Report: Jesse Ventura Returning To Legendary Commentary Role For WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event On NBC

Another potential update has surfaced regarding WWE’s plans for an upcoming special on NBC this December.

As noted, WWE has filed to trademark Saturday Night’s Main Event to bring back the iconic show from the company’s past live specials on NBC.

The original WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event specials aired on NBC from 1985 to 1991, replacing Saturday Night Live. In 1992, WWE presented the special on FOX before it was discontinued.

In another update, on the latest Straight Talk with The Boss w/ Magnum TA and Greg Gagne podcast, Gagne noted that the reason WWE recently signed Jesse Ventura to a contract is to have him return to his old-school role as color-commentator for the WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC special.

“I mean, with what they’re paying those guys to come in, I think Jesse’s going to do the — they’re doing some NBC Saturday night shows, about four of them, they’re gonna use Jesse for that,” Gagne said.

This resurgence of Saturday Night’s Main Event is part of WWE’s broader media plan, and as part of it, they have inked a new agreement with NBCUniversal to bring Friday Night SmackDown back to the USA Network. The deal includes four prime-time specials on NBC each year, making the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event a fitting inclusion.

Sources: eWn and Wrestling Headlines

News On Saturday Night’s Main Event And NXT Being A Part Of WWE – FOX Deal

Image result for wwe and fox deal

With WWE officially announcing their new television deal with FOX, there has been a lot of speculation about other programming airing on the network, or their sister channel, FS1. There was a report that Saturday Night’s Main Event, which actually aired twice on FOX in 1992, might return to the network and that an announcement will come later this year or in early 2019. The report added that FOX has also agreed in principle to air NXT on FS1, although the contract hasn’t been signed yet.

On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that while it’s possible, he was told by people in WWE and FOX that the story of adding Saturday Night’s Main Event is not true. He said that sources on both sides were told that there would not be any “added wrestling programming.”

As far as NXT moving to FS1, Meltzer once again said that while it’s always possible, he was told that there “was no chance.”

“I mean it’s possible,” Meltzer said. “I could only ask, and people that I’ve asked said that there’s no announcements coming [and] there’s nothing new. I mean, is it possible a year from now? Absolutely. Does it make sense? It actually does. If it makes sense, I could see it happening, but I was told not right now.”

During a 30 minute media call last week discussing the new deal, WWE Co-President Michelle Wilson said that they are in talks with FOX about adding additional programming on both FOX Broadcast and FS1, but seemed to suggest that it would not be in-ring content, saying that the programming discussed “would highlight other activities in WWE.” When FOX met with WWE regarding a deal in May, owner Rupert Murdoch had reportedly offered WWE a weekly studio show on FS1.

Source: WrestlingINC