Saturday Night's Main Event XXX

Legacy Review

Saturday Night's Main Event XXX

February 8, 1992 (taped January 27) from the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum in Lubbock, TX

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan

SNME moves over to Fox for the first of two one hour specials in '92, the first WWF/E shows broadcast on the future home of Smackdown. A new network also means a new intro and new logo. We're on the road to Wrestlemania 8, which will run into some giant curves and forks both during and right after this show.

WWF Intercontinental Championship: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (c) def The Mountie (w/Jimmy Hart) in 3:30- This is a rematch from the Royal Rumble, where Piper beat Mountie for the title after Mountie's house show upset of an ill Bret Hart two days prior, the shortest IC title reign in history to that point. In the only example of something scheduled for WM 8 when this show aired that actually ended up happening, former champ Bret is already set to challenge the winner in the Hoosier Dome. Jimmy Hart grabs the belt away from the ref and gives to the Mountie, who poses for the crowd. While that's happening Hart hits Piper from behind and Mountie uses the mosquito bite distraction to throw him out. Piper lands on his feet, and with an annoyed "well, that's how we're going to do it, OK then" look on his face hops back in and double clotheslines both heels out. He follows with a double noggin knocker. Piper's left his shirt on to wrestle in. Hart grabs Piper's foot as he's getting back in and Mountie ambushes him. Piper gets tied in the tree of woe. We go picture in picture for a Bret promo. Mountie diving reverse elbow for 2. Piper gets his knees up on a splash attempt. He goes for the bulldog but Mountie pushes him and we have a ref bump. Mountie hits a piledriver. Hart gives Mountie a cup of water. Commentary thinks it's to wake the ref up with, but he pours it on Piper instead. Hart hands Mountie the cattle prod and the plan becomes obvious. He sticks Piper with it and the cheesy post-production shock sound effect plays. But Piper pops right back up! He decks Mountie and catches the flying prod. Piper shocks Mountie with his own cattle prod! He covers, the ref wakes up to count, and it's over. Piper takes off his shirt, and underneath he has on a shock proof vest! Brilliant! It's 100% headcannon for me that Bret got the idea for the metal plate to block Goldberg's spear from this. Not much of a match, but the booking was logical and fun. *1/4

We get a replay of the final 3 from the Greatest Rumble Ever (the 1992 version, not that faux Rumble from Sweet Saudi Money I). Hilariously, the audio's been redone so now there's Hogan chants instead of the live crowd cheering Sid and booing Hogan. Monsoon and Heenan even re-recorded their commentary. After that we go to the Wrestlemania 8 press conference that was shown on weekly TV a week or two before this, where President Jack Tunney announced Hogan as Flair's challenger at WM and Sid's insane jealous rant at being passed up after. There's a quick Sid promo from "earlier today" where he says he's been misunderstood and apologizes to Hogan and the fans. I smell a rat. After Taker and Flair's entrance we cut to Sean Mooney with Justice and Hogan. Mooney cues up Justice....then takes the mic away and lets Hogan talk instead. Justice looks disgusted and walks away while Hogan's mid-promo.

 

Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice (w/Brutus Beefcake) def WWF Champion Ric Flair and The Undertaker (w/Mr. Perfect and Paul Bearer) by DQ in 11:42- I believe this is Hogan BFF Beefcake's first appearance ringside or doing anything other than his Barber Shop talk show since returning to the WWF after his parasailing accident. Justice talks Hogan into letting him start with Flair. Flair backs out of locking up and immediately hides in the corner ropes. When they do lock up Flair rakes the eyes, but Justice reverses a corner whip and Flair does his backdrop out of the corner spot. Hogan and Flair get in the ring together for the first time on TV. Flair takes another backdrop. Hogan hiptosses both heels. Justice blocks a Taker slam attempt and slams him. Hogan slams everyone and the heels roll out to regroup. Taker counters a Justice backdrop with a throat shot. The heels hits double team moves and Hogan breaks up the pins. Before long we're donnybrooking again. The faces clear the ring out. Hogan celebrates and Justice looks unhappy. Taker hits Justice from behind. The heels work Justice over for a bit, suckering Hogan in to let them double team and choke in the corner. Justice counters a double team with a noggin knocker (that Flair puts his hand up too early for). Flair Flop! Perfect distracts Hogan and Flair clips his knee. After some extremely quick knee work Flair slaps the figure four on. Justice makes a show of adjusting his kneepads and turning his back to the ring. Hogan reverses and Flair lets go. Hogan crawls to the corner but Justice makes no effort to reach out for a tag. Taker cuts Hogan off and hits the jumping clothesline. Flair goes up top and as usual gets slammed off. Hogan goes to tag and again Justice makes zero effort. After Taker cuts him off again Hogan no sells Flair's chops. Hogan double clothesline on both heels out of the corner and again he goes to tag. Justice throws a mock hand out like someone teasing their dog with a treat, then jumps off the apron and walks away. Beefcake tries to stop him. Justice tells him that Hogan can help himself and leaves. The heels are double teaming Hogan again. Flair throws Hebner away and the bell rings for a DQ. Beefcake jumps in. Hogan hulks up and saves him before the heels shatter his face again. Flair gets another Flop and Flair Flip in before leaving. There's some wrongbook committed on the result here. God forbid Hogan takes a loss even if it's two on one and the two are the WWF Champion and the Undertaker. As a whole the match had some sloppy moments, but pulled the important angle stuff off well. I think it could have used another 5 minutes or so to breathe a little better. Taker was probably the wrong partner for Flair too, his zombie/no sell gimmick didn't translate well to tag wrestling. **

Mooney is with Justice, who says he has no friends because he needs no friends. He's still pissed at Tunney for picking Hogan over him. After commercial Mean Gene is with Hogan and Beefcake, who mostly talk about Hogan being in the hospital with Beefcake after his accident instead of Justice.

 

Sgt. Slaughter and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan def The Beverly Brothers (w/The Genius) in 2:39- Duggan and Blake start. Slaughter cushions the corner with his body so Duggan doesn't have to take a buckle bump. Beau hits Duggan in the back of the head on a rope run with Genius' scroll. Duggan counters a backdrop and tags. Slaugtermania runs wild. Donnybrook! Slaughter ducks a scroll shot, whacks Beau with it, Duggan hits the 3 point stance clothesline, and that's the pin. That was like watching a proper tag match with the VCR stuck on fast forward. Next. 1/4*

Recap of the Savage/Roberts feud, from the initial cobra bite to Roberts really crossing the line and slapping Elizabeth after the This Tuesday in Texas match.

 

"Macho Man" Randy Savage def Jake "The Snake" Roberts in 5:25- No Elizabeth at ringside for her safety. Savage charges right in and Roberts tries to run. Brawl on the floor as the bell rings. Roberts gets posted. Savage is out for murder. Roberts is cut open on the bridge of his nose. Back in Roberts gets an eye rake for space and tosses Savage over the top and out. Savage jumps right back in with a double ax handle to Roberts' back. Roberts tosses him again and Savage rolls into the guardrail. Now Savage gets posted. He really runs forehead first into the post with a nice "thunk" sound. Back in, Savage reverses a corner whip and hits a back elbow. Roberts counters a double ax off the top rope. DDT outta nowhere! Roberts doesn't cover, instead he brags to the crowd and signals he wants to hit another one. Short clothesline. Roberts cinches up another DDT but Savage backdrops him to the floor. Double ax handle off the top to the floor. Roberts goes throat first into the guardrail. Savage rolls him back in. Savage elbow! 3 count! Really good and intense brawl that was way too short, and ultimately had to serve as the final blowoff to the feud. **1/2

 

After the bell Savage goes up top for another elbow. The usual gaggle of refs and suited officials run in, but Savage leaps over all of them to hit another one! He goes up for a third. The officials get Roberts out of the ring. Elizabeth runs in and she and Savage celebrate to close the show.....but wait, Roberts is watching them from behind the curtain. He says "Not over yet". The show ends there, but the next week on weekly TV they show that Roberts was going to hit Elizabeth with a chair when she got to the back only to be stopped by.....his partner in evil the Undertaker! That would be Taker's face turn, finally acknowledging the crowd reactions he was getting anyway. And so the original WM card of Hogan vs Flair (announced) and Savage vs Roberts (planned) was torn up and redone as Savage vs Flair, Hogan vs Justice and Roberts vs Taker.