WWE Vintage Collection Report (11/28/10)

WWE Vintage Collection Report: November 28th 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

This week we go old school baby, back to the golden era of the 1980s. With the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling period in full swing, today’s show features a who’s who of WWE legends and Hall of Famers. Let’s begin!

May 23rd 1983: Madison Square Garden, New York City
Dusty Rhodes vs Samoan #3
Samoan #3 is Samula aka Samu of Headshrinker fame. No polka dots yet for Dusty. That’s six years later. We pick things up with Dusty taking a nap in a sleeper. Dusty comes back with a toehold before resting on Samu’s leg. Samu goes to the eyes and slams the American Dream. Air Samu misses from the top rope. Dusty drops the samoan with an atomic drop then picks up the win after a cross bodyblock. After the bout, Gorilla Monsoon welcomes Dusty back to the WWF. Dusty proclaims MSG as the greatest, puts over WWF wrestlers as the “greatest performers”, then declares he’s happy to be back. Winner: DUSTY RHODES.

Before an Intercontinental title defense against Rocky Johnson, reigning champion the Magnificent Muraco scoffs at reports of him being scared of Rocky. Instead, Muraco states he’s too smart, too good and maybe too bad for Rocky, taunting that he’s coming to get him.

May 23rd 1983: Madison Square Garden, New York City
Intercontinental Title: The Magnificent Muraco vs Rocky Johnson
Joined in progress. Muraco elbows out of a leglock, while Rocky turns a piledriver into a backbodydrop. Rocky sends Muraco to the floor. Muraco calls for a timeout. Muraco suckers Rocky in for a low blow. Rocky returns the favour to escape a sleeper. Muraco misses a high knee in the corner and gets perched. Rocky hooks a full nelson, but Muraco runs him into the corner. Muraco executes a piledriver and mockingly makes the Superfly sign as he heads to the top rope (The two were feuding). Rocky gets his feet up to counter a splash.

After a commercial break, Rocky tries to put Muraco away with a sleeper. Muraco escapes the first two attempts, but after a Rocky dropkick, the third time’s a charm as Muraco sinks to his knees. The bell rings and the crowd erupts, thinking Rocky’s won, but it’s the 11pm curfew and the match is ruled a draw. Fans pelt the ring with garbage as Gorilla Monsoon states on commentary that Muraco would have been done if Rocky had “two more stinking seconds.” Alas it’s not to be. This was a pretty awful match. Muraco kept stalling in-between everything, whilst looking at the clock, and the large physiques of both men made for a very slow-moving matchup.

August 10th 1984: Kiel Auditorium, St Louis, Missouri
The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael P.S. Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy & Buddy “Jack” Roberts) w/David Wolff vs
Jerry Valiant, Max Blue & Alexis Smirnoff
This was a rare WWF appearance by the Freebirds. Hayes struts and moonwalks across the ring to start. Valiant isolates Hayes for Smirnoff to work over with stomps. Gordy hooks Smirnoff from behind enabling Hayes to drop a fist from the second rope. Roberts comes in to give Smirnoff a backbodydrop and jumping knee attack, but soon finds himself in trouble, as Smirnoff channels Hulk Hogan, giving Roberts a big boot, slam and legdrop. Blue hangs Roberts up on the top rope and pounds the chest. Roberts rakes the face and tags in Hayes, who gets booted by Blue. Hayes leapfrogs Valiant, tags in Gordy and the action breaks down. The Freebirds whip Blue and Smirnoff together to take them out of the equation. Gordy then hoists Valiant up for Hayes and Roberts to deliver a (crap) Hart Attack (double) clothesline for the finish. Winners: THE FABULOUS FREEBIRDS. In for a cup of coffee, the Freebirds moved to AWA and World Class when the WWF wanted to split the team up.

August 25th 1984: Madison Square Garden, New York City
Kamala w/Classy Freddie Blassie & Friday vs Chief Jay Strongbow
This was Kamala’s NYC debut. Strongbow wears a worried look on his face. Strongbow ducks underneath, but gets hammered and choked in the corner. Strongbow avoids a charge, jumping on Kamala’s back to try a sleeper, but he can’t cinch it in and gets sent back to the corner, then chopped over the top rope. Back inside, Strongbow fires up with his Indian dance, staggering Kamala into the corner with a kneelift. Strongbow charges into a knee, falls to the mat, and Kamala picks up the win after a running splash. After the bell, Friday and Blassie get Kamala off of Strongbow then have to coax him down from the top rope. Winner: KAMALA. Strongbow tried his best to get Kamala over as an unruly savage, but Kamala looked clumsy and the match sucked. Kamala enjoyed more noteworthy runs in 1986 when he challenged Hulk Hogan then again in 1992 when he took on the Undertaker.

February 18th 1985: Madison Square Garden, New York City
WWF Women’s Title: Wendi Richter w/Cyndi Lauper vs Leilani Kai w/Fabulous Moolah
This is a dark match from the “War to settle the Score” show, which was a huge ratings success for MTV at the height of the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling crossover era. Before the bell, Lauper’s personal manager David Wolff reveals on commentary that Lauper’s been working with Richter for the past three weeks, in and out of recording sessions. Richter goes after Moolah, allowing Kai to jump Richter and choke her with her own jacket. Kai pulls Richter’s hair and stands on her fingers. Richter hooks a leg to take down Kai. Richter dominates her opponent with a slam, legdrop, tackle, splash and suplex. Kai counters a powerbomb into a brief Boston crab, before the two exchange pinning combinations. Richter sets Kai up into the shattered dreams position in the corner, landing a gore to the gut, but missing a second attempt.

Back from our final break, Kai misses a charge and falls to the floor. As Moolah checks on her protégé, Richter reaches out to kick Moolah in the head. Richter suplexes Kai back into the ring, drives her face first into the mat, then utilises some lengthy submissions in the form of a couple of surfboard variations and an armbar. Kai kicks Richter in the head and applies a front facelock. Richter positions a foot on the rope, but Moolah pushes it off. Richter comes back with kneelifts, a flying clothesline and big boot to Kai, who gets a foot on the rope. Moolah interjects herself by choking the life out of Lauper on the floor. Wolff comes across to intervene, as does Richter, who reaches out only to get a forearm in the face from Moolah. Kai takes advantage of the distraction to send Richter face first to the corner then roll her up for the upset victory. Moolah stomps on Richter then celebrates with Kai. An angry Richter and Lauper clear the ring and rush their foes to the back. Winner: LEILANI KAI.

Richter would win the title back the following month at WrestleMania I, but lose it under suspicious circumstances in November, after problems arose with her contract. During a match with the masked Spider Lady (aka Moolah), Richter was fast counted and legitimately screwed out of the title despite kicking out of a pin at one. Richter promptly left the WWF, but was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year by Roddy Piper. Meanwhile Kai went on to form the successful Glamour Girls tandem with Judy Martin and made a one-off return at WrestleMania X, losing to Alundra Blayze.

A nostalgic show, but the in-ring action was sloppy at best. That being said, it was fun to see the Freebirds in a WWF ring. See you next week.

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