WWE Vintage Collection Report (07/31/11)

WWE Vintage Collection Report: July 31st 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome aboard and welcome back Mean Gene! After a short disagreement with a production hand over his whereabouts for the last fortnight (vacation/on assignment) we pick up where we left off last week. Vintage Tag Teams! Let’s begin.

WCW Saturday Night: October 28th 1995
WCW Tag Team Titles: American Males vs Harlem Heat w/Sister Sherri
The Males (Scotty Riggs & Marcus Bagwell) had upset Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) for the titles just one month prior. We join the match with Riggs getting worked over. Booker hits an axe kick and sidewalk slam, but misses a kneedrop from the second rope. Ray cuts off a tag, so Riggs crawls underneath to escape. Bagwell uses fists, a clothesline and dropkick to take the fight to the Heat. Booker breaks up a bridging suplex on Ray. Riggs sends Booker over the top rope. Bagwell goes to roll Ray up, but Ray ducks his head outside, allowing Sherri to rake Bagwell’s face. Booker connects with a Harlem sidekick and Ray covers for the 1-2-3. Sherri’s scratching looked unconvincing, but Booker’s kick connected quite nicely. Nonetheless, the Heat regain the titles. Winners: HARLEM HEAT.

Backstage, Sherri tells Okerlund she’s a happy camper then declares the Males’ title victory was a fluke and minor setback. Now the belts are back around the rightful champions. Booker states they smoked the Males, aren’t closet champions and will defend the titles against anybody, anywhere, anytime. Ray adds they’ll smoke all other teams too, while Sherri jumps up and down with excitement.

Sometime back in 1989, Okerlund visited the Bushwhackers down under at home. The New Zealanders are busy cooking a “Bushwhacker Buzzard” (chicken legs) on the BBQ from Grandmas recipe book. Okerlund indulges while talk turns to the Whackers’ toughest bout to date against the Powers of Pain.

WWF Prime Time Wrestling: January 22nd 1990
Powers of Pain w/Mr Fuji vs The Bushwhackers
This match is taken from a House Show in Toronto held in early October 1989. Barbarian easily floors Butch with a couple of tackles. Luke crouches behind the behemoth for Butch to push him over. Bushwhackers put the boots to Barbarian to clear the ring. Warlord traps Luke in a couple of bearhugs. Luke bites out of the first, then Butch humps Warlord’s leg. Warlord clotheslines Butch, then kicks him out of the ring.

Barbarian takes out both Bushwhackers with big boots. The Powers of Pain double team Butch in their corner. Barbarian misses an elbow from the middle rope. Luke tags in, and kicks away on Barbarian to no effect. Luke goes to the eyes. The Bushwhackers hit successful battering rams. Luke celebrates too early and pays for it with another Barbarian boot. With the match theirs for the taking, Barbarian holds Luke for a Fuji cane shot right in front of the referee. Ugh! Butch grabs the cane and beats the heels into retreat. Winners via DQ: THE BUSHWHACKERS. Total styles clash here. Powers of Pain didn’t seem too thrilled either.

Back at the Bushwhackers shack, a whacked out Okerlund has re-emerged as a third Bushwhacker, complete with navy vest and baseball cap. The three continue eating the “Bushwhacker Buzzard.” In-studio, Okerlund jokes that the side effects eventually wore off.

Monday Night Raw: April 5th 1993
The Beverly Brothers vs The Steiner Brothers
A Steiners highlight package narrated by Jim Ross and Vince McMahon precedes this match. These two teams first met back at the Royal Rumble in one of the Steiners’ first WWF matches. Now the Steiners have issued a championship challenge to titleholders Money Inc. Scott works over Beau’s arm. Beau blocks a hiptoss, but Scott counters a backbodydrop into a double underhook suplex. Blake and Rick exchange powerslams. Scott catches Blake in a bearhug, before tossing him overhead with a belly-to-belly suplex. Beau yanks Scott down by the hair as he runs the ropes, then the Beverlys hit a leapfrog/running spike combo across Scott’s back.

Scott absorbs double teaming in the Beverly corner, fights out of a Blake bearhug and reverses a suplex. Beau misses a legdrop. Scott catches Beau with a tilt-a-whirl slam. Both tag out. Rick gives Blake a backbodydrop and flying clothesline. Beau breaks up a pin and tosses Rick to the floor. Scott blind tags, only for Blake to grab hold. Beau jumps off the top rope, only to hit Blake after Scott moves. Rick knocks Beau out of contention, while Scott gives Blake the Frankensteiner for the 1-2-3. This would be one of Beau’s final WWF appearances. Blake would stick around as a heel jobber to the stars, but ultimately this was the end of the road for the Beverly Brothers. I’ve said this before, but the Beverlys were an underrated team and it was always fun to watch them pull every dirty trick out of the book to put on an entertaining bout. Winners: THE STEINER BROTHERS.

WCW Worldwide: March 27th 1993
WCW Tag Team Titles: Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas vs The Hollywood Blondes
Both teams cut promos beforehand. The Blondes note this is their last title shot, while Shane Douglas declares great champions answer great challengers.

We join the match in progress. Austin trips Douglas to escape an abdominal stretch. Douglas recovers to give Pillman a press slam. Douglas blocks an inverted atomic drop out of the corner, before surprising Pillman with a clothesline. Steamboat stretches Pillman out with a surfboard. Douglas gets in trouble when Austin kicks out of a rollup and Pillman chokes Douglas with a towel behind the referee’s back. Douglas escapes an Austin bearhug, then lands on his feet to thwart a backbreaker. Austin cuts off a desperation tag by catching Douglas in a spinebuster.

Douglas suckers Austin into a takedown. Douglas delivers a back suplex, but is in the wrong corner. Steamboat is out of position anyway as he’s rallying the crowd in another corner. Pillman lands a suplex. Douglas gets his knees up to prevent a Rocket Launcher splash. Austin misses a running spike in the ropes and both tag out. Steamboat unleashes chops, slams, dropkicks and a double noggin knocker. Steamboat tosses Austin over the top rope, which would be an automatic DQ, except the referee hasn’t seen it. Steamboat gives Pillman a superplex and flying cross body. Austin inadvertently hits Pillman as he tries to break up the pin. Douglas takes Austin out and nails a plancha. Again there’s no DQ as Douglas isn’t the legal man. Douglas slams Austin on the floor. Back inside, Steamboat and Pillman collide. While the referee ushers Douglas to his corner, Austin hits Steamboat from behind with one of the tag belts. Austin drags Pillman on top, 1-2-3. New Tag Team champions! Douglas is dumbfounded. This was a good match. Winners: THE HOLLYWOOD BLONDES.

Color commentator Jesse Ventura gatecrashes a post-match interview to congratulate the new champions. Pillman notes it was a tremendous match and, despite their wealth of talent, the Blondes had to overcome a lot of adversity. Pillman adds that it’s the kind of victory that brings joy to the hearts of millions and they’ll be role models for all the young kids. Austin thanks Steamboat and Douglas for being so stupid as to say it was their last shot. All the Blondes needed was one shot. Austin says Steamboat and Douglas are great wrestlers, but this is the beginning of the Team of the 90s and the big blonde machine. Sadly for the Blondes, short-sighted booking and office politics killed the tandem in less than a year. They’ll still go down as an awesome team though.

The Tag Team theme, while short-lived has been quite enjoyable. If only there was a Tag division to care about in today’s age. The ‘New’ Nexus just don’t cut it.

Next week, Vintage Collection heats up with highlights from some of the best summer spectaculars from the WWF and WCW.

Any comments or discussion points drop me a line at [email protected].

Follow me on Twitter @Shaun_Best.