WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event fails to meet nostalgic expectations

During its first run on NBC, I rarely missed Saturday Night’s Main Event. As a kid, I’d eagerly check the TV Guide to see when the next episode would air. As a bonus, my family recorded every show. I watched them so often that those VHS tapes eventually wore thin.

Truly, there was no place in the world like being in front of the TV late on a Saturday night watching Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Rowdy Roddy Piper raise hell. My heart broke when Saturday Night’s Main Event moved to Fox in 1992, where it was canceled. Its brief revival in the late-2000s is nothing I care to rehash.

Then, this past September, WWE dropped the first video advertising the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event. My heart skipped a beat when I heard the show’s familiar opening, “Obsession,” by Animotion. As the classic ‘80s tune played over a highlight reel of past and current WWE superstars, all the emotions of my eight-year-old self came rushing back.

Then came Jesse Ventura’s promise on The Bill Simmons Podcast:

“The whole show is going to be a throwback. That means it’s going to look like it did before, the graphics, everything. The wrestlers are not coming down that ramp. They’re not coming with all the lights and spectacular.”

Armed with these expectations, I tuned into Peacock with a youthful twinkle in my old man’s eye. While WWE delivered on some fronts, the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event ultimately fell short for me.

First, there’s what WWE got right.

Leading up to the show, I wrote an article listing five suggestions for reviving the show’s nostalgic flair. WWE came through on two of those items. First, the referees were dressed in long-sleeved dress shirts and bow ties, bringing back a sense of formality. Next, the ring ropes were in their familiar red, white, and blue colors and patterns.

In a surprising move teased a few days earlier, Cody Rhodes delivered on his promise to bring back the iconic Winged Eagle Championship belt, if only for a night. Admittedly, I was torn about reviving this classic title — would it feel out of place among the modern belts of 2024?

In some ways, it did. Yet, instead of appearing as an outdated relic in a sea of oversized marketing tools called title belts, the Winged Eagle belt exuded the timeless qualities of a true championship: dignified, elegant, and simply beautiful. If WWE brought this design back full-time, it would be widely appreciated.

Despite these classic amenities, Saturday Night’s Main Event felt like any other WWE program. Announcer Joe Tessitore welcomed us to the broadcast as we watched the wrestlers arrive at the building before the action began. The opening theme, “Obsession,” included the song’s lyrics, which felt out of place compared to the instrumental version used from 1985-1988.

While there were pyrotechnics, the grand stage and Titantron were absent. Still, there were digital displays in the entryway where curtains originally stood. The ring posts featured the usual LED padding. The blend of WWE’s modern logo with its old-school design around ringside felt mismatched.

In short, WWE’s attempt to balance both modern and retro elements left a sour taste, as it failed to live up to Jesse Ventura’s depiction. Speaking of “The Body,” he fired off the line of the night, comparing the bellies of Dusty and Cody Rhodes: ”Cody Rhodes, I questioned at first if he was truly Dusty’s son. Cody has washboard abs; the only thing Dusty could win is most abs.”

Thank you, Jesse.

But where WWE truly missed the mark was the lack of promos on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Shockingly, there were no promos at all, which were a hallmark of the original production.

In its initial run, at the start of each episode, a series of promos featuring that night’s contestants ran. These promos essentially served as a brief introduction to grab new viewers’ attention. We got none of that here, at least not from what I saw on Peacock. Instead, those promos exist on YouTube.

Another missed opportunity came before each match. In the past, legendary interviewer “Mean” Gene Okerlund would talk to the wrestlers before and after going into battle. That allowed new viewers to become better acquainted with the wrestlers’ personalities and stories. Again, such content was reserved for YouTube.

As longtime readers of this site can attest, I often criticize other promotions for treating viewers like they already know everything about everyone on their show. I was surprised to see WWE make that mistake here. It’s not enough for Michael Cole and Pat McAfee, the announcers, to tell people who Liv Morgan or Cody Rhodes is. With potential first-time viewers taking in the product, it’s necessary to have them meet and hear from these stars directly.

Another area where WWE missed the mark was in introducing the legends. In attendance were Tito Santana, Koko B. Ware, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, and Jimmy Hart, who looked like he hadn’t aged a day. While it was great to see them, it would’ve been even better to hear from them while highlights of their careers played on screen. Michael Cole mentioned that Ware and Valentine once faced off on Saturday Night’s Main Event, yet there wasn’t a single clip to showcase that moment.

WWE.com

For a show built on nostalgia, the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event was a chance for fans like me to relive our youth. As a 40-year aficionado, I crave reminders of what made these stars great. More so, it was important to show newer fans what made them iconic. Instead, we simply got the “Oldtimer’s Day” smile and wave. And when it was all over, there was no Phil Collins to “Take Me Home.”

While WWE delivered in some spots, its attempt at nostalgia felt commercialized and soulless. As the program moves forward, I suggest a gradual shift to a modern theme, with “Obsession” serving as a nostalgic bumper. WWE should also embrace its current production and presentation. Maybe, they should just call the show something else.

However, there’s one thing WWE absolutely should implement from past Saturday Night’s Main Events: promos at the start of the show and throughout the night. They needn’t be 20-minute monologues. Instead, a quick 30 to 90-second soundbite will do. Such talking segments should serve as an additional primer for current fans and an introduction for new viewers.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a classic episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event calling my name, where Paul Orndorff, like Kevin Owens, is robbed of the WWE Championship. Based on recent reports, I may need to enjoy moments like these while they’re still available.