Wrestling promotions have long enjoyed tying in their promotional needs to holidays. For many years, Survivor Series was known as the “Thanksgiving Night Tradition”. WCW created a PPV entitled Halloween Havoc. In the territorial days of Memphis, Glen Jacobs, known to fans today as Kane, dressed up as a Christmas tree and became The Christmas Creature.
In general, these holiday tie-ins were harmless fun. In fact, many of my favorite Prime Time Wrestlings were those around Halloween, namely the one where Bobby Heenan dressed up as the Big Bossman as a way of sucking up to him in hopes of getting out a series of matches with the Cobb County lawman. Heenan, too, loved the shows, even writing about them in his book, Bobby the Brain: Wrestling’s Bad Boy Tells All.
In the late 1980’s-early 1990’s, the WWF would take over the time slot held by Saturday Night Live to host its own show, Saturday Night’s Main Event. During the initial season, a Halloween episode was featured, which I remember fondly if for no other reason than for Elizabeth dressed up as a jungle girl.
During the 1990 season of SNME,the WWF decided to change things up and feature an Oktoberfest episiode in which the entire WWF crew celebrated the holiday.
And NOTHING says Happy Oktoberfest like Gene Okerlund in lederhosen.
I take that back.
Nothing says Happy Oktoberfest like Lord Alfred dissing all non-English brewed beer.
The special featured all the notable characters of the day, such as the Bushwhackers, Roddy Piper, Vince McMahon, Slick, Akeem, the African Dream, and many more.
No SNME could exist without silly skits, so Gene caught up with the Bushwhackers at the cheese factory, doing…what else?
They don’t write ’em like that anymore (Thank God).
A staple at any worthwhile Oktoberfest celebration is the dancing contest,.
Here, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart busted a move…
…as did the Doctor of Style, Slick.
Sadly, the band played traditional music, thus robbing fans of the rare all-tuba version of Jive Soul Bro.
The coup dis-grace, though, had to be the SAUSAGE STUFFING CONTEST, which featured “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and the Hart Foundation (poor Bret)…
…against the Orient Express and Mr. Fuji.
The judge of the contest was naturally “The Genius” himself, Lanny Poffo, who had obviously powdered his nose (and God knows what else) for the occasion.
As Gene did commentary, Lanny shared his unique insight to the festitivies.
In the end, Fuji pulled a kielbasa out of his trousers (no, not THAT kielbasa) and won the contest for his team.
Ironically enough, it was the only victory of any sort the Express would have during their WWF tenure.
Things wrapped up in the Bier Garten, as food went flying…
…and Lord Alfred made an ass of himself (even more than usual) by getting sloppy drunk.
Food fights, sausage stuffing, and Lord Alfred plastered – what Bavarian WOULDN’T be proud?
Again, though, it was really more harmless fun than anything.
Still, if Lanny Poffo overseeing a Sausage Stuffing Contest isn’t WrestleCrap, I don’t know what is.
Gene Okerlund: “We’re having a great time over here, what about you, Lord Alfred?”
Alfred Hayes: “It’s not bad, Herr Schlong (??!!). A little light. But I must say it’s not as good as the English stuff, you know.”
Okerlund: “I’m here with the Bushwackers, Luke and Butch, what are you doing here?”
Butch: “We’re cutting the bloody cheese, mate!”
Okerlund: “Cutting the cheese?!”
Okerlund: “It’s the traditional Bavarian Sausage Stuffing Contest! Presiding over this event, the master sausage stuffer himself, an honorary member of the Sausage Stuffer’s Hall of Fame.”
Poffo: “The Genius is a master at the art of stuffing sausage, ACHTUNG! ICH HABE MEINE SCHEUSSELE VERLOSSEN! Inferior intellect will stop the Hart Foundation, by default I pick the Orient Express!”
Alfred (sounding like he is building to the BIG O): “And then this fisherman…he…hahaha…this fisherman…oh…oh…hahahaha!”