Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII
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''Saturday Night's Main Event'' is a series of American
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...
s produced by
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
(originally the World Wrestling Federation or WWF). It was originally broadcast by
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
from 1985 to 1991, replacing ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' in its late night timeslot on an occasional basis throughout the year. At this time when weekly wrestling programs typically consisted primarily of
squash match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...
es featuring established stars dominating enhancement talent, ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' consisted almost entirely of star vs. star matches rarely seen on television, including title defenses and specialty matches. It coincided with and contributed to the apogee of the " second golden age" of professional wrestling in the United States; bolstered by regular in-ring appearances by WWF stars such as
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
, ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' drew large audiences for much of its run, while a spin-off simply titled ''
The Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
'' aired annually on a Friday night in February beginning in 1988. Ratings began to fall in the 1990s, leading to NBC dropping the specials in 1991. In 1992, the WWF moved ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' to
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
, which aired two editions of the special on the network before being discontinued. In 2006, ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' was briefly revived as a series of
prime time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
specials on NBC, as part of WWE's agreement with
NBC Universal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and headquartered at 30 ...
to air its weekly program '' Raw'' on
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
. Five episodes aired as part of the revived run before it was discontinued in 2008. In April 2022, WWE repurposed the ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' title for
house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...
s held on Saturday nights. In September 2024, as part of an agreement moving ''
WWE SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs Live television, live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Netwo ...
'' from Fox to USA, WWE announced that it would revive ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock; the current iteration features performers from WWE's Raw and
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
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.


History


Original run (1985–1992)

''Saturday Night's Main Event'' debuted on May 11, 1985, in the late-night time slot normally assigned to reruns of the NBC sketch comedy ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''. Then-SNL executive producer
Dick Ebersol Duncan Richard Ebersol (; born July 28, 1947) is an American television executive and a senior adviser for NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. He had previously been the chairman of NBC Sports, producing large-scale television events such as the ...
had made a deal with WWF owner
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
to produce the show, after Ebersol had seen the high ratings that two WWF specials drew on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
in 1984–85: The Brawl to End It All and
The War to Settle the Score ''The War to Settle the Score'' is a professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on February 18, 1985. The main event featured Hulk Hogan defending the ...
. Although the show aired infrequently, it did, starting in 1986, settle into a predictable pattern of airdates: New Year's weekend, an episode in late February/early March, an episode in late April/early May, an episode in late September/early October, and Thanksgiving weekend. 1989 and 1990 both offered episodes in July promoted as "Summertime Bonus Editions", some of the Superstars would come on
The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989 ...
interviewed by
Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted a late-night talk show, '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', '' Comi ...
himself to build up/hype of the event. ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' was a tremendous rating success for NBC during its heyday, most notably on the March 14, 1987, show, which drew an 11.6 rating, which to this day remains the highest rating any show has ever done in that time slot. That show was headlined by a
battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
involving
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
and
André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which ...
, who were slated to face each other at
WrestleMania III WrestleMania III was a 1987 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the third annual WrestleMania and held on March 29, 1987, at the ...
. As Hogan rarely wrestled on the WWF syndicated and cable television shows, ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' was the program on free television where most viewers were able to see him in action. The success of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' led to several Friday night
prime time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
specials, known as ''
The Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
''. The first of these, on February 5, 1988, included a WrestleMania III rematch between Hogan and André and drew 33 million viewers and a 15.2 rating, which is still the highest-rated television show in American professional wrestling history. While ratings remained strong through 1990, they began to fall shortly thereafter. NBC, who had just acquired the rights to broadcast NBA games nationwide, now started to lose interest in wrestling, and ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' was dropped. Its final NBC airing occurred on April 27, 1991. Fox picked up the show in 1992, but it was only shown twice on Fox; on February 8, 1992, and the final ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' of the original run was broadcast on November 14, 1992. For much of its history, ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' was hosted by McMahon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura with the occasional use of
Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling Manager (professional wrestling), manager, color commentator, and wrestler. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the Wo ...
in 1986 and 1987. In 1990,
Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the Wo ...
replaced Ventura as McMahon's broadcast partner when Ventura left the WWF. On the two episodes that aired on Fox, Heenan served as McMahon's partner. From 1985 to 1988, the opening theme song for the NBC version was "
Obsession Obsession may refer to: Psychology * Celebrity worship syndrome, obsessive addictive disorder to a celebrity's personal and professional life * Obsession (psychology), a persistent attachment to an object or idea * Fixation (psychology), persist ...
" by
Animotion Animotion is an American synth-pop band from Los Angeles, California, best known for the songs "Obsession (Animotion song), Obsession", "Let Him Go (song), Let him go", "I Engineer, I engineer", and "Room to Move, Room to move". Formed in 1983 ...
with the closing theme being " Take Me Home" by
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
, and also the beginning of "
Take On Me "Take On Me" is a song by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha. The original version, recorded in 1984 and released in October of that year, was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff (producer), John Ratcliff. The 1985 international ...
" by
a-ha A-ha (often stylised as ''a''-h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ros ...
was used for show bumpers.
Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his dis ...
's "
Higher Love "Higher Love" is a 1986 song by English singer Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, '' Back in the High Life'' (1986). It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood. Th ...
" was also used as a closing theme. Starting on the October 4, 1986 edition, each show featured a cold open of short wrestler promos set to a loop of the beginning of
Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born in 1952, in Los Angeles, California. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years l ...
's "Traveling Music" from the ''
American Flyers ''American Flyers'' is a 1985 American sports drama film about bicycle racing. It was directed by John Badham and written by Steve Tesich, The film stars Kevin Costner, David Marshall Grant, Rae Dawn Chong, Alexandra Paul, Jennifer Grey, Luc ...
'' soundtrack. In February 1988, the songs were replaced with an original WWF-created instrumental theme. The new instrumental theme was originally used as the theme of the 1987 WWF Slammy Awards. A different opening theme song was used for the February 1992 episode. Selected episodes were also shown in the United Kingdom on ITV in its weekly Saturday lunchtime '' World Of Sport'' slot, mainly thanks to the popularity of
The British Bulldogs The British Bulldogs were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid. They competed throughout the 1980s in Britain, North America and Japan and have consistently ranked among the top tag teams i ...
.


First revived run (2006–2008)

When WWE's flagship show, '' Raw'', returned to the
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
in 2005, ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' was revived in 2006 as a "special series" to air on occasion on NBC as part of a deal between WWE and
NBC Universal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and headquartered at 30 ...
. The Raw,
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
, and ECW
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
rosters appeared on the show. ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' returned to NBC on March 18, 2006, in a prime-time slot. The first episode aired on a 1-hour time delay, the second episode aired live, with the three remaining episodes airing at a later date. The series was discontinued after July 2008; in lieu of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', WWE began to instead produce hour-long WrestleMania highlights specials for NBC, beginning with '' The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania: The World Television Premiere'' in 2009.


Second revived run (2024–present)

In 2024, after having moved from USA Network to Fox in 2019, ''
WWE SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs Live television, live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Netwo ...
'' returned to USA Network as part of a five-year agreement with NBCUniversal. As part of the agreement, it was stated that WWE would produce four prime time specials for NBC per-year for the length of the agreement. On September 17, 2024, WWE announced that it would be producing a second revival of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', with the first episode airing on December 14 from
Nassau Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island. The venue is situated approximately east of the eastern limits of the Borough (New York City), borough of Q ...
—the site of the first edition of the series. The new revival features homages to the original run of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' and WWE in the 1980s, including a lack of TitanTron, red, white, and blue ring ropes, referees in formal outfits, some branding elements using the WWE "throwback" logo, and the reinstatement of "
Obsession Obsession may refer to: Psychology * Celebrity worship syndrome, obsessive addictive disorder to a celebrity's personal and professional life * Obsession (psychology), a persistent attachment to an object or idea * Fixation (psychology), persist ...
" by
Animotion Animotion is an American synth-pop band from Los Angeles, California, best known for the songs "Obsession (Animotion song), Obsession", "Let Him Go (song), Let him go", "I Engineer, I engineer", and "Room to Move, Room to move". Formed in 1983 ...
as its theme music (albeit this time not as an instrumental).
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...
also wore the "Winged Eagle" belt (first introduced in 1988 for the then-WWF World Heavyweight Championship) to represent his
Undisputed WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand ...
.


Events

The following table lists the dates and locations of televised events; they do not include the 2022 house shows.


Results

The following lists the match results for ''Saturday Night's Main Event''s televised shows, and do not include results for any of the 2022 house shows.


World Wrestling Federation


Saturday Night's Main Event I

Saturday Night's Main Event I took place May 10, 1985, from
Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in central Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, within the New York metropolitan area. The population was 32,473 at the time of the 2020 United States census ...
, in
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island. The venue is situated approximately east of the eastern limits of the borough of Queens in New York City, a ...
, and aired May 11, 1985. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew an 8.8 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event II

Saturday Night's Main Event II took place on October 3, 1985, from
East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner suburb, inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 Unit ...
, at the
Brendan Byrne Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...
, and aired on October 5, 1985. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew an 8.3 rating. During the broadcast,
Uncle Elmer Stanley C. Fraizer (August 16, 1937 – July 1, 1992), also known as Plowboy Frazier, was an American professional wrestler. He was primarily a regional gimmick wrestler, employed for his massive size and unique personality. He is best known as ...
was legitimately married to Joyce Stazko.


Saturday Night's Main Event III

Saturday Night's Main Event III took place on October 31, 1985, from
Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...
, at the Hersheypark Arena, and aired on November 2, 1985. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 6.3 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event IV

Saturday Night's Main Event IV took place on December 19, 1985, from
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, at the USF Sun Dome, and aired on January 4, 1986. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 10.4 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event V

Saturday Night's Main Event V took place on February 15, 1986, from
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
, at the
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, also called the Madhouse Coliseum or Phoenix Memorial Coliseum, is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Su ...
, and aired on March 1, 1986. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 10.0 rating. Events during three of the matches – The Dream Team vs.
The British Bulldogs The British Bulldogs were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid. They competed throughout the 1980s in Britain, North America and Japan and have consistently ranked among the top tag teams i ...
for the
WWF Tag Team Championship WWF may refer to: Computing and games *WWF (file format), a campaign for unprintable PDF documents *Windows Workflow Foundation, a software component of the .NET Framework *''Words with Friends'', a mobile computer game franchise Non-profit orga ...
;
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
vs. The Magnificent Muraco for the
WWF World Heavyweight Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American profe ...
; and
Mr. T Laurence T (born Laurence Tureaud; May 21, 1952), known professionally as Mr. T, is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A ...
vs. "Battling" Bob Orton in a boxing match – helped set up three of the four major matches at
WrestleMania 2 WrestleMania 2 was a 1986 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the second annual WrestleMania and took place on Monday, April 7, 1986, making it the only WrestleMania ...
. The premiere airing of the video for "Real American," Hulk Hogan's entrance theme, took place.


Saturday Night's Main Event VI

Saturday Night's Main Event VI took place on May 1, 1986, from
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
, at the Providence Civic Center, and aired on May 3, 1986. The show aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 9.3 rating. Jake Roberts sneak-attacked Ricky Steamboat and took him out with his finisher, the DDT, on the arena's concrete floor prior to the match starting, helping set up a feud that continued through the summer and early fall of 1986.


Saturday Night's Main Event VII

Saturday Night's Main Event VII took place on September 13, 1986, from Richfield, Ohio, at the Coliseum at Richfield, and aired on October 4, 1986. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 9.4 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event VIII

Saturday Night's Main Event VIII took place on November 15, 1986, from Los Angeles, California, at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, and aired on November 29, 1986. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 9.7 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event IX

Saturday Night's Main Event IX took place on December 14, 1986, from Hartford, Connecticut, at the Hartford Civic Center, and aired on January 3, 1987. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 10.6 rating. The steel cage match between
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
and Paul Orndorff was initially declared a draw when both wrestlers escaped the cage at approximately the same time and two referees – Joey Marella and Dangerous Danny Davis, Danny Davis, the latter playing up his crooked referee gimmick – disputing the finish. When footage from the escape spot was deemed "inconclusive," the match was re-started and continued with Hogan gaining a decisive win over Orndorff.


Saturday Night's Main Event X

Saturday Night's Main Event X took place on February 21, 1987, from Detroit, Michigan, at the Joe Louis Arena, and aired on March 14, 1987. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew an 11.6 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event XI

Saturday Night's Main Event XI took place on April 28, 1987, from Notre Dame, Indiana, at the Edmund P. Joyce Center, and aired May 2, 1987. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 9.5 rating. While a match featuring
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
was not included in the show, a pre-taped interview with comments regarding
WrestleMania III WrestleMania III was a 1987 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the third annual WrestleMania and held on March 29, 1987, at the ...
and a possible future rematch was included. A separate interview with Andre the Giant and
Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling Manager (professional wrestling), manager, color commentator, and wrestler. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the Wo ...
, also reflecting on WrestleMania III, also aired.


Saturday Night's Main Event XII

Saturday Night's Main Event XII took place on September 23, 1987, from
Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...
, at the Hersheypark Arena, and aired October 3, 1987. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 9.7 rating. As the result of events during the Randy Savage vs. The Honky Tonk Man match – a beatdown of Savage by Honky and The Hart Foundation#The Hart Foundation, The Hart Foundation, and
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
running in to save Savage – The Mega Powers alliance of Hogan, Savage and Miss Elizabeth was formed. The music video for "Piledriver" (as performed by Koko B. Ware), the title track of Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II, the WWF's second album of entrance music and performances by the wrestlers, debuted.


Saturday Night's Main Event XIII

Saturday Night's Main Event XIII took place on November 11, 1987, from Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center Coliseum, and aired November 28, 1987 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. Andre the Giant accompanied King Kong Bundy and
Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling Manager (professional wrestling), manager, color commentator, and wrestler. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the Wo ...
to the ring for Bundy's match vs. Hulk Hogan. Midway through the match, Andre was ejected from ringside for attempting to interfere in the match; as he returned to the locker room, he shoved a WWF cameraman to the floor. Brian Bosworth, linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, was shown in the audience.


Saturday Night's Main Event XIV

Saturday Night's Main Event XIV took place on December 7, 1987, from Landover, Maryland, at the Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland), Capital Centre, and aired on January 2, 1988 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. During the Hulk Hogan-King Kong Bundy match, referee Jack Krueger was accidentally caught and knocked out by Bundy in an attempt to avalanche Hogan; the match was briefly interrupted as a new referee, Dave Hebner, took Krueger's place. Following the match, Andre the Giant sneak-attacked Hogan and choked him to the brink of unconsciousness, fighting off several wrestlers who came to aid Hogan; this served as one of the build-ups to the Hogan-Andre match on ''WWF The Main Event#The Main Event, The Main Event'', which aired February 5, 1988.


Saturday Night's Main Event XV

Saturday Night's Main Event XV took place on March 7, 1988, from Nashville, Tennessee, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, and aired on March 12, 1988. Although there were 10,000 in attendance, it was reportedly a heavily papered event. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 10.0 rating. During the tapings, Don Muraco vs Butch Reed was taped but aired on ''Prime Time Wrestling'' on April 11, 1988. The match between
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
and Harley Race saw Race lay Hogan across a table outside the ring and attempted to hit a diving headbutt from the ring apron, but Hogan moved out of the way and Race crashed through the table, suffering a Legit (professional wrestling), legitimate injury that would eventually force him into retirement in 1991. After the Ted DiBiase and
André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which ...
match, Hogan appeared at ringside to clear the ring of DiBiase and Virgil (wrestler), Virgil after they began a post-match beatdown of Randy "Macho Man" Savage. The match between The Islanders (professional wrestling), The Islanders (Tonga Fifita, Haku and Sam Fatu, Tama) and The Killer Bees (professional wrestling), The Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell and B. Brian Blair) was a two-out-of-three-falls match, however only the first fall was televised.


Saturday Night's Main Event XVI

Saturday Night's Main Event XVI took place on April 22, 1988, from Springfield, Massachusetts, at the Springfield Civic Center, and aired April 30, 1988 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. This was the first ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' to not feature
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
in any of the televised matches or interviews, as he had taken a leave of absence around this time to begin filming ''No Holds Barred (1989 film), No Holds Barred''.


Saturday Night's Main Event XVII

Saturday Night's Main Event XVII took place on October 25, 1988, from Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena, and aired October 29, 1988. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew an 8.7 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event XVIII

Saturday Night's Main Event XVIII took place on November 16, 1988, from Sacramento, California, at the ARCO Arena, and aired November 26, 1988. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 9.4 rating. During the show, Bruce Prichard, Brother Love conducted a special interview with
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
and Slick (wrestling), Slick.


Saturday Night's Main Event XIX

Saturday Night's Main Event XIX took place on December 7, 1988, from
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, at the USF Sun Dome, and aired January 7, 1989 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. Events during and after the
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
-One Man Gang, Akeem match – Randy Savage declining to make the save and run off Akeem and Big Boss Man (wrestler), Big Boss Man while they were beating down Hogan, but Savage immediately running to ringside when the heels were threatening to beat up Miss Elizabeth, and then Savage questioning Elizabeth as she tended to a beaten Hogan – helped foreshadow the later heel turn by Savage at ''The Main Event II'' in February. George Steinbrenner was shown in the front row during this event, and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan at one point remarked about the guy he managed in the ring at the time to Steinbrenner "I've got a ring full of Winfields".


Saturday Night's Main Event XX

Saturday Night's Main Event XX took place on February 16, 1989, from
Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...
, at the Hersheypark Arena, and aired March 11, 1989. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 10.0 rating. During the event, Mean Gene Okerlund conducted a special interview with Miss Elizabeth to publicly announce whose corner she will be in at WrestleMania V.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXI

Saturday Night's Main Event XXI took place on April 25, 1989, from Des Moines, Iowa, at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (Des Moines), Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and aired May 27, 1989 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. During the steel cage match between
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
and Big Boss Man (wrestler), Big Boss Man, Hogan superplexed Boss Man from over the top of the cage to the mat, briefly knocking both wrestlers out. Prior to the match, Tommy Lister Jr., in-character as his ''No Holds Barred (1989 film), No Holds Barred'' movie role of Zeus (the movie's villain), came to ringside and stood in front of the cage entrance, beating down Hogan after daring him to "move me!"


Saturday Night's Main Event XXII

Saturday Night's Main Event XXII took place on July 18, 1989, from Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum, and aired July 29, 1989 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. During the Randy Savage-Brutus Beefcake match, Tommy Lister Jr., Zeus appeared at ringside and interfered on Savage's behalf. Hulk Hogan came to aid Beefcake but was unable to hurt Zeus. The events of this match was one of the pieces to help set up the main event of SummerSlam (1989), SummerSlam. The show also featured the only title change in the programs history to date.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXIII

Saturday Night's Main Event XXIII took place September 21, 1989, from Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Riverfront Coliseum, and aired October 14, 1989. The show was attended by 14,000 people, of which 12,000 were paid. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 9.5 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXIV

Saturday Night's Main Event XXIV took place October 31, 1989, from Topeka, Kansas, at the Sunflower State Expocentre, and aired November 25, 1989. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew an 8.7 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXV

Saturday Night's Main Event XXV took place January 3, 1990, from Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the UTC Arena, and aired January 27, 1990. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew an 11.1 rating.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXVI

Saturday Night's Main Event XXVI took place on April 23, 1990, from Austin, Texas, at the Frank Erwin Center, and aired April 28, 1990 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXVII

Saturday Night's Main Event XXVII took place July 16, 1990, from Omaha, Nebraska, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, and aired July 28, 1990. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 7.2 rating. This event saw the debut in WWF of Kerry Von Erich, The Texas Tornado.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXVIII

Saturday Night's Main Event XXVIII took place September 18, 1990, from Toledo, Ohio, at the Toledo Sports Arena, and aired October 13, 1990 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. During the match between Randy Savage and Dusty Rhodes, Ted DiBiase attacked Dusty's son Dustin Rhodes.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXIX

Saturday Night's Main Event XXIX took place April 15, 1991, from Omaha, Nebraska, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, and aired April 27, 1991. The event drew 9,400 people of which 7,000 were paid. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 7.7 rating. Following this event, ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' aired two episodes on Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX in 1992, the series then ended until returning to NBC for 5 additional specials beginning in 2006 with Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXX

Saturday Night's Main Event XXX took place on January 27, 1992, from Lubbock, Texas, at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, and aired February 8, 1992. The event was the first ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' to air on
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
and drew an 8.2 rating and 14.3 million viewers. Prematch stipulation of the
Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the Wo ...
and Jacques Rougeau, The Mountie match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, stated Bret Hart would face the winner at WrestleMania VIII. The Road Warriors, The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal) were originally scheduled to take on The Beverly Brothers (Blake Beverly and Beau Beverly), however The Legion of Doom were replaced by Sgt. Slaughter and Jim Duggan. Following the match between Randy Savage and Jake Roberts, the telecast ended with Miss Elizabeth coming to the ring and celebrating with Savage. A week later during ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling, Superstars'', it was revealed that Roberts prepared to hit Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair as soon as she stepped backstage, only for The Undertaker to prevent the attack and allow Savage to hit Roberts with a chair of his own.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI took place October 27, 1992, from Terre Haute, Indiana, at the Hulman Center, and aired November 14, 1992. The event aired on
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
and drew a 6.1 rating and 10.6 million viewers. This event was the second and final ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' to air on FOX, and the final ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' for almost 14 years, until the series returned in 2006 with Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII.


World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII took place on March 18, 2006, from Detroit, Michigan, at the Cobo Arena. The event aired on a 1-hour tape delay on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
in the United States and Citytv in Canada with the former network drawing a 3.1 rating. This marked the first ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' since 1992 when Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX, and the first on NBC since Saturday Night's Main Event XXIX in 1991 as well as the first ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' to feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown! brand divisions during the WWE brand extension, first brand extension. Mickie James and Trish Stratus fought over the WWE Women's Championship (1956–2010), WWE Women's Championship at New Year's Revolution (2006), New Year's Revolution, with Stratus retaining. In the months that followed, James' obsession with Stratus grew to the point that she confessed to Stratus that she was in love with her. James made an attempt to kiss Stratus at ''Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII'', after the duo defeated Candice Michelle and Lisa Marie Varon, Victoria. After she was rebuffed, James attacked Stratus and later vowed to destroy her. Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and Taz (wrestler), Tazz are the commentators.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII took place July 15, 2006, from Dallas, Texas, at the American Airlines Center. The event drew 17,343 people, of which 14,500 were paid. The event aired live on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
, and drew a 2.6 rating. This was the first series to feature the ECW brand, which was relaunched in June 2006. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are the commentators for Raw, Michael Cole (wrestling), Michael Cole and John Layfield are the commentators for
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
, and Joey Styles and Taz (wrestler), Tazz are the commentators for ECW. Justin Roberts was the ring announcer.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIV

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIV took place on May 28, 2007, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Air Canada Centre, and aired June 2, 2007. The event drew 16,176 of which 14,000 were paid. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 2.2 rating. Michael Cole (wrestling), Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler were the commentators. Ashley Massaro, Kristal Marshall, Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, and Michelle McCool were the various guest ring announcers.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXV

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXV took place on August 13, 2007, from New York City at Madison Square Garden, and aired August 18, 2007. The event drew 16,827 of which 13,500 were paid. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and drew a 2.5 rating. Michael Cole (wrestling), Michael Cole, Jim Ross, and John Layfield are the commentators. Taz (wrestler), Tazz was the guest commentator for the main event.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVI

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVI took place on July 28, 2008, from Washington, D.C., at the Capital One Arena, Verizon Center, and aired August 2, 2008. The event aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
as a 1-hour special, and drew a 1.4 rating. The event drew 14,722 of which 12,000 were paid. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are the commentators. CM Punk was the guest commentator for the first televised match.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII took place on December 14, 2024, from
Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in central Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, within the New York metropolitan area. The population was 32,473 at the time of the 2020 United States census ...
, at the
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island. The venue is situated approximately east of the eastern limits of the borough of Queens in New York City, a ...
, the same location as the inaugural event Saturday Night's Main Event I, 39 years earlier. The event was broadcast in the United States on NBC and streaming on Peacock (streaming service), Peacock and on YouTube in international markets as a two-hour special, marking the first Saturday Night's Main Event special since 2008. This special saw the crowning of the inaugural WWE Women's United States Champion. On December 6, it was announced that WWE Hall of Famer Jesse "The Body" Ventura would provide commentary at the event. Pat McAfee also returned to provide commentary for all matches at the same event.


= WWE Women's United States Championship Tournament

=


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVIII

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVIII took place on January 25, 2025, from San Antonio, Texas, at the Frost Bank Center, and was broadcast on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock in the United States and on YouTube in most other international markets. The event featured the contract signing (moderated by WWE Hall of Famer and San Antonio native Shawn Michaels) between
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...
and Kevin Owens for their upcoming Ladder match for Rhodes'
Undisputed WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand ...
and the "Winged Eagle" WWE Championship (which Owens stole from Rhodes at the previous Saturday Night's Main Event) at the Royal Rumble (2025), Royal Rumble event. WWE Hall of Famer Jesse "The Body" Ventura returned to provide commentary for the event.


Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIX

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIX took place on May 24, 2025, from
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, at the Yuengling Center, and broadcast on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock in the United States and on YouTube in most other international markets. The event featured the return of
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...
in his first appearance since Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 in April, as well as Bronson Reed who had been out with a broken ankle since Survivor Series: WarGames (2024), Survivor Series: WarGames in November 2024 and joined Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Paul Heyman's alliance. WWE Hall of Famer Jesse "The Body" Ventura returned to provide commentary for the event.


Saturday Night's Main Event XL

Saturday Night's Main Event XL will take place on July 12, 2025, from Atlanta, Georgia, at the State Farm Arena and will be broadcast on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock in the United States and on YouTube in most other international markets.This event marks the first in-ring match for Bill Goldberg, Goldberg since 2022.


Home video


VHS release

During the original run, WWE Home Video, Coliseum Video released two cassettes of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'': Saturday Night's Main Event's Greatest Hits which contained six matches from 1985 to 1987 and More Saturday Night's Main Event containing nine matches from 1988 to 1989. In 1992, the WWF released through Columbia House, ''Best of Saturday Night's Main Event (Collector's Edition)'' comprising five matches from 1988 to 1990.


DVD release

On February 10, 2009, the WWE released a three-disc DVD set on the history of ''Saturday Night's Main Event''. The set includes more than 30 full matches and several non-wrestling segments. Among these are highlights of
Uncle Elmer Stanley C. Fraizer (August 16, 1937 – July 1, 1992), also known as Plowboy Frazier, was an American professional wrestler. He was primarily a regional gimmick wrestler, employed for his massive size and unique personality. He is best known as ...
's wedding,
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
's "Real American" music video, and Curt Hennig, Mr. Perfect smashing Hogan's WWF World Heavyweight Championship belt. The first match in the program's history, a six-man tag team match pitting the U.S. Express (Mike Rotunda, Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) teaming with Ricky Steamboat defeating the team of World Tag Team Championship (WWE), WWF Tag Team Champions Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik and their partner George Steele, George "The Animal" Steele, is included as an extra. Also, two other notable matches are included, both from the program's spinoff
The Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
. The first is a February 1988 rematch from
WrestleMania III WrestleMania III was a 1987 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the third annual WrestleMania and held on March 29, 1987, at the ...
pitting Hogan against
André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which ...
, the second a Mega Powers' (Hogan and Randy Savage) bout against the Twin Towers (Big Boss Man (wrestler), The Big Boss Man and One Man Gang, Akeem) from February 1989. Both had direct implications on each year's WrestleMania: the Hogan-Andre match led to the WWF title being vacated until WrestleMania IV while the Mega Powers-Twin Towers match led to the breakup of the Mega Powers and Hogan eventually defeating Randy Savage to win the WWF title at WrestleMania V. In the WrestleMania 22 DVD, the Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII, XXXII edition was included in the 2nd disc in its entirety.


Notes


References


External links

* * (1985 version) * (2006 version) {{WWE 1985 American television series debuts 1992 American television series endings 2006 American television series debuts 2008 American television series endings American television series revived after cancellation Fox Broadcasting Company late-night programming Fox Broadcasting Company original programming NBC late-night programming NBC original programming Saturday mass media Television series by WWE