WWE Vintage Collection Report (02/01/09)

WWE Vintage Collection Report: 1st February 2009
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome aboard. This week we head into the Prime Time Wrestling archives to bring you action from 1992 and 1993. The Undertaker, Million Dollar Man, Mr Perfect and Bret Hart are all promised, so straight away you know it’s going to be a good show. Midgets Tiger Jackson and Little Louie are also scheduled. Five matches are on hand with Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan handling the commentary. We begin with……………..

The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer vs Repo Man
June 1992. The comedic Repo Man character was played by Barry Darsow, aka Demolition Smash. He played the role to perfection, with his over-the-top sneaky demeanour and mannerisms. This was basically a one-sided match. Undertaker punishes Repo with a big boot, slam and choke in the corner. Repo uses his tow rope in desperation, but that doesn’t flinch the Deadman. Repo almost jumps out of his skin, upon realising this. Repo tries a shoulder tackle but the impact floors him instead. Undertaker tosses Repo over the top rope. Repo gets sent shoulder first into the ringpost. Repo smacks Undertaker with a hubcap (again no effect) then turns his attention to Paul Bearer. Undertaker simply rolls his eyes back and smacks Repo in the face. Back inside, Undertaker uses the (not yet old school) rope spot followed by the Tombstone piledriver to put Repo away. 1-2-3. Here is Your Winner: THE UNDERTAKER. Good selling from Repo. Bearer has to stop Undertaker from attacking Repo further after the bell.

We cut to a Mean Gene narration from the WWF studios in 1992. Okerlund (wearing glasses) covers Jimmy Hart’s double-cross of the Natural Disasters. Hart went to WWF President Jack Tunney and informed him that Tag Team champions the Legion of Doom were injured, in their previous bout with the Disasters. Because of this, Hart said the Disasters consented to another team facing LOD as they only wanted them when they were 100%. Tunney agreed, Money Inc stepped in and won the belts. It all turned out to be a scam instigated by Ted DiBiase’s money, as the Disasters had been played and weren’t even in the know. As a result, the Disasters cut all ties with Hart and went after Money Inc. After seeing Money Inc give up a countout loss to the Disasters at WrestleMania VIII, and continue to dodge the challengers, we go to our next match from July 1992.

WWF Tag Team Titles
Money Inc w/Jimmy Hart vs The Natural Disasters
The Disasters refuse to let Money Inc in the ring, so the champions head to the back. Earthquake pulls DiBiase back in. The Disasters have their way attacking and squashing Money Inc in the corners. The Disasters hit a two man avalanche. Money Inc avoid a second one which almost certainly would have led to bankruptcy. Earthquake goes flying out of the ring to the floor. Money Inc double team Earthquake on the floor. JR laments the referee for not seeing this. Back inside, Earthquake gets cut off from his partner. DiBiase puts the tag rope down his trunks. Heenan says it’s to replace the strings from his tights which must have come loose. Seconds later, DiBiase uses the string to choke Earthquake. Again, JR asks where the referee is. As Earthquake’s face turns red, Heenan calls it a 700lb tomato. Money Inc pull illegal switches as they wear Earthquake down with reverse chinlocks. Heenan makes the tag sounds himself to rationalise the belief of hearing Money Inc tag. Earthquake hiptosses IRS, but is prevented from tagging out. DiBiase traps Earthquake in a front facelock. As Earthquake inches to his corner, IRS comes in to cause a distraction. Earl Hebner doesn’t see Typhoon tag and orders him out. Heenan says he didn’t hear the tag. Money Inc throw Earthquake to the corner, but Earthquake rebounds with a double clothesline. Typhoon finally gets the tag. Typhoon clotheslines both Money Inc before bashing their heads together. The Disasters work over Money Inc in the corners as Jimmy Hart gets on the apron. Earthquake hoists him up on the tope rope. This allows DiBiase to hook Typhoon. IRS grabs his briefcase, Typhoon moves and DiBiase takes the hit. Earthquake disposes of Hart, as Typhoon clotheslines IRS out of the ring. Earthquake tags, drops an elbow on DiBiase and gets the pin. New Tag Team champions. Here Are Your Winners: THE NATURAL DISASTERS. Great dialogue here from the commentators. The Disasters’ reign only lasted a few months as Money Inc regained the belts in a match that included a brawl between the Nasty Boys and Headshrinkers.

The Bushwhackers & Tiger Jackson vs The Beverly Brothers & Little Louie
March 1993. Joined in progress. I still remember watching the original broadcast of this match. Bushwhacker Luke is the victim of a Beverly Brothers front facelock choke in the ropes. Beau lands two double axehandles from the top rope, a hard Irish whip and backbreaker, while Blake hits a clothesline. Blake allows Little Louie to slap Luke from the apron. Luke manages to catch Beau with a clothesline coming off an Irish whip. Butch tags in, hitting both Beverlys with punches and clotheslines. Tiger runs in to clothesline Louie. Both Beverlys get taken out by double Bushwhacker clotheslines, as Tiger drops an elbow onto Louie. The Bushwhackers place Tiger on the top rope, with Tiger pinning Louie following a cross body. 1-2-3. Here Are Your Winners: THE BUSHWHACKERS & TIGER JACKSON. Unfortunately, most of the midget action at the start was edited out. The Beverlys didn’t look too thrilled about being in this match either. In fact they were soon gone from the WWF. The Bushwhackers lick Tiger’s bald head at the end. Funny to see Bill Alfonso in referee mode here.

Mr Perfect vs Papa Shango
Before the bout, Okerlund tried to put Papa Shango over as a Voodoo master and possible threat to Perfect. March 1993. Joined in progress, Shango works two chinlocks, one with his feet on the ropes. Perfect boots Shango to prevent a backbodydrop. Perfect hits a flying clothesline, rolling neck snap, slam and elbow. Shango hooks the tights to send Perfect’s head into the middle turnbuckle. Shango misses a dive to Perfect’s midsection. A Perfectplex ends this Perfect filler segment. Heenan is unhappy at the outcome. Here is Your Winner: MR PERFECT.

Macho Man Randy Savage & Bret “Hitman” Hart vs
Ric Flair w/Mr Perfect & Shawn Michaels w/Sensational Sherri
This is described as a Main Event for the ages, from July 1992. At this point, Savage was WWF Champion and Bret was Intercontinental Champion. Entrances have been skipped so we get the full sixteen minutes of action. Michaels armdrags Bret then gets in his face. Bret and Michaels exchange hammerlocks. Bret blindtags out as he catches Michaels in an inverted atomic drop. Savage clotheslines both heels. When the dust settles, Flair and Savage get ready to face-off. After much Whooing, strutting and trash talking, the two exchange hammerlocks, slaps to the face and shoves. As Flair stares a hole through Savage, Bret can be seen smiling at Flair from the apron. Following a Flair cheapshot, Savage finds himself trying to fight out of the heel corner. Savage avoids a Michaels charge, as the former Rocker meets the ringpost. Savage and Bret work over Michaels’ arm until Michaels backs Bret into the corner and slams him. Flair comes in to miss an elbow then chop at Bret in the corner. Bret reverses an Irish whip and backbodydrops Flair. Savage comes in with punches galore. Flair cuts off a mounted punch assault in the corner with an inverted atomic drop. Savage kicks off two figure four attempts and hiptosses Michaels. Savage punches Flair but then turns into a crescent kick from Michaels. Sweet Chin Music wasn’t born yet. Michaels catches Savage with a high knee. Flair and Sherri stand on and choke Savage behind Earl Hebner’s back. Savage receives a double backelbow, a kneedrop from Flair and a cheapshot from Perfect. Michaels chokes Savage with the tagrope. Flair and Perfect take turns distracting Bret to enable more double teaming on Savage. Savage kicks Michaels in the head to prevent a backbodydrop. Flair cuts off a tag to work over Savage. Flair tries and fails to pin Savage with his feet on the ropes. Savage reverses a Flair hiptoss into a backslide which Michaels breaks up. Savage gets Michaels in a cradle, Flair rolls Michaels on top, but Savage escapes. Michaels delivers a back suplex then applies a chinlock. Michaels uses a drop toehold to stop Savage from escaping. Flair catches Savage in a sleeper, so Savage runs Flair face first into the corner. Flair takes a flop then heads to the top rope. Savage catches him, throws him to the mat, and makes the hot tag. Bret whips Flair and catches him with a backbodydrop. Bret sends Michaels onto the top rope then Flair upside down in the opposite corner. Bret kicks Michaels who ends up straddling the top rope. Bret suplexes Flair back in from the apron, then gives him a backbreaker. Michaels breaks up a cover. As Bret punches Flair over the top rope, Savage gets Michaels in a rollup which gets a nearfall. This is despite the fact that Savage and Michaels aren’t the two legal men in. Michaels calls for Sherri’s interference. Sherri gets on the apron, but Savage sends Michaels crashing into her. As Sherri hits the floor, Savage rolls Michaels up again. This time it’s enough for the 1-2-3. Bret and Savage embrace to end a cracking matchup.
Here Are Your Winners: BRET “HITMAN” HART & MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE.

Okerlund closes the show by noting the history these four men shared including the fact that Michaels was the person who retired Ric Flair.

Pretty good show this week, with some good moments and nostalgia being played. A clean sweep for the babyfaces. Nice to see the Repo Man. The Main Event provided the best action, with Undertaker, and Ted DiBiase also putting in good showings. I had the pleasure of meeting Ted DiBiase yesterday at WrestleSlam 2. That’s another story, so check out the report in the Results-House Shows section. See you next week. Shaun.

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