Saturday Night's Main Event VIII

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event VIII

November 29, 1986 (taped November 15) from the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

 

During Ventura's stand up into there's a match going on in the background. Guess it's not anyone that matters. The IC title belt has seen much better days. They'd finally get a new one made after WM. Roberts scares Okerlund from behind with Damien. Ventura: "I don't know if Okerlund was holding a microphone or a vibrator."

WWF Intercontinental Championship: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) (w/Elizabeth) and Jake "The Snake" Roberts go to a double DQ in 9:30- This is heel vs heel, but plans were already in place to turn Roberts face due to the reactions he was getting, even in house show matches against Hogan. Damien is out of the bag during the intros and Roberts scares Savage off with him. Savage hides behind Elizabeth. Commentary speculates on who the fans will get behind. Ironically by the middle of next year both guys will have turned face. Trade off of hair pulls to start because they're heels. Savage ends up in the same corner as Damien and has a freak out freak out. More hair pulling. Roberts with the early DDT tease, Savage squirts out. Roberts gets a kick to the gut, tries the DDT again, but Savage backs him into the corner. Savage gets his knees up on a charge. The big kneedrop gets 2. Savage rolls through quick pin attempts. He ties Roberts in the ropes, takes Damien's bag out of the corner, and hides it under the ring. As Savage is getting back in Roberts ambushes him with a kneelift, then goes and saves Damien from Little People Land (or saves Little People Land from Damien). Short clothesline. Roberts drops Savage with a face first suplex to a big pop. Another DDT attempt. Savage hooks himself in the ropes. They go outside and Savage hides behind Elizabeth again. Roberts starts to open the snake bag. Savage ambushes him from behind. Double ax handle off the top to the floor. Double ax handle off the top in the ring for a 2 count. Savage goes for it again but Roberts catches him with a punch. Slugfest. Both guys throw Hebner away so they can fight, the second time with Hebner ending up on the timekeeper's table and spilling someone's non-diet soda. He calls for the bell and throws the match out. Even with the screwy finish this was good stuff, with both guys in arguably the best stretches of their careers in terms of in-ring work. ***1/4

Clip of Bobby Heenan buying Hercules' contract from Slick. Slick demands cash because he knows Heenan's checks are made of rubber.

 

WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) def Hercules Hernandez (w/Bobby Heenan) in 6:30- Herc supposedly has a big advantage here because he's "just as strong" as Hogan. Hogan's mixing the gear up again tonight, with blue kneepads. We're close to the point the yellow and red will become standard. Test of strength start. Herc headbutts Hogan in the chest and carries him into the corner. Hogan reverses a whip and hits the corner clothesline. Herc ducks a clothesline, looks completely out of control going into the ropes again, and Hogan hits a high knee. Heenan gets on the apron and Hogan chases him. Back in Herc dodges an elbowdrop and works the usual scintillating Herc power offense for a bit. He gets Hogan up into the "Hercules backbreaker" (a torture rack). Moron Herc drops Hogan down thinking he's submitted even though there's been no bell and no sign from Hebner. Herc stalls with the crowd for a bit and covers. Hogan Hulks Up. Pillar to post beating, big boot, legdrop, Vince has an orgasm, and it's over. Meh. *1/4

Video recap of Piper and Orton being stablemates before Piper's face turn.

 

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper def "Cowboy" Bob Orton (w/Jimmy Hart and Don Muraco) in 3:48- Orton is working as Adrian Adonis' heavy now so Piper has to go through him to get to Adonis. Orton and Muraco are both in kilts to mock Piper. Like wearing a kilt is some awful thing. This is getting my Scottish blood riled up and you don't want that. I might toss a caber at you. Muraco grabs for Piper right away and Hebner has him escorted from the premises. Slugfest. Piper hits a bulldog. Orton begs off. Piper bites him in the corner. Orton with a .5 Flair Flip. Orton counters a backdrop to get some breathing room. Gutbuster. Hart holds Piper down, Piper dodges, Orton manages to stop in time but Piper runs them together, rolls Orton up, and wins. There was intensity but also something missing, besides them not getting much time. *

 

The Killer Bees def The Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart) in 9:00- Bret and Brunzell start. Brunzell hits a high knee. The faces work Bret's arm. We go picture in picture for a Bees promo in their masks and they do their version of Monty Python's Life of Brian "I'm Brian!" scene while in the background Bret reverses a roll up for 2. Anvil tags in and runs into an armdrag. Bret knees Brunzell in the back on a rope run and we have our bee in peril. The Harts hit a Decapitation Device-like double team for 2. Anvil uses the tag rope to choke, causing Blair to run in and allow more double teaming. Bret throws Brunzell out. Brunzell sunset flips back in and gets a 2 count. Desperation backslide for 2. Brunzell gets a dropkick but Anvil tags in and holds him back. Both Bees get knocked to the floor. They stick their heads under the ring and put the masks on. The fresh Bee (Blair) goes house of fire hot tag on the Harts. Sleeper on Anvil. Bret hits him from behind to break it up. While Hebner's getting Bret out the Bees swap again. Brunzell wraps Anvil in a Paul Smackage to win. Despite this loss the Harts would take the tag titles from the Bulldogs in January in the match ref Danny Davis turned heel. Pretty disappointing. This was far from either team's A game, and too reliant on the Bees' mask gimmick. *3/4

 

Koko B Ware def Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick) in 2:30- Ware had just arrived in WWF about two months earlier. Volkoff ambushes before the bell. Ware uses the second rope to leapfrog over him. Dropkicks for 2. Volkoff gets a high knee and drops Ware over the top rope. Ware dodges a kneedrop. A top rope missile dropkick gets 2. Volkoff presses Ware and drops it into a backbreaker. Slick calls him over to tell him something. Ware sneaks from behind, rolls Volkoff up, and wins. STOP THE PRESSES! KOKO B WARE WON A TV MATCH! ACTIVATE THE DRUDGE SIREN! Also, Volkoff needs to fire Slick ASAP. He cost him the match. 1/2*

 

The Magnificent Muraco (w/Mr. Fuji) def "The Rebel" Dick Slater in 2:05- The match is JIPped with Muraco in control. He puts Slater in a fireman's carry but Slater slips out and rolls him up for 2. Slater with an elbow off the top rope. Fuji puts Muraco's foot on the rope to kill the pin. Then Fuji trips Slater. Muraco hits an ugly clothesline, gets his feet on the ropes for leverage and gets the pin. 1/2*