Mid 20th Century
148-814: Saturday Night's Main Event is a series of American professional wrestling television specials produced by WWE (originally the World Wrestling Federation or WWF). It was originally broadcast by NBC from 1985 to 1992, replacing Saturday Night Live in its late night timeslot on an occasional basis throughout the year. At a time when weekly wrestling programs typically consisted primarily of squash matches 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
296-638: A Canadian Football League game. That contract decreed that the network show 13 games (along with presumably the Grey Cup ) on Saturday afternoons beginning in late August, and was signed one week after NBC had lost the rights to NCAA football to ABC . The following year , Lindsey Nelson was paired with Curt Gowdy on commentary for all games except on February 25 ( St. Louis @ New York ), March 3 ( Minneapolis @ Rochester with Nelson working with Joe Lapchick ), and March 24 ( Fort Wayne @ St. Louis with Nelson working alone). On March 31, 1956, NBC broadcast
444-435: A bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether the individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in
592-415: A performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in the 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance
740-415: A professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
888-513: A 5.5 average rating during the 2002 NBA Playoffs . ABC averaged a 3.3 average rating for the 2005 NBA Playoffs . Within two years of the network losing the NBA rights, NBC dropped to fourth place in the prime time television rankings for the first time in its history, which was also partly the result of a weaker prime time schedule, and would more or less remain there for almost nine years . On July 23, 2024, NBC parent company Comcast confirmed in
1036-480: 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
1184-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
1332-532: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
1480-519: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
1628-585: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
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#17327979530191776-511: A conference call with its investors that NBC Sports had secured an agreement with the NBA on an 11-year media rights deal beginning in the 2025–26 season, marking the NBA's return to NBC after a 23-year absence. An official announcement of the agreement was released by the NBA and NBC the following day, alongside other deals with incumbents ABC/ESPN and newcomer Amazon . The $ 2.5 billion per season agreement will see games broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock : NBC's first broadcast team of
1924-553: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . NBA on NBC Television broadcasts of the National Basketball Association (NBA) games produced by NBC Sports has aired on NBC under
2072-404: A distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by the broader public. In the United States, wrestling
2220-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
2368-456: 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 that it would premiere a second revival of Saturday Night's Main Event , with the first episode to air on December 14 from Nassau Coliseum . The following table lists the dates and locations of televised events; they do not include
2516-489: A huge advantage for us. We haven't been able for the last several years to put a program at 8 o'clock (such as American Dreams ) because we've had the NBA. NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said: The definition of winning has become distorted. If winning the rights to a property brings with it hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, what have you won? When faced with the prospect of heavy financial losses, we have consistently walked away and have done so again. ... We wish
2664-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
2812-799: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
2960-443: A matter of fact, CBS was at one point, getting better ratings for their National Hockey League (NHL) telecasts than NBC was getting with the NBA. One possible factor for the dipping ratings the fact that NBC's 1960–61 schedule placed the three weakest teams-- Cincinnati , Syracuse , and Detroit on television a total of 14 times. In comparison, three of the NBA's best teams-- Boston , St. Louis , and Philadelphia —appeared on NBC
3108-424: A more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for the purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise
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#17327979530193256-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
3404-542: A new media deal in 1998. NBC lost $ 100 million on the NBA in the 2000–01 season. By December 2001, NBC was projecting a $ 200-million loss on the 2001–02 season. Additionally, NBC lost $ 35 million because of the failure of the XFL the previous year. As Charles Barkley summed it up during halftime of Game 1 of the 2002 NBA Finals "If y'all hadn't wasted all that money on the XFL, y'all would still have basketball." In response to
3552-473: A three-man booth. 1997 was the last time Marv Albert called the NBA Finals for NBC during the decade, as an embarrassing sex scandal forced NBC to fire Albert before the start of the 1997–1998 season . To replace Albert, NBC tapped studio host Bob Costas for play-by-play. Matt Guokas did not return to his post as main color commentator, and was replaced by NBA legend Isiah Thomas ; Costas was replaced on
3700-405: A total of only seven times. On November 9, 1989, the NBA reached an agreement with NBC worth US$ 600 million to broadcast the NBA's games for four years, beginning with the 1990–91 season . On April 28, 1993, NBC extended its exclusive broadcast rights to the NBA with a four-year, $ 750 million contract. NBC's coverage of the NBA began on Christmas Day each season, with the exception of
3848-503: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
3996-586: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
4144-436: Is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which
4292-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
4440-427: Is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as a genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has
4588-470: Is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain a " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to
Saturday Night's Main Event - Misplaced Pages Continue
4736-547: The NBA on NBC branding throughout three incarnations in its history. The NBA was first televised by NBC from 1954 to 1962 . In 1990, the NBA returned to NBC under a multi-year contract which coincided with the dynastic run of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls ; the league rose to unprecedented popularity, with ratings surpassing the days of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the mid-1980s. NBC's coverage ended after
4884-799: The 1960-61 season , Lindsey Nelson was alone on all games except when he worked with Bud Palmer on October 22 ( New York @ Cincinnati ) and 29 (New York @ Detroit ), November 26 ( Syracuse @ Boston ), December 3 (New York @ Syracuse), 10 (Syracuse @ Detroit), and 24 (Detroit @ Boston). Jerry Doggett helped call games on November 5 (Syracuse @ Los Angeles ) and 19 (Detroit @ Los Angeles). Marty Glickman contributed to commentary on January 8 (Boston @ St. Louis ), 15 ( Philadelphia @ Syracuse), 22 (St. Louis @ Cincinnati), and 29 (Philadelphia @ Boston), February 19 (Boston @ Syracuse) and 26 (Boston @ Detroit), March 12 (Boston @ Syracuse), 19 (Syracuse @ Boston), and 26 (Syracuse @ Boston), and April 2 (St. Louis @ Boston). For NBC's final season of their first stint with
5032-504: The 1996–97 season , who in turn was replaced by Ahmad Rashad in 2001 when Storm went on maternity leave . The video game NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC , by Midway Games , was named after the pregame show. During the NBA Finals, additional coverage would be immediately available on CNBC , in which the panelists provided an additional half-hour of in-depth game discussions, after the NBC broadcast network's coverage concluded. The halftime show
5180-807: The 2001 World Series ) scored a rating between a 3.0 and 4.0. NBC's first game of Jordan's second comeback scored ratings similar to that number. Several NBA observers accused NBC and the NBA of being biased with only certain teams and individual players. NBC benefited from having all of the Finals it televised involve the large-market Chicago Bulls , Los Angeles Lakers , New York Knicks , New Jersey Nets , Philadelphia 76ers or Houston Rockets ; however, smaller-market teams such as those in San Antonio , Sacramento , Phoenix , Seattle , Portland , Salt Lake City , Indianapolis , Orlando , and Miami all made regular appearances on NBC games during its run. Upon
5328-568: The 2001–02 season after a 12-year run, when NBC was outbid for the broadcast television contract by Disney (via ABC ). In July 2024, it was announced that NBCUniversal had regained rights to the NBA under a new contract beginning in the 2025–26 season, which will see coverage on NBC and streaming platform Peacock . NBC's first tenure with the National Basketball Association began on October 30, 1954, and lasted until April 7, 1962. NBC's very first NBA telecast
5476-468: The 2002 season. That year, NBC's studio team consisted of Rashad and Storm with former Philadelphia 76ers owner Pat Croce, the returning Mike Fratello, and former player Jayson Williams. The tandem stayed together through the 2002 NBA All-Star Game . During the week between the All-Star Game and NBC's next scheduled telecast, Williams was arrested after shooting and killing his limousine driver. He
5624-659: The ARCO Arena , and aired November 26, 1988. The event aired on NBC and drew a 9.4 rating. During the show, Brother Love conducted a special interview Hulk Hogan and Slick . Saturday Night's Main Event XIX took place on December 7, 1988, from Tampa, Florida , at the USF Sun Dome , and aired January 7, 1989 on NBC . Events during and after the Hulk Hogan - Akeem match – Randy Savage declining to make
5772-736: The Brendan Byrne Arena , and aired on October 5, 1985. The event aired on NBC and drew an 8.3 rating. During the broadcast, Uncle Elmer was legitimately married to Joyce Stazko. Saturday Night's Main Event III took place on October 31, 1985, from Hershey, Pennsylvania , at the Hersheypark Arena , and aired on November 2, 1985. The event aired on NBC and drew a 6.3 rating. Saturday Night's Main Event IV took place on December 19, 1985, from Tampa, Florida , at
5920-691: The Coliseum at Richfield , and aired on October 4, 1986. The event aired on NBC and drew a 9.4 rating. 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 and drew a 9.7 rating. Saturday Night's Main Event IX took place on December 14, 1986, from Hartford, Connecticut , at
6068-655: The Edmund P. Joyce Center , and aired May 2, 1987. The event aired on NBC and drew a 9.5 rating. While a match featuring Hulk Hogan was not included in the show, a pre-taped interview with comments regarding WrestleMania III and a possible future rematch was included. A separate interview with Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan , also reflecting on WrestleMania III, also aired. Saturday Night's Main Event XII took place on September 23, 1987, from Hershey, Pennsylvania , at
Saturday Night's Main Event - Misplaced Pages Continue
6216-484: The Hartford Civic Center , and aired on January 3, 1987. The event aired on NBC and drew a 10.6 rating. The steel cage match between Hulk Hogan 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 Danny Davis , the latter playing up his crooked referee gimmick – disputing the finish. When footage from
6364-490: The Hersheypark Arena , and aired October 3, 1987. The event aired on NBC 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 , and Hulk Hogan 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 ),
6512-673: The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings . NBC's highest-rated regular season game was Michael Jordan's first game back from playing minor league baseball ; the March 1995 game between the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers scored a 10.9 rating (higher than all but three NBA telecasts on ABC ). As a comparison, the first game in Jordan's second comeback (a game against the New York Knicks that aired on TBS opposite
6660-624: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
6808-535: The Philadelphia 76ers , NBC decided to cross-promote its NBA coverage with its then-popular quiz show The Weakest Link . Two 10-minute editions of The Weakest Link aired during halftime of Games 2 and 3, featuring Bob Costas, Bill Walton and Steve Jones as contestants, along with Charlotte Hornets guard Baron Davis and WNBA team Los Angeles Sparks 's center, Lisa Leslie . The 2001–2002 season featured several anomalies, as NBC started their coverage on
6956-615: The Providence Civic Center , and aired on May 3, 1986. The show aired on NBC 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 took place on September 13, 1986, from Richfield, Ohio , at
7104-844: The Springfield Civic Center , and aired April 30, 1988 on NBC . This was the first Saturday Night's Main Event to not feature Hulk Hogan 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 . 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 and drew an 8.7 rating. Saturday Night's Main Event XVIII took place on November 16, 1988, from Sacramento, California , at
7252-489: The USF Sun Dome , and aired on January 4, 1986. The event aired on NBC and drew a 10.4 rating. Saturday Night's Main Event V took place on February 15, 1986, from Phoenix, Arizona , at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum , and aired on March 1, 1986. The event aired on NBC and drew a 10.0 rating. Events during three of the matches – The Dream Team vs. The British Bulldogs for
7400-665: The WWF Tag Team Championship ; Hulk Hogan vs. The Magnificent Muraco for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship ; and Mr. T vs. "Battling" Bob Orton in a boxing match – helped set up three of the four major matches at WrestleMania 2 . The premiere airing of the video for "Real American," Hulk Hogan's entrance theme, took place. Saturday Night's Main Event VI took place on May 1, 1986, from Providence, Rhode Island , at
7548-557: The independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in the United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including
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#17327979530197696-482: The playoffs . Marty Glickman meanwhile, worked alone on December 6 (St. Louis @ Cincinnati ), January 2–3 ( New York Knicks @ Cincinnati and Boston @ Syracuse ), February 28 ( Philadelphia @ Detroit ), March 13 (Philadelphia @ Syracuse), 20 (Boston @ Philadelphia), and 27 (St. Louis @ Boston), and April 3 (Boston @ St. Louis). Finally, Bill O'Donnell worked alone on March 12 ( Minneapolis @ Detroit ), 19 (St. Louis @ Minneapolis), and 26 (Minneapolis @ St. Louis). In
7844-431: The spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from the competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on
7992-584: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
8140-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
8288-509: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
8436-507: The 1990s– 2000s era was made up of Marv Albert and Mike Fratello , with Ahmad Rashad serving as sideline reporter. Other broadcasters at the time included Dick Enberg and Steve "Snapper" Jones . Aside from Rashad, Jim Gray and Hannah Storm also handled sideline reporting duties; before becoming the television voice of the Spurs, Lakers and Pelicans , Joel Meyers also started as a sideline reporter for NBC. Bob Costas presided as host of
8584-629: The 2022 house shows. 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. Saturday Night's Main Event I took place May 10, 1985, from Uniondale, New York , in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum , and aired May 11, 1985. The event aired on NBC and drew an 8.8 rating. Saturday Night's Main Event II took place on October 3, 1985, from East Rutherford, New Jersey , at
8732-653: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
8880-514: The Giant match, Hogan appeared at ringside to clear the ring of DiBiase and Virgil after they began a post-match beatdown of Randy "Macho Man" Savage . The match between The Islanders ( Haku and Tama ) and 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 took place on April 22, 1988, from Springfield, Massachusetts , at
9028-435: The Giant , who were slated to face each other at WrestleMania III . 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 specials, known as The Main Event . The first of these, on February 5, 1988, included
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#17327979530199176-490: 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
9324-524: The January 11 telecast (Syracuse @ Cincinnati ) with Gowdy. For the January 18 telecast ( Detroit @ St. Louis ), Nelson worked alone while on February 1 (Syracuse @ Minneapolis ), Nelson was paired with Bill O'Donnell . Meanwhile, Gowdy worked alone on March 1 (Cincinnati @ Philadelphia ). NBC also during the 1957–58 season, broadcast a game in Detroit between Cincinnati and the Pistons on March 15. It
9472-539: The Los Angeles Lakers from Staples Center . The 2000–2001 season brought to an end to Bob Costas' direct role with the NBA on NBC (although Costas worked playoff games for the next two seasons and returned to host NBC's coverage for the 2002 NBA Finals ). Costas deferred to Marv Albert, allowing Albert to again be the lead broadcaster for the NBA, and stayed on only to deliver interviews and special features. On
9620-408: The Los Angeles Lakers' new Shaq/Kobe reign. The final image of the end montage was set in an empty gym, showing a basketball bouncing into the background and ending with the message, "Thanks for The Memories" and a final appearance of the NBA on NBC logo on the bottom. Prior to the sequence, match commentators Marv Albert , Steve Jones and Bill Walton evaluated the end of their NBA contract and of
9768-407: The NBA all the best. We have really enjoyed working with them for more than a decade to build the NBA brand. Ebersol added: We walked away from the N.F.L., because it was the right thing to do, and we stayed No. 1 in prime-time in all the important aspects. We walked away from baseball because it was the right thing to do and we don't have to take off our fall shows to show playoff games. The N.B.A.
9916-423: The NBA, Bud Palmer worked alone on commentary on all games except for on February 3 ( Cincinnati @ New York ) and April 7 ( Los Angeles @ Boston ), when he was paired with Bob Wolff . NBC's ratings during this time period were lukewarm at best. By 1962, NBA ratings for NBC's Saturday afternoon games dipped to 4.8 (9 million viewers) as compared to Sunday afternoon NFL ratings of 10.4 (15 million viewers). As
10064-780: The NBC sketch comedy Saturday Night Live . Then-SNL executive producer Dick Ebersol had made a deal with WWF owner Vince McMahon to produce the show, after Ebersol had seen the high ratings that two WWF specials drew on MTV in 1984–85: The Brawl to End It All and The War to Settle the Score . 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
10212-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
10360-408: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
10508-525: 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 's "Traveling Music" from the American Flyers 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
10656-505: The Superstars would come on The Arsenio Hall Show interviewed by Arsenio Hall 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 involving Hulk Hogan and André
10804-401: 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 " by Animotion with the closing theme being " Take Me Home " by Phil Collins , and also the beginning of " Take On Me " by a-ha was used for show bumpers. Steve Winwood 's " Higher Love " was also used as a closing theme. Starting on
10952-497: The Wizards and Orlando Magic was replaced at the last minute with an Indiana Pacers – Sacramento Kings game). The pre-game show for NBC's NBA telecasts was NBA Showtime , a title that was used from 1990 until 2000 , with the pre-game being unbranded afterward. Showtime was originally hosted by Bob Costas from the inaugural season of the 1990 contract to the 1995–96 season ; Hannah Storm took over as host beginning with
11100-465: 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 , Saturday Night's Main Event drew large audiences for much of its run, while a spin-off simply titled The Main Event aired annually on a Friday night in February beginning in 1988. Ratings began to fall in the 1990s, leading to NBC dropping
11248-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
11396-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
11544-561: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
11692-638: The build-ups to the Hogan-Andre match on The Main Event , which aired February 5, 1988. 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 and drew a 10.0 rating. During the tapings, Don Muraco vs Butch Reed
11840-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
11988-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
12136-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
12284-512: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
12432-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
12580-442: The dual revenue stream of subscriptions and ad revenue. NBC could not compete with the combined broadcast and cable deal that Disney had with ESPN and ABC. When NBC's relationship with the NBA ended, their only cable properties then were CNBC and MSNBC . Whereas NBC normally televised 33 regular season games per year, ABC would generally air fewer than 20 regular season games annually. According to NBA Commissioner David Stern ,
12728-473: The end of NBC's coverage. The song used as the soundtrack for the Miller Genuine Moments segment was "Black Hole" by John Tesh . For a brief period in 2001–02, NBC aired a studio segment called 24 , in which each analyst (at that time, Pat Croce , Jayson Williams or Mike Fratello) would have 24 seconds to talk about issues concerning the NBA. NBC (in conjunction with completely revamping
12876-425: The end of our run with the NBA. NBC's twelve years televising the league had been filled with indelible moments. And so, as we say good night, here's an appreciative look back. And for one last time, you've been watching the NBA on NBC . From 2002 to 2006 , the NBA's ratings on broadcast television (ABC) dropped almost a full ratings point (from nearly a 3.0 average rating to just above a 2.0 rating). NBC averaged
13024-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
13172-542: The escape spot was deemed "inconclusive," the match was re-started and continued to Hogan gaining a decisive win over Orndorff. 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 and drew an 11.6 rating. Saturday Night's Main Event XI took place on April 28, 1987, from Notre Dame, Indiana , at
13320-534: The expiration of NBC Sports' contract with the NBA in 2002 , the NBA signed a broadcast television rights agreement with ABC , which began airing games in the 2002–03 season . NBC had made a four-year, US$ 1.3 billion bid in the spring of 2002 to renew its NBA rights, but the NBA instead made the initial six-year deals worth $ 4 billion with ESPN , ABC , and TNT . The new media deal at the time highly incentivized airing games on cable television. The major leagues received more money from cable than broadcast, due to
13468-603: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
13616-579: The first Saturday of the season, for the first time since 1991. The reason for this was NBA legend Michael Jordan's return to playing, this time for the Washington Wizards. NBC covered an early December game featuring Jordan's Wizards as well, which marked the first time a broadcast television network aired more than one pre-Christmas NBA game since CBS in the 1980s. That year also marked the return of Hannah Storm from maternity leave, with her and Ahmad Rashad alternating as studio hosts throughout
13764-516: The first nationally televised NBA Finals game, which was Game 1 of the Philadelphia - Fort Wayne series . Gowdy and Nelson were retained as the primary broadcast team for NBC in 1956–57 except on March 23 and March 30 ( St. Louis @ Boston ), when Nelson worked by himself. While the team of Gowdy and Nelson again did most games in 1957–58 , Nelson worked the December 14 telecast ( Syracuse @ Detroit ) with Chick Hearn , who in return, worked
13912-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
14060-521: The first time that the All-Star Game was nationally televised. However, NBC only broadcast the second half at 10 p.m. Eastern Time , in lieu of its Friday Night Fights telecast. The fact that the All-Star Game prior to this, was almost always played on a Tuesday night meant that NBC would have had to sacrifice most, if not all, of their evening programming. In the first few years, that would have meant taking off Milton Berle 's program , which
14208-455: The first two weeks of the playoffs. Prior to 2000, NBC would air a doubleheader on Saturday, followed by a tripleheader on Sunday. On December 30, 2000, NBC aired a rare second December game. The Saturday match was the only time that NBC aired a game between Christmas Day and the start of the regular run of games in February. In 2001 , NBC was scheduled to air an October preseason game involving an NBA team playing an international team; that game
14356-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
14504-460: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
14652-551: 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 took place on February 16, 1989, from Hershey, Pennsylvania , at the Hersheypark Arena , and aired March 11, 1989. The event aired on NBC and drew a 10.0 rating. Professional wrestling 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling )
14800-520: The head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers ) and was replaced with Matt Guokas . Albert and Guokas broadcast the 1994 NBA Finals and were joined for the 1995 NBA Finals by Bill Walton . Albert, Guokas and Walton, while not working regular season games together (Walton usually worked games with Steve Jones and play-by-play announcers Dick Enberg , Tom Hammond or Greg Gumbel ), broadcast the next two Finals ( 1996 and 1997 ) together in
14948-429: The impending loss of NBA coverage, NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker said: We lost football two years ago, and we stayed a strong No. 1. We lost baseball , and we stayed a strong No. 1. Now we're about to lose basketball, and I believe we'll stay a strong No. 1. The fact is, it's had no impact on our prime time strength. . . NBC can now program all of Sunday nights without going around basketball. I think that's
15096-488: The inaugural season in 1990 (which featured a game on November 3, 1990 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs ), the 1997–98 season (which included a preseason tournament featuring the Chicago Bulls ), the 1998–99 season (as no Christmas games were played due to the 1998–99 NBA lockout ), and the final season of NBC's contract in 2001–02 (which included two early season games featuring
15244-526: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
15392-480: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
15540-496: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
15688-478: The last championship run by the Michael Jordan-led Bulls. The very next year (after a lockout which erased part of the season), the ratings for the 1999 Finals plummeted, marking the beginning of an ongoing period of lower viewership for the league's game telecasts. In 2002, NBC set a record for the highest-rated Western Conference Final , including a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of the series between
15836-410: The lead broadcast team, and the two broadcast the 2001 NBA Finals , which had the highest ratings for a Finals match since 1998 . After the season, Collins was hired away from NBC by the Washington Wizards, which forced the network to move the longtime secondary color duo of Steve Jones and Bill Walton to the lead broadcast team with Albert. During the 2001 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and
15984-533: The lead team. The 1998–1999 season, which was marred by a lengthy lockout (which resulted in the regular season being shortened to 50 games) included the low-rated 1999 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. Albert was brought back for the 1999–2000 season , making a return which included calling that year's lead Christmas Day game between the San Antonio Spurs and
16132-480: The major games that season including the 1998 NBA Finals (which set an all-time ratings record for the NBA). Mike Breen , who was backup announcer to Albert on MSG Network 's New York Knicks broadcasts, was hired to do select playoff games that year and was later promoted to backup announcer status for the rest of the NBA's run on NBC. For the 1998–99 season , Thomas was moved to the studio, while Costas and Collins made up
16280-599: 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 took place on December 7, 1987, from Landover, Maryland , at the Capital Centre , and aired on January 2, 1988 on NBC . During
16428-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
16576-499: The network's pre-game show, NBA Showtime , while also providing play-by-play as a fill-in when necessary. During the Playoffs, Don Criqui and Joel Meyers were also used, with Criqui for play-by-play and Meyers mainly as a sideline analyst. In 1992, shortly after announcing his retirement, basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson became a top game analyst (alongside the likes of Enberg, Albert and Fratello); however, his performance
16724-437: The platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of the venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as
16872-454: The pre-game show by Hannah Storm, whom she replaced in the 1997 NBA Finals . Midway through the season, Costas and Thomas were joined by recently fired Detroit Pistons coach Doug Collins . Collins served to take some weight off Thomas, who was considered by some to be uncomfortable in the role of lead analyst. Thomas, in particular, was singled out for his soft voice and often stammered analysis. The team of Costas, Thomas, and Collins worked
17020-423: The pregame show) discontinued the segment in February 2002, after Williams was arrested on murder charges. During its twelve-year run, the NBA on NBC experienced ratings highs and lows for the NBA. In the 1990s, the NBA Finals ratings were stellar, with the exception of the 1999 Finals . In 1998 , the NBA set a Finals ratings record, with an 18.7 household rating for the second Chicago Bulls – Utah Jazz series,
17168-717: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
17316-400: The reduced number of network telecasts was at the NBA's own request since the NBA believed that they would get a higher audience for a single game (in contrast to NBC's tripleheaders). The NBA saw its NBC ratings for the regular season fall from 4.3 in 1999 to 3.0 in 2000. Meanwhile, the playoff ratings dipped from 6.5 to 4.9. As well as that, NBC began to lose money on the NBA after signing
17464-714: The return of Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards ). NBC aired the NBA All-Star Game every year (with the exception of 1999 , when the game was canceled due to the lockout), usually at 6:00 p.m., Eastern Time. In 2002, NBC aired the game an hour earlier (at 5:00 p.m., Eastern) due to the Winter Olympics later that evening. Starting in 2000 , during the NBA Playoffs, NBC would air tripleheaders on Saturdays and Sundays during
17612-513: The revived run before it was discontinued in 2008. In April 2022, WWE repurposed the Saturday Night's Main Event title for house shows held on Saturday nights. In September 2024, as part of an agreement moving WWE SmackDown from Fox to USA, WWE announced that it would revive Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC once again. Saturday Night's Main Event debuted on May 11, 1985, in the late-night time slot normally assigned to reruns of
17760-466: The save and run off Akeem and 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
17908-415: The series. After that, Bob Costas closed the network's last NBA broadcast with the following: Okay, Marv, thanks very much. And as Marv himself would say, "it should be pointed out" that Marv is celebrating his forty-ninth birthday tonight for a record twelfth consecutive year. Well, another season is in the books. The Lakers' title run continues with perhaps no end in sight. But as Marv said, we have reached
18056-453: 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. Since 2009, Saturday Night's Main Event was replaced instead with WrestleMania : The World Television Premiere . In 2024, after originally moving to Fox in 2019, WWE SmackDown moved to USA Network as part of
18204-406: The specials in 1991. In 1992, the WWF moved Saturday Night's Main Event to Fox , 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 specials on NBC, as part of WWE's agreement with NBC Universal to air its weekly program Raw on USA Network . Five episodes aired as part of
18352-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
18500-541: The studio front, Hannah Storm left her position as studio host to go on maternity leave , with Ahmad Rashad taking over for Storm; Isiah Thomas left NBC to become coach of the Indiana Pacers. Joining Rashad were former Phoenix Suns player Kevin Johnson and former NBA coach P. J. Carlesimo , with Carlesimo also filling in as backup analyst during select playoff games until 2002. Marv Albert joined Doug Collins as
18648-428: The televised games and, when NBC needed to get in a commercial, he would go up to one of the coaches and say, "Call a timeout," and they had to, since the commissioner ordered it. On March 19, 1955, during the playoffs , NBC gave the national spotlight to the New York Knicks and rising Boston Celtics at New York 's Madison Square Garden . For the first year of NBC's tenure, the first five weeks of coverage followed
18796-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
18944-539: The title track of the WWF's second album of entrance music and performances by the wrestlers , debuted. 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 . Andre the Giant accompanied King Kong Bundy and Bobby Heenan to the ring for Bundy's match vs. Hulk Hogan. Midway through
19092-519: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
19240-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
19388-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
19536-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
19684-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
19832-534: Was a game between the Boston Celtics and Rochester Royals in Rochester . For the 1954–55 season , Marty Glickman and Lindsey Nelson called all games except on April 9 ( Fort Wayne @ Syracuse during the playoffs ), when Glickman worked with Jim Gordon . Nelson would later write in his autobiography, Hello Everybody, I'm Lindsey Nelson that NBA commissioner Maurice Podoloff would travel to
19980-578: Was after this game, on the flight home to Cincinnati , that Maurice Stokes became ill and later suffered a seizure , fell into a coma and was left permanently paralyzed. This was the delayed reaction from having hit his head in a game three days earlier. Stokes died in April 1970. In the 1958-59 season , Curt Gowdy worked alone on all games except on March 15 ( New York @ Syracuse , when Gowdy worked with Bud Palmer ), April 5 ( Minneapolis @ Boston with Lindsey Nelson). The 1959 NBA All-Star Game marked
20128-490: Was asking us to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. NBC network president Randy Falco said: We have a responsibility to our shareholders. NBC's last NBA telecast to date was Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals , which closed with highlights from the network's 12-year run with the league, through the Chicago Bulls' dynasty led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen , the retirement of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and
20276-456: Was canceled due to the September 11 attacks . During the 2001–02 NBA season, NBC added a significant number of Washington Wizards games to its schedule (due to the aforementioned return of Michael Jordan). When Jordan became injured during the middle of the season, NBC replaced the added Wizards games with the games that had been originally on the schedule (for example, a March 2002 game between
20424-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
20572-509: 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 in 1986 and 1987. In 1990, Roddy Piper replaced Ventura as McMahon's broadcast partner when Ventura left
20720-415: Was heavily criticized. Among the complaints were his apparently poor diction skills, his tendency for "stating the obvious", his habitual references to his playing days, and an overall lackluster chemistry with his broadcasting partners. Johnson would ultimately be slowly phased out of the NBA on NBC after helping commentate the 1993 NBA Finals . In 1994, Mike Fratello left the booth (in order to become
20868-650: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
21016-478: Was promptly fired by NBC, which also did not return Croce or Fratello to studio coverage. Instead, the network brought in Tom Tolbert , who had only recently been added to NBC Sports as a third-string analyst paired with Mike Breen. Tolbert stayed on as the lone studio analyst through the end of the season, and won acclaim by several in the media, including USA Today sports columnist Rudy Martzke. Hannah Storm
21164-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
21312-474: Was sponsored by Prudential Financial ( Prudential Halftime Report ), and later NetZero ( NetZero at the Half ) and Verizon Wireless ( Verizon Wireless at the Half ). The broadcasts also featured a segment during the live games called Miller Genuine Moments , which provided a brief retrospective on a particular historically significant and/or dramatic moment in NBA history; this segment was discontinued towards
21460-474: Was starting to slide, but still would have made more money for the network than a pro basketball game. Plus, NBA owners weren't terribly savvy when it came to working with TV in this era, so they probably refused network requests to put it in a weekend afternoon slot. During the 1959–60 season , Curt Gowdy worked alone most on Saturday games while Lindsey Nelson worked alone on most Sunday games. Nelson also worked on Saturday April 2 ( St. Louis @ Boston ) during
21608-482: Was taped but aired on Prime Time Wrestling on April 11, 1988. The match between Hulk Hogan 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 legitimate injury that would eventually force him into retirement in 1991. After the Ted DiBiase and André
21756-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
21904-546: Was used for the February 1992 episode. Selected episodes were also shown in the UK on ITV in its weekly Saturday lunchtime World Of Sport slot, mainly thanks to the popularity of The British Bulldogs . When WWE's flagship show, Raw , returned to the USA Network 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 . The Raw , SmackDown , and ECW brand rosters appeared on
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