WWF
The Main Event I Review
February 3, 2014 (Edited October 1, 2025)
By Ryan Porzl
February 3, 2014 (Edited October 1, 2025)
By Ryan Porzl
Event:
The Main Event
I
Tagline: None
Date: February 5,1988
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Live or Tape: Live
Arena: Market Square Arena
Attendance: Unknown
Announcers: Vince McMahon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Interviewers: “Mean” Gene Okerlund
Other: None
Broadcast: NBC
Tagline: None
Date: February 5,1988
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Live or Tape: Live
Arena: Market Square Arena
Attendance: Unknown
Announcers: Vince McMahon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Interviewers: “Mean” Gene Okerlund
Other: None
Broadcast: NBC
In case you don't know, The Main Event
was a spinoff of Saturday Night's Main Event that aired once or twice
a year on Friday Night in prime time.
We start with the opening promos.
“Macho Man” Randy Savage with Miss Elizabeth and says he's
sending Honky Tonk Man on a one way ticket back to disgraceland.
Honky Tonk Man with Jimmy Hart says
Savage couldn't keep this belt or his woman happy and wasn't a good
tune up for his guitar. Hart says Savage is lucky Honky plays the
guitar and not the piano.
Ted Dibiase with Andre the Giant says
Andre's the true World Champion. Hulk Hogan may have the belt but it
will fit around Andre's waist like Andre's hands fit around Hogan's
neck. Andre says it felt good and he can't wait to do it again.
Hogan says he and Hulkamaniacs were
fighting for their lives when Andre choked him and hulkamaniacs
couldn't breathe either. He says when he steps in the ring, the
thoughts and prayers of the hulkamaniacs that stood with him for the
good and bad and they will step in the ring with him. Hogan says with
that Hulkamania will never die as we go to intro.
Vince and Ventura open the show.
We get a video of Hulk Hogan training
for his match. Oddly enough, the video has Jake “The Snake”
Roberts “Snake Bit” theme as the music. Video is pretty good and
I like training videos before a big match. While the Snake Bit song
was an odd choice, it's a great tune.
“Mean”
Gene Okerlund interviews The Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart. Honky
says he has the title, the belt, and he'll have the woman. Hart asks
Honky where he'll take her. He'll take her down to lonely street at
Heartbreak Hotel but he won't be cruel. Entertaining promo as Honky
and Hart bounced off very well.
Okerlund interviews “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth.
Okerlund asks Elizabeth if she's worried about regarding Honky.
Savage says when they enter the ring, it will be the danger zone.
Elizabeth has nothing to worry about while Honky has everything to
worry about. Okerlund asks about his comments but Savage says it's
fuel to the fire and guarantees the Madness will prevail and
vengeance will be his. Very good promo.
WWF Intercontinental
Championship: The Honky Tonk Man (c) (w/Jimmy Hart & Peggy Sue)
vs. Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth)-
This was the blow off to the Honky/Savage feud which began
when Honky won the title in June and then began proclaiming himself
as “The Greatest Intercontinental Champion of All Time” much to
Savage's chagrin which slowly led to Savage turning face. Then on the
SNME XII in October, Savage challenged Honky only for the Harts to
cost him the title which lead to a 3-on-1 beating until Elizabeth
brought out Hogan for help which solidified Savage's face turn and
the formation of the Mega Powers. Peggy Sue is Sensational Sherri
with a blonde wig and 50s look. Savage gets distracted by Jimmy Hart
which allows Honky to hit on Elizabeth.
Savage eventually chases Honky out to
start. Savage follows and catches Honky with a bionic elbow. They go
into the ring with Savage hitting Honky with a hair pull hangmen on
the ropes. Back in, Savage hits another bionic elbow, whips Honky to
the corner, and catches Honky coming out with an elbow. Honky bails
out to regroup but Savage grabs Honky and Hart and hits them with a
noggin knocker to a pop. Savage tosses Honky back in but Hart grabs
Savage's leg as he's coming in which allows Honky to hit some
forearms. Honky works over Savage. Savages reverses irish whip to the
ropes and Honky goes for a sunset flip but Savage punches him off. We
get a few irish whip reversals until Savage whips Honky to the
corner. Savage misses the charge and Honky comes back with a snapmare
but misses an elbow drop to a pop. Hart jumps on the apron to
distract Savage. Savage chases Hart at ringside and back into the
ring.
During this, Hart drops his megaphone
and distracts Savage and the ref long enough for Honky to nail Savage
with the megaphone. Honky takes forever to go for the pin and Savage
kicks out at 2. Honky's annoyed but that's what you get for wasting
time? Honky follows with a snapmare and chinlock. Savage eventually
fights out with elbows to the stomach and comes off the ropes with a
shoulderblock. Savage comes off the ropes again but Honky catches him
with a knee to the stomach and Savage rolls out to the floor. Honky
follows with a diving double ax handle off the apron. Honky tosses
Savage back and works him over. Honky once again taunts Elizabeth
which distracts the ref long enough for Hart to choke Savage. Honky
stomps Savage, taunts Elizabeth, and distracts the ref for Hart to
interfere. Honky punches Savage to the corner as the fans chant
“Randy”. Savage starts to come back with bionic elbows and jabs
but Honky knees Savage in the stomach and hits a clothesline.
Honky drops a few elbows and goes after
Elizabeth like an idiot. Honky and Hart corner Elizabeth until Savage
recovers and jumps Honky with a double ax handle to a pop. Honky gets
tossed back in and begs but Savage kicks him and tosses him out.
Savage climbs to the top and hits a diving double ax handle with
Honky selling it well. Crowd loves it. Back in, Savage continues to
work over Honky. Savage gets a bodyslam and climbs to the top to hit
a diving double ax handle for 2. Hart jumps on the apron and Savage
pulls him in the ring. Honky charges but Savage dodges and Honky
knocks Hart out of the ring. Savage applies a sleeperhold to and the
crowd is going nuts but Peggy Sue goes after Elizabeth which forces
Savage to release the hold and go after Peggy. Honky comes off the
apron but gets caught coming down with a punch. Savage whips Honky to
the post and makes it back in for the count out win at 8:20. After
the match, Honky corners Savage in the ring with the guitar. Hart
hits Savage with the megaphone but Elizabeth shields Savage long
enough for Savage to block the guitar shot and chase Honky out.
Savage and Elizabeth celebrate afterwards.
Thoughts:
*** Good match but not as good as their SNME XII match though not
bad. Match had a few slow points with Honky taunting Elizabeth a lot
but it picked up towards the end and it did make sense allow Hart and
Peggy Sue to cheat. One nice touch was Honky using the megaphone on
Savage's stomach and would attack the stomach to prevent Savage's
comebacks which was a nice detail. The crowd was also in it. The
count out result sucked given this was the blow off and a flat way
but that's the best way to have Savage win without winning the title.
As the urban legend goes, Savage was supposed to win the title here
but Honky threatened to walk out and go to the NWA. But it doesn't
matter, cause better things were ahead for Macho Man (with Dibiase
being the ultimate victim).
Vince and Ventura preview the WWF Title
match.
We get clips to preview the Hulk
Hogan/Andre The Giant match.
Okerlund interviews “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, Andre the
Giant, and Virgil. Dibiase says Andre is the champion and he beat
Hogan at Wrestlemania III but the referee was a hulkamoron. He says
Virgil will be out there to make sure Hogan doesn't squirm away.
Dibiase says Andre is ready with the best training because money
makes the man and it takes big money to match this (Andre). He says
Hogan's account is overdrawn and Andre is going to close it. Andre
says when he gets his hands on Hogan, he'll never let go. Great promo
from Dibiase. Andre was short but sweet.
Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan and says Andre has millions of reasons to be WWF Champion. Hogan says he watched the film and Andre had him down for 2 while he slammed him 1,2,3 in the middle. He says he invested in his assets with a profit sharing plan with his Hulkamaniacs. He says his hulkamaniacs will watch Dibiase and Virgil while he'll beat Andre and prove Hulkamania will live forever. Notice Hogan is wearing the “1986 Hogan” model of the WWF Championship in it's last appearance. Good promo from Hogan as he was usually good in creative promos especially regarding his opponent.
Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan and says Andre has millions of reasons to be WWF Champion. Hogan says he watched the film and Andre had him down for 2 while he slammed him 1,2,3 in the middle. He says he invested in his assets with a profit sharing plan with his Hulkamaniacs. He says his hulkamaniacs will watch Dibiase and Virgil while he'll beat Andre and prove Hulkamania will live forever. Notice Hogan is wearing the “1986 Hogan” model of the WWF Championship in it's last appearance. Good promo from Hogan as he was usually good in creative promos especially regarding his opponent.
WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c)
vs. Andre the Giant (w/Ted Dibiase & Virgil)-
This is the LONG awaited rematch from Wrestlemania III.
The storyline here is Hogan defeated Andre at Wrestlemania, however,
Andre and his allies spent the next year whining about how Andre
really won the match after pinning Hogan on a failed bodyslam attempt
despite only getting 2. At the same time, Ted Dibiase returned to the
WWF as the Million Dollar Man and set his sights on the WWF
Championship. After failing to win it and then failing to buy it,
Dibiase would purchase Andre's contract from Bobby “The Brain”
Heenan with the hope that Andre would win the title and hand it to
him. Similar to the recent SNME, we get some bad editing as Hogan
wore a bandana and the classic “Hogan 1986” WWF Championship in
his interview. Yet when he comes out, he has a headband and the
classic Winged Eagle Belt. This would actually be the debut of the
Winged Eagle belt which would be the WWF Championship for the next 10
years and is pretty much the most popular & iconic belt to ever
represent the WWWF/WWF/WWE Championship.
Stalling to start with Andre taking his
time. Eventually Hogan has enough as Andre consults with Dibiase on
the apron. Andre gets punched and Hogan hits a noggin knocker on
Dibiase and Virgil. Both gets propelled into the ring. Virgil gets
whipped to the ropes and takes a big boot which sends him over and
out. Same for Dibiase. The crowd LOVES it. Hogan punches Andre and
Andre misses a punch. Hogan comes off the ropes with a punch. The
crowd is LOUD. Hogan punches and chops with Andre staggered. Hogan
rams Andre to the turnbuckle two times. Hogan comes off the ropes
with a running forearm. Hogan misses Dibiase on the apron but knocks
Virgil off. Hogan comes off the ropes with a running clothesline but
Andre still won't go down. Hogan stomps on Dibiase's hand which sends
his money in the air. Hogan punches Andre into the corner and rakes
the eyes. Hogan charges and connects with a running clothesline.
Hogan hits a winded up punch and goes
back to the eye rake. Hogan climbs the top rope but gets caught by
Andre and thrown off. Andre misses a headbutt. Hogan goes for the pin
but Andre starts choking. Andre continues choking for a bit until he
hits Hogan with a punch. Loud “Hogan” chant as Hogan is whipped
to the corner and collapses to the canvas due to the impact. Andre
stomps Hogan's hands and hits a bodyslam. Andre hits a headbutt.
Hogan grabs Andre's leg but Andre just drives his knee into Hogan's
head. Andre works Hogan in the corner with chops and starts choking
him in the middle as the “Hogan” chant resumes. Andre whips Hogan
to the ropes and hits a big boot which knocks Andre down and Hogan
out of the ring. Virgil tosses Hogan back in and argues with referee
“Dave Hebner” which allows Andre to go back to the choke. Andre
chokes Hogan with his singlet strap until he's warned by the ref.
More choking until Hogan breaks it and
fights back to a HUGE pop. Hogan comes off the second rope with a
clothesline that knocks Andre down. Hogan goes for the leg drop but
Virgil grabs his foot as he tries to come off the ropes. “Dave
Hebner” starts arguing with Virgil while Hogan comes off the ropes
with the leg drop but Hebner's still distracted to count. Hogan
argues with Hebner which allows Andre to sneak up and hit two
headbutts and his shitty Butterfly Suplex. Andre goes for the pin,
Hogan gets his shoulder up at 1 but Hebner counts 3 anyway to give
Andre the win, the title, and end Hogan's 4 year reign at 9:05.
After the match, Hogan argues but it's no good as the ref gives Andre
the title. Only seconds later, Okerlund interviews Andre who
immediately hands the championship to Ted Dibiase thus making Andre
the shortest WWF Champion in history. Hogan chases the heels out and
in the chaos, another Hebner comes in the ring. It turns out that the
Hebner refereeing the match was actually Earl Hebner, Dave's twin
brother who was paid off by Dibiase. Hogan tries to figure out which
one is the imposter until Earl reveals himself by punching Dave and
kicking him out of the ring. Hogan grabs him and tosses him out of
the ring and into the heels.
Thoughts:
**1/2 Not as good as Wrestlemania III but still entertaining and the
crowd was hot. Don't ever let it be said that Hogan couldn't carry
anyone. Bullshit. Hogan did an awesome job here bumping, selling, and
delivering good offense. I liked Hogan trying second and top
turnbuckle moves as it's usually cool when a wrestler has to adjust
for a certain opponent. Unfortunately, not much can be said for Andre
as this was the point where he was really falling apart and him
falling while trying a big boot was a bit sad though I'm glad he got
the WWF Championship even if it was brief. Also, as much as I love
Hogan, it was definitely time for a change. Four years was enough and
really, Hogan's reign couldn't go higher than Wrestlemania III. The
ending with Earl posing as twin brother Dave was brilliant and one of
the more creative ideas in wrestling history. Dibiase's “title
reign” lasted about a week and even made a title defense against
Bam Bam Bigelow before WWF President Jack Tunney vacated the title
until Wrestlemania IV. Dibiase's reign is not recognized.
After the commercial, Okerlund
interviews Hulk Hogan in an infamous interview. Hogan is in tears and
asks how much did they spend on the plastic surgery? He says he had
the bases covered with Dibiase and Virgil but never in his dreams did
he think he get ripped off by a penny pinching referee. Yeah, this
didn't translate well. I get where Hogan was going but it came off
laughable.
After the commercial, we then get one
of the most awkward endings to any wrestling show as were joined in
progress with Strike Force defending the tag titles against the Hart
Foundation only to sign off 10 seconds later while the match is still
in progress. The Peacock version shows the ending with Martel pinning
Bret after reversing a sunset flip a la Bret/Bulldog at Summerslam
92. Just strange.
Final Thoughts and Verdict
I know I sound like a broken record but once again, The Main Event I is recommended on historical reasons. You get the blow off to Honky/Savage, the big rematch between Hogan and Andre, the end of Hogan's four year reign as WWF Champion, the end of the “Hogan 86” WWF Championship, the debut of the Winged Eagle Championship, some major seeds being planted for Wrestlemania IV, and Andre's brief reign as champion. Not bad for an hour special. The only real weakness of the show was both matches were done better before this. These matches aren't bad by any means but the previous ones were better. Still, for so much history and two solid to good matches with an hour long time, it's an obvious recommendation.
I know I sound like a broken record but once again, The Main Event I is recommended on historical reasons. You get the blow off to Honky/Savage, the big rematch between Hogan and Andre, the end of Hogan's four year reign as WWF Champion, the end of the “Hogan 86” WWF Championship, the debut of the Winged Eagle Championship, some major seeds being planted for Wrestlemania IV, and Andre's brief reign as champion. Not bad for an hour special. The only real weakness of the show was both matches were done better before this. These matches aren't bad by any means but the previous ones were better. Still, for so much history and two solid to good matches with an hour long time, it's an obvious recommendation.
Recommended
The Main Event I Facts:
The Main Event was the first prime time wrestling event held on a major network in 33 years.
The Main Event was the first prime time wrestling event held on a major network in 33 years.
The Main Event drew a 15.2 rating and
was watched by 33 million viewers making it the highest rated show in
the history of American wrestling.
Andre the Giant's title win is the
shortest in WWF History.
With Hulk Hogan's title reign over, his
first run as champion was the third longest recognized title reign in
the history of the WWF Championship (behind Bruno Sammartino and Bob
Backlund's first reigns as champion).
The music used in Hulk Hogan's training
video would eventually be named “Snake Bit” and become
Jake “The
Snake” Roberts theme song.
Final event the 1985-1988 WWF
Championship belt (a.k.a. The classic Hogan 1986 WWF Championship)
was used.
Debut of the famous Winged Eagle WWF
Championship belt.
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