WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XII (October 1987)

Original Airdate: October 3, 1987

From Hershey, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan.


Opening WWF Intercontinental Title Match: The Honky Tonk Man v Randy Savage: This came about when Honky declared himself the 'greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time' - drawing the ire of former champion Savage. Randy was still technically a heel at this point, though the crowd doesn't seem to know it - cheering him wildly. They fight over the initial lockup - with Honky firing off a cheap shot to win - but getting kicked in the face on a backdrop attempt. Savage chokes away, and drops a knee to the throat - causing Honky to beg off. Savage has none of it, though, and continues unloading with a backelbow. Jimmy Hart senses his man is in trouble, and starts harassing Miss Elizabeth at ringside to distract the Macho Man - and allow Honky to nail him. Inside, Honky goes to work, and drops a fist off of the 2^nd rope. He decides to go after Liz himself (figuring even if he strikes out/gets counted out he keeps the title), but he doesn't count on Savage diving out after him with a flying axehandle. Well, that's what he gets for thinking with the wrong head. Savage destroys him in the ring, but Jimmy Hart gets involved again - breaking up all his pinfall attempts. He finally pisses Savage off enough (considering Macho’s rep, he probably just said 'Sup?' to him), and Randy decks him to keep him out of his business. Honky bails to check on the unconscious manager, which draws fellow Jimmy Hart managed team The Hart Foundation to ringside. They try to carry Jimmy to the back for medical attention, and meanwhile Honky continues to get killed. Savage misses a blind charge, however, and Honky backdrops him. Another 2^nd rope fistdrop misses, and Savage hits a backdrop of his own. Backelbow gets two. Suplex for two. He tries to finish, but Honky goes to the eyes, and dumps him into the Hart Foundation's open arms for a proper beat down. Inside, that gets Honky two, so he tries the Shake Rattle 'n' Roll (a swinging neckbreaker) - only to get backdropped. Savage hits the Flying Elbowdrop to finish, but the Harts run in, and Honky retains when he's disqualified at 13:00. Afterwards, Honky and the Harts beat Savage down, and threaten a guitar shot, so Miss Elizabeth steps in the way to plead. Honky then does the unthinkable, and shoves her down (drawing big heel heat – since you just didn’t do stuff like that in 1987 WWF, especially to the lovely Elizabeth), allowing him to properly clobber Macho with the guitar. Meanwhile, Elizabeth scampers to the dressing rooms, and returns with a reluctant Hulk Hogan - pleading with him to make the save (‘fine, I’ll swallow. Yes, yes, you can call me ‘Brooke’’). He and Savage clean house, and tease a brawl - but end up shaking hands, turning Savage face, and forming what would come to be known as The Mega Powers. Not a great match, but well worked, and featuring a fantastic angle – one of the most memorable of the period. * ¼ Savage never got the Intercontinental Title back, but he would be WWF Champion within six months.

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Sika: Sika actually wins the initial lockup, and hammers Hogan to the mat for manager Mr. Fuji to choke with his cane. He keeps the assault going, but misses a falling headbutt, and Hogan takes over. Big boot and a series of elbowdrops hit, and the windmill punch knocks Sika to the outside. Hogan posts him out there, and inside tries a splash - but hits knees. Great, Hogan goes outside of his comfot zone - misses - and gives him an excuse to never deviate from the formula ever again. Fuck you, Sika. Sika with a nervehold, but Hogan won't quit, so Sika kicks the knee. Three falling headbutts hit, but he walks into a HULK UP!! Bodyslam! Legdrop! 7:59. I wouldn't be able to convince my mother that Sika was a viable threat to Hogan's title, but the match worked in the standard Hogan-formula sense. ¼*

Paul Orndorff v King Kong Bundy: Bundy gets distracted with some fans, allowing Orndorff to jump him, but he misses a dropkick, and Bundy chokes away. Backdrop, but Orndorff counters with a sunset flip for two. He can't follow-up, however, and Bundy keeps hammering, but misses an elbowdrop. This time Orndorff does capitalize, and hits a 2^nd rope flying elbowsmash to take the big man off of his feet for two. Dropkick gets two. Seeing Bundy thrown around scares the shit out of Bobby Heenan, so he abandons his post at the commentary table, and heads to the back to send out Andre the Giant for backup. He whispers something to Bundy ('try fewer carbs') but somehow a whisper doesn't take Orndorff down. A swift kick to the nuts does, though, and Bundy drops a knee for two. Backdrop fails a second time - this time allowing Orndorff to unleash the fists of fury, and drop a pair of elbows. Third try misses, however, and Bundy hooks a chinlock. Avalanche misses, allowing Orndorff another Golden Gloves routine, but this time Andre gets involved, and Bundy squashes him at 8:00. Ending made Bundy looked horribly weak, but Andre look all the more tough - and by the fall of 1987 that's what they were going for. ¼*

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Hart Foundation v The Young Stallions: Jim Neidhart and Paul Roma start, with Roma controlling an armbar. Neidhart gets the tag to Bret Hart, but Jim Powers catches him with a quick sunset flip, and an armbar of his own. Bodypress gets two, but he runs into a knee off of a criss cross, and gets broken with a backbreaker. The Foundation cut the ring in half, until Powers leapfrogs over Bret to make a tag. Four-way brawl immediately breaks out - with the Stallions dropkicking everything in sight - but a double team allows the Foundation to hit the Hart Attack (a bearhug/hangman's clothesline combo) to retain at 4:35. Energetic squash. ¼*

Piledriver Music Video: The WWF debuts the infamous 'Piledriver' video, featuring the Superstars (including Vince McMahon) dressed as construction workers at a construction site doing... construction shit. And singing. Its infamy is well earned, and certainly one of the most unintentionally funny things they ever produced. This is the sort of Boogie Nights-esque excess that goes hand in hand with becoming unequivocally successful, and having access to lots, and lots of drugs.

BUExperience: The formation of the Mega Powers – which led to two WrestleMania main events, as well as years of interaction in WCW – is historically significant enough on its own to make this edition worth checking out. Outside of that, not much – but any show bookended by the formation of the Mega Powers and a music video where Hulk Hogan playfully sprays dudes with a cement filled hose while giggling like a deranged midget can’t really lose.