WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event rose from the ashes in 2006. As a staple of WWE’s Golden Era, it was a great show that produced many memorable moments. Then, in 1992, it vanished from our television screens, leaving a huge void in WWE’s programming.
The eras came and went, and Saturday Night was left without a big event for WWE to promote. Then, after 14 years, WWE brought the fan favorite back, and Saturday Night’s Main Event had returned.
2006 to 2008 saw 5 episodes of the Golden Era staple. The sense of nostalgia around the show was spot on, while WWE created all-new memories. Saturday Night’s Main Event produced incredible moments and became an integral part of the two years it returned. Below, we will look at the greatest moments from Saturday Night’s Main Event’s revival.
Shawn Michaels Takes On The McMahons (SNME 2006)
Shawn Michaels engaged in a bitter, if not ridiculous, program with the McMahons in 2006. The match with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 22 was the highlight, but this Street Fight is right up there in quality. Shane McMahon was nimbler than his father, so he was able to work well opposite Michaels. They gave the crowd a great show, working well within the Street Fight stipulation.
Naturally, this match was going to devolve into chaos, and seeing Vince McMahon interfere made sense. It was an inoffensive match that helped to increase the hype as the boss and HBK marched into WrestleMania.
Mickie James and Trish Stratus Get Personal (SNME 2006)
The program that took place between Trish Stratus and Mickie James was a thing of beauty. Mickie James played the obsessed-fan gimmick perfectly, and we could see Trish Stratus growing increasingly uncomfortable as the weeks progressed. James’ unhealthy affection towards Stratus was an interesting story, and one that showed WWE’s ever-evolving faith in the women’s division.
It was only a matter of time before this program reached its boiling point, and that took place at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Stratus was uneasy about tagging with Mickie James, and that was mainly the reason why she didn’t tag her number one fan into the match. Following the victory, Mickie James was looking for some recognition from Stratus, even going in for a kiss.
The advance was met with a shove from Trish Stratus, and the retaliation was swift in the form of a Mick Kick from James. It was the expected breaking point in their story, and one that led to a fantastic changing of the guard at WrestleMania 22.
Matt Hardy Boxes With The Real Deal (SNME 2007)
Not all the moments from Saturday Night’s Main Event to make this list were fantastic. Some were so ridiculous that they bear repeating, such as the boxing match that occurred between Matt Hardy and former World Champion Evander Holyfield.
United States Champion MVP and Matt Hardy had a great feud going on in 2007. When WWE brought SNME to Madison Square Garden, these two were set to square off in front of the New York crowd, but of course, MVP had other plans. He brought in Holyfield as a substitute, which was a great injection of some mainstream celebrity, but the gimmick was used poorly.
There wasn’t much of a match to take place, with neither Holyfield nor Hardy getting much offense in. MVP constantly interfered, spurring the former World Champion to knock the United States Champion out to end the exhibition. This attempt to further MVP and Matt Hardy’s program failed spectacularly, but it’s still talked about today, so there’s something.
