The Main Event II

Legacy Review

The Main Event II

February 3, 1989 from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

We're on the road to Wrestlemania 5 with the second annual live Friday night NBC prime time show. We get a video recap of the long feud that started with Hogan vs Boss Man and expanded to both teams. Slick straight up says it's going to be a 3 on 2 match. The Mega Powers make a lot of references to tearing down the Twin Towers that look more and more out of place the longer we get post-9/11.

The Mega Powers (w/Elizabeth) def The Twin Towers (w/Slick) in 22:00- Savage wants to start. The Powers consult Elizabeth and she agrees. But Boss Man wants Hogan instead. Savage resists but eventually relents. Hogan punches for all the heels. An atomic drop sends Boss Man over the top and out and the heels regroup. Back in, Boss Man gets a couple of shots in before Hogan murders him with buckle shots. After a Hogan whip Boss Man grabs the rope and slides out. Savage pushes him from behind into the post. Hogan gets Akeem in the face corner and he and Savage pinball him with punches. Savage double ax handle off the top rope. Hogan double ax handle off the second rope (as high as he'll go). Akeem eye rakes Hogan. Boss Man hits a clothesline and a piledriver, but doesn't cover and offers Akeem a chance to do damage instead. Hogan deadlifts Boss Man to the floor. Boss Man pulls him out. Slugfest on the floor. Slick holds Hogan down to prevent a tag. Boss Man spinebuster for a long 2. Hogan dodges a double team and tags. Savage crossbody off the top for 2! Shout out to the recently departed Ricky Steamboat perhaps? Slick hits Savage in the back with the nightstick on a rope run. Akeem throws Savage out and Elizabeth helps him recover. Savage gets back in and Akeem throws him out again, this time right on top of Elizabeth! This was a massive spot for the time, Elizabeth did nothing physical during matches at all. Hogan runs over to help Elizabeth. Savage recovers and sees Hogan on top of her and has a few questions. Akeem hits him from behind before he can ask them and drags him back in the ring. As Savage is fighting the heels off Hogan picks Elizabeth up to carry her to the back. Savage watches from the ring, incredulous. A stretcher meets Hogan halfway and he puts Elizabeth on it, but stays with her all the way backstage. TV goes away from the match completely as they stay with Hogan and Elizabeth going through the arena to the first aid room. Hogan still stays there and prays for Elizabeth to be OK, the match completely forgotten. Back from commercial with Savage being beaten down again, but Hogan is still with Elizabeth. She wakes up and tells Hogan to go back to the ring. As he gets back Savage is still down but holding on. The Twin Towers hit a double team backbreaker. They go for a double splash, but Akeem falls out of the ring (huh?) and Savage dodges Boss Man. But he refuses to tag or even look at Hogan and takes Boss Man and Akeem out himself. Once the ring is cleared he turns his attention to Hogan and has some problems with how he's conducted himself tonight. Savage slaps Hogan! I guess that was a tag, because Boss Man starts beating on Hogan and the ref allows it. Savage starts to leave. Hogan dodges a double avalanche. He and Savage argue some more. Savage grabs the belt and leaves for good. Akeem hits an avalanche and the 747. Hulk Up. Legdrop and Hogan Still Wins LOL. Hard to really rate this as it's more angle than match, but the match part was pretty bleh so give it *.

 

The angle continues. The camera follows a furious Hogan to the back looking for Savage. Savage is ranting at Elizabeth while she's still laying on the stretcher. Hogan gets to the back and yells "What's wrong with you?" at Savage. Savage says "What's wrong with YOU?", tells Hogan he's out of line, he's got jealous eyes, Savage has carried him this whole time and he's #1 in the team even though Hogan and Elizabeth tried to put him in the back seat, Hogan's scared to ask for a title shot man to man because he's scared of Savage and knows he'll lose, and tops it off with the legendary "THOSE EYES.....THOSE EYES LUST ELIZABETH!" Brawl in the makeshift ER! Elizabeth tries to protect Hogan. Savage THROWS her out of the way! Brutus Beefcake comes in to save Hogan, followed by WWF officials (with Pat Patterson yelling "You cool it!" in his distinctive accent, RIP Pat). And scene. Savage has turned heel and the Mega Powers are no more.

Hogan might have starred in the movies, but Savage ran acting circles around him in that segment.

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil) def Hercules in 7:12- I believe this is the final TV blowoff of the "DiBiase bought Herc's contract and tried to turn him into a slave" feud. Herc jumps DiBiase as soon as he gets to the ring. Atomic drop and a clothesline send DiBiase 360 and out. Virgil goes to the top rope and gets thrown off. Herc flips DiBiase back in. Press slam. Another atomic drop puts DiBiase on the floor again. DiBiase snap mares Herc over the top to the floor. Back in DiBiase rolls through his usuals with Herc doing the big power kickout of pin attempts. Herc blocks and reverses a suplex. He reverses a corner whip but DiBiase instantly puts a boot up on the follow up charge. Backbreaker for 2. Herc blocks a buckle shot and gives DiBiase a series of them. Powerslam. As they're fighting in one corner Virgil takes Herc's chain and wraps it around the top turnbuckle in another corner. DiBiase tries to ram Herc into it but Herc reverses and DiBiase eats it. Cover, but DiBiase manages to kick out. Another ram into the chain. Herc gets DiBiase up in the torture rack but Virgil has the ref distracted, then the ref decides that chain looks suspicious and needs immediate removing. Virgil distracts Herc and DiBiase rolls him up with a handful of tights for the pin. Thankfully more a DiBiase than a Hercules match. **1/4

 

Mean Gene is in the back with a still recovering Hogan. At least he's still selling and not doing the Superman instant recovery. Hogan proves Savage right by moaning Elizabeth's name. He gets up, screams "RANDYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" and leaves. The show closes with Hogan destroying the backstage area looking for Savage, including pushing both Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart out of his way. There's some serious unintentional metaphor.