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

Unlike other editions of Saturday Night’s Main Event, this show does not have an introductory package where the various wrestlers involved cut brief promos.

Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan commentate tonight’s action. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, this show was filmed in Terre Haute, Indiana on October 27, drawing a crowd of 4,300. It aired on the evening of November 14. The show received a 6.1 television rating (5.27 million homes), a substantial decline from the 8.2 rating of the previous edition that aired on FOX in February. Dave Meltzer would later write for The Wrestling Observer that it placed 86 out of 92 shows for the week. It would be the last episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event until 2006.

Opening Contest for the WWF Tag Team Championship: The Ultimate Maniacs (0-1) beat Money Incorporated (Champions w/Jimmy Hart) (28-2) via count out at 6:11:

The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage show more unity than their previous outing against the Nasty Boys, rushing the ring and sending the champions to the floor. The Maniacs work over DiBiase until the Warrior misses a shoulder block and is placed in peril. When IRS places the Warrior in a sleeper hold, Ric Flair, Razor Ramon, and Mr. Perfect do an insert where they declare that they do not care who wins and will hurt someone at Survivor Series. DiBiase puts the Warrior in the Million Dollar Dream and Savage does not stand on the apron like Typhoon did several weeks ago, rushing in and breaking it up. A simultaneous clothesline spot allows Savage to get the hot tag. He hits the flying elbow drop on IRS but DiBiase breaks up the pinfall and all hell breaks loose. The champions, who have not gotten in much offense, get knocked to the floor and they decide to call it quits like WrestleMania VIII and get counted out. Rating: *½

After the match, the Maniacs chase after Money Incorporated but are ambushed by Flair, Ramon, and Perfect. A 5-on-2 beatdown happens until WWF officials intervene.

Intercontinental Championship Match: Shawn Michaels (30-1-1) defeats the British Bulldog (Champion) (30-0) when Michaels falls on top of the Bulldog during a superduperplex to win the title at 10:25 shown:

Like their match in March, this is a test of Michaels’ speed and agility against the Bulldog’s power but unlike that encounter, Sensational Sherri is absent and cannot interfere. The first four minutes are filled with some entertaining counter spots until Michaels side steps a Bulldog charge and throws him to the floor. As the Bulldog recovers, Michaels loosens a corner turnbuckle pad and then starts working the Bulldog’s back with abdominal stretches. The Bulldog hiptosses out of a second one and his comeback makes the turnbuckle pad fall off. He waits too long to cover Michaels after slingshotting him into the corner and clotheslining him, only getting a two count and another near-fall follows after a vertical suplex. Michaels reverses an Irish whip into the corner with the exposed turnbuckle, further damaging the champion’s back. The Bulldog reverses a whip into the opposite corner and positions Michaels for a superduperplex but his back gives out during the move and Michaels crashes down onto him to finish his year-long quest for the Intercontinental Championship. The finish was creative and these two were always on their game for good matches, with this being no exception. Rating: ***¼

Gene Okerlund interviews Ric Flair, Razor Ramon, and Mr. Perfect. Flair calls dibs on facing the winner of the Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels match at Survivor Series. Ramon argues that fighting suits him and he cannot wait to do more of it next week.

Okerlund chats with WWF Champion Bret Hart. Bret talks about his father and his journey to the WWF title. He promises that Papa Shango is not going to that his title away from him.

WWF Championship Match: Bret Hart (Champion) (34-2-1) defeats Papa Shango (29-2) via submission to the Sharpshooter at 7:14 shown:

The feud between these two has fallen by the wayside because of all the chaos surrounding the WWF Championship. Shango did not get the Survivor Series main event but got this match, which functions as a blowoff. The champion has a limited shine early, getting beaten down after he does a pescado to the floor and the show returns from a commercial break. Shango reverts to nerve holds and Bret finds it tough to sustain offense after fighting out. That changes after Shango misses an elbow drop off the second rope and Bret transitions into the moves of doom, which include a backdrop and flying clothesline off the second rope, for near-falls. Shango reverses a whip into the corner but his avalanche efforts eats buckle and Shango gets trapped in the Sharpshooter, taking a few moments to contemplate his situation before submitting. While Shango’s offense was not great, Bret was able to time his comebacks well and made this a decent big man-small man match. The crowd was also really into Bret as champion, which helped to validate the WWF’s call to give him the belt. Rating: **¼

The Funeral Parlor makes a comeback. Paul Bearer hypes the Undertaker’s chances against Kamala at Survivor Series and the Undertaker walks out of a casket on the set. The Undertaker tells Kamala that he does not need to fear the journey that awaits him because many others have gone down that path before.

Okerlund interviews Bret again. Shawn Michaels quickly interrupts, arguing that he is coming to Survivor Series to take Bret’s belt and that he is better than Bret because he beat the British Bulldog, who beat him at SummerSlam. This was a good, fiery segment to build their Survivor Series match that has suddenly champion vs. champion.

Heenan tells McMahon that there is a rumor that only one of the Ultimate Maniacs will make it to Survivor Series.

The Last Word: This was a good, energetic show that was worthy of the Saturday Night’s Main Event name. Fans did not know it at the time but this would be the last appearance of the British Bulldog and the Ultimate Warrior until 1994 and 1996, respectively, as the WWF fired them five days before this show aired. That would produce a shakeup for the Survivor Series card, which is why Bobby Heenan made his comment about dissension between the Ultimate Maniacs at the end of the broadcast. Despite this being a decent show, it pulled the lowest rating for any Saturday Night’s Main Event telecast and FOX elected not to air future specials. The poor rating was part of declining viewership, attendance, and buyrates for the WWF since WrestleMania VIII. Still, this show solidified the WWF stepping into a new generation as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have the promotion’s two singles titles and are marching into a title match few expected to see at Survivor Series.

Up Next: Wrestling Challenge for November 15!

And if you would like to read a compiled breakdown of 1990 WWF, 1991 WWF, or of various promotions in 1995, check out my Amazon author page to purchase e-books or paperback copies!