WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event #20
March 11, 1989
Hershey, PA
Hershey Park Arena
(Taped on 2/16/1989)

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Randy Savage (3/27/1988)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/29/1988)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (3/27/1988)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)

WHAT? No random funny interviews to kick off the show? Oh well. Instead, we get a video of how the Mega Powers EXPLODED! Tonight, Elizabeth HAS to choose which egomaniac she will represent at WrestleMania V! Will it be Hogan or Savage? Find out on Saturday Night’s Main Event!

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jesse “I visited Yale and all I got was this lousy sweatshirt” Ventura!

• Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Brutus Beefcake
  

Why is Rude facing Beefcake tonight, you ask? Heenan wants Beefcake eliminated so he doesn’t try and cut Rude’s hair, because Rude’s image is VERY important to him. Well, why don’t they just leave him alone then? Beefcake is CRAZY over, here. Beefcake pounds away on Rude to start. He ducks a swing from Rude and quickly applies the SLEEPER! Rude tries to escape by sending Beefcake into the corner, but Brutus lets go of the hold and lets Rude fly into the turnbuckle. It’s about time somebody figured that out. Beefcake tries a ten-count corner punch, but Rude counters with the old inverted atomic drop out of the corner trick. Rude delivers some forearms and follows up with a suplex for two. Beefcake comes out of a chinlock with a jawbreaker as Andre shows up at ringside with Heenan. Beefcake hits an inverted atomic drop, but then charges into a knee in the corner and gets tossed out for Andre to CHOKE him out while the ref is distracted. This brings out Jake Roberts along with DAMIEN THE SNAKE, but Rude nails him with a double-ax from behind before Damien can be set free out of the bag. They head into the ring, so Hebner calls for the bell. Beefcake wins by DQ. (5:45) Roberts receives a double-team beatdown until Beefcake makes the save. Well, sort of. He does okay with Rude, but then he gets choked again by Andre. That is, until, Big John Studd comes in for the save of another save. The two very tall men do a standoff until Jake slides Damien into the ring – scaring Andre out of the ring. This was actually one of Beefcake’s better singles matches that I’ve seen from him. *

• Hulk Hogan (w/Elizabeth) vs. Bad News Brown
  

Bad News has been spreading nasty rumors about Elizabeth, saying that she had been doing “favors” for WWF “President” Jack Tunney for special treatment. I love how Jesse is like, “This is something I have long suspected.” All of that was to get a title shot, but since Savage has gone COMPLETELY nuts (turned heel) and doesn’t care to defend Elizabeth’s honor, Hogan says he’s going to do it instead. Having Elizabeth in Hulk’s corner makes you think, “Well, now we know whose corner she’ll be in at ‘Mania.” Is that so, hypothetical person? “Yeah, I think so.” Guess you’ll have to wait and find out. Back and forth brawl to start. Hogan hits the Big Boot early on, but doesn’t cover and pays for it with a headbutt from Brown. Bad News charges into a boot in the corner as they head out to the floor. Bad News looks to waffle Hulk with a chair, but Hogan blocks it and slams the face back in his face. Haha, Bad News NO-SELLS it and beats himself in the face with the chair a couple times, because he’s bad news. Hogan gets back in the ring, but Bad News is busy looking for something underneath the ring. When he doesn’t find it, he tells Marella and Hogan that he’ll be right back! He comes from the back with what appears to be a metal snow shovel. I can’t really tell, but it has a long broomstick attached to it. Hogan easily blocks whatever Bad News had in mind for that and they head back in the ring. Well, that went NOWHERE. Hulk whips Bad News into the corner, but Brown explodes out with a clothesline. Bad News connects with a leg drop for two. When Hogan tries to stand up, Bad News KICKS Hulk square in the knee to send him rolling out to the floor. Bad News follows him out and starts to chase Elizabeth around the ring, but Hogan stops that with a punch. Bad News comes back and sends Hogan into the ringpost. Back in, Bad News delivers a Russian legsweep for 1-2-NO! Bad News continues the punishment on Hulk and grabs a mic to degrade the Hulkster. “You think I’m going to give you some mercy? No way. It’s Ghetto Blaster time, fool.” He comes off the ropes for the GHETTO BLASTER (running enziguri), but Hogan ducks out of the way! Hogan HULKS UP. He connects with a running knee to set up the LEG DROP for the win. (9:54) The Hogan beatdown was fun even though he came back and won it with two stinking moves. Hogan & Liz celebrate with STEREO CUPPING OF THE EARS, but is she really going to be in Hogan’s corner at ‘Mania? **

Meanwhile, Randy Savage is pacing around Elizabeth’s dressing room door. Dude, she’s in the ring!

• Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil) vs. Blue Blazer
  

We see the debut of the infamous “Million Dollar Belt” in a pre-match interview. You know the story – since DiBiase couldn’t buy or win the WWF championship, he went and made his own belt to carry around. Blue Blazer, or Owen Hart, no more back flips into the ring when he gets NAILED with a clothesline! DiBiase obviously dominates Blazer to start until Owen flips BEAUTIFULLY out of a back drop and dropkicks DiBiase out to the floor. Blazer comes off the ropes and KILLS DiBiase with a SUICIDE DIVE (in 1989!) That was freakin’ awesome. Back in, Blazer connects with a Flying Crossbody for 1-2-NO! Blazer delivers a dropkick or two, but then runs into a powerslam for 1-2-3. (3:57) As good a four-minute WWF match as I’ve ever seen. ***

Now its decision time for Elizabeth. She goes through all the clichés like, “This is a tough decision. I didn’t want to have to choose.” You know – that sort of thing. When she asks if she’ll be in Hogan’s corner, she answers no. There’s cheers at first, but then the boos drown them out. Savage runs in to tell the world that Elizabeth will be in his corner, but then she says she won’t be in his corner either. Savage gets in her face until Hogan arrives to talk some trash. See, she’s not in Hogan’s corner. She’s totally neutral. In other words, she’s walking out with whoever wins. SCORPION WOMAN!

• The Brain Busters (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. The Rockers
  

Oh HECK YEAH. Arn & Tully sneak attack to start. Tully immediately goes for the SLINGSHOT SUPLEX on Jannetty, but he flips out of it. Tully rolls him up out of the corner, but Michaels breaks that up with a flying crossbody! CRAZY! Arn gets slammed off the top and put in a Boston crab by Michaels. Tully tries to come off the top to save him, but Michaels nails him in the gut on the way down. All four men are in for a double crescent kick from the Rockers! Tully takes a suplex back in and then gets nailed with a flying headscissors. Tully shoves Shawn off into the ropes for Heenan to yank the top rope and send Shawn crashing to the floor. The ref doesn’t see that happen, but he does see Heenan stomp on Shawn a little to cause Bobby to get ejected from ringside! Jannetty brings Tully back in the ring, but Arn gets a blind tag and catches Jannetty with a SICK clothesline! Tully gets another tag and takes a sunset flip for 1-2-NO! Arn tags back in and dumps Jannetty just to get on Shawn’s nerves. Then he turns around and gets caught with a sunset flip from the apron, but still manages to tag in Tully in mid-move! Tully and Jannetty do a headlock sequence, which ends with Jannetty getting a backslide for 1-2-NO! Blanchard happens to be in Jannetty’s path for a tag to Shawn though, and gets nabbed by Blanchard within INCHES of reaching Shawn. AWESOME. Arn tags in and DRILLS Jannetty with a Spinebuster for 1-2-NO! Shawn makes the save. Arn goes for the pump splash out of the corner, but as always he hits nothing but knees. HOT TAG TO SHAWN! Arn blocks a suplex attempt as Tully gets a blind tag and comes off the top with a sunset flip. Shawn won’t go down, so Arn MAKES him go down with a clothesline for 1-2-NO! Jannetty makes the save and now all four men head out to the floor for a big brawl that generates a double-countout. (8:39) Great match that looked to have made the ‘Busters feel like they were back in the NWA, and the Rockers wish they were in the NWA. ***¾

• Brooklyn Brawler (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Red Rooster
  

So Heenan dumps Rooster and brings in the Brooklyn Brawler to humiliate Rooster some more by possibly managing the bum to a win over the Rooster for more unnecessary embarrassment. Even the newer WWE fans would know Brawler if they’ve ever bought a WWE DVD. He’s better known as Steve Lombardi. My tape misses the first twenty seconds, but I think I’ll be okay. It starts off when Rooster makes the quick comeback and gets an inside cradle for the win. (1:02) Brawler and Heenan try to double team him, but Rooster doesn’t let that happen. CRAP

Mean Gene tries to get a response from Randy Savage, but he’d rather turn stuff over in his locker room to show his frustration instead.

Final Thoughts: Definitely one of the stronger SNMEs wrestling-wise, if not the strongest. If you’re a fan of tag team wrestling, Busters/Rockers is a must-see. Thumbs WAY up for SNME #20.