Before there was Monday Night Raw, before there was SmackDown, there was Saturday Night’s Main Event. WWE wanted to produce something to run between its PLEs, and Saturday night seemed the perfect place. They had a relationship with NBC, and the network provided them with the ideal time slot.
From 1985 to 1992, Saturday Night’s Main Event was a staple of WWE programming. It helped to move programs along, while also giving us fresh matchups and never-before-seen contests. Saturday night was a night for WWE to showcase its talents, and those initial seven years produced some incredible moments. Moments that turned a Saturday Night’s Main Event into a crowd favorite. Below, we will look at the most iconic moments from Saturday Night’s Main Event’s first run.
The Mega Powers Form
Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were the two biggest stars of WWE’s first boom period. Apart, they were unstoppable, but on a fateful night, their paths crossed, and they became legendary. On a taping of Saturday Night’s Main Event, The Macho Man was getting an epic beatdown from the Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation.
It was brutal and didn’t seem to have an end in sight, that is, until Miss Elizabeth called in a favor and brought the Hulkster to the ring.
Rushing to the ring, Hulk Hogan dispatched the three men. It was a great moment, and one that saw the two biggest babyfaces join forces. On that night, the handshake that shook the world took place, and the Mega Powers were formed. It was a partnership that led to SummerSlam main events and a historic WWE Championship run for Randy Savage. The Mega Powers were an unstoppable duo.
The Mega Powers Explode
A year into a very fruitful run for the Mega Powers, the cracks started to form. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were an unstoppable force, and it was only by their own hand that the Mega Powers began to unravel. Randy Savage’s jealousy over the attention that was given to Miss Elizabeth by Hulk Hogan reached a point where he couldn’t hold it in.
On an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Hogan collided with Miss Elizabeth, knocking her to the ground. Hogan seemed to me more concerned for her welfare and carried her to the back, leaving Randy Savage to get brutalized. The Macho Man didn’t take kindly to this and viewed it as the worst type of betrayal. He turned his vitriol towards Hulk Hogan and attacked his former partner. What was once a great partnership blew up spectacularly before our eyes.
