Saturday Night's Main Event XII

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event XII

October 3, 1987 (taped September 23) from Hersheypark Arena in Hersheypark, PA

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan

Honky Tonk Man promises Elizabeth will be leaving with him tonight. Savage gives his famous "danger zone" promo.

WWF Intercontinental Championship: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) def The Honky Tonk Man (c) (w/Jimmy Hart) by DQ in 13:00- Rough lockup and rolling around the ropes. Honky gets a cheap shot over the ref while he tries to get a break. Savage counters a backdrop and gives Honky the top rope clothesline. Honky begs off. Hart walks over toward Elizabeth. Savage comes out to stop him and Honky hits him from behind. Savage runs the ropes at 100 MPH, ducks a clothesline, and hits an elbow. Honky dodges a kneedrop and hits a fistdrop off the second rope. He walks out and starts wooing Elizabeth. Savage ambushes. Double ax handle off the top to the floor! Savage gives Honky a couple of buckle shots and rolls him, but Hart pulls him off. Back suplex, another cover, and Hart pulls him off again. Double ax handle off the top. Hart gets Honky's foot on the rope. Savage drags Hart in and puts his lights out. Honky tries a sunset flip. Savage punches out. Honky rolls out and tries to revive Hart. The Hart Foundation come out. Anvil carries Hart back to the locker room and Honky goes with him. When he comes back the Hart Foundation is still with him. How did he not get counted out? Savage goes right back on offense. Honky dodges a corner charge. Backdrop. Honky showboats more for Elizabeth. Savage takes advantage and hits a .5 spinebuster for 2. Honky tries the fistdrop off the second rope again but Savage dodges it. Savage backdrop. Honky begs off again. Back elbow for 2. Suplex for 2. Honky rakes the eyes and throws Savage out. The Harts work him over. Honky drops an elbow and covers. Savage kicks out! Honky goes for the Shake, Rattle and Roll but Savage backdrops out. He goes up top....Savage elbow! The Harts come in and draw the cheap DQ. It's the usual Honky Tonk IC title defense circus, but Savage was on fire and Honky looked like he was actually trying to keep up with him. ***

After the match the heels continue to beat Savage down. Honky gets his guitar and loads up a shot with it. Elizabeth runs in and blocks it! Honky almost whacked her with the guitar! Elizabeth refuses to move so Honky shoves her out of the way! We're used to stuff like that now, but anything physical happening to Elizabeth was shocking back then. Elizabeth runs to the back with security. Honky waffles Savage with the guitar. Elizabeth comes back, and she has Hulk Hogan with her! The heels jump Hogan when he gets in the ring, but he and Savage soon fight them off. Hogan and Savage hit back to back, turn around, and everything stops. Savage offers his hand, and Hogan takes it! Something special is happening here.

 

WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) def Sika (w/Mr. Fuji and Kim Chee) in 7:59- Another rough lockup and another cheap shot over the ref while trying to break. Fuji chokes Hogan with his cane and whacks him in the throat with it. Hogan dodges a falling headbutt and does a mini hulk up. A short clothesline sends Sika out. Early match big boot. Elbow drops. Punches send Sika falling into the ropes. Kim Chee gets on the apron and takes a shot. Sika uses the distraction to clothesline Hogan over and out. Sika gets posted. Fuji tries another cane shot but Hogan grabs it and tries to hit Fuji back with it, but the ref stops him. Hogan comes back into the ring with the cane and two refs come in to take it away from him. Hogan dodges a charge and Sika slams into the corner. Hogan tries a big splash (wow) but Sika gets his knees up. Samoan spike throat shot. More Fuji cane choking. Another throat thrust gets 2. Sika locks on the Titty Twister of Extreme Torque +2. They do the arm drop spot. Hogan tries to come back but is on the losing end of a shoulderblock. Sika hits a falling headbutt, covers, and we get the full Hulk Up. Punches, slam, legdrop, good night. Hogan beats down the managers after. Not good, but perfectly decent. Better than I expected it to be. **1/2

 

King Kong Bundy def "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff (w/Oliver Humperdink) in 8:00- Orndorff got positive crowd reactions when he came back from injury soon after Wrestlemania 3, so he turned face by firing Bobby Heenan for the second time. Heenan is choosing to stay on commentary instead of go to ringside, and he's not concerned. "I could not be in the building and manage by two way radio and Bundy would be fine." He's also been teasing a big surprise all show. Bundy jaws with the crowd and Orndorff catches him from behind. Bundy doges a dropkick and starts the big man beatdown. Orndorff gets a sunset flip for 2. After Orndorff dodges a big elbow drop Heenan starts to lose it. Orndorff double ax handle off the second rope and a fistdrop for 2. Heenan's had enough and leaves commentary. Orndorff dropkick for 2. Andre the Giant comes out to ringside. Heenan returns to the booth: "How's that for surprises!". Both sides confer. When they get back in reset with a lockup. Orndorff pounds Bundy down in the corner. Bundy kneedrop for 2. Orndorff drops elbows, but Bundy dodges on the third one. Long Bundy chinlock. Orndorff dodges a charge. Andre grabs his tights to hold him in the corner, and the Bundy avalanche finishes it. Neither guy was exactly digging deep in their movesets, but it was another max effort match with good intensity that overachieved. **1/4

 

WWF Tag Team Championship: The Hart Foundation (c) def The Young Stallions in 4:35- Jimmy Hart is absent to sell his beating from the IC title match. Anvil and Roma start. Roma dodges and hooks in a deep armdrag. Anvil slams out of an armbar. Bret walks in to a backdrop. Powers with a sunset flip for 2 and a crossbody for 2. Bret kills his momentum with a knee to the gut and hits the backbreaker. The Harts double team Powers. Powers leapfrogs and manages to get the tag. Donnybrook! The Harts are whipped into each other. Double dropkick on Anvil. Roma powerslams Bret but Anvil just breaks it up. The Harts hit the Hart Attack and get the 3. Fine for the time it got. **

Mean Gene is with Hogan and Savage. The Mega Powers are officially born. Hogan while going in for the soon to be famous Mega Powers handshake: "I'm a little afraid to lock up here, the whole planet might blow up." The stuff of wrestling legend.

The show closes with the world premiere of the Piledriver music video, sung by Koko B Ware and starring several other wrestlers as construction workers. A meh ending to an otherwise superb show, possibly the best SNME yet.