It’s the first big televised WWF event since WRESTLEMANIA VI and the new champion puts his title on the line against the number one contender… Haku? The man is coming off losing the tag team titles to Demolition and his team with Andre the Giant dissolving, so he seems like the perfect first opponent for the Ultimate Warrior.
Of course, it’s all basically a ruse by manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, as he sent Haku in against the Warrior to get intel for the real upcoming challenge – “Ravishing” Rick Rude, the man who beat the Warrior for the Intercontinental Championship back in 1989. We’ll be getting more on that in the next few months.
Best Match: The Rockers and the Hart Foundation battled to a double disqualification – This match could have been a classic given more time on pay-per-view, but it still stole the show here. Even with the interference from tag team champions Demolition, leading to a three-way brawl, the action was fast and furious. Even in 1990, it was clear Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were going to break away from their respective teams to become something special.
Worst Match: Big Bossman beat Akeem by disqualification – Bossman blows off his feud with former partner Akeem, and there was a reason why this was the last match on the show.
Moving On – After losing the WWF Championship earlier this month, Hulk Hogan moved on to face “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, who lost his perfect streak at WrestleMania against Brutus Beefcake. Hennig doesn’t fare that much better here, as the former champion makes quick work of him. He’ll be OK, though, as he would soon ditch The Genius as his manager, take on Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and win the Intercontinental Championship. Hogan, on the other hand, starts talking about his next big challenge – the 500-pound Earthquake, who squashed Hogan ally Hillbilly Jim on the show.
Hyping the Model – Rick Martel gets a series of vignettes throughout the show promoting his new cologne, Arrogance. Martel talks up the new scent as a real chick magnet, and he’s seen with various women in each of the scenes. The cologne would play a big factor in his future matches, especially in his upcoming feud with Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
Ranking Saturday Night’s Main Event Matches
1 – The Rockers and the Hart Foundation battled to a double disqualification
2 – Hulk Hogan defeated “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig
3 – WWF Championship Match: The Ultimate Warrior (c) defeated Haku
4 – Earthquake defeated Hillbilly Jim
5 – Big Bossman beat Akeem by disqualification
It’s an easy show to get through, with a lot of enjoyable moments, but does anything rise to the level of the Top 10? Not quite.
*DISCLAIMER* The Top 10 rankings are for discussion purposes only and in no way reflect an official or authoritative list. It is simply my opinion. If you disagree, let me know in the comments. New arrivals to the Top 10 are in bold.
1 – WWF Championship Match: The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan (c) – WrestleMania VI
2 – NWA Tag Team Championship Match: The Steiner Brothers (c) defeated Doom – Clash of the Champions X
3 – Steel Cage Match: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson beat The Great Muta, Buzz Sawyer and the Dragonmaster – Clash of the Champions X
4 – Rock n Roll Express defeated the Midnight Express – WrestleWar 90 Wild Thing
5 – NWA Tag Team Championship Match: The Steiner Brothers (c) defeated Ole and Arn Anderson – WrestleWar 90 Wild Thing
6 – Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake defeated “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig – WrestleMania VI
7 – “Macho King” Randy Savage defeated “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan – Saturday Night’s Main Event, Jan. 27, 1990
8 – NWA World Championship Match: “Nature Boy” Ric Flair (c) beat Lex Luger by countout – WrestleWar 90 Wild Thing
9 – Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior defeated “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig and “The Genius” Lanny Poffo – Saturday Night’s Main Event, Jan. 27, 1990
10 – The Orient Express defeated The Rockers – WrestleMania VI
The 1990 Top 10 returns in three weeks with the NWA’s Capital Combat pay-per-view. Get ready for the debut of Robocop!