WWE Vintage Collection Report: January 2nd 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
Happy New Year everyone! We kick off 2011 with the first of several weeks worth of shows looking back at “new beginnings of unforgettable superstars.” Let’s begin.
We start with Brutus Beefcake and his transformation from Tag Team wrestler to Barber. After Beefcake aided Roddy Piper in a Hair vs Hair match against Adrian Adonis at WrestleMania III, he went to learn how to cut hair.
It's August 31st 1987 and we join Beefcake in a salon, as he's receiving tips from world renowned Manhattan stylist Salvatore Fodera. Three brief vignettes air. #1 Planning. Sal draws a head shape, placing the hair at 90 degree angles. Beefcake looks confused, says he doesn’t want to draw, but wants to cut some real hair. #2 Styling. Sal offers some styling tips on a mannequin. An overly excited Beefcake immediately gets it wrong, slicing a huge tuft of hair with his shears. Sal scolds Beefcake and shows him again. Finally #3 Coloring and Beefcake seems to have perfected a Red Rooster type spray job on the mannequin. Sal deems Beefcake ready, presenting him with a diploma and instructional video as he’s graduated from the “world renowned Fodera hairstyling school.” Fodera states that the diploma allows Beefcake to cut hair anywhere in the world, but only in the wrestling ring.
Prime Time Wrestling: June 1st 1988
WWF Tag Team Titles: Demolition w/Mr Fuji vs Strike Force
This is a rematch from WrestleMania IV, where Strike Force dropped the straps to Demolition. Strike Force work over the arms of Demolition for the opening minutes. Ax backs Santana into the ropes so Fuji can smash him in the back with his cane. Santana withstands double axehandles and a bearhug, before hitting Ax with the flying Jalapeno. Martel comes in with dropkicks and a backbodydrop to Ax. Smash breaks up a Boston crab with a clothesline to the back of Martel’s head, followed by a chair shot, as Fuji keeps Santana and the referee preoccupied. Demolition give Martel their Decapitation finisher on the floor. Martel lies motionless for several minutes as the referee counts him out. Demolition leave, while Santana calls for a doctor and keeps a vigil by his partner’s side as he is stretchered to the back. Martel sold this attack great, not flinching once. This was done to write Martel off TV while he took a leave of absence. He returned in early 1989, re-formed Strike Force, then walked out on Santana at WrestleMania V after Santana accidentally hit him with a flying Jalapeno that was intended for opponents the Brainbusters.
The newly christened Model Rick Martel cuts a promo in the lockerroom with his entrance music piped in. Holding his customary Arrogance canister, dubbed the secret of his success, Martel adds: “It’s today’s man in a classic can. The fragrance that overpowers, overwhelms and pins down the competition. Arrogance for men.” Two women rise up and leave arm-in-arm with Martel. This was definitely a step in the right direction for Martel’s career. He was so much better as a bad guy.
Wrestling Challenge: February 18th 1990
The Model Rick Martel vs Dusty Rhodes w/Sapphire
Surely one of the 1,004 matches against Santana would be a more logical choice to show. This is random to say the least. Dusty wiggles his flab. A bemused Martel goes after Sapphire, Dusty cuts him off, but gets attacked from behind as he turns his back. Martel busts out a cartwheel only to turn around and get hammered into retreat. An inset promo from Martel airs, as he boasts of being a “masterpiece in motion,” and “walking work of art.” Back to the action, or lack of. Martel rakes the eyes and goes after the gut. Dusty lands a gut shot of his own after Martel leaps from the second rope. Dusty pounds on Martel in the corner then shoves referee Earl Hebner out of the way. Martel grabs his Arrogance and sprays Dusty in the eyes for the DQ. I guess it’s okay to shove referees then. Dusty amazingly regains his sight to save Sapphire from a post match spraying to clear the ring. This was crap and a really bad way to showcase the Model.
Monday Night Raw: October 23rd 1995
WWF Women’s Title: Alundra Blayze vs Bertha Faye w/Harvey Wippleman
Valiant champion Alundra Blayze was defending the title against all comers. Here she faced a larger foe in Bertha Faye, who was dating her manager Harvey Wippleman to boot. We join the match as Faye escapes a Boston crab and avalanche splashes Blayze in the corner. Blayze flips out of the ring, jumping from the top rope to hook hands with Faye and provide the leverage to throw the challenger down. Blayze follows up with a hiptoss, missile dropkick, spin kick and a couple of hair takedowns, but still can’t put Faye away. Faye reverses a piledriver attempt into a backbodydrop, then spends too long on the second rope, allowing Blayze to nail a handstand takedown. Wippleman hooks Blayze, but the champion moves and Faye knocks poor Harvey off the apron. Blayze executes a bridging german suplex to pick up the win in one of her final WWF appearances. Winner: ALUNDRA BLAYZE.
WCW Nitro: December 18th 1995
The artist formerly known as Alundra Blayze interrupts a shocked commentary team of Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan and Steve McMichael to inform everyone she is, was and always will be Madusa. She then makes her feelings clear as she drops the WWF Women’s title into the trash and says this is where the big boys and girls play.
WCW Hog Wild: August 10th 1996
Madusa vs Bull Nakano w/Sonny Onoo
Held in the middle of a motorcycle rally, the winner of this match gets to beat the loser’s motorcycle with a sledgehammer. We join the match in progress. Nakano controls with a surfboard and DDT off the ropes. Madusa escapes a chinlock to land a hurracanrana and spin kick. Nakano ducks a second kick to level Madusa with a clothesline. Both exchange bridging german suplexes for nearfalls. Nakano goes for another, but Madusa rolls a shoulder at two and picks up the win. WINNER: MADUSA. Nakano and Onoo think they have won, but are informed otherwise. Thankfully the motorcycle bashing is edited out and we can move swiftly on. By the way this match wasn’t half as good as some of their 1994/95 WWF scraps.
WCW Fall Brawl: September 18th 1994
Stunning Steve Austin had just lost the U.S Title to Ricky Steamboat at the previous month’s Clash of the Champions XXVIII. Here, Steamboat comes out in street clothes and forfeits the title to WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel. Steamboat was feeling the effects of a real life back injury, which would sadly end his in-ring career. Steamboat doesn’t let on here and insists he’ll rehab the injury. As Austin is declared champion, Steamboat states he beat Austin, but Austin never beat him. Austin (who has Dragon Slayer) on the back of his trunks says Steamboat saved himself one hell of an ass kicking. Bockwinkel tells Austin he’s defending the title tonight. Austin says it’s time he set some rules and says he’s not wrestling anybody, as he signed to face Steamboat. Hacksaw Jim Duggan comes out to a big crowd pop. Austin goes nuts. Bockwinkel stops him from leaving, pulling him back into the ring. Austin walks into a backbodydrop, Hacksaw falls on top and just like that Austin is an ex-champion. No wonder Austin got so pissed off with WCW after being shafted like this. While Steamboat’s career legitimately ended, this was the beginning of the end of Austin’s promising WCW tenure, as he was pushed aside to make way for Hulk Hogan’s friends at the top of the card.
Monday Night Raw: January 8th 1996
Ted DiBiase reveals the Ringmaster (Steve Austin with a buzzcut and emerald green trunks) as his Million Dollar champion (after a near year long search) during an episode of the Brother Love show. Thankfully this gimmick was shelved pretty quickly allowing Austin to mould his character into the Stone Cold that we all know and love.
Monday Night Raw: June 17th 1996
King of the Ring Quarter Finals: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Savio Vega
Austin had just ditched DiBiase as his manager after losing a Caribbean strap match to Savio at the previous month’s In Your House: Beware of Dog PPV. Austin’s knee buckles early in the match. Savio grabs both of Austin’s legs as he launches him high out of the corner and onto the back of his head. Austin pulls Savio into the corner to escape a toehold. Austin’s leg fails on a slam and Savio falls on top. Savio drops Austin on his bad wheel. Austin gets his knees up to thwart a splash. Austin tries some kicks, but winces in pain after each one. Savio gets sent face first to the corner. Savio throws his arms up to unknowingly wipe out Austin. Austin misses a running spike in the ropes. Savio wins a slugfest, kicks Austin’s leg from under him and lands his patented spin kick. 1-2-Austin gets his foot on the bottom rope. Savio hammers Austin in the ropes. Austin staggers back, grabs Savio’s head and debuts the (yet to be named) Stone Cold Stunner (which was minus the kick to the gut). Austin advances and as we all know was victorious and 3:16 was born. Winner: STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. This was a good, competitive match. Austin’s selling was so good, it was hard to determine whether his leg was legitimately messed up or not. Either way it put over Austin’s toughness.
There’ll be more new beginnings next week. Hopefully, there’s an improvement on match quality and characters as, aside from Austin and snippets of Martel’s promos the characters were otherwise bland and nothing really stood out. The Madusa angle was historic, but has been replayed countless times already. The Rock seems like a lock to be featured next week, but that’s just me guessing. Some ECW footage would also be nice. WWE owns the tape library, so they should put it to good use and showcase some ECW alumni. It’s criminal that ECW footage has been missing from this show thus far. See you next week. Shaun.
Comments/praise/feedback/criticism/discussion points please direct to shaunmb1@hotmail.com.
