Sage Cortez
Yet another Saturday Night’s Main Event review is upon us! This was aired two days after the Survivor Series card, and that seems like a good time to put on some solid matches. Unfortunately, it appears that the main event is Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy. Not too enthusiastic about that, but the rest of the card seems decent enough. To Seattle we go!
– Taped to air November 28th, 1987, from Seattle Coliseum in Seattle, Washington
This DANGER ZONE introduction to the show is awesome! The Macho Man is PISSED. Bret Hart is headed into…THE DANGER ZONE! Hogan’s promo on Bundy is excellent, and it’s readily apparent that the opening video was shorter than usual.
Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura are our hosts tonight, for this show that was taped on November 11th. George Steele vs. Danny Davis, and Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Hercules are also part of this card.
Danny Davis (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. George Steele
Pre-Match Thoughts: This sounds absolutely terrible, but I must push through it! Before the match, a video is shown of Davis hitting Steele from behind with a bell, from SNME #11. Now, Steele has a short interview, during which he keeps talking about Elizabeth. Okay. Davis is then interviewed by Jesse Ventura, and this is where his character falls apart. He can’t carry anything verbally, so it’s flat.
Match Review: Steele attacks Davis to start the match, and lifts him in the air with a choke. The crowd liked that. Davis then leaves the ring, and Steele chases the referee to the outside as well, getting cheered for that too. Davis tries a sneak attack from behind, but that does nothing to Steele. As it should be. Steele knocks him out of the ring again, and thwarts the sneak attack this time. The third time, Steele gives Davis a drop toe-hold. Haha! That was smart. Steele chases Davis around the ring, and grabs a chair, trying to bring it into the ring. Davis hits Steele with a foreign object, then uses that object to help with a choke. Finally, Steele blocks the attempt, and puts Davis in a flying hammerlock. Then, Davis kicks the referee, and gets disqualified at 3:49.
After the match, Davis tries to attack Steele once again. Steele throws some turnbuckle padding at him, and chases him away from ringside to the back.
My Thoughts: That…was a really dumb finish. This was barely even a match, and it says a lot about the WWF that they would put something so stupid on television. 1/4*.
Bret Hart (w/Jimmy Hart & Jim Neidhart) vs. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth)
Pre-Match Thoughts: This match sounds fantastic. This contest is happening because of Bret Hart’s interference in Savage’s attempt to win back the Intercontinental Championship on the last SNME. Promo before the match leaves Bret with the change to say one sentence. That’s more than usual. Their evil interviews are usually amazing. Ventura refuses to condone what happened to Elizabeth on the last show, and that surprised me. I thought he would praise it! Savage’s pre-match promo is excellent, and here we go.
Match Review: Neidhart and Jimmy Hart try to corner Elizabeth, and that pisses Savage off. Wonder if that will continue. Funny how they showed Brian Bosworth after the commercial. Before things cut back to the match, Honky Tonk Man has an insert promo. All this garbage before the match is absolutely ridiculous. Finally, we’re underway, with Savage chasing the Hart Foundation around the ring, grabbing Bret, and ramming him into the ring post. Back inside, Savage throws Bret into the turnbuckle, only to miss a rush to the corner. Bret chokes his foe, and takes him down for an elbow. Savage blocks a backdrop attempt, and hits Bret with a running elbow of his own. Savage pushes Bret off the apron into the guardrail, with Bret making the bump look as realistic as possible. That was a great bit. Then, Neidhart gets on the apron, because he’s pissed. Jimmy Hart does too, and Savage rams their heads together. Then he tries his huge double axehandle from the top to the floor, only for Bret to hit him in the gut with the megaphone on the way down. That was awesome. Neidhart heads over and kicks Savage in the gut, then tosses him in for Bret to continue his work. Bret hangs Savage in the corner, which is under utilized at this point of the WWF, I’d say. After stomping on Savage, he executes a PILEDRIVER for 2. Bret then misses a charge to the corner, and gets thrown into another one of them. That was a great sequence. Savage heads up top, and down with a double axehandle for 2. Bret comes back with a backbreaker, and heads up to the second rope. He comes down with an elbow drop, and misses! Savage gives him a rope assisted clothesline, for 2…that was so close. Savage tries a charge at Bret, and Bret backdrops him over the top rope. That bump looked ridiculously dangerous. Savage has an injured knee, and now we head to commercial!
The match continues, even with Savage having his left boot taken off. Once Savage gets up, Bret goes for the ankle. He repeatedly stomps on it, and rams that leg into the ring post. Bret works a spinning toe-hold, until getting kicked into the turnbuckle. Savage gets up, gets taken down, and Bret puts a half crab on him. Savage reaches the ropes, and the apron, where Bret drags him back in from. Savage tries to go after Jimmy Hart, but gets caught on the apron again. Bret tries to slam him back into the ring, but Savage rolls through with a cradle for 3 at 12:03!
Neidhart tries an attack on Savage after the match, but Savage kicks Neidhart out of the ring. Then, Bret tries to hold Savage in place for Jimmy Hart to hit Savage with the megaphone. Bret gets hit on accident, and that’s the match!
My Thoughts: Great finish to a great match! This thing certainly held up over the years. It was nice to see a lengthy singles match, those weren’t very common on WWF TV. Was a lot of action, and what I liked the most about it was how strong Savage went over. That doesn’t happen often on Saturday Night’s Main Event, so when it does, it’s easily noticeable and deserves some credit. Glad the booking team put this together, especially considering that the rest of the card looks like junk. Savage’s display of selling was absolutely excellent, and Bret’s bumping was just as superb. ***3/4 and recommended. With this being on the Network and on DVD as well, there’s no reason to not have watched it by now.
King Kong Bundy (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: This…is not a match I had a particular interest in watching again. WrestleMania 2 was enough, but here we are. Not like I have a choice! During the interview, Heenan grabs the microphone from Okerlund, and begins a hype job of Bundy. He says that BundyMania is going to BEGIN TONIGHT. Heenan has a surprise! Again! It is…Andre the Giant once more! He’ll be in the corner of King Kong Bundy. During his interview, Hogan is upset by this.
Match Review: After the commercial, the match begins. Ventura is still working this ‘Hogan is favored by Joey Marella’ angle. Hogan lands some early shots on Bundy, then gets knocked down by Bundy off a shoulderblock. Hogan comes back with a high knee for 2, and tries a bodyslam, only for Bundy to fall on top for 2. Bundy continues with stomps, and a bodyslam. He misses a big splash attempt, and Hogan comes back with a clothesline. After a few elbow drops, Hogan covers for 2. Bundy replies with his own clothesline, and a knee drop for 2. Bundy puts a chinlock on the Hulkster, it’s applied for some time, until Hogan can finally break free. Brian Bosworth is enthralled by this match, by the way. Hogan hits Bundy with a big boot, and Andre sneaks his hand into the ring to trip Hogan. Haha. Marella rings the bell, at 5:22, and tells Howard Finkel what to say. Now, Finkel announces that Andre must leave ringside or Hogan wins the match! Eventually, Andre does leave, pushing a cameraman down along the way. AWESOME!
The match restarts, with Bundy taking control. Sadly for him, he gets thrown into the buckle and clotheslined. Hogan rams him into all four turnbuckles, then lands another high knee. He misses an elbow drop, and Bundy goes back to work, not for the first time. Bundy throws Hogan into the corner, and steps on him when he falls down. Bundy puts a bear hug on Hogan, but Hogan breaks free…only to be hit with an elbow. Bundy attempts the AVALANCHE, and LANDS IT. Bundy covers after a splash, and now Hogan is HULKING UP, BROTHER. He kicks out, hits Bundy with his best shots, and bodyslams him. Bundy exits the ring, and pulls Hogan out there with him, where they trade punches. Heenan latches onto Hogan to keep him from getting back in the ring, and Bundy wins the match via count-out at 13:45!
After the match, Hogan drags Heenan into the ring for some punishment. He chokes him, then drops him down to the mat. Then Hogan does it again, and a third time! What a poor sport.
My Thoughts: That match was better than expected for a match of this length between these two guys. I thought Bundy and Hogan put on good performances, and that they did a nice job making sure this wasn’t boring at all. I also like that Hogan dropped the match, making him look a little vulnerable. Considering he’s getting close to losing the title, that’s somewhat necessary. **1/4 for this affair.
Hercules vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Oliver Humperdink)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Apparently, Jim Duggan was supposed to be in this match, and Bigelow is his substitute. That’s good, as it should make for a better match. Heenan isn’t going to manage Hercules due to his injuries suffered in the last match. Hercules had a promo before the match, and it was actually pretty good. Bigelow’s promo was not so good. He sounded constipated. “WHEN I GET DONE WITH THAT CHUMP, HE’S ONLY GONNA HAVE ONE LINK IN HIS CHAAAAAAAIN.” I’ve changed my mind. That was good.
Match Review: They lock up, with nothing happening. Hercules tries to run over Bigelow, but he can’t do that. Hercules throws Bigelow into the corner, but he misses a charge. Bigelow gets hit with an elbow, and then a clothesline. Hercules lands another clothesline, and Bigelow takes an enormous bump over the top. DAMN. Bigelow gets up and climbs back to the apron, where Hercules hits him with some forearms. Bigelow drags Hercules down to the floor as well, and they trade bombs. This match is great. Bigelow slams Hercules on the floor, as the bell rings. NO, PLEASE NOT A COUNT-OUT. Bigelow grabs the microphone away from Howard Finkel, and says that he didn’t come out to Seattle for a draw. HE WANTS TO FIGHT! Hercules has the guts to keep fighting, and here we go. I like it.
After the commercial, the match resumes. Both guys get in football stances, and charge into each other, with nobody getting the better of it. Bigelow takes Hercules down after evading him with a cartwheel, then misses a dropkick. Hercules drops a pair of elbows on Bigelow, and drops a knee too. He heads up to the top rope, and Bigelow catches him. He gives Hercules a huge press slam, and heads to the apron for…THE SLINGSHOT SPLASH. Bigelow flies in, and finishes Hercules with a pin at 7:00.
My Thoughts: This match was excellent for what it was. As a showcase match to send the fans home happy, it doesn’t get a lot better. It was obvious Bigelow was going to win, but these guys hit each other with a lot of stiff shots, and it looked like a legitimate wrestling match. I’m probably in the minority of people who liked this, but simplicity and brevity can go a long way with me. **1/2.
In the back, we have some interviews. Okerlund is with King Kong Bundy and Andre the Giant. Bundy isn’t too worried about his injured manager, and he’s demanding a rematch, with Andre the Giant in his corner. He gets that rematch, on the next episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event! Hogan has a reply for that, and he believes Bundy’s victory was shallow. He doesn’t need anyone in his corner for the rematch! That’s the end of the show!
I would consider this to be a very successful few days for the WWF. Now, on this show, there wasn’t anything earth-shattering, but things moved along very nicely, as everyone knew WrestleMania season was coming up. I think it’s nice to see some continuity from episode to episode. As someone who isn’t watching all (just a lot) of the WWF’s TV, it’s easier to keep up with that sort of format. Big fan of what they’re doing with Randy Savage, and Bam Bam Bigelow’s short-lived rise to the top is really nice too. Other than the opener, there isn’t much to complain about. Next up, the wrestling war continues, as the WWF once again decides to counter program an NWA PPV! Putting the Royal Rumble on free TV was really underhanded stuff, but nobody knew that the Rumble would be such a success. I’m going to stick with the WWF, and bridge the gap from Survivor Series to the Royal Rumble. There’s also an SNME episode in there, which will be reviewed after NWA’s Starrcade to Bunkhouse Stampede period. There’s so much more to come!
Wrestling Time: 36:37. This was pretty much all wrestling, no BS. How much wrestling would be on a show with 65 minutes of air time these days? 20 minutes?
Best: Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart. Great match. Maybe the best there was on SNME, but that remains to be seen.
Worst: George Steele vs. Danny Davis. This was insulting to my intelligence and didn’t even have a finish.
Card Rating: 7/10. Far better than expected!
