Sage Cortez
Just a week removed from the Royal Rumble and the events that took place there, it’s time for another Saturday Night’s Main Event. And what do we have here? Hacksaw Duggan facing the Macho King again? Okay. Dusty Rhodes and Rick Rude? That’s good. A match where the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan team up. YES! That’s a great way to hook in viewers. We’ll see how the match goes, I’m not so sure about that. No, I’ve never seen this before either. So I don’t know.
– Taped to air January 27th, 1990, from UTC Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee
The open points out that Warrior and Hogan are teaming up, which sounds like something I absolutely need to see. Nothing else in that introduction video, either. Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura are our hosts, hopefully they’ll detail more of the matches. Otherwise, I did it above and it didn’t actually happen on the episode. They did! We have Greg Valentine against Jake Roberts, and Dino Bravo against Ron Garvin. Well, that doesn’t sound so great.
Jim Duggan vs. The Macho King (w/Queen Sherri) for the KING’S CROWN
Pre-Match Thoughts: I’ve seen this matchup quite a bit, so it’s natural that they’d bring it to TV. It’s always reliant on Hacksaw’s performance. If it’s good, the match will be acceptable. If it’s not, Savage would have to put in the best performance of his life to get it to work. If Savage didn’t perform, the match would be of shocking quality. Hacksaw was there for the first interview of the show, during which we saw a video of Savage winning the crown and Hebner counting to 4. He doesn’t want revenge for himself, but for the regular people who have had shit talked about them. Okay! The Macho King talked about peasants, his usual thing now. Liked seeing the jobbers carry him into the arena, that’s a nice touch.
Match Review: Savage is sticking with the pants, I suppose. Hacksaw heads to the outside and tips over his podium, getting the match underway. That looked dangerous! Back in they go, and Hacksaw misses a charge to the corner that he doesn’t even sell. Savage follows with a clothesline, which Hacksaw does sell, and down he goes. Hacksaw clotheslines Savage a few times for a 2 count, then follows with an atomic drop. Sherri gets on the apron and Hacksaw goes for her, which allows Savage to attack from behind and knock Hacksaw out of the ring. Savage follows that with BOMBS AWAY, this match has a great pace. He sends Hacksaw back in for another double axehandle, it gets 2. He snaps Hacksaw’s neck for 2, and misses a leapfrog body guillotine. That bump looks more impressive than it actually is. Hacksaw misses an elbow drop, so when they get up, it’s even steven. They trade punches, and Hacksaw backdrops Savage over the top rope. Can’t believe he started taking that bump even more as his career went on. Sherri keeps the referee from making a count, and Duggan goes for a clothesline on her only for her to duck and him clothesline Savage instead.
After a commercial break, Hacksaw gives Savage a bodyslam back inside the ring. He drops a knee, but Sherri distracts to prevent a cover. Eventually the referee counts for 2, but the job was done. Hacksaw said something about Sherri being a broad, then he clotheslines Savage two or three times to knock him out of the ring. Sherri goes after Hacksaw again, and this time he chases her around the ring. There were some boos, too. He catches her, hikes up her skirt to reveal some underwear, and she ducks out of the ring. Savage hits Hacksaw with a knee to the back and a double axehandle for the top, and now Sherri has THE PURSE. Savage gets it, and we’re reminded that this is how Savage won the crown. Good continuity. Savage swings it at Hacksaw, and hits him for a second time with it. AMAZING. This time, Hacksaw kicks out at 2! That’s the kind of false finish that makes me think Hacksaw could win. He cradles Savage for 2, and rams him into the buckle a few times. The crowd is going nuts for this. Hacksaw follows with an atomic drop and more clotheslines, then it’s time for the 3 POINT STANCE! He hits Savage with the clothesline, and it knocks him outside the ring. Hacksaw goes for a suplex to bring him back in, and Sherri trips Hacksaw, allowing Savage to fall on top and cover for 3 at 9:14!
My Thoughts: This told a great story, with Sherri once again being the difference maker. It’s nice to see them actually putting a woman over in this way as they hadn’t allowed anyone else to do that. Duggan did an extremely good job carrying his end of the match as well. He hit Savage with everything he had and still couldn’t beat him. Savage did have to cheat, but he was also clearly the better guy. He also bumped like crazy for Duggan and did everything he could to make the match work. The finish was excellent as well, and probably the best way to go about it. ***1/4. The only complaint I have is the lack of variety in moves Hacksaw used, but being a clothesline machine is okay with me!
The Genius & Mr. Perfect vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WWF Intercontinental Champion) & Hulk Hogan (WWF Champion)
Pre-Match Thoughts: This is a hell of a tag team match, exactly the kind of thing worth putting on a Saturday Night’s Main Event. Showcase matches you won’t see anywhere else can certainly pop a strong rating, and this one did. The heels are most certainly overmatched and in many respects I’d expect that they’d take a back seat at the end when Warrior and Hogan needed to do their thing to get their huge WrestleMania main event over. Before the match, Perfect and the Genius cut the perfect promo. Great poem from the Genius! Of course, Ventura talked about Hogan and Warrior having issues. The video from the Rumble was shown, up to the point where Hogan and Warrior clotheslined each other. They get the chance to speak as well, and Hogan plays down what happened at the Rumble. This is about the two strongest forces teaming up, brother. Warrior’s promo actually made sense, that was hard to believe.
Match Review: Perfect and Genius look so physically overmatched. Hogan will start the match with Mr. Perfect, and Perfect gets shoved hard back into the corner. Hogan follows with a hip toss and bodyslam, then Genius runs to be slammed a few times as well, clearing the ring. Warrior tags in, and gives those guys a noggin-knocker, before sending the Genius back in. A Warrior shoulderblock follows, and he brings Perfect in the hard way. He clotheslines Perfect over the top, and shakes the ropes in typical Warrior fashion. Hogan tags back in there, and Perfect chops away. Hogan knocks him over the top with a back elbow, and sends him into the post as well. Some of the bumps Perfect is taking are insane. Time for the Genius to write out a formula to win this match! Hogan drops Perfect with a clothesline, and a bodyslam follows. After some elbow drops by Hogan, a big boot sends Perfect back over the top. Perfect and Genius conference and Perfect gets the scroll, which he clocks Hogan with! He tries to follow with the chair, but it misses and they get back in the ring. Hogan cradles Perfect up for a 1 count, but Perfect comes back with a clothesline. He uses a neck snap on Hogan as well, and the Genius tags in. This could be fun, but he goes right back out so Perfect can hit Hogan with a double axehandle from the second rope. Perfect follows with the PERFECT-PLEX, and for some reason he stops the count. He wanted the Genius to win it. Genius tries a MOONSAULT, which Hogan blocks, then Perfect leaps off the top and eats a boot from Hogan. Warrior makes the big tag in, and it’s easy to see a lot of canned sound has been put into this episode. He hits Perfect with a knee to send him over the top, then drops Genius with a clothesline. A gorilla press to Genius follows that, and Hogan makes a blind tag as Warrior runs the ropes for his finish. Hogan drops the leg and covers, which picks up the win at 8:02.
Hogan just got presented as a major glory hog, but they celebrate together until Perfect attacks from behind. Warrior fights off the double team, and accidentally clotheslines Hogan during that. When Hogan stands up, he pushes Warrior away from him and they go head to head. Sadly, they cut to a commercial.
My Thoughts: That was a hell of a way to build towards WrestleMania. The match was a lot of fun because Perfect bumped around like a maniac. I don’t remember another match of this length where a combatant took so many bumps over the top rope. It was interesting to see. The blind tag was great, of course. The match was all action, which was great seeing as two guys in the match usually worked a style that didn’t require them to take many bumps or anything like that. ***, it had the right finish too. The post-match was great for selling WrestleMania, but at the end, they made up for the live crowd. Just not on TV.
Greg Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Jake Roberts
Pre-Match Thoughts: Before this match, we got a video of Jake Roberts taking the MILLION DOLLAR BELT away from Ted DiBiase. Now, he’s interviewed by Mean Gene, and Jake says if anyone wants to know where the belt is, they’re going to have to look in his bag to find out if it’s there. Great promo. Greg Valentine and Jimmy Hart are interviewed by Jesse Ventura, and they don’t say a hell of a lot. I’m not really looking forward to the match and think it has been time to marginalize Valentine even further than he has been, or let him go. The obvious reason they didn’t is that they didn’t want him heading over to Turner, even though his role there would also be marginal at best. I guess I was wrong in stating they wouldn’t put the belt in a bag with a snake. They did, and the question Roberts posed has just been answered.
Match Review: These old pros lock up, and the Hammer takes Roberts down with an arm drag. Roberts comes back with one of his own, and goes for the DDT only for Valentine to duck to the outside. He gets back in, and a Hart distraction allows him to take control. After some chops, the Hammer shoots Roberts into the corner. Very slow match we have going here. Valentine drops an elbow for 2, and continues to work over Roberts with punches and elbows. After a knee drop to the back, there’s another cover for 2 by Valentine. Roberts comes back with punches and dodges a charge to the corner, then takes Valentine down with a right hand. A short clothesline by Roberts follows that, and he signals for the DDT! Valentine backdrops him and misses an elbow drop, then Roberts misses a charge to the corner. Valentine and Hart share a hug, and it’s time for him to slap on the FIGURE-FOUR! Roberts kicks him away, gets up, and plants Valentine with the DDT! Ted DiBiase and Virgil run out from the back, and there’s a disqualification at 5:16 as they attack Roberts. Virgil is a bit scared to grab the title belt from the bag that also has a snake in it, which gives Roberts time to come back and get his bag back after some punches. Damien’s out of the bag, and there goes all the heels to the back, running full speed.
My Thoughts: This match was not good at all, and it was really slow. Not the kind of thing they should have had on TV, really. There was very little action, and quite a bit of mat work that didn’t go anywhere in the end. At least Jake kept the title he stole, leading to a match for it at WrestleMania. *.
Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Dusty Rhodes (w/Sapphire)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Very rare at this stage of the WWF to have a singles match where both wrestlers have managers. That’s where we’re at now! Bobby Heenan’s promo about Sapphire was messed up. He called her fat, and all kinds of other stuff, which Rude added to. He said that Sapphire wouldn’t be able to resist him. We’ll hopefully not find out. Sapphire says that wouldn’t happen, cause the American Dream is her man. Haha. Sapphire is hilarious in this role, and the crowd reacted a lot to Dusty seeing as this is more his area than the Northern states.
Match Review: Rude attacks from behind, and we’re underway! Dusty shoots him into the buckle and drops an elbow on his back, then he throws Rude out of the ring. He sends Rude into the apron, and Rude rolls back in afterward. He goes for a bodyslam, but his back hurts too much to slam Dusty. Dusty elbows him a lot, then takes him down for an elbow drop that doesn’t land. Rude goes to work on a chinlock, and Heenan starts arguing with Sapphire. Dusty gets out and backdrops Rude, and notices what’s going on with his manager. He leaves the ring, and Rude attacks him from behind. Now, the two managers have been ejected! The commentary was bad, and didn’t even say that Sapphire was also kicked out.
Back from the commercial, Rude knocks Dusty out to the floor and posts him. He does the hip swivel, but his back hurts and he has to stop. Sapphire bought a ticket! That’s a great thing, but I find it hard to believe somebody can buy a ticket at this late stage of the card. Rude has Dusty in an armbar, and finally notices that Sapphire is still there. About time they started hyping up Mike Tyson’s appearance as a guest referee in Detroit. Although it didn’t quite turn out like that. These guys collide with each other, and Rude heads up top only to get hit on the way down. Dusty starts with a spinning toe-hold, but Rude breaks it with a shot to the eyes. Dusty’s done selling for Rude, and I suppose it’s time for his comeback. Or not. Rude boots him and follows with some elbows, and Sapphire starts taunting him. Rude goes out of the ring and grabs her, but Dusty follows and starts hitting him. Of course, they fight to the back and it’s a double count-out at 9:04.
My Thoughts: This was a horrendous match on all levels. Dusty couldn’t work at all anymore. It wasn’t a matter of him not trying, he was simply too old to work and didn’t have anything to offer, much less 9 minutes of work to offer. I wouldn’t give this a negative rating, but it was certainly close. The only action in the match was when Sapphire and Heenan got kicked out. Was time for Dusty to retire, obviously. DUD. If Sapphire really bought a ticket, how could she hop the barrier? Is that the kind of behavior the WWF wanted to encourage?
Dino Bravo (w/Jimmy Hart and the CANADIAN EARTHQUAKE) vs. Ron Garvin
Pre-Match Thoughts: They couldn’t have closed this show with two worse matches, I think. THis is kind of a joke. Hart cuts a promo for Bravo and Earthquake, who has finally started that thing of standing there in menacing fashion and swaying back and forth. That’s one of the best cases of gimmick work during a promo. There is nothing they can say to sell me on this match, but Vince is trying really hard to do so. Another WrestleMania V rematch!
Match Review: These two lock up, and Bravo clobbers away with chops and the like. Garvin hits him with his own, and Bravo throws him out of the ring in response. Earthquake rams Garvin into the apron, and sends him back in for a bodyslam. Bravo drops a big elbow, it gets 2. Bravo follows with a gutwrench suplex for another 2 count, and Garvin reverses a bodyslam into a failed cradle. This match stinks so bad. Bravo misses some elbow drops, and Garvin comes back with punches to knock him down. Garvin backdrops Bravo, and goes for Hart, bring him in. He throws him onto Earthquake, who catches Hart. Garvin goes back to Bravo for the GARVIN STOMP, but he gets distracted and gets thrown out of the ring by Bravo. Garvin climbs up top and comes back in with a cross body, but Bravo reverses it for 3 at 3:19.
Garvin tries to attack Bravo, and of course gets double teamed. Poor guy is going to get taken out. Earthquake lands on him with the BUTT SPLASH, and does so for a second time as Garvin writhes on the canvas. Earthquake was obviously going to be a top heel for them. Garvin even does a stretcher job, that’s giving up your pride for the business.
My Thoughts: Bad match, good finish. Good post-match too. It actually made the entire thing far better, as it was terrible otherwise. Garvin was a great seller, and a good worker at his best. Bravo was always terrible, and it’s painful to watch him wrestle at times. Even still. 1/4*.
In the back, we have Jesse Ventura with the Macho King. February 23rd, it’s going to the Macho King against Hulk Hogan with Mike Tyson as the referee! Sure it will be! Can’t wait to watch that, or not as it never happened. Amazing promo by Macho though. He said that Tyson needed to bow to him, and after he beats Hogan, HE’LL HAVE TO KISS MACHO’S FEET. This is one of his best delusional promos, he put the full court press on that one.
Hogan had a response, and said that Tyson is going to help hold Macho back. Don’t think that’s a referee’s job. He said that Tyson would keep Sherri out of the ring, which would be his job. It was pointed out that this could be the last match between these guys, so people better watch it. Yes. They better. That’s the end of the show!
It’s funny that the Tyson thing didn’t come off after all this promotion. Obviously, they couldn’t have him on SNME after he got knocked out by Buster Douglas. They fixed it, but I think it made a major difference to not have Tyson there. The odds are that Tyson would have drawn in even more viewers, which hooked people in for the Warrior/Hogan match at WrestleMania. I guess I’ll be able to tell when I watch it. As for the show, it was no better than acceptable. The first two matches were a great way to start the show. The last three were not. In fact, the show couldn’t have finished off any worse. If I was watching this on the day of, and they put on the Dusty/Rude match that played out the way it did, I would have went to bed. Straight out. Next up, I’m going to go all the way from NWA’s Starrcade to WrestleWar 1990. I know there’s a Clash of the Champions in there, but the events of that Clash only have a minimal impact on the matches that take place on other shows leading up to the PPV. So, we’ll go with that, and cut back to Clash 10.
Wrestling Time: 34:55. That’s quite a bit. Up there with the most on any of these shows.
Best: Perhaps surprisingly, Hacksaw Duggan vs. The Macho King. Great performance by Savage.
Worst: Rick Rude vs. Dusty Rhodes. Terrible match on all levels.
Card Rating: 5/10. The way that show finished was so bad. The way it started was really good. So, gotta meet right in the middle.
