Saturday Night's Main Event X

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event X

March 14, 1987 (taped February 21) from the Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

We're two weeks out from Wrestlemania 3. Multiple promos from Hogan and Andre set up their confrontation in the battle royale later tonight, and their much bigger confrontation later.

WWF Intercontinental Championship: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) def George "The Animal" Steele by countout in 4:30- This match is also for the managerial services of Elizabeth. Well, the way they make is sound it's for Elizabeth's mind, body and soul in a way that even makes me, very far from being a card carrying member of the PC police, a little uncomfortable. She's in a decorated lifeguard's chair in the middle of the floor so she's not technically in anyone's corner. Steele immediately comes out to paw her. Savage ambushes him from behind with a double ax handle off the top rope. He grabs Elizabeth and tries to walk her to the back. Ricky Steamboat comes out and stops them. As Savage is getting back in the ring Steele jumps him. Savage gets waffled and takes a wild swing at Hebner. Battering ram. The buckle pad foam is out. Savage hits a high knee to Steele's back while he's busy eating. Double ax handle off the top. Steele bites his arm again. Another buckle pad dies and has its guts spilled all over the ring. Savage, and then Hebner, get face fulls of foam (which should be an automatic DQ as Ventura correctly points out). Steele tries to take Elizabeth again. Savage attacks him, drops the lifeguard chair on top of him, and Steele is counted out. Thank God this feud is finally over. Faffing around with Steele forever was a complete waste of Savage in his peak years. Thankfully it'd get much better for him from here. Steele gets a giant poster of Elizabeth as a consolation prize (sadly not one of the posters Ric Flair threatened to put on the jumbotron at WM 8) and poses with the IC belt Savage left behind. 1/2*

20 Man Battle Royale- Participants are: WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Paul Orndorff, Billy Jack Haynes, Koko B Ware, Ax, Smash, Sika, Tama, The Honky Tonk Man, Hercules, B Brian Blair, Jim Brunzell, Butch Reed, Haku, Blackjack Mulligan, Hillbilly Jim, Ron Bass, Nikolai Volkoff and Lanny Poffo.

Andre stares Hogan down as he enters. Orndorff gets the jump on Hogan as the bell rings and we're off. Hogan eliminates Honky and his crazy suspenders. Glad those went away quickly. Andre eliminates Sika, fights off a whole mess of guys, and eliminates both Haku and Poffo. Poffo is gushing blood on the floor from one of Andre's headbutts. That's fantastic. As the heels try to get Hogan up off his feet Poffo does the stretcher job (the old school stretcher that has to be carried instead of being on wheels). Hogan eliminates Bass. Demoliton double team Jim. Andre eliminates Mulligan. Hogan eliminates Volkoff. Andre eliminates Blair. Orndorff and Herc get Hogan propped up in the corner. After Hogan gets down they whip him straight into Andre. And the entire world comes to a screeching halt. This is when you know you've got magic. Hogan charges for a clothesline but Orndorff and Ax jump him. Hogan eliminates Orndorff. Andre grabs Hogan from behind, hits a headbutt to the back of Hogan's head, and tosses him out! Andre looks down on Hogan with a great "That was it? Get the hell outta here." expression. As usual, horrible loser Hogan has to be drug out by the refs. Ware tries to wrap Andre up while he's watching the show and he back elbows him off without even looking or flinching. Brunzell tries to jump on Andre and he's on the floor before he knows what's happened. Everyone else in the ring gangs up on Andre and slowly work him over the top rope and eventually over. Herc eliminates Tama. Smash eliminates Jim. A Ware dropkick eliminates Reed. Haynes saves Ware from being eliminated? Kinda dumb. Herc throws him off and eliminates Ware anyway. Smash and Herc double team Haynes. Haynes dodges and Smash goes flying out. Final two slugfest. Heenan gets on the apron. Haynes gets distracted, and Hercules sneaks behind to eliminate him and win! Very solid for a regular battle royal. The Hogan/Andre stuff was fantastic, after they were gone we got an underdog winner, and they kept it short and lively. **1/2

King Kong Bundy (w/Bobby Heenan) def Jake "The Snake" Roberts by DQ in 6:14- Roberts tries to work the arm. Bundy counters with clubbing blows. On a whip Roberts grabs the ropes to stop and Bundy loses his temper. Roberts hits kicks to the thigh to try to seize Bundy's leg up. Bundy dominates a test of strength and gets a near fall from it. Roberts gets another kick to the thigh to get out. Bundy pounds him down in the corner. Front facelock. Roberts counters a backdrop attempt with a kneelift. Punches knock Bundy down. Roberts goes for Damien. Heenan snakenaps Damien and carries him to the back. Roberts follows and returns with the bag and Heenan nowhere to be seen. Bundy gets control back. Big clothesline. Bundy starts playing around knocking Roberts down and taunting him to get up again. Eventually Roberts dodges and Bundy runs into the turnbuckles. Short jabs and Bundy's down again. Roberts goes for Damien again. The ref tries to stop him and gets a knee in the gut. Roberts is DQ'd. He hits a postmatch DDT and Damien comes out to play. Pretty decent with the solid psychology you expect from Roberts matches up until the crap finish. **

Highlights of the Harts winning the tag titles under dubious Danny Davis refereeing. After that match Davis has been suspended for life as a referee. Or until the angle's over, whichever comes first. Jimmy Hart has hired Davis for this match as an "observer".

 

WWF Tag Team Championship: The Hart Foundation (c) (w/Jimmy Hart and Danny Davis) def Tito Santana and Dan Spivey in 5:31- Santana and Spivey teaming is....random. Spivey is in his bleached blonde, red white and blue tights Hulk Hogan v0.5 phase. Really fast start. Spivey hits a crossbody for 2. He reverses a double team attempt but then atomic drops Anvil into his own corner to tag out. Santana and Hart tease greatness for about 5 seconds before Spivey gets back in. Anvil breaks up a pin attempt, the Harts hit a double team, and Spivey is beach ball tights in peril. Anvil drops him over the top rope. The Harts do the slingshot big splash! That gets 2. Spivey tries to fight out of the heel corner but the Harts are too much. Phantom tag spot. Spivey dodges a double team and gets the real tag. Bret bump! Flying frijoles pintos on Anvil! Davis takes a shot. Flying frijoles negros on Bret! But he doesn't cover and goes for the figure four instead. Davis sneaks in with the megaphone, whacks Santana, and the Harts have their first successful TV title defense. Good for the time it got. It's clear the Harts are becoming something special. **1/4

 

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat def The Iron Sheik (w/Slick) in 3:29- Savage is at ringside. He jaws at Steamboat for a bit, leaves through the crowd, and joins commentary. Sheik hits Steamboat from behind and works him over while Savage is getting himself comfortable. Steamboat eats boot spike. Sheik tries to throw Steamboat out but he skins the cat, slides under Sheik's legs, and hits a back suplex. Steamboat locks on a front facelock and they both roll out to the floor. Sheik gives Steamboat a stair shot. Suplex back in gets 2. Abdominal stretch to stretch his abs and make him humble! Steamboat hiptosses out. The chop off the top rope finishes it. Officially *, but also tack on another unofficial * for Savage on commentary.

The show closes with a tribute to the "retiring" Roddy Piper. Well, he really was before it was Meltzered. That's insider speak for plans changed.