WWF The Main Event

The Main Event is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). There were five shows between 1988 and 1991. Only the first three The Main Event episodes were shown live on NBC. The final two were taped and then shown on NBC at a later date. It included mainly high-card wrestlers of the WWF including Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.

The Main Event
GenreProfessional wrestling
Created byVince McMahon
StarringWorld Wrestling Federation roster
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesOnce a Month Productions
Titan Sports Inc.
Release
Original networkNBC
Picture format480i (SDTV)
Original releaseFebruary 5, 1988 (1988-02-05) 
February 1, 1991 (1991-02-01)
Chronology
Related showsSaturday Night's Main Event

It was a spin-off of Saturday Night's Main Event and aired on NBC on Friday nights during prime time. All episodes of The Main Event are available on the WWE Network, included with Saturday Night's Main Event.

Dates and venues

Event Date City Venue Main event Ref
The Main Event February 5, 1988 Indianapolis, Indiana Market Square Arena Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel) (c) vs. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) (with Jimmy Hart) in a tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship [1]
The Main Event II February 3, 1989 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bradley Center Ted DiBiase vs. Hercules in a singles match [2]
The Main Event III February 23, 1990 Detroit, Michigan Joe Louis Arena The Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. Dino Bravo in a singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship [3]
The Main Event IV October 30, 1990
Aired November 23, 1990
Fort Wayne, Indiana Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Rick Martel vs. Tito Santana in a singles match [4]
The Main Event V January 28, 1991
Aired February 1, 1991
Macon, Georgia Macon Coliseum The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) vs. The Orient Express (Kato and Tanaka) in a tag team match [5]

Results

The Main Event

The Main Event (1988)
PromotionWorld Wrestling Federation
DateFebruary 5, 1988
CityIndianapolis, Indiana
VenueMarket Square Arena
The Main Event chronology
 Previous
First
Next 
II

The Main Event (1988) took place and aired live on Friday February 5, 1988 at 8pm ET from the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.[6][7] The live broadcast drew a 15.2 Nielsen rating and 33 million viewers, both records for American televised wrestling.[8]

The match between André the Giant and Hulk Hogan saw André receive the pinfall victory despite Hogan's shoulders not being down. It was revealed post-match that the referee was not the assigned referee, Dave Hebner, but rather his twin brother, Earl Hebner, who was hired by Ted DiBiase as part of a storyline screwjob. After the match, André attempted to surrender the title to DiBiase. Then-WWF President Jack Tunney said the title could only change hands by pin or submission, and said that by attempting to surrender the title, André had actually vacated it.[9] Following the vacancy, a single elimination tournament was held at WrestleMania IV to crown the new champion.[10]

The Strike Force vs. The Hart Foundation match was still in progress when NBC signed off. In 2014, when the WWE Network uploaded this episode to its on-demand section, the ending of the match was added in.

No. Results Stipulations Times
1D Ax defeated Ken Patera Singles match 9:06
2D Jake Roberts defeated Harley Race Singles match 11:21
3D Ron Bass defeated Koko B. Ware Singles match 6:33
4D The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) defeated The Islanders (Haku and Tama) Tag team match 13:42
5D Jim Duggan defeated One Man Gang Singles match 5:55
6D The Ultimate Warrior defeated Sika Singles match 4:01
7 Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated The Honky Tonk Man (c) (with Jimmy Hart and Peggy Sue) by countout Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship 8:20
8 André the Giant (with Ted DiBiase and Virgil) defeated Hulk Hogan (c) Singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship 9:05
9 Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel) (c) defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) (with Jimmy Hart) Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship 10:03
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match

The Main Event II

The Main Event II
PromotionWorld Wrestling Federation
DateFebruary 3, 1989
CityMilwaukee, Wisconsin
VenueBradley Center
The Main Event chronology
 Previous
1988
Next 
III

The Main Event II took place and aired live on Friday February 3, 1989 at 8pm ET from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[11][12]

The slowly building tension between Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage boiled over during the team's match against The Twin Towers, leading to the team's breakup upon Savage's heel turn when Savage contended that Hogan was lusting after his manager, Miss Elizabeth.

No. Results Stipulations Times
1D André the Giant (with Bobby Heenan) defeated Jake Roberts Singles match 7:11
2D The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau) (with Jimmy Hart) defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) Tag team match with Brother Love as special guest referee 19:35
3D The Ultimate Warrior (c) defeated Greg Valentine (with Jimmy Hart) Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship 05:19
4D Demolition (Ax and Smash) (c) defeated The Powers of Pain (The Warlord and The Barbarian) (with Mr. Fuji) by disqualification Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship 8:16
5D The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) defeated The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) Tag team match 14:16
6D Brutus Beefcake wrestled Mr. Perfect to a double disqualification Singles match 12:34
7D Jim Duggan defeated Dino Bravo (with Frenchy Martin) Flag match 6:08
8 The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated The Twin Towers (Akeem and Big Boss Man) (with Slick) Tag team match 22:00
9 Ted DiBiase (with Virgil) defeated Hercules Singles match 7:12
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match

The Main Event III

The Main Event III
PromotionWorld Wrestling Federation
DateFebruary 23, 1990
CityDetroit, Michigan
VenueJoe Louis Arena
The Main Event chronology
 Previous
II
Next 
IV

The Main Event III took place and aired live on February 23, 1990 at 10pm ET from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.[13][14]

Mike Tyson was originally scheduled to be the special guest referee, but this changed following Buster Douglas' knockout title win over Tyson just under two weeks before, on February 11. Tyson would eventually be the guest referee at WrestleMania XIV.

Tito Santana was a substitute for Jimmy Snuka.

No. Results Stipulations Times
1D Earthquake defeated Ron Garvin Singles match 5:12
2D Dusty Rhodes (with Sapphire) defeated Mr. Perfect Singles match 11:26
3D Ted DiBiase (with Virgil) defeated Jake Roberts Singles match 10:28
4D The Colossal Connection (André the Giant and Haku) (c) defeated Demolition (Ax and Smash) Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship 10:04
5D Bad News Brown defeated Tito Santana Singles match 5:31
6D Rick Martel defeated Brutus Beefcake Singles match 12:15
7D Roddy Piper wrestled Rick Rude to a double disqualification Lumberjack match 13:00
8 Hulk Hogan (c) defeated Randy Savage (with Queen Sherri) Singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship with Buster Douglas as special guest referee 11:14
9 The Ultimate Warrior (c) defeated Dino Bravo (with Jimmy Hart and Earthquake) Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship 4:11
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match

The Main Event IV

The Main Event IV
PromotionWorld Wrestling Federation
DateOctober 30, 1990
(aired November 23, 1990)
CityFort Wayne, Indiana
VenueAllen County War Memorial Coliseum
The Main Event chronology
 Previous
III
Next 
V

The Main Event IV took place on October 30, 1990 from the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and aired on Friday November 23, 1990 at 10pm ET.[15][16]

The WWF Tag Team Championship match between The Hart Foundation and The Rockers was supposed to be on the show. The Rockers defended their newly won titles a few times before the WWF rehired Jim Neidhart, pairing him with Bret Hart once more, and quietly handing the belts back to The Hart Foundation, erasing The Rockers' reign from the history books. Retrospectively, the WWF explained that the title change had been revoked due to a ring rope malfunction during the second fall of the two-out-of-three falls match. The match can be seen unedited on the DVD The Shawn Michaels Story: Heartbreak & Triumph. Marty Jannetty pinned Bret Hart in the first fall with a sunset flip counter at 9:33. Hart pinned Shawn Michaels in the second fall with the Hart Attack at 19:23. Jannetty pinned Jim Neidhart in the third fall when Michaels dropkicked Jannetty onto Neidhart, who was setting up the Hart Attack at 25:41.

Nikolai Volkoff was scheduled to face Sgt. Slaughter on the show, but Slaughter attacked Nikolai before the opening bell rang and the match never took place.

No. Results Stipulations Times
1D The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) (c) 2-1 Two-out-of-three falls match for the WWF Tag Team Championship 25:41
2 The Ultimate Warrior (c) defeated Ted DiBiase (with Virgil) by disqualification Singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship 9:47
3 Mr. Perfect defeated Big Boss Man by countout Singles match 8:15
4 Rick Martel defeated Tito Santana Singles match 6:46
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match

The Main Event V

The Main Event V
PromotionWorld Wrestling Federation
DateJanuary 28, 1991
(aired February 1, 1991)
CityMacon, Georgia
VenueMacon Coliseum
The Main Event chronology
 Previous
IV
Next 
Final

The Main Event V took place on January 28, 1991 from the Macon Coliseum in Macon, Georgia, and aired on Friday February 1, 1991 at 8pm ET.[17][18]

KNBC, the NBC-owned-and-operated station in Los Angeles, did not air this program when it was shown by the network on February 1. That day, a collision took place at Los Angeles International Airport between a US Airways passenger jet and a SkyWest Airlines commuter plane. The crash occurred in the late afternoon, and KNBC opted to air news bulletin coverage of this story throughout the night. The station did replay the program unadvertised on a later date.

This show drew a 6.7 rating, which was at the time the worst rating any WWF program had received on NBC despite the presence of Hulk Hogan. This has been blamed on the controversial Sgt. Slaughter Iraq storyline that was on going at the time.[19]

WWF President Jack Tunney declared Hulk Hogan the number one contender for Sgt. Slaughter's WWF Championship at WrestleMania VII.

No. Results Stipulations Times
1 Hulk Hogan and Tugboat defeated Earthquake and Dino Bravo (with Jimmy Hart) Tag team match 8:56
2 Jim Duggan defeated Sgt. Slaughter (c) (with General Adnan) by disqualification Singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship 6:50
3 The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) defeated The Orient Express (Kato and Tanaka) (with Mr. Fuji) Tag team match 5:11
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

References

  1. "WWF The Main Event « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  2. "WWF The Main Event II « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  3. "WWF The Main Event III « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  4. "WWF The Main Event IV « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  5. "WWF The Main Event V « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  6. "Online World of Wrestling". Online World of Wrestling. 1988-02-05. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  7. "The Main Event: February 5, 1988". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  8. Powell, John. "Steamboat — Savage rule WrestleMania 3". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved October 14, 2007.
  9. "Andre the Giant's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on June 24, 2005. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  10. Puckering, Dean. "WrestleMania IV". TWM Wrestling News. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  11. "Online World of Wrestling". Online World of Wrestling. 1989-02-03. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  12. "The Main Event: February 3, 1989". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  13. "Online World of Wrestling". Online World of Wrestling. 1990-02-23. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  14. "The Main Event: February 23, 1990". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  15. "The Main Event IV". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  16. "The Main Event: November 23, 1990". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  17. "Online World of Wrestling". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  18. "The Main Event: February 1, 1991". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  19. Observer Staff (February 18, 1991). "February 18, 1991 Observer Newsletter: More on Wrestlemania relocating". F4WOnline.com. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 4, 2019. (subscription required)
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