WWE Vintage Collection Report (09/20/09)

WWE Vintage Collection Report: 20th September 2009
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

It’s WCW all the way this week with a theme similar to “Before They Were Superstars” featuring Rob Van Dam, Dustin Rhodes, Sabu and Steve Austin. There are memorable moments galore along with the odd Turkey so let’s dive right in.

WCW Worldwide: February 13th 1993
Robbie V vs Scotty Flamingo
This is a match between the future Rob Van Dam and Raven. V was doing a barefoot martial arts gimmick, while Flamingo was a pretty boy heel, a far cry from the tattoo clad, dark, emo Raven character. Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura are the announcers. This match is also featured on the Rob Van Dam DVD release “One of a Kind.” V demonstrates his agility early with a backflip, spin kick, Dudley Dog and picture perfect cross body after a blind leap from a perched position on the ropes. Flamingo counters a second Dudley Dog with a back suplex. Flamingo hits a couple of snapmares and a dropkick. V escapes a chinlock to nail a spinning heel kick. Flamingo is sent face first to the corner, allowing V to hit a one legged dropkick. V drops Flamingo with a slam then picks up the win following a split legged moonsault. This was a fun opener between two very underrated talents. Winner: ROBBIE V.

WCW Main Event: September 20th 1992
Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Cactus Jack & The Barbarian vs
Nikita Koloff, Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes
Jim Ross is the sole announcer, while a young looking Nick Patrick is the referee. Cactus was helping Barbarian prepare for an upcoming World Title match with Ron Simmons. Yes you read that right. Ross also talks about Sting fighting Jake in the infamous “Spin the wheel, make the deal” match. Why have a barbed wire, steel cage or first blood match when you can have a coal miner’s glove match. Welcome to WCW in 1992. Windham gets the better of Cactus to start. Rhodes, Cactus and Jake try some arm work. Koloff and Barbarian have a standoff. Koloff can’t budge him with tackles, but succeeds with a dropkick. Barbarian overpowers Koloff with an overhead wristlock. Koloff escapes a Cactus front facelock to tie him up in the ropes. Cactus telegraphs a Windham dropkick. Windham drills Jake with a boot and an elbow drop, before he and Rhodes combine to hit the Snake with a double dropkick. After commercials, Koloff is trapped in several restholds. He manages to kick Cactus in the head, but Cactus clotheslines him from behind. Koloff meets Cactus coming off the second rope with a fist, before making the hot tag to Windham. Windham attacks everyone, delivering a backbodydrop and flying clothesline to Cactus. Jake breaks up a cover to cue a six man brawl. Jake and Koloff end up on the floor with Jake using the Snake to keep Koloff at bay. Jake has even put on the dreaded glove. Oh no! With Nick Patrick busy with Rhodes, Barbarian wipes out Windham with a kick to the head, tags himself in and picks up the pin. This was a boring match. Koloff and Barbarian weren’t very impressive. Winners: JAKE “THE SNAKE” ROBERTS, CACTUS JACK & THE BARBARIAN.

Halloween Havoc: October 29th 1995
Mr J.L vs Sabu w/The Sheik
This was the original Sheik’s only appearance during Sabu’s brief WCW tenure. Sheik carries a pirate sword to the ring. Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan are announcing, with Heenan saying the sword isn’t a cheese grater. JL sends Sabu to the floor with an enziguiri kick, before nailing a baseball slide. Sabu sends JL into the guardrail. Sabu wipes out JL and the Sheik with an asai moonsault. Sabu misses a dive, but JL nails one from the top rope. Back inside, Sabu misses a top rope moonsault. JL lands one of his own for a nearfall. JL hits a powerbomb for two. Sabu comes back with a senton legdrop from the ring apron. JL german suplexes Sabu from a high risk position for a nearfall. Sabu uses a victory roll from the second rope for his own nearfall. JL dropkicks Sabu off the ropes to the floor. Sabu drops JL’s throat across the top rope and uses a springboard moonsault for the 1-2-3. A good, short spotfest. Winner: SABU.

Smackdown: July 5th 2001
WCW Cruiserweight Title
Gregory Helms vs Billy Kidman
The Invasion was in full swing. WCW were given segments on Raw and Smackdown to present their matches. Arn Anderson and Scott Hudson are the announcers. Kidman reacts angrily to a slap by pummeling Helms. Kidman catches Helms with a headscissors from the apron, a dropkick to the floor and springboard plancha. WWF light heavyweight champion X-Pac is seen watching on a monitor backstage. Kidman lands a top rope cross body for two. Helms has been slightly off in catching a couple of Kidman’s early moves. Helms manages to hiptoss Kidman over the top rope to the floor. Helms goes out to catapult Kidman into the ringpost, then delivers a backbreaker in the ring. Kidman counters a vertebreaker with a side headlock into a bulldog out of the corner. Helms nearly screwed up again there. Kidman catches Helms in the BK bomb for two. Helms is sent to the corner front first. Helms ducks a clothesline and nails a superkick. Hudson calls Helms the sensation of innovation, as Kidman reverses a suplex into a Michinoku driver. Kidman goes up top and misses the shooting star press. Helms hits the Nightmare on Helms street (eye of the Hurricane) for two. Kidman rolls back to escape a vertebreaker, sits on top of Helms’s neck and delivers a modified unprettier/facecrusher to win his third Cruiserweight title. Fast flowing action, but the WWF crowd rejected it, much like the previous episode of Raw when Booker T took on Buff Bagwell. I didn’t mind this as it was refreshing to see a Cruiserweight match in a WWF ring without limitations. Unfortunately, the tame crowd response signalled the end of WCW as a single entity. In hindsight, maybe it should have been given more of a chance, considering the rushed job of the imminent ill-fated Alliance angle. Winner: BILLY KIDMAN.

Bash at the Beach: July 17th 1994
U.S Title: Stunning Steve Austin vs Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan are on hand once more to announce today’s main event. Hulk Hogan debuted later on this card. Austin has “Dragon Slayer” printed on the back of his trunks. Austin jumps Steamboat from behind as soon as the bell goes, targeting the leg. Steamboat blocks a figure four attempt by pushing Austin shoulder first into the ringpost. Steamboat walks the top rope before bringing a fist down onto Austin’s arm. Steamboat dropkicks Austin as he’s in the corner, resulting in Austin hanging upside down on the outside. Steamboat works the arm until Austin goes down feigning a knee injury. Steamboat refuses the referee’s request for a break. Austin calls timeout on the floor, before pulling Steamboat outside. Steamboat gives chase and jumps on a sleeper inside the ring. After commercials, Austin is mocking Steamboat’s martial arts skills. Steamboat catapults Austin into the ringpost, but Austin quickly levels Steamboat with a clothesline to regain control. Steamboat urges Austin to bring it, as Austin delivers a backbodydrop and swinging neckbreaker. Steamboat escapes a standing camel clutch then several of Austin’s consecutive pinfall attempts. Heenan likens Steamboat to being up and down like the stock market, as Austin gives him a running spike in the ropes. Steamboat recovers to deliver a stun gun across the top rope. Both punch the other along the apron until Austin throws Steamboat face first into the guardrail. Steamboat posts Austin then connects with a top rope chop. Steamboat goes to work with punches on the mat. Austin goes to the eyes, then tosses Steamboat over the top rope. Schiavone screams for a DQ, but Steamboat skins the cat back in and uses an Oklahoma roll, small package and jackknife pin to nearly bag the title. Both go back-and-forth reversing piledriver attempts until Steamboat manages to execute the maneuver. A desperate Austin tries to throw the referee into Steamboat’s path for a possible DQ, but Steamboat persuades the referee to continue the match. Austin rolls through on a cross body for two, so he puts his feet on the ropes and hooks the leg for the 1-2-3. Austin quickly heads out and up the ramp with his arms raised. This was a superb match with a great ending. Everything was pointing towards a Steamboat victory, but Austin sneaked out a win. Classic heel tactics at their best. Terrific stuff. Winner: STUNNING STEVE AUSTIN.

Okerlund states none of the stars featured today can credit WCW with making them household names but can’t discredit the group for giving many future superstars their first opportunities at glory.

This was an enjoyable show with a great main event. Hopefully ECW can get some of the Vintage treatment in the near future. See you next week. Shaun.

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