Search - WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event on DVD

Oh My !@#

LazyBoy83 | USA | 12/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Disc 1

Gene Okerlund - A Must See Attraction

WWE Championship Match
Hulk Hogan vs. `Cowboy' Bob Orton
Saturday Night's Main Event May 11, 1985

Uncle Elmer's Wedding
Saturday Night's Main Event October 5, 1985

`Rowdy' Roddy Piper vs. `Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff
Saturday Night's Main Event October 5, 1985

A Trip to the Zoo
Saturday Night's Main Event October 5, 1985

Gene Okerlund - Field Reporting

Halloween Contest
Saturday Night's Main Event November 2, 1985

WWE Championship Match
Hulk Hogan vs. Terry Funk
Saturday Night's Main Event January 4, 1986

Randy Orton Reflects on his Dad

Boxing Match
Mr. T. vs. `Cowboy' Bob Orton
Saturday Night's Main Event March 1, 1986

Gene Okerlund - Settling the Score

Snake Pit Match
Jake `the Snake' Roberts vs. Ricky `the Dragon' Steamboat
Saturday Night's Main Event October 4, 1986

Jake `the Snake' Reflects on Saturday Night's Main Event

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
`Macho Man' Randy Savage vs. Jake `the Snake' Roberts
Saturday Night's Main Event November 29, 1986

Gene Okerlund - The Steel Cage Match

Steel Cage Match
Hulk Hogan vs. `Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff
Saturday Night's Main Event January 3, 1987

Gene Okerlund - The 8th Wonder of the World

Battle Royal
Saturday Night's Main Event March 14, 1987

Natalya Neidhart Reflects on her Dad

Best 2 out of 3 Falls
Hart Foundation vs. British Bulldogs
Saturday Night's Main Event May 2, 1987

Gene Okerlund - Insurance Policy

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Honky Tonk Man vs. `Macho Man' Randy Savage
Saturday Night's Main Event October 3, 1987

Mega Power Formation
Saturday Night's Main Event October 3, 1987

The Union of the Mega Powers

"Piledriver" Music Video
Saturday Night's Main Event October 3, 1987

`Macho Man' Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart
Saturday Night's Main Event November 28, 1987

Extras

* First Ever Match on SNME
Ricky Steamboat & The US Express vs. The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff & George "The Animal" Steele
Saturday Night's Main Event - May 11, 1985

* "Real American" Music Video
Saturday Night's Main Event - March 1, 1986

Disc 2

Gene Okerlund - Turning Back the Clock

WWE Championship Match
Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy
Saturday Night's Main Event January 2, 1988

Gene Okerlund - The Rematch

WWE Championship Match
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant
Main Event February 5, 1988

Ted Dibiase Reflects on his Dad

`Macho Man' Randy Savage vs. `Million Dollar Man' Ted Dibiase
Saturday Night's Main Event March 12, 1988

Andre Passes Out
Saturday Night's Main Event March 12, 1988

Hulk Hogan vs. `The King' Harley Race
Saturday Night's Main Event March 12, 1988

Gene Okerlund - Macho Madness

`Macho Man' Randy Savage vs. Andre the Giant
Saturday Night's Main Event November 26, 1988

`Hacksaw' Jim Duggan Reflects on His Flag Match
Saturday Night's Main Event November 26, 1988

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Ultimate Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man
Saturday Night's Main Event January 7, 1989

Beefcake Shaves Ron Bass' head
Saturday Night's Main Event January 7, 1989

Gene Okerlund - A Supreme Alliance

Twin Towers vs. Mega Powers
Main Event February 3, 1989

Gene Okerlund - A Grueling Encounter

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Hulk Hogan vs. Big Bossman
Saturday Night's Main Event May 27, 1989

Best 2 out of 3 Falls
Rockers vs. Brain Busters
Saturday Night's Main Event November 25, 1989

Extras

* Brother Love Interviews Hulk Hogan
Saturday Night's Main Event - November 26, 1988

* Dusty Rhodes vs. Big Bossman - Sapphire's Debut
Saturday Night's Main Event - November 25, 1989

Disc 3

Gene Okerlund - Hogan vs. The Genius

Mr. Perfect & The Genius Smash the WWE Title
Saturday Night's Main Event November 25, 1989

Hulk Hogan & Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect & The Genius
Saturday Night's Main Event January 27, 1990

Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura on Horseback
Saturday Night's Main Event April 28, 1990

Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. Perfect
Saturday Night's Main Event April 28, 1990

Arrogance

Rockers vs. Hart Foundation
Saturday Night's Main Event April 28, 1990

Gene Okerlund - Intercontinental Competition

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Mr. Perfect vs. Tito Santana
Saturday Night's Main Event July 28, 1990

Oktoberfest
Saturday Night's Main Event October 13, 1990

20 Man Battle Royal
Saturday Night's Main Event April 27, 1991

Bret Hart vs. `Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase
Saturday Night's Main Event April 27, 1991

Gene Okerlund - FOX Takes Over

Undertaker & Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan & Sid
Saturday Night's Main Event February 8, 1992

Roddy Piper Shocks The Mountie
Saturday Night's Main Event February 8, 1992

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels
Saturday Night's Main Event November 14, 1992

Gene Okerlund - The Return

Street Fight
Shawn Michaels vs. Shane McMahon
Saturday Night's Main Event March 18, 2006

RKO on Hulk Hogan
Saturday Night's Main Event July 15, 2006

5 on 2 Elimination Match
D-Generation X vs. Spirit Squad
Saturday Night's Main Event July 15, 2006

Gene Okerlund - One of the Greatest Rivalries in Sports

WWE Championship Match
Edge vs. John Cena
Saturday Night's Main Event July 15, 2006

Gene Okerlund - Television History

Extras

* Alfred Hayes & Gene Okerlund Go On Safari
Saturday Night's Main Event - July 28, 1990
* Shawn Michaels Talks About Winning His First Intercontinental Title
* Matt Hardy Talks About Boxing Evander Holyfield"

The most important television show in wrestling history

Movie Fan | 02/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Saturday Night's Main Event debuted on NBC in 1985 it marked the return of professional wrestling to network television after being absent for decades and it drew monster ratings and set records that still stand today. Because PPV events didn't exist at the time, Saturday Night's Main Event was the only way to see top WWF wrestlers facing of against each other on television, and for the time the show really delivered some tremendous and unforgettable matches from the height of Hulk Hogan's break-out run as WWF champion that launched the Rock-n-Wrestling era in WWF that gave birth to WrestleMania. However, since most fans were probably kids when these matches originally aired, you have to ask if this is a mere trip down memory lane or are these matches actually as good as some may remember (or think they remember).

The good news is for the most part, the matches are pretty good. Don't get me wrong, you wont find any match of the year candidates, but where the matches lacked in ring work quality, they exceled in entertainment value. Most of these matches, especially from the first 3 years, were booked to the strengths of the wrestlers involved and were designed to tell entertaining stories, further storylines and create compelling angles. So you're going to get fun and exciting matches with that big time "main event" feel. Also, you will get a handful of surprisingly good, and possibly forgotten classic matches.

Mean Gene Okerlund hosts this DVD set and walks us thru the shows best moments in chronological order. Most of the matches include the pre-match interviews just as they originally aired, which is the best thing about this set. They could've just shown the matches from the beginning of the bell, but they included all the pre-match hype, which was one of the coolest things about Saturday Night's Main Event.
They also included some of the more memorable, or awful (depending on your point of view), skits from the show. Unfortunately, WWE decided not to purchase the rights to use "Obsession" by Animotion, which was the more popular theme song from the show. It's been replaced with one of the cheesiest and lamest attempts at '80s synth pop I've ever heard! But this set is all about the matches, and there are some good ones here...

Some reviewers have complained about the omission of Jake the Snake vs. Randy Savage from 1991 (early 1992?), but I'm glad that match wasn't included, because as I remember it was pretty dull. Instead, they included Jake the Snake vs. Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Title from 1986. This is an underrated classic in my opinion. Jake introduces the match and he calls it the best match both he and Randy had up to that point in their careers. I wouldn't go that far, but it's still a great match between two hot heels at the time.
Another rare match that's included is Bret Hart vs. Randy Savage. This is an excellent bout between two of the best workers in the company at the time. Randy Savage shines as the star he was and we got a glimpse into the brilliant singles career that was on the horizon for Bret Hart.
Tag team action is also well represented with two classic 2-out-of-3 fall matches that feature The Hart Foundation vs. the British Bulldogs and the Rockers vs. the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard for those who forgot their brief WWF run).
Epic angles are also included such as Hulk Hogan losing his first WWF title against Andre the Giant and the break-up of the Mega-Powers when Randy Savage turned on Hulk Hogan in a tag match against the Twin Towers (Big Boss Man and Akeem a.k.a. One Man Gang).
It's hard to argue with the matches that were selected for this set, but for my money, I would have loved to have seen Hogan vs. Orndorff because that was the match were "Rowdy" Roddy Piper officially turned face after being the most hated man in the promotion for years. Piper vs. Adrian Adonis would've been cool to see again too, where Adrian blinded Piper leading into their WrestleMania III match. However, all in all, this is a near perfect release.

With this release, the Starrcade DVD set and the Legends of Wrestling DVDs being released in the first quarter of 2009, I really can't see WWE coming out with anything else all year that can top these compilation DVDs. The only other comp release I'm looking forward to is the Wrestling Stars of the '90s set which will come pretty close.
For old school wrestling fans, it doesn't get any better than this Saturday Night's Main Event DVD set and the WWE Starrcade: The Essential Collection DVD set. Order them both and be prepared to relive some great memories and perhaps make some new ones."

LIVE FROM WWE, IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!

D.P. | California | 02/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before the days of Monday Night RAW, SmackDown, and ECW On Sci-Fi...there was one night every few weeks where you turned in to see the superstars fight each other along with witnessing huge developments going on in the WWF on network television. That night & show was "Saturday Night's Main Event." This is a DVD collection hosted by Mean Gene Okerland featuring the best of the show through matches & flashbacks to various segments with comments from those who were there like Jim Duggan & Jake Roberts along with current WWE personalities such as Natalya Neidhart, Randy Orton, Santino Marella, Randy Orton, The Miz, Joey Styles, Ted Dibiase Jr. (listen to what he had to say about the Million $ Belt), Matt Hardy, Matt Striker and others sharing their memories of the show.

Along with the matches, you'll relive various memorable & hysterical segments throughout the DVD...Uncle Elmer's wedding, Mean Gene looking for George "The Animal" Steele at the zoo, the WWF Halloween Party, Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage forming the Mega Powers, Andre The Giant passes out thanks to Jake Roberts & Damien, highlights of Jim Duggan's flag match, Brutus Beefcake shaving Bon Bass' head, Mr. Perfect destroying the WWF Title, Vince & Jesse Ventura riding horseback, Rick Martel showcasing his "Arrogance", WWE celebrating Oktoberfest (you have to see this one to believe it), Roddy Piper gives the Mountie a taste of his own medicine, and Randy Orton RKO'd Hulk Hogan. Other extras besides the bonus matches include Hulk Hogan's "Real American" music video, highlights of Junkyard Dog bring his mom to SNME for Mother's Day, "The Brother Love Show" featuring Slick & Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels reflecting on his first Intercontinental Championship win, Matt Hardy talking about his boxing match against Evander Holyfield, a classic segment featuring Alfred Hayes & Mean Gene going on Safari with cameo appearences from the "animal kingdom" that WWE had at that time along with hidden extras of Paul Orndorff telling a story regarding a chilli dog & Terry Funk reflecting on his match with Hulk Hogan.

Matches include:
WWE Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Bob Orton - The first main event on SNME with Mr. T & Roddy Piper in their partner's corner. Was a nice match overall.
(May 11, 1985)

Roddy Piper vs. Paul Orndorff - Piper always seemed to have a grand entrance around this time but that's all that was grand here as Jesse Ventura described this match perfectly, "This is just a street fight with ropes around it." You could count the number of wrestling moves on one hand as from start to finish. This got so out of control that it went from in the ring to ringside to under the announce booth all the way to the backstage area with everyone getting out the way.
(October 5, 1985)
[Also available on "Roddy Piper" DVD]

WWE Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Terry Funk - Terry Funk & his manager Jimmy Hart knew just how to get people entertained & laughing while enjoying the wrestling at the same time. Funk & Hogan was just an entertaining match to watch & I wish they did more with each other after watching this.
(January 4, 1986)
[Also available on Walmart bonus disc of "Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology"]

Boxing Match: Mr. T. vs. Bob Orton - This was a preview of WrestleMania 2 and was actually more entertaining than the Mania match with Piper.
(March 1, 1986)

Snake Pit Match: Ricky Steamboat vs. Jake Roberts - Before the match, you get the prematch promo with Jake Roberts & Damien in the shower which for anyone who saw Jake Roberts' DVD would get a laugh knowing the funny story behind it. This match had Damien & Steamboat's lizard in their corners. Great back & forth match with two of WWE's best inring workers at that time.
(October 4, 1986)

WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs. Jake Roberts - This was a rare heel vs. heel match with the crowd actually choosing sides & cheering Jake Roberts throughout the match. The Intercontinental Championship is known as the "workhorse" title & this match showcased why as both men put on a great performance.
(November 29, 1986)

Steel Cage Match: WWE Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff - The final encounter between their long feud. This was was no different than their previous matches in that it was real aggressive with the cage being a positive addition to the match that to this day is still debated amongst fans about who really won at one point.
(January 3, 1987)
[Also available on "History Of The WWE Championship"]

Battle Royal - This was leading up to WrestleMania III. Various highlights include Andre's punishment of Lanny Poffo & other various stars, the long awaited inring confrontation between Hogan & Andre, and interaction between other WrestleMania III opponetts such as Hercules, Billy Jack Haynes, Koko B. Ware, and Butch Reed.
(March 14, 1987)
[Also available on "WrestleMania III: Championship Edition"]

2 Out Of 3 Falls: British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation - This was a followup to the their WrestleMania III match as both Danny Davis & Tito Santana got invovled at times but overall, this was full of non-stop action that never had a dull moment.
(May 2, 1987)

WWE Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man vs. Randy Savage - This was so hardhitting between both men that Jimmy Hart ended up coming out worse than anyone else in the match but what happened afterwards was a moment that had a huge effect in the future of not just WWE but the careers of both Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan.
(October 3, 1987)

Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart - This was a dream match that I forgot happened but am happy that it made it's way to DVD. Jesse Ventura even stated it during the match that this was a matchup between two "wrestling mechanics" and he wasn't lying with great storytelling & selling by both men.
(November 28, 1987)

WWE Champion Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy - Andre The Giant was in Bundy's corner during this match as this was actually a good worked match between the two with Bundy targeting Hogan's arm at times. Overall, this match & the aftermath was just a preview of...
(January 2, 1988)

WWE Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant - ...this big rematch almost a year after WrestleMania III that ended in controversy that involved Ted Dibiase, Virgil, Earl & Dave Hebner in a moment that's still infamous in WWE history.
(February 5, 1988)
[Also available on "History Of The WWE Championship"]

Randy Savage vs. Ted Dibiase - Before they had their more memorable encounter in the finals of the WrestleMania IV tournament, they had a good match here with the "X" factor being Andre The Giant at ringside.
(March 12, 1988)

Hulk Hogan vs. Harley Race - A nice match that went back & forth between both men.
(March 12, 1988)
[Also available on Walmart bonus disc of "Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology"]

Randy Savage vs. Andre The Giant - On Jake Roberts' DVD, he stated that Andre used to "chew Savage up & spit him out" and you got that impression in this match as Andre dominated Savage here but this was more about what happened after Jake Roberts appeared at ringside.
(November 26, 1988)

WWE Intercontinental Champion Ultimate Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man - Unlike SummerSlam, you won't miss anything if you blink during this match as it was your average entertaining Ultimate Warrior match.
(January 7, 1989)

Mega Powers vs. Twin Towers - This was a good tag team match but the bigger story here was what happened between Hogan & Savage & Elizabeth that was building up for close to year at that point.
(February 3, 1989)

Steel Cage Match: WWE Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Big Boss Man - The conclusion of their long term feud but before the match even gets started, we see the "No Holds Barred" confrontation between Hogan & Zues. Average match with a "poetic justice" ending between not only Hogan & Boss Man but Slick as well.
(May 27, 1989)

2 Out Of 3 Falls: Rockers vs. Brain Busters - This was Tully Blanchard's last television appearence in WWE as you had a quality tag match between both teams along with the story behind the problems with the Busters & Heenan.
(November 25, 1989)

Hulk Hogan & Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect & The Genius - This was a red hot tag match with non-stop action & showcasing just how good of a worker Mr. Perfect was as you swore he was bouncing all over the place here but it was the aftermath here that helped setup an "Ultimate Challenge."
(January 27, 1990)

Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. Perfect - Unfortunally, this wasn't the quality that we got from their match on Perfect's DVD set as eventhough Perfect got a hit in here & there, this was all Hogan.
(April 28, 1990)
[Also available on "Hulk Still Rules"]

Rockers vs. Hart Foundation - The seeds of the infamous Hart/Michaels relationship were planted here as during their tag team years as the Hart Foundation were the stronger & more technical team while Rockers were the quicker & more flashy team. The match didn't go long but it followed the classic tag team wrestling formula of one team dominating with the other team building up to getting that hot tag from his partner with appearence of Demolition being a wild card here.
(April 28, 1990)
[Also available on "Bret 'Hitman' Hart" DVD]

WWE Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect vs. Tito Santana - I'll go as far as to call his a lost classic because this was a high quality match between both men who were true masters of their craft that showcased the true value of the Intercontiental Championship. Great match here.
(July 28, 1990)

20 Man Battle Royal - Just your average battle royal with a few suprizing "every man for himself" moments.
(April 27, 1991)

Bret Hart vs. Ted DiBiase - A good average match here with Senational Sherri at ringside & Roddy Piper on commentary.
(April 27, 1991)

Undertaker & Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan & Sid - Undertaker & Flair's (and technically Sid's too) only in-ring appearence on SNME in a tag match that saw the return of Brutus Beefcake, for the first time in almost two years since his career ending (at the time) injury, in Hogan's corner that was a fun match to watch but the bigger story here was what happened between Hogan & Sid during the match.
(February 8, 1992)

WWE Intercontinental Champion British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels - This match happened the week before that year's Survivor Series & was Bulldog's last match in the WWF until he returned in '94. The story here was HBK working on Bulldog's back which was injured during the match & HBK winning his first I.C. title after Bulldog couldn't hold the superplex off the top rope.
(November 14, 1992)
[Also available on "Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story"]

Street Fight Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Shane McMahon - The main event of the return of SNME and this was a real fun match to watch that saw Vince McMahon get involved at times with a "screwy" ending that I swore I saw before. One moment to look out for was both men suplexed off the ladder in the ring to the tables stacked on the outside.
(March 18, 2006)
[Also available on "WrestleMania 22"]

Elimination Match: D-Generation X vs. Spirit Squad - Just was just a glorified squash match but a very comedic one at that but pay attention to the funny one liner the commentators got in on our former President George Bush.
(July 15, 2006)
Also available on "The New & Improved DX"]

WWE Champion Edge vs. John Cena - This was probably the weakest of their television encounters because this was more about setting up their match at SummerSlam than having a quality match as the only highlight was what happened afterwards.
(July 15, 2006)

Bonus Matches:
Ricky Steamboat & U.S. Express vs. Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, George Steele - This was the first match on SNME which was a good six man tag with the bigger story being what happened afterwards that turned George Steele from a hated villian into a loved character.
(May 11, 1985)

Dusty Rhodes vs. Big Boss Man - This was an entertaining match for what it was but the bigger story was the debut of Dusty's own manager/mascot in "Sweet" Sapphire.
(November 25, 1989)

This isn't a DVD full of 5 star classic wrestling matches but a mixed of lost classics in either quality, emotional/memorable moments, and just classic entertainment of the then-World Wrestling Federation. If you were a heavy fan of WWE during the mid-80's to early 90's then you don't want to miss this walk down memory lane but for newer fans, I would still recommend because this was just great entertainment in & out of the ring overall."

Excellent. Only thing missing are the intros to each progra

D. Wedemeyer | Des Moines, IA | 02/18/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great DVD. The only thing missing are the program intros to each night it was on. The new SNME with Cena could have been left off though. Great DVD for anyone who is nostagic for 85-92 wrestling."