Written By: Matt Peddycord
WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event #22
July 29, 1989
Worcester, MA
The Centrum
(Taped on 7/18/1989)
The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Hulk Hogan (4/2/1989)
Intercontinental Champion: Rick Rude (4/2/1989)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (3/27/1988)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)
TONIGHT! Macho & Scary Sherri want to get together and roast Beefcake’s wiener BBQ-style! The Brain Busters make Demolition HOT! Also, Hulk Hogan shows us he’s been brushing up on his Elvis tunes! When I think of crazy stuff like this, it must mean its time for Saturday Night’s Main Event!
Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jesse “The Gypsy Biker” Ventura!
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart)
Honky’s nothing more than the “challenger of the month” here. Honky tries to take a whack at Hogan with his GEETAR down on the floor, but Hogan yanks him out of the ring and beats him up the entrance way. Jimmy Hart leaps on Hogan’s back, so Hogan walks Jimmy into the ring and rams the little guy in the corner. Honky follows suit, but gets nailed all over the ring. Hogan delivers an atomic drop for Honky to do his oversell. NOW Hogan can rip off his t-shirt! Next up, Jimmy gets pulled into the ring for a DOUBLE-NOGGIN KNOCKER! Hulk chases Honky out to the floor while Jimmy comes around the corner and KABONGS Hogan in the back. Honky brings Hogan into the ring and starts working on the Hulk’s back. Hogan stands up out of a rear chinlock and drives Honky face-first into the turnbuckle, but Honky comes back with a clothesline. Honky sets up for the SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL and delivers! Honky decides to dance rather than make a quick cover. When he does finally cover, it’s HULK-UP TIME! Hogan hits three of his signature punches and then Big Boots Honky out to the floor. Hulk grabs the GEETAR and nails both Jimmy and Honky, and then tosses Honky in the ring for the LEG DROP to finish. (6:15) A Hogan formula-type match in every sense of the definition. “Rugged Referee” Ron Garvin gets in the ring to celebrate with the Hulkster in a bizarre moment. ½*
Greg Valentine vs. Jimmy Snuka – Special Referee: Ron Garvin
Why is “Rugged” Ron Garvin a referee, you ask? Well, he lost a “Loser Must Retire” match to Greg Valentine after some tight-pulling. Instead of quitting wrestling altogether, he becomes a WWF referee. He’s the kind of ref who doesn’t take crap from anybody, too. In fact, he’ll punch you in the face if you mess with him. This also happens to get him in trouble, which WWF President Jack Tunney addresses and warns Garvin to chill the crap out or he’s suspended. Valentine attacks from behind to start, but Snuka comes back with chops and a Jumping Headbutt. Snuka comes off the middle rope for something, but Valentine catches him in the face with his SHIN GUARD! Valentine kicks Snuka out to ringside and doesn’t let him get back in the ring to get under Garvin’s skin. Garvin finally has enough of that and shoves Valentine away from the ropes. Meanwhile, Snuka shows up on the top rope on the other side of the ring. Garvin nails Valentine into a Flying Bodypress for 1-2-3! (3:15) Nice little upset win to further the Garvin/Valentine feud. *
Randy Savage (w/Sensational Sherri) vs. Brutus Beefcake
Beefcake loves saying Scary Sherri a little too much, so in return he received a haircut from the Macho Man on the Brother Love Show to set this one up. Savage tries to pull a fast one on Beefcake to start by using Sherri as bait, but Beefcake doesn’t fall for it and decides to choke Savage down with his ring jacket. Beefcake avoids a corner charge and catches Savage with a crossbody block for two. Beefcake goes after Sherri on the apron, but Beefcake doesn’t let Savage stop him there either. He nails Savage with the High Knee for 1-2-NO! Savage fires back and attempts the Bossman Straddle, but Beefcake moves out of the way and gives Savage a High Knee off the apron. Beefcake heads out after Savage, but Sherri gets put in his path. Back in, Sherri grabs hold of Beefcake’s foot to give Savage the opening for a double-sledge. Savage tosses Beefcake back out and comes off the top for a double-ax handle! Nice series of moves there. Sherri gets in some kicks before Savage brings Beefcake back in the ring. Savage calls for the Macho Elbow, but Beefcake counters with an inside cradle while Sherri is up on the apron. She hops down to give Beefcake a 1-2-NO! Savage catches Beefcake immediately with a back elbow for two. Beefcake surprises Savage with a backslide for two, but then gets choked in the ropes a WHOLE bunch by both Sherri and Savage. Savage comes off the top for a Double-Sledge, but Beefcake catches him in the gut on the way down. Beefcake calls for the Sleeper Hold, but then he ducks low off a whip. Heel miscommunication ensues, but then Beefcakes misses a corner charge. Savage runs at Beefcake, but he takes a backdrop clear out to the floor! When Savage gets up, he motions for Sherri to go get a certain someone in the locker room. After the commercial break, we see Beefcake in control of Savage. That is, until Savage gets in a desperation hotshot for two. Sherri is on her way back to ringside with the almighty ZEUS! Beefcake comes back with a sunset flip for two, and then catches Savage coming off the ropes in the SLEEPER. Now it’s time for Zeus to hop in the ring and beat Beefcake down for the DQ. (9:48 shown) Zeus lifts Beefcake up in a bearhug as Hogan runs in for the save. Zeus NO-SELLS all of Hulk’s offense, as Zeus grabs Hogan in a bearhug! Savage even comes off the top with a double-ax handle to the back for a pretty cool tag team finishing move. Beefcake finally stops Zeus with a rake to the eyes as the heels try to give Hogan a haircut. Zeus puts Beefcake back in the bearhug! Hogan grabs a chair and nails Zeus in the back, but even that has no effect on this guy. Now both Beefcake and Hogan have chairs while the heels remain strong! Savage tries to calm Zeus down as they look set for SummerSlam. Possibly Beefcake’s best match to this point. I actually enjoyed the involvement of Zeus for some reason. Maybe it was just how he totally treated Hogan like a nobody. **¾
WWF World Tag Team Champions Demolition vs. The Brain Busters (w/Bobby Heenan) – 2/3 Falls
1st Fall: Since the Demos got themselves DQ’ed at the last SNME against the Brain Busters, they now have to try and beat the Busters in a 2/3 falls match. It just goes to show, kids: be careful how you show your anger, because it could come back to bite you and take your WWF tag team titles away from you. Demolition control Tully to start, as the tag-team games of the Busters fail against the power of the Demos. The Busters regroup as Arn tags to take on Smash. Arn gets tripped up and placed in the Demolition for a bunch of pounding. Arn escapes and goes after Smash’s knee before he makes a tag to Tully. Smash fires back and hooks on a bearhug, but Tully thumbs out and tags in Arn. Tully gets a blind tag and dropkicks Arn on top of Smash. Arn tags in again and delivers an oh so glorious Spinebuster, but is slow to cover and gets only two. The Busters miss a double-clothesline. Ax nails Tully while Smash gets a desperation hotshot on Arn for 1-2-3. (5:00) Demolition – 1 Brain Busters – 0
2nd Fall: Demolition starts off where they began in the first fall and that’s in total control. Both Demos work a neck vice on Arn until he finally fights out and a tag to Tully. Now with the Busters taking over, they concentrate on the neck and throat of Ax. Tully eventually ducks low off a whip to set up the HOT TAG TO SMASH! He goes SLAM CRAZY on the Busters and then sends Heenan into the ringpost from the apron. Now Ax comes in for some double-teaming. Andre comes down to protest while Tully receives a DEMOLITION DECAPITATION. The ref gets tired of the blatant double-teaming and DQ’s the Demos. (10:00 total) Demolition – 1 Brain Busters – 1
3rd Fall: The Demos control Tully to start, but once again Tully thumbs out and tags in Arn as we take a look at Andre hanging around ringside. Double-KO spot leads to a hot tag to Smash. Blanchard sells like he’s being shot out of a cannon on every move. Ax and Arn go to the floor while in the ring, Tully flips out of a suplex, which leads to some heel miscommunication problems. While the ref gets Ax out of the ring, Andre tosses a chair into Tully. CHAIR SMASH to Smash! Arn turns over and covers for the 1-2-3 to win the titles. (13:04 total) Thus ends the LONGEST tag title reign ever in the history of the WWE. You think London and Kendrick’s tag title reign has been long? Demolition held their belts SIX MONTHS longer than those two. That’s a LONG title run. Not as good as their first SNME meeting because there was just too much Demolition offense, and the Busters weren’t able to play the fun tag team games that they’re best known for. Still a solid match. Demolition – 1 Brain Busters – 2 **½
Final Thoughts: If not quite as spectacular workrate-wise as the last two SNMEs, this show is an important setup to the SummerSlam main event and a huge deal to witness the Brain Busters finally grab hold of some gold that doesn’t have the words NWA on them. Plus, Beefcake and Savage have a good match together. I’ll go with thumbs in the middle.