A house show is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as to test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and gimmicks that are being considered for the main televised programming and upcoming pay-per-views. As house shows are not televised, all matches are technically dark matches, though that term is usually reserved for non-televised matches at otherwise televised events.
WWE Women's Championship match at a WWE Live Event on September 30, 2023. House shows utilize a more scaled-down production than a televised show.
Jeff Hardy and Triple H pose amongst the pyrotechnics at a Raw house show in Australia
Saturday Night's Main Event
Saturday Night's Main Event is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by WWE. Premiering in 1985, it originally aired on NBC in the United States in place of Saturday Night Live for weeks when that show did not have new episodes until 1991. Two additional episodes aired on Fox in 1992. It was revived in 2006 for five NBC episodes before ending in 2008. In Canada, it also aired on Citytv and Global Television Network in order to meet simultaneous substitution rights.
The NBC era logo, 1985–1991
The Fox era logo, 1992