WWE Vintage Collection Report: August 1st 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
Welcome aboard. Ahead of our month long SummerSlam (and WCW Beach Blast) retrospective, we spend this week looking back at the buildup to some of summer’s hottest feuds and classic confrontations from years gone by.
The show opens with footage from the WWF Title match from Royal Rumble 1994 (held January 22nd) and the apparent death of the Undertaker during a casket match against reigning champion Yokozuna. With the help of Diesel, Bam Bam Bigelow, Jeff Jarrett, Adam Bomb, The Headshrinkers, Crush, Genichiro Tenryu & The Great Kabuki, Undertaker is rolled into the casket by Yokozuna, which is then locked and wheeled away. Halfway up the ramp, green mist exudes into the air, the lights dim and BONG! Undertaker shows up on the video wall from inside the casket. After saying his spirit lives in all the souls of mankind and promising he will not rest in peace, Undertaker seemingly explodes and floats off the screen. In the darkness, a body then levitates from out of the casket and is airlifted into the rafters. In reality, the Deadman needed time off to deal with an injury, but it sparked a storyline where everyone was looking for him, even Leslie Nielsen (of Naked Gun fame) filmed some skits as he searched for the Undertaker.
Fast forward to the June 11th 1994 edition of WWF Superstars. During an appearance on Shawn Michaels’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” Ted DiBiase says everyone has claimed to have seen Undertaker, but no-one, including Paul Bearer can produce him. After reminding us that he was the one that brought the Deadman to the WWF the first time, DiBiase reveals he’s brought him back again. Cue the entrance of the Underfaker. Believing it to be the original Deadman, Vince McMahon hypes the potential power DiBiase now has, noting Undertaker has gone “from the dark side to the other side.” Despite looking similar in terms of appearance and mannerisms, DiBiase’s version of the Undertaker was slightly shorter and was played by Brian Lee (later Chainz in the DOA), who sported extra white powder on his face to conceal his look. Close-up camera shots to the face were also rare to try and keep the ruse going.
WWF Superstars: July 9th 1994
Underfaker w/Ted DiBiase vs Tatanka
Joined in progress with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler announcing. Underfaker has a long clawhold of doom applied to Tatanka’s mouth. Trips to the turnbuckle spur Tatanka into his war dance. A flying chop takes Underfaker down, but he sits up and quickly recovers to deliver the tombstone for the 1-2-3. Lawler gets in a dig at Tatanka saying “that’s it for buffalo breath,” as DiBiase persuades Underfaker to refrain from further punishment by waving money in front of him. Winner: UNDERFAKER. The real Undertaker returned at SummerSlam under the guidance of Paul Bearer and laid the Underfaker to rest.
Monday Night Raw: August 14th 1995
Shawn Michaels vs Jerry “The King” Lawler (Non Title)
Michaels, the reigning Intercontinental Champion was gearing up for a Ladder Match with Razor Ramon at SummerSlam, after original opponent Sycho Sid was bumped from the match. Announcers for this bout are Vince McMahon and Dok Hendrix. Michaels eggs on a “Burger King” chant. Lawler threatens to bring a “Whopper,” but Michaels ducks and punches him. Michaels delivers a backbodydrop, then escapes a piledriver by landing on his hands. Sycho Sid comes down to grab Michaels’s belt. Michaels gets distracted and takes an upside down flip out of the ring courtesy of a Lawler irish whip.
Lawler works over Michaels with a suplex and DDT. Sid wants Michaels finished. Lawler slams, then misses a top rope splash. Michaels nips up to deliver a flying forearm, slam and top rope elbow. Michaels tunes up the band and sends Lawler to the floor with Sweet Chin Music. Sid runs in, Michaels ducks a belt shot, but Sid lays him out with boots and a one handed chokeslam. Razor Ramon rushes down to save Michaels from a powerbomb. Hendrix curses Razor for “blowing his opportunity,” reasoning that Razor should have left Michaels to the wolves. Razor shoves Michaels away from a superkick attempt on Sid, before Lawler pulls Sid down from the Razor’s Edge. Razor steps on the Intercontinental Title at the same time Michaels goes to pick it up. Razor wins the ensuing tug of war before dropping the title on the mat right in front of Michaels. This was an entertaining segment and gave the much anticipated WrestleMania X rematch some more juice. Winner via DQ: SHAWN MICHAELS.
WCW Saturday Night: June 5th 1993
Having just returned to WCW and, needing something to do outside the ring while waiting out a WWF no-compete clause, Ric Flair started hosting a talk show segment called a Flair for the Gold. Reigning Tag Team Champions the Hollywood Blonds (Stunning Steve Austin & Flyin’ Brian Pillman) decided to make fun of this and started referring to the segment as a Flare for the old, making several appearances on the show. Here, during a segment with Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko, the voice of Austin comes over the PA system, as Flair’s music plays. After Austin provides the introductions, enter Brian Pillman to spoof Ric Flair, sporting a red robe, long grey wig, reading glasses, walking cane, and adopting an old man’s voice.
Pillman announces he’s here in nursing home paradise, live in Technicolor. After spanking a French maid and dubbing her a sex kitten, the crowd loudly chant “We want Flair.” Pillman welcomes Austin who brings Pillman to his knees with a fake-strong handshake. As Austin puts over the Blonds, he yells at Pillman to wake up from a mock sleep. Having heard enough, Flair’s fellow Horseman Arn Anderson enters just as Austin calls him a stooge and likens him to an animal with an apple stuffed in its mouth and roasting over an open flame. AA attacks Austin, throwing him into the ring. Pillman comes to his partner’s rescue, attacking AA with the cane as Schiavone screams that they’re out of time. No pun intended but this segment was pure Gold. The Hollywood Blonds did such an awesome job at garnering heat. This led nicely to Flair’s big wrestling return at Clash of the Champions XXIII (June 16th 1993), where Barry Windham screwed the Horsemen out of the Tag Titles during a two out of three falls match with the Blonds.
WCW Power Hour: June 19th 1993
Flyin’ Brian Pillman vs Arn Anderson
Announcers for this match are Gordon Solie and Larry Zbyszko. Pillman plays coward to start with, refusing to lockup and resorting to cheap shots. AA fights back, Pillman tackles, AA prevents a stomp by grabbing the foot and sending Pillman to the floor after an atomic drop. Pillman teases walking out and gets angry as he curses out the crowd.
Back inside, Pillman floats over in the corner and lands a jawbreaker. AA catches a second float over and drops Pillman throat first across the top rope, before slingshotting the same area into the bottom rope. Pillman begs off, suckering AA in close enough to go to the eyes. AA sends Pillman out onto the apron, punching him off and into the guardrail. On the floor, Pillman tosses a soda into AA’s eyes before clipping his knee.
After a commercial break, Pillman eats a boot after a high risk dive. Pillman quickly comes back with a tackle, punches to the head and a back suplex. A desperate Pillman resorts to biting in the corner. Pillman drills AA with a backelbow, then re-focuses on the leg with kicks and a spinning toehold. AA kicks free, so Pillman drives him face first to the mat, then channels Ric Flair by slapping on the Figure Four. A dodgy photographer wearing a straw hat can be seen taking pictures at ringside. AA turns Pillman over, Pillman immediately gets to the ropes. Pillman dives back into Flair’s box of tricks to poke the eyes. A third Flair spot fails as AA catches Pillman on the top rope and tosses him to the mat. AA throws Pillman into the corner a couple of times, Pillman prevents a backbodydrop, motions for a clothesline, but gets caught in the AA spinebuster. AA has the match won, but the photographer aka Steve Austin runs in to put the beatdown on AA. Austin takes a picture of AA flat on his back as Pillman holds him down. Winner via DQ: ARN ANDERSON. This was a very good match. It’s a shame that in-house politics halted the progress of the Hollywood Blonds not long after this. They were a tandem that could have made WCW a lot of money, but like all good things they created, WCW didn’t know when they were onto a good thing.
Monday Night Raw: July 22nd 2002
The Rock vs Eddie Guerrero (Non Title)
Rock had just become undisputed champion 24 hours earlier at Vengeance after he defeated Undertaker and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat Match. Eddie interrupted the Great One earlier on Raw to set this non-title match up. Announcers are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. Rock gets the better of the opening exchanges with a couple of armdrags, a clothesline and overhead throw. Eddie catches Rock with a back suplex to shift the momentum. Eddie keeps Rock at bay with stomps, a choke in the corner, backelbow and dropkick in the ropes. Rock fights out of a chinlock, but runs into a dropkick. Eddie locks on a headscissors, using the ropes for leverage. Earl Hebner forces a break when he catches Eddie red-handed.
After commercials, Rock escapes another chinlock and puts a little smack on his punches. Rock plants Eddie with a DDT for a nearfall. Rock quickly nips up from a clothesline and goes for the Rock Bottom, but Eddie counters it into a rollup for two. Eddie staggers Rock with a hurracanrana, then leaps outside hanging Rock up on the top rope. Rock avoids a frog splash, catches Eddie in a spinebuster and connects with the people’s elbow for the 1-2-3. Winner: THE ROCK. After the match, as Rock plays to the crowd, his SummerSlam opponent Brock Lesnar runs down to snatch the undisputed title from Hebner. Rock and Brock stare each other down, Lesnar throws the title onto the mat and walks off, not looking back once as Rock stares a hole through him.
Okerlund promises Rock vs Brock will feature during one of our upcoming SummerSlam/Beach Blast recap shows which begin next week. Thanks for reading. Shaun.
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