Saturday Night's Main Event XXIII

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event XXIII

October 14, 1989 (taped September 21) from the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, OH

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

 

In old school TV traditions this is the premiere of SNME's sixth and what would be final full season. Summerslam is behind us and Survivor Series is on the horizon.

We get footage of Savage's coronation as "Macho King" from a few weeks previous after he defeated Jim Duggan for the crown, the last of the title-like changes of the King crown that had been happening the prior couple of years, despite the fact the King of the Ring tournament still took place annually every year since '85. I could probably write a whole Deep Thoughts article on the pre-PPV KOTR tournaments. Maybe I will one day *makes note*.

"Macho King" Randy Savage (w/Sensational Queen Sherri) def "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka in 5:37- Savage ambushes Snuka as he jumps in the ring. Snuka fights back with a chop. Sherri gets on the apron. Savage tries to hit Snuka from behind but Snuka was ready with a kick. An atomic drop sends Savage outside. After some floor action Sherri grabs Snuka's leg as he's getting back in and Savage takes advantage. Kneedrop for 2. Savage uses Snuka's trunks to leverage him to the floor. Double ax handle off the top to the floor. Sherri kicks Snuka and chokes him with her purse strap. After some more outside beatdown Savage rolls Snuka back in and covers for a long 2 count. Snuka starts hulking up and comes back with chops and headbutts. Savage does a .5 Flair flip and ends up in the tree of woe. Snuka pounds away on him and even tosses ref Joey Marella aside. Marella forces Snuka back and Sherri gets Savage out, handing him her purse in the process. Sherri distracts again and Savage whacks Snuka in the back with the Loaded Purse of Deceptive Hardness +2 and rolls him up to win. Savage continues the beatdown after the bell and goes for the elbow off the top, but Snuka dodges it. Snuka sets up for the Superfly splash but Sherri blocks it. Snuka leaps over her and chops Savage out. The heels bail. **

Recap of the Hogan/Zeus feud. They keep trying to make Zeus out into this unstoppable, unbeatable, all-powerful monster even though anyone with a memory knows he hasn't won a damn thing the entire time. His unabrow is on point tonight, though.

 

WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) def "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase (w/Zeus) in 8:24- Zeus immediately grabs Hogan's boot in the corner on the first lockup. Hogan gets away and pounds DiBiase. He hooks on a headlock and jaws with Zeus. During a shoulderblock sequence Zeus trips Hogan and they choke each other. Hogan squashes DiBiase with a corner elbow and does some more ground and pound. It goes on so long even Hebner pulls Hogan off. DiBiase uses the distraction for an eye rake from behind. Zeus chokes Hogan while he's down. Jake Roberts, who had been setting up a feud with DiBiase before going on the shelf with an injury over the summer, comes to ringside. DiBiase wants him gone. Hogan uses the distraction to try for Generic Raw Match Finish 2A, the distraction roll up, but DiBiase kicks out. During Hogan's comeback Virgil runs in, steals Damien, and runs off again like a thief in the night. DiBiase clotheslines Hogan 360 and out. After commercial Hogan's back in and DiBiase hits a clothesline for 2. Suplex for 2. Double ax handle off the second rope for 2. Hogan fights out of a chinlock. Double clothesline! (with Zeus entirely missing his cue and trying to hit Hogan one spot too early) Hogan's up first and he hits the ropes again. Zeus gets it right this time and hits Hogan in the back. DiBiase hits a kneedrop off the top rope and covers. Hulk Up. Punches, big boot. Zeus comes in and hooks Hogan, but he dodges and DiBiase clotheslines Zeus. Hogan rolls up a Paul Smackage and gets the pin. After the bell Zeus snaps Hogan's neck and DiBiase hooks in the million dollar dream until Roberts runs the heels off with Damien. There was high risk of that turning into an angle circus, but it held together well with the focus staying on the match and the main two guys in the ring putting solid effort in. **3/4

Recap of the Piper/Rude feud that's been going since Piper's WWF return. Piper's planning to run through the whole Heenan Family to get to Rude.

There's really nothing like a Roddy Piper promo. It's like an entire collegiate improv society getting drunk and taking the stage all at the same time.

 

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper def Haku (w/Bobby Heenan) in 3:02- Piper takes his kilt off on the apron so Haku can jump him before the bell. That's planning. Slugfest. Ring Gearhead note: Piper's wearing elbow pads for some reason and it looks so strange. Piper hits a series of quick strikes that would make Kota Ibushi smile and clotheslines Haku to the floor. Thesz press off the apron! Piper chases Heenan down. Haku hits him with a clothesline. Huge Piper sell of a back elbow. Shoulderbreaker for 2. Piper dodges a splash off the top rope and pounds Haku on the mat. Piper hits a belly to belly suplex and that gets the win! Wow, he learned some wrestling moves during his time away. Nice. *1/2

 

Tito Santana and "The Model" Rick Martel (w/Slick) go to a double DQ in 9:41- This is the closest we got to a major TV blow off of the Strike Force breakup. I always forget that Martel had Slick as a manager when he first turned heel. It didn't last long and Martel spent years as a rare WWF era heel with no manager. Slick said he had a surprise, and during Martel's intro he calls down the rest of Martel's Survivor Series team: the Twin Towers and the Honky Tonk Man. Santana responds by calling his teammates in too: the Red Rooster, Brutus Beefcake and Dusty Rhodes. We all know how this will end. Quick Martel start. A Santana atomic drop sends Martel outside. Santana hits a sunset flip and deep armdrag. A speed run ends with a Santana crossbody for 2. Martel tights pulls Santana into the top turnbuckle. He tries to put Santana in the tree of woe but Santana doesn't hook in and falls down. Santana counters a backdrop with a kick. Slugfest. Santana with a backdrop. Flying habanero! Slick distracts and both teams get on the apron to stare down. The refs restore control and the match resumes during commercial. Martel dodges a clothesline and leverages Santana out. A blocked hiptoss leads to a backslide standoff. Santana gets the edge and puts Martel down for 2. Martel hooks the Boston crab in. Santana immediately gets to the ropes, hand climbs up them, and flips Martel over for a 2 count. Martel climbs to the top rope. Santana shakes the rope and Martel gets crotched. He goes to hook the figure four in but Slick distracts again, Dusty runs in, Boss Man runs in, and the giant Survivor Series selling brawl is on as expected. This was another match that could have been lost in the angle, but they stuck with it and there was no way Santana and Martel weren't going to put something good out there. ***

 

The Bushwhackers def  The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (w/Jimmy Hart) in 3:15- The Rougeaus offer an insincere handshake. The Bushwhackers politely decline the offer. With fists. They chase Hart around. The Rougeaus save him from a battering ram. Both teams play tug of war with Hart and in the course of events (thinking of a Coupling line there, "There's only so much that can be covered with 'in the course of events'.") Hart's pants come off and he's wearing fleur de lis boxers. The Rougeaus try to cover Hart, block the camera, and get him to the back. Once back in they take control. Raymond puts Butch in a Boston crab while Jacques kneedrops him. Butch dodges a double team and tags. Jacques flips out of a Luke backdrop. Luke congratulates him with a clothesline. After a mini-donnybrook the Bushwhackers hit the battering ram and double gutbuster to win. Total comedy match. 3/4*