WWF Saturday Night's Main Event I (May 1985)

Original Airdate: May 11, 1985

With the WWF reaching unparalleled levels of success and mainstream exposure with Hulk Hogan, the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection, and the first WrestleMania, they secured a deal with NBC to air 90-minute specials throughout the year, in place of a Saturday Night Live rerun. It was a tremendous ratings success – a win for both the WWF and NBC – and would run until 1992, when a general slump in the wrestling business resulted in cancelation.

From Uniondale, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.


Opening Six-Man Tag Team Match: Nikolai Volkoff, The Iron Sheik, and George Steele v Ricky Steamboat, and The U.S. Express: Steele was actually still a heel at this point. Sheik and Barry Windham start, with Windham controlling. They take turns abusing Sheik - tagging quickly in and out – vaguely working the arm. Sheik catches Steamboat in an abdominal stretch, causing a six-way brawl, but the faces easily clean house. They settle back in with Sheik and Steamboat again, and the Dragon powerslams him. Missile dropkick, and a flying bodypress gets two, so he bails to Volkoff. He doesn't have any better luck - getting caught in the wrong part of town - and Mike Rotunda rolls him up for two. Backslide gets two. Sunset flip, but Volkoff's in the ropes, so Rotunda tags Windham to properly to it. Sunset flip by Windham, but Volkoff tags Steele. Slugfest goes Barry's way, so Steele looks to tag – but his partners all refuse, allowing Windham to schoolboy him for the pin at 6:30. Afterwards, those dasterdly heels jump Steele, but The Animal cleans house. And there's your face turn. Match was well paced, TV action. ¾*

Piper's Pit: Piper's Pit was an interview segment hosted by Roddy Piper (no shit!) on WWF TV, starting in 1984 - which provided some hilariously memorable moments over the years from the always entertaining Piper. Tonight's guest: Paul Orndorff - Piper's WrestleMania tag partner. Piper invites Orndorff on to run him down for losing in the main event of WrestleMania - which is always a nice thing to do when you have company. Things get heated, and eventually come to blows - with Piper and Bob Orton jumping Orndorff. They lay him out, but Mr. T (one of their opponents at 'Mania) runs in to make the save, and boom - face turn.

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Bob Orton: Because the show ran in a late-night slot, they would often schedule the main event-level stuff early on - as their main target audience was kids. Bob Orton is the father of current WWE Superstar Randy. Hulk Hogan is the father of Nick. Orton tries to jump him at the bell, but Hogan unloads with fists of fury, and slams the Cowboy around, so Orton bails to the floor to regroup with Roddy Piper. Back in, Orton misses a blind charge (as Piper hilariously hangs his head in disgust), and the Hulkster bites him. He hammers on the cast covered arm, and even posts it for good measure. Orton throws a high knee to turn things around, and hits an atomic drop for two. Kneedrop, but, whoops, HULK UP!! Clothesline! Legdrop! - but it only gets two! Well, what do you expect - he didn't even hit the big boot first. He tries to keep it going with a ten-punch count, but Orton drops him with an inverted atomic. Superplex, but Hogan shoves him off, and hits a 2^nd rope elbowsmash. Legdrop, but Piper breaks up the pin - giving Hogan the disqualification victory at 6:54. The heels jump the Hulkster, so Mr. T tries to save - only to get jumped as well. That draws out Paul Orndorff, to make it 3-on-2, to clean house. Afterwards, T and Hogan allow him to pose with them - cementing his face turn. All angle, though a good one. DUD

WWF Women's Title Match: Wendi Richter v The Fabulous Moolah: Richter has Cyndi Lauper with her, as part of the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection that helped rocket the WWF into the mainstream. Richter goes right at Moolah, but gets her eyes raked, and Moolah tosses her around. Moolah showboats, allowing Richter to dropkick her, and hit a pair of slams for two. Small package finishes to retain at 4:00. Richter was on her way to becoming quite notable, but got a bit full of herself, getting into a contract dispute with Vince McMahon later that year, and then Montreal’d out of the company. Shockingly, she didn’t have the crossover appeal she diluted herself into believing, and was never heard from in the mainstream again. DUD

The Junkard Dog v Pete Doherty: No not that Pete Doherty - who was, like, six when this took place.  Dog brings his mother with him, since this eppisode aired on Mother's Day weekend, 1985. This is pracically like Mad Men! Dog with headbutts to start, knocking him to the floor, but Doherty makes the mistake of getting to close to the bitch, and gets headbutted some more. Dog with a slam off of the top, and an atomic drop. Powerslam finishes at 3:15. DUD - unless you're a headbutt conisour, in which case this is probably four-star territory (five would have been if he finished with a headbutt).

Everyone offers some closing thoughts with Mean Gene Okerlund, who is hosting a Mother's Day Party. They discuss Bertrand Russell, Giuseppe Peano, and, you know, other shit.

BUExperience: This wasn’t great wrestling, but, hey – it wasn’t meant to be. Angle heavy quickie matches and segments, with a lot of face time for Hogan and Lauper to grab at ratings – that’s mainly what you have here, and what you should have here.  Entertaining, and off to a good start.