WWE fans have a lot to celebrate these days. Monday Night Raw is moving to Netflix in January, Smackdown just premiered on the USA Network, and Saturday Night’s Main Event is returning in December as part of the company’s overall deal with NBCUniversal. Per Variety, the first special will be simulcast on both NBC and Peacock on December 18 beginning at 8e/5p, with the event broadcast from where it all began nearly 40 years ago, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, N.Y.
This is only the beginning, too. The deal between WWE and NBCUniversal will bring a total of four quarterly Saturday Night’s Main Event specials to the network. Presale tickets for the first event go on sale starting Thursday, September 19, and fans can register now on WWE’s website to get a special presale bonus offer. Tickets will officially go on sale beginning Friday, September 20, with general seating and priority passes available that will bring fans even closer to the action with hospitality events, photo ops with the superstars, and more.
As the world of WWE is ever evolving, the card has yet to be finalized for December’s Saturday Night’s Main Event. We still have three premium live events to get through before then, including Bad Blood, Crown Jewel, and Survivor Series, all of which could change the current landscape and see new champions crowned. As such, to announce matches for a December event now would be jumping the gun, so we’ll have to wait and see how everything plays out on TV before we know which combatants will face off with one another in three months on NBC and Peacock.
Saturday Night’s Main Event Was Host To Many Memorable Moments
Premiering in 1985 on NBC, Saturday Night’s Main Event broke new ground for the wrestling business, which up until that point had rarely aired in prime time on network television. By the time it concluded in 1992, a total of 31 specials had aired, and the last fans saw the series was in 2006, when it was briefly revived for five episodes stretched out over two years.
Memorable moments from the various specials include Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff escaping a steel cage at the same time in 1986, the formation of The Mega Powers (Hogan and Randy Savage) in 1987, Jake “The Snake” Roberts DDT’ing Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat on the concrete floor in 1986, and Sid Justice walking out on Hogan during their match with The Undertaker and Ric Flair in 1992.
While the first Saturday Night’s Main Event that aired 40 years ago featured Vince McMahon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura on commentary, it’s possible the WWE might be looking to recapture some of that same magic in 2024. Though Vince McMahon is officially gone from the company following numerous allegations of sexual assault and human trafficking (which are currently under federal investigation), Ventura said in an interview recently that he’s on the verge of signing a Legend’s Deal with the company, which would put the duo back in one another’s good graces after years of estrangement. Could this lead to The Body being featured on commentary once more? We’ll have to wait until December to find out.
Look for
Saturday Night’s Main Event
to make its triumphant return to NBC on December 18, and stream all past specials on Peacock.