WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XIII (November 1987)

Original Airdate: November 28, 1987 – airing just two nights after the first Survivor Series, though taped a few weeks before.

From Seattle, Washington; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.


Opening Match: George Steele v Danny Davis: Steele is still working the 'Elizabeth obsession' angle here, though Savage was already firmly a face, so there was no real room for a blowoffs between the two. Steele charges right in with a Greco-Roman bite - causing Davis to bail - but he can't make it back in because Steele keeps threatening to do it again. That goes on until Steele tries to bring a chair into things - and Davis nails him with a foreign object he had in his tights while the referee is trying to get the chair away from him. He keeps unloading 'discreet' shots with the knux, until the referee gets bumped, and Davis (a former referee himself) shoves him, causing a disqualification at 3:49. Bad ending to a horrible match – saved from negative stars if only because it was short. DUD

Bret Hart v Randy Savage: This was set up on the previous SNME, when the Hart Foundation helped the Honky Tonk Man beat down Savage, including shoving Miss Elizabeth. Jim Neidhart joins Bret at ringside - distracting Savage, and stalling the tie-up - but he finally loses it (Savage? No!), and dives to the floor, ramming Bret into the post. Inside, with Bret properly dazed, Savage goes to work, but misses a crisp cross corner charge. He can't keep control either, though - getting nailed off of a backdrop attempt - and dumped chest first into the rail. That pretty much kills him dead, so Neidhart tries to stall Savage - only to get decked, too. It does allow Bret the time to recover, though, and he nails Savage when he tries to drop a flying axehandle to the outside. Inside, Hart hangs him in a tree of woe, and piledrives him for two. Blind charge misses, however, and Savage capitalizes on it by posting him. Flying axehandle gets two, but Hart throws a backbreaker. 2^nd rope sailing elbow misses, and Savage snaps his neck across the top rope for two. He charges to follow-up, but Bret backdrops him over-the-top to the floor, with Savage crashing onto his ankle. He struggles to beat the count - selling wonderfully, including taking off his boot and wrestling the rest of the match in socks - but getting in the ring doesn't do him any favors as Bret swoops right in on the leg. He works it relentlessly - posting it, driving his own knee into it, hooking an anklelock - but when he tries a bodyslam, Savage cradles him on the way down for the pin at 12:03. This match is somewhat legendary, as Vince McMahon was considering Hart for a singles push, and this was sort of a trial run - with him insisting Hart work Savage's leg (as opposed to his usual arm based stuff), making the Hitman quite nervous before the performance. Match had excellent psychology (Hart's relentless work of the leg; Savage targeting the shoulder before the injury), and flawless selling from Savage - who basically morphed into Tiny Tim after hurting the ankle. Great pacing, too, working a nice back-and-forth battle - though Jim Neidhart's presence led to some annoying stalling at points. ** ½ They decided to keep the Foundation together a good while longer, but this was certainly a nice peek at what Bret could do as a single.

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v King Kong Bundy: Bundy had cost Hogan elimination at the Survivor Series two nights before, though this was taped a few weeks before, so for the live crowd it's more about Bobby Heenan sending one of his men after Hogan and the Title. Andre the Giant joins Bundy at ringside - since any interaction between he and Hogan was guaranteed ratings. Staredown to start, leading to a shoving match, and then a power showdown - with both men bouncing off of each other with shoulderblocks. That doesn't go well for Hogan, so he throws a high knee, and then tries the slam - but Bundy topples him for two. He pounds the back, and slams him. Splash misses, however, and Hogan clobbers him with a clothesline. Series of elbowdrops gets two, but a backdrop attempt (seriously? On King Kong Bundy? When you already have an injured back?) fails, and Bundy grabs a psychologically unsound chinlock. I guess they both forgot he was working Hogan's back. Hogan does the armdrop routine to escape (I'll never forget summer camp one year, when one of the counselors tried to convince ten-year-old-me that wrestling was fake based on Hogan always doing that spot. Though I wouldn't buy it ('what does he know!'), even a super mark ten year old had a hard time rationalizing it), and he dumps Bundy, so Andre decides to get involved – threatening to get into the ring. Heenan and Bundy talk him down off of the ledge/apron, as they don't want to risk the title shot ending by disqualification, and insist he heed to referee's demand to leave ringside. Andre seems none to pleased (mouthing a pretty clear 'motherfucker' at the camera), but he heads to the back anyway. With that drama over, Bundy finally gets back into the ring, but gets caught with a cross corner clothesline. Another high knee finds its mark, but an elbowdrop doesn't, and Bundy attacks the back - apparently remembering that 'psychology shit.' Bearhug sets up the Avalanche, and he splashes the back after for good measure - but runs into a HULK UP!! Hogan slams him, but they spill to the outside, and interference from Bobby Heenan causes Hogan to get counted out at 13:45. This was more about furthering Hogan/Andre than anything else, (a good chunk of the match focused on Andre getting involved, and then being ejected), but Hogan/Andre was a license to print money, so you can’t blame them. The rest was very restholdy stuff, though not horrible when they remembered what part they were supposed to be working on. ¼*

Bam Bam Bigelow v Hercules: Staredown to start, but Bigelow isn't impressed with Herc's biceps. Not that they do him much good, anyway, as Bam Bam overpowers him during the initial lockup. They do a power showdown - won by Bigelow with a shoulderblock - but he runs into a backelbow off of a criss cross. Hercules clotheslines him to the outside, so Bigelow responds by pulling him out with him with a snapmare. Bam Bam slams him out there, but isn't mindful of the count, and it's a double countout at 4:00. Bigelow doesn't like that, however, and grabs the mic to issue a challenge for the match to continue. Herc's game, and they do a football tackle challenge - resulting in another power-stalemate. Hercules wants another try, but Bigelow out maneuvers him with a cartwheel - though a dropkick misses. Hercules with a series of elbowdrops, but Bigelow literally catches him off of a flying bodypress attempt, and finishes with a slingshot splash at 7:00. Well worked enough to avoid being dull, but nothing particularly memorable. ½*

Everyone offers some closing thoughts with Mean Gene Okerlund. They discuss Joaquim Chissano, Misael Pastrana, and, you know, other shit.

BUExperience: Hart/Savage is certainly well remembered (it’s included on the WWE’s fairly recent ‘Best of SNME’ set) – and does a good job of carrying the show, underneath the enduringly hot Hogan/Andre angle.