Bring it Back!: Tuesday Night Titans

Bring it Back!: Tuesday Night Titans
From 1984 to 1986 — long before Raw began its reign as the longest-running episodic program in TV history and even before the Internet and WWE.com — the top destination to see WWE Superstars in an environment outside the squared circle was Tuesday Night Titans.

Hosted by WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon and Lord Alfred Hayes, the concept of Tuesday Night Titans was relatively simple: introduce a featured guest, conduct an interview and show highlights of their latest matches. The program followed a format similar to most late-night talk shows — specifically the popular “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” — with a sports-entertainment twist. ( PHOTOS | VIDEO PLAYLIST)

The interviews were exceptional. The WWE Universe was offered insight into the personal lives of their favorite Superstars and had a chance to see them outside the squared circle. One of the finest moments on the program was a rare and fascinating conversation between Mr. McMahon and wrestling legend Lou Thesz. The interview, a rare WWE appearance for the former NWA Champion, remains a true history lesson for all fans of sports-entertainment.

Of course, for some WWE Superstars, a sit-down interview wasn’t always the best route. When Mr. McMahon suggested Andre the Giant should retire if he could not body slam Big John Studd at WrestleMania, “The Eighth Wonder of the World” took exception and grabbed The Chairman by the neck. Another explosive interview occurred when Lord Alfred Hayes confronted Roddy Piper about the famous coconut incident, asking “Hot Rod” to explain himself. Visibly upset, Piper and Hayes engaged in a heated argument that resulted in the hot-headed Superstar slapping the Tuesday Night Titans co-host across the face.

The wedding reception of Butcher Vachon & Ophelia: Tuesday Night Titans, December 18, 1984

A food fight breaks out at the wedding reception of Butcher Vachon & Ophelia.

The incendiary interviews weren’t the only segments that stood out on Tuesday Night Titans. In fact, a major reason why WWE Classics wants the Tuesday night talk show to return is because of the wild unpredictability and hilarious skits that were featured each week. ( PHOTOS | VIDEO PLAYLIST)

On the very first episode, the wedding of Paul “Butcher” Vachon and his lady love Ophelia was broadcast, becoming the first televised wedding in sports-entertainment history. Typically, WWE weddings quickly degrade into something not as romantic as originally intended. Look no further than Tuesday Night Titans as the precedent for erratic sports-entertainment nuptials.

The wedding itself was a chaotic affair — a verbal spat between Vachon and “Classy” Freddie Blassie and an objection from Captain Lou Albano almost ended the wedding — but nonetheless, Vachon and Ophelia exchanged vows.

At the reception, though, “Dr. D” Dave Schultz felt the need to offer his opinions to the bride and groom. After Schultz’s rant about his primitive views on men and women, the celebration continued with the cake cutting. When the blushing bride revealed she did not like cake, Schultz once again took issue with her and proceeded to shove a pie in her face. Vachon retaliated by throwing a pie back at the loud-mouthed grappler. From there, the wedding reception turned into a full-on food fight with both Mr. McMahon and Lord Alfred Hayes taking pies to the face.

Bring it Back!: Tuesday Night Titans
The wedding reception was merely the beginning for the outrageous events that transpired on Tuesday Night Titans. What was intended to be a mostly civilized environment declined rapidly with the mix of combustible personalities of WWE Superstars — yet the weekly program never disappointed audiences tuning in on USA Network. ( PHOTOS | VIDEO PLAYLIST)

The weekly program’s unpredictable moments have become the stuff of sports-entertainment legend. Many of the occurrences were absolutely hysterical, others were downright disturbing. After all, who could forget when Blassie proved Kamala would eat a live chicken on air? Though Mr. McMahon tried to stop it, the feathers flying out of The Ugandan Giant’s mouth signaled certain doom for the farm animal.

Hulk Hogan used the television program as a launching point for one of his early endorsements — a protein shake. The Hulkster formulated the beverage on his own and offered it to everyone on the set to try. The product was well-liked by all — many certainly feeling Hulkamania pulse through their veins — except Lord Alfred Hayes. Immediately upon drinking Hogan’s shake, Hayes vomited and Hogan’s first failed product was born.

Bring it Back!: Tuesday Night Titans
Tuesday Night Titans also featured a number of wild skits starring WWE Superstars that were often as irreverent as the show’s unscripted moments. One of the funniest performances in sports-entertainment history was Piper’s starring role as Ebenezer Piper in a WWE version of “A Christmas Carol.” Of course, the WWE Hall of Famer was more “Hot Rod” than Scrooge and didn’t quite find the error of his ways. Instead, he ended up attacking the ghost of Jacob Marley before going back to sleep. ( PHOTOS | VIDEO PLAYLIST)

Although many of the skits were downright hilarious, none quite compared to the duo of Mr. Fuji and Don Muraco trying to pitch television show pilots. The pair created a number of TV parodies such as “Fuji Vice” and “Fuji Hospital,” which were amusing rip-offs of the popular shows “Miami Vice” and “General Hospital,” respectively. Muraco and Fuji also attempted stand-up comedy, but The Magnificent One’s dry delivery and Fuji’s thick accent and mispronunciation actually turned the jokes on them.

Tuesday Night Titans was full of the type of unpredictability and chaos the WWE Universe expects. But the program also featured some of the finest interviews with WWE Superstars and Legends of the era. That format would be welcomed by the WWE Universe today without question, and there’s only one way to do that: Bring it Back!

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