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The greatest spectacle in wrestling,

Saturday Night's Main Event.

What started as a late night prime time special

became a program where anything could and did happen.

The whole damn wedding stinks.

Justice walked out on Hogan.

It's the show that proves Saturday night's

all right for fighting.

Another war is beginning.

I love it McMahon.

Flying forearm.

Today, we look back at the best

of Saturday Night's Main Event.

This capacity crowd is electric.

This is WWE's Greatest Moments.

Acknowledge me.

My God.

Stone Cold with a beer bath.

This is surreal.

Look at this.

He slammed him.

Welcome, everyone, to WWE's Greatest Moments.

I'm Michael Cole, and on this edition,

we're looking back at some of the wildest moments

to ever happen on late night television.

The destination program known as Saturday Night's Main Event.

The original run of Saturday Night's Main Event began in 1985

as a special during the time slot coveted by the massive hit

Saturday Night Live.

Saturday Night Live will not be seen tonight,

so we can bring you the following entertainment special.

So kick back and relax for Saturday Night's Main Event.

For the first time in nearly 30 years,

professional wrestling was back on network television.

NBC will soon begin a regular

late night television program

combining rock, comedy and wrestling.

Executive producer Dick Ebersol explains why.

The wrestling is not really the most important thing.

It's the drama and the theater of it all.

Dick suggested to Vince that he changed his product around

a little bit to make it more mass appeal.

Welcome to the greatest spectacle in wrestling,

Saturday Night's Main Event.

But the first one on Mother's Day weekend, May 11th, 1985.

Big show for sure, I remember Nassau Coliseum in New York.

I mean, it was like a big bright light show.

And a huge slap to the canvas.

Drops the elbow does Rotunda.

And when NBC had these matches and kind of the old school

wrestling sensibility

merged with a bigger television presence.

Let's go down to ringside for what we call Piper's Pit.

I don't know what it's like myself,

but you are a loser.

To be on network TV,

especially taking the place of Saturday Night Live-

It was huge.

Oh, yeah.

Look at this.

You know what was so cool

about Saturday Night's Main Event,

It was entertaining.

You know, my mother had never been to New York before,

and I thought this was a very special time to bring

her up for Mother's Day.

We had a mother's day party.

What a party,

by the way, Cindy.

Oh, hank you very much.

I hope everybody's having a good time.

It definitely fits the spectacle of what

WWE at the time was trying to do.

We'll get you back to more action.

Don't go Away.

Trying to capture as many viewers as possible.

Look at The Animal.

And it was the highest rated show of the year

in that time period.

We certainly hope that you had an extraordinary time.

We certainly did.

WWE certainly captured new fans with Saturday Night's Main

Event, which meant even more eyes on Hulk Hogan.

The greatest professional athlete in the world today.

In February 1992, tensions were mounting between

Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice.

And when Hulk Hogan was named number one contender

for the WWE Championship,

Sid was none too pleased.

Hulk Hogan.

Yes.

Is it because I'm not a big movie star

like Hulk Hogan, the big Immortal One himself?

It came time to take on Ric Flair and The Undertaker

in a tag team match,

would the two superstars,

be able to put that all behind them,

or will justice be served?

And there's a tag.

So let's see what the Hulkster can do.

That was like the beginning of our feud.

At that point, the biggest thing I've ever been a part of.

Submission hold applied.

Hogan reaching for the tag.

What's going on?

We knew we were onto something big.

We had to build the story slow,

but we had to keep the momentum going.

Hogan reaching to tag Sid Justice.

Hogan reaching for the tag.

Here it is.

And

Oh.

No Justice.

What's he doing?

Justice is turning his back on Hogan.

I can't believe this is happening.

He's taking a walk.

He was just the opposite of my character.

He was the bad boy.

Like the evil kid.

Justice been served.

It has not.

It doesn't get any better than that.

To me, I think it made my whole career.

Justice walked out on Hogan.

WWE fans had always tuned in to see the action

and mayhem inside the squared circle,

but Saturday Night's Main Event provided much more than that.

You are Uncle Elmer.

That's right, neighbor, I'm Uncle Elmer.

Good old Uncle Elmer.

He's a very likable guy.

He's a lot of fun.

And congratulations are In Order to you, uncle, because

you're going to be tying the knot.

I'm gonna get married.

That's right.

I sure am.

In 1985, Uncle Elmer was set to wed his longtime girlfriend,

Joyce, in what would be the first wedding

on network television in well over a decade.

Really.

Uncle Elmer's wedding was the first nationally televised

wedding since Tiny Tim got married on The Tonight Show,

and that was a huge ratings monster.

So I think WWE was hoping for some

of the same with Uncle Elmer.

Mean Gene Okerlund

playing the wedding-

Oh, look at that.

Now that is beautiful.

It's is a hillbilly wedding.

And you've never been to a function like that.

Like, what better way to experience new cultures

then to watch it on television?

Rings please.

All right.

Here it comes now Jess.

Like you cannot love a WWE wedding.

You just know that everything's gonna go perfectly

and nothing's gonna go wrong.

Wait a minute, there's an objection.

Pointing over this way.

I object.

Roddy Piper.

I say that you stink.

You stink.

And the whole damn wedding stinks.

The ultimate villain-

Rowdy "Roddy" Piper.

What I remember most about Uncle Elmer's wedding was

Jesse Ventura's commentary, specifically when the two of

them kissing looked like-

Two carp in the Mississippi River,

going after the same piece of corn.

That was over 40 years ago, and I can recall it verbatim.

Just a great line.

All right, Elmer, you did it.

You did it, Elmer.

The Uncle Elmer wedding was completely legit.

He really did get married.

So if you loved live weddings, WWE was the only place to be.

I love it, I love it.

In its first year, Saturday Night's Main Event was proving

to be a ratings hit.

Professional wrestling was on the main stage of a nationally

broadcast network, and audiences couldn't get enough.

Needless to say, if you wanted to make a name for yourself,

Saturday night was the place to do it.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts was a prime example.

If you keep playing with snakes,

you're going to get bit.

In May 1986, The Snake was set to do battle against the beloved

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.

What followed was one of the most volatile acts in

Saturday Night's Main Event history.

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat,

one of the most popular athletes

in the World Wrestling--, today saying hello-

off the rope now.

Oh, what a clothesline.

The match has not even started yet.

Oh, underneath the bottom rope.

Jake Roberts.

He's signaling for that DDT.

Oh, no.

It was a really serious atmosphere in the moment.

My head legitimately hit the cement.

Oh, no.

Steamboat-

unconscious.

He has to Be totally out of It.

I damn near herniated myself.

trying to get him into the ring.

And, uh, it was horrifying, man.

Oh, yeah.

I think Damien's coming out for some air.

Oh, look at that snake, oh.

So you see Ricky Steamboat covered

with that snake, Jake kind of choking him,

taunting him with the head of Damien.

Right in his mouth.

That's the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.

They're starting to send people from

the back out there to check.

I'm screaming.

"Look at what you made me do."

Backstage with the doc,

I didn't have any concussionary after-effects,

but the whole side of my face blew up.

The dreaded steel cage match was a sight to behold.

And when steel surrounds the squared circle,

audiences paid attention.

Two opponents are locked in to settle their differences,

and the only way to win is to escape the cage.

In January 1987, the rivalry between Hulk Hogan and

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff had reached its boiling point.

This steel cage is a dead end for Mr. Wonderful.

The two were set to wage war inside the structure

with a controversial ending the likes

that network television hadn't seen before.

First time ever a steel cage match had been

on network television.

The rivalry was built up so strong.

He had the whole package for a bad guy.

Paul Orndorff wasting no time at all.

Mr. Wonderful is starting the match off quick.

Everybody was talking about this.

They're going up opposite sides.

Mr. Wonderful's gaining on him.

No, he's not.

Wonderful hit first.

Hulk Hogan's feet and Paul Orndorff's feet,

touched the ground at exactly the same time.

It was a tie.

A steel cage match cannot end in a tie.

The referee has instructed

both wrestlers to continue match.

Hogan now, moving in, in the air, down across the knee.

And drops the leg of the champion.

Orndorff did a great job.

The entertainment factor was at an all time high

and we did pull it off.

Successful down off the fence.

Best cage match probably ever.

People still talk about that cage match.

Hey, you.

What do you think you're doing there?

You talking to me, sir?

Yeah, I'm talking to you.

I ain't no sir.

I'm The Mountie.

One of the most reviled superstars in 1992

was the man known as The Mountie.

The corrupted Canadian officer carried around a cattle prod

to shock respect out of his opponents.

The Mountie always gets his man.

And when "Rowdy" Roddy Piper defeated him for the

Intercontinental Championship, The Mountie vowed to teach

the Hot Rod some law and order.

I'm gonna take my Intercontinental title back

tonight.

We're gonna have some fun here

on Saturday Night's Main Event.

We're ready for our first matchup.

The Mountie-

He did a lot of damage.

Not only did to WWE superstars, but to the reputation

of Mounties all over Canada.

And now, look out.

Here comes the Bulldog.

No, look at that.

Hit the referee.

I love villains who cheated,

and I love villains who had gimmicks.

Oh, wait a minute.

The shock stick.

He's going to shock him.

I still remember the shock gun happening.

Wait a minute.

That's had no effect on Roddy Piper.

How can it be back?

Stick in the air-

Piper has it in his hands.

Piper knows how to play dirty.

Fighting fire with fire.

What should he do?

He should let him have it.

Oh no, no, no.

Oh, yeah.

Turnabout's fair play.

Piper gets rid of the shock stick.

The referee comes around.

He hooks the leg.

Two, three.

Oh yeah.

Referee he shocked him.

He's shocked him.

Can you believe it, man?

It seems like everything we tried to do against Piper,

nothing ever worked.

Oh, shock proof.

Shock proof.

He had a vest on

that the shocks couldn't work with.

I still love it to this day.

It was just like, "What the hell was going on?"

He can't be so bad, huh?

Got give credit where credit's due.

I think it's a very clever

piece of business to throw in there.

Hulkamania was indeed running wild in 1989.

The Immortal Hulk Hogan was not only WWE champion,

a network TV star, but a Hollywood main eventer.

With the theatrical release of No Holds Barred.

What was the name?

Zues.

Back in WWE, Hogan had his own problems in the form of

The Big Boss Man for the WWE Championship

inside a dreaded steel cage.

Tonight there's going to be a big surprise.

A surprise?

What is going on?

Zues wants a real life confrontation here,

McMahon.

This ain't the movies here.

Zues was a crazy monster.

Look at the size of that monster.

Watching Zeus and Hogan kind of square up,

knowing that they were in this movie together.

Kick to the chest area by Zeus.

It's kind of part of the magic,

and why you fall in love with pro wrestling.

Zeus is just leaving him lay there.

And Hogan still got to contend with The Boss Man.

Oh my.

The first man out of the cage wins.

His throat on the top of the cage.

Hogan hanging on.

A superplex, yes.

I can't believe it.

I've never seen a suplex off the top of the cage before.

I mean, everybody in the audience,

and everybody behind the stage.

We were going, "Oh, did that really happen?"

For Hulk to do a big move like the Superplex.

People go, "Oh my God, this is incredible."

Hulk saved those for special moments.

Hogan lands.

There is your champion.

That was a crazy night because we had such a great reception.

There was perhaps no hotter team in the 1980s

than Ax and Smash of Demolition.

The duo dominated the squared circle,

quickly capturing the tag team championships at WrestleMania 4.

History made here at WrestleMania 4.

For the next 16 months, many tried and many failed

to dethrone the champions.

Heading into their historic 478th day as the title

holders, Demolition was set to lock up on network television

against the skilled combination of Arn Anderson

and Tully Blanchard,

The Brain Busters.

Demolition on their way.

to lock up with The Brain Busters.

Demolition was on 478 days as tag team champions.

So I remember watching Demolition growing up and just

being like,"Oh, these guys are never going to lose."

And they are intimidating.

Just to take a look at them is intimidating.

As a kid-

You're watching this,

you have these two, like almost literal monsters face paint and

black leather spikes.

Like my money would not have been on The Brain Busters.

To have this new team come in that were hot.

They had Heenan in their corner.

It was a big deal.

We got total chaos here.

Come on ref tell him.

Wait a minute.

Andre the Giant threw a chair in the ring

Tully Blanchard.

Oh, whoa.

He hit Smash with the chair.

Arn Anderson covering one, two, three.

They did it.

Demolition they lose-

on live national television to The Brain Busters.

So this was something that a whole new audience was seeing-

Their first title change.

They said Demolition is invincible,

and we know who we are.

Right now, we're the WWE Tag Champions.

We're the champions.

Throughout the years,

Saturday Night's Main Event was the stage for many WWE

superstars to shine on late night network television.

That's exactly what Shawn Michaels did

in November of 1992,

The Heartbreak Kid was rapidly climbing the ranks of WWE,

and found himself in an Intercontinental Championship

match against the British Bulldog,

Davey Boy Smith.

Intercontinental Championship matchup,

the British Bulldog squaring off

against Shawn Michaels.

The Intercontinental Title is the workhorse title,

especially back then.

This was the title that was grooming

the next world champion.

Right now, you're likely to see

a classic wrestling encounter.

In my mind, it's like,"Oh my goodness, this is an opportunity

for me maybe to establish myself as a top guy," so to speak.

Look at that.

Did you see that maneuver?

Look at that.

Look at that maneuver.

Oh a take down.

He's trying to take the covering off of that buckle.

There's a steel ring underneath that turnbuckle.

What was so special and so remarkable about Shawn's style

was that it's timeless.

You could place that work from that time and have it in a match

today, and it still holds up.

Oh.

Wait a minute.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

We got a new Intercontinental Champion.

At the time there was a shock that the Bulldog

had lost the title.

Davey Boy's back finally gave out on him.

Shawn Michaels-

He is

the Intercontinental Champion.

When you get that title,

you're pretty much saying to the world,

"I'm on my way to become World Champion."

This man's a star of the 90s-

The Intercontinental champion, Shawn Michaels.

It is now time for our Number one moment.

In October 1987, "Macho Man" Randy Savage had become one of

the most popular WWE superstars of the era.

They can't handle the "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

The cream of the crop.

Nobody does it better.

There was no denying

how captivating Savage was as "Macho madness"

swept the nation.

Needless to say, Savage was the odds on favorite when taking on

Intercontinental Champion,

The Honky Tonk Man.

Macho Man,

you sure can't dance like the Honky Tonk Man.

Woo.

This time, however, Macho Man had some Mega backup.

Welcome to this capacity crowd

at the Hersheypark Arena.

Macho Man was the first thing

that I wanted to be when I grew up.

He was so special and so amazing.

He leaps.

Yes.

A new champion to be crowned.

Bret- Is that Bret Hart?

He's in trouble right now, I'll tell ya.

Look what the Hart Foundation Is doing to Randy Savage.

And then to see this moment where he's vulnerable.

Oh my goodness.

Elizabeth, almost struck by The Honky Tonk Man.

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

At that instant, when I pushed her,

that was really, really a big deal.

My gosh, does got anybody that's going to come help him?

Is anybody going to save him?

Wait a minute.

Elizabeth is back.

Elizabeth is coming back what courage,

and what brilliance this lady has.

It was crazy.

And all of a sudden, here comes the Hulkster.

The Hulkster hammering away- cleaning house.

When they came together, it was like something

that was going to be unstoppable.

Oh my- they collide together-

The Macho Man and The Hulkster.

With me and Randy,

we were gold.

Macho Man is extending that hand.

We could be seeing the meeting of the Madness and the Mania.

Yes, there it is.

And it was like the handshake heard around the world.

The kids still do it to this day.

I don't think we'll ever have another moment like that.

The Mega yeah.

The Mega yeah.

The Mega Powers, yeah.

Mega Powers.

The handshake that literally stopped the world in its tracks.

The Madness and the Mania coming together in the biggest moment

audiences had ever seen on Saturday Night's Main Event.

The initial run of this program was so successful,

WWE recently revived it,

giving today's fans a chance to make their own memories

of what Saturday Night Wrestling is all about.

That'll do it for this edition of WWE's Greatest Moments.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at the very best of

Saturday Night's Main Event.