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Saturday Night’s Main Event #27 (07.90)

WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event #27: Wild Kingdom
July 28, 1990
Omaha, NE
Civic Auditorium
(Taped on 7/16/1990)

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Ultimate Warrior (4/1/1990)
Intercontinental Champion: Mr. Perfect (4/23/1990)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (4/1/1990)

From Vince’s odd sense of humor comes a parody of the “Wild Kingdom” nature show. In between matches, we would check in with our friends Marlon Perkins (played by Lord Alfred Hayes) and Jim Fowler (played by Gene Okerlund) who are involved in an on-going safari. The whole time, Gene remains in his usual character (It’s Gene, not Jim!), but Lord Alfred really seems to think he’s zoologist Marlon Perkins. It’s as hilarious as it sounds.

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse “I wear Indiana Jones cabana wear” Ventura! This would be Ventura’s last SNME. Read the rest of this entry

Saturday Night’s Main Event #26 (04.90)

WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event #26: The Tussle in Texas
April 28, 1990
Austin, TX
Erwin Center
(Taped on 4/23/1990)

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Ultimate Warrior (4/1/1990)
Intercontinental Champion: Mr. Perfect (4/23/1990)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (4/1/1990)

This would be the first themed episode of SNME in over four years. Since they are wrestling in Texas, the clichéd-cowboy theme is taken a little bit to the extreme with McMahon and Ventura (complete with cowboy hats) riding out on horses to the announcers table. Also during the whole show, McMahon tries to use as many cowboy metaphors as possible. I’m guessing the next sentence goes without saying.

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jesse “Haystacks” Ventura! Read the rest of this entry

WrestleMania VI

WWF WrestleMania VI: The Ultimate Challenge
April 1, 1990
Toronto, ON, CA
The Skydome

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Hulk Hogan (4/2/1989)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/28/1989)
World Tag Team Champions: Andre the Giant & Haku (12/13/1989)

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura! This would be Jesse’s last WWF PPV.

Since we’re in Canada, the Canadian national anthem is the appropriate song. The anthem is performed by none other than Robert Goulet, who you can now see entertaining people in hotels all over Las Vegas! That’s the best Vince could do? What was Bryan Adams doing that weekend? Read the rest of this entry

Survivor Series 1989

WWF Survivor Series 1989
November 23, 1989
Rosemont, IL
Rosemont Horizon

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Hulk Hogan (4/2/1989)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/28/1989)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (10/2/1989)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)

ALRIGHT! They kick off the show with some mini-promos where the superstars get a chance to tell us what they are thankful for this year!

– The Hulkamaniacs and Hulk Hogan are thankful that Hulkamania still has a stranglehold on the WWF!
– Ted DiBiase is thankful that you are poor!
– Jake Roberts is thankful that he has a big, long, throbbing snake!
– Demolition are just thankful that they don’t have to fight each other! Me too!
– The newly-crowned Macho King is thankful that he’s the Macho King!
– Jim Duggan’s looking more cross-eyed than ever. Oh, and he’s thankful for the USA or something like that.
– Dino Bravo is thankful for what little English-speaking skills he possesses!
– Dusty Rhodes, if you will, is thankful for all those yellow dots on his black outfit. Really, Dusty? I figured you’d at least be thankful for like a turkey leg and some mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pies. Anything but dots. Unless it’s Dipping’ Dots! MMM!
– Big Bossman is thankful that he can yell and sound very angry!
– Brutus Beefcake is, ahh who cares.
– Martel is thankful for his good looks. My goodness, can you blame the man?
– Rick Rude is thankful because he’s got such a bangin’ body. All joking aside and in a completely heterosexual way, he’s got the best body in wrestling history IMO.
– Roddy Piper is thankful he isn’t Rick Rude, or should I say, dead? Ouch.
– The Genius is thankful for…does anyone else find him a little on the queer side?
– Mr. Perfect is thankful for being just so dang perfect.
– The Bushwhackers are thankful for basically what Dusty Rhodes is truly thankful for; the opportunity for gluttony.
– Bobby Heenan is thankful for his Heenan Family! Even Tully?
– Hey, Ultimate Warrior doesn’t do the promo right!

Oh well, let’s get this show started.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura! Read the rest of this entry

SummerSlam 1989

WWF SummerSlam 1989: Feel the Heat
August 28, 1989
East Rutherford, NJ
Meadowlands Arena

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Hulk Hogan (4/2/1989)
Intercontinental Champion: Rick Rude (4/2/1989)
World Tag Team Champions: The Brain Busters (7/18/1989)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone & Jesse Ventura! Who knows where Gorilla Monsoon is at. Read the rest of this entry

WrestleMania V

WWF WrestleMania V
April 2, 1989
Atlantic City, NJ
Trump Plaza

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)

This is the only WrestleMania to ever originate from the same location consecutively. On a little more interesting note, the WWF once again wasn’t able to air a WrestleMania without the NWA putting on an awesome Clash of the Champions up against it. Those who decided to watch the NWA over the WWF witnessed a 2/3-falls match with NWA World Champion Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair in a 60-minute classic. That is just WRONG to air that against this show. Funny, but so wrong.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse “The Jesse” Ventura! Read the rest of this entry

Saturday Night’s Main Event #20 (03.89)

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! Read the rest of this entry

Survivor Series 1988

WWF Survivor Series 1988
November 24, 1988
Richfield, OH
Richfield Coliseum

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)

A lot in American wrestling changed in 1988: the AWA had basically gone to being the WORST promotion in the world, media mogul Ted Turner buys a major portion of the NWA (Jim Crockett Promotions) and attempts to salvage the mess that Dusty had made throughout the year, and then you had wrestlers who were either jumping ships or abandoning the ship altogether. What makes 1988 even worse is that we’re given major shows like this where you’ve got maybe one or two things going on that are interesting, is that everything else is just plum whacko.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura! Read the rest of this entry