WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XX (March 1989)

Original Airdate: March 11, 1989

This one is coming off of The Main Event special on NBC that saw the breakup of the Mega Powers a few weeks before, and the theme is that Miss Elizabeth will make her decision as to whose corner she will be in for the main event of WrestleMania V.

From Hershey, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.


Opening Match: Rick Rude v Brutus Beefcake: They battle over the initial lockup, until Rude tries to end it with a cheap shot, so Beefcake turns the tide, and unloads fists of fury. Backdrop, and a ten-punch count leaves Rude dazed (no shit!) and sets up the Sleeper, but Rude manages to escape. Beefcake keeps after him with some turnbuckle smashes, but gets caught with an inverted atomic drop off of another ten-punch attempt. Rude moves in for the kill, and hits a suplex for two. Rude with a chinlock, as fellow Heenan Family member Andre the Giant heads out to ringside. Rude puts Beefcake on the floor for Andre to abuse, drawing out Jake Roberts to scare him back with the snake, as the referee disqualifies Rude at 5:45. Afterwards, Rude and Andre do a beat down, until Big John Studd comes out to shake them off, and Jake snakes them off. Just going through the motions, basically here to further Andre/Roberts/Studd for WrestleMania. ¼*

Hulk Hogan v Bad News Brown: Hogan has Elizabeth in his corner tonight, but she still hasn't decided where she stands for WrestleMania. Bad News jumps him during the pat down (probably trying to save the referee the horror of feeling up Hulk Jr. right after such close proximity to Miss Elizabeth), but misses an elbowdrop, and Hogan cleans house. To the floor, the Hulkster hammers him, and brings him back in with a slingshot. He starts unloading clotheslines, and a pair of elbowdrops allow him to level Brown with a big boot. Turnbuckle smashes, but Bad News no-sells, and headbutts him - only to miss a blind charge. Hogan puts him back on the outside with an atomic drop, and rams him into the rail for good measure. Brown goes to the eyes to turn the tide, and posts Hogan - only to have Hulk duck a closed fist, bouncing Bad News' hand off of the steel. Brown takes the bad news in stride, and grabs a chair to clobber him with, but Hogan holds him back. News searches under the ring for more weapons, and in a bit that would never happen post 1998 - finds nothing. He decides to bail, but Hogan stops the referee from counting him out (wanting to get the decisive victory), so Bad News comes back through the curtain wielding a snow shovel. Whoops, probably should have taken the countout there. Hogan manages to dodge it, but Bad News does his own dodge off of a cross corner clothesline, and drives Hogan's face into the mat. Legdrop gets two, and Hogan tries to power up - but Bad News kicks him in the gut, and unloads on the floor. To the post, and inside, Brown hits a Russian legsweep for two. Bad News unleashes a hellacious beating (leaving Hogan crawling at his feet), so Brown grabs the microphone to let him know not to worry - he's gonna finish him right now. Ghetto Blaster, but Hogan ducks it, and he's HULKING UP!! High Knee! Legdrop! 9:44! Not a great technical exhibition, but a really fun, well paced, and exciting brawl - especially for the period. **

Ted DiBiase v The Blue Blazer: The Blazer is Owen Hart, under a mask. This is also marks the debut of DiBiase's Million Dollar Belt - his self bestowed consolation prize for not winning the WWF Title. Blazer does his usual back flip entrance into the ring, but DiBiase's ready and waiting with a clothesline. Backelbow, and a series of elbowdrops hit, but Blazer cradles him off of a backdrop attempt for two. Backslide for two, so DiBiase levels him with another clothesline. 2^nd rope axehandle, and a suplex, but another backdrop fails, and this time Blazer dropkicks him to the floor. He follows with a beautiful tope, and an atomic drop sends DiBiase into the post. Flying bodypress gets two, and he shows DiBiase how to hit a backdrop! Pair of dropkicks for two, but DiBiase catches him with a powerslam off of a criss cross, and gets the pin at 3:57. Short, but they packed a really nice little back-and-forth match into four minutes. **

The Decision of a Lifetime: Gene Okerlund brings Elizabeth out into the arena to make her decision for WrestleMania. She rebuffs rumors that she will be in Hogan's corner, drawing out Randy Savage (who had been pacing outside of her dressing room all night) to stake his claim. For her vagina. Not so fast, though, Macho Man, that vagina won't be tied down (not into bondage - message received) - as she denies she'll be in his corner, either. Predictably, he loses it when he hears that, and threatens to deck her - drawing Hulk Hogan out for a staredown, with poor Elizabeth standing between them. This was a very well done segment, with everyone hitting their notes, and nicely building WrestleMania. 

The Rockers v The Brain Busters: The Busters jump them before the bell, but Marty Jannetty dodges Tully Blanchard's slingshot suplex attempt - allowing Shawn Michaels to come off of the top with a flying bodypress. The Rockers clean house, and we starts propers with Shawn and Arn Anderson. Shawn quickly manages to slam him off of the top, and hooks a Boston crab, so Tully tries to break it up with a flying axehandle - only to get decked on the way down. Four-way brawl sees the Rockers cleaning house again, and Shawn suplexes Tully. Hiptoss, and a headscissors takedown send Blanchard scurrying to Anderson, but he walks into a droptoe-hold. Criss cross allows Anderson to gut punch him, and another allows Busters manager Bobby Heenan to tug down the top rope, and send Shawn crashing to the floor. The referee ejects him from ringside over it, and the dusts settles on Marty and Tully. Slugfest goes Jannetty's way, but he misses Blanchard's blind tag, and Anderson levels him with a lariat. The Busters cut the ring in half, including their very NWA-esque mentality of making sure the referee's back is turned before dumping him over the top. Marty keeps trying to mount comebacks, but gets cut off repeatedly - and spinebustered by Arn for two. Vaderbomb, but Marty gets the knees up, and finally manages the tag to Michaels. He's a house of arson, and tries a suplex on Arn, so Anderson holds him in a front-facelock, allowing Tully to sunset flip in - but Jannetty saves at two. They spill to the outside - Shawn flying to the floor with a plancha on Anderson - and it's a double countout at 9:19. This match has become somewhat legendary, and is an absolute classic - easily one of the best matches in the shows run, and a beautiful homage to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express matches it was inspired by. Non-stop action, filled with well worked double-teams, a terrific heat segment, and no resting. ****

The Red Rooster v The Brooklyn Brawler: Brawler tries to brawl, but Rooster (Terry Taylor) puts the breaks on a cross corner whip, and dropkicks him. Small package (from a Cock?) gets the pin at 1:05. DUD

BUExperience: The Rockers/Busters match is remembered as one of the best matches of the series (and rightly so), Hogan/Brown has also achieved some notoriety (mostly because it contrasted with the rest of the product so conspicuously), and the rest is fun top to bottom – including the very well done bits building up the WWF Title match for WrestleMania V.