As part of the WWE’s new, five-year domestic media rights partnership with NBCUniversal, which officially kicked off last Friday with “SmackDown” airing on USA Network, the iconic “Saturday Night’s Main Event” franchise is returning to NBC, it was announced on Tuesday.
Set to air LIVE on Saturday, December 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and simulcast on Peacock, the special will take place at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, N.Y., the site of the first-ever “Saturday Night’s Main Event.”
Available now through exclusive partner On Location, fans can purchase official “Saturday Night’s Main Event” Priority Passes which offer premium seating, hospitality events with Superstar appearances, exclusive photo opportunities, and more. To buy now or learn more about “Saturday Night’s Main Event” Priority Passes, visit onlocationexp.com/mainevent.
General admission tickets go on sale Friday, September 20 at 10:00 a.m. ET via ticketmaster.com, with pre-sale tickets available beginning Thursday, September 19 at 10:00 a.m. ET. To receive exclusive pre-sale information for “Saturday Night’s Main Event,” click here.
First aired on NBC in May of 1985, “Saturday Night’s Main Event” originally aired in the late-night slot primarily held by “Saturday Night Live” on the days in which the late-night sketch comedy show was not airing original episodes, which at the time were typically holiday weekends. This scheduling pattern continued until 1991. By 1992, FOX aired two more editions of the special before it was later rested entirely by the WWE (then WWF). By March 2006, NBC and the WWE would revive the franchise, airing five more specials from 2006-2008.
Valued at an estimated $1.4 billion, the NBCUniversal deal with the WWE also sees Peacock as the live streaming home of WWE’s programming in the U.S., including upcoming premium live events such as “Bad Blood,” “NXT Halloween Havoc” and “Crown Jewel,” in addition to WWE shows like “Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal,” “American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes” and “WWE Evil.”
Check out a promo for “Saturday Night’s Main Event” below.
You can also check out a clip from the January 2, 1988 event which saw Andre the Giant attack Hulk Hogan.