WWE Vintage Collection Report: 17th August 2008
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
Welcome aboard. With SummerSlam happening tonight, the Vintage Collection finishes its SummerSlam retrospect with the 1992 spectacle, held at the old Wembley Stadium in London, England. Over 80,000 fans packed the rafters and were loud and raucous throughout the show, which made it extra hot. Hopefully, WWE returns to this side of the pond with a PPV soon. The UK is very much deserving and long overdue in my view. We have five matches in highlight form to get to, so let's get things started. The commentators are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan.
Money Inc w/Jimmy Hart vs Legion Of Doom w/Paul Ellering & Rocco
I'm sure this match has been highlighted before in a Heat Special Edition. Nonetheless, we pick this up with Hawk being worked over and kept isolated from Animal. Hawk spends most of the match staggering around the ring. Looks like he's on something. Hawk made no secret of the fact that he hated being saddled with a stupid ventriloquists dummy as a gimmick. More on that at the end of the match. Hawk hits a messy clothesline on IRS but falls in a heap. IRS holds Hawk's leg to allow DiBiase to come in and work him over. DiBiase laughs and taunts Animal in. Hawk staggers right past his partner who is promptly ushered out by the referee. IRS chokes Hawk with the tag rope. Hawk manages a suplex counter. IRS comes in and stops Hawk with a low punch. DiBiase applies a front facelock. Hawk inches into a tag, but IRS intercepts it by distracting the referee. Money Inc throw Hawk into the corner. Hawk and IRS cancel each other out with clotheslines, before both manage to tag out. Animal runs wild nailing DiBiase off the ropes with a flying shoulder tackle. IRS gets a dropkick. Animal pounds on DiBiase until IRS knees him from behind. Animal ducks a double clothesline then hits one of his own. All four men come in. Animal sends IRS out of the ring with an atomic drop. Hawk Irish whips DiBiase then whips Animal, who hits DiBiase with a clothesline. LOD set DiBiase up for the Doomsday Device as Jimmy Hart gets on the apron to distract the referee. This allows IRS to dropkick Animal, who falls back with DiBiase on his shoulders. Hawk jumps down from the top rope to punch IRS out of contention. Animal whips DiBiase into IRS who gets knocked off the apron. DiBiase staggers into an Animal powerslam and that's enough for the 1-2-3. Here Are Your Winners: LEGION OF DOOM. A disillusioned Hawk quit the WWF the following day, due to his unhappiness of the Rocco gimmick. Apparently Rocco was meant to have a power that would inspire LOD to victory during their matches. Wrestlecrap at its finest. This match was okay but nothing special.
Shawn Michaels w/Sensational Sherri vs The Model Rick Martel
This was a heel vs heel match with a twist. Both men were vying for the attention of Sensational Sherri, who in turn had imposed a rule of no punching in the face. Both men cancel each other out early on with side headlocks and leapfrogs. Martel cartwheels over Michaels to rile him up. Following a duck underneath, Michaels delivers a dropkick and strut. As Michaels seeks Sherri's approval, Martel attacks him from behind. Michaels reverses an Irish whip then dodges a cross body from the second rope. Both men work the arm and use hairpulls to throw the other to the mat. Both tease punching each other but manage to resist. Martel tosses Michaels over the top rope then goes outside to hug Sherri, who seems to enjoy it. As a nine-year-old boy at this point in time, I had a massive crush on Sherri, who was looking, well, Sensational in a revealing white outfit, with holes in all the right places. It's a shame Sherri is no longer with us. RIP Sensational one. Back to the match, and after commercials, Michaels receives a backbodydrop. Both men pull the others' tights to gain a series of nearfalls. Michaels hits a crescent kick to Martel's gut for a nearfall. Martel reverses an Irish whip, before charging into a knee to the face. The referee sees Michaels cover and hook his feet on the ropes so he refuses to count. Michaels argues, allowing Martel to schoolboy him for a nearfall of his own. Both men shove and slap each other as Sherri collapses on the apron. The match goes out the window at this point, as both try and fail to resuscitate Sherri. Both men finally punch each other on the outside as tensions boil over. Both men get counted out as a result. Sherri wakes up, sees the two punching, then faints all over again. Referees and officials break the two up. Michaels comes back, scoops Sherri up and starts to walk back down the long entrance way. Martel runs back to punch Michaels, who drops Sherri. Michaels then does the same to Martel, as he tries to carry Sherri. Michaels carries Sherri to the back and we cut away just as Martel splashes Sherri awake with a bucket of cold water. Here is Your Winner: DOUBLE COUNTOUT. Both combatants did as well as they could, given the limitations they faced, and also with neither wanting to get cheered by the crowd.
WWF Tag Team Titles
The Natural Disasters vs The Beverly Brothers w/The Genius
We join this match to see the Beverlys whip Typhoon into the corner twice. Typhoon rebounds with a double clothesline to flatten both Beverlys. Blake cuts off a tag before Typhoon catches his cross body attempt. Beau hits a top rope dropkick, Blake falls on top of Typhoon and gets a nearfall. Typhoon absorbs Blake's shots and throws him to the mat. As Typhoon closes in for a tag, Beau runs around to distract Earthquake from the outside. The referee steps in to separate the two, allowing Blake to hit Typhoon in the back with the Genius' scroll. Earthquake runs in and drops an elbow onto Blake to break up a cover. Both men manage to tag out. Earthquake punches Beau into the corner then gives him a hiptoss, belly-to-belly suplex, two shoulder thrusts in the corner and big boot. Blake interferes to help his partner, but Earthquake flattens both Beverlys off the ropes with a double shoulder tackle. Typhoon tosses Blake over the top rope. Earthquake shoves Beau into the corner then squashes him with a running splash. Earthquake slams Beau then knocks Blake off the apron, en-route to sitting on Beau with a vertical splash. 1-2-3. Here Are Your Winners: THE NATURAL DISASTERS. This was at the height of the Disasters' popularity as they would never reach these heights again and would actually split in early 1993. Back in the day, I thought no-one was going to beat the Disasters as they looked unbeatable. Aahhh the wonders of kayfabe to an innocent young boy. A few months after this, following help from the Headshrinkers and some briefcase shenanigans, Money Inc regained the Tag Titles on an episode of Superstars to prove my theory wrong. The Beverlys would also split and disappear in 1993. They were given a thumbs down for a push pretty much as soon as they debuted in late 1991 and spent most of their WWF tenure putting other teams over. The only team I saw them beat was the Bushwhackers, but then everyone beat them.
The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer vs Kamala w/Dr Harvey Wippleman & Kim Chee
Undertaker made his way out to this match in a giant hearse. Again, speaking as a nine-year-old boy, both of these men terrified me. Once again, the wonders of kayfabe. Joined in progress, Kamala clotheslines Undertaker over the top rope. Undertaker immediately seizes both Wippleman and Kim Chee by the throat. Kamala attacks Undertaker from behind and rams his head into the steel steps. Back inside, Kamala stays on the offensive, but he can't knock the staggering Undertaker down. Off the ropes, Undertaker ducks a clothesline attempt and comes back with a chokeslam and flying clothesline off the ropes. Undertaker scoops up Kamala for the tombstone piledriver, but Kim Chee hits Undertaker with his hat for the blatant DQ. Undertaker grabs Kim Chee by the throat and clubs him through the ropes. Kamala kicks Undertaker in the back, hits two splashes in the corner, then a slam. Kamala hits three (weak) splashes (one from the ground, second rope and top rope) as Undertaker lies motionless. As Kamala goes to leave, Undertaker sits up and stalks the scared Kamala all the way to the back. Here is Your Winner via DQ: THE UNDERTAKER. Bad match. After watching this again now, Kamala's offense looked soft and too unconvincing. These two had a coffin match at the 1992 Survivor Series which Undertaker won to blow off this feud. After this, Kamala turned face and had a brief tenure with the Reverend Slick as his manager. This didn't last and Kamala was gone from the WWF by mid-1993.
WWF Intercontinental Title
Bret "Hitman" Hart vs The British Bulldog
And here it is, the Main Event of the program. One of the greatest matches I've ever seen too. Bret's sister and Davey's wife, Diana was in the crowd observing. This is the masterpiece that Bret concocted in his head, and walked Bulldog through, after he forgot his spots and became blwon up early on. The match went around half an hour, with thirteen minutes being shown here. Bret uses side headlocks, a rollup and small package early on to get the advantage. Bulldog comes back with a hammerlock which Bret elbows out of. Bret applies a wristlock, Bulldog counters with an armbar. Bulldog catches Bret's leapfrog attempt coming off the ropes and slingshots him into the corner. Bulldog goes back to working over Bret's arm. Bulldog catches Bret in a crucifix pin for a nearfall. Bulldog slows Bret down, by once again going after the arm. Bret tries a slam, but Bulldog rolls through and keeps an armbar applied. Bret catches Bulldog with a knee to the gut to turn the tide. Bulldog elbows out of a chinlock, but runs into a backelbow. Bret gives Bulldog an inverted atomic drop. Bulldog goes for another crucifix pin, but Bret counters it into a samoan drop for a nearfall. Back from commercials, Bulldog now has control, as he hits Bret with his patented running powerslam. Bret kicks out at two, much to Bulldog's disbelief. Bret uses the ropes to prop himself up. Bulldog pushes Bret to the outside. Bulldog goes to suplex Bret back in, but Bret counters with a german suplex for a nearfall. Bulldog counters a suplex and crotches Bret on the top rope. Bulldog hits a superplex but once again, it isn't enough to beat Bret. Both men cancel each other out with clotheslines. Bret maneuvers his legs into Bulldogs and applies the Sharpshooter. Bulldog makes it to the ropes. The finish comes when Bulldog sits on top of Bret's sunset flip attempt and hooks the legs for the 1-2-3. The crowd erupt as we crown a new Intercontinental Champion, after a terrific match. Here is Your Winner: THE BRITISH BULLDOG. Post match sees Bret initially decline Bulldog's hand of friendship, before having a change of heart. Both men embrace as the tears are shed and another massive ovation is heard amidst 'Rule Britannia.' Great, great memories on show, of a well-worked back and forth matchup.
Okerlund wraps things up to end the show.
Best match: Bret Hart vs British Bulldog by a country mile.
Worst match: The Undertaker vs Kamala.
Show verdict: Thumbs up. It was fun seeing the Natural Disasters and Shawn Michaels' matches again and I'll never get tired of seeing Bret and the Bulldog's classic tussle. A match for the ages. Other matches on the card, not shown, saw Nailz beat Virgil: Crush beat Repo Man: Papa Shango beat El Matador: Tatanka beat Berzerker: Bushwhackers and Hacksaw Jim Duggan beat The Mountie and The Nasty Boys and finally Ultimate Warrior beat The Macho Man by countout.
Quick SummerSlam picks: THE UNDERTAKER: TRIPLE H: CM PUNK: BATISTA: MARK HENRY: MVP: SANTINO MARELLA & BETH PHOENIX:
Enjoy SummerSlam and I'll see you back here next weekend, for another hour of action from the Vintage Collection. Shaun.
If anyone wants to sound off, chew the fat or talk wrestling get in touch. Comments/praise/feedback/criticism/discussion points please direct to shaunmb1@hotmail.com.