Saturday Night's Main Event XIII

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event XIII

November 28, 1987 (taped November 11) from the Seattle Center Coliseum in Seattle, WA

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

This show is in one of those classic pretape holes, taping before Survivor Series but airing two days after it. The show opens with Savage giving another "Danger Zone" promo over the Twilight Zone music and some really awful green screen work. I've seen better CSO (as the BBC called it) in early '70s Doctor Who.

We get a short piece of footage of Danny Davis attacking George Steele with the ring bell on weekly TV. Steele is clearly not over Elizabeth, as he's now carrying an action figure (well, in this case doll would probably be more accurate) of her with him.

George "The Animal" Steele def "Dangerous" Danny Davis by DQ in 3:49- Steele charges right in and bites Davis in the corner. The first half of the match is Davis powders, gets back in, tries to ambush Steele, Steele somehow outsmarts him (yikes), Davis powders again, rinse and repeat. Finally Davis gets an international spike out of his tights and works Steele over with it for the second half of the match, keeping it out of the ref's view. He was a ref so he should know all the tricks. After a bit Steele lifts Davis up in a hammerlock, Davis accidentally kicks the ref, and we have a cheap DQ. Steele hunts down, kills and eats a turnbuckle pad after. DUD

Clips from the last SNME of the Hart Foundation costing Savage an IC title match against the Honky Tonk Man.

 

"Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) def Bret "Hitman" Hart (w/Jimmy Hart and Jim Neidhart) in 12:03- Savage signals he's fired up by flinging his robe and sunglasses away. Jimmy Hart and Anvil try to corner Elizabeth. Savage jumps out to shoo them off and chases them around the ring. He drags Bret out and posts him. Bret favors his arm and slowly gets back in. Savage beat down in the corner. A corner whip is reversed and reversed and reversed and finally Bret takes the buckles, but dodges a Savage charge. Bret lays in the beatdown in the corner. As you'd expect with these two every single move and moment is being done with 100% snap and intensity. Savage counters a backdrop. Bret recovers on the apron. Savage charges, pushes the ropes, and Bret gets sprung off the apron and into the guardrail! The Hart entourage helps him recover while Savage teases coming off the top rope. Anvil gets on the apron. Savage gives him and Hart a double noggin knocker. With the decks cleared Savage dives off the top rope to the floor, but Bret was waiting for him with the megaphone and Savage takes it in the gut! Elizabeth tries to help but Anvil chases her off and rolls Savage back in. Bret slams Savage upside down in the corner and he gets in the tree of woe. Bret piledriver for 2. Savage dodges a corner charge and Bret posts his shoulder. Double ax handle off the top for 2. Bret comes back with a gut punch and backbreaker. Savage dodges the elbow off the second rope. Snap clothesline over the top rope for 2. Bret backdrops Savage over the top rope to the floor! Savage hurts his ankle on the landing. He tries to recover on the floor and Elizabeth takes his boot off. Savage works the rest of the match in one sock foot. He gets back in and uses the ropes to try to stand up. He can't put any weight on the hurt leg. Bret goes right for it. He posts the ankle! With no boot on! Stepover toe hold. Savage pushes out and Bret posts his shoulder again. Savage is trying to hobble around on one leg. Bret quickly gets back on the ankle. Single leg crab. Savage gets under the ropes. Bret snap mares him over the top rope back into the ring. Savage gets a desperation eye poke and slides to the apron. Bret picks him up to slam him, but Savage rolls through it into a Paul Smackage and the win! Holy crap what a match. Savage gave an absolute masterclass in selling a leg injury. The only thing I can criticize, other than it being too short, is the arm/shoulder shots on Bret didn't end up going anywhere, but it doesn't matter a whole lot. Want to see the best match ever on a SNME, at least the original incarnation? This is it. This Bret Hart guy, he might be someone someday. ****1/4

Bobby Heenan teases a huge surprise for the title match. Everyone should have figured out what that's code for by now, but of course Vince and Ventura don't have a clue.

 

WWF Championship: King Kong Bundy (w/Bobby Heenan) def Hulk Hogan (c) by countout in 13:45- Heenan takes the mic and calls his huge surprise down to ringside. If you hadn't figured out well before now it's Andre the Giant, I can't help you. Hogan jaws with Andre on his entrance. Bundy and Hogan go face to face and shove before locking up. Shoulderblock standoff. Hogan goes down on the second one. They hit the ropes again, but Hogan flips the script with a high knee. He tries to slam Bundy but can't. Bundy falls on top of him for a 2 count then works Hogan's back a bit. Hogan dodges a big splash. Huge clothesline! Hogan's feeling it tonight. He telegraphs a backdrop and Bundy whacks him with a clubbing blow. Long chinlock spot with the arm drops. When Hogan comes back he hits the big boot. He hits the ropes again but Andre trips him. The bell rings and the refs separate everyone. The match ref orders Andre to return to the back, and he'll waive the DQ and let the match continue. Andre is predictably reluctant but Heenan begs him to go, saying it's Bundy's match and he'll mess everything up. Andre eventually does, taking out a cameraman (that we see POV from the camera) on his way out. The match restarts with a Bundy beatdown. Hogan reverses a whip and hits the corner clothesline. Around the world buckle shots on Bundy. Chops. Another high knee. Bundy dodges an elbow. He stands on Hogan's back and slaps on a bear hug. Hogan elbows out, but Bundy catches him running with a back elbow. .5 avalanche. Bundy hits a big splash on Hogan's back and covers. Hulk Up. 3 punches, big man slam. Bundy rolls out and drags Hogan with him. Hogan gets some more shots in and rolls Bundy back in, but as he's getting back in Heenan sneaks up and grabs his boot! Hogan's counted out! Sore loser Hogan knocks Bundy out with a punch and beats Heenan up after. Surprisingly not bad at all. For whatever reason Hogan was really going max effort out there, and the overall package was good setup for a rematch on the next SNME, and slow burn to the eventual Hogan/Andre rematch in February. **3/4

 

Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Oliver Humperdink) def Hercules in 7:00- Heenan's not out with Herc because he suffered a neck injury from the Hogan beatdown. Staredown and Herc posing before a very rough lockup. Shoulderblock standoffs. A back elbow from Herc staggers Bigelow. Clothesline over the top and out! Bigelow snap mares Herc down to the floor! Brawl on floor. As Bigelow slams Herc on the floor the bell rings for a double countout. Bigelow grabs the mic and demands the match be restarted. Herc agrees. They do football charges that end in standoffs. Herc tries a trip but Bigelow carwheels over him. Herc dodges a dropkick, drops elbows and a knee. Herc tries to come off the top. Bigelow catches him! Press slam. Bigelow hits the slingshot big splash and gets the 3. Shockingly stiff and much better than expected. **1/2

Bundy demands a rematch with Hogan at the next SNME, and he wants Andre in his corner officially. Hogan accepts his terms.