WWE Vintage Collection Report: 14th February 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all. This week, cupid fires its arrow at some of the classic romances in sports entertainment, with the message being that sometimes love hurts. I know all about that. On that note let’s begin.
WWF Superstars of Wrestling: March 2nd 1991
The Brother Love Show w/The Ultimate Warrior
Warrior was gearing up for a career ending bout with Randy Savage at the upcoming WrestleMania VII. He circles Love who asks if he’s ready to put his career on the line at WrestleMania? Warrior is ready like never before and states Savage will not put an end to anyone’s career. The Ultimate Warrior will take one more step in his destiny, but the Macho King will come to an end, be finished, destroyed. Warrior will end his career. Love foolishly questions Warrior’s statement, leading Warrior to boast that he believes so much he can end Savage’s career that he’s not going to wait until WrestleMania. He’s going to start ending and destroying careers right now. With that, Warrior destroys Love’s set, ripping up curtains, smashing up the microphone stand, then chasing Love to the back. Love re-emerges minus his jacket, as Warrior chases him to ringside. Once in the ring, Warrior destroys Love with three short arm clotheslines, a flying tackle and two splashes. During the attack, the announce team of Vince McMahon and Rowdy Roddy Piper sarcastically ask Warrior to stop. As officials stretcher Love onto a gurney, Vince alludes to an earlier Love statement where he called Warrior a has been, but states Love is now a has been. This was a very entertaining way to write Brother Love out of the WWF as I could never stand him.
A clip of Warrior defeating Savage at WrestleMania VII airs, with Elizabeth saving Savage from a post match attack from furious manager Sensational Sherri. This leads nicely into our next segment.
WWF European Rampage Tour: April 19th 1992
WWF Title: Macho Man Randy Savage w/Elizabeth vs Shawn Michaels w/Sensational Sherri
This match from Sheffield, England was hot on the heels of Savage’s title win over Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII. What a difference a year makes eh Savage? Announcers Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan talk about Savage crossing paths with Sherri once more, while Monsoon speculates on the state of Savage’s leg after Flair ‘injured’ it during their ‘Mania match. Following some early chain wrestling, a lively Savage bounces Michaels’s head off of a couple of corners then tosses a steel chair in the ring which is promptly discarded by referee Earl Hebner. Michaels scores a couple of tackles. Savage tries to toss him out, so Michaels skins the cat back in only for Savage to clothesline him to the floor. Sherri rushes to her protege’s aid, but quickly runs as Savage catches Michaels with a top rope double axehandle. Sherri grabs Elizabeth from behind, violently shaking her to get Savage’s attention. Savage grabs Sherri by the hair and, worried about his wife’s safety, orders Elizabeth to the back. The distraction allows Michaels to attack Savage from behind, sending him into the guardrail and ringsteps.
We skip ahead to the closing stages as Savage wipes out Hebner after Michaels dodges a tackle. Savage hotshots Michaels across the top rope, slams then delivers his patented elbow from the top rope. With Hebner out of it, Savage counts his own pinfall. Sherri enters to kick at Savage with her long white high heeled boots, but Savage scares her back outside. Savage pulls Hebner into position to finally make the count, however Michaels kicks out at two. Savage spits at Sherri who gets tipped into the ring from behind by a returning Elizabeth. Savage lands a top rope cross body for a nearfall. Sherri tries to interfere once more, so Elizabeth pulls her off the apron before running away. A swarm of officials step in to prevent both women from getting further involved as Michaels nearly wins it with a sunset flip. Savage jumps over Michaels before catching him with another cross body from the top rope for the 1-2-3. Winner: MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE. Post match sees Michaels clothesline and stomp Savage. Sherri takes off her boots, but ends up nailing Michaels with them after Savage avoids an attack from the top rope. Savage gives the two a double noggin knocker then hoists Elizabeth onto his shoulder. This was a very good match and the injury that the announcers made a big play about wasn’t even a factor.
WWF Superstars: June 29th 1996
Sunny is in the ring with Jim Ross and Phineas Godwinn. Playing off Phineas’s long time crush on her, Sunny had continually ridiculed and embarrassed him. Now she’s here to apologise. A remorseful Sunny says she's humiliated Phineas and is truly sorry for what she’s done and said. She wants to start over as she cares about him, knows how he feels, and calls him baby. Sunny needs to know from the heart and soul how Phineas feels about her. Throwing his arms up, a lovesick Phineas tells Sunny he loves her as Sunny’s current protégés the Smoking Gunns walk to ringside looking bewildered. A delighted Sunny says Phineas makes her so happy and now she wants to show him how much she cares, asking him to bend down for a big kiss. Phineas obliges, closing his eyes, as Sunny’s demeanour changes to one of disgust as she slaps him across the face. Hurt and upset, Phineas is then jumped by the Gunns. It looks like the fix is in until Hilbilly Jim and Henry Godwinn rush to save their partner and clear the ring of the Gunns to leave Sunny trapped. Phineas grabs his slop bucket and inches towards Sunny who screams as Henry and Hilbilly cut off her exit path. Sensing Phineas’s reluctance to slop her, Sunny plays on his doubts by blowing him a kiss, but Phineas dumps the slop on her to the crowd’s delight. As Phineas embraces with his partners, Sunny screams and stomps her feet while covered in smelly slop on the ringsteps. The message is clear kids, don't just dump 'em, slop 'em. I'll refrain from the obvious sloppy seconds joke and just move on.
WCW World War III: November 26th 1995
Johnny B. Badd (World TV Champion) vs Diamond Dallas Page w/The Diamond Doll
An error on screen lists this match as taking place in November 1996, but by that time Johnny B. Badd was in the WWF competing as Wildman Marc Mero. This match is joined in progress. The Diamond Doll (Kimberly Page – DDP’s real life wife) was being mistreated by DDP, who had her under contract as his valet. The stipulations were that if Badd won then DDP would release Doll from her contract, but if DDP won then he would retain her services and earn a future TV title shot. We pick things up in the closing stages. DDP hits a tilt-a-whirl side slam. Badd reverses a cocky cover for a nearfall, before hitting a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. DDP gets his knees up to prevent a slingshot splash from the apron. DDP delivers a gutbuster for two, then gets frustrated with referee Nick Patrick. Badd reverses a piledriver then knocks DDP out of the ring with the Tutti Frutti punch. A somersault plancha connects on the floor by Badd, who puts DDP back in and finishes him off with a slingshot legdrop. Winner: JOHNNY B. BADD. A stunned Doll doesn’t know what to do, but finally embraces Badd who shows up a 10+ sign (scoring her hotness). Badd would soon leave for the WWF after becoming uncomfortable with the angle, so Kimberly aligned herself with Brutus Beefcake after he ditched his Zodiac persona. This was pretty good stuff. Shame the whole match couldn’t air.
The seeds of the McMahon-Helmsley era are planted as we see Triple H crash Stephanie McMahon’s planned wedding to Test on the November 29th 1999 edition of Raw.
Raw is War: April 17th 2000
Triple H w/Shane & Stephanie McMahon vs Chris Jericho
Our Main Event takes us back to the height of the McMahon-Helmsley era. Furious at Jericho’s constant jibes about Stephanie, HHH charges out, throwing his belt in the ring to take on Jericho in a non-title bout for Stephanie’s honour. Jericho uses Stephanie to goad HHH into putting the title on the line, before revealing he invested in a little insurance policy for this match only and brings out his ‘little friends’ the Acolytes to watch his back. Jericho takes HHH down with a flying forearm, mauls him in the corner and on the mat before backdropping him to the floor. HHH avoids a baseball slide. Jericho knocks him off the apron with a springboard dropkick. HHH counters a suplex by hanging Jericho up on the top rope to take control. HHH hits a high knee before working over Jericho in the corner and along the ring apron. Jericho reverses a head shot into the announce table but runs into a big boot. HHH sends Jericho into the ringsteps as Stephanie points and laughs.
After a commercial break we pick things up with Jericho launching into a comeback with a missile dropkick. Jericho counters a pedigree by going for the walls of Jericho. HHH fights it, so Jericho inadvertently slingshots HHH into referee Mike Chioda. Jericho takes advantage to nail a running bulldog. Shane crotches Jericho on the top rope. The Acolytes give chase, but quick as a cat Shane weaves in and out of the ring before running to the back. Stephanie tosses the belt in, HHH goes to grab it, Jericho boots him in the head and levels the Game with the title. Earl Hebner runs in and counts two. HHH gives Jericho a facebuster then yells at Hebner (the two were having issues with HHH manhandling him in recent bouts). HHH pushes, Hebner pushes back, so the Game decks him, before turning into a spinning heel kick. Jericho scores with a lionsault and Hebner fast counts the 1-2-3. Winner: CHRIS JERICHO. Post match, Hebner runs away, with the Acolytes blocking HHH’s path. A furious HHH rushes back to the ring as new champion Jericho jumps out of the ring and leaves, making him look weak and a chump in the process.
We return to see Stephanie and Shane holding Hebner in the ring while HHH berates him for the fast count. HHH says he was screwed and wants the decision reversed. Hebner refuses by firmly screaming ‘No,’ but is forced to reconsider when HHH threatens him with violence. Hebner says he’ll reverse the decision on one term, that nobody touches him as long as he’s a WWF referee. Shane, Stephanie nor HHH had better never put their damn hands on him again. HHH agrees, Hebner reverses the decision and HHH tells him to get the belt from around the waist of that ‘sawn off midget’ Chris Jericho, come back out and put it around his waist.
Hebner does as he’s told, handing HHH the title, but HHH says it’s not good enough and makes Hebner fasten the belt around his waist. HHH reminds Hebner of their little deal, states he’s a man of his word, then tells him his ass is fired, and punches him down. Shane assists in the beatdown with HHH finishing proceedings with a pedigree. The rest of the WWF referees rush to the ring as the McMahon-Helmsley faction celebrate their win/burials depending which way you look at it. I for one think this buried Chris Jericho and hindered his rise to the top. He deserved a run with the top title a lot sooner than his eventual win at the end of 2001.
All good this week and well worth checking out. Even though I don’t agree with how the whole Main Event panned out in the end, the match itself was actually pretty good.
Okerlund reminds us that next week we make the first stop on our annual WrestleMania road trip. Something tells me we won’t be seeing any Hulk Hogan matches. See you next week.
Comments/praise/feedback/criticism/discussion points please direct to shaunmb1@hotmail.com.
