{"id":161778,"date":"2026-05-21T07:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T11:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=161778"},"modified":"2026-05-20T23:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T03:44:21","slug":"7-classic-moments-from-saturday-nights-main-event-1985-1992","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/05\/21\/7-classic-moments-from-saturday-nights-main-event-1985-1992\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Classic Moments From WWE Saturday Night&#8217;s Main Event (1985-1992)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before there was Monday Night Raw, before there was SmackDown, there was Saturday Night\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>From 1985 to 1992, Saturday Night\u2019s 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&#8217;s Main Event into a crowd favorite. Below, we will look at the most iconic moments from Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event\u2019s first run.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Mega Powers Form <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/videos\/playlists\/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-mega-powers\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">two biggest stars of WWE\u2019s first boom period<\/a>. Apart, they were unstoppable, but on a fateful night, their paths crossed, and they became legendary. On a taping of Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event, The Macho Man was getting an epic beatdown from the Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RkwsIzYvFUg?si=gesU5nLTI77VmMBb\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It was brutal and didn\u2019t seem to have an end in sight, that is, until Miss Elizabeth called in a favor and brought the Hulkster to the ring.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2019\/02\/03\/30-years-ago-today-the-mega-powers-explode\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>The Mega Powers Explode<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>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\u2019s jealousy over the attention that was given to Miss Elizabeth by Hulk Hogan reached a point where he couldn\u2019t hold it in.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-9dvsf0hS4I?si=0guT9XOVBvRA92sm\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On an episode of Saturday Night\u2019s 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 610px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBmfmjlf5M\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 2493px; aspect-ratio: 2493\/1608;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/07\/16\/paul-orndorff-hulk-hogans-greatest-rival\/\" target=\"_self\">Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff<\/a> Fight To A Photo Finish <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Paul Orndorff was a fantastic challenger for Hulk Hogan\u2019s WWE Championship. He was just as powerful and charismatic as the Hulkster and engaged in an amazing feud that took place all over the world. They had many famous battles, but the most notable was when Orndorff and Hogan stepped inside the big blue steel cage at Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event.<\/p>\n<p>This WWE Championship match was a fantastic back-and-forth bout, but it is more fondly remembered for a breath-taking photo finish. Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff were racing to escape the cage, and both men\u2019s feet hit simultaneously. The originality of this spot may be lost nowadays, but at the time, this was incredible. The fans didn\u2019t know what to make of it, and it made this match one of the best in Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event history.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/12\/10\/memorable-matches-from-wwe-saturday-nights-main-event\/\" target=\"_self\">Randy Savage and Bret Hart<\/a> Put On A Clinic <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event was a wonderful novelty. It contained many great moments and was a wonderful bridge to the shortage of PLEs during the Golden Era. Unfortunately, it was not a show that was full of great wrestling. It\u2019s hard to find matches that set the world on fire; luckily, there was one huge standout when Randy Savage took on Bret Hart in a technical masterpiece.<\/p>\n<p>Bret Hart was still a tag team specialist at the time, but his talent was undeniable. Hart and Randy Savage engaged in an incredible match that was given the time to build a great story. The world knew that The Macho Man was a main event guy, but we all witnessed what Bret Hart could do on his own. He proved to everyone that he had the potential to be great.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/02\/demolition-finally-announced-for-wwe-hall-of-fame\/\" target=\"_self\">Demolitions<\/a> Historic Tag Title Reign Ends <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At WrestleMania 4, Demolition defeated Strike Force, capturing the WWE Tag Team Championships. It was a huge win for Ax and Smash, and one that was the starting point for their record-breaking 478-day reign with the tag championships. \u00a0A reign that saw them conquer every team in their path, making us question if they would ever relinquish the tag straps.<\/p>\n<p>That question was answered in the most shocking of ways on an episode of Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event in 1989. In a two-out-of-three falls match, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, known as the Brain Busters, shocked the wrestling world when they upended the champions. No one in their right mind could have expected this upset. Not to say that the Brain Busters didn\u2019t deserve the win, it was not something the world was used to seeing on Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Heartbreak Kid Wins Gold <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The wrestling world knew that The Rockers were destined for a split. The office has backed Shawn Michaels as the next big star, and the infamous Barber Shop segment solidified his emergence. He stormed onto the singles scene, and as great as he was, he needed a big win to legitimize his rise to the top. That win came at Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 610px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"8afcbf7a9ed3fd6bf7763b62addc7cf8\" image-id=\"3He6PJlvD5eh\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 2815px; aspect-ratio: 2815\/3150;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>The British Bulldog put his Intercontinental Championship on the line against the brash young star. It was a great back-and-forth battle. One that saw Michaels reverse a suplex to eke out the shocking win over the Bulldog. Shocking only because the British Bulldogs&#8217; reign had only just started, and most assumed that he would be carrying the strap for a while.<\/p>\n<p>That shouldn\u2019t take away from how important this victory was for Shawn Michaels, as it was the start of his path to the top of the company. The reign he enjoyed proved his viability as a singles star.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Hulk Hogan and The Big Boss Man Tear The House Down \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Monster heels were the ideal opponent for Hulk Hogan. He was the conquering hero and needed a scary monster to stand across the ring from. Many men got thrown at the champion, but few had the string of great matches that the Big Boss Man did. They had a string of house show matches that were great, but they were all left in the dust at the hands of a steel cage match at Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event.<\/p>\n<p>With the WWE Championship on the line, Hulk Hogan and The Big Boss Man engaged in one of the best steel cage matches of the Golden Era. The physicality was as great as one would expect, with both men using the cage liberally.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A0VH2GIYkLI?si=lwoFJhLxWBHrdYsu\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>There wasn\u2019t much of a chance of Boss Man winning the gold, but WWE did a fantastic job of sowing the tiniest seed of doubt in the audience&#8217;s mind. Combine that with an earth-shaking suplex off the steel cage, and you have another classic moment from Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before there was Monday Night Raw, before there was SmackDown, there was Saturday Night\u2019s 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\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4518,"featured_media":131994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2,7205,2192,3],"tags":[587,361,395,9074],"class_list":["post-161778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe","category-featured","category-history","category-wrestling","category-wwe-universe","tag-hulk-hogan","tag-randy-savage","tag-shawn-michaels","tag-wwe-saturday-nights-main-event"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161778"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161799,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161778\/revisions\/161799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}