10 Quick Thoughts On WWF / WWE SNME, October 3rd, 1987 (The Mega-Powers Unite!)

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As anyone who follows my work knows, I love me some old school ‘rasslin. In general, I prefer the harder hitting NWA action, but I am a child of the 80’s after all, so I was obligated to watch the WWF and, by proxy, Hulk Hogan. I was never a “Hulkamaniac,” that’s for sure, but I did watch. Instead, I cheered for Andre the night he “beat” Hogan for the WWF Title, and I always tended to see Ventura’s points about Hogan being a sore loser or even a sore winner.

But I digress. This is about one of the biggest moments of the 80’s period, NWA or WWF. On this night, the biggest and most star-studded tag team arguably ever was formed. This is about the formation of the Mega-Powers.

  1. The night begins with the announcement of an IC Title match between “Macho Man” Randy Savage and the Honky Tonk Man. And of course, we get a fantastic coked up interview with Savage, as he expunges life lessons on the children of the 80’s.
  2. The feud had been simmering for a while at this point. It had mainly centered not only on the IC Title, but on HTM’s wooing of the lovely Miss Elizabeth, and Savage’s continued jealousy of it.
  3. The match starts out fast and furious, as most blood feuds tend to do. One thing to note is that as of right now, only the Colonel Jimmy Hart is at ringside, seconding HTM.
  4. I mention this because after some time, and the usual greatness from Macho I must add, HTM starts getting in serious trouble. This signals the Colonel to call out the Hart Foundation to second, (or third and fourth, as it were,) HTM. This would prove pivotal to the development of the story.
  5. It would not take long for the Foundation to interject themselves in your usual heelish ways, eventually turning the tide to the Honky Tonk Man.
  6. This leads to Macho reversing Honky’s finisher, and finally hitting the big elbow. The Foundation immediately jump in for the DQ, knowing that HTM was beat.
  7. A massive beatdown ensues on Macho, with HTM eventually getting the Foundation to hold Macho so he can get in the guitar shot that he was ever so known for. (Ask Jake Roberts!)
  8. At this point, as any 80’s wrestling worth their salt knows, Miss Elizabeth would interject herself trying to beg and plead for Macho’s well being. But things would be different on this night, and it would kick off a year long running theme. HTM grabbed Miss Elizabeth and threw her to the ground, refusing to listen to her pleas. This was hard stuff for 1987, throwing a woman to the ground on national television. This was before Tommy Dreamer piledrove Francine, and before the Dudley’s put every woman they could get their hands on through tables.
  9. Liz had a plan though. In a last ditch attempt to save Macho, she ran to the back. This led to again a year long running theme with Ventura claiming how useless Liz was as a manager, and that she was running away from her man. But on this night, Liz had another idea. She ran to the back to grab the World’s Champion, Hulk Hogan, for the save.
  10. The Hulkster emerges from the back, much to the amazement of Ventura and the fans. After a quick 3-on-1 beatdown, Hulk and Macho clear the ring of the dastardly trio, and Savage stares at Hogan with a ton of trepidation. Why did he save him? What were his intentions? Those questions would be answered throughout the next year or so, but on this night, one of the triumphant moments of 80’s wrestling occurred. After much trepidation from both, the classic Mega-Powers handshake would happen. The arena would absolutely explode, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So there you have it. One of the most surreal and penultimate moments in ‘rasslin history, and it was one of those nights that anyone who saw it live, would never forget.

What were some of your favorite old-school moments? Anything I should cover? Let me know!

(This is only a clip of the final moments, but I believe it to be the most important part of our match!)

Spaceballs/Strange Brew qouter and all around movie buff. Mixed Martial Arts and Professional Wrestling aficionado. The Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Cavaliers are his life. Had the thrill of a lifetime by catching Mr. Perfect’s gum at a house show in 1992. Slapped Andre the Giant on the chest in ’88 and is still scarred from the stare he received. Ladies and Gentlemen, weighing in at a RIPPED, JACKED and RACKED, uh, a lot of pounds, from Broadview Heights, Ohio, Matthew Schuerman!