Saturday Night's Main Event XI

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event XI

May 2, 1987 (taped April 28) from the Edmund P Joyce Center at Notre Dame University

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

 

After the usual opening promo run we get footage from "earlier tonight" of Ken Patera beating up Bobby Heenan after a "debate". They don't say what the debate was about but I can't imagine Patera debating anything other than how not to give a promo. Heenan is in a neck brace for the whole show following the attack.

Mr. Fuji is announced as Kamala's new manager. In a completely unprecedented and original idea, Kamala is scared to death of Damien.

Kamala (w/Mr. Fuji and Kim Chee) def Jake "The Snake" Roberts in 4:18- Roberts gets Damien out as soon as he hits the ring and Kamala bails. As he's putting Damien back in the bag Kamala hits him from behind. Superkick! Well, back kick to the gut but from Kamala that's something. Kamala cuts off a Roberts comeback with a double thrust to the throat. Roberts stomps Kamala's bare foot to get out of a bear hug. He kicks Kamala's hamstring and stomps the foot again. Kamala chops out of an arm wringer. Lots of chokes. Roberts rolls out after a headbutt and taunts Kamala to chase him. Kneelift ambush as Kamala gets back in. Knee off the second rope! Roberts calls for the DDT. Fuji distracts the ref and Kim Chee comes in and hits Roberts. Kamala hits the big splash and good night. After the bell Kim Chee takes off his mask...and it's the Honky Tonk Man! OK, that was well done. He beats Roberts down and hits him with the Shake, Rattle and Roll. It was a Kamala match. 1/2*

 

Lumberjack Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) def George "The Animal" Steele in 6:44- Oh bloody hell how is this feud not over? Fine, one more time, we can do this. I hope. Steamboat and Hercules have words during Savage's entrance. Steele paws Elizabeth again. How has she not gotten a restraining order? Savage jumps Steele with all his entrance gear still on. Steele gives him a huge buckle shot. Savage is still riding a high from his classic with Steamboat at WM and isn't letting Steele stop him from trying to make something good out of this. He rolls to the apron and the face lumberjacks keep him in the ring. Savage gives Steele a buckle shot of his own. He goes out and the face lumberjacks get him back in. Savage double ax handle off the top rope. He throws Steele out again and the heel lumberjacks beat him up. Duggan chases them off and through the ring with his 2x4. Multiple refs come in and toss him from the match. Steele pops Danny Davis, and back in murders another innocent turnbuckle pad. Foam in Savage's face. Savage is thrown over the top and out. Twice. On the second time he and Steamboat come to blows. Giant lumberjack brawl! In the confusion Davis sneaks in and nails Steele with the ring bell. Savage hits the elbow and it's over. Afterward everyone brawls in the ring until Roberts comes back out and chases them all off with Damien. The real Kim Chee plays with Damien for a bit. This was a rare instance of lumberjacks helping make the match better, thanks to Steele's limitations. I never want to see another Savage/Steele match as long as I live. *1/2

Mean Gene conducts a sit down interview with Heenan and Andre the Giant. Heenan says that all the WWF referees, Jack Tunney, the ring crew, the arena concession guys, the guy that writes the programs, WWF Magazine, the TV production truck and camera guy 2 are in Hogan's back pocket. We get footage from Wrestlemania 3 and Heenan and Andre argue the early match near fall was a 3 count and Andre is the rightful champion.

Okerlund riles up Jimmy Hart and Danny Davis to the point Davis tries to jump him and the Hart Foundation have to drag him away.

2 out of 3 Falls Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship: The British Bulldogs (w/Tito Santana) def The Hart Foundation (c) (w/Jimmy Hart and Danny Davis) by DQ in 9:48- Matilda attacks Jimmy Hart again, tears a small hole in his trousers and tries to eat his megaphone.

FIRST FALL- Bret and DBS start. Some sweet arm based basics. Bret kips up and seamlessly grabs a headlock. DBS hits a monkey flip. Crucifix for 2. Bret gets a knee to the gut and DBS goes in peril. The Harts work the ref for cheap shots while the 80 guys outside the ring take shots at each other. Seriously, it's like a second lumberjack match out there. Bret backbreaker for 2. DBS gets a boot up in the corner and tags. Bret bump! Anvil runs in and the Harts double team until they get DQ'd.

SECOND FALL- Dynamite starts in peril. The Hart modified Decapitation Device gets 2. Bret barely holds Dynamite back from tagging. He suckers DBS in and Anvil chokes Dynamite. Dynamite has a bloody nose. He dodges a Bret dive and Bret gets tangled up in the ropes. Hot tag. Near falls on Anvil. Anvil counters a backdrop. DBS dodges a double team and Anvil hits Bret. DBS press slams Dynamite onto Anvil, and that gets a pin! The crowd pops like it's a title change and the Bulldogs celebrate. But the Harts grab the belts and leave. Because the first fall was a DQ there's no title change. Weak. Should have made the second fall the DQ, that would have made much more sense, especially as it's a very selectively enforced rule. If that was the case why even bother continuing with the match after the DQ? These two teams were capable of putting on an all time tag team classic like NWA teams were doing at the time, but they never got the chance to do it on TV. **1/4

Hogan celebrates his WM 3 win. He put his own spin on the same early match footage we saw earlier and thinks Heenan's appeal is a bunch of malarkey. Meanwhile, Savage is watching (at a proper TV watching angle) and rooting for Steamboat to win so he can beat him to get the title back.

 

WWF Intercontinental Championship: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (c) def Hercules (w/Bobby Heenan) by DQ in 6:42- Clubbing blow/chop exchange. Herc wins that. Steamboat slides under and hits a couple of dropkicks. Herc falls out of the ring and Steamboat chases. Atomic drop on the floor. Herc grabs tights and pulls Steamboat into the buckle. Picture in picture of Savage rooting for Steamboat. Back and forth slugfest. Steamboat hits a swinging neckbreaker. Herc rakes the eyes and slaps on the full nelson. Savage runs out and distracts Herc. Steamboat is out. Herc goes for a splash off the top rope but Steamboat gets his knees up. Steamboat dodges a couple of elbows and finally gets some offense in. Lots of chops. Mounted punches. Herc counters with an inverted atomic drop. He gets the chain and chokes Steamboat with it, getting DQ'd. Herc continues choking until Steamboat passes out. Savage comes in, feigns helping Steamboat, and hits him with the elbow off the top. Make Steamboat look good, that match did not. They showed zero faith in him as champion, and his reign wouldn't last long. Savage's soon to happen face turn would mess the plan up a little, and Steamboat dropped the title to Honky Tonk Man on weekly TV in June. *3/4

Duggan is still barred from ringside following his outburst during the lumberjack match, but he vowed to stop the Soviet national anthem and found another way- he bought a ringside ticket. How did he buy a ticket after the show started?

 

The Can-Am Connection (w/Jim Duggan) def Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik (w/Slick) in 4:45- Duggan jumps the rail as Volkoff sings the Soviet national anthem and hits him with the 2x4. As the match begins Vokoff and Martel slug it out. The faces double team Sheik. Sheik takes over with shots from the spiked boots. Gut wrench suplex. Regular suplex. Boring Volkoff offense. Belly to belly suplex. Abdominal stretch. Zenk hiptosses out. Sheik spits on him and throws him out in front of Duggan. After throwing Martel out on the opposite side the heels double team Zenk right in front of Duggan. Duggan has enough, jumps the rail again, and gets into the ring. Zenk uses the distraction to roll Sheik up and get a pin. Facking bullshit! The heels beat up Duggan again after the match until the faces run them off. *1/2