WWF Saturday Night's Main Event VIII (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 29, 1986

From Los Angeles, California; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

Backstage Jake Roberts promises to show Randy Savage his snake, while Elizabeth rubs one out for the Macho Man

Koko B. Ware has a parrot, which apparently means he's good at fighting

Roddy Piper is a skirt wearing son of a bitch that don't like Ichabod Crane

The Hart Foundation like jump cuts

Hulk Hogan isn't afraid of Hercules because he's the thunder and lighting in the heavens

Gene Okerlund catches up to Jake Roberts - or, rather, Jake sneaks up behind him with his python dangling out. 'Don't turn your back on me when I have this snake out' Roberts warns. Noted

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Randy Savage v Jake Roberts: This a heel versus heel matchup, a rare occurrence for the time period. Both guys try psyching the other out ahead of the initial lockup, but an attempt at trading wristlocks ends in a stalemate when both guys can't resist using the hair for leverage. Jake manages to take him down in a side-headlock, but Randy goes right back to the hair to fight free. Fistdrop misses, however, so Jake tries for the DDT, but Macho bails. Back in, Savage manages to jab him into the corner, and a kneelift gets two. Snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two, and a falling axehandle gets two. Another falling axehandle is only worth a pair of two counts, so Savage decides to tie him in the ropes and finish things properly. With Jake tied up, Randy stops to hide Damien underneath the ring, but that allows Roberts to escape, and jump him. Roberts with a short-clothesline for two, and a forward-falling suplex is worth two - the crowd openly cheering Jake at this point. DDT, but Randy hangs onto the ropes to block, and they spill to the floor. Jake goes for the snake, but Randy uses a high knee to knock him into the post, then follows with a flying axehandle. Back in, Savage delivers another flying axehandle for two, but Jake punches him out of the air as he tries a third. Slugfest ensues, and both guys shove the referee away as he tries to restore order - resulting in a double disqualification at 9:30. Really entertaining match here - even if not a great match in the traditional sense - with Jake playing the face (just months ahead of his actual face turn), and the crowd easily accepting him in the role. * ½ (Original rating: **)

Let us take you back to earlier this month, when Slick sold Hercules' contract to Bobby Heenan - accepting payment in cash only. They don't call him 'Slick' for nothing

Backstage, Hercules has delusions of being world champion, which Hulk Hogan responds to with a pec-dance

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Hercules: Weird blue kneepads for Hogan here, which make him look like Barry Windham. Test-of-strength to start, which gives us a neat visual with the contrasting skin tones of these two. Hercules dumps him into the corner with a cheap shot, but a cross corner clothesline gets reversed, and Hulk wins a criss cross with a high knee. Big boot and a bodyslam setup an elbowdrop, but Hercules manages to roll out of the way, and he corner whips the champion before dropping a series of knees to the lower back. Bearhug and a backbreaker submission wear Hogan down, but a torture rack can't get him to quit, and triggers a HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Running Forearm Smash! Turnbuckle Smashes! Chop! Big Boot! Legdrop! 6:30! This was fine formula stuff, and the crowd ate it up. * (Original rating: ½*)

Earlier today, Jesse Ventura warned Bob Orton and Jimmy Hart not to eat any burritos, as they give you gas. Out of everyone in the WWF locker room in 1986, I don't think anyone would ever accuse Bob Orton and Jimmy Hart of gassing

Backstage, Roddy Piper is sweating a downright frightening amount for a guy who hasn't even wrestled yet

Roddy Piper v Bob Orton: Quite the stacked card tonight. They scuffle to start, but Don Muraco keeps trying to interfere on Orton's behalf, so the referee ejects him. With that out of the way, Piper wins a big slugfest, and bulldogs his former bodyguard to the canvas. He attacks with some biting, and a cross corner whip leaves Orton in a heap. Kneelift gets two, but Piper telegraphs a backdrop, and Orton is able to hit a fistdrop. He stomps Piper down low, and deliver a stomachbreaker for two. Elbowdrop gets two, but a second misses, so Jimmy Hart tries interfering, but Piper knocks their heads together, and schoolboys Bob for the pin at 3:48. Not much to this one, but it was fun. ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

After the commercial break, Piper continues to sweat profusely, but feels he's 'kinda cute in (his) own little way'

The Hart Foundation v The Killer Bees: Bret Hart starts with Jim Brunzell, but loses a criss cross to a nice high knee. Tag to B. Brian Blair for a 2^nd rope axehandle, and he works a wristlock. Bret reverses a hammerlock, but Blair counters with a fireman's carry, so Hart uses a closed fist, and they trade rollups for a couple of near falls. Tag to Jim Neidhart, but he runs right into an armdrag from Blair, and a tandem-backelbow. Criss cross allows Bret to take a cheap shot on Brunzell, and the Foundation deliver a backbreaker/2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop combo for two. Neidhart throws an actual dropkick, as McMahon notes that he likes the Hart Foundation's new 'passionate pink' looks. Luckily they switched to calling them the 'pink and black attack,' because I somehow doubt 'passionate pink' would have connected on the same level. The Harts cut the ring in half on Brunzell, but Jim manages a sunset flip on Bret, and a backslide for two. Well executed dropkick is enough for the tag, but the referee misses it, and Neidhart tosses Brunzell to the floor. Unfortunately for them, that allows the Bees to don their masks, and make an illegal switch. Fresh Blair wins a slugfest with the Anvil, and starts throwing dropkicks to clean house, then slaps a sleeper onto Neidhart. Bret sneaks in with a flying axehandle to save, but the Bees switch off again, and Brunzell hooks an inside cradle for the pin at 9:00. Well paced tag team action here, and damned if Bret didn't look like a big future breakout star even then. ** ½ (Original rating: *)

Backstage, Koko B. Ware wants to climb the ladder of success - though, that might be tough with a parrot on his arm

Meanwhile, Slick and Nikolai Volkoff don't know Koko from a coconut, and warn that they only like birds when they're deep fried

Nikolai Volkoff v Koko B. Ware: Volkoff jumps him at the bell, but walks into a leapfrog in the corner, and Koko slugs him down. Koko with an odd looking inverted rana (odd in that Volkoff didn't really know how to take it) and a dropkick for two, but Nikolai dumps him onto the ropes, and executes a bodyslam. Kneedrop misses, however, and Koko hits a missile dropkick for two. The referee's red leather shoes are really distracting. Volkoff with a press-backbreaker and another bodyslam, but he gets distracted by his own manager, and Ware schoolboys him at 2:30. Shitty finish, but a fairly energetic quickie otherwise. ¼* (Original rating: ½*)

Backstage, Mr. Fuji wishes he was in the 'land of cotton and the old south.' Yeah, I don't think you do there, bub

Don Muraco v Dick Slater: Slater's still rocking his Confederate Flag cape, so you know it's still 1986. And he's the babyface here! Don destroys him in the corner, but Dick manages to escape an airplane spin, and schoolboy him for two. A few big chops and an overhead elbowsmash setup a backelbow and a bootrake, followed by a flying overhead elbowsmash for two. Fuji trips him up, however, and Muraco hits a clothesline at 2:05. Another quickie, but energetic. ½* (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: Pretty stacked card this time out. And while they didn’t produce any all-time classic matches, everything was fun, energetic, and nothing dragged