WWE Recap: Saturday Night Main Event (November 1986)

Jesse "The Body" Ventura's ugly mug greets us to welcome us to "his town", Los Angeles, California. We get some quick quotes from some of tonight's participants. After the opening montage, we go to Vince McMahon and Ventura at the announcer's table. Ventura has on a toupee. It's not good.


Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Elizabeth (Intercontinental Championship)

We get a battle between two heels here, maybe as a tryout to see who would have a face turn. Before the bell, Roberts intimidates both Savage and Elizabeth with Damien. The two men test each other a bit at the start, with a couple of back and forth arm drags and hair pulls. Savage is clearly afraid of Damien, and doesn't even want to be near the bag. Roberts goes for a couple of early DDTs, but Savage avoids it. The crowd seems to firmly be behind Jake Roberts. The first big move goes to Savage, who knees Roberts in the face as he tries to clothesline him in the corner. He gets a near-fall out of it. Macho Man drops a series of elbows and knees, and keeps trying to get the pin, but to no avail. He works Roberts over to the ropes, and ties him in them, then goes and gets Damien's bag and puts it underneath the ring. When he tries to come back in the ring, Roberts catches him with a knee. He goes and gets Damien back out from under the ring, then hits Savage with a short-arm clothesline. He then hits Savage with a sort of inverted suplex. He tries for a pin, but Savage gets his foot on the ropes, frustrating Roberts. Once more, he tries for the DDT, but Savage grabs the ropes to break the hold. Both men go outside the ring, but Savage hides behind Elizabeth. Roberts turns to get Damien, and Macho attacks, driving Roberts into the ringpost. Then Savage goes up on the turnbuckle and crashes down with fists across the Snake's back. He throws Roberts back in the ring, and hits him with another fist from the top rope, but Roberts kicks out of the pin. Savage climbs the ropes again, but this time Jake is ready and catches Savage with a fist. They brawl outside the ring, then back inside the ring. The referee tries to gain control, but Savage tosses him across the ring. He gets up and goes back, and now Jake throws him, this time out of the ring. The bell is called for, while Savage tosses a chair in the ring. While he's fighting with the ref over the chair, here comes Jake with Damien. He lays him across Macho's back, and Savage flees the ring in a hurry. Winner: Double Disqualification

This was an excellent way to start the show. Both men played to their character, and it was very nice to watch. We need more of these guys, and less of the big, lumbering wrestlers.




Hercules w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan vs Hulk Hogan (World Heavyweight Championship)

The announcers build up that Hercules might be stronger than the Hulkster. The engage is a test of strength to open the bout. Hogan goes down to one knee, but then fights back up, but before he can get Hercules down, the heel headbutts the champ and slams him in the corner. He quickly loses control, though, and Hogan gets going. He hits a high knee on Hercules off the ropes. He gives chase to Heenan, who runs through the ring and makes an impressive escape by flipping over the top rope. Hogan, meanwhile catches Hercules with a big boot, then bodyslams him, but misses an elbow drop. Now, the challenger is in control again. He whips Hogan to the corner, then locks in a bear hug. A backbreaker follows. Now, Hercules lifts Hogan up into the torture rack. Jesse Ventura is screaming that he's submitting. Hercules drops him, also thinking he's won. The referee says no, angering Hercules. He goes for a pin, but Hogan kicks out and begins his hulking up routine. The head shakes, and he no-sells the punches from Hercules. Now Hogan has had enough, and he goes on the attack, landing big right hands. He slams Hercules into the turnbuckle repeatedly, then elbows him to the mat. Now it's time. Hogan whips Hercules into the ropes and hits the big boot. Then its the leg drop, and it's over. Winner: Hulk Hogan

This was the usual Hogan match, but why not? Hulkamania is in its prime, and the crowd loves it every time.




Cowboy Bob Orton w/ Jimmy Hart vs Rowdy Roddy Piper

The Magnificent Muraco comes to the ring with Orton. He had helped Orton and Adrian Adonis beat Piper up and injure his leg. As the match begins, Muraco is immediately creating a distraction, getting up on the apron. The referee sees the issue and banishes Muraco from ringside, and he's escorted to the back. Now the two combatants get to work beating on each other. Piper gets the upper hand and bulldogs Orton to the mat. Piper then bites Orton's ear, and gives him a poke in they eye, Three Stooges style. A knee lift puts Orton back on the mat. Orton does gain the advantage, and hits a backbreaker and a knee to the head. He covers, but Piper kicks out. The crowd gets a loud "Rowdy" chant going. Piper gets back to his feet, but Jimmy Hart gets on the apron and grabs Piper from behind. Orton comes to hit him, but Piper moves. Orton manages to avoid hitting Hart, but Piper grabs him and rolls him up for the pin. Winner: Rowdy Roddy Piper

There wasn't really much to the match. It was short, and the crowd loved seeing Orton and Hart get what they had coming to them. The story was better than the fight.




Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart vs The Killer Bees

Jumping Jim Brunzell opens the match in the ring with Bret Hart. Brunzell hits a rough-looking knee to Hart's face. Then B Brian Blair tags in and goes to work. We miss a few moments of the match as an interview with the Bees is superimposed over the action. Once we get the screen back, it's Blair and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. The Bees hit a nice double elbow on The Anvil, but when Brunzell bounces off the ropes for another moves, Bret Hart hits him from behind. The Harts use a double-team of their own, but can't get the pin. Brunzell is stuck in the opposite corner, and getting a beatdown now. The heels use some illegal tactics as well, choking and stomping on Brunzell. Bret tosses Brunzell out of the ring, and we go to commercial. When we get back, Brunzell is still on the receiving end of things. Finally, Brunzell manages to land a dropkick on Bret, and both men are down. Bret makes the tag, and Brunzell fights Neidhart to get to his man, but the ref didn't see it and forces Blair back out. The Harts throw Brunzell back outside again. While on the floor, the Bees slip on their masks and get back in the ring, apparently after trading places. The fresh man goes on the offensive. He knocks Bret from the ring, and puts a sleeper hold on The Anvil. An attack from behind knocks the in-ring Bee to the mat, but as the ref admonishes Bret for interfering, the Bees switch places again. Bret tags in, and goes after what he thinks is a weakened opponent, but gets rolled up instead for the three count. Winners: The Killer Bees

The Masked Confusion bit is fun, though awkward since it takes a minute for them to get the masks on. The Bees certainly have the crowd support, and it's kinda sad that they were never given a title run.




Nikolai Volkoff w/ Slick vs Koko B Ware

Volkoff attacks immediately and pounds Koko with knees and fists in the corner. The big Russian whips Koko to the opposite corner, then follows to smash him, but Koko jumps over him and lands some blows of his own. He hits a nice dropkick to knock Volkoff down. Fortunes are reversed when Volkoff lands a kick to the midsection, then re-reversed when Volkoff misses a knee drop. Koko climbs up to the top rope and hits a dropkick from there. He covers, but only gets two. Volkoff gets the advantage and power slams Koko, but doesn't cover. Slick calls him over and while he's leaning over, Koko sneaks up behind him and rolls him up for the pin. Winner: Koko B Ware

This was pretty boring. Koko can move, but Volkoff can't, and it limits what they can do. The ending was pretty stupid, or Slick isn't a very good manager.




Rebel Dick Slater vs Magnificent Muraco w/ Mr Fuji

Muraco starts things off. He lands some big punches, then goes for an airplane spin. Slater gets free and rolls Muraco up, but only gets two. Slater hits an elbow off the ropes, then climbs the ropes. He hits an elbow to the head, and goes for the pin again, but Muraco gets his foot on the rope, with a little help from Mr Fuji. Slater then bounces off the ropes, but is tripped by Fuji. Muraco hits a clothesline, that looked pretty weak, and gets the pin. Winner: Magnificent Muraco

This was f&%$ing awful. The fighting was lame, and the "finishing move" was weak. Dick Slater is not good at his job.




Overall Impressions

The WWF clearly doesn't believe in ending on a high note. They saved their worst two matches for the end. Before that, the show was solid. Jake Roberts and Randy Savage are two of the best, and it showed.

Winners: 
Killer Bees: They get a big win here, and would continue to get everything except the belts in the WWF.
Jake Roberts: A win over the Macho Man is always good, and his popularity with the fans is exploding right now.

Losers:
Slick: He directly caused the loss here.

 


Things I Would Have Changed

Well, obviously, the order of the matches was rough. They closed with two stinkers.

Let Koko B Ware work with somebody who can highlight his ability to move around and hit the exciting moves. Volkoff just slowed him down.