WWE Vintage Collection Report: September 11th 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Jack Korpela
Welcome aboard. Jack “has our back” while Mean Gene is on vacation. This week’s championship theme focuses on the nearly men. In other words, the superstars who came up just a little bit short when it came to winning the big title. Let’s begin!
WCW Worldwide: October 23rd 1993
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs “Mr Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Steamboat holds onto a side headlock despite an Orndorff drop toehold and back suplex. Orndorff hangs Steamboat up on the top rope to turn the tide. The crowd chant “Paula” as Orndorff attacks the throat, lands a shot from the top rope and applies a chinlock. Steamboat fights free, but puts his head down too early, paying for it with an elbow to the top of the head. Orndorff misses a corner charge. Steamboat jumps onto a sleeper, but Orndorff runs him face first into the corner. Orndorff gets a nearfall from a back suplex. Orndorff comes off the top rope, only to eat both of Steamboat’s feet. Steamboat lands a top rope chop and his patented cross body, but the Equalizer (aka Dave Sullivan) runs in for the DQ. Sting makes the save and the good guys clear the ring. For those counting, this is the third consecutive Vintage appearance for the Dragon. That being said, this was quite a random throwaway match to start us off. Also, couldn’t they have found a match with a decisive finish? Winner via DQ: RICKY “THE DRAGON” STEAMBOAT.
WWF In Your House 3: September 24th 1995
British Bulldog vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Bulldog had reinvented himself by turning on Diesel and buzzing his long hair. Bigelow on the other hand had dumped the Million Dollar Corporation and turned to the good side. Bigelow tackles, reverses an irish whip and catches Bulldog with a hiptoss and backelbow. Bigelow slams, but misses an elbow drop. Bigelow throws Bulldog off of a chinlock, but misses a headbutt. Bigelow pops back up from a suplex and mows Bulldog down with a pair of clotheslines. Bulldog pulls down the top rope to send a charging Bigelow out to the floor. Bigelow reverses a suplex from the apron to crotch Bulldog on the top rope. Bigelow shoves Bulldog to the mat and scores with his patented top rope headbutt. Bulldog kicks out at two. As Bigelow disputes the count, Bulldog takes out his leg from behind and works it over.
Bulldog breaks from a single leg boston crab, which allows Bigelow back into it with headbutts. Bulldog cuts Bigelow off with a knee and goes back to the chinlock. Bigelow escapes by running Bulldog into the corner. Bulldog fails with a slam attempt as Bigelow falls on top. Bigelow squashes Bulldog’s sunset flip attempt, but misses a top rope moonsault. Bulldog borrows a play from the Dynamite Kid playbook by landing his own top rope headbutt for a nearfall. Bulldog sends Bigelow front first into the corner then puts the Beast from the East away with a powerslam. This was the beginning of the end for Bigelow in the WWF, who would finish up two months later at the Survivor Series. Bulldog would go on to form a successful alliance with brother-in-law Owen Hart after a brief feud with Diesel. Winner: BRITISH BULLDOG.
WWF Superstars: February 18th 1991
Intercontinental Title: Mr Perfect w/Bobby Heenan vs Rowdy Roddy Piper
Piper elbows out of a waistlock. Referee Earl Hebner intercepts when Perfect aims shots at Piper, prompting Piper to place his hand over Hebner’s face and lift him onto the second rope, effectively shooing him out of the way. This visual made the back pages of WWF Magazine back in the day. Piper uses boxing jabs to put Perfect on the outside. Piper assists Hebner in counting Perfect out, but the champion gets back in at nine. Cue a standoff. Piper absorbs chops and slaps Perfect around the ring and over the top rope. Piper drags Perfect in by the hair, using it to swing him around the ring. A hair biel is enough to crotch Perfect as he slides across the ring and into the ringpost. Piper knocks Heenan off the apron and out of contention. Piper and Perfect fight in the aisle briefly. Back inside, Piper uses Perfect’s singlet as a yo-yo as he continually punches Perfect up and down. Perfect thumbs the eye, rakes the face and elbows, but Piper yanks the singlet off. Piper jabs away as Perfect’s singlet is now around his ankles.
Both men collide with clotheslines in the middle of the ring. Perfect gets up first to knock Piper down and re-apply his singlet. Perfect attacks Piper’s gut. A standing dropkick results in Piper being sprawled across the apron. Perfect removes a turnbuckle pad in the corner. Piper foils a suplex by falling on top for a nearfall. Both exchange various cradles. Piper gets a sunset flip for two. Perfect shoots Piper off the ropes, puts his head down early, allowing Piper to hit a neckbreaker. Perfect presses Piper off of a cover and onto Hebner. Perfect takes advantage of momentarily having no referee to send Piper into the exposed steel. Piper is out cold and Hebner questions Perfect, but he can’t prove anything. Perfect calls for and delivers the Perfect plex, but Piper kicks out at two. Piper blocks and reverses a head ram into the exposed steel, dodges Perfect’s wild swings and backhands the champion to the mat.
The fight spills outside as Perfect is sent into two sets of ring steps. Piper gives Perfect a whupping with a leather belt. Hebner lets all of this slide. Perfect comes back to send Piper into the steel barricade. Piper crotches Perfect on the top rope, Perfect falls to the floor and Hebner calls for the bell. Perfect has been counted out. Perfect grabs his title, but Piper meets him in the ring with a backbodydrop. Piper wins a tug of war over the belt. Perfect ducks a belt shot and bails to the floor, pulling Piper out with him. Piper reverses Perfect into the ring steps then takes Perfect out in the middle of the ring with a belt shot. Piper raises the title up to thunderous applause, kisses it then drops it on top of the fallen champion. Winner via countout: ROWDY RODDY PIPER. This was a very fun and entertaining scrap. Kept very simple, but Perfect’s expert selling coupled with Piper’s charisma made it very memorable. A proper feud over the title could have drawn some serious money.
January 15th 1990: Million Dollar Title
Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase w/Virgil vs Jake “The Snake” Roberts
DiBiase had injured Jake and the snake was out for revenge. This House Show bout from Madison Square Garden is joined in progress. Jake powers out of a camel clutch. DiBiase recoils in fright when he lands near the snake bag containing Damian. DiBiase delivers an atomic drop and gets a foot up to thwart a corner charge. DiBiase drops down to apply a front facelock. Jake attempts a neckbreaker, but DiBiase holds onto the ropes to successfully block and Jake crashes and burns.
Jake survives a couple of Million Dollar dream sleeperholds, both inside and outside the ring, by hooking the ropes and running DiBiase into the ringpost. DiBiase misses a blind dive from the second rope. DiBiase goes down holding his back after attempting a slam. Jake doesn’t buy it, as he irish whips DiBiase across the ring and lands a backbodydrop. DiBiase continually retreats to the outside, but Jake brings him back in to slam and clothesline. Jake doesn’t go for the DDT, opting to further punish DiBiase’s lower region with repeated knees and a backbreaker. Jake stops DiBiase from leaving, tosses him back in, but Virgil attacks the snake from behind. Jake lays Virgil out with several rights and a slam on the floor. Jake gets in and drops DiBiase with a DDT, but the bell goes. Jake thinks he’s won and his music even starts playing, but he is then informed he’s been counted out. Winner via countout: MILLION DOLLAR MAN TED DiBIASE. Jake protests to Earl Hebner as Virgil pulls DiBiase to safety. Jake lets Damian out of the bag, but we cut away at this point so it’s unknown whether Hebner gets the snake treatment or not. I’ll guess yes. Jake would end up stealing DiBiase’s title and storing it in his snake bag. DiBiase would retrieve it following a showdown at WrestleMania VI.
Despite three non-finishes out of the four bouts on offer, not a bad show this week. The middle portion provided the best entertainment.
We wrap up the month of champions theme next week.
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