History of Saturday Night's Main Event in Timeline
Saturday Night's Main Event is a series of professional wrestling television specials produced by WWE. Originally airing on NBC from 1985 to 1992, these specials occasionally replaced Saturday Night Live during its late-night time slot. The show featured top WWE wrestlers and major storylines, becoming a significant part of wrestling's rise in popularity during the 1980s. After its initial run on NBC, Saturday Night's Main Event was revived in 1992, airing intermittently on Fox until 2008. Throughout its run, the program showcased iconic matches and moments in professional wrestling history, attracting a large audience and contributing to the mainstream appeal of WWE.
May 10, 1985: Saturday Night's Main Event I
Saturday Night's Main Event I took place on May 10, 1985, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and aired on May 11, 1985 on NBC, drawing an 8.8 rating.
May 11, 1985: Saturday Night's Main Event Premieres
Saturday Night's Main Event premiered on May 11, 1985, replacing reruns of Saturday Night Live on NBC.
October 3, 1985: Saturday Night's Main Event II
Saturday Night's Main Event II took place on October 3, 1985, at Brendan Byrne Arena and aired on October 5, 1985 on NBC, drawing an 8.3 rating.
October 5, 1985: SNME II Airs on NBC
Saturday Night's Main Event II aired on NBC on October 5, 1985, after being recorded on October 3, 1985.
October 31, 1985: Saturday Night's Main Event III
Saturday Night's Main Event III took place on October 31, 1985, at Hersheypark Arena and aired on November 2, 1985 on NBC, drawing a 6.3 rating.
November 2, 1985: SNME III Airs on NBC
Saturday Night's Main Event III aired on NBC on November 2, 1985, after being recorded on October 31, 1985.
1985: Original Hosts and Theme Music
From 1985 to 1988, the show was hosted by McMahon and Ventura, with theme music by Animotion and Phil Collins.
1985: Saturday Night's Main Event Debut
Saturday Night's Main Event debuted in 1985, replacing Saturday Night Live in its late night timeslot on NBC.
October 4, 1986: New Opening Segment Introduced
On October 4, 1986, a new cold open segment featuring wrestler promos was introduced to Saturday Night's Main Event.
1986: Regular Airdates Established
Starting in 1986, Saturday Night's Main Event established a predictable pattern of airdates.
March 14, 1987: Record-Breaking Ratings
On March 14, 1987, Saturday Night's Main Event drew a record 11.6 rating, the highest ever for its time slot.
1987: Slammy Awards Theme Used
The new instrumental theme used from February 1988 was originally the theme of the 1987 WWF Slammy Awards.
February 5, 1988: The Main Event Draws Record Viewership
The Main Event on February 5, 1988, drew a record 33 million viewers, the highest in professional wrestling history.
February 1988: Theme Music Change
In February 1988, Saturday Night's Main Event's theme music was changed to an original instrumental theme.
1988: The Main Event Spin-off Begins
A spin-off series, The Main Event, began airing annually on Friday nights in February starting in 1988.
1989: Summertime Bonus Editions
In 1989, "Summertime Bonus Editions" of Saturday Night's Main Event began airing in July.
1990: Ratings Begin to Decline
Ratings for Saturday Night's Main Event began to decline after 1990.
1990: Roddy Piper Replaces Ventura
Roddy Piper replaced Jesse Ventura as McMahon's broadcast partner in 1990.
1990: Summertime Bonus Editions Continue
Summertime Bonus Editions of Saturday Night's Main Event continued in 1990.
April 27, 1991: Final NBC Airing
The final NBC airing of Saturday Night's Main Event occurred on April 27, 1991.
1991: NBC Drops Saturday Night's Main Event
Due to declining ratings, NBC dropped Saturday Night's Main Event in 1991.
January 27, 1992: Saturday Night's Main Event XXX
Saturday Night's Main Event XXX took place on January 27, 1992, at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas. This event marked the first airing of Saturday Night's Main Event on Fox, drawing an 8.2 rating and 14.3 million viewers.
February 8, 1992: Saturday Night's Main Event Airs on Fox
Saturday Night's Main Event aired on Fox on February 8, 1992.
February 1992: Another Theme Music Change
A different opening theme song was used for the February 1992 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event.
October 27, 1992: Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI
On October 27, 1992, Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI was held at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. Airing on Fox on November 14, 1992, the event garnered a 6.1 rating and 10.6 million viewers. This marked the second and final airing of the event on Fox, and the last for nearly 14 years until its 2006 return.
November 14, 1992: Final Original Run Airing
The final episode of the original run of Saturday Night's Main Event aired on November 14, 1992, on Fox.
1992: Saturday Night's Main Event Moves to Fox, then Ends
In 1992, Saturday Night's Main Event moved to Fox, airing two specials before being discontinued.
2005: Raw Returns to USA Network
WWE's flagship show, Raw, returned to the USA Network in 2005.
March 18, 2006: Revived Series Premieres
The revived Saturday Night's Main Event premiered on NBC on March 18, 2006, in a prime-time slot.
July 15, 2006: Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII
On July 15, 2006, Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII took place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The event drew a crowd of 17,343, with 14,500 paid attendees. It was broadcast live on NBC and achieved a 2.6 rating. Notably, this was the first time the ECW brand was featured in the series, following its relaunch in June 2006.
August 13, 2007: Saturday Night's Main Event XXXV
On August 13, 2007, Saturday Night's Main Event XXXV emanated from Madison Square Garden in New York City. With a crowd of 16,827 (13,500 paid), the event aired on NBC on August 18, 2007, and earned a 2.5 rating.
2008: End of the Second Run
The revived run of Saturday Night's Main Event ended in 2008.
2009: WrestleMania TV Premiere Replaces SNME
Starting in 2009, WrestleMania: The World Television Premiere replaced Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC.
April 2022: Saturday Night's Main Event Repurposed for House Shows
In April 2022, WWE repurposed the Saturday Night's Main Event name for house shows held on Saturday nights.
2022: House Shows Excluded
The provided information excludes the 2022 house shows.
November 15, 2024: WWE Women's United States Championship Tournament Begins
On November 15, 2024, the tournament to crown the inaugural WWE Women's United States Champion commenced. The tournament unfolded across multiple episodes of SmackDown, culminating at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 14, 2024.
