WWE Vintage Collection Report: 2nd August 2009
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome to the first week of our SummerSlam retrospective. Today's look back features the first three SummerSlams. The 1988 show was held August 29th at Madison Square Garden, while 1989 took place August 28th at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Finally 1990 emanated from the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 27th. A large SummerSlam banner is hanging above Okerlund in the studio. Today's show is a particularly good one for fans of the Ultimate Warrior, as like Randy Savage, bad blood is no longer getting in the way of seeing some of his vintage moments inside the ring. On that note let's begin.

SummerSlam 1988
Big Boss Man w/Slick vs Koko B. Ware
Gorilla Monsoon and Superstar Billy Graham are calling this 'classic.' Boss Man, early into his WWF career is really heavy. Joined in progress. Koko rolls out from a stretch maneuver. Boss Man gives him a running spike in the ropes. Boss Man takes an atrocious dive off the top rope, sort of landing on his feet, before crotching himself on a charge attempt in the corner. Koko 'birds up' and actually rallies the crowd with punches, a missile dropkick and splash. 1-2-no Boss Man throws Koko off with ease. Superstar doubts that Koko can execute the piledriver. So do I, but the crowd believe an upset might happen. Koko leaps on top of Boss Man, who sloppily dumps him out onto the apron. Koko is brought in for the Boss Man slam. 1-2-3. Mercifully this mess is over. Winner: BIG BOSS MAN.

SummerSlam 1990
Two out of Three Falls - WWF Tag Team Titles
Demolition vs The Hart Foundation
Due to Ax being diagnosed with an erratic heartbeat, Demolition debuted Crush as their third member at a Superstars taping. This move was designed to take some of the load off Ax. Backstage before this bout, Ax tells Sean Mooney that Demolition are restricted to just two members at ringside. All three members list the possibilities, before Ax says it's too late for the Hart Foundation to catch on and they will be demolished. Smash boasts they've demolished every other tag team that has got in their path, while Crush calls the recently debuted Legion of Doom second rate imposters who need their butts kicked and teeth kicked down their throat. Cut to the Hart Foundation with Mean Gene, who says the pieces of the puzzle have finally fallen into place. Bret thinks it will be Ax and Smash. Anvil isn't paid to think, but to be tough like an Anvil. The Harts are anxious to be champions and will make flatliners out of Ax and Crush. Anvil says Demolition will be buying pacemakers by the truckload after the Hart Attack they give them. Bret finishes by quoting Phil Collins saying the Foundation are two Harts beating as one.

Vince McMahon is joined by Rowdy Roddy Piper as we pick things up in the first fall. Crush and Smash are the two Demos in the match. The Harts guessed wrong - twice! Bret escapes a Crush beating. Anvil overpowers Smash until Crush kicks him in the back of the head from the apron. Demolition work over Anvil, until he clotheslines Crush out of the corner. Bret takes on both Demos by himself as Anvil recovers on the floor. Crush is sent brawling with Anvil after taking a tumble into Smash. Bret has Smash in trouble with a side russian legsweep, backbreaker and second rope elbow. Crush rescues his partner by dropping a leg onto Bret. The Demolition Decapitation follows and Bret is pinned by Crush. 1-0 to Demolition.

We join the second fall with Bret caught in a Crush head vice. Bret recovers to clothesline Smash and make a tag, despite Demolition's best efforts. Smash survives an Anvil axehandle sledge, powerslam and battering ram. The Foundation deliver the Hart Attack, but Crush manhandles the referee to cause the DQ. We're one fall apiece.

Crush immediately clotheslines Bret out of the ring. As Anvil checks on his partner, Demolition tie up the referee, which allows Ax to run down and hide under the ring. With the Harts overpowering Smash, he goes out and pulls a switcheroo. The fresh Ax instantly gains the upper hand over Bret. The referee doesn't seem to mind so long as there are just two Demos at ringside. Bret takes his infamous front corner bump, before being twisted into a nice backbreaker by Crush. A frustrated Anvil tries to get in, but is held back by the referee. This allows Ax and Smash to double team Bret on the floor. Ax goes back under the ring, as Smash hotshots Bret across the top rope. Demolition set Bret up for another Decapitation, but Legion of Doom enter, drag Ax from under the ring and knock Crush from the top rope. Ax, Smash and the crowd are distracted with LOD, as Anvil launches into Crush with a flying tackle from the apron. Crush takes a tumble over a crouched Bret, who hooks the leg for the 1-2-3 and the Foundation's second Tag Title reign. Demolition dispute the decision but to no avail. The Harts smile with delight. Winners: THE HART FOUNDATION. This was a good match and story of the underdogs upsetting the larger odds. I loved both of these teams, but sadly this was Demolition's last hurrah as the big feud with Legion of Doom just didn't get going. Ax was released in late 1990 and Demolition were jobbed out until they disbanded in mid-1991.

SummerSlam 1988
Intercontinental Title
The Honky Tonk Man w/Colonel Jimmy Hart vs The Ultimate Warrior
No opponent was currently set for Honky after Outlaw Ron Bass 'injured' challenger Brutus Beefcake a few weeks before. In truth, behind the scenes, Warrior had maneuvered himself into the title match. In the ring, Honky grabs a mic asking for someone to wrestle, he doesn't care who. As soon as Warrior's music hits the look on Honky's face is priceless. Some punches, a slam, flying tackle, clothesline and splash is all it takes to dethrone Honky in 32 seconds. His record 15 month run (which still stands today) was over. Arguably, this was the match that skyrocketed Warrior's popularity and finally got him over with the masses. The crowd pop huge for the victory having endured months and months of Honky's cheap finishes. Winner: THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR.

Fast forward a year and Warrior is once again chasing the title, this time from new foe Ravishing Rick Rude. A series of clips bring us up to speed. Rude attacks Warrior with a steel pipe following a super posedown at the 1989 Royal Rumble. Rude then gives Warrior his first loss after Bobby Heenan trips Warrior on a suplex attempt, holding his leg down for the pinfall at WrestleMania V. A short time later on Superstars, Warrior attacks Rude as he prepares to kiss a girl from the audience. Rude exacts revenge through Andre the Giant, who chokes Warrior in the entrance way after Heenan baits him. In pre-match promos Warrior shouts incoherently at Okerlund, before promising Rude will surrender to the gods as he beats him 1-2-3. Rude tells 'little man' Okerlund that promises are made to be broken, along with arms, legs, necks and hearts. Warrior is nothing more than the ultimate liar and Rude is the ultimate Intercontinental Champion. Heenan vows to break the rules in order to keep the title. Warrior has lied to the humanoid warriors and let them down. Tomorrow, Warrior won't have to paint his face as he'll have a blue eye and a black eye courtesy of the Intercontinental Champion.

SummerSlam 1989
Intercontinental Title
Ravishing Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan vs The Ultimate Warrior
Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura are on commentary. Rude tries to duck and attack, but Warrior sends him out of the ring with a clothesline then a press slam. Ventura angrily says wrestling should take place inside the ring, before calling Warrior a lunatic and someone that goes by his own rules. Warrior smashes the IC belt across Rude's back. Ventura rightly screams DQ, but Schiavone says it was outside of the ring. Ventura summises you can shoot someone as long as it's outside the ring and Schiavone gets Ventura's point. Ventura calls Schiavone dumber than Gorilla Monsoon, before venting his frustrations on (late) referee Joey Morella (Gorilla's real life son). Warrior suplexes Rude on the floor. When Rude is tossed out once more and slammed, Ventura says Warrior doesn't know how to wrestle inside a ring. Ventura advises Rude to take the count out and keep the title. Warrior continues to own Rude with a top rope double axehandle, several whips to the corner, a suplex and inverted atomic drop. Rude kicks out of each Warrior cover to get his toughness over. Warrior mocks Rude's gyration then dumps him on his ass. The tide finally turns when Heenan distracts Warrior up top and Rude crotches him. Unfortunately for Rude fans, a commercial break skips most of Rude's offense and takes us to the closing minutes. Warrior delivers a jawbreaker to escape a sleeper. A mid-ring collision wipes out everyone including the referee. Heenan revives Rude, but Warrior no-sells his offense and retaliates with a backbodydrop, three clotheslines and powerslam. Warrior covers, but no referee. Warrior gives the referee a shake, then Rude a piledriver. Rude gets a foot on the rope. Warrior delivers a running powerslam, attempts a big splash, but Rude lifts his knees. Rude resumes control with a powerbomb, top rope dive and piledriver, as Roddy Piper (whom Rude was engaged in a war of words with) makes his way to the ring. Both exchange homoerotic slurs, with Rude gyrating and Piper lifting up his kilt. A livid Rude gets distracted and is easy pickings for a Warrior back suplex off the middle rope. It's all downhill from there for Rude as a flying tackle, press slam and running splash wins Warrior a second Intercontinental Title. Winner: THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR. I liked this match. Rude was a human bump machine for the Warrior. The crowd noise in favour of Warrior is deafening. Warrior would move onto a short feud with Andre the Giant, while Rude and Piper would also enter into a program together.

The SummerSlam throwback continues next week. I presume it will be 1991, 1992 and 1993. After a bad opener, this was a pretty good showing. It looks like they're picking different matches from all the SummerSlams already featured last year. See you next week. Shaun.

Comments/praise/feedback/criticism/discussion points please direct to shaunmb1@hotmail.com.