WWE Vintage Collection Report (10/31/10)

WWE Vintage Collection Report: October 31st 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome aboard. Carrying on with a similar theme to last week’s show, this week we take a look back at some matches and moments that helped build towards some of the past Survivor Series matches we’ll see from next week onwards. Let’s begin.

WWF Superstars: November 11th 1995
Barry Horowitz vs Rad Radford
Horowitz, a former preliminary wrestler turned superstar was part of the “Underdogs” team, while the large, toned Radford (aka the late Louie Spicolli) was doing a grunge gimmick and was part of the opposing “Body Donnas” team. Skip and Sunny of the Body Donnas are at ringside cheering on Radford, who was somewhat of a Body Donna in training. Skip has history with Horowitz after losing continuous bouts to him prompting J.R to utter the famous phrase “Horowitz wins, Horowitz wins!” Radford clotheslines, throttles and delivers a suplex. Horowitz elbows out of a chinlock. Radford hits him with a dropkick and gutwrench suplex. Horowitz escapes a second chinlock, ducks a clothesline and wins a slugfest. Horowitz rebounds out of the corner to land a kneelift, backbodydrop, high knee and legdrop. Radford tries to beg off, but to no avail. Horowitz steals Radford’s northern lights suplex finisher for a nearfall. Sunny distracts the referee allowing Skip to spray Horowitz with water from his plastic bottle. Radford rolls up a blinded Horowitz for the 1-2-3. A knackered Radford falls down in the aisle as Sunny taunts Horowitz into the camera. Winner: RAD RADFORD. The story of Louie Spicolli is a sad one. After debuting as a 17-year-old jobber in the WWF, Spicolli found fame in the early 90s alongside Eddie Guerrero, Art Barr and Konnan in Mexico’s AAA organisation as part of the Los Gringos Locos group. After an overdose led to his release from the WWF in 1996, Spicolli got himself clean and landed a job at WCW in late 1997. However, in early 1998, Spicolli fatally relapsed and choked on his own vomit. He was only 27. Regarding Horowitz, his push stalled in 1996 and he was quietly released a short time later. To my knowledge he still wrestles independently.

Survivor Series Showdown: October 29th 1990
Demolition Smash vs Texas Tornado
Smash was a part of the “Perfect Team” alongside Demolition cohorts Ax, Crush and captain Mr Perfect. Meanwhile, Tornado was the reigning Intercontinental champion and formed the “Ultimate Warriors” with Legion of Doom and Mr Hellwig himself. This is a non title match. Smash opts to wear his S & M esque mask for the duration of the match. Both jostle to the ropes, exchange shoves and trash talk. Smash prevents Tornado from applying the Von Erich claw and bails to the floor. After a brawl in the corner, Smash delivers a snapmare and beats on the chest. Smash thinks he’s tossed Tornado to the floor, but Tornado stays on the apron, and steps back in to daze Smash with a discus punch. Tornado sends Smash over the top rope and follows him out to pound and slam on the floor. Back inside, Tornado delivers a hiptoss out of the corner and an armdrag into an armbar. Smash gets sent to the corner, but Tornado misses a charge and posts his shoulder. Smash ties Tornado’s arm in the ropes and hits a backbreaker for a nearfall.

After a commercial break, Tornado catches Smash putting his head down and locks on the claw. Smash manages to momentarily drape a foot on the rope before going to the eyes to escape. Smash catches a blinded Tornado with a clothesline and starts to work him over in the corner, when Mr Perfect makes his way to the ring. Tornado fights the two-on-one odds until Ax and Crush run-in for the predictable DQ. Smash and Crush give Tornado their Decapitation finisher. Legion of Doom and Ultimate Warrior make the save for their partner. A fired up Perfect bounces out over the top rope no fewer than three times as he tries to take on all four opponents on his own. Warrior lies over the fallen Tornado to protect him from Demolition, while Perfect makes threats from the entrance aisle. Perfect would reclaim the Intercontinental Title from Tornado shortly after Survivor Series. This was a disappointing brawl with a predictable finish. Winner via DQ: TEXAS TORNADO.

Backstage during an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Mean Gene Okerlund is with newly crowned WWF Champion Bret Hart ahead of his first network TV title defence against Papa Shango. Okerlund brings fans up to speed with Bret submitting Ric Flair for the belt at a recent untelevised event in Saskatoon, before asking him for his thoughts on facing the 300lb voodoo man. A beaming Bret puts over his father for teaching him and his seven brothers in the dungeon how to wrestle, be tough, learn hold after hold and to never quit. Bret says he took that knowledge and realised a dream eight years ago when he found himself in the WWF. Before long, Bret notes he worked hard, dedicated himself and became co-holder of the Tag Team Titles. Bret says winning or losing isn’t important because you keep learning from every single match and opponent. Bret reveals it was a big dream being Intercontinental Champion and candidly admits he never thought he’d get higher than that. Now he’s the WWF Champion, it’s a dream come true and he promises Papa Shango isn’t going to take it away from him. This was such a feel good moment for Bret and his fans, and the delight is clear for all to see on his face.

Saturday Night’s Main Event: October 27th 1992
WWF Title: Bret “Hitman” Hart vs Papa Shango
This would be the final episode of SNME until it was brought back in 2006. Shango hammers away, Bret reverses an irish whip and monkey flips Shango out of the corner. Two tackles fail to budge Shango, so Bret takes him down with a cross body. Shango presses Bret off of a cover to send him out of the ring. Bret slides back in under the legs to deliver an inverted atomic drop. Bret clotheslines Shango out of the ring and lands a pescado on the floor.

Back inside, Shango reverses an irish whip for the face first Bret bump in the corner. Shango lands kicks and punches. Bret fights back, leaps into a bearhug and has to bite his way free. An angry Shango clubs and backelbows Bret down, before diving headfirst into the Hitman’s groin.

We skip ahead to see Bret elbow out of a nerve hold. Shango thwarts a sunset flip before Bret kicks away a corner charge. Bret applies a sleeper, but Shango runs him headfirst into the corner. Shango drops a couple of elbows, but misses a diving elbow from the second rope. Bret punches the gut and picks up nearfalls following a side Russian legsweep, backbodydrop and flying clothesline. Vintage Bret! Shango sends the Hitman to the corner, misses a running charge and falls to the mat. Bret locks on the Sharpshooter and Shango cries uncle. Winner: BRET “HITMAN” HART. This was probably the best Papa Shango match I’ve seen and a nice little defence to kick off Bret’s first world title reign.

After the bout, Bret’s Survivor Series opponent and newly crowned Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels interrupts Bret’s backstage interview with Okerlund. Shawn gloats he’s the man that promised he would win the Intercontinental Title and states he’s the man who will take what Bret thinks is rightfully his at Survivor Series. Bret urges Shawn to stop talking about it and do something about it. Michaels reminds the Hitman that he beat the British Bulldog, asking if he remembers him, as that’s the same guy that humiliated Bret in front of 80,000 people. Michaels states that’s nothing compared to what he’s going to do at Survivor Series. Michaels pokes his finger into Bret’s chest and the two exchange shoves as Michaels backs away while urging Bret to come on. This was a great fiery promo by a confident Michaels who was beginning to find his stride as a cocky heel.

Monday Night Raw: October 24th 1994
Intercontinental Title: Razor Ramon vs Yokozuna w/Mr Fuji & Jim Cornette
Yoko was weeks away from a casket (Re) match with the Undertaker. Yoko attacks Razor from behind before the bell. Razor fights back. Two clotheslines stagger Yoko, before a flying one takes him down. Razor knocks Yoko through the ropes. Fuji and Cornette strategise. Yoko takes his time to re-enter, kneeling down to take instructions from Fuji. Razor goes after an arm. Razor tries a cross body, Yoko catches and turns it into a slam. Yoko misses an elbow drop. Razor goes back to the arm. Yoko bounces Razor around the corners, then hits a clothesline and legdrop. A blown up Yoko drops down to one knee, before tossing Razor to the floor. Razor rolls back in to get trapped in a nerve hold.

The match stays at a snail’s pace after a break as Yoko keeps the nerve hold applied and Razor manages to stay awake and not get pinned. Yoko sends Razor to the corner and misses a butt splash. Razor nails a bulldog from the second rope. 1-2-kickout. Razor hammers away as a druid wheels a casket to ringside. Yoko gets sent to the floor, backs into the casket which has “Rest in Peace” plastered along the top and runs off frightened. The referee counts Yokozuna out as Razor looks on from the ring. This was an awful and sad match to have to sit through. Yokozuna was in no condition to be put in any long matches. Bless his soul, he was knackered and the over-reliance on restholds while he struggled to catch his breath was painfully obvious to see. Winner via Countout: RAZOR RAMON.

Fast forward one week to the October 31st 1994 edition of Raw. The Undertaker and Paul Bearer join Jerry Lawler in the ring for a “spooky” episode of the King’s Court. Taker sets off a pyro display, Lawler asks for some light and the Deadman brings the arena lights back on by simply raising his arms. Bearer asks if Lawler is comfortable now prompting the King to ask if Bearer knows the meaning of the word déjà vu (referencing the casket match earlier in the year at the Royal Rumble). Undertaker takes a step toward Lawler, whose cockiness momentarily disappears. Bearer sets his new larger urn down on Lawler’s throne, before scolding “Mr Lawler” for not doing his research. Bearer pulls out a WWF Magazine titled “Tombstoned – Undertaker’s Gravest Matches.” Bearer invites Lawler to take a look as he turns the pages until he gets to Yokozuna and the casket match at the Royal Rumble. Bearer smiles, says he knows the meaning of déjà vu and promises at the Survivor Series there won’t be ten of Yokozuna’s friends running down to save him from the casket.

Undertaker (with his hair hiding his face) states there comes a time in everyone’s life where they must be held accountable for their actions. Yokozuna’s time has come, as the most heinous crime he committed when he had ten of the top superstars come down and aid him was not only a crime against Undertaker, but a crime against all his creatures of the night. Taker adds, these same creatures would not let him rest and brought him back to do justice. The time has come for Yokozuna to pay and at Survivor Series, when the call goes out, Yokozuna will know it’s time for him to rest in peace……BONG!!!!!!

We’ll see the casket match in the coming weeks, along with plenty of other Survivor Series classics. Nothing really stands out from this week’s show apart from the Bret Hart/Papa Shango/Shawn Michaels exchanges. See you next week. Shaun.

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