Tuesday Night Titans

Tuesday Night Titans
The logo used by WWE Network
Created by Vince McMahon
Starring Vince McMahon (1984-86)
Lord Alfred Hayes
Gene Okerlund (1986)
Opening theme "1980" by Herb Alpert
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 99
Production
Running time 60 minutes
Release
Original network USA Network
Original release May 29, 1984 (1984-05-29) – September 24, 1986 (1986-09-24)

Tuesday Night Titans (abbreviated TNT)[1] was a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired on the USA Network from May 29, 1984 to September 24, 1986. The two-hour show aired on Tuesday nights beginning on May 29, 1984 until the January 4, 1985 episode, which saw the show cut to one-hour and moved to Friday nights on USA Network, where it remained there until its final episode on September 24, 1986. Prime Time Wrestling replaced TNT in its Tuesday time slot on January 1, 1985.

Overview

This format is best remembered for being a loose parody of a standard late-night talk show, with host Vince McMahon and "sidekick" Lord Alfred Hayes conducting in character interviews with WWF wrestlers and participating in skits. In episode 87, Gene Okerlund replaced McMahon as host and remained host for the last 13 episodes.

The program was named after the WWF's then-parent company, Titan Sports. It was taped at the Video One facilities in Owings Mills, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore.

Episodes of TNT were re-aired on WWE Classics on Demand from November 2004 to February 2009. Today, all 99 episodes (except episode 31) are available for streaming on the WWE Network.

Notable moments

  • The first televised wrestling wedding with Paul Vachon, the reception afterward involving a large food fight in which both Vince McMahon and Lord Alfred Hayes were hit in the face with pies.
  • Then-WWF champion Hulk Hogan introduced his protein drink, which everyone on the set liked with the exception of Lord Alfred Hayes, who vomited immediately after he drank it.
  • Roddy Piper playing Ebenezer Scrooge in a takeoff of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
  • Mr. Fuji and Don Muraco did a parody of Miami Vice called Fuji Vice. This was part of a series of ersatz "pilots" that Fuji and Muraco were supposedly shopping to television producers; others included Fuji General (a soap opera in the vein of General Hospital) and The Fuji Bandito (a Western). The duo also performed a live comedy skit that notably and humorously featured Fuji messing up lines (including "how about some tropical stuff" instead of "topical stuff").
  • George Steele undergoes electroshock therapy in order to cure his speech problem, but only manages to say "How now, brown cow?".
  • Dr. "D", David Schultz accidentally firing a loaded gun while showing his collection to Vince McMahon and Alfred Hayes.
  • Fred Blassie bringing a live chicken onto the set and boasting that Kamala would eat it live on the air.[2] A cutaway shot was immediately shown—after Vince McMahon tried in vain to stop it—of feathers flying out of Kamala's mouth (to illustrate Kamala's kayfabe chicken dinner).
  • During a segment with Piper as a guest, a replay is shown of Piper's Pit where Piper struck Jimmy Snuka in the head with a coconut, after which Piper defends his actions and eventually slaps Hayes before storming off the set.
  • Lanny Poffo wearing a suit of armor and reciting his first poem, the latter which gained him popularity as a babyface.
  • In a segment promoting André the Giant's upcoming "$15,000 Bodyslam Challenge" match vs. Big John Studd at WrestleMania, a replay is shown of the "Haircut Match" (where Studd and Ken Patera beat André into unconsciousness before helping Bobby Heenan cut his hair). McMahon attempted to talk about a stipulation wherein André would retire if he failed to slam Studd. A visibly annoyed André tried to decline the stipulation but when McMahon pressed on, André grabbed McMahon by the throat and told him to back off on the "retirement" stipulation and vowed he would slam Studd at Wrestlemania. A noticeably upset Andre walked off the set afterwards.
  • Piper and "Cowboy" Bob Orton—along with McMahon—visit the doctor about Orton's arm injury and prolonged wearing of an orthopedic cast (a gimmick which had grown out of Orton's legitimate arm injury). When the doctor revealed that the injury had healed and Orton could remove the cast, Piper—who throughout the segment disputed the doctor's findings—began imitating a duck.
  • André the Giant sings the Fish song which was actually him pantomiming a fish.
  • Paul Orndorff fires Bobby Heenan shortly after Wrestlemania.
  • Roddy Piper guests hosts with Cowboy Bob Orton replacing Lord Alfred Hayes.
  • During a segment with Randy "Macho Man" Savage and Miss Elizabeth as guests, a delivery man arrives on the set to deliver a package to Elizabeth. Inside: roses, packed with turnbuckle stuffing (indicating the sender, George "the Animal" Steele).
  • Vince McMahon hosts a show-long "This Is Your Life" segment for Nikolai Volkoff.
  • Two parodies of the ABC game show The Dating Game titled The Mating Game, featuring Jimmy Hart, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, and The Fabulous Moolah as contestants.
  • George Steele and Lou Albano make Christmas cookies.

References

  1. ↑ TNT Show: Tuesday Night Titans (TNT) was the WWF's answer to the Sonny & Cher variety hour, as superstars danced, told jokes, and basically made asses of themselves.
  2. ↑ Ellison, Lillian (2003). The Fabulous Moolah: First Goddess of the Squared Circle. ReaganBooks. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-06-001258-8.
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