WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XIV (January 1988)

Original Airdate: January 2, 1988

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


Opening WWF Tag Team Title 2/3 Falls Match: Strike Force v The Bolsheviks: Tito Santana and Boris Zhukov start, trading slams, until Santana catches him in an armbar. Rick Martel tags in to try the same, but gets decked (no one respects Rick Martel anyway), and Zhukov tags Nikolai Volkoff. He destroys Martel, and then Santana - cutting the ring in half like true Communists. Zhukov eventually misses an elbow, however, and Martel comes in like a house of arson to win the first fall with a Boston Crab at 4:15. The Force keep up the effort - cleaning house with double dropkicks - and Martel tries to finish Volkoff with another Boston Crab. Zhukov makes the save, however, and they cut the ring in half again – working on Martel's back. Volkoff with a splash for two, but Martel catches him with a sunset flip for two. Double knockout spot allows both men to tag, and Tito's a casa of arson - unloading more dropkicks than a... dropkick... unloading machine. The Russians try to use manager Mr. Fuji's cane to get the advantage back, but a miscommunication allows Santana the pin to retain at 7:55. Not actively bad, just dull. No one bought the Bolsheviks as threats anyway - exemplified by the fact that they didn't even get a fall. ¼*

Jake Roberts v Sika: Sika tries to overpower him to start, but gets caught in an armdrag, and locked in an armbar. Jake continues to psych him out - dodging Sika's offense - but he gets overconfident, and walks into a backdrop. Sika capitalizes with a series of backrakes (I guess that's... sorta... psychologically sound...), and then goes to a nervehold, 'cause he's Samoan, and shit. Blind charge misses, however, and Jake schoolboys him for the pin at 3:35. Dude, it's Sika v Jake the Snake. People in comas could have told you who was going over. DUD

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v King Kong Bundy: Bobby Heenan, trying to outwit WWF Officials and Hulk Hogan, decides to recuse himself from the proceedings, instead sending Andre the Giant out to stand in Bundy's corner. Oooh, crafty, crafty, crafty. Hogan overpowers him during the initial tie-up (he's, like, got the power of Hulkamania, and shit), and the big boot puts Bundy on the floor. Bundy regroups with Andre, but gets caught with a clothesline back inside - bailing again for Andre's advice (‘I ate all of your Twinkies’). Just as with their last meeting, that powerful whisper isn't enough to takedown the Hulkster, and he gets Bundy in a wristlock. Bundy powers out, and works Hogan's arm, which is nice to see, considering he worked the back last time. Hogan powers out of an armbar, and hits the bodyslam, but misses an elbowdrop - further hurting his arm. Bundy tries a couple of his own, but Hogan dodges, and catches him with a cross corner clothesline. Second try gets him Avalanched, but the referee gets bumped in the process - absorbing the impact for Hogan. Hulk knocks Bundy to the floor again, reluctant to follow to where Andre is waiting, and he takes his time to regroup while the referee does a stretcherjob to put Bundy over, and another runs in to take his place. King Kong finally scales the ring steps to get back in, and this time Andre must have given him some non-'you're a fatty' related advice, because he hammers Hogan. Kneedrop gets two. Splash gets two, and Bundy hooks a chinlock – again forgetting what part he's supposed to be working. Another Avalanche hits full on, but he's met Hogan enough times to know another might be needed. He hits it, and a splash flattens the champ, but Bundy wasn't counting on a HULK UP!! Legdrop retains at 12:09. Then, in the real reason we're here, Andre climbs in to finish Hogan himself - choking him out Homer and Bart style. The British Bulldogs run in to unsuccessfully break it up, with Andre tossing him like puppies, so the entire face locker room runs out. Even that isn't enough, so Jim Duggan starts whacking him with a 2x4 to finally break it up. That nicely sets up a WrestleMania rematch between the two on the WWF's Main Event special the next month - in a program so hot that it would garner the biggest TV rating ever for a wrestling program. Match was about on par with the one that set it up, but the angle afterwards makes it worth sitting through. ½*

Koko B. Ware v Greg Valentine: Valentine is managed by Jimmy Hart. Koko has his parrot, Frankie. Though, really, not a horrible strategy - as if the parrot overhears a good piece of Jimmy Hart's advice, he could easily relate it to Koko. Valentine quickly takes him down, and tries for the figure four, but Koko shoves him off - as Frankie looks on approvingly. Apparently he didn't parrot the right advice, however, as Valentine catches Ware with a flying elbowsmash. Chinlock, and a clothesline get two. That draws out Brutus Beefcake (Valentine's former tag partner, and now enemy), as apparently seeing a chinlock and a clothesline struck fear into his heart of Valentine snagging the WWF Title, and running roughshod over the WWF. The distraction allows Koko a couple of cradles and backslides for two, but the referee forces him to go back to the locker rooms, putting them back on even grounds. Well, not quite. One is still managed by a bird. With the keel evened, Valentine quickly catches him with a backdrop for two, and a slam sets up another flying elbowsmash - but Koko slams him off of the top rope. Dropkick and a headbutt drop the Hammer, and a 2^nd rope flying fistdrop gets two. Koko grabs a headlock, but Valentine counters with a kneebreaker, and finishes with the figure four at 7:30. Fuckin’ Frankie. ½*

Everyone offers some closing thoughts with Mean Gene Okerlund. They discuss Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald, and, you know, other shit.

BUExperience: If not for the Hogan/Andre stuff, this would probably be one of the more dull editions – but Andre choking the life out of the Hulkster while swatting away half of the roster was certainly entertaining television – and the prelude to a very big angle.