WWE Vintage Collection Report: May 1st 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
Greetings! We conclude our month of “WrestleMania revenge” with several matches from "In Your House" and a tag team bout from Raw. Let’s begin!
In Your House #17 - Ground Zero: September 7th 1997
Faarooq vs Crush vs Savio Vega
All three were originals in the Nation of Domination until Faarooq kicked Crush and Savio out not long after WrestleMania XIII. Crush formed biker group Disciples of Apocalypse, while Savio joined up with Los Boricuas and the three factions feuded “Gang Warfare” style. This match between the three leaders is joined in progress. After a few sequences of the third man breaking up pinfall attempts, Crush and Faarooq form an alliance. The referee won’t allow them to both pin Savio. In a reoccurring pattern, Crush tosses Savio out of the ring to attack his former boss. Savio eventually calls a truce with Crush and the two give Faarooq a spike piledriver. Savio looks for a high five, but gets a clothesline to the floor instead. Crush gives Faarooq a heart punch only for Savio to exact revenge and blindside Crush with a spin kick to the head. Uno, Dos, Tres. Winner: SAVIO VEGA.
Monday Night Raw: April 7th 2003
Chris Jericho & Triple H w/Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels & Booker T
Just eight days prior at WrestleMania XIX, Michaels beat Jericho on his return to the grandest stage, while reigning World Champion Triple H bested Booker. Flair fires up his two allies backstage before the bout. We join the match as Michaels slingshots Jericho out of the ring and hits both opponents with a pescado. Booker mounts HHH in the corner and attacks the arm. Michaels fights his way out of the wrong corner to deck HHH with a flying forearm. Sweet Chin Music and Pedigree attempts are blocked. Flair pulls down the top rope on Michaels to send the Showstopper to the floor.
HHH gives Michaels a high knee. Jericho chokes Michaels with some wrist tape, drops a series of elbows and works over his nemesis in the corner. Michaels hits a desperation cross body, but Jericho comes back with a clothesline. Michaels reverses a HHH sleeper, which the Game escapes via a back suplex. Jericho socks Michaels with a spinning heel kick and running bulldog. Michaels gets his knees up to block a lionsault. Booker chops away on HHH, before hitting a backbodydrop, spin kick and DDT. Jericho misses his cue to break up a pin, forcing Earl Hebner to just stop counting at two and call a nearfall. When Jericho does run in, he eats a flapjack from Booker. HHH takes a spinebuster, before Booker clears the ring and treats us all to a Spinaroonie! Booker catches Jericho in mid-flight with a gut punch. Jericho comes back looking to apply the Walls of Jericho, but suffers Sweet Chin Music. HHH clotheslines Michaels to the floor, dodges an axe kick, only for Booker to reverse a Pedigree attempt into a jackknife pin. 1-2-3. Winners: SHAWN MICHAELS & BOOKER T. After the bell, Flair chopblocks Booker’s leg and HHH works it over in the ropes. Michaels makes the save, until Jericho lays him out with a chair shot. Jericho handcuffing Michaels to the ropes, a beatdown to the Hurricane and the return of Kevin Nash to set up a six man tag match at the forthcoming Backlash PPV isn’t shown here for some reason. Either way, despite the loss, the heels immediately got their heat back and at Backlash would emerge victorious.
In Your House #7 – Good Friends, Better Enemies: April 28th 1996
WWF Tag Team Titles: The Body Donnas w/Sunny vs The Godwinns w/Hilbilly Jim
The Body Donnas upset the Godwinns for the vacant gold at WrestleMania XII after Sunny flashed a besotted Phineas, who was rolled up for the winning pin. Phineas is still smitten with the smoking hot vixen coming into this rematch. Both Skip and Zip sport matching blonde buzzcuts, making it hard to tell them apart. In a Redneck ritual, Henry catches some spit in his hand and shakes hands with Phineas. Disgusting! Henry withstands an early double team and clotheslines Zip and Skip. Zip avoids a slopping from the Godwinns bucket and Phineas takes a chunk out of his arm. Must be lunchtime for the Rednecks! Henry uses his size and power to throw Skip around like a rag doll. Referee Mike Chioda catches the Body Donnas trying an illegal switch and enforces the tag. Just like our previous match, Skip pulls down the top rope on Phineas to turn the tide.
Phineas fights out of a chinlock, only to get caught with an impressive Frankensteiner by Skip. Phineas fights off both Body Donnas and tags out. Sunny hands Phineas a framed picture of herself she’s brought out, which is signed as saying “To Pig, with all my love, Sunny.” Sunny runs from Hilbilly, who places the picture in the slop bucket. Inside the ring, Henry gives Skip the slop drop, but everyone is distracted. The Body Donnas make the switch and Zip catches Henry unawares with a small package to steal the win. An angry Henry consoles his partner who feels bad for letting his team down. Before leaving, Phineas picks up Sunny’s picture from the slop bucket and hides it down his overalls. Winners: THE BODY DONNAS.
In Your House #28 - Backlash: April 25th 1999
No Holds Barred – WWF Title: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock
Special Referee: Shane McMahon
Austin beat Rock at WrestleMania XV to win his third WWF title. Rock, still a member of the Corporation took possession of Austin’s smoking skull replica title, via Shane McMahon, who kicked his father out of the Corporation, appointed himself referee for this match and threw out the rulebook. We join this scrap with Austin in control on the outside. Austin stomps a mudhole in the corner until Shane starts shoving him. A distracted Austin still sees Rock coming though and tosses him over the top rope. Austin flies off the apron with a clothesline. Austin sets Rock up on the Spanish announce table. Rock delivers a low blow and Rock Bottom through the table. Rock puts on the headset to talk trash. Austin grabs a chair which Shane tosses to the Rock, but Austin kicks it away. Rock sends Austin over the guardrail and follows him over to deliver a clothesline. Rock uses the American announce table as a weapon then commandeers a camera. Rock talks trash, flipping Austin the bird as he holds the camera. When the Rock cam switches to a crowd shot, Austin re-appears right in front of the camera, flips a couple of birds and gives a surprised Rock a Stone Cold Stunner through the table.
We skip ahead to the closing stages. Rock counters a stunner to send Austin into Shane. Austin staggers into a Rock Bottom. Shane places Rock’s arm over Austin, but the Rattlesnake kicks out. Shane grabs the title, but inadvertently hits Rock. Shane refuses to count three, flipping Austin off as he leaves. Vince McMahon makes his way out with Earl Hebner and the smoking skull belt. After a tug of war with Shane, Vince lays him out. Rock uses the WWF title on Austin, who kicks out once more. Austin prevents another shot, stuns Rock, floors him with the WWF title and picks up the 1-2-3 to retain. Winner: STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. After the match, Vince tosses the smoking skull belt into the ring and leaves. Moments after this, the Undertaker would kidnap Stephanie McMahon in the parking lot, but that’s edited off here. Rock’s WrestleMania revenge would have to wait four years until WrestleMania XIX in Austin’s final match. Rock turned on the Corporation after this and reverted back to being the People’s Champion.
That wraps up the WrestleMania revenge series. A bit hit and miss at times, but a strong ending to the theme this week.
Booker/Michaels vs HHH/Jericho was a pretty good match and Austin vs Rock was a really entertaining brawl, which makes me kind of miss the Attitude Era at times. Finally, seeing Sunny is enough to brighten up anyone’s day. See you next week for another mixed bag format. Shaun.
Any comments or discussion points drop me a line at shaunmb1@hotmail.com.
