WWE Vintage Collection Report (05/22/11)

WWE Vintage Collection Report: May 22nd 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome aboard. RIP Randy Savage. One of the most colourful and entertaining characters to get in the ring and behind the mic. My condolences go out to the entire Poffo family. Randy touched a lot of people through his work in the ring and behind the mic. He was certainly one of the factors that turned me into a fan when I watched my first show back in 1991. It’s a damn shame that Randy couldn’t get the Hall of Fame ceremony he richly deserved, but his legacy will live on forever in our hearts and he’ll never be forgotten. The Macho Man has been a regular fixture on this show since its inception, and hopefully we get a tribute show in the coming weeks.

Keep dropping those elbows in heaven Randy. Oooohhhh Yeeeaaahhh!

Onto today’s show. We continue to pluck some of the best (and worst) matchups from the defunct “WCW Saturday Night” archives. Six offerings this week. Let’s begin.

(Air Date) December 27th 1997: Scott Hall vs Ray Traylor
The nWo is in full swing and wrestlers are taking sides. Both exchange toothpick flicks, before the former Big Boss Man powers Hall down. Hall ties up an arm, paintbrushing the back of Traylor’s head. Traylor tackles Hall to the floor, sliding outside to drop the Outsider with a right hook. Vintage Boss Man! Traylor attacks Hall coming back in, but misses a corner charge, allowing Hall to clothesline. As Hall works Traylor over, the nWo B-squad consisting of Curt Hennig, Scott Norton, Vincent and Konnan come out to cheer on their founding member. WCWers the Steiners and Harlem Heat follow suit to level the field. Hall has Traylor on his knees with a sleeper. A desperation back suplex takes it out of Traylor and Hall sneaks a nearfall. Traylor delivers a spike slam, but Hennig places Hall’s foot on the bottom rope. Hall kicks away a corner charge and hits a flying bulldog from the second rope. Hall runs around the ring barking like a dog, mocking Rick Steiner for just stealing his move. Steiner gets his own back by placing Traylor’s foot on the bottom rope and mocking Hall’s mannerisms. Hall gets mad and strikes Rick to prompt a predictable brawl. Team WCW clear the ring and stand tall. I knew the match would be a non-finish as soon as everyone came out.

(Air Date) August 22nd 1992:
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs Marcus Alexander Bagwell
Jake had just slithered into WCW to feud with Sting. Cactus Jack is on commentary here, putting over Jake’s intimidation as more of a weapon than his snake, which according to Jack is just a precautionary tool. Jake attacks Bagwell’s arm, taking him to the mat with ease. Jake counters a hiptoss with a shove then swats away a dropkick. Jake keeps things simple with punches. Bagwell escapes a slam to land a dropkick. Jake sends an onrushing Bagwell into the corner, reels him in for a short arm clothesline, then puts his lights out with a DDT (which Jake dedicates to Sting.) 1-2-3. A glorified squash. Jake’s WCW tenure was cut short after personal demons came into play. Winner: JAKE “THE SNAKE” ROBERTS.

(Air Date) January 4th 1986:
NWA U.S Title: Magnum T.A vs The Barbarian w/Paul Jones
This match is joined in progress. Magnum controls the early portion on the mat, despite Jones causing a distraction and getting chased off. Barbarian mounts a comeback when he catches Magnum with a hotshot across the top rope. Barbarian follows-up with a tree choke, backbreaker and big boot, but misses a kneedrop. Magnum fires off a dropkick and a series of punches. Barbarian cuts Magnum off with a headbutt, but Magnum reverses an atomic drop and Barbarian crashes into the referee, bundling him out to the floor. Magnum has Barbarian beaten after his patented belly-to-belly suplex. Jones takes Magnum out with a cane shot to the throat. Barbarian drops a headbutt and Harley Race runs in from the commentary booth to count the bogus 1-2-3. The two continue to beat on Magnum. Race gives him a backbreaker then both deliver headbutts from the top rope. Jones continues to deliver cane shots until the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express finally run in to make the save. Winner via DQ: MAGNUM T.A. Magnum’s career was cut short after a car accident in October 1986 forced his retirement.

August 31st 1996: Diamond Dallas Page vs Billy Kidman
DDP had just returned from a Loser Leaves Town match with the Booty Man to win the Lord of the Ring tournament and was feuding with Eddie Guerrero. A very young Kidman is sporting short black hair and red spandex pants. DDP fools Kidman into a clean break in the corner, before delivering a slap to the chest. DDP uses the hair to repeatedly throw Kidman down. Kidman comes back with a blind cross body from the top rope and an armdrag. Kidman tries a test of strength, but DDP cheats to reverse into a headlock. Both exchange battering rams in the corner. DDP tries again, but Kidman counters into a sunset flip. The same thing happens when DDP goes for two pumphandle backbreakers, with Kidman countering the second into a rollup. Kidman ducks a clothesline, running up the ropes to deliver a diving bulldog, followed by another cross body. DDP reverses an irish whip, catching Kidman with a flying Diamond Cutter for the win. Kidman would remain a Cruiserweight jobber until he joined Raven’s Flock in 1997. Winner: DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE.

March 2nd 1991: Sid Vicious vs Mark Merro
Merro (spelt this way) is making his WCW debut. Sid is billed as being from “anywhere he damn well pleases.” Merro employs a duck and cover tactic until Sid catches a cross body attempt and turns it into a backbreaker. Sid misses a big legdrop. Merro ducks a clothesline only to get turned inside out by a second. Sid applies a neck vice then punt kicks Merro to the floor. Sid goes out and drops Merro ribs first across the guardrail. Sid screams into the camera that he “doesn’t give a damn about nobody.” Sid puts Merro back in the ring and out of his misery with the powerbomb, pinning him with one knee across his chest. Two of Sid’s personal EMTs dressed in hospital scrubs place Merro chest down onto a stretcher, but Sid waffles Merro with a chair then shoves him off the stretcher. Talk about a bad bedside manner. Winner: SID VICIOUS. This was a really entertaining squash match. Sid would soon take his vicious ways to the WWF and become Sid Justice, while Merro would embrace his Badd side and start imitating Little Richard.

February 5th 1994: Sting vs Lord Steven Regal w/Sir William
Regal is the reigning TV champion, but the title isn’t on the line. Sting gets the better of some early mat wrestling, constantly frustrating Regal with hammerlocks. Regal escapes when he drops to the mat to send Sting face first into the corner. Regal wears Sting down with a neck cravat, then rocks him with some uppercuts. Sting bridges out of an armlock, so Regal switches to a head vice. Sting elbows free and delivers a clothesline. Regal stops Sting from going for a cover, trapping him in a chinlock. Both hammer away at the other. Sting scores with a backbodydrop, flying clothesline and standing dropkick. Regal cuts Sting off with a backelbow. Both cancel each other out with dropkicks at the same time, before Sting hooks a backslide, catching Regal cold to score the sudden 1-2-3. This was a hard match to get into with the emphasis on holds and resting. Winner: STING.

The Saturday Night theme wraps up next weekend.

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