WWE Vintage Collection Report: June 19th 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
Welcome aboard. Personal matters kept me away last week. We’re into the second week of our month long Cruiserweight theme. Let’s begin!
Clips of the Great Muta’s mystique and dazzling in-ring ability open the show. Appropriately, Muta features in our first matchup.
NWA Worldwide: August 19th 1989
The Great Muta w/Gary Hart vs Scott Hall
Opening match wrestler Hall is rocking a porn star style moustache along with curly blonde highlighted hair. Muta attacks from behind, quickly dropkicking Hall to the floor. Muta lands a plancha. Hall catches Muta coming off the top rope with a gut punch. Hall lands a clothesline and works the arm. Hall delivers a dropkick, but misses a dive and hits the ropes. Hall falls back over Muta, who picks up the win with a bridging german suplex. Finish was sudden, but Hall got in enough offense to not make it a total squash. Hall showed good agility too. Winner: THE GREAT MUTA.
A brief highlight package airs showcasing some of WCW’s Cruiserweights. Billy Kidman, Dean Malenko, Jushin Thunder Liger, La Parka, Psychosis and Juventud Guerrera are the featured wrestlers who receive a graphic and short highspot highlight reel.
WCW Monday Nitro: October 5th 1998
Cruiserweight Title: Billy Kidman vs Psychosis
Psychosis (spelt this way) still has his mask, while Kidman has disassociated himself from Raven’s Flock. Kidman starts off brightly with a headscissors, plancha and guillotine legdrop, but puts his head down to let Psychosis take over. The luchador connects with a spin kick to the back of Kidman’s head and shows his frustration at every one of referee Charles Robinson’s nearfalls. Psychosis slows the pace with a chinlock before hiptossing Kidman to the floor and hitting a springboard legdrop.
Kidman gets a desperation clothesline out of the corner, only to miss a subsequent charge. Psychosis grounds the champion on the mat, until Kidman counters a powerbomb attempt into a faceplant. Both trade nearfalls from several highspots until Kidman blocks a top rope Frankensteiner and lands on top of Psychosis with the Shooting Star Press. Aye Caramba! Kidman retains. Winner: BILLY KIDMAN. It’s a shame that neither competitor was “allowed” to compete like this in WWE, otherwise the Cruiserweight Division would have gotten over like Gangbusters.
January 11th 1994:
WWF Tag Team Titles: Marty Jannetty & 1-2-3 Kid vs The Headshrinkers w/Afa
The underdog team of Jannetty and Kid had upset the Quebecers for the titles just 24 hours prior on Raw. This previously untelevised match features on the “WWF WrestleFest 1994” VHS release.
Samu asserts his power over Jannetty to start. The former Rocker retaliates with speed to monkey flip and dropkick the Headshrinker to the floor. The same thing happens with Fatu and Kid, as Kid leaps over the ropes onto his opponent. The champions briefly work over Fatu’s arm until Jannetty mistakenly drives Fatu’s head into the mat, forgetting that this has no effect on Samoans. Fatu pops back up, but Jannetty is waiting with a superkick. Samu causes a distraction, enabling Fatu to turn Jannetty inside out with a clothesline. The challengers make a wish on Jannetty’s leg.
The Headshrinkers repeatedly bait Kid into the ring in order to work Jannetty over. Samu sends Jannetty into the ringsteps. Jannetty returns the favour, but Samu isn’t fazed and Jannetty eats a superkick. Fatu delivers several backbreakers. Kid finally gets in to dish out a flurry of kicks to Samu and a headscissors to the floor. Fatu runs in to receive a double dropkick. Jannetty comes off the top rope to nail Fatu on the floor. Back inside, Kid gives Samu a moonsault, before a spin kick ties Samu’s head in the ropes. As referee Bill Alfonso is busy on the floor, Afa interjects himself to go at it with the Kid. Afa catches Kid with a samoan drop, rolls outside, while Samu frees himself and makes the pin. Jannetty is a fraction too late with the save. The Headshrinkers receive the title belts until second referee Mike Chioda runs in to clue Alfonso into what happened. Alfonso reverses the decision, meaning the titles don’t change hands after all. Ironically, this would actually be Jannetty and the Kid’s only title defense on record as they would drop the titles back to the Quebecers the following week at a House Show. Winners via DQ: MARTY JANNETTY & 1-2-3 KID.
WCW Monday Nitro: July 22nd 1996
Dean Malenko vs Chavo Guerrero Jnr
Chavo had only been in WCW for a few months at this point. This match is being held outdoors at Disney’s MGM Studios. A big firework display goes off midway through the match to signify the start of Nitro’s all important second hour. Little things like this make me miss the Monday Night Wars. Malenko is one step ahead of Chavo, dominating from the outset. Chavo manages to dropkick Malenko to the floor, but the Iceman regains control with a back suplex and throwaway slam. Chavo prevents a superplex, but Malenko pops back up to deliver a clothesline.
Malenko utilises several of his 1,000 holds, trapping Chavo in a bodyscissors, chinlock, half crab and modified STF. Chavo mule kicks free, only to eat a clothesline in the corner. Malenko gives Chavo a brainbuster and powerbomb as Jimmy Hart (representing the Dungeon of Doom) comes out to cheer him on. Malenko loses his concentration, barely escaping a rollup and inside cradle. Chavo goes up top, but Malenko regains his composure to counter a flying bodyscissors into the Texas Cloverleaf and Chavo taps out. Winner: DEAN MALENKO.
More Cruiserweight action next week. This week’s show was entertaining for the most part. Hopefully we get to see come Vintage Dynamite Kid or Tiger Mask in the coming weeks.
Any comments or discussion points drop me a line at [email protected]