Hi everyone and welcome to my review of the very first SNME edition of the 1990s. This show features Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior teaming up to take on Mr. Perfect & The Genius, ‘Macho King’ Randy Savage putting his crown on the line against former holder ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan, and more.
Here is the list of champions in the WWF heading into this show:
- WWF World Champion: Hulk Hogan
- Intercontinental Champion: The Ultimate Warrior
- World Tag Team Champions: The Colossal Connection (André the Giant & Haku)
Enjoy the review!
The hosts are Vince McMahon & Jesse Ventura
Taped from Chattanooga, TN
King crown: Randy Savage(w/ Sensational Queen Sherri) vs. Jim Duggan
Savage takes his sweet time coming into the ring on his carried-by-jobbers-thrown. He stops to meet his loyal peasants in attendance, and Duggan comes over and dumps him all the way down. That’s not how you treat a king. The bell rings and Duggan connects with a clothesline for two. He follows with an atomic drop, at which point Sherri distracts him and opens the door for a Savage cheap shot. Duggan bails and Savage meets him there with the flying double axehandle. Back in for another one that gets two. Savage necksnaps Duggan and charges at him but gets backdropped over the top, with Savage taking another beautiful bump on a backdrop much like he did at the hands of Dusty to get eliminated from that year’s Rumble match. Duggan is in control and we take a break.
Commercial
We come back with Duggan in control back inside. He slams Savage and drops a knee. Duggan follows up with a series of clotheslines as he starts running wild, forcing Sherri to distract him and Duggan chases her around the ring. Savage catches him with another double axehandle, and Sherri hands him the loaded purse behind the ref’s back. Savage hits Duggan and knocks him out cold, much like he did to win the crown from him a few months earlier, but this time it’s only good enough for a nearfall. And the kickout gets a big pop. Duggan gets in a desperate and sloppy small package for two, and he starts making a comeback. However, he’s not all there since he’s knocked out from the shot to the head, and that allows Savage to easily reverse a Duggan suplex and roll through for the pin to steal the win and remain king at 9:14.
- Rating: This was a fun opener. Typical Jim Duggan match with his hot comebacks here and there, and Savage doing a great job of bumping all over the place for him and being a douchebag. Props to Duggan for the selljob at the end, as he was able to stay alive after the shot with the purse, but it ultimately ended up being what caused his defeat. Nice effort here and a decent match. **1/2
Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect & The Genius
This is the first time Hogan and Warrior are teaming up, and it’s days after their famous face-to-face confrontation during the Royal Rumble match. The heels try to take over with a cheapshot to start, but the mega stars clean house as the crowd goes nuts. Perfect gets pissed and comes back in, but his frustration allows Hogan to catch him and whip him into the ring post for a flip bump, as Perfect is already doing everything to make both Hogan and Warrior look like a million bucks. Hogan pushes Perfect off the apron and Perfect flies 3/4 of the way across the ring, followed by a number of punches and another whip into the buckle as Perfect continues to kill himself in order to put these guys even more over. Meanwhile Genius decides to go to the floor and write some strategy on his board, while Perfect eats a Hogan big boot that bumps him all the way over the top and to the floor! Perfect finally turns the tables as Genius hands him the board and Perfect uses it on him. Hogan gets in a quick small package for two, but Perfect is immediately all over him. Perfect necksnaps Hogan and it’s off to Genius, while Warrior is becoming impatient and shaking the ropes on the apron. Perfect hits the Perfectplex on Hogan, but he releases the pinfall at two so that Genius can finish him off. Genius goes for the moonsault, but Hogan moves out of the way. Perfect comes flying off the top as well, but Hogan raises his boot and Perfect takes a spectacular bump. And finally here comes Warrior for the hot tag and a massive pop. Warrior comes in running wild, dumps Perfect followed by a gorilla press on Genius to set up the Warrior Splash. Perfect trips him up, though, but Hogan makes the blind tag and drops the leg on Genius to put him away at 8:02.
- Rating: Very energetic match, with Perfect doing everything and anything he could to make these guys look like killers. Really fun tag match mostly thanks to Perfect. **3/4
After the match, the heels come back in to beat on Hogan but Warrior makes the save. He cleans house, and then accidentally nails Hogan with a clothesline, not knowing it was him. Warrior runs to the back and Hogan is left confused in the ring. The build-up to WrestleMania continues!
Jake Roberts vs. Greg Valentine(w/ Jimmy Hart)
Valentine works an armdrag to start, with Roberts already hooking him in the front facelock hold to nail the DDT, but Valentine blocks and he’s out in a hurry. A cheapshot back in allows Hammer to turn things around. Roberts hits the buckle off a hard whip, and Hammer follows that up with an elbowdrop for two. Kneedrop to the back of the head gets two more. Roberts catches him with the short-arm clothesline and goes for the DDT once again, this time with Valentine using a backdrop to avoid it. Roberts goes for the kneelift, only for Hammer to move out of the way and for Roberts to hit the buckle knee-first. Hammer goes for the figure four, Roberts shoves him off and into Jimmy Hart to knock him off the apron, and the DDT finally connects. Jake slowly crawls for the cover… but here’s DiBiase for the DQ at 05:16.
- Rating: Watchable match, I enjoyed the simple psychology of Jake constantly fighting with all he had to hit that DDT. It also did a good job of setting up DiBiase/Roberts for WrestleMania. Fine match. **
Rick Rude(w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. Dusty Rhodes(w/ Sapphire)
In his pre-match promo, Rude says his goal is to seduce Sapphire because no woman can resist him. Rude cheapshots Dusty to get an unfair edge before the bell, but Dusty quickly turns it around a drops a big fat elbow right on Rude’s back. Off to the outside, where Dusty sends Rude back-first into the barricade. Back in with Rude getting a shot of his own and trying a bodyslam, but the back gives out and Dusty connects with a bionic elbow. Dusty misses another big elbowdrop as Rude works a chinlock. Heenan trash talks Sapphire, forcing the referee to send both Heenan and Sapphire to the back, and us to a break.
Commercial
We return with Rude sending Dusty into the ring post. Suddenly Sapphire appears with a ticket in hand, and sits in the front row. Rude tries to go for his seductive pose, but his back gives out and he can’t do it in a nice touch. Now this is dedication to your character work and selling all at once! Rude works an armbar, Rhodes escapes, shoots him off and we get a double KO spot. Back up with Dusty trying to make his comeback, but Rude pounds him down to stop it. Meanwhile Sapphire distracts Rude and draws him out to go after her, only for Dusty to follow as we get a slugfest on the floor. They brawl all the way up the ramp as the match is thrown out at 9:04.
- Rating: I was expecting a really short match here, but it turned out to be really solid. Rude was feeling it here with his stellar selljob of the injured back, and Rhodes was electrifying as usual. Really nice surprise. **1/2
(Alleged) Main Event: Dino Bravo(w/ Jimmy Hart & The Canadian Earthquake) vs. ‘Rugged’ Ronnie Garvin
Bravo is very aggressive to start, throwing Garvin outside for an Earthquake shot. Back in, Bravo drops an elbow for two. Garvin tries to fight back for a while, but Bravo quickly cuts that off. Garvin goes after Jimmy Hart instead and sets up the Garvin Stomp, but Earthquake stops that. Garvin goes up to hit a crossbody, but Bravo rolls through for the win at 3:19.
- Rating: Relatively short extended squash. 1/2*
After the match, Earthquake gives Garvin two Earthquake splashes. Garvin does an epic selljob, and is taken out on a stretcher to close the show.
END OF THE SHOW
Final thoughts: This was a really good show to follow up a great Royal Rumble PPV a few days earlier. The highlight was obviously the Hogan/Warrior angle, but the show also did an effective job at setting up Roberts/DiBiase for ‘Mania. Also, both the tag match (with Perfect determined to get everyone around him over) and Rhodes/Rude were loads of fun. Recommended show. 6/10
POINT SYSTEM
You can check out my point system here.
| Wrestler | Star ratings | Result | Main-eventing | Extras | Total |
| Hulk Hogan | 2.75 | 1 | 0.5 for winning the fall | 4.25 | |
| The Ultimate Warrior | 2.75 | 1 | 3.75 | ||
| Randy Savage | 2.5 | 1 | 3.5 | ||
| Jake Roberts | 2 | 0.5 | 2.5 | ||
| Rick Rude | 2.5 | 2.5 | |||
| Dino Bravo | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | |
| Dusty Rhodes | 2.5 | 2.5 | |||
| Mr. Perfect | 2.75 | -1 | 1.75 | ||
| Greg Valentine | 2 | -0.5 | 1.5 | ||
| Jim Duggan | 2.5 | -1 | 1.5 | ||
| The Genius | 2.75 | -1 | -0.5 for losing the fall | 1.25 | |
| Ronnie Garvin | 0.5 | -1 | 1 | 0.5 |
Thank you for your time reading! Make sure you don’t miss any of the next reviews coming up!