WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XXIII (October 1989)

Original Airdate: October 14, 1989

From Cincinnati, Ohio; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.


Opening Match: Randy Savage v Jimmy Snuka: Snuka (looking more like a crack addict than usual) goes right for Savage, chopping away, and hits a diving forearm. Atomic drop puts Savage on the floor, and more chops bring him back inside, so Macho manager Sherri interferes. That allows Savage a slam and a kneedrop for two. Savage dumps him for the always impressive flying axehandle to the floor spot, and to allow Sherri to get her shots in. Savage keeps hammering, but Snuka COKES UP!! Chops! Clothesline! Headbutt! Tree of Woe! Sherri Distraction! oh, whoops, that's not part of it. But it does allow Savage to schoolboy him at 5:37. The most shocking thing about this match is that, less than 25 years later, Snuka is the only one still alive (including referee Joey Marella). DUD

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Ted DiBiase: Hogan overpowers him during the initial lockup, but Zeus (with DiBiase, and Hogan's arch rival for most of 1989) gets involved. That allows DiBiase to takeover, but Hogan catches him with a cross corner clothesline, and unloads with mounted punches. Zeus distracts him again, and this time DiBiase goes to the eyes, drawing out Jake Roberts – who would be on Hogan's team at the upcoming Survivor Series against DiBiase and Zeus. The distraction allows Hogan to fire fists of fury, and hit the ten-punch count. That brings Virgil out (likely with slave-envy, now that DiBiase has Zeus out there), and steals Jake's snake to draw him away from ringside. Of course, that distracts Hogan, and DiBiase suplexes him. 2^nd rope axehandle gets two, and he works a chinlock. Series of fistdrops hit, and a flying kneedrop gets two - as Hogan's HULKING UP!! Big boot! but that draws Zeus in (in plain view of the referee, no less), so Hogan dodges an attack, and cradles DiBiase for the pin at 8:24. Both guys are experienced pros, but this one suffered from bad booking - with all the 'I control, whoops distraction!' stuff, as well as the ending, as Zeus climbing into the fucking ring should have been a DQ to keep DiBiase somewhat strong, instead of making him look like a little bitch. It’s this kind of booking that still makes people to this day think that DiBiase was on the way out of the promotion around this time. ¼*

Roddy Piper v Haku: Piper had just recently made his return to in-ring action - though at this point he was only coming out of retirement for the first time. Haku tries to jump him on the way in, but Piper goes ballistic on him with punches, knocking him to the floor, and then diving off the apron with a Thesz Press. Manager Bobby Heenan gets involved, leading to a chase with Piper, and allowing Haku to clothesline him. Inside, Haku hits a headbutt, and a well executed backelbow (well executed for Piper's wonderful, pinball sell off of it) follows. Shoulderbreaker, but a flying splash misses, and Piper goes nuts again - finishing with a belly to belly suplex at 3:02. Squash, but a fun one, with some nice spots. ½*

Rick Martel v Tito Santana: Martel brings his Survivor Series team with him, so Santana responds by bringing out his. Martel still jumps him at the bell, but gets atomic dropped to the outside – though the faces don't touch him. Santana does (rumor has it that was why their tag team broke up, actually), and hits a sunset flip for two. Just as I think it's unbelievable that Santana hasn't gone after the arm yet, he hits an armdrag and armbar to shut me up. Martel rams him into the corner to break, and hangs Tito in a Tree of Woe. Backdrop fails, however, and Santana wins a slugfest, following with a backdrop of his own. Diving forearm, but the heels get involved to break it up. That leads to both teams getting into the ring to faceoff, but the referee clears them so we don't get a shitty no contest. Martel jumps him during the chaos, though, and drops a pair of elbows to the lower back. He rams his knees into it to work the part some more - then decides to switch to a chinlock. Santana with a backslide to counter, so Martel simply chokes the bitch out, and slaps on a Boston Crab. Tito dives right into the ropes, however, so Martel shoots off a backbreaker. He goes to the top rope, only to get crotched, and Santana goes for the figure four. That draws the heels in again, quickly met by the faces, leading to an eight-way brawl, and a no contest at 9:41. No reason this couldn't have been a Lumberjack Match. 'Buy Survivor Series!!!' ending aside, this was a well paced, well worked match - with decent psychology, as Martel worked the back for his Boston Crab, and Tito countered many of his holds since they were former tag partners. * ¾

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers v The Bushwhackers: The 'Whackers clean house on the way into the ring, but they get caught up pantsing Rougeau manager Jimmy Hart, allowing Raymond to hook Butch in a Boston Crab. Jacques fires off a backelbow, and the Rougeau's cut the ring in half. Miscommunication spot allows the tag to Luke, and he hits a hangman's clothesline on Jacques. Battering ram and a double gutbuster finishes at 3:15. Even as a kid, I hated the Bushwhackers, and knew when I'd hear their music hit, it was time for a bathroom break, as even the commercials had more appeal than the Bushwhackers when I was ten – and, really, they still do! They were like a shittier version of the Nasty Boys, though today, my morbid curiosity sometimes makes me want to lookup a match between the two before I come to my senses. DUD - but it was quick.

BUExperience: So… buy Survivor Series! Pretty dull edition – mostly pushing Survivor Series – though Santana/Martel is a fun (if inconclusive) chapter in their somewhat long feud.