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

Original Airdate: July 28, 1990

From Omaha, Nebraska; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura

WWF Title Match: Ultimate Warrior v Rick Rude: Rude attacks from behind as Warrior does his entrance spiel, but gets no-sold in the corner, and whipped around. Atomic drop and a clothesline send Rude to the outside, and Warrior follows him out for a beating out there. Back in, Warrior keeps knocking him around with ease, and a flying axehandle sets up a splash - only for Rude to move. Warrior's attempts to sell that are almost comical, as he acts like he's shot over a simple missed splash. He ends up dying out on the floor, but Rick is less than sympathetic - following him out and blasting him with the title belt. He nearly leaves Warrior out there for the countout, but remembers he won't win the title that way, and drags him back in - only to miss a flying axehandle of his own. Warrior hits an inverted atomic drop, but runs into a knee during a charge, and Rude levels him with a lariat. Bodyslam gets reversed, so Rude tries to keep control with a sleeper, but Warrior powers up after two arm drops. Rude cuts him off with the Awakening, but it only gets two, as Warrior is BLOWING UP!! Why bother killing his finisher BEFORE the pay per view money match? So Warrior destroys him, but Bobby Heenan breaks up the pin, and Rude is lamely disqualified at 9:43. You know, AFTER getting his finisher killed, and getting visually pinned. If they were dead set against booking a title change here (which would have been the best option), then they probably should have let Rude win via countout or something, thus setting up the Cage Match for SummerSlam where Warrior has to beat him to retain. Or win a non-title match with Heenan's help. And if they HAD to go with this finish, then instead of the cage, then should have booked a Handicap Match for the title at SummerSlam, where Warrior has to beat Rude and Heenan to retain. This booking basically made Rude look like a jobber who has to get into a cage with the dominant Warrior. Not exactly intriguing when the superhero doesn't have anything to overcome. ** (Original rating: ¾*)

We stop for a special video tribute to Hulk Hogan, who isn't dead, but might as well be, after what Earthquake did to him. That final shot of the door closing on Hogan's locker is especially over the top cheesy. This segues into Vince bringing the Hulkster out for an in-ring interview, to hype the showdown with 'Quake at SummerSlam. There were a lot of issues with Warrior's title reign, but not least of them is that he never connected with the fans on an emotional level the way Hogan did. Hulk seems relatable and HUMAN here, as opposed to Warrior's promos where you couldn't relate (or even follow) anything he was saying most of the time. This goes on until Earthquake and Dino Bravo show up to attack, but Tugboat runs in to save before they can do any damage

Gene Okerlund and Alfred Hayes go on safari, in a throwback to the early days of the series

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Demolition v The Rockers: This is the weak Smash/Crush version, with Ax on the outside. Smash starts with Marty Jannetty, and immediately hammers him down, but misses a charge in the corner, and Marty armdrags him over, then sends him to the outside with a dropkick. The Demos try doubling up, but Shawn Michaels rushes in, and the Rockers clean house with stereo headscissors. Dust settles back on Smash and Marty, and a criss cross ends in a blind tag to Shawn for a takedown - only for him to run into a lariat from Crush. Crush tosses Michaels around, but Marty comes in for a quick double-team, and tags in. He hits a (mistimed) 2^nd rope flying sunset flip for two, then back to Shawn for a flying axehandle. Back to Marty for another one, as the Rockers stick-and-move, but a cheap shot from Ax on the outside puts Jannetty down, and the champs cut the ring in half. Smash looks lethargic and Crush looks unsure of himself here, but Marty's bumping is carrying things fine. He gets away from Crush long enough for the tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! The Rockers clear Crush out to setup a tandem-superkick on Smash, followed by a tandem-flying fistdrop, but Crush breaks the count at two. Shawn tries a rollup, but Ax hits him with a lariat behind the referee's back, and switches off with Smash to score the pin at 9:31. However, here come the Hart Foundation and the Legion of Doom to protest, and it's too bad Triangle or Four Corners matches weren't a thing in 1990, because that would have been a helluva thing for SummerSlam. ** ½ (Original rating: * ¼)

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Mr. Perfect v Tito Santana: Perfect had beaten Santana in a tournament final to win the title a couple of months prior. He hammers him to start, but runs into a hiptoss during a criss cross, and a dropkick sends him to the outside. Tito follows for some abuse on the floor (with Perfect's usual overselling out in full force), but he telegraphs a backdrop on the way back in, and Perfect puts him down. Swinging kneelift and a standing dropkick follow, but Tito slugs back, so Perfect hits him with a bodyslam, then grounds him with a headvice. Tito slugs out of that as well, so Perfect tries a corner whip, but misses a charge in, and Tito clotheslines him down. The crowd is totally buying into Santana as a threat here, and in a big way. Tito mounts his comeback and applies the Figure Four, but the referee is down after colliding with them in the corner, and there's no one to check for the submission. Santana lets off to try and revive him, then blasts Perfect with the diving forearm for a dramatic two from the dazed official! Tito is understandably annoyed, but stays focused with a 2^nd rope clothesline for another slow two count. The referee is still unable to so much as get to his feet, so they finally wake up and send a replacement out, despite Bobby Heenan's hilarious protests! Perfect recovers, but walks into a bodypress for two, so he jabs his challenger in the face to slow him down. Chops in the corner setup a snapmare, and Perfect follows with a somersault necksnap. Savate kick and an earringer leave Santana in trouble, but he manages to turn the tables on a slugfest in the corner - Perfect flying over the top on an uppercut! Tito brings him right back in to continue the beating, and an inverted atomic drop is followed by the standard version for two! Backdrop is countered with the PerfectPlex, but Tito counters back with an inside cradle - only for Perfect to reverse to retain at 10:11. Good finish to a hard fought, dramatic match! *** ½ (Original rating: **)

Kerry Von Erich v Buddy Rose: This is Von Erich's WWF debut. Wow, Rose really let himself go. And the announcers make no shortage of references to it. Von Erich with a pair of bodyslams early on, and a pair of cross corner whips. A dropkick (only one?!?) gets two, and a series of rights puts Buddy on the outside. Back in, Rose rakes the eyes to setup a snapmare, and a kneedrop follows. He goes up, but Kerry slams him down, and the Discus Punch finishes at 3:09. Just a squash. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: A really fun episode, with three entertaining title matches (including the very good Intercontinental title bout), an exciting debut, and the return of Hulk Hogan as part of the build for SummerSlam