Saturday Night's Main Event XXVII

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event XXVII

July 28, 1990 (taped July 16) from the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, NE

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

For the second straight year there is a special summer edition of SNME, and this year for some random reason it's themed around the famous nature TV show Animal Kingdom. In between every match there's a comedy (or "comedy", your mileage may vary) skit with Lord Alfred Hayes and Mean Gene "Jim" Okerlund parodying that show with the help of some of the wrestlers.

WWF Championship: The Ultimate Warrior (c) def "Ravishing" Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) by DQ in 9:43- Tonight's Warrior belt strap color is light blue. He's also going with the rare painted logo on each cheek look instead of full face paint. Rude does the ambush from behind but Warrior quickly fights him off. Atomic drop with the usual perfect Rude sore ass sell followed by a 360 clothesline. Warrior gives Rude and Heenan a double noggin knocker. Warrior double ax handle off the top rope. Rude dodges a big splash and Warrior rolls outside to recover. Rude grabs the title belt and whacks Warrior with it while Heenan distracts the ref. Rude tries to come off the top rope but Warrior gives him a shot in the gut, followed by an inverted atomic drop with more of that magic Rude selling. He stops selling just long enough to get a knee up in the corner on a charging Warrior, followed by a clothesline. Rude tries a slam. Warrior blocks and reverses. On a second slam attempt Rude squeaks out and locks on a sleeper! Rude jumps on Warrior's back and he start to go down. The ref lifts Warrior's leg to check if he's out? That's a new one. Of course Warrior comes back after two drops and jawbreakers out. He tries to Warrior up but Rude pounds him down with punches. He goes for the Rude Awakening but Warrior powers out. Rude ducks a clothesline, and kick wham Rude Awakening! Warrior kicks out! Now the full Warrior up happens. Forever clotheslines. Flying tackle, splash, cover...but Heenan pulls Warrior off! Warrior chases. Rude follows and they have a quick fight in the middle of the entrance aisle. Warrior presses Rude over his head and carries him to the ring, but Heenan gives him a shot in the back. Warrior corners Heenan in the ring and beats him down. After Heenan's gone the ref calls for the bell and gives Warrior the match by DQ. Slow start, good middle that started to echo their really good '89 IC title matches, crap finish. This would lead to a very disappointing steel cage rematch at Summerslam before Rude left the company for greener pastures. **1/4

Next up is a video tribute to Hulk Hogan, featuring some serious subliminal advertising (HULK RULES flashing on and off screen for a tenth of a second at a time) and the footage of Earthquake taking him out for a couple of months with an injury. After the video Vince brings Hogan into the ring for his big return. He thanks all the Hulkamaniacs that prayed for him and send him cards or letters and promises to respond to each and every one (Which makes me wonder if he did. Vince probably had a bunch of interns in the basement of Titan Towers mailing out generic thank you cards in Hogan's name for months.). They talk about Hogan's scheduled match with Earthquake at Summerslam. Hogan says Tugboat will be in his corner to neutralize Dino Bravo. Speaking of, Quake, Bravo and Jimmy Hart make their way to the ring. They corner Hogan as Hogan holds them out with his YAPAPI weightlifting belt until Tugboat comes out to even the odds. The heels leave with no contact made.

 

WWF Tag Team Championship: Demolition (c) def The Rockers in 9:31- Both the Rockers and the Hart Foundation were chasing Demolition's tag titles, but all three teams were faces so something had to give. The champs not only turned heel, they brought Crush in to always give them a numbers advantage (and to let Ax rest his broken down body). All three Demos come out, and it's unsurprisingly Smash and Crush in the ring for this one. Smash and Janetty start. Smash smashes. Janetty hits an armdrag, followed by a clothesline and knee clip. A dropkick sends Smash out. The Rockers hit double team flying headscissors and dropkicks. After a sneaky Rocker behind the back tag they hit another (sloppy) double team. Crush says eff this, runs in and clotheslines both Rockers out of their boots. Crush lifts Janetty out of a headlock and places him on the top rope. Janetty comes off the second rope with a sunset flips that Crush totally fraks up the selling of for 2. Arm work on Crush. Janetty slides under Smash's legs on the apron but gets greeted by an Ax clothesline on the floor. Janetty goes Rocker in peril. Crush press slams Janetty from the floor over the top rope back in the ring. Then Crush comes off the top rope and hits a tiltawhirl backbreaker. He catches Janetty running off the ropes and choke slams him. Smash hooks in a bear hug. Shawn helps Janetty get out. Janetty with a Bret bump! He ducks a clothesline, counters a backdrop and gets a hot tag to Shawn. Shawn hits a flying tackle and dropkick. The Demos are whipped into each other. Double dropkick. Double superkick! They go up top and hit a double fist drop off the top rope! Crush breaks up the pin. Shawn rolls Smash up, but the ref is distracted. Ax comes in, clotheslines Shawn to hell, and covers him with his face hidden to get the pin. After the bell the Hart Foundation run in to argue, followed by the recently signed Legion of Doom! Well there's only one way to settle this: a fatal four way match! Man, how awesome would that have been. Elimination rules of course, like all four ways should be. The Rockers carried the Demos to a fun match, and the booking got the new three man Demolition unit over so I'll call that a win too. ***

 

WWF Intercontinental Championship: Mr. Perfect (c) (w/Bobby Heenan) def Tito Santana in 10:11- Quick Perfect start. Santana comes back with a lightning sequence of a hiptoss, armdrag and dropkick. Perfect flip sells a Santana chop on the floor. They have an arm wringer trade off in the ring. Perfect counters a backdrop and hits a clothesline, followed by a kneelift. Slugfest. Perfect locks in a neck wringer. Heenan distracts the ref so he can also choke. Santana grabs Perfect's hair and punches out, with a great delayed sell by Perfect. Santana gets a boot up in the corner, followed by a clothesline with a 360 Perfect sell. After a punch Perfect lands on Hebner's leg, injuring it. Santana clips Perfect's knee and locks the figure four in! But Hebner's writhing in pain with his back conveniently turned and can't see it. Flying tortilla! Hebner takes forever to get in position, slow counts, and Perfect JUST kicks out! Santana gets a diving clothesline off the second rope, followed by another slow count and near fall. Santana is pissed at Hebner. A replacement ref runs in and Hebner is taken to the back. Santana gets a crossbody for 2. Perfect recovers and hits the snap mare/neck snap combo. Another slugfest ends with a Perfect .5 superkick. Santana punches in the corner and Perfect flies 360 over the top and out. Another 360 sell on the floor. They do the spot where Santana slides Perfect across the ring and Perfect slides all the way crotch first into the ring post. Santana follows that up with an inverted atomic drop, working the hurt body part. Then a regular atomic drop, where Perfect slingshots himself (there's no logical kayfabe way to justify that) into the corner, and Santana covers for another long 2 count. Santana hooks in a small package, but Perfect reverses it and gets the clean pin! A heel IC champion that can still win matches legitimately, what a concept. Great wrestling match from two fantastic workers, let down a bit by the unnecessary ref bump shenanigans in the middle. ***1/2

 

"The Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich def "Playboy" Buddy Rose in 3:09- This is Tornado's WWF debut. He was the most well known of the many Von Erich sons, and had a quick cup of coffee with the NWA World Heavyweight Title in 1984 while Ric Flair was visiting Dallas, one of the few early '80s regional world title changes that got recognized by the NWA, probably because of how high profile the Dallas territory was. Rose had also just returned to the WWF, working as a high profile name jobber to wind down his career. Giving to the next generation, just like you should do. Rose slaps Tornado in the corner and runs away. Tornado blocks hiptoss and slam attempts and hits his own. After a couple of corner whips Rose goes upside down into the last one. He gets tied up in the ropes and Tornado gives him a couple of shots. After getting out Rose flops to the floor. Back in he gets a little token offense in until Tornado slams him off the top rope. The discus punch finishes it. Perfectly acceptable introductory squash. *

The show closes with Rude and Warrior hyping up their steel cage match at Summerslam.