WWF The Main Event (February 1989)

Original Airdate: February 3, 1989

After breaking all wrestling ratings records with the first Main Event primetime special the year before, NBC was glad to bring the WWF back to primetime with a second one hour special. While they couldn’t hope to match their own bar set with Hogan/Andre, the WWF instead delivered an anticipated tag team showdown between The Mega Powers and The Twin Towers – along with an exciting and critical development of one of the biggest angles of the 1980s.

From Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.


The Mega Powers v The Twin Towers: Randy Savage and The Big Bossman start, but Bossman wants Hulk Hogan, so Savage obliges with a tag. Hogan unloads - taking out Akeem and manager Slick for good measure - and Bossman works the count. Inside, he runs into more of Hogan's fists of fury, and bails to the floor to try and regroup. The Towers decide Akeem should give it a go, but the Powers pinball him in their home corner. Savage tags in with a flying axehandle, and Hogan hits a 2^nd rope version of his own before Akeem rakes the eyes. Tag to Bossman, and he hits a nice piledriver – but forgets to go for the cover, which Jesse Ventura notes is a big, big mistake. The Towers continue to cut the ring in half anyway, but Hogan backdrops Bossman to the floor, and posts him. Manager Slick gets involved, however, distracting Hogan enough for Bossman to hit a spinebuster for two. Heel miscommunication allows a tag to Savage, and he nails Akeem with a flying bodypress for two. Clothesline, but Slick trips him up - giving the advantage back to the Towers. They work Savage over, and - in a fateful moment - toss Savage out of the ring, where he brutally crashes into Elizabeth, knocking her out. Fantastic spot there - as Savage looked like he nearly killed tiny, lovely Liz - but it was completely safe. Hogan immediately jumps off of the apron to check on his fallen comrades, and, while Savage gets dragged back into the ring, tends to Elizabeth on the floor. Savage manages to take both Towers down, so Hogan decides to help Elizabeth to the back to get medical attention while his partner has things under control. That distracts Savage, though not so much out of concern for Elizabeth, as rage that Hogan has his hands on her - even in a platonic sense. Hulk takes Liz all the way to the first aid station backstage (with the camera following, abandoning the match, as they hadn’t quite mastered split screens yet), and kneels at her side praying out loud. To her credit, Liz plays her part brilliantly – and doesn't break out laughing during Hogan's exaggerated pleas to God. The Hulkster kisses her hand, and when Liz assures him that she'll be okay, he heads back to ringside - where Savage has been taking a two-on-one beating. Hulk hops up on the ring apron for the tag, but Savage has been beaten so badly and for so long that he can't make it. The Towers cut the ring in half until a double team splash misses, but Savage doesn't take the ample opportunity to make the tag - instead continuing to battle alone. He cleans house, and finally heads over to Hogan - but instead of slapping his hand, Savage slaps him across the face. Bossman takes advantage of the situation, jumping Hogan, and the Towers double team him as Savage grabs his WWF Title and heads home - though again, not so much due to concern for Elizabeth's welfare, but out of anger towards Hogan. Akeem hits an avalanche on the lonely Hulk, but that just causes a HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Big boot! Legdrop! 20:00! Afterwards, the Towers try to take advantage of Hogan's situation, and jump him with Bossman's nightstick (with the crowd looking for Savage to make the save at any moment), but instead Hogan fights them off alone, and heads to the back. He goes straight for the medical station (motivated by concern for Elizabeth, not anger at Savage) where Randy already is waiting, shouting at Elizabeth for getting close to Hogan. Hulk arrives to try and explain, but Savage is in a full jealous rage, cutting a great promo with his finger right in Hogan's face about how he's been carrying the team, while Hogan lusts after his woman. Hogan tries to get Elizabeth to talk some sense into Savage, causing Macho to completely lose it (he talked to her?!), and clobber Hogan from behind with the title belt. Liz tries to intervene, so Savage throws her across the room, turning full heel, and setting up a WrestleMania main event with Hogan. This was a fantastic angle, finally paying off all the mistrustful looks Savage had been shooting Hogan due to his platonic relationship with Elizabeth, as well as months of passive aggressive behavior - like reluctance to make saves when Hogan was getting beat down, or the elimination at during the Royal Rumble match the month before. From a personal standpoint, I’ve always loved this angle because I’ve actually lived both sides of it – once having a platonic friendship with a girl who was dating a friend that led to tons of passive aggressive behavior, and overly firm handshakes from him – to actually becoming just like him in a relationship a few years later, not trusting my girlfriend alone with my friends, and having paranoid, doubting thoughts about their intentions. The match itself was a lot of fun – with both teams working a quick paced, engaging match – elevated by the fantastic angle. ***

Ted DiBiase v Hercules: Hercules jumps him before DiBiase can properly get in the ring, and unloads an atomic drop. He takes out Virgil for good measure, and press slams DiBiase. Another atomic drop puts Ted on the floor, so DiBiase busts out a snapmare to pull Herc out with him. Inside, DiBiase with a pair of fistdrops for two, and a 2^nd rope axehandle gets two. Suplex, but Herc reverses - only to have his eyes raked when he tries to capitalize. DiBiase continues to destroy him with a backbreaker, but walks into a powerslam, and Herc looks to finish with a lariat - but DiBiase dodges, and gets the pin with a schoolboy (along with a distraction from Virgil) at 7:12. Well paced, decent match - if unspectacular. ½*

BUExperience: The first Main Event did bigger numbers, but this one has the better action. The perfect blend of wrestling and angles – it turned Randy Savage heel after months of tensions, and regression, setting up one of the best remembered WrestleMania main events of the WWF years. Fun, top to bottom – and a great companion piece for WrestleMania V.