WWE Vintage Collection Report (04/25/10)

WWE Vintage Collection Report: 25th April 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome aboard. This week we take a look back at a number of matches from the brink of the 90s. Roddy Piper, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels are all promised, but we begin with a “common man.”

Announcers for this week’s show are Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes, with Gorilla Monsoon and Hilbilly Jim sitting in on match four.

August 9th 1989: Fresno, California
Big Boss Man w/Slick vs Dusty Rhodes
Rhodes is in possession of Boss Man’s police cap and nightstick, confiscating them after Boss Man got a little too physical in the post match beatdown of a jobber. Rhodes agitates Boss Man by dancing after absorbing a forearm shot to the back. Dusty drops Boss Man after a flurry of rights, misses an elbow drop, allowing Boss Man to go to a chinlock. Rhodes escapes to deliver ten mounted bionic elbows in the corner. Dusty drops an elbow, and, knowing the match is over, Slick runs in to put the boots to the Dream for the DQ. After a brief double team, Slick places the handcuffs on one of Dusty’s wrists. Dusty fights back, sending Boss Man over the top rope, before handcuffing himself to Slick, and heading to the back. Boss Man looks on from the ring. This feud would carry on through the Survivor Series. Winner via DQ: DUSTY RHODES.

August 29th 1989: Springfield, Massachusetts
The Hart Foundation vs The Rockers
One night after SummerSlam and one of the first in-ring meetings between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Both teams were looking to rebound from their respective losses the night before – the Harts against the Brainbusters and the Rockers against the Rougeaus and Rick Martel as part of a six man tag. The Rockers work over Bret early on with an armbar until Bret turns a Michaels leapfrog into an inverted atomic drop. Anvil slams, then Bret knees Michaels in the back as the Rocker runs the ropes. Bret delivers a backbreaker, teases a Sharpshooter, then drives Michaels’s head into Anvil’s boot. Anvil takes over, wearing Michaels down with a chinlock then a bearhug, before delivering some battering rams in the corner. Michaels manages to flip upside down and quickly reverse a backbreaker attempt by Bret into a slam. Bret cuts off the momentum once more by dropping an elbow across the back of Michaels’s head as we head into a commercial break.

The fans are torn over who to root for as Bret works over Michaels in the corner. Anvil executes a standing dropkick and backbodydrop. Bret tries to catapult Anvil on top of Michaels, but Michaels moves and Anvil hits the mat. Michaels reverses an irish whip, charges into Bret’s boot, but Bret misses an elbow from the second rope, finally enabling Jannetty to get the hot tag. Jannetty hits Bret with a flying backelbow, dropkick and powerslam. Anvil breaks up a cover. Bret and Jannetty wipe each other out with clotheslines. Jannetty recovers first to dish out a gut punch and running kneelift. Michaels re-enters, Bret ducks under a double clothesline, but gets socked with a double crescent kick. Anvil makes the save once more. Michaels gives Bret a suplex, floats over a corner charge, only to eat a Hitman clothesline. Anvil tags, tackling Michaels to the mat. Bret has his back to the action as he steps out onto the apron. Michaels sends Anvil into the ropes, inadvertently knocking the Hitman to the floor in the process. Caught in two minds, Anvil opts to abandon the match and check on his partner. Suddenly, the Rougeaus and Jimmy Hart run in to put the boots to the Rockers who have their backs to the entrance. The Harts re-enter to make the save and all four combatants chase the Rougeau clan to the back. No winner was announced. NO CONTEST. This was a fantastic match until the run-in. Both teams stayed babyface, subtly switching throughout with regards to the individual in trouble. The match is featured on Coliseum video release “Wrestlefest 1990” and is well worth a look.

May 15th 1990: La Crosse, Wisconsin
WWF Title: Ultimate Warrior vs Mr Perfect
We join this champion vs champion match in progress, which is also featured on the Coliseum video release “Battle of the Superstars.” Perfect is the reigning Intercontinental champion, fresh off beating Tito Santana in a tournament final. Warrior vacated the belt after winning the WWF title at WrestleMania VI. Only Warrior’s title is at stake here. Warrior misses his patented splash, enabling Perfect to take the fight outside the ring and use the timekeeper’s table and one of the belts as a weapon. Back inside, Warrior shows signs of stirring as he withstands several of Perfect’s high risk attacks. Warrior kicks out of the Perfect plex, fires up, delivers three clotheslines, shakes the ropes, before finishing Perfect off with a flying tackle and running splash. Winner: ULTIMATE WARRIOR. After the match, Warrior swings the WWF title in the air like it’s some sort of chain.

December 28th 1989: Madison Square Garden
Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake vs The Model Rick Martel.
We pick this one up with the Barber stuck in a chinlock. Gorilla Monsoon buries Beefcake on commentary by asking him to do something other than a sleeper (his finisher) while putting Martel’s boston crab and top rope prowess over. Beefcake escapes, only to run into a knee to the gut. Martel keeps Beefcake grounded. Beefcake nearly wins it with a small package. Martel resumes control with a backbreaker. Martel goes up top, but talks trash for far too long, allowing Beefcake to shake the ropes and crotch Martel. Beefcake climbs up to punch Martel to the mat. Monsoon calls Beefcake out on not going for a superplex. Beefcake gives Martel a couple of atomic drops. A running clothesline sends Martel through the ropes. Beefcake takes the fight outside, throws Martel back in, and goes for a sunset flip, only to have Martel sit down and place his hands on the top rope for the 1-2-3. Beefcake protests, re-enacting the finish to the referee. Martel angrily denies any wrongdoing, before charging at Beefcake who puts Martel in a sleeper. With the Model out like a light, Beefcake readies for a haircut. However, the clown spends too long playing to the crowd, allowing Bobby Heenan to run down, splash Martel with water to awaken him and let him escape with his locks in tact. Winner: THE MODEL RICK MARTEL.

January 22nd 1990: Miami, Florida
Macho King Randy Savage w/Sensational Queen Sherri vs Rowdy Roddy Piper
Today’s Main Event took place one night after the Royal Rumble. Both standoff with Savage posing in front of Piper, then climbing to the top rope to do so. Sherri circles Piper before lifting his kilt. Piper slaps Sherri’s ass, dodges subsequent face slaps and kicks, sweeping Sherri to the mat as she takes her shoes off. A livid Savage dives at Piper, who has the early say with a couple of clotheslines and atomic drop into the corner. Piper doesn’t let Sherri bait him into a distraction as she climbs onto the apron, and instead catches Savage with a sunset flip and small package. Savage tries to leave, Piper intercepts to bring him back. Sherri distracts once more and this time it works as Savage catches Piper with a top rope dive. Savage hangs Piper up on the top rope, before sending him out to the floor once more with a knee to the back.

After a commercial break, Sherri is still in the thick of things, slapping Piper’s chest and landing a well placed kick to the back of his head, as Savage keeps Piper on the outside. Back inside, Savage throttles Piper and applies a sleeper. Piper elbows free, clotheslines, brawls in the corner and takes a bite out of Savage’s head. Piper throws Savage into a tree of woe position, unloading with several boots and a choke of his own. Sherri frees her protégé, who tries begging off. Both exchange airplane spins, with Savage picking up the prize for best spin technique. Savage foolishly heads to the top rope while still dizzy and predictably falls to the floor. Piper goes out after Savage only to have Sherri leap onto his back. At the same time, Piper pulls at Savage’s legs to stop him from re-entering the ring. Savage eventually makes it in, but the referee has already called for the bell. Piper traps Savage in a sleeper. Sherri smacks Piper in the back, so Hot Rod puts her in the hold as well. Savage breaks it up with a knee to Piper’s back. A shot of Sherri’s exposed ass is pixelated. Piper recovers to throw Savage into Sherri, before whipping Savage with a belt, sending the Macho King into retreat. No official decision is announced, but Okerlund notes in-studio that Piper wins it by DQ due to Sherri’s interference. Winner via DQ: ROWDY RODDY PIPER.

Some good matches this week. The non-finishes dragged things down a bit. Out of five matches, three had a non-finish. I know this was the norm with many of the non-jobber featured TV matches in the late 80s, as many of these matches were used as filler to establish/further feuds and/or angles.

However, the Harts/Rockers and Piper/Savage matches had no feud/angle attached to it, so it wouldn’t have hurt anyone to do the job. Ironically, the two matches that had a pinfall finish this week (Warrior/Perfect and Beefcake/Martel) were the two weakest matches on the show.

Next week is the 100th episode celebration. Okerlund promises it as a “can’t miss, ton of fun and a truly vintage 60 minutes of television.” I’m intrigued. See you next week.

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