5 ways for WWE to revive Saturday Night’s Main Event with nostalgic flair

On By Littum

Christmas comes early for wrestling fans. This weekend, Saturday night’s main eventthe late-night wrestling special that helped put WWE on the map is returning to NBC and primetime. In addition to three World Championship matches, WWE Hall of Famer Jesse Ventura, a fixture during the show’s first run, will be in attendance. During a performance at The Bill Simmons Podcastgave Ventura fans an idea of ​​what to expect when the Saturday night classic goes live.

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

Ventura added, “We’re going back in the time capsule.” But what does that mean? For those of us who were around for Saturday night’s main event first go-round in the 1980s, here are five ways WWE can revive the show with nostalgic flair.

Bow ties and shirts for the judges

Referee Joey Marella, looking stylish, officiates the biggest match in wrestling history.

In a bygone era, referees were among the best-dressed men at a sporting event, as they wore white shirts and a bow tie. Per an article from New York Times:

“In the early days of football, the officials wore white shirts, often with a bow tie and usually a beret-type hat,” says Paul Lukas, editor of the Uni Watch blog, which chronicles sartorial trends in sports. “The notion was that a formally dressed gentleman has a sense of authority, and that’s what you want in a government official.”

The look carried over to boxing and pro wrestling. But in the 1990s, WWE changed and opted for a more sports-oriented look. While WWE’s referees looked like Footlocker employees at first, their appearance has since grown on fans. But for a true throwback experience, it’s time to rank the officials.

Every heart beats true for red, white and blue

Nothing says Americana quite like pro wrestling and a ring dressed in red, white and blue ropes.
WWE.com

If the referees are getting dressed up, so must the wrestling ring. As WWE began to present a more aesthetically pleasing product in the 80s, the ring ropes were decorated in America’s colors. From top to bottom, the colors of the ring ropes were red, white and blue. Ironically, that’s what the show colors are for Saturday night’s main event.

In the days before Vince McMahon took control of the company from his father, WWE did not own its rings. According to author and historian Brian R. Solomon, “Everything went internal when Vince took over.” Solomon stated that in its early days, the WWE (then the WWF and the WWWF before that) used the rings that the local promoters and territories owned. In Madison Square Garden, WWE used boxing rings.

“The garden had red velvet ring grips,” Solomon said. Regarding the look of both the ring and the officials, Solomon added: “(WWE) took the lead from boxing and wanted to look classy.”

While velvet ropes would go too far back, getting the ring back to its iconic look when WWE went national is a step in the right direction.

Hi, my name is…

At the start of each Saturday night’s main eventa series of quick 30-second promos featuring several WWE Superstars would play over a tense music track. Each promo allowed the wrestlers to formally introduce themselves to the audience. Having personalities like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior barking through the screen late on a Saturday night was also a great way to wake up viewers who might have drifted off during the news. While today’s superstars aren’t as flashy as their predecessors, the first two minutes of the show are a good chance for them to make a first impression.

“Well let me tell you something bro…”

Just before the stars went into battle, the legendary “Mean” Gene Okerlund would get last minute comments from wrestlers who were going to compete. These pre-match interviews were typically pre-recorded and aired just before each wrestler entered the ring. It gave the wrestlers one last chance to engage new audiences with their over-the-top personalities and threats of violence. While no one has replaced “Mean” Gene as an interviewer, returns Saturday night’s main event provides the opportunity to create a new journalistic persona and at the same time promote today’s stars.

take me home

A lot has been changed Saturday night’s main event opening theme. From 1985 to 1988, the show opened with “Obsession,” a top-ten hit by the pop band Animotion. In 1988, WWE replaced the song with a sports-inspired theme that became equally synonymous with the program.

But for the three years where “Obsession” set the tone for the show with its upbeat synth-pop style, Phil Collins’ “Take Me Home” was the perfect bookend to close the show. With its driving drum beats and emotional chorus, “Take Me Home” offered a reflective mood. It helped ease viewers back into their regularly scheduled programming while creating a longing for the place they had just been.

Seam Saturday night’s main event makes its television comeback, “Take Me Home” perfectly captures the journey for longtime fans, transporting them back to a time they’ve loved since Paul Orndorff outlasted Hulk Hogan in a steel cage on a cold January night in 1987.