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

Original Airdate: October 29, 1988

From Baltimore, Maryland; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

We start with a review of the awesome Rick Rude/Jake Roberts feud, which was really well written, had tons of heat, but never produced any good matches

Backstage, Rick Rude shows Cheryl Roberts how he likes to move, while Jake Roberts shows her his python

Jake Roberts v Rick Rude: Roberts' gear looks like he went ahead in time to 1995 and raided Davey Boy Smith's locker. Though, given the state of the business in 1995 versus 1988, perhaps Smith was wearing Jake's hand-me-downs. Roberts assaults him right away, and tries to rip off the (Cheryl painted) tights, but Rude avoids the DDT, and clotheslines Roberts down. Rude hammers away, as I marvel at how ahead of the NWA the WWF's production values were. This is the same building the NWA ran the Great American Bash three months earlier, and the differences in the way the WWF made it look versus the way the NWA did are night and day. Kinda literally even, given the difference in lighting quality. Rude hammers him, but wastes time taunting Cheryl, and Jake stomachbreakers him, then holds him prone for his wife to slap'a the face. Bobby Heenan (rightly) protests this, since had he done that, his man might have been disqualified, which triggers a hilarious conversation between McMahon and Ventura that ends in Jesse accusing Vince of being a sexist. Anyway, Cheryl gets sent to the back, and Rude jumps Roberts with a couple of post shots on the outside. He wastes time swiveling his hips, however, and Jake backdrops him on the way back in. DDT looks to finish, but Rude counters with a backdrop, and unloads a pair of pointed elbowdrops. Flying fistdrop gets two, but Jake blocks the Rude Awakening, and hits the DDT. He takes Rude's tights off instead of going for the pin, however, so Bobby Heenan and Andre the Giant rush in to prevent the potential butt-rape - Rude getting disqualified over it at 7:22. Andre smacks the shit out of Roberts, but Jake comes back in with the snake, and throws it on a terrified Andre - giving him a heart attack, in one of the more famous angles from the period. I think I've mentioned before that my mom (who isn't a fan) caught this segment on NBC at the time, and years later when I became a fan, she'd always reference it because it was so well done, and she still remembered it do well. Even to this day. The match was fun, as they trimmed the fat off of the restholdy stuff they were doing at the house shows, and the Andre angle at the end was fantastic. * (Original rating: *)

Backstage the Hart Foundation are sick of Jimmy Hart's incessant shouting through his mega phone. Well, maybe you gents should invest a little more in earplugs, and a little less in sunglasses? Meanwhile, Jimmy Hart aligns himself with Mr. Fuji and Demolition, but given that they've invested all their money in face paint, I don't see this being a long term partnership

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Demolition v The Hart Foundation: Ax has got the quality face paint tonight. He starts with Jim Neidhart, and they slug it out - Anvil controlling, but getting trapped in the wrong corner, and hammered down. Tag to Smash, but Jim manages to reverses a vertical suplex for two, and he tags out to Bret Hart. The Hitman dropkicks Smash down to setup a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, and he grounds the champion in an armbar, but gets clotheslined. Smash corner whips him before tagging out, and Ax puts the boots to him as the champions cut the ring in half. Bret manages to catch Smash with a hangman's clothesline during a criss cross to allow the tag to Neidhart, and the Anvil is a restaurant of fire! Man, those were some ugly dropkicks. A brawl breaks out between the teams, with the Foundation in control, but the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers run in and toss Smash Jimmy's megaphone - Neidhart getting whacked with it to allow Smash the pin at 5:58. This was okay, but too short to really develop. ¾* (Original rating: ½*)

Backstage, King Haku is either on some really good shit, or he's just a snob. Gene Okerlund gets tricked into bowing to Haku, then angrily declares that it won't happen to Hulk Hogan because 'no one can trick Hulk Hogan!' Well, unless they've got a camcorder and a vagina, I guess. Though, I think he's safe on that front with Haku. I'm pretty sure camcorders were very expensive back then. Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan clarifies that nobody tells his Hulkamaniacs what to do. You know, right before telling them to say their prayers and take their vitamins

Hulk Hogan v Haku: Hogan has Elizabeth in his corner, and having a woman's touch immediately reaps rewards, because for once he's wearing the exact same gear to the ring as he was in the pre-match interview. He also makes a big show of not allowing her to hold the ropes open for him (as she does for Randy Savage), instead holding them open for her. And this is still OCTOBER! I really miss slow burn angles like that, that take their time to develop and grow. Haku attacks, but Hulk fights him off with some back scratches, and then clotheslines him. Bobby Heenan trips the Hulkster up, however, and Haku chokes him down to take control. Nervehold, but Hulk fights out, so Haku superkicks him to the outside. He tries a tomahawk chop off the apron, but Hogan shoves Heenan into the flight path instead, and clowns around with the king's crown. Cross corner whip, but Haku rebounds out of the corner with a lariat, and executes a falling headbutt. Vertical suplex triggers the HULK UP!! however. Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Legdrop! 6:16! Fine for what it was. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)

Backstage, Dino Bravo tries to give himself a heart attack by pounding on his chest, but Ken Patera doesn't want any excuses, and is going to kill him the old fashioned way: throwing a brick at him

Dino Bravo v Ken Patera: Patera hammers him in the early going, and executes a backdrop. Bodyslam sends Bravo running for the hills, but he manages to kick Ken in the gut on the way back in, and he hammers him in the corner. Cross corner whip gets reversed, however, and Ken unloads a ten-punch, then snapmares him over to setup a bootrake. Another bodyslam sets up the Full-Nelson, but Dino kind of casually shrugs him off, and delivers an inverted atomic drop, followed by the Sidewalk Slam at 3:03. Let's just say that three minute TV matches is the perfect use of both Bravo and Patera, and leave it at that. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Backstage, the Big Boss Man looks like a kid in a candy store. Or, perhaps more accurately, 'a kid who has just left a candy store.' See, 'cause he's fat. That’s the joke there

Big Boss Man v Jim Powers: You know Powers is a goober because he doesn't even get a pre-match promo, like literally everyone else does. Boss Man slugs him, but Jim baseball slides between his legs to try a sleeper - Boss Man shrugging him off, and hitting an avalanche. Kneelift puts Powers down for a straddling ropechoke, and he hugs him like a bear. This match is two minutes long, and it already feels like it's been going on for an eternity. Jim finally shows some fire with a couple of dropkicks, but gets quickly putdown with the Boss Man Slam at 2:34. Someone order squash? Afterwards, Boss Man handcuffs Powers to the ropes for a little 'interrogation' with the nightstick. Kinda weird that Slick, a black man on the wrong side of the law, is so encouraging of police brutality. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Last weekend, Big Boss Man attacked Hulk Hogan, and beat him down with the nightstick. Backstage, Hulk (still wearing the handcuff 'from the attack', even though we already saw him wrestling earlier) promises to stand up to Boss Man for orange skinned minorities everywhere! You go, orange skinned man!

Backstage, Andre the Giant is still recovering that whole heart attack thing. He looks pretty good, all things considered

BUExperience: The wrestling was garbage for the most part, but the angles were pure 80s gold. Fun stuff, overall