WWE – The Best of Saturday Night’s Main Event – Disc One
Released: 2/10/2009

Your host is Gene Okerlund.

Gene introduces the show by taking us back to 1985 – the origin of Saturday Night’s Main Event. This was the first wrestling program on broadcast television since the 1950s. The Rock N Wrestling Connection defined the era and Saturday Night’s Main Event became the must-see show of the time. On the main event of the very first show just weeks after the first WrestleMania, WWF champion Hulk Hogan took on Roddy Piper’s partner in crime “Cowboy” Bob Orton Jr. for the title.

• WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan (w/Mr. T) vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton Jr. (w/Roddy Piper) – Saturday Night’s Main Event #1 (05.11.85)

No ‘Eye of the Tiger’ for obvious reasons. Instead, we get ‘Real American‘. It starts off as your typical ’80s Hogan match with the heel being chased and beat down by Hogan. Orton regroups out on the floor with Piper and then comes in with a knee to the gut. Orton cross-corner whips Hogan, but then runs shoulder-first into the steel-post. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Hogan works the cast for a bit. Orton reverses a whip and delivers a running knee to the chest. Atomic drop by Orton gets two. Orton controls with knee drops and elbow drops. Once the crowd gets to cheering Hogan on, it means that only one thing is getting ready to happen. Yep, he HULKS up! Hogan hits a clothesline and an elbow drop out of the corner for 1-2-NO! Hogan attempts the ten-count corner punch and once he gets about four on him, Orton counters out with an inverted atomic drop. Orton sets Hogan up for the SUPERPLEX, but Hogan fights him off and hits him with an elbow. Hogan hits the LEG DROP, but Piper nails him from the floor as he goes for the pin. The ref saw it and calls for the bell as Hogan wins by DQ. (6:45) Orton and Piper beat down Mr. T and then slowly go after Hogan as Orndorff runs in to make the save for Hulk. ½*

CM Punk has the (death before?) dishonor of giving his thoughts on the first wedding to ever take place on a wrestling show. Of course he’s talking about Uncle Elmer’s wedding at the second SNME show in October 1985. Joey Styles has a great memory of Roddy Piper ruining the ceremony. In character, the always great Santino Marella wonders what the wedding night would be like as they show clips of the reception. Jesse Ventura makes fun of the new couple with a poem and then gets tripped into the wedding cake. My sides are so completely busted.

• “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff vs. Roddy Piper – Saturday Night’s Main Event #2 (10.05.85)

This is just a brawl all the way. Seriously. Orndorff was the only one to do an actual wrestling move and it was a back suplex. No pin attempts or anything in this baby. Towards the end of the match, Orndorff gets his knees up once Piper tries for a running splash. Orndorff comes off the ropes and tries for a crossbody and they both end up going over the top and out to the floor! They brawl all the way to the locker room for the double-countout. (4:04) Piper finally gets away from Orndorff once he reaches his room and even then fights to get his door shut. *½

More from SNME #2. Where’s George “The Animal” Steele been lately? What, you haven’t been asking that question either? Well, Mean Gene has found the guy hanging out in the Detroit Zoo and he’s coming back. Oh yes, he’s coming back.

And now onto the Halloween special. Everyone was dressed up in crazy costumes. Well, more than they usually are anyways. On the show, WWF Superstars competed in standard middle school party games like bobbing for pumpkins and pie-eating contests. They also show some of the skit where some kids (including a very young Stephanie McMahon) go to Roddy Piper’s house for trick or treat! At his coked-up best, Roddy gives the kids bricks and bowling balls so that their bags will bust and candy will fall out for him to grab. You know if he wanted candy that bad, why not just spend the money he used on bowling balls and bricks to buy candy? I guess that’s just not as fun. The jokes on Piper though as the kids all had chocolate-covered red peppers in their candy bags. Ha, that sucks.

No Savage/Santana. Tear. Will it be on the Savage DVD in June perhaps?

• WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan (w/Junkyard Dog) vs. Terry Funk (w/Jimmy Hart) – Saturday Night’s Main Event #4 (01.04.86)

Vince bills this as Hulk’s most important match since WrestleMania. They lock up with Funk pushing Hogan into the corner. Funk whips Hogan, but gets reversed once, twice, three times! Hulk cross-corner whips Funk and follows in with a clothesline which sends Funk falling out to the floor. Back in, Hulk clotheslines Funk right back out to the floor. Jimmy tries to come over and check on his man, but JYD chases him away. Back in again, Hogan grabs a headlock and then gets tossed into the ropes. Funk drops down and gets walked on several times and then falls out to the floor again. Funk throws a chair in the ring so Hogan sits down and taunts Funk to come get him some. Back in, they locks up and Funk backs Hulk into the corner once more. Funk delivers some chops but Hulk turns it around and fires back with some right hands. Hogan whips Funk into the far side corner to send him flipping out onto the apron. Hogan slams him back in and delivers a back suplex for 1, 2, NO! Funk fights back with a pair of headbutts and delivers a low mule kick to the Hulkster. Funk heads to the top but gets crotched. Hogan hits an atomic drop and then follows up with a running clothesline and an elbow drop. Funk shoves Hogan into the ropes off a headlock. Jimmy grabs Hulk’s leg and then runs underneath the ring. Meanwhile, Funk unravels some tape off his wrists to choke Hogan with it and then covers it up by applying a chinlock. Such heel tactics as that are LOST these days. Funk releases the hold and hits the PILEDRIVER! He covers Hulk for 1, 2, NO! Ventura calls the count slow. Funk begins to stomp away on Hogan as he rises to his knees. Instead of HULKING UP all around the ring, he just stands and shakes and fires back with right hands. A back elbow a big boot puts Funk out on the apron. Hogan tries to suplex Funk back in, but Jimmy nails Hulk in the ribs with the iron on the way down. Funk falls on top for 1, 2, NO! Hulk got his foot on the bottom rope. JYD comes over and headbutts Jimmy to put him out of the match. Funk threatens the ref Dave Hebner in the corner and then turns around into a Hogan clothesline for 1, 2, 3! (8:30) Once it got going, it was pretty good stuff. Afterwards, Terry Funk pitches a fit and literally DRAGS Jimmy Hart to the back. **

Randy Orton recalls how cool it was having his father fight Hogan and Mr. T. Evidently it made him pretty popular with the other kids. Yeah, kindergarten was TOUGH, I bet.

• Mr. T vs. Bob Orton, Jr. (w/Roddy Piper) – Boxing Match (Saturday Night’s Main Event #5 – 03.01.86)

Orton attacks from behind before the bell sounds. T no-sells and they go to a stand-off. Both men appear to get in some pretty good shots before they get tied up together in the ropes. Orton gets in some body shots while backing T into the corner. Jesse ~ “Vince, just because you’re Irish, you think you know everything there is to know about [boxing]?” Hahaha. They lock up again in the ropes. Orton breaks clean and then pops T in the face to injure him. Vince calls it a thumb in the eye. Never mind the fact they have BOXING GLOVES on! The fight stops for a moment as the trainers and the referee check on T in his corner. T starts again and backs Orton into the ropes as the bell sounds to end round one. As the ref tries to back T up, Orton nails him with a straight right to put both men down. I don’t know why they didn’t just DQ him there. It’s not like the ref didn’t see it. Round two begins with Orton showboating around the ring. He gets too cocky though and turns around into a left-right. T begins to build momentum but Piper distracts the ref long enough for Orton to bury a knee into T’s gut. Now the ref gets distracted by T’s trainers who are up on the apron, but then some heel miscommunication causes Piper to get nailed. T decks Orton with a left hook that sends him over the top and out to the floor for the countout victory. (4:30) I’m not going to rate this, but I will say it was pretty entertaining stuff. This leads to a double-team beatdown on T which leads to Piper/T at WrestleMania 2.

Okerlund informs us how wrestling on TV back then was filled with WWE superstars showcasing their skills against overmatched opponents, which is what made Saturday Night’s Main Event important. That’s fancy talk for squash matches. SNME was about settling scores and when everybody saw Jake Roberts DDT Ricky Steamboat on the concrete, fans wanted to see Steamboat exact revenge.

• Ricky Steamboat (w/Komodo the DRAGON~!) vs. Jake Roberts (w/Damien the SNAKE~!) – Saturday Night’s Main Event #7 (10.04.86)

Yes, both guys bring their respective reptiles to the ring for this one. Steamboat works the arm early on. He tries for a flying splash, but he hits knees. They crawl over to get out their reptiles, but Jake fears the dragon and puts a stop to Steamboat. Roberts delivers a gutbuster for two. He hits the Short-Arm Clothesline for another two. Roberts drives his knee into Steamboat’s ribs and follows up with an atomic drop, but Steamboat surprises Jake with a crucifix for 1-2-3. (6:22) After the match, Roberts knocks Steamboat out to the floor and rams his ribs into the ringpost for good measure. He tosses Steamboat in the ring and pulls out Damien, but now Steamboat has his dragon out that’s actually a baby crocodile because that’s MUCH scarier than a python. He hits Jake with it to send him and Damien high-tailing it to the back. Silly ending aside, this was good fast-paced action. ***

Jake Roberts gets some interview time. He says giving Steamboat that DDT on the concrete sounded like a watermelon bursting. I really don’t know, but I’d bet Gallagher might agree. Jake tells us that Dick Ebersol told him and Savage that if the ratings drop during their match on the 11/86 SNME, that they will both never be featured on another SNME and will just be doing TV tapings in Poughkeepsie. Ouch. Both men feel that match was the best of their career. Apparently, the ratings didn’t drop because both guys had plenty more matches on Saturday Night’s Main Event – against one another and otherwise.

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. Jake Roberts (w/Damien the SNAKE!) – Saturday Night’s Main Event #8 (11.29.86)
  

Wow, you think evil Vince makes sexist comments towards the Divas of today? Straight-laced Vince makes the classy Elizabeth seem like a street hooker within twenty seconds. Even Ventura thinks it’s too much! Before the bell even sounds, the crowd is screaming DDT. When Ventura is asked who he thinks is going to be the fan favorites, he replies by saying that both men are the most hated men in wrestling so he calls it a toss-up. Hey, the crowd wasn’t chanting TOP ROPE ELBOW a couple moments ago! After a short lockup, Macho stalls around the ring near Damien’s bag and freaks out! Roberts slaps on a headlock and Savage fights out by pulling on the hair. He avoids an elbow drop and tries for the DDT, but Savage avoids and slides out of the ring. Roberts chases Savage back into the ring and goes for another DDT attempt, but gets backed into the corner. Roberts runs into a knee out of the corner off a whip-reversal charge for two. Savage gets a couple more quick near-falls before Snake attempts a comeback. Savage cuts him off with an elbow and then ties him up in the ropes before he goes over and puts Damien WAY under the ring so that he will not factor in on the match! Smart man. I say that and then Savage poses on the apron as Roberts breaks free. He catches Savage with a knee lift as he comes back in the ring. Roberts goes out and pulls Damien out and puts his bag back in the corner. Back in, Roberts delivers the Short-Arm Clothesline for 1, 2, NO! Savage gets his foot on the bottom rope. Roberts follows that up with a front suplex for another two as Savage gets his foot on the bottom rope. Both McMahon and Ventura have NO idea what to call that move. They go back and forth before Roberts attempts the DDT again, but Savage hooks the ropes and goes out to the floor. Roberts comes out after him, but then Savage puts Elizabeth in front of him. Roberts goes over to pull Damien out of his bag, so Savage seizes the moment and knees Roberts face-first into the ringpost. Savage heads up top and delivers the double-ax out to the floor. Back in, Savage hits another double-ax off the top for 1, 2, NO! Savage goes up once more and Roberts catches him in the chops coming down. They begin to get TOO rough with each other with the back and forth punch and stomp as ref Dave Hebner gets tossed aside by Savage. Then as Roberts starts up the jabs once more, Hebner comes over to admonish him and gets shoved out of the ring onto the timekeeper’s table! That’s enough for Hebner to throw out the match and rule it as a double-disqualification. (9:24) Post-match, Damien comes out of his bag and Savage runs away in fear! Great little fast-paced match to get Roberts over as a face. ***

• WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff (w/Bobby Heenan) – Cage Match (Saturday Night’s Main Event #9 – 01.03.87)

Due to this match being so anticipated, this show drew a HUGE rating that WWE could only dream of in 2006. Vince says this is the first cage match ever on broadcast television. To make things even more interesting, we’ve got “Dangerously Crooked Referee” Danny Davis watching on one side of the cage, and the late-great Joey Marella watching the other side of the cage. Going into this match, Hulk is billed as undefeated in cage matches. By the way, both men use “Real American” for their theme music. Onto the match, Orndorff whips Hulk with his own title belt and then throws it aside like it doesn’t even matter. Between moments where he’s stomping the champ, Orndorff makes several attempts to escape out the door. Every time he tries, Hulk is there to pull him back in by his ankles. Now Orndorff tries to climb out, but Hulk pulls him back in by his hair! He rams Orndorff’s head into the cage a whole bunch as well! Hulk takes his headband and chokes on Orndorff with it. Not that it matters since it’s in a cage and its no-DQ. Hulk attempts his first try at escape by climbing out, but Orndorff pulls him down. He punishes Hulk some more, but then he misses a pair of elbows and Hulk is STANDING! He destroys Orndorff and tries to go out the door, but evil ref Danny Davis had the door locked. He won’t unlock it either, so the other ref Joey Marella comes over to help, but it’s too late because Orndorff is there to keep Hogan in the ring. Both men slam each other’s face into the cage to put them on their butts. Now they both try to escape on opposite sides of the cage and they reach the floor at the same time. Davis says Orndorff won, but Marella says Hogan won. Hulk comes over to nail Danny Davis, but Orndorff makes the save and knees Hogan in the back. Howard Finkel calls the match a tie, so the match continues. Orndorff drives Hulk’s head into the steel a few times before re-entering the cage so they can finish the match. Orndorff keeps up his usual offense of elbow drops and knee drops before Hogan HULKS UP! He tosses Orndorff into the cage a couple times and hits the LEGDROP, but Heenan comes in the cage to stop Hogan from climbing out. Hulk kicks him away and stops Orndorff from climbing out and gives him an atomic drop. He throws Heenan into the cage and then climbs out to retain his title. (13:03) Afterwards, Hogan goes back in the cage and beats Heenan out of the ring so he can pose! *½

Okerlund talks up Andre the Giant before he turns on Hogan to set up WrestleMania III. On the road to WrestleMania though, there was this battle royal.

• 20-Man Battle Royal – Saturday Night’s Main Event #10 (03.14.87)

There is prize money involved, but neither Vince nor Jesse tells how much. This would be the first time Hogan and Andre will have crossed paths since Andre turned heel. All the faces go after Andre, while all the heels go after Hulk. Somehow, Hogan is able to fight them off long enough to eliminate the Honky Tonk Man in the first thirty seconds. Meanwhile on the other side of the ring, Andre dumps Sika. The Heenan family remains on top of Hulk in the corner while the Islanders go after Andre. He dumps Haku and headbutts Lanny Poffo and then throws him out. Wow, he is BUSTED OPEN from the devastating force of Andre’s headbutt! Ron Bass, Butch Reed and Demolition Smash all try to throw out Hulk, but can’t get him out. The Machines collide as Blackjack Mulligan gets chopped in the corner by Andre. Haha, oh man, Lanny Poffo has to be stretchered out. He’s THAT hurt! The original Demolition try to eliminate Hillbilly Jim while Hulk backdrops Ron Bass out of the ring. Andre finally tosses Mulligan out to the floor to send him to the dressing room while Hogan throws out Nikolai Volkoff on the other side of the ring. Now Andre tosses out Brian Blair and I’m sure somewhere, the Sheik is laughing. Heenan’s goons Hercules and Orndorff continue to work Hulk over in the corner. Andre delivers a double-noggin knocker to Billy Jack Haynes and Hillbilly Jim. Afterwards, Orndorff and Hercules whip Hogan into Andre for their face-to-face confrontation. It’s as though BOMBS WERE EXPLODING RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT! Hogan gets in two right hands on Andre and gets ready to clothesline him out, but Orndorff and Smash cut him off. Hogan comes back and throws Orndorff out of the ring, but then Andre comes up from behind and headbutts Hulk and tosses him out of the ring with ease. Andre yells at Hogan to come back and get him some as Koko walks over and gets elbowed down. Jumping Jim Brunzell jumps right into Andre’s arms and gets tossed out to the floor. The remaining EIGHT stop fighting and gang up on Andre to throw him over the top to be eliminated. Hercules throws out Tama and then Ax gets thrown out by Hillbilly Jim. Smash doesn’t appreciate that and tosses out Hillbilly Jim with a little help from Hercules. Meanwhile, Koko ducks a clothesline from Reed and dropkicks him out to the floor. Koko B. Ware, Hercules, Billy Jack Haynes and Smash remain. Hercules stomps Koko down in the corner until Billy Jack nails him from behind. Smash comes by and pulls Haynes away from Hercules, so that Hercules can finally toss Koko out to the floor. Smash and Herc begin to pound on Haynes for a bit until he outsmarts them both and clotheslines Smash over the top and to the floor. Now it’s Hercules vs. Billy Jack Haynes. Heenan hops up on the apron while Haynes’ beats the crap out of Hercules. He stupidly goes after Heenan which allows Herc to come up from behind and lift him out over the top rope to win the match. (11:25) Ventura ~ “That dumb Billy Jack Haynes!” As you can see, this was all just to get Hogan/Andre in the ring together on free TV so you’ll want MORE, MORE, MORE! Not that great, but I’ve seen worse battle royals. *

Natalya gives her two cents on the Hart Foundation/British Bulldogs rivalry. While she realizes how influential the British Bulldogs were as a tag team, naturally she feels the Hart Foundation were the better team and the BEST tag team ever in the WWF.

• WWF World Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis) vs. The British Bulldogs (w/Tito Santana) – 2/3 Falls (Saturday Night’s Main Event #11 – 05.02.87)

Bret starts off with Davey Boy Smith for a nice arm lock sequence. Bret hooks on a headlock, which DBS shrugs off and follows up with a monkey flip. Davey Boy Smith delivers a crucifix for two, but then Bret buries a knee to the gut. Neidhart tags in and hammers away and then leaves DBS in his corner for Bret to do a little cheating. Bret tags in and gives DBS a backbreaker for two. Bret connects with a legdrop, but then corner charges into a boot. HOT TAG TO DYNAMITE! He sends Bret into the corner for his patented chest bump and connects with a clothesline for two. SNAP SUPLEX! It gets only two. Dynamite delivers the Diving Headbutt, but then Neidhart runs in and nails him from behind. Davey Boy Smith runs in, but he gets dumped by Neidhart for Davis to put the boots to him. Santana chases him while the Harts double-team the crap out of Dynamite in the ring to cause a DQ win for the Bulldogs in the first fall. (4:44) The Harts control Dynamite at the start of the second fall. They deliver the backbreaker/elbow drop combo that would later be the finishing move of Demolition for 1, 2, NO! Dynamite tries to come back and go for a tag, but Bret grabs his foot and tags in Neidhart, who cuts off the tag. Just when Dynamite gets within inches of his partner, Bret runs in and nails DBS. Davey Boy chases Bret around the ring while Neidhart chokes Dynamite down on the canvas. Dynamite’s nose is severely bleeding! Bret tags in and ties Dynamite up in the ropes. He charges, but Dynamite gets unhooked and lets Bret horizontally crotch himself. HOT TAG TO DAVEY BOY! Davey Boy destroys Neidhart with a pair of dropkicks and gives him a running clothesline for 1, 2, NO! Stalling suplex from Davey Boy gets two! Davey Boy’s offense ends as he ducks low off a whip. Bret holds Davey Boy up against the ropes and Anvil charges, but Davey Boy moves and Bret gets nailed. Danny Davis hops up on the apron, so Tito runs in and knocks him off with a sick running forearm! Davey Boy presses Dynamite onto Neidhart for the three-count! (9:49) The crowd goes INSANE thinking that the Bulldogs have just regained the tag gold, but the truth is that the belt can’t change hands on a DQ win even in a 2/3 falls match. That is the dumbest rule I have ever heard of. Very good match otherwise. ***

Okerlund discusses Savage’s rising popularity in 1987 largely in part to his relationship with Elizabeth. After Honky Tonk Man cheated to win the Intercontinental belt from Ricky Steamboat, Savage looked to regain the title he felt was rightfully his.

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) – Saturday Night’s Main Event #12 (10.03.87)

Savage had turned face for two reasons: 1) Honky Tonk Man beat Ricky Steamboat for the Intercontinental title, which is something that he was obsessed with achieving. 2) Honky Tonk Man called himself BETTER than Randy Savage AND the greatest Intercontinental champion of all-time. With Savage’s desire to win back the gold and because of the WWF audience’s hatred for Honky Tonk Man, this made it extremely easy for the Macho Man to turn face. Honky Tonk gets in a cheap shot out of a tie-up, but then ducks low off a whip for Savage to gain control. Savage delivers the running hot-shot and chokes him down on the mat. Honky Tonk Man begs away in the corner, but then gets caught with a running back elbow. Jimmy Hart goes over to Elizabeth to yell at her, which brings Savage out to bring him away from her. Savage turns Jimmy around and asks, “What do you think you’re doing?” and then gets hit from behind from Honky Tonk. Heenan uses this moment to tell us why he thinks women should NOT be in wrestling. Back in, Savage quickly regains control, but then misses a jumping knee drop. Honky hits a fist drop off the middle-rope and heads over to Elizabeth to make his move, so Savage runs over and nails HIM from behind. He climbs up top and gives Honky Tonk a double-axe handle! Back in, Savage takes Honky’s head to the buckle and rolls him up for 1, 2, NO! Jimmy Hart breaks up the pin from the floor! Savage hits a back suplex near the ropes and covers, but Jimmy pulls Macho off the pin attempt! Savage heads up top and gives Honky a double-axe handle for 1, 2, NO! Jimmy Hart grabs hold of Honky Tonk’s foot. Savage grabs him and pulls him in the ring and KO’s Jimmy out to ringside! Honky Tonk tries for a sunset flip, but Savage punches out of it as the Hart Foundation run down to check on their manager. Honky Tonk gets back in the ring and pounded by Savage, but then leaves to help take Jimmy Hart to the back as we go to commercial. Shouldn’t he SERIOUSLY be counted out here? Honky Tonk heads back to the ring with the Hart Foundation by his side. Savage controls, but then he misses a charge in the corner. Honky hits a backdrop and then gets about a four-count corner punch to set up another middle-rope fist drop. This time it misses, and Savage pounds and chokes his way back! Savage hits a suplex for two, but then Honky Tonk goes to the eyes and throws Savage out to the Hart Foundation. They drop him throat-first onto the guardrail and then throw him back in for Honky Tonk to make the cover for 1, 2, NO! Since that didn’t do it, Honky Tonk goes for the SHAKE, RATTLE and NO! Savage backdrops out of it! Savage heads up top for the MACHO ELBOW and he connects for 1, 2, NO! Bret Hart runs in to save the title to give Savage the DQ win. (12:18) The Harts and Honky Tonk triple-team Savage after the match and then try to KABONG him, but Elizabeth jumps in the way! Honky Tonk stops himself from hitting Elizabeth and shoves her down and out of the ring. She runs to the back while Honky Tonk finally KABONGS Savage! Meanwhile, Elizabeth is heading back to ringside, but she brings Hulk Hogan with her! Together, he and Macho Man clear the ring of the heels and then shake hands! The MEGAPOWERS are born! **½

Right at the end of the 10/87 show, we go to the back to check in on Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. Wow, this is kind of weird. Hogan has fallen in love with the MADNESS and it is driving him crazy! It gets REALLY homoerotic when Hulk says things like, “The Madness and the Mania together BLEW my guns out, man.” How could the era of the Mega Powers begin any other way?

CM Punk, Matt Hardy, Miz, and Matt Striker all loved the Mega Powers alliance. Is that ‘Requiem for a Tower’ playing behind those clips?

YES! The Koko B. Ware ‘Piledriver‘ video! Wrestlers as construction workers. Ha-HA, foreshadowing.

• Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. Bret Hart (w/Jim Neidhart & Jimmy Hart) – Saturday Night’s Main Event #13 (11.28.87)

Oh yeah, this should be GREAT. Bret cost Savage the IC title at the last SNME, so now he wants revenge! Neidhart and Jimmy Hart start to surround Elizabeth before the match even begins, causing Savage to come down and protect her lady. Savage pulls Bret out to the floor and rams him shoulder-first into the ringpost. Back in, Savage controls, but then misses a short charge in the corner. Bret chokes Savage down in the corner and then snapmares him out and drops an elbow across the throat. Bret whips Savage into the ropes, but then he ducks low and gets kicked in the face. Bret rolls to the apron and Savage tries to elbow him in the throat, but the ref pulls Savage back. Savage runs at Bret and shoves him off the apron as he lands chest-first on the guardrail. Jimmy Hart and Anvil hop up on the apron to buy Bret some time, and take a DOUBLE-NOGGIN KNOCKER! Savage goes up top and leaps down on Bret, but he’s “waiting in the weeds” and nails Savage in the gut with Jimmy’s megaphone once gravity comes into play! Back in, Bret works over Savage’s ribs. He puts Savage up in the tree of woe and kicks him REAL good in the ribs. Once Savage gets loose, Bret gives Savage a Piledriver for 1, 2, NO! Bret whips Savage into the corner and charges, but Savage moves out of the way. Savage takes Bret and rams him shoulder-first into the ringpost. Savage heads up top again and delivers a double-ax handle for 1, 2, NO! Bret jabs Savage in the ribs and gives him a backbreaker. He goes to the middle-rope and comes off with an elbow drop, but Savage avoids. Savage delivers the running hotshot for 1, 2, NO! Savage puts Bret up against the ropes and the ref pulls him off of Bret. Once Savage breaks free of the ref, he runs at Bret and takes a backdrop clean over the top rope and out to the floor. He ends up injuring his left leg and Elizabeth helps him out by pulling off his boot so he can still finish the match. Savage gets back in the ring on one foot and can barely walk. Like the awesome guy he is, Bret goes RIGHT after the hurt leg. He even posts it! He applies a spinning toe hold, but Savage kicks him off into the ringpost. Savage does neck-snaps Bret back off the top rope and covers for 1, 2, NO! Bret goes back to the leg and hooks on a half-crab, but Savage reaches the ropes. Savage rolls to the apron and gets yanked back in the ring. He does it a second time and Bret tries to slam him back in, but Savage counters in mid-move and cradles Bret up for the 1-2-3! (11:57) The Hart Foundation try to ambush Savage after the match, but it fails miserably and Savage has Jimmy Hart’s megaphone! Great match, but it still left something to be desired. ***½

Extras

• Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff & George “The Animal” Steele (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. Barry Windham, Mike Rotunda & Ricky Steamboat (w/Capt. Lou Albano) – Saturday Night’s Main Event #1 (05.11.85)

This is put on here for it being the first-ever match on SNME. Windham starts off with Sheik and he completely dominates Sheik to start. Rotunda tags in and comes off the top with a single-ax to the arm, followed by a tag to Steamboat who does the same. Steamboat wrenches the arm for a bit and then tags Rotunda in for a double back elbow. Rotunda gets a slam and covers for two. Steamboat tags in and karate chops Sheik and returns to the arm. Sheik comes back with a whip and hooks on an abdominal stretch, but Steamboat quickly escapes with a hiptoss. That brings all six men in for the faces to clean house as we go to a commercial. We come back to Steamboat delivering a powerslam to Sheik. Steamboat goes to the top and hits a missile dropkick! He goes up once more and connects with the FLYING BODYPRESS for 1, 2, NO! Volkoff tags in and gets BEAT by both Steamboat and Windham after a double-team dropkick for two. Rotunda tags in for another double back elbow. After a pair of standing leg drops, Rotunda covers for two. Rotunda gets a couple of near-fall attempts on Volkoff, but can’t get the three. Windham tags in and gets a sunset flip, but Volkoff is in the ropes. Now Steele tags in and tries to trade blows with Windham. Once he wants out, Sheik and Volkoff both drop off the apron. As Steele is jawing with the tag champs, Windham comes up from behind and rolls up Steele for the three-count. (6:40 shown) Post-match, Steele gets attacked from behind by the tag champs. The amazing thing is that he actually fights both of them off and sends them running! Albano, who is Steele’s former manager, gets in the ring to calm him down. **

Junkyard Dog and His Mother – This is also from the first-ever SNME show on 5/85.

Hulk Hogan’s ‘Real American‘ Music Video – From the 3/86 SNME show. Fun stuff.

Final Thoughts: So far an excellent set. My only gripe is that there’s not enough of the British Bulldogs. They had two really good matches with the Dream Team that could have been on here. Other than that little detail, I can’t complain as there’s tons of Randy Savage matches that make up for it. Makes me glad that the majority of the Hogan SNME matches that they would probably have stuck on this set are already out on DVD.