This show features a new, upbeat rock lead-in song. Vince McMahon moderates the usual panel of Gorilla Monsoon, Slick, Bobby Heenan, and Mr. Perfect.
A replay of WWF President Jack Tunney’s WrestleMania VIII press conference from Superstars airs. Afterward, Monsoon chastises Sid Justice for not conducting himself like a gentleman like Hulk Hogan. Monsoon adds that Sid did well in the Royal Rumble but he does not have the same credentials as Hogan, so it makes sense that Hogan is getting the title shot. Heenan concedes that Hogan is a big draw and does a lot for charity but Tunney bows to him all the time. Perfect adds that Sid was right that Hogan cannot beat Ric Flair but disagrees that Sid can beat Flair. McMahon concludes the segment by saying that the main event for this weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event will see Hogan and Sid team up to face Flair and the Undertaker. Randy Savage will also face Jake Roberts.
Opening Contest: Virgil (3-0) beats Irwin R. Schyster (3-0) via disqualification after IRS hits him several times with his briefcase at 4:56:
This bout took place at the January 8 Wrestling Challenge tapings in Fort Myers, Florida. Mooney corrects Lord Alfred Hayes, who says that IRS “does not like the name Irwin, so that is why he goes by IR.” They fill IRS’ stall spots with hype for Saturday Night’s Main Event. After a Virgil blind charge into the corner sends him over the top rope, IRS takes his briefcase and wallops him over the head several times. The referee seems to let this go and when IRS gets ready to punish Virgil in the ring, the Big Bossman runs in to stop it. The bell rings and fans at home think that Virgil is getting disqualified but the announced decision is a disqualification for IRS. There was really nothing to this other than continuing an ice cold program between the Bossman and IRS. Rating: ½*
The New Foundation’s squash from Wrestling Challenge is shown.
The panel discusses the Saturday Night’s Main Event tag team main event. McMahon questions whether animosity between Sid Justice and Hulk Hogan could impact the bout. Monsoon predicts that Sid will want to beat up Ric Flair to show that he should have been named number one contender. Heenan counters that Hogan will hide behind Sid so that Flair cannot touch him before WrestleMania. Slick points out that the Undertaker might be jealous that Flair is the new WWF champion so that could cause division in the heel team.
The Warlord (w/Harvey Wippleman) (2-0) beats Chris Walker (1-0) after a powerbomb at 6:31:
This match was filmed at the Superstars tapings in Daytona, Florida on January 7. Walker is thrown right into the fire, wrestling a name star in his second bout. The crowd reacts well to a Walker shine spot early when he lands a few dropkicks and forces the Warlord to take a powder. However, his punches look terrible. A noticeable botch occurs when Walker loses his grip on the Warlord’s arm during an Irish whip spot. Walker recovers to blast the Warlord with several double axe handles off the middle rope and then hits his flying body press but the Warlord kicks out at two. Walker then goes for a hurricanrana but the Warlord blocks it with a powerbomb and that ends the bout. Despite some sloppiness, Walker provided the match with some good energy and the last sequence was fun. Rating: *½
The Beverly Brothers (w/the Genius) (4-0) defeat Greg Valentine & the Texas Tornado when Blake pins Valentine after a Beau flying double axe handle at 8:18:
Like the opener, this came from the Fort Myers Wrestling Challenge taping. The Tornado is a terrible partner, refusing to hang out in the corner and grab the tag rope, making him ineligible to enter the match. He eventually enters and gets placed in peril after going shoulder-first into the ring post on a blind charge. Beau has a tough time getting the Tornado over for a double underhook suplex, appearing to drive the Tornado head-first into the canvas. A knee lift off the ropes gives the Tornado a chance to give Valentine a hot tag, but the crowd is subdued for the comeback. Valentine traps Blake in the figure-four and Beau breaks it up with an elbow drop. As all hell breaks loose, Valentine reapplies the hold but Beau hits a flying double axe handle to break that up since the Tornado is going after the Genius for some reason. And Beau puts Blake on top of Valentine, keeping the Beverlys undefeated. There were parts of the bout that were sloppy, a consequence of Valentine losing motivation and the Tornado being his usual self. This was Valentine’s last appearance on WWF television as a regular, ending an eight-year run. A day after this show aired he appeared on a WCW house show as a tag team teammate of Terry Taylor. Rating: *½
McMahon talks about the Legion of Doom defending the WWF Tag Team Championship on Saturday Night’s Main Event against the Beverly Brothers. That match was cancelled because Hawk was injured. Another match on the card will be Intercontinental Champion Roddy Piper defending his title against the Mountie.
The Bret Hart-Kato match from Wrestling Challenge airs.
There is a replay of Papa Shango’s vignette on Superstars. Heenan insists that Shango is his friend even though he cannot get his name right. Monsoon teases him that Shango wants to put a spell on Heenan because Shango asked for one of Heenan’s ties. Slick is skeptical of voodoo because he is a Christian.
The Big Bossman’s squash from Superstars is shown.
Heenan speculates that Hulk Hogan will want to showboat too much on Saturday Night’s Main Event and that is going to be his downfall. Perfect takes issue with McMahon talking about how Hogan and Sid Justice are going to beat up Ric Flair, saying that Flair can dish out punishment on his own.
Marty Jannetty (2-0) wrestles Rick Martel (2-1) to a time-limit draw at 6:12 shown:
The bout, from the January 8 Fort Myers Wrestling Challenge taping, is joined in progress to Martel beating up Jannetty on the arena floor. A corner graphic notes when the match was recorded, which may have been a signal to sponsors that this was before Jannetty had his legal problems. Because of that, this would be Jannetty’s last televised appearance for nine months. Martel works the back with a long abdominal stretch, which is stopped when the referee notices Martel’s cheating. Jannetty’s comeback starts after he hits Martel in the gut when Martel flies off the ropes. A superkick gets two, causing Martel to grab Arrogance and the bell goes off for a time-limit draw. Overall, a disappointing match between two talented wrestlers. Rating: *
After the bell, Jannetty dropkicks Martel out of the ring and grabs Arrogance.
The British Bulldog (2-0) pins the Berzerker (3-0) after a schoolboy roll up at 5:01:
We go to Madison Square Garden on December 29 for this clash of power wrestlers. The Berzerker is a man possessed early, quickly recovering from all of the Bulldog’s blows and scoring near-falls from a big boot, flying shoulder block, and powerslam. The Bulldog keeps taking punishment as the Berzerker keeps coming, but the referee sees when the Berzerker uses the ropes for a Flair pin. The Berzerker prematurely celebrates, allowing the Bulldog to steal a victory by schoolboying his opponent. If the Bulldog fought back more, this would have been better. Instead, it fell into the classic Randy Savage formula of taking a lot of punishment until a fluke win. This is the Berzerker’s first pinfall loss in a singles match on WWF television. Rating: *¾
McMahon announces that the Westminster Dog Show is going to pre-empt Prime Time Wrestling next week. He questions Heenan about how Ric Flair is going to work with the Undertaker when the Undertaker is a classic loner.
A replay of Sensational Sherri’s appearance on the Funeral Parlor on Superstars is shown.
Tatanka’s victory over the Brooklyn Brawler on Wrestling Challenge airs.
Handicap Flag Match: Sergeant Slaughter beats Colonel Mustafa & General Adnan when Slaughter pins Mustafa after a clothesline at 3:27:
This is also from the December 29 Madison Square Garden show. Mustafa and Adnan jump Slaughter to start, causing Monsoon to be confused about whether Mustafa and Adnan have to tag or not. One would expect this match to be poor and it lives up to expectations, seeing a lot of punching, kicking, and choking. Heel miscommunication allows Slaughter to clothesline Mustafa and end their feud in his favor. Rating: ¼*
After the bell, Slaughter gets on the house mic and leads the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
McMahon hypes the Randy Savage-Jake Roberts match on Saturday Night’s Main Event as the blowoff for their feud. He notes that Elizabeth should be at Savage’s side for the match.
Roberts’ squash from Wrestling Challenge is shown.
McMahon gives one last reminder to fans that next week’s Prime Time is pre-empted.
The Last Word: In most cases, Saturday Night’s Main Event did not get a lot of hype as the mere mention of the show drew viewers in the 1980s. However, since this was the first episode on FOX, the WWF had a vested interest in pulling a big number and spent a lot of time promoting it on this show. Aside from that, there was not much here as the star-studded matches were below average.
Up Next: WWF Superstars for February 8!