WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event #28 (10.13.90) review
October 13, 1990 (Taped: September 19, 1990)
We’re in Toledo, Ohio. Hosts are Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper, a combo that fills me with dread. You’d think they’d bounce off each other but Piper is in full cartoon mode and is therefore useless. I almost didn’t do this show because I couldn’t find it anywhere (boo, Network removal, boo). Luckily, WWE themselves had uploaded it onto their YouTube channel. So, we can maintain our 100% SNME streak. Is the show worth it though? Time will tell.
This is the Oktoberfest show. So, all the boys are in Bavarian gear and sinking pints.
Oh, Roddy. McMahon is unbearable here. So much more obnoxious than usual. The promos here are all done in front of green screen. I’m sure they’ve done that before, but it’s jarringly shit. When you pre-tape a bunch of stuff it takes me out of the moment.
Demolition vs. Ultimate Warrior & Legion of Doom
This Demos vs Roadies feud would go through to Survivor Series where Ax leaves the company. It speaks volumes about the current WWF champion that he’s handily the worst worker in this match. Ax is fucked and can barely move, and he still looks better than Warrior with his shitty gut kicks. Warrior can’t even roll into the ring properly. I’ve been making fun of Herb Abrams for hiring useless wrestlers, but Warrior is on that same level. I’ll never understand what Vince saw in him.
LOD don’t look too thrilled at playing second fiddle to this weirdo. Warrior eventually beats Smash. Demolition just got squashed here. They got next to nothing on anyone. It’s pretty clear McMahon has decided he doesn’t need them anymore.
Randy Savage vs. Dusty Rhodes
This is FINALLY the end of this awful feud. Savage has been wasting away all god damn year in this feud. Dusty emerges in a black and red polka dot cape and a top hat.
He goes over to the fans to hug one lucky young punter. Wait…Dustin? Dustin had been in WCW beforehand, tagging with Kendall Windham as the Texas Broncos. The marks the start of the feud where he’ll be tagging with his dad at the Royal Rumble. It will take a while until he’s any good, so don’t go expecting much.
There’s good news in the match though, as Randy (and Sherri) are so happy they don’t have to work with Dusty anymore they put some real ‘last match’ effort in. Either that or they’ve finally ironed out the kinks on a hundred house shows.
This is briefly paused while Dustin takes centre stage. Ted DiBiase and Virgil coming out here to try and get rid of him from ringside. Everybody has a price! Was Ted supposed to be bribing Dustin into joining his Million Dollar Corporation? To be fair, that would have been a sick angle. It works better than Sapphire that’s for damn sure. Instead, Ted and Virgil beat the piss out of the snot nosed punk. Dusty goes to make the save and gets counted out. Thus giving Randy the final word in this feud.
This was a good match. Like about **½. It’s probably the last time Dusty had a good singles match. He’d be involved in some fun stuff in the future but not singles. Dustin blades from being hit with a wooden chair and Dusty holds him while screaming “NOOOOOOO, MY SON, MY BOY”. Which is great. Dustin should have turned on him for putting him in danger.
This show has an assortment of nonsense from Oktoberfest. Lord Alfred Hayes getting tanked up and Gene Okerlund watching assorted antics. It’s kind of fun.
Rhythm & Blues vs. Hulk Hogan & Tugboat
This is apology to Fred for dumping him out of all the big programs end of the year. He gets to tag with the Hulkster on TV. Ottman was originally going to programmed as turning on Hogan and wrestling him at WrestleMania VII, if you can believe that. Sgt Slaughter took his spot when he became available. Tugboat ended up being one of the rare Hogan buddies who didn’t get pissed off and turn on him. Like Hillbilly Jim, he was simply too inoffensive to turn.
Tugboat will eventually turn heel, teaming with the guy who hurt Hogan this year, and forming the Natural Disasters. The match is nothing to write home about. Hogan sleepwalks through most of it and R&B are just here to take licks. Hammer looks like he’s given up. Tugboat decides to stop Hogan from winning to point out Earthquake & Dino Bravo are here. If he’d just…yanno…done nothing, then they would have won. Honky gets himself disqualified anyway by hitting Tugboat with his guitar. This was ok and very energised. **
Post Match, Quake, Bravo and R&B give Hogan a kicking. “Come on Tugger!” yells Roddy Piper. “This could be the end of Hulkamania” says Vince. I mean, it would have been fine if it was. Tugboat eventually makes the save and you have to think there was a booking sheet somewhere involving Tuggers turning on his boy here.
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Texas Tornado (c) vs. Haku
Tornado is on the graphic as “The Texas Tornado” Kerry von Erich and Vince calls him Kerry von Erich the whole time. Huh. It’s sad watching Kerry finally get the big contract and push and his body not able to help him get to that next level. He’s treating this as retirement, which is how a lot of the boys used to when they were called to New York. There’s a lot of rest holds and it’s dull.
Haku survives the CLAW. THE DREADED CLAW! However, while he’s still staggered, he’s flattened by the Discus Punch. This was too short and sluggish to mean anything. Again, I’m a little sad WWF fans never got the full Kerry von Erich experience. He was genuinely fantastic in Texas.
Koko B. Ware vs. Sgt Slaughter
Gee, I wonder who wins this? Jobber Koko or future Mania headliner Slaughter? General Adnan is out here flag waving for him. I’ve seen a lot of Adnan matches in AWA now and he stinks. He did debut in the 50s though, so I understand he may not be 100% in 1990. As with all night, this is fun and heated. It’s not a good match but it has heat. Considering Sarge is a few months off a Wrestlemania main event, he looks sluggish though. He’s only 42 years old but in wrestlers from the 80s should be measured in dog years. I’ve been watching him in AWA, and he’s been BAD. Sarge had a crap finisher at this point; rubbing his knuckles into the side of his opponent’s head. What was wrong with the Cobra Clutch lads?
The 411:
WWF is such an easy cartoonish show to watch. Especially compared to the other dirty wrestling shows like Tri-State and UWF. It’s clean-cut all-American fun. The Oktoberfest gimmick also gave us some laughs in between passable matches. This was an easy hour with the Fed. I blame Herb Abrams for dropping my standards with his terrible TV show.
