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Post by GodzillaIsMyMonster on Apr 16, 2022 18:46:50 GMT -5
Man... how good was this show?
There's always one great match, and awesome promos.
The 80's ones also are just... AWESOME! Hogan is such a mega star.
What's everyone else's thoughts on SNME?
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Post by buckethead on Apr 16, 2022 19:59:28 GMT -5
It was amazing. As a kid when we went shopping I would immediately check the TV guide at the counter to see if one was happening this weekend. If I saw it, I got so excited.
In an era of 90% garbage matches on TV revolving around interviews, a show like this was unprecedented. They were always the main subject at school on Mondays...even the teachers talked about it.
It was genius to have Hogan title defenses on national television on a regular basis. I also liked how they used these events to push the upcoming feuds for WrestleMania.
The NWA/WCW attempted to replicate it with that 'Superstars of the Superstation' dream match show. While I liked it, it wasn't successful as they dropped the concept but came back to it a few years later with Clash.
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Post by oxbaker on Apr 16, 2022 20:16:40 GMT -5
One thing that was cool IIRC was the main event was the first match televised (after promos/video package to build it up). Got right to it.
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Post by Aceorton on Apr 17, 2022 12:43:23 GMT -5
I would get chills during the little scripted promos before the opening title sequence. Whether it was Hogan-Orndorff or Honky-Savage or Ken Patera-Dino Bravo, everything felt like a huge deal. You HAD to stay up for this.
SNME also had production work that was different from the syndicated shows. Graphics for each wrestler, the special backstage interview areas, more exciting camera work. I love how they'd drop in a commercial break as like a "halftime" thing when someone came to ringside or the heels were cheating to stack the deck. You knew things were about to get crazy once we got back from that commercial.
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Post by Jacy Jayne Atomic Dog AMV on Apr 17, 2022 12:52:46 GMT -5
I was not around for the OG Saturday Night's Main Event but was right on time for the mid 2000s revival so my memories of it are pretty much cursed forever.
The Jenny McCarthy episode is probably one of the worst things WWE's ever done.
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Post by jason1980s on Apr 17, 2022 13:01:04 GMT -5
I liked the show because it felt like getting a little PPV on free TV but there weren't as many matches. I liked the Clashes (darn you Mike Graham!) because it was like full hour and a half or more of matches. Most would have all titles being defended and the latter Clashes that I saw had more main eventers, not like a few jobber matches.
The PPV showdowns WWF did were somewhat close to Clashes though they did have a few jobber matches.
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Post by chronocross on Apr 17, 2022 13:09:30 GMT -5
I loved it as a kid, I would get so hyped whenever they would show a commercial for it mid-week on NBC.
The battle royal with Hogan and Andre was the first one I can remember watching and we wore that tape out.
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Post by wildojinx on Apr 17, 2022 13:18:53 GMT -5
I only started watching in 1990 so I only have memories of the last year or so, but it was still a big deal. One of the first wrestling shows I watched was the Feb 1990 Main Event special.
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fg
Unicron
Gaming
Posts: 2,986
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Post by fg on Apr 17, 2022 13:39:16 GMT -5
One thing that I read about is that on the syndicated shows in most markets, WWE would just say something like: “Theres something special next week. Check your local listings.” They wouldn’t mention the matches and the shows name because back than you didn’t promote ANYTHING on another network. Other markets where the shows would air on the same station as SNME, they would promote the show and matches.
One thing I remember is that in the summer of 1997 on Raw, they actually promoted events on Saturday in the late summer as SNME. Anyone remember that?
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cjh
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 6,605
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Post by cjh on Apr 17, 2022 17:20:03 GMT -5
One thing that I read about is that on the syndicated shows in most markets, WWE would just say something like: “Theres something special next week. Check your local listings.” They wouldn’t mention the matches and the shows name because back than you didn’t promote ANYTHING on another network. Other markets where the shows would air on the same station as SNME, they would promote the show and matches. One thing I remember is that in the summer of 1997 on Raw, they actually promoted events on Saturday in the late summer as SNME. Anyone remember that? They wouldn't mention SNME or NBC by name, but they always advertised the card. Here's Vince plugging the October 1990 SNME on that day's Superstars episode: youtu.be/sY6yzBpFxWY?t=2531For the two Fox episodes of SNME, they did advertise it on Superstars/Challenge by name and as airing "tonight" rather than "this weekend." They also would produce an alternate version of Challenge for markets where it aired on Sunday. On the Sunday version, they would talk about what happened on SNME instead of advertising it.
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,131
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Post by Mozenrath on Apr 17, 2022 17:38:08 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan vs Terry Funk on SNME was really, really goddamn good.
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Post by horsemen4ever on Apr 17, 2022 17:38:18 GMT -5
I wish they closed the cold open with their own version of "Live from New York It's Saturday Night"
Hulk Hogan - "What are you going to do when we are taped from Ohio it's Saturday Night".
They could have gotten away with it in the early days, they had Dick Ebersol on their side.
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Post by flowercity on Apr 17, 2022 17:52:11 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan vs Terry Funk on SNME was really, really goddamn good. Hogan usually tore the house down on SNME. His match with Harley Race is fantastic as well. The 80s run is probably the best wrestling show of all time. NXT Takeover, and Dynamite are close.
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Post by floundertime on Apr 17, 2022 17:52:18 GMT -5
The promos, the music, the graphics……who cares about the matches!
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fg
Unicron
Gaming
Posts: 2,986
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Post by fg on Apr 17, 2022 18:58:32 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan vs Terry Funk on SNME was really, really goddamn good. I love how Hogan referred to Terry as a rattlesnake. Who would have guessed that thirteen years later, Steve Austin would become the most popular star in wrestling history and have the nickname the Rattlesnake? Also, for a long time I wondered where that water park in Tampa was and it’s name. I found out it is Bush Gardens of Tampa and it’s still there.
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Post by smokinvokoun86 on Apr 17, 2022 21:00:27 GMT -5
I would recommend Macho Man vs Bret Hart from November 1987. Might just be the best pure wrestling match that ever happened on SNME. And it’s a show that really loved to put the spotlight on tag team wrestling. Some of the best tag team matches if the 80s and early 90s happened on that show.
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Post by Milkman Norm on Apr 18, 2022 9:03:58 GMT -5
One thing that I read about is that on the syndicated shows in most markets, WWE would just say something like: “Theres something special next week. Check your local listings.” They wouldn’t mention the matches and the shows name because back than you didn’t promote ANYTHING on another network. Other markets where the shows would air on the same station as SNME, they would promote the show and matches. One thing I remember is that in the summer of 1997 on Raw, they actually promoted events on Saturday in the late summer as SNME. Anyone remember that? They wouldn't mention SNME or NBC by name, but they always advertised the card. Here's Vince plugging the October 1990 SNME on that day's Superstars episode: youtu.be/sY6yzBpFxWY?t=2531For the two Fox episodes of SNME, they did advertise it on Superstars/Challenge by name and as airing "tonight" rather than "this weekend." They also would produce an alternate version of Challenge for markets where it aired on Sunday. On the Sunday version, they would talk about what happened on SNME instead of advertising it. And the flip side NBC wouldn't allow them to advertise up coming ppv's until 88 or so. Just watched the 87 battle royale episodes and at no point is WrestleMania III mentioned.
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tafkaga
Samurai Cop
the Dogfather
Posts: 2,127
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Post by tafkaga on Apr 18, 2022 9:23:43 GMT -5
It was really special to find these on when I was a kid. The opening promos and music was so exciting.
Rewatching them as an adult, I immediately notice the very scripted nature of everything that sets them apart from other programming of the era.
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Post by The Summer of Muskrat XVII on Apr 18, 2022 13:23:31 GMT -5
I only started watching in 1990 so I only have memories of the last year or so, but it was still a big deal. One of the first wrestling shows I watched was the Feb 1990 Main Event special. Yeah, I started watching in 1990 but I was 4 so I was only watching the syndicated shows and the occasional Best of tape I rented. I didn’t see most of SNME until the internet made tracking them down much easier.
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Post by GodzillaIsMyMonster on Apr 18, 2022 13:35:02 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan vs Terry Funk on SNME was really, really goddamn good. Love this match, and it's one of the rare American matches, after the national expansion, that Hogan wins with the Axe Bomber.
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