5 Best WWE Saturday Night's Main Event Moments
A legendary institution from the Golden Age...
A few weeks ago now, news broke that WWE filed a new trademark on "Saturday Night's Main Event," and it's got some folks in a bit of a frenzy. In all likelihood, the filing is just to make sure that no other individual or company usurps their IP. Nonetheless, it's still fun to think about the possibilities, isn't it? Even if that last 2006-08 run *was* something of a dud.
In the years before Monday Night Raw (and Nitro) set the modern template for wrestling television shows, Saturday Night's Main Event was the trendsetter. Airing between four and six times a year between 1985 and 1990 (before limping into oblivion after that), SNME was sort of a half-Raw/half-pay-per-view, in that big matches, big angles, and memorable moments played out on big time NBC, during the WWF's true Golden Age. With Hulk Hogan as the star of Main Event, the WWF never saw larger TV audiences.
So while the filing is probably just a simple protective move and little else, let's have some fun and recall a few gems from SNME's glory years.
(Note: moments from the Friday night show The Main Event, including the Hulk-Andre title change, and the Mega Powers' dissolution, are not considered for this list. Different show, technically)
5. The Steel Cage Double-Finish (1987)
Hulk Hogan's three-year World title reign just about ended on a controversial non-finish, during a steel cage match with arch-nemesis Paul Orndorff. Both men began climbing out of the cage on opposite sides, and it was a footrace to the arena floor.
After each man landed, one referee declared Hogan winner, while the other said "Mr. Wonderful" was the new WWF champion. Unable to reach consensus, both heavyweights were sent back into the cage to brawl it out, and this time, Hogan beat Orndorff to the outside.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.