WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XVI (Version II)

Original Airdate: April 30, 1988

From Springfield, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

Backstage, Andre the Giant looks like a walking billboard for Men's Wearhouse, while Jim Duggan just looks like a walking billboard

Jim Duggan v Hercules: Initial lockup ends in a stalemate, but Duggan reverses a turnbuckle smash, and clobbers him with a clothesline, so Hercules cowers in the corner for advice from Andre. Jim still gives him an atomic drop, however, and a backdrop follows, but a kneedrop misses. Hercules goes right after the knee, and works Duggan over in truly dull fashion. But, then, he WAS taking advice from Andre, after all, so that shouldn't come as such a surprise. Bobby Heenan takes a cheap shot, so Jim grabs his 2x4, but the referee takes it away - allowing Hercules to jump him. Hercules goes right back to his boring punch-kick stuff, and hugs Duggan like a bear. Jim escapes, and slugs Hercules down, then sends him into the corner for a ten-punch. Cross corner whip sets up a hiptoss, and the 3-Point Stance follows, so Bobby rushes in to break up the pin at 8:00 - costing Hercules the match via disqualification, but saving him from eating the pinfall. Afterwards, the heels beat Hercules down, until the Ultimate Warrior runs in for the save. Weird face paint for him tonight. Shitty match, though. DUD (Original rating: ¼*)

We take a look back at WrestleMania IV, when Brutus Beefcake gave Jimmy Hart a haircut following his match with the Honky Tonk Man

Backstage, Jimmy Hart is wearing a stylish beret as a result of said haircut, which actually makes him look like Morty from Goodfellas. Things did not end well for Morty. Meanwhile, Brutus Beefcake lays out the list of skills necessary for one to become a good barber. For those curious, they are (in this order): technique, cutting, training, and survival. Good to know

Brutus Beefcake v Danny Davis: Beefcake's outfit makes me uncomfortable. Davis' outfit makes me think of Beetlejuice. Beefcake tosses him around in the early going - though, with that outfit, I'm just glad he didn't try to toss his salad. Danny takes a cheap shot to turn the tide, but they screw up the timing on an Irish whip reversal, and Beefcake takes him down with an ugly knee to the gut. Bodyslam sends Danny bailing for the floor, but Brutus snapmares him back in, and grabs the Sleeper at 3:10. Afterwards, with Davis asleep, Beefcake has his fun and cuts some hair, as Jimmy Hart freaks out on the floor. I don't know if Bill Cosby is a wrestling fan, but if he is, you've gotta believe he's a Brutus Beefcake guy. Not really much of a match, just here to advance the Beefcake/Hart angle. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

We take another look back at WrestleMania IV, when One Man Gang was disqualified during his tournament match against eventual winner Randy Savage

Backstage, One Man Gang and Slick want to shine bright in the light. Meanwhile, Randy Savage is looking for inspiration, possibly in the space between Elizabeth's breasts

WWF Title Match: Randy Savage v One Man Gang: How is Gang billed as the number one contender? He was in the tournament like everyone else, and he didn't win. How does that make him any more of a contender than anyone else, particularly someone like Ted DiBiase who advanced further in the brackets than he did. I mean, I know I'm over thinking this, as it's just a pin for Savage to knock down, but this is the type of shit that keeps me awake at night. Slick tries to find some 'inspiration' from Elizabeth as well before the bell, so Savage chases him all the way to the dressing rooms. Gang attacks, but Savage evades him in the corner, and hits an overhead elbowsmash. Bodypress gets two, and a flying version is worth two. Savage snaps Gang's throat across the top rope for two. but gets railroaded into the corner when he tries a front-facelock, and Gang hammers him there. Gang with a chokeslam, and Slick takes some cheap shots with his cane behind the referee's back. Randy goes after him on the floor, but that allows Gang to jump him again, and lots of choking abounds. Elbowdrop gets two, but an avalanche misses, and Savage starts throwing overhead elbowsmashes. Clothesline knocks Gang over the top, and Randy follows after him with a flying axehandle out there. Another one on the way back in, but Gang manages to gut-punch him out of the air, and execute a bodyslam. 747 Splash, but Randy rolls out of the way, so Slick starts going after Elizabeth again to allow Gang to recover, and chokeslam the champion again. Slick tries another cheap shot with the cane, but ends up hitting Gang by accident, and the Flying Elbowdrop retains at 6:03. Savage tried, but Gang was hard to get much out of here. But, still better than their negative-star-bordering WrestleMania match, at least. ¼* (Original rating: ½*)

Backstage, The British Bulldogs engage in some heavy petting with Mean Gene Okerlund. Meanwhile, Demolition can't seem to figure out which camera is recording them

Demolition v The British Bulldogs: Demolition are the WWF Tag Team Champions, but this is non-title. Smash starts with Davey Boy Smith, and goes to work with a barrage of axehandles. Criss cross allows Davey to blind tag out to Dynamite Kid, however, and Kid blasts Smash with a lariat. Tag to Ax, and he unloads his own barrage of axehandles, but gets caught in a wristlock. The Bulldogs take turns working the arm, and Kid tries a snap suplex, but Smash breaks it up before he can execute the maneuver. The tag champions cut the ring in half on Kid, but Smash misses a cross corner charge, and Davey gets the tag. He's a doghouse of fire, but Mr. Fuji gets involved, and the Bulldogs chase him to the dressing rooms. That triggers a brawl with Demolition, and the Bulldogs get themselves disqualified in the chaos at 5:00. Certainly a sort of dream match from this era, but this was pretty pedestrian stuff here. I'd have loved to have seen a proper pay per view showdown between them, though. ½* (Original rating: ½*)

Backstage, Superstar Billy Graham wants to know how the Million Dollar Man is going to deal with those big butts. Believe me, Bill, that's something I grapple with every day. Meanwhile, Ted DiBiase plans to deal with the butts as best he can

Ted DiBiase v Don Muraco: Another WrestleMania IV rematch here. I like how they picked two of the duller matches on that card (and that's saying something) to repeat. DiBiase attacks with chops in the corner, but gets reversed into the ropes, and backdropped. Don sends him flying with a turnbuckle smash, and Ted bails to the floor to regroup before Muraco can dish out any more punishment. Back in, Don grabs a headlock, but DiBiase wins a criss cross with a hiptoss - only to miss an elbowdrop, and eat a clothesline. Ted's overselling is in good form tonight - something that was missing from his entire WrestleMania IV performance. Muraco with a powerslam for two, but Virgil gets involved, and Ted clotheslines him down for two. DiBiase with a vertical suplex for two, and a gutwrench suplex gets two. Backdrop, but Muraco counters with a Russian legsweep, and he backelbows the Million Dollar Man. Forward-powerslam gets two, but Ted manages a bodyslam for the pin at 4:12 - the referee failing to notice Muraco's foot on the ropes. Not much, but better than their WrestleMania match. * (Original rating: ½*)

Backstage, Randy Savage is still looking for that inspiration

Rick Rude v Koko B. Ware: Rude looks positively giddy tonight. Like, seriously, was he drunk? They slug it out to start, which Rick gets the best of with an eyerake. Backdrop, but Koko leapfrogs him, and executes a dropkick before mocking Rude's hip swivel. Rude responds by putting him down for a series of pointed elbowdrops, and adds a well executed snap suplex to setup a flying kneedrop. Koko's 'fro is out of control here. Rude with a dropkick, but another misses, and Koko backdrops him. Bodypress, but Rick dodges, and the Rude Awakening finishes at 3:44. Basically a squash, but it was energetic, and Rude looked to be having a great time squashing him. Koko would get the last laugh at the Hall of Fame, however. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)

BUExperience: Total nothing episode here, one of the duller editions of the series thus far