bees trade tags and work over Bret, in the corner we see The Killer Bees in a pre-taped interview with Mean Gene wearing their masks.
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They both claim to be Brian, much to Gene’s confusion, and the insert keeps moving across the screen as Bret and B Brian Blair roll around the ring. As The Killer Bees keep control despite Jim Neidhart being tagged in, Bret decides to cheat and knees Brunzell in the back. The Hart Foundation use the move that will soon become the Demolition Decapitation but only get a two due to the poorly placed referee.
Jim Neidhart hits a dropkick, which Jesse notes is impressive for a man of his size. Bret hits a nice European uppercut. Neidhart chokes Brunzell with the tag rope as Blair keeps running in and allowing The Hart Foundation to double team his partner. After Bret throws Brunzell out of the ring, the Bee comes back in with a sunset flip and gets a close two. Bret stomps Brunzell’s nuts for his impertinence. Another European uppercut from Bret is turned into a backslide and gives a second for a dropkick and a hot tag to B. Brian Blair, but the ref is again distracted. Unfortunately, the Hart Foundation knock both Bees to the outside, allowing them a chance to put their masks on.
Masked-up, B. Brian Blair explodes like a house on fire, wiping out everyone and locking a sleeper on Neidhart. Bret hits an axehandle from the second rope to break it up. Ultimately this proves fatal for Bret, as the distraction he causes with the ref getting him out of the ring is enough for Brunzell to swap places with his partner, and a fresher Jim Brunzell is able to roll Bret up when ‘The Hitman’ enters the ring and get another tainted three count for the ‘babyface’ Killer Bees.
Masked-up, B. Brian Blair explodes like a house on fire, wiping out everyone and locking a sleeper on Neidhart. Bret hits an axehandle from the second rope to break it up. Ultimately this proves fatal for Bret, as the distraction he causes with the ref getting him out of the ring is enough for Brunzell to swap places with his partner, and a fresher Jim Brunzell is able to roll Bret up when ‘The Hitman’ enters the ring and get another tainted three count for the ‘babyface’ Killer Bees.
Mean Gene is with Koko B. Ware and his related bird friend, Frankie. Gene asks what Frankie is going to do in Russia, and Koko just blows raspberries at the mention of every city. Not at all sure what that might mean…
Nikolai Volkoff tires to sing the national anthem, but his freedom is again impinged. Backstage, Volkoff and Slick are with Jesse Ventura. Slick says that, “To wrestle good, you got to feel good. To feel good, you got to look good. And to look good, it takes money…” Wise words, Slickster. Just in case we think Slick might be blazing a trail for reasoned racial portrayals, he tells us that the only way he likes his birds are “deep-fried.”
Nikolai Volkoff tires to sing the national anthem, but his freedom is again impinged. Backstage, Volkoff and Slick are with Jesse Ventura. Slick says that, “To wrestle good, you got to feel good. To feel good, you got to look good. And to look good, it takes money…” Wise words, Slickster. Just in case we think Slick might be blazing a trail for reasoned racial portrayals, he tells us that the only way he likes his birds are “deep-fried.”
Koko B. Ware (w/Frankie B. Ware) vs. Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick)
Koko B. Ware had had success in Memphis and Mid-South, where he had started to incorporate bird-style wing flapping into his act. He began his WWF career in September on the first episode of Superstars Of Wrestling, surprisingly losing a tag team match to The Hart Foundation, although Paul Roma took the pinfall. Despite the seemingly poor start, Koko had rebounded with a series of wins against lower-card opponents over the next two months. Nikolai would be his biggest match so far.
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Slick talks smack, allowing Nikolai a chance to beat down Koko. Some knees in the corner don’t do too much, and Koko takes advantage of an Irish whip to climb the ropes and do a small leapfrog over the Soviet. Koko then jumps onto the back of Volkoff, flaps his wings, and does a very weird-looking falling, backward, monkey flip. Jesse says it looks impressive but questions its impact. He doesn’t question the impact of the follow-up dropkick. A spinning knee from Volkoff changes the tide again, but he pulls Koko up at the count of two following a press slam into a backbreaker. Pondering what to do next, Volkoff consults with Slick, but Koko then rolls him up for a three and the first big win of his Hall Of Fame career.
Backstage, Hogan says that Hercules was nearly his equal, but the Hulkamaniacs got him through.
Fat Albert is with Mr Fuji and Mean Gene. Fuji sings a Southern Rebel song to explain why Muraco took the following match…
'The Rebel' Dick Slater vs. The Magnificent Muraco (w/Mr. Fuji)
Slater’s push was already fading, just a few months after he was being put over at The Big Event, and he would be gone shortly into 1987 after quickly becoming a jobber. There would be a WCW Tag Team Title reign later in his career, however, putting him up there with the likes of The Steiners, The Outsiders, and Judy Bagwell...
We are straight into the action, as Fat Albert Muraco is beating on Slater in the corner. Muraco tries for an airplane spin, but Slater slides out and rolls him up for a two. Slater hits his elbow to the top of Muraco’s head, but Fuji puts his man’s foot on the ropes. Slater’s finish is thus protected somewhat. Slater yells at Fuji, and pays the price for his raised voice as Fuji soon after hooks his foot with the cane and Muraco takes advantage with a clothesline for the three count, aided by rope leverage. Vince and Jesse recount the card, complete with numerous wig jokes and puns about the combatants (a lot of animal-based mentions for Koko and the Bees). Hogan is celebrating again for the credits…
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Well, You Know Something, Mean Gene...
Another big success for the WWF – a 9.7 rating – and one of the most satisfying Saturday Night’s Main Event’s so far. From an in-ring standpoint it was certainly one of if not the best of the first two years, with the two title matches and the tag team encounter being very enjoyable. The Roddy Piper-Bob Orton clash was not a scientific clash, but was a fun few minutes.
Storyline-wise, there was little development, especially compared with the fifth edition back in March. In actuality, the nearest we got to any progression was Hogan taking out another of Heenan’s charges and Piper scratching another name of his revenge list. Yet, Hogan and Piper were so popular as babyfaces at this point that their successes were enough for the audience. Plus, from a personal standpoint as a massive Bret Hart fan, it was great to see The Hart Foundation featured. Although the interview segments showed that they were not quite sure of themselves on that front yet (Bret especially), their ring work was top-notch. Despite defeat to The Killer Bees, who were the most dastardly babyface team ever, they would soon be getting a hyped shot at The British Bulldogs. This could have been due to the fact that they had now finally settled on pink for their ring attire and Vince McMahon seemed rather taken with it... |
The most interesting aspect of the show (aside from Koko’s revelation that Frankie was related to him) was the intriguing Intercontinental Title match, which revealed how popular the DDT was. Jake had been scheduled for a feud with Hulk Hogan over the winter, and they even filmed an angle for TV in which Roberts DDT’d Hogan on the concrete during the Snake Pit. The problem was, the fans cheered him, and so the angle was scrapped, and we will soon see a hasty babyface turn for ‘The Snake’ and a near-five-year wait for him to fulfil the awesomeness of his heel character. Randy Savage, meanwhile, had just begun his feud with Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat, which would have a profound impact on the WWF.
So, all-in-all a most enjoyable show, and the growing slickness (sadly not provided by Slick) of the product is becoming more apparent. SNME was now a consistent success, and was on the verge of having its highest-rated year. Maybe we will find out what this power is that lies in Hogan’s hand…
So, all-in-all a most enjoyable show, and the growing slickness (sadly not provided by Slick) of the product is becoming more apparent. SNME was now a consistent success, and was on the verge of having its highest-rated year. Maybe we will find out what this power is that lies in Hogan’s hand…