Random Network Reviews: Saturday Night’s Main Event 8/2/08

Saturday Night’s Main Event
August 2nd, 2008 – Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

After its original run from 1985-1992, Saturday Night’s Main Event was taken off of the schedule. With Raw starting in 1993 and Smackdown in 1999, it seemed like there was no longer room for the Saturday spectacular, which was a big deal in its heyday. That all changed in 2006 when it returned for two episodes that year and again in 2007. In 2008 only one episode would run and it would be the final one. That is the one that we’re looking at today, which was a short while before SummerSlam in 2008.

The WWE Network has dubbed over the intro video as I’m pretty sure it was “Boom” by P.O.D. at this time. Commentary is Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler as we head right into action. World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk is also on commentary, but I believe that’s only for the opener.

Eight Man Tag Team Match
Cody Rhodes, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Kane and Ted Dibiase vs. Batista, Cryme Tyme, and John Cena
Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase are World Tag Team Champions at this point, and they had awful theme music. My goodness, at this point John Cena was only a three time champion. This is interesting as Batista and John Cena were scheduled to meet at SummerSlam but were teammates here. Batista and Kane start, with Kane hitting a big boot. Batista gets a near fall with a boot of his own. Cody gets the tag but ends up in the wrong side of town. Cryme Tyme work a double team and I’d just like to say that it’s a shame that they never got a run with the titles. Shad hits a weak looking snake eyes, and a cheap shot by JBL turns the tide. The big man is actually going to work as the face in trouble, which is interesting. Each of the heels get in some basic offense until a suplex allows Cena to get the tag. Shoulder block/shoulder block/punch duck/ slam/five knuckle shuffle. VINTAGE CENA! Oh wait, Michael Cole isn’t on commentary. FU is stopped by a boot from Kane so Batista spears him. He nails Dibiase with a spinebuster and Cena looks at JTG confused but tags him in. He launches JTG onto Dibiase but that’s NOT THE LEGAL MAN! JBL, the actual legal man, sneaks in and hits the Clothesline from Hell to win.

Winners: Cody Rhodes, JBL, Kane and Ted Dibiase in 11:15
Fun little opener but it could’ve been better. It was just a showcase to get a lot of people on the card and allow them to do their basic stuff. Shad was the face in trouble for a bit too long though. **3/4

The Great Khali w/ Ranjin Singh vs. Jimmy Wang Yang
Before the bell, a video package showing Khali’s dominance as he is heading towards a WWE Title match against Triple H at SummerSlam. Yang fires away and literally looks like a child next to Khali. His shots have zero effect and Khali slams him. The WWE logo has moved to the upper right side of my screen, which is very strange. Chokeslam from Khali ends this quickly.

Winner: The Great Khali in 1:29
Exactly what you would expect this to be. Total domination. SQUASH

I forgot to mention that before the previous match, and after, some vignettes air for the fight against autism. Multiple celebrities discuss it, leading into Jenny McCarthy coming to the stage. She looked a lot better at WrestleMania XI but still not bad. She just talks about autism and thanks the WWE and the fans for their support.

A video package airs of Edge apologizing to his wife, Vickie Guerrero for cheating on her with Alicia Fox. Vickie looked horrible at this time. She accepted his apology by reinstating the Undertaker and booking Edge against him at SummerSlam in Hell in a Cell. Their rivalry was easily one of the best things of 2008.

Edge vs. Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy was in the midst of his huge run to the top of the company which led to him being the most over guy in the WWE. Yes, more over than John Cena. At the start, they work some basic stuff and play off of the fact that they’ve wrestled about a thousand times before. Jeff hits a nice dropkick and plancha to the outside. In classic Jeff fashion, he tries another high risk moves and crashes into the guardrail, holding his knee. Back from commercial and Edge is targeting the knee. He works it with some submissions and then wraps it around the ring post. Jeff starts to rally, hitting the Hardyac arrest for two. Commentary does a good job of pointing out how Edge’s life has been in a downward spiral since losing the World Title. This would lead to his caveman look return a few months later. Edge counters the Twist of Fate into the Edgecution but Hardy kicks out! He goes for the Spear but Hardy dodges and nails Whisper in the Wind for another near fall. Hardy goes for the Swanton Bomb but Edge wisely rolls out of harm’s way. He goes for the Spear but Jeff leaps over him and he spills outside. Hardy is doing a good job of selling the leg injury, as he rests with his head on the apron. MVP comes from out of nowhere and kicks Jeff in the skull! Edge hits the Spear and that’s a wrap.

Winner: Edge in 12:14
I enjoyed the psychology of this match. Edge saw an opening and took advantage. Leg work is not something I think I’ve seen much in their other matches so it’s a nice change of pace for two guys that have worked a lot together. ***1/4

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

That was a solid episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event. The opener showcased a lot of talents and gave JBL a win before he would be named the number one contender. Khali won a squash heading into a title match and the main event was a good one. However, I can see why this show was canceled as it didn’t add much. These things could be seen on any old Raw or Smackdown, rendering this program rather useless.