WWE Vintage Collection Report: 20th July 2008
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
Welcome. First off I must apologise for a rare error in last week’s report. It came to my attention that last week’s show actually came from the Boston Garden and not MSG. Whoops! However, this week we are back at the mecca of Sports Entertainment that is Madison Square Garden in New York City and the date is October 1986. Mean Gene actually joins Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes at the commentary table. We have four matches and a tag team battle royal with $50,000 at stake to get to, so let’s get to it.
Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart vs The Dynamite Kid
Both men are out without their respective partners. Matilda the dog is at ringside though with a handler. Anvil gets the advantage with a test of strength, but Dynamite quickly comes back with a cross body off the ropes. Anvil goes outside to collect his thoughts. Back inside, Dynamite fails to budge Anvil with a few shoulder tackle attempts. Dynamite encourages Anvil to try, Anvil obliges but runs into a beautiful drop toehold. Dynamite applies an armbar. Anvil sends Dynamite off the ropes into a knee to the gut. Anvil gets the heat by throwing Dynamite down by the hair several times. Dynamite gets tossed through the ropes then slammed onto the ugly concrete floor. Anvil front facelocks Dynamite across the second rope before Dynamite rolls back in. Anvil clubs the lower back, delivers a slam, then misses a splash from the second rope. Dynamite hits a top rope missile dropkick to a big crowd pop. Anvil gets fired off the ropes into a hard clothesline. A big headbutt puts Anvil in the ropes. Dynamite misses a running spike and gets tied up in the ropes. Dynamite quickly unhooks himself and rolls up Anvil from behind for the 1-2-3. Here is Your Winner: THE DYNAMITE KID. Solid, short, six or seven minute opener, but, unfortunately it never kicked into top gear. When matched together in tags and with more time, these teams had some fabulous matchups. I’d love to see some of these long tag matches that the Harts and Bulldogs had on the House show circuit. Post match sees Dynamite and Matilda stare at Anvil in the ring. It’s sad to think of Dynamite in his current state, just wasting away, with the bitterness and resentment of the latter part of his career, that is eating him alive.
The Iron Sheik vs Jacques Rougeau
Prior to the bout, Okerlund talks up Sheik real big, highlighting his feud with Bob Backlund and his Hall of Fame induction in 2005. We pick up the match with Jacques (who was on his own here) in control, sending Sheik to the outside. Sheik delays in locking up as Jacques works the crowd into a frenzy. Jacques staggers Sheik with right hands before nailing a standing dropkick. Jacques follows up with a side headlock, shoulder tackle and reverse hiptoss. After another side headlock, Jacques catches a Sheik boot attempt and counters with an atomic drop. Jacques delivers a snapmare and kneedrop for a nearfall. Sheik finally turns the corner by countering a backbodydrop with a boot to the head, which sends Jacques out of the ring. Sheik flexes to the crowd to get heat. Sheik pulls Jacques in, gives him a backbodydrop, spits on him several times, then cinches in an abdominal stretch. Monsoon gets all over Sheik in his commentary for not applying the hold correctly. By not hooking a leg, Jacques is able to hiptoss out. Sheik dodges an elbow drop and gets a nearfall. Sheik gets a second nearfall off of a gut wrench suplex. Jacques manages a suplex counter then reaches into a cover, but can only get a one count. Sheik tosses Jacques through the ropes and jumps into the corner to play to the booing crowd and spit at them. Sheik kicks Jacques off the apron. Sheik gets distracted by a USA chant, as Jacques catches a sunset flip on Sheik for the shock 1-2-3. Here is Your Winner: JACQUES ROUGEAU. This was a big feather in the cap for Jacques who slaps hands with joyous fans on his way to the back. In a funny moment, a fan dressed like Sheik chews out Jacques. Sheik was such a good heel and Jacques was over with the fans. As a result, this was a good match.
Davey Boy Smith vs Greg “The Hammer” Valentine
Joined in progress, Smith has Valentine in a single leg boston crab. Valentine holds on and gets to the ropes. After several blocks by Valentine, Smith manages to hit a delayed suplex. Smith delivers a running powerslam. Smith covers, but Valentine gets his foot on the rope. Both men slip to the outside where Valentine runs. Valentine lures Smith back in, where he meets him with a boot to the head. Valentine briefly works over Smith, dropping two elbows, before applying the figure four. Smith crawls to the ropes and Valentine releases at a referee’s four count. Valentine stomps on Smith’s knee then delivers slaps to the face. Both men pull hair and Smith lands on top of Valentine, where he pummels the Hammer with punches. The crowd really get behind Smith for the first time in the bout. Smith takes Valentine down with a dropkick then thwarts a backbodydrop with a club to the back. Just as the match is picking up, Valentine uses a double leg takedown and hooks the legs and the top rope to get the cheap 1-2-3. Here is Your Winner: GREG “THE HAMMER” VALENTINE. This match had a weird dynamic early on, as the crowd didn’t know who to cheer for. Just as it got going, we get a crap ending, which looked a little messy and left a sour taste in the mouth. Before the ending though, the action was good. Smith tries to protest the injustice but Valentine is still announced the winner.
Bret “Hitman” Hart vs Raymond Rougeau
Like all the matches before them, both men are facing off without their respective partners/managers. Raymond scores with armdrags to send an irate Bret outside to jawjack with the fans. A monkey flip puts Bret back on the floor where he asks his detractors what do they know about wrestling? Bret warily gets back in and immediately cowers to the corner, yelling at the referee to keep Raymond back. Off of a side headlock, Bret attempts a monkey flip of his own, which Raymond thwarts with a stomp to the face. Bret oversells the move to sucker Raymond in. Bret goes to work with several shots and an inverted atomic drop. Raymond gets sent off the ropes into a boot to the gut. Bret punches away then tosses Raymond through the ropes. Fresh off a commercial break, Bret still holds the advantage, as he methodically stomps on Raymond in the corner. Bret delivers a headbutt and backbreaker, before settling into a chinlock. A faint boring chant is heard which is surely a first for a Hitman match. After two failed attempts, Raymond gets out after a third try and gets a nearfall following a sunset flip. Bret goes back on the offensive, driving a boot into Raymond’s gut. Bret rams Raymond’s head into the corner, then chokes him with his hands. Raymond fires back with punches as Bret urges him to wait a minute. Raymond isn’t one for reasoning as he continues the fight by ramming Bret’s head into the corner. Raymond tosses Bret to the mat by the hair, then gets a nearfall from a standing dropkick, as Bret drapes a foot along the bottom rope. Raymond executes a piledriver. 1-2-no. Bret meets the corner again and is then Irish whipped. Raymond charges, catches a boot and turns it into an atomic drop. Raymond lands punches on the fallen Bret in the corner. The referee steps in to separate the two. Raymond advances into a punch to the gut. Bret takes Raymond down, hooks the legs and gets the tainted 1-2-3 with his feet on the ropes. Here is Your Winner: BRET “HITMAN” HART. Fun little match. Nice seeing Bret heel it up with the fans. I thought these two had better matches in later years when the roles were reversed, but this was still a solid, well-worked matchup. Best match of today’s show so far.
Tag Team Battle Royal (Winning Team receives $50,000)
Main Event time. The rules are simple. Once a member of a team is eliminated, the other member has to leave the ring. Once one team remains, they are the winners. This was a twelve team match. The teams involved were: The Hart Foundation, The Islanders (Haku & Tama), The British Bulldogs, The Machines, The Killer Bees (Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell), The Moondogs, The Rougeaus, The Indians (Chief Jay Strongbow & Steve Gatorhoff), Mike Rotunda & Special Delivery Jones, King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff and The Dream Team (Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine). The Moondogs get eliminated by the Machines as soon as the match starts. Everyone gangs up on King Kong Bundy, but Big John Studd manages to make the save for his partner. Out of camera shot, S.D Jones gets eliminated. His partner, Mike Rotunda keeps on fighting Bundy for a while, before he takes his leave. Nikolai Volkoff eliminates Gatorhoff, then a Machine sends the Sheik packing. Following a commercial, both the Harts and Bulldogs are out and fighting on their way to the back. Brutus Beefcake takes care of Jim Brunzell of the Killer Bees. Big John Studd gets rid of Jacques Rougeau, then tells Raymond in no uncertain terms to get out. That was funny. A Machine presses Beefcake out then gets Studd up for a slam. The Machine can’t hold onto Studd and Studd and Bundy club the Machines out of contention. We’re down to the Islanders and Studd and Bundy. Both teams go at it in the corner. Bundy Irish whips Tama and hits an avalanch splash. Studd gets ahold of Haku, Bundy goes for a second avalanch, Haku moves and Bundy shoulder tackles Studd out of the ring. The Islanders win as the crowd go wild. Here Are Your Winners: THE ISLANDERS. Although nostalgic, this match dragged. Not much of note happened in-between eliminations and the ring was far too crowded at times, which ultimately hurt the match. The Islanders would go on to turn heel and align themselves with Bobby Heenan and feud with the Bulldogs over their dog Matilda.
Okerlund wraps things up to end the show.
Best match: Bret Hart vs Raymond Rougeau.
Worst match: The Battle Royal.
Show verdict: Thumbs in the middle. Not as many matches were joined in progress this week and it’s always good to see the Harts, Bulldogs and Rougeaus work, even if they’re not in tags. See you next weekend.
If anyone wants to sound off, chew the fat or talk wrestling get in touch. Comments/praise/feedback/criticism/discussion points please direct to [email protected].