What the World Was Watching: Saturday Night’s Main Event XXVI

Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura handle commentary and they are taped from Austin, Texas. To put over the Texas setting of the show, McMahon and Ventura open the show on horseback in the aisle. The card was hyped as “The Tussle in Texas” and took place on April 23. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the show drew a crowd of 8,500 fans.

Sean Mooney interviews Mr. Perfect and the Genius. Perfect says he can play every sport perfectly and that Hulk Hogan has lost his fighting will after WrestleMania. He promises to make Hogan “the perfect loser” in the next match.

Gene Okerlund talks with Hogan. Hogan calls Perfect and the Genius “perfect fools” and tells fans that he is still confident in the power of Hulkamania.

Opening Contest: Hulk Hogan (2-1) beats Mr. Perfect (w/the Genius) (11-1) after a leg drop at 7:56 shown:

The Genius has not appeared at Perfect’s side since WrestleMania but is slotted back into an advisory role to wrap up their feud with Hogan. Perfect does his exaggerated bumps for a lot of Hogan’s offense, twisting around after a knife-edge chop and flying out of the ring after getting clotheslined against the turnbuckles. The Genius intervenes by distracting the referee and Hogan so that Perfect can turn the tide by hitting Hogan with the Genius’ scroll. Perfect drops a few elbows, floors Hogan with a forearm, and hits the Perfectplex, but Hogan hulks up and the leg drop gives Perfect his second loss in a month. The crowd was into the match, but Perfect never looked like he was a threat to take the title. It is now time for him to re-establish himself in the Intercontinental title division. Rating: **

Following the match, the Genius hits Hogan with the scroll but Hogan does not sell it and he throws the Genius over the top rope as Perfect retreats to the locker room.

Randy Savage’s flying elbow drop is the Mountain Dew Slam of the Night.

Ventura interviews Earthquake and Jimmy Hart. Earthquake tells Hillbilly Jim that the Earth is about to swallow him up, while Hart promises that Jim will be made to squeal like a pig.

Jim offers a rebuttal promo with Okerlund, doing pig calls and likening Earthquake to a big hog on the farm.

Earthquake (w/Jimmy Hart) (12-0) pins Hillbilly Jim (1-0) after the Earthquake Splash at 1:58:

Both men take turns exchanging blows in the corner and Hart distracts Jim by grabbing his horseshoes off the ring post. That allows for Earthquake to avalanche Jim against the buckles, drop an elbow, and then devastate him with the Earthquake Splash to continue his rise through the singles ranks.

After the bell, Hart holds back his former charge, referee Danny Davis, so Earthquake can do two more Earthquake Splashes on Jim and drop another elbow. Jim joins the long list of other WWF stars who do a stretcher job after taking Earthquake’s finisher.

Rick Martel cuts a fantastic mock ad for Arrogance. It “has today’s man in a modern can.”

Ventura talks with the Hart Foundation, putting over their challenge to Demolition for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Bret Hart positions the team as the heels for the next match, saying that the Rockers are a bunch of “teeny boppers” that will be no match for them.

Okerlund interviews the Rockers, who claim they want to face Demolition too and they are going to break the Foundation’s hearts.

The Hart Foundation (9-0) wrestle the Rockers (6-2) to a double disqualification when Demolition interfere at 9:14 shown:

These two teams had an altercation a few months ago when Bret Hart wrestled Shawn Michaels on Wrestling Challenge. The crowd divides its loyalty early, popping for each team’s offense. The Foundation’s pops do not subside even when they cheat, with Bret kneeing Michaels in the back when he runs the ropes so the Foundation can put him in peril. Five minutes in, Demolition walk down to ringside to get a closer look at the action. Bret works fun mini-matches with Michaels and Marty Jannetty and the Rockers get two hot tag sequences when Bret misses an elbow drop off the second rope on Michaels and Neidhart misses a slingshot splash on Jannetty. When Michaels gets knocked to the floor, Demolition go to toss him back in, something they did with Bret earlier in the match, but Jannetty takes issue with this and the two teams fight. That spills into the ring and a disappointing double disqualification occurs. This was a coming out party for the Rockers as they got a lot of shine against the Foundation and seemed like they could more than hold their own if they got a crack at Demolition’s tag team championship. Rating: ***½

Mooney interviews Earthquake and Jimmy Hart. Hart claims that no one cares as much about Earth Day as the Earthquake. Earthquake likens his beating of Hillbilly Jim to what awaits Hulk Hogan if Hogan gets in his way again.

Okerlund interviews Hogan and asks about Earthquake. Hogan repeats his claim that Hulkamania is stronger than any other force in the universe.

McMahon recaps the main event of WrestleMania VI.

Ventura talks to Haku and Bobby Heenan. Heenan makes fun of all the bad things in Texas like horse flies, illegal aliens, and corrupt politics and promises that in this less-than-ideal place, Haku will beat the Ultimate Warrior for the WWF Championship. Haku adds that he will make WWF history tonight.

Okerlund interviews the Warrior. The promo is a rambling mess about time and how the Warrior is a different wrestler now that he has the WWF Championship.

WWF Championship Match: The Ultimate Warrior (Champion) (5-0) pins Haku (w/Bobby Heenan) (0-1) after a splash at 4:48:

One wonders what Rick Rude thinks about stablemate Haku getting a title shot since that might nullify the training he is doing to get ready for the Warrior. This is an ugly match where the Warrior does little before Haku goes on the offensive and scores near-falls from a backbreaker and side suplex. The Warrior makes his comeback after a Haku splash, and a flying shoulder block sets up the big splash finish. Its little wonder this match did not start the show and after fans see Hulk Hogan doing a hulk up routine, the Warrior looks like a second rate imitation. The lights for the arena were also darkened to where people could not see past the first five rows so that is another indictment of the Warrior’s drawing power. Rating: *

Rick Martel does another mock ad for Arrogance at a tennis court, saying that it will make men “the number one seed” and get them into “the royal box.”

Footage from WrestleMania VI where Ted DiBiase attacked the Big Bossman before the Bossman’s match with Akeem is shown.

Akeem and Slick talk with Mooney. Slick says DiBiase has given them a big offer to finish the job from WrestleMania.

Okerlund gets a rebuttal promo from the Big Bossman. The Bossman tells DiBiase that he cannot buy honesty, integrity, or him and he promises a big, Texas-style beating on Akeem.

The Big Bossman (10-1) beats Akeem (w/Slick) (5-2) via disqualification when Ted DiBiase and Virgil interfere at 2:58:

Akeem is reeling from a loss earlier in the day to Tito Santana in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament. Akeem does a quasi-stinkface to the Bossman in the corner, but uses his butt more as a battering ram. The big man bumps a lot for his former tag team partner, creating a more enjoyable match than WrestleMania. The Bossman flattens Akeem with the Bossman Slam after whipping him into the corner but when he goes to cover, DiBiase and Virgil run-in for a disqualification.

After the bell, DiBiase and Virgil assault the Bossman in the corner and then handcuff him to the top rope to continue dishing out the punishment. Virgil hands DiBiase the Bossman’s night stick but the Bossman uncuffs himself from the top rope and he drives off the heels, chasing them with the night stick to the locker room.

Mooney interviews Bobby Heenan, who says he picked up some of the Ultimate Warrior’s weaknesses and those will help Rick Rude defeat the Warrior for the WWF Championship.

Okerlund interviews the Warrior, who tells Rick Rude that he cannot turn off the Warrior’s power because it is a disease that is out of control.

The Last Word: Hulk Hogan getting the opening match was a clear sign that the WWF still saw him as the promotion’s premier attraction. The show provided a great build for spring house show programs like the Big Bossman against Ted DiBiase, the Hart Foundation and Demolition, and Hogan and Earthquake. However, if the program intended to make fans care about the Ultimate Warrior it was a disaster as he did not look good in his title defense and his promos were not relatable.

Up Next: Wrestling Challenge for April 29!