WWE Vintage Collection Report: February 27th 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
This week we go “as old school as it gets,” back to March 14th 1982 for a selection of matches between future Hall of Famers from the Mecca of Sports Entertainment – Madison Square Garden. Vince McMahon is the sole commentator for the show.
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs “Special Delivery” (SD) Jones
SD was like the Koko B. Ware of the 80’s, where he was well liked, but lost most of his matches. Jones tackles Valentine down until he gets kneed to the floor. The Hammer brings Jones’s arm down across the top rope and works it over in-between suplexing Jones back into the ring. The crowd rally behind Jones as he fights back, only to pull back favouring his arm. Valentine drops Jones across the top rope. Jones gets his strut on as he hammers away. Valentine reverses off the ropes, falls a wobbling Jones with a clothesline, then drops an elbow for the 1-2-3. Weak finish. Winner: GREG “THE HAMMER” VALENTINE.
Intercontinental Title: Pedro Morales vs “Golden Boy” Adrian Adonis
Puerto Rican, Morales was the first Triple Crown winner, while a slim Adonis was new to the territory. Portraying a mean biker gimmick and decked out in a black leather cap, jacket, biker gloves, and a mop of brown hair, Adonis was far from his effeminate “Adorable,” persona he’d later get saddled with. After bouncing around the ring like a ping pong ball for Morales (including an upside down flip in the corner) Adonis spends a good couple of minutes putting the boots to Morales both in/outside the ring. Vince hilariously refers to an Adonis inverted atomic drop as a “reverse piledriver.” Adonis uses Morales’s own Boston Crab against him, but Morales flips Adonis over for a nearfall. Morales was tapping, but back in the day, you had to verbally say “I Quit,” for the bell to ring. Morales wins a slugfest to send Adonis over the top rope. Morales posts the challenger’s head twice on the floor. After launching Adonis back in from the apron, Morales misses a corner charge. Adonis delivers a bridging german suplex. However, Morales rolls a shoulder up just before the three count, Adonis doesn’t, so Morales gets the win. Morales wins a post match battle of the belt shots to send Adonis packing. Winner: PEDRO MORALES.
The Fabulous Moolah & Wendi Richter vs Velvet McIntyre & Princess Victoria
No-one can argue that Moolah and Richter were pioneers for Women’s wrestling, but no-one here could fathom how heated their future rivalry would become. Victoria has her way with Richter until Moolah interferes. Richter hangs Victoria in a tree of woe, Moolah holds her by the feet while Richter stomps away. Moolah and Richter both get trapped in bodyscissor lifts, with the referee getting sandwiched in-between all four in a comedic pile-up. With no authority or credibility left, the referee lets the match break down to a brawl. Moolah and Richter clear the ring. McIntyre and Victoria surprise both with weak dropkicks from behind. Victoria forearms Moolah out of the ring, then brings her back in over the top rope by the hair. Victoria scores with a monkey flip, but Moolah counters a Frankensteiner into a powerbomb for the 1-2-3. Moolah kisses the referee on the cheek after the bell. Winners: THE FABULOUS MOOLAH & WENDI RICHTER.
Mr Fuji & Mr Saito vs Andre The Giant & “Quick Draw” Rick McGraw
Fuji and Saito spend all match isolating McGraw and angering Andre with their taunts. Each time Andre tries to come in, the referee gets in his path, allowing the Japanese to pull a switcheroo and double team McGraw. When Andre finally gets past the official to give Fuji and Saito a pasting, they are the ones that get DQed. The referee tries to raise Andre’s arm and inform him he’s won, but comically, Andre ignores him and continues to bang Fuji and Saito’s heads together. This was the only entertainment in an otherwise boring couple of minutes. This match was contested as a 2/3 Falls bout, but thankfully we’re only subjected to the final fall. For those that are curious, Andre’s team win it 2-1. Winners via DQ: ANDRE THE GIANT & “QUICK DRAW” RICK McGRAW.
WWF Title – Referee Ivan Putski
Bob Backlund vs Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Fellow babyface Putski does a thorough check on Ventura, but finds no foreign objects. Ventura and Backlund have a brief back-and-forth exchange in-between all the “Body’s” flexing and posing. Putski warns Ventura about using closed fists, which leads to Ventura hilariously delivering an open hand shot to Backlund which has no effect. Backlund works over an arm, Ventura gets to the ropes, snapping Backlund’s head across the top rope to shift the momentum. Ventura refuses to stop using the ropes to cheat and choke Backlund, so Putski manhandles Ventura, throwing him to the mat.
Putski continues to stick it to Ventura as, on three different attempts, with the match seemingly won, Putski delivers slow counts. Ventura hoists Backlund onto his shoulder for the Bodybreaker submission, but Backlund uses the ropes to counter into a jackknife pin for two. Ventura tries again, only for Backlund to hook a rollup with a bridge which Putski fast counts. An angry Ventura goes for Putski after the bell, but Backlund cuts him off, sending him into a Putski chest chop, which is enough to make the Body bail. This was a fun little angle and spiced up what would have been a normal run-of-the-mill Backlund match. Winner: BOB BACKLUND.
Quite the Vintage show this week. Both title matches were quite decent, and the Women’s tag bout was unique. Apologies for the no-show last weekend, was in hospital. The broken arm is now on the mend though.
See you next week!
Any comments or discussion points drop me a line at shaunmb1@hotmail.com.
