Saturday Night's Main Event XXII

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event XXII

July 29, 1989 (taped July 18) from the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, MA

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

 

It's an SNME summer special as we're on the road to Summerslam.

WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) def The Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart) in 6:14- Honky takes a wild guitar swing as Hogan's getting in the ring. Hogan drags him out and punches up the entrance aisle. Hart jumps on Hogan's back. Hogan carries him into the ring and squashes him in the corner, then dodges another guitar swing. Atomic drop and corner elbow by Hogan. He finally tears his shirt off. Hart gets dragged in the ring again and Hogan gives the heels a double noggin knocker. Hogan chases Honky outside. Hart sneaks up and gives Hogan a shot with the guitar in the back. Honky works the back for a bit. Hogan powers up out of a double chinlock and runs Honky into the top turnbuckle. Honky cuts off the comeback with a clothesline. He hits the shake, rattle and roll but gloats forever and takes his time covering Hogan. He knows what's coming anyway. We all do. He's just trying to put it off. Cover and Hulk Up. Punches, and the big boot sends Honky outside. Hogan takes the guitar and whacks Hart and Honky with it. Roll back in, legdrop, good night. Bog standard Hogan match. 3/4*

Recap of Greg Valentine beating Ron Garvin in a retirement match with a tights-assisted Paul Smackage, followed by clips of Garvin trying to be a ref and getting in fights with all the heel wrestlers. Jack Tunney comes on and says this is Garvin's last chance. Ref down the middle and don't get in fights or you're done.

 

"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka def Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart) in 3:14- Garvin is your special referee. Valentine jaws at Garvin during his entrance and Garvin takes it stone faced. Valentine ambushes Snuka from behind, pounds away on him and chokes. Snuka comes back with a chop and flying headbutt. He tries coming off the second rope but Valentine gets his knees up, catching Snuka in the face with his shin guard. Elbow drops and a cover for 2. He throws Snuka out. Garvin does a straight count. Every time Snuka tries to get back in Valentine kicks him out again. After three of those Garvin has enough and shoves Valentine. Garvin with a punch! A dazed Valentine turns around into a Snuka crossbody off the top rope. Garvin counts 3. He and Valentine jaw some more after. I think Garvin's days as a ref are over. 1/2*

Recap of Savage and Sherri attacking Beefcake and cutting his hair on Brother Love. The Summerslam tag match main event has already been booked.

 

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake def "Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/Sensational Sherri) by DQ in 11:30- Lots of chasing and stalling before the bell. Beefcake gets a shoulder to Savage's gut and throws him outside while both still have their entrance gear on. He goes out and chases Sherri. Savage gets him from behind. Beefcake punches back and chokes Savage with his jacket. Clubbing blow to the face for 2. Savage gets a boot up in the corner. Beefcake dodges a corner charge and gets a crossbody for 2. Beefcake high knee for 2. Another Savage charge is dodged and Savage gets crumpled up in the ropes. Another high knee sends Savage to the floor. Sherri grabs Beefcake's boot as he gets back in and Savage throws him out. Double ax handle off the top to the floor. Sherri gets some kicks in, then whacks Beefcake with the Shoe of Extreme Solidity +1. Back in Beefcake gets a small package but Sherri has Hebner distracted. Savage hits a clothesline for 2. Beefcake with a backslide for 2. Sherri takes off a stocking and chokes Beefcake with it. Savage tries coming off the top but Beefcake gives him a shot in the gut. Sherri holds him down, but Beefcake dodges and Savage takes out Sherri. Beefcake backdrops Savage to the floor. As he's recovering Savage sends Sherri to the back and we get a commercial cut. Slightly JIP back from break with Savage and Beefcake doing solid but clear stalling back and forth stuff. Sherri comes back out, and she's got Zeus with her. Beefcake gets a sunset flip for 2. Sleeper! Zeus comes in and hits Beefcake for the cheap DQ. **1/4

And we're not done. Zeus has two moves: double fist mega punch, and bear hug. He's used one, so he slaps the bear hug on Beefcake. Hogan runs in and hits Zeus in the back. Nothing. Zeus puts Hogan in the bear hug. Savage wants to cut his hair and gets Beefcake's bag. The faces manage to fight them off. Beefcake ends up in Zeus' clutches again. Hogan grabs a chair and whacks Zeus in the back. Complete no sell. Savage gets Zeus to back off and they leave. The idea of Zeus walking out of a movie into "reality" is silly, but this was good build to what turned out to be an OK Summerslam main event despite only 3 guys in it being actual wrestlers.

Watching Zeus no sell everything, you have to think Vince already had the idea for the Undertaker cooking in his brain.

Mean Gene is in the back with Savage and Zeus. Savage cuts a killer promo on the death of Hulkamania, with good assist from Sherri. Zeus yells and slobbers all over himself.

 

2 out of 3 Falls Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship: The Brain Busters (w/Bobby Heenan) def Demolition (c) in 12:33- FIRST FALL: Tully and Ax start. Tully turns around and pops Smash, then grabs the ropes to stop himself after a whip and slides to the floor. Smash hits him from behind and press slam him back in. The Demos pinball him back and forth. Tully manages to push Ax into the heel corner. He tries to fight out, but Arn drags him down to the floor. Slugfest on the floor. A couple of double team attempts and counters end with the Demos clotheslining both Busters. Back in, the Demos try more double teams but the Busters skedaddle and regroup with Heenan. Arn tries some offense but Smash has an answer for everything. He drapes Arn over the face corner and they do a double team beatdown. Arn goes for Smash's knee that was hurt in the last match. Smash shrugs it off and it doesn't come up again the rest of the match. Smash scoops Arn up. Tully comes in and dropkicks Arn's back to drop him on top of Smash. World's Greatest Spinebuster! Arn takes his time covering and Smash kicks out. Smash gives Arn a hot shot, covers and gets a 3 count.

SECOND FALL: Back from break with Arn in trouble. Smash smashes and hooks in a neck wringer. Arn gets out and gets a tag. Tully slingshots Ax's throat into the bottom rope and works the neck a bit. Buster double teams. Heenan with a slap! A stiff one too. Ax counters a backdrop and tags. Bodyslam city from Smash. Donnybrook! Smash press slams Tully. Heenan gets on the apron. Smash runs him straight into the ring post! I mean *straight*, Heenan went right for it full speed. That had to have hurt. Andre the Giant comes to ringside. The Demos hit the Decapitation Device, but ref Joey Marella refuses to count and DQ's the Demos for double teaming well beyond the five count.

THIRD FALL: Tully is in peril until he gets an eye poke and throws Ax into Arn! He tags a clearly wobblelegged Arn. He and Smash ram heads again in the corner. Tags on both sides. Donnybrooking again! Arn and Ax fight outside, Tully and Smash inside. Arn gets posted. Tully flips out of a suplex. More chaos. In the melee Andre slides a chair into the ring. Tully gives Smash a hard shot in the back of the head, Arn drapes over, and gets the win! New champs! Demolition's then-record 478 day reign comes to an end, and the Brain Busters become the first team ever to win both the NWA and WWF world tag titles. The match was good but not as good as the last SNME. The 2/3 falls format hurt rather than helped, giving the whole thing a disjointed feel. ***

Ventura is in the locker room with the celebrating Heenan Family, who are at their zenith. Heenan has both the Intercontinental and tag titles now. Afterward, Mean Gene gets last words from Hogan and Beefcake on their upcoming Summerslam showdown with Savage and Zeus.