WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XIV Review

WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XIV Review
January 29, 2014 (Edited May 27, 2025)
By Ryan Porzl

Event: Saturday Night's Main Event XIV
Tagline: None
Date: January 2, 1988
Location: Landover, Maryland
Live or Tape: Tape (Taped December 7, 1987)
Arena: Capital Center
Attendance: 13,000
Announcers: Vince McMahon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Interviewers: “Mean” Gene Okerlund and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Other: None
Broadcast: NBC

We start with the intro promos. Jake “The Snake” Roberts says 1988 is a new year for him and Damien. He and Damien invite Mr. Fuji and Sika to a New Years party. He plans to change their futures with Damien and the DDT.

Jimmy Hart asks Greg Valentine what you get with Koko and his bird Frankie? Greg doesn't know and Hart says one bird and one birdbrain. Valentine says he'll scramble Koko's brains with the hammer.

Strike Force say strike hard, strike first, strike force Bolsheviks beware.

Slick is with the Bolsheviks and says it will be a real Russian revolution and their heads will roll. Slick wishes his and the Bolsheviks fans a happy new year.

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan says he's stepping aside so Andre the Giant will manage King Kong Bundy tonight.

Hulk Hogan says Bundymania makes him sick just listening to it. He says even if he has to get past that big nasty giant, he'll show Bundymania is dead and Hulkamania lives forever as we go to intro.

Vince and Ventura open the show, wish us a happy new year, and preview the matches.

Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan as he's exercising. Okerlund wishes him happy new year. Hogan says he's in shape to crawl the hottest desert, swim the deepest sea, and climb the highest mountain. It would be a happy new year to destroy Bundymania and to get his hands on that nasty, stinking, giant. Short and fine.

Okerlund interviews Slick and the Bolsheviks. Okerlund tells Slick he has to be impressed with Strike Force. Slick says they're not impressed but depressed at Strike Force. He accuses them of spreading capitalistic propaganda to all the brothers and sisters of the world. Slick says the kids should listen to the Bolsheviks as they bring their message of good sportsmanship and citizenship. Okerlund brings up strategy with Slick saying Mikhail Gorbaschev flew to Washington DC to discuss strategy. Lousy promo.

We get a clip of Strike Force winning the tag team titles from the Hart Foundation on the November 7, 1987 edition of Superstars of Wrestling.

Okerlund interviews Strike Force. Tito Santana says he proud of himself and proud of his partner. Rick Martel says they'll make 1988 the year of Strike Force as they'll be striking hard and striking with lightning force. Okerlund brings up the Bolsheviks and that they're big men. Santana says no doubt but that's how they like it because he know what he and Martel have deep in their heart and hope to be victorious with the world behind them. Easily one of the whitest meat babyface promos I ever heard.

WWF World Tag Team Championship/2 out of 3 falls: Strike Force (c) vs. The Bolsheviks (w/Slick)- Kind of hard to believe the Bolsheviks getting a title shot even if it is to make the champions look good. There's some history here as Strike Force eliminated the Bolsheviks in less than two minutes at Survivor Series in November.

First Fall- Santana and Zhukov start with Zhukov hitting a knee to the stomach and applies a side headlock. Santana whips Zhukov to the ropes but Zhukov comes off with a shoulder block. Zhukov runs the ropes but Santana catches him with a bodyslam. Zhukov kicks Santana off and hits a hip toss but Santana kicks him off as he tries follow up. Santana gets an armdrag and applies an armbar. Tag to Martel as Zhukov gets whipped to the ropes with Strike Force catchig him with a double punch. Martel hooks an arm wringer and we get some quick tags and armwork from SF until Zhukov forearms Martel off. Tag to Volkoff who attempts a press slam but Martel escapes and gets an O'Connor roll for 2. Volkoff gets a forearm but Martel gets a small package for 2. Volkoff gets control with a knee to the stomach. Tag to Zhukov who hits a few forearms and attempts to ram Martel into the corner but Martel blocks and rams Zhukov into the corner. Tag to Santana who tries for an irish whip but Zhukov reverses, Zhukov misses the clothesline, and Santana comes off the ropes gets a high cross body but Volkoff breaks the pin at 2. Illegal switch as Martel argues with referee Joey Marella sees Volkoff now in the ring. Volkoff whips Santana to the ropes and catches him a clothesline for 2. Volkoff works over Santana with knees and chokes him with the ropes. Martel starts arguing with the ref which allows the heels to illegally switch. Zhukov hits a belly-to-back suplex for 2. Chinlock is applied. Santana tries to fight out but Zhukov nails a bodyslam. Zhukov comes off the ropes but misses the elbow. Zhukov tries to block Santana from tagging but Santana ultimately gets the hot tag. Martel starts working over Zhukov. Martel whips Zhukov to the ropes and gets a hip toss. He nails Volkoff for good measure. We get a funny bit with Ventura saying Vince likes that but Vince says Martel was just warming up. Gotta love Vince trying to insult Ventura's intelligence. Martel whips Zhukov to the ropes and gets a back body drop. Martel hooks on the Boston Crab. Santana blocks Volkoff from coming in and Zhukov taps to make it 1-0 for Strike Force to a big pop as we go to commercial.

Second Fall- We're back with Santana dropkicking Volkoff over and out of the ring. SF double team whip Zhukov to the ropes and catch him with a double dropkick to a pop. Martel hits a bodyslam and applies the crab again but Volkoff breaks it up. Santana comes in to fight off Volkoff but gets sent back to his corner by the ref which allows Volkoff to work over Martel and illegally switch. Volkoff hits a hot shot and gutwrench suplex for 2. Big backbreaker gets 2. Volkoff rams Martel into Zhukov's boot and tags Zhukov. Martel tries to fight back but no luck and Zhukov nails a few headbutts into Martels' back. Tag to Volkoff who works over Martel with headbutts and forearms. Martel eventually kicks Volkoff with a kangaroo kick in the corner and goes for the tag but Volkoff drops a double ax handle and tags Zhukov. The Bolsheviks whip Martel to the rope and hit a double elbow. Volkoff stays in the ring for some reason, hits a knee drop, and goes for the pin but gets 2. Volkoff whips Martel to the ropes but lowers his head too early and Martel comes off the ropes with a sunset flip for 2. Martel comes off the ropes but collides into Volkoff and now they're both down. Both tag out and Santana works over Zhukov. Santana whips Zhukov to the corner and catches Zhukov coming out with a dropkick. Santana catches Volkoff coming in with a dropkick. Dropkicks galore until Santana hits the flying forearm but Volkoff breaks the pin at 1. Martel comes in but gets sent back by the referee. Slick hands Volkoff his cane but heel miscommunication results in Volkoff hitting Zhukov with the cane and Santana pins to retain at 7:55. It's the Bolsheviks. Were you expecting anything else but a clean sweep?

Thoughts: ** Solid big man/little man match that the crowd was into which is good and good action. A complaint I had is maybe it was me but I never really got into Strike Force and really think the WWF should've went with either the Rougeau Brothers or the Killer Bees during this period as champions. It just seems to be SF was given the belts because Martel was already planned to get the belts before the Can-Am Connection imploded. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks were also impossible to get into as title challengers since they were at the bottom of the tag team totem pole and it doesn't help Strike Force is coming off squashing them at Survivor Series. The 2/3 stip made no sense since it went 2-0. For some reason, the WWF really liked having 2 out of 3 fall tag title matches on Saturday Night's Main Event even if it wasn't needed,

Okerlund interviews Mr. Fuji who has a jar of mustard (we can tell it's mustard cause that's what the jar says). Sika come in with a huge sub bun. Okerlund is oblivious to what this means so Fuji tells him Damien is dinner and spreads some mustard on the bun. Short but entertaining. Fuji doesn't get enough love as a manager.

Okerlund interviews Jake Roberts who isn't concerned and neither is Damien. Roberts says when you step foot in that squared circle, he respects them but they got to expect the DDT, the most awesome hold in professional wrestling. He tells Sika if he expects Roberts to walk up to him and slap him across the face than he's wrong because if he were to rob a bank, he do it through the back door. Damien will wrap Mr. Fuji like a pretzel and stuff him in the mustard. Solid promo from Roberts.

Jake Roberts vs. Sika (w/Mr. Fuji)- Tie up to start with Sika muscling Roberts into the corner but he misses a chop. Sika charges but Roberts gets an armdrag. Another armdrag follows and Roberts hooks in the wristlock before getting an arm wringer. Sika tries to fight out but Roberts jabs him and keeps reapplying the hold. Roberts gets an armbar, Sika whips Roberts to the ropes, misses the clothesline, and Roberts grabs the ropes to stop himself. Roberts gets Sika into the corner a nails a few shoulder blocks. Sika blocks the irish whip by holding the ropes. Sika gets a chop and takes control of the match. Roberts gets whipped to the corner but hits the brakes before hitting the turnbuckles. Roberts comes back with a punch and comes off the ropes but Sika catches him with a back body drop. Sika starts raking Roberts' back & stomach. Sika distracts the ref which allows Fuji to nail Roberts with his cane twice to boos. Sika hits a headbutt and rakes the back again. Trapeze hold is applied. Sika releases the hold and whips Roberts to the rope but lowers his head too early and Roberts comes off the ropes with a knee lift. Roberts works over Sika with jabs. Roberts comes off the ropes with a punch but Sika is still standing. Roberts tries to come off the ropes but Fuji grabs his foot. Sika hits a chop and whips Roberts to the corner but misses the charge and Roberts rolls him up for the win at 3:35 to a pop. After the match, Sika charges at Roberts but Roberts back body drops him out of the ring leaving Fuji alone. Fuji tries to swing his cane but takes the DDT and gets the Damien treatment to a big pop.

Thoughts: 1/2* Ok while it lasted but it was only on just to fill time.

Okerlund interviews Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, King Kong Bundy, and Andre the Giant. Heenan says he's not managing Bundy because of doctor's order due to a broken neck so Andre will be out there. Bundy says Hulkamania is dead while Andre says Bundymania lives which sounds funny. Okerlund questions if Heenan is scared. Bundy brings up Hogan grabbing Heenan by the neck but won't do it to him or Andre. Andre says he won't do it to anyone. Fine promo. Like Andre's cheerleading.

Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan. Hogan says he had a dark cloud in 1987. He was struck by lightning and Bundy got his hand raised in victory. Hogan says with Andre in Bundy's corner that he might get struck again. He says his man Ronald Reagan called a submit meeting of the super power of Hulkamania and Reagan. Hogan says Reagan didn't come to him for battle plans but that he was a Hulkamaniac. He says he made Reagan roll up his sleeve, show the four lane highway on his biceps, and he said Reagan was a Hulkamaniac with the prayers and vitamins in tact. Hogan says he has enough to wipe out Bundymania forever and to get his hands on that nasty Giant. That's one of the reasons why Hogan is awesome on promos. Most people that talk about interacting with world leaders and celebrities sound so cliché while Hogan makes it so funny and over the top.

WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) vs. King Kong Bundy (w/Andre the Giant)- I must point out a big error in the production. During the pre tape interview, Hogan was wearing a bandana and was drenched in sweat yet when he comes out he has a headband and he's dry.

Tie up to start with Hogan winning by shoving Bundy into the corner and poses for added insult. Nice to see George Zahorian was earning that check. Bundy charges but Hogan dodges and Bundy crashes into the corner. Hogan gives Bundy a tour of the ring by ramming in three corners. Hogan chops at Bundy. Hogan whips Bundy to the ropes and nails the big boot which sends Bundy to the outside to a pop. Andre consoles Bundy on the outside as Bundy tries to regroup. Back in, Hogan kicks Bundy and hits a few bionic elbows. Hogan whips Bundy to the ropes, comes off the other side, and connects with the ax bomber to a good pop. Bundy bails to regroup. Bundy muscles Hogan to the ropes but Hogan blocks a forearm and hits some punches. A running punch sends Bundy to canvas. Hogan applies an arm wringer but Bundy muscles out and pulls Hogan's hair to pull him down to the canvas. Hogan makes it back up and punches out.

Hogan comes off the ropes with a shoulderblock but Bundy's still standing. A second connects and Bundy won't go down. Hogan attempts a third, Bundy misses a clothesline but catches Hogan with an elbow as he's running off the ropes. Bundy wraps the arm on the ropes and then rams it into the corner. Wristlock is applied and Bundy pulls Hogan down the canvas with his hair before transitions to an armbar. Hogan gets up and in a nice bit of psychology, Hogan starts slapping the arm Bundy's working on to get the blood flow into it. Hogan punches out again and hits the bodyslam to a good pop but misses an elbow with the bad arm. Bundy starts fighting back and hits a bodyslam but misses two elbow drops. Hogan gets up and starts fighting back. Hogan whips Bundy to the corner and follows with a clothesline. Hogan attempts another whip but Bundy reverses and whips Hogan into the corner. As the referee checks on Hogan, Bundy hits the avalanche and crushes the referee in the process.

Bundy misses the splash to a pop and Hogan comes back with punches. A running punch and a wind-up punch sends Bundy to the outside. We then get a time out as the referee was legitimately injured by Bundy and they have to stretcher him out as we go to break. We're back as Dave Hebner is the new referee while Bundy comes back in the ring. Bundy rakes the eyes to take control and works over Hogan in the corner. Bundy whips Hogan to the ropes and catches him with a clothesline. Knee drop gets 2. Andre complains of the count while Bundy chops Hogan over the top rope and to the floor. Hogan tries to get back in but Bundy hammers him off the apron. Hogan makes it back to the apron but Bundy hits him again and Hogan falls on the apron. As Hogan rolls in, Bundy steps on the chest and neck. Bundy whips Hogan to the ropes and hits a shoulderblock. Knee drop gets 2. Bundy applies a chinlock. Bundy gets up, whips Hogan to the corner, and hits the avalanche but doesn't cover.

Bundy gets Hogan up, whips him to the corner, and hits a second avalanche. Splash gets 2 as Hogan hulks up. Hogan no-sells the punches and reverses an irish whip with Bundy going chest first in the corner and collapses to the canvas. Hogan comes off the ropes with the leg drop to retain at 12:09. After the match, Andre sneaks up on Hogan, hits the headbutt, and starts choking him. The British Bulldogs come out but can't pull Andre off. They try to attacking him but no effect. Andre hits them with the noggin knocker and tosses them. As Andre comes back to choking, Strike Force, Junkyard Dog, and Jake Roberts come out to get Andre off but no luck. Finally “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan comes out and hits Andre with the 2x4 which has no effect but it distracts Andre long enough for the others to pull Hogan out of the ring. Andre then holds the WWF Championship to the crowd. This segment was decent as the Andre beatdown was good but everything after that was silly. I get Andre is a big, nasty giant and all but six guys pulling on him while another hits him with a 2x4 should've had an effect. He's a giant not indestructible.

Thoughts: **1/2 Better than the previous SNME match but not as good as the Wrestlemania 2 encounter. Had some good action and I liked the little things like Hogan trying to slap his arm that Bundy was working on to get some blood flow. Perhaps my biggest complaint wasn't the match but Ventura's commentary which got extremely annoying and whiny by the end. I get his a pro heel but jeez. Even worse, the feud was over and Bundy was on his way out so why try to create controversy when there wasn't going to be another match? This was it for Bundy as he left the WWF right around the time this aired though he did come back for a one shot at a March MSG show as a favor. Bundy would largely go into semi-retirement until 1993 and we wouldn't see him in the WWF again until 1994.

Ventura interviews Jimmy Hart and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine as we begin a lowlight for the next two years of SNMEs. I don't get why Ventura was interviewing when they had Craig DeGeorge and later, Sean Mooney there and pro-heel or not, I'm not interesting in him slobbering over the heels. Ventura wishes them a happy new year while Hart is happy it's Ventura interviewing them instead of Okerlund. Valentine says things couldn't be better with Jimmy Hart who he refers to a giant in the business in Hart instead of Beefcake. Nothing special and again, Ventura's interviewing isn't entertaining.

Okerlund interviews Koko B. Ware who says they're featherweights. Okerlund brings up Valentine talking about Beefcake more but Koko says he's talked with Beefcake and he learned how to clip the feathers off Valentine. Not much of a promo.

Greg Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Koko B. Ware- Valentine had just reunited with Jimmy after the the break-up of the New Dream Team. Specifically, I believe it was the weekend after Survivor Series.
Tie up to start with Valentine whipping Koko to the ropes but Koko hits a shoulderblock. Koko comes off the ropes and jumps but Valentine catches him and drops him on the ropes with a hot shot. Valentine hits an elbow and then comes off the ropes with another elbow for 2. Valentine works over Koko with chops and elbows. Figure four is blocked and Koko kicks Valentine off. Valentine muscles Koko into the corner and hits a few chops and knees. Valentine comes off the top with a diving double ax handle. Elbow drop gets 2 for Valentine. Valentine applies a chinlock. Valentine lets go, hits a bionic elbow, and throws Koko to the outside. Koko gets back on the apron but Valentine sets him up on the ropes and forearms the chest. Back in, Valentine whips Koko to the ropes and hits a clothesline. Valentine get a few 2 counts as Brutus Beefcake comes out. The two argue until Koko gets a few near falls. The referee sends Beefcake to the back as we go to commercial.

We're back as Valentine whips Koko to the corner and hits a chop. Valentine whips Koko to another corner and catches him coming out with a back body drop. Elbow drop get 2. Another pin gets 2. Valentine tries another pin but doesn't get it. Valentine works over Koko and hits a bodyslam. He climbs to the top but Koko grabs him and throws him off the ropes to a pop. Koko starts to come back with punches and a headbutt which knocks Valentine down. Second turbuckle fist drop gets 2. Koko gets a side headlock and more punches but Valentine escapes with a shinbreaker and applies the figure four leglock for the submission at 7:30. After the match, Valentine hooks the figure four back on until Brutus Beefcake comes out and chases him away. Beefcake goes back to the ring with Koko holding on to Jimmy Hart and Beefcake cuts some of his hair. A preview for Wrestlemania IV.

Thoughts: DUD Just an extended squash. The match was there to reestablish Valentine as a singles wrestler afters years as a tag team wrestler which is great and all but this type of match should go 3-5 minutes not nearly 8.

Okerlund interviews Andre the Giant and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Andre says it felt good when he choked Hogan and wants to do it again and again. He won't stop until he has the belt. Heenan says 1988 is going to be his year, a new year for the Heenan Family, and new year for Andre. He then mentions how he'll get Andre more money than ever and vaguely says how he's this close to the biggest deal in sports. Short and to the point. Also nice tease for Heenan obviously referencing his deal with Dibiase coming up.

Okerlund is now with Ventura who loves what happened. The only problem was it wasn't a title match. Okerlund updates us on Hogan and that he's breathing on his own while Ventura mocks tears.

We now go to Vince, Ventura, and Okerlund to sign off.

Final Thoughts and Verdict
Saturday Night's Main Event 14 was a solid TV special show. The negatives were Roberts/Sika just seemingly being thrown together in a short match while Valentine/Koko went too long for what they were shooting for. The title matches were decent TV matches that were fine though the Tag Title match didn't need to go 2 out of 3 falls while the WWF Championship was done better at Wrestlemania 2. Still, I guess the WWF Championship match is worth it if your a Bundy fan and want to see his last big match before he left. We also got a nice, though a bit over the top, Andre/Hogan encounter which hypes the long awaited rematch which was on the horizon.

Mild Recommendation.

Saturday Night's Main Event 14 Facts-
Final Saturday Night's Main Event to use Obsession as the theme song until 2024.