WWF Coliseum Video Collection: MORE Saturday Night’s Main Event (1989)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: MORE Saturday Night’s Main Event (1989)

Coliseum Video compilation of the best from the WWF’s popular Saturday Night’s Main Event specials. The cover of the tape features The Rockers, and promises MORE of the best from SNME.


Hair v Hair Match: Brutus Beefcake v Ron Bass: From SNME XIX (January 1989), this one was set up back in the Summer of '88, when Bass jumped Beefcake, attacking him with his cowboy spurs - which was most notable not for the attack itself, but the giant red censor the WWF put over it to make it look more insane than it was. That seems silly, but as a kid watching it on VHS, I remember thinking it must have been really brutal if the WWF censored it that way. Bass jumps him with his bullwhip on the way in – choking away - but Beefcake disarms him, and cleans house with the whip. Proper start sees Beefcake nail Bass with a high knee, so Bass bails to regroup. Back in, Brutus with a series of clotheslines, and he unloads mounted punches. Ten-punch count follows, but Bass doesn't like math, and interrupts it with an inverted atomic drop. Gutbuster, and he follows with a backelbow to the stomach. Faceslam (that... that one would have been a lot more effective a couple of years later...), and he continues to send shots to the midsection. Piledriver, but Bass lets off the pinfall attempt at two - which is the kind of shit only mega heels should try, not JTTS. Clothesline gets two, so Bass gets frustrated (at his own stupidity?) and Beefcake catches him with the Sleeper at 7:40. Afterwards, Bass gets his head shaved. Certainly dull, but not actively horrible. ¼*

The Rockers v The Brain Busters: From SNME XX, March 1989. 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 Tito Santana: Also from SNME XIX. Rooster is Terry Taylor being a cock. And spoofing Ric Flair, a bit. Rooster tries a bunch of takedowns, but Santana counters everything, and throws a dropkick for two. Splash, but Taylor lifts the knees to counter, and hits a double stomp. Chincrusher, and he tries a sunset flip - but gets decked, frustrating manager Bobby Heenan. Santana with an earringer, and a backdrop, leading to the figure four – but Rooster blocks, and bails to the outside. Heenan berates him for not putting Santana away, but Rooster is frustrated enough, and shoves Heenan back. The distraction allows Santana to suplex him back in, but he gets caught with a backbreaker for two. Rooster with a suplex of his own, but Santana cradles him for two. Backslide gets two, but a blind charge misses, and Rooster hits a well executed piledriver for two. Stungun, and he tries a Sharpshooter, but gets decked. That causes another Bobby Heenan flip out, and the distraction allows Tito to schoolboy him for the pin at 7:27. Afterwards, Heenan loses his shit on Rooster, but he finally has enough, and beats Bobby down – turning Taylor face. Match was fun back-and-forth action, around the angle. **

Ted DiBiase v The Blue Blazer: Back to SNME XX. 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. **

WWF Title Match: Randy Savage v Andre the Giant: From SNME XVIII, November 1988. Savage - bless his heart - goes right for Andre, but gets predictably clobbered, and ass-smushed in the corner. Front-facelock, but Savage gets uppity, so Andre just shifts to blatantly choking him. Savage still doesn't get the message, and railroads the Giant into the corner, so Andre hooks an awkward looking standing-armbar. Savage tries to jab his way out, so Andre responds with more blatant choking, as manager Bobby Heenan beams with pride. Meanwhile, Jake Roberts (who had given Andre a 'heart attack' on the previous SNME - though obviously a rather mild one, as he's back in the ring only a month later) makes his way to ringside, distracting Andre, and giving Savage some breathing room. Literally. The distraction is enough to allow Savage a running axehandle - as he desperately tries to take control - but Heenan runs in. Savage knocks their heads together, causing Andre to fall, and get tied up in the ropes, which draws Jake in to unleash the snake - and cause a double DQ at 8:51. This one is somewhat well remembered, and it had a fun dynamic with Savage pinballing off of Andre every time he tried anything - but it was almost all restholds or punch-kick stuff, surrounding the angles. ¼*

The Big Bossman v Jim Powers: From SNME XVII, October 1988. Bossman unloads, so Powers tries a sleeper, only to get railroaded into the corner. Poorly executed Stinger Splash, and a headbutt kill Powers dead, and the Bossman Slam make it official at 2:34. Just a squash, to profile Bossman, and push the ‘main event’ of this tape – his cage match with Hulk Hogan. DUD

The Brother Love Show: Also from SNME XVIII. Brother Love has special guests (aren't they all?) Slick and Hulk Hogan out to discuss Hulk's feud with The Big Bossman. Of course, the whole thing ends with Hogan beating down Brother Love. Again, just garnish for the cage match.

Hulk Hogan v Akeem: Another match from SNME XIX – clipped down to Hogan making his comeback – but Akeem pulls the referee in the way to block, and gets disqualified at 2:22 shown of 8:06. That allows The Twin Towers to double team Hogan, until Randy Savage makes the save, and set up the WWF's Main Event special the next month. Good bit of subtle Mega Power angle development here, too, as Savage (shown throughout the match to be watching on a monitor) was reluctant to make the save, encouraging Hogan to make his own comeback - and only finally running in when Bossman threatened to harm Miss Elizabeth. He then showed visible anger when Liz tried to soothe Hogan after the attack. More set up for Hogan/Bossman, and the full match was DUD anyway, so I have no issue with the clipping.

WWF Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan v The Big Bossman: From SNME XXI, May 1989. Before Hogan comes out, Bossman manager Slick introduces Zeus - Hogan's opponent from the WWF-produced No Holds Barred film, which was set for release a couple of weeks later - kicking off one of the most ridiculous (if not the most ridiculous) feud in the promotions history. Zeus guards the door to deny Hogan access to the cage, and when Hogan charges forward, Zeus clobbers him with a series of forearm shots - which we know are deadly, because he's already used them to kill another man. Of course, that man was a paid actor in a film, as part of a fictional story where Hulk Hogan doesn't even play himself - but don't bother thinking about that. It's not like the WWF did. Hogan sells it like he's been shot, allowing Bossman to drag him into the cage, and choke him down with his own t-shirt. Hogan comes back with some fists of fury, but Bossman blocks a shot into the cage - so the Hulkster nails him with the big boot. He heads up, but Bossman pulls him down for a bodyslam. Splash, and Bossman goes for the door - but Hogan lunges for the ankle. Bossman punishes him with a spinebuster, and makes the climb - almost making it, before Hogan makes the save at the last second, drags him up, and superplexes him off the top of the cage. That kills them both, to the point that the referee actually has to come in and check the arms. They're both unresponsive, so he starts a ten-count, and Hogan shakes the cobwebs off! He crawls for the door, and Bossman recovers enough to stop him. He's still fazed, but manages a clothesline, and Slick passes him a steel chain to finish the job. Bossman chokes him down with it, and then wraps it around his knuckles - but Hogan blocks, and rams him into the cage. Hogan gets the chain, and fires off a couple of shots of his own - drawing blood from the Bossman. Legdrop, and he climbs, but Slick takes out the referee at the door, and runs over to slow him down. That allows Bossman to climb on the other side, but Hogan takes them both out, steals Bossman's trusty handcuffs to lock him on the ropes, and climbs out at 10:01 - blowing off their long running feud. Exciting match, building drama well (between the near escapes, the double knockout, Slick) and has become one of the most fondly remembered (mostly for the superplex spot - which was really wild at the time) matches from the era – and also one of the most overrated. ** ¼

BUExperience: Really heavy on Hogan/Bossman, but that was extremely well remembered stuff, both as an angle and blowoff – so understandable. Couple that with the fantastic Rockers/Brain Busters match, and you’ve got a solid winner. A good addition to your Coliseum Collection.