WWE Vintage Collection Report: December 12th 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
This week is the first of several weeks looking back at the later years of Saturday Night’s Main Event. After starting in May 1985, SNME was a break from the squash-tastic weekend shows, as it featured marquee matchups to create new feuds or give existing ones some fresh juice. Five matches are on hand this week from the years 1989-90 so let’s begin.
Jesse “The Body” Ventura is backstage interviewing Greg ”The Hammer” Valentine and Jimmy Hart, before the Hammer’s match with Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Jake had just taken possession of Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar title on Superstars and that along with Damien (Jake’s reptile) are the topics on Jesse’s mind. Hart says to beat Jake the thief you have to forget about the (snake) bag. Ventura brings up Damien coming out whenever Jake wins. Hart says they won’t lose as there’s two of them. Ventura asks what they will do if they get their hands on the belt and Hart says that’s a million questions. They’ll give their answers in the ring.
Mean Gene asks Jake if the belt is in the bag with Damien. Jake says the one sure way to find out is to reach in and touch. Jake reckons on Okerlund passing and tells him the other way to find out is to watch his match.
January 3rd 1990
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs Greg “The Hammer” Valentine w/Jimmy Hart
Hart hooks Jake’s leg at the start to give Valentine an advantage. Valentine works over Jake in the corner before driving elbows and knees into the back. Jake comes back with punches, avoids a corner charge and gives Valentine a short arm clothesline. Jake delays in going for the DDT and pays with a backbodydrop. Jake dodges an elbow drop, but misses a running kneelift, bouncing off the corner en route to the mat. Hart gets on the apron to give Valentine a hug. Aww how nice. Jake kicks off a figure four attempt to send Valentine into Hart. Valentine staggers into the DDT, but here comes Ted DiBiase and Virgil for the DQ. As DiBiase works over Jake, Virgil is too scared to open the snake bag. Jake fights back, unleashing Damien to scare everyone off to the back. To no-ones surprise the belt was in the snake bag all along. I don’t know why Jake didn’t go over clean here as Valentine was doing nothing of note and didn’t need protecting. Winner via DQ: JAKE “THE SNAKE” ROBERTS.
July 18th 1989
Two out of Three Falls – WWF Tag Team Titles
Demolition vs The Brain Busters w/Bobby Heenan
Longtime champions Demolition were DQed against the Busters the previous month. In pre-match comments, Heenan plans to celebrate summer by winning the Tag Team Titles, noting last time Demolition lost their cool and now they’re going to lose their belts. Mean Gene asks Demolition if they can keep their cool and titles in a historic rematch. Ax says they would have won last time, had it not been for the Weasel. Tonight, he can’t do that for three falls, as they’ll crush him. Smash warns of total destruction, promising it’ll be pop goes the weasel if he gets his hands on Heenan. It’s war, it’s D-Day, it’s D for Demolition.
Tully Blanchard sucker punches Smash, quickly ducking outside to avoid Ax. Smash press slams Blanchard back in. Demolition own the Busters, winning brawls in and out of the ring. Smash perches Arn Anderson on the top rope for a Demolition double team. The Busters briefly target Smash’s knee until Smash catches Blanchard in a bearhug. Blanchard thumbs the eye to escape then dropkicks Anderson on top of Ax. Smash survives a Blanchard choke in the corner and a AA spinebuster. Smash ducks under a double clothesline, Ax yanks Blanchard down by the hair and Smash hotshots Anderson across the top rope to pick up the first fall. 1-0 to Demolition!
The champions continue to beat the snot out of Anderson as we enter the second fall. The Busters manage to isolate Ax for a short period. Blanchard slingshots him into the bottom rope, Heenan gets in a cheap shot, and Anderson holds a brief camel clutch. Ax telegraphs a backbodydrop, Smash gets the hot tag, taking control with a press slam to Blanchard. Ax backelbows Anderson out of the ring. Heenan steps onto the apron, but gets run into the ringpost by Smash. Andre The Giant makes his way down to protest at Demolition’s double teaming. The duo ignore the referee’s warnings as they hit their Decapitation finisher on Blanchard. Ax covers, but there’s no count as the referee DQ’s Demolition and raises the Buster’s arms. We’re tied 1-1, as Anderson desperately tries to revive his partner.
Demolition halt the double teaming to ensure they don’t make the same mistake again. Blanchard throws Ax into Anderson to wipe out both men. That was a bizarre tactic. Ax wins a slugfest with Anderson. Ax atomic drops Anderson into the corner, but he staggers back into Ax and both go down. Heenan directs Anderson as he uses the ropes to pull himself towards Blanchard. The action breaks down as Ax and Anderson spill to the floor. Ax posts Anderson. Blanchard hooks Smash, but Ax breaks it up and Anderson leaps from the second rope into a Smash clothesline. Heenan climbs onto the apron to distract Ax. Andre slides a chair in for Blanchard to deliver a sick shot to Smash’s head. Blanchard drops out with the smoking gun, while Anderson covers for the 1-2-3. Demolition’s record breaking 16 month reign is ended. Demolition didn’t give the Busters much, but the chair shot at the end was sick. Winners: THE BRAIN BUSTERS.
Fellow Heenan Family members Haku and Ravishing Rick Rude congratulate Heenan, the Busters and Andre backstage. Heenan tells Jesse “The Body” Ventura that Demolition were more powerful and bigger, but they beat them with their brains. While Blanchard acts like an excited child at Christmas, Anderson tells the critics who said they were too small and that Demolition were invincible to take a look as they’re now the new WWF Tag Team champions. We cut away rather abruptly as Heenan threatens Hulk Hogan that he isn’t stopping at two belts (Rude was also the Intercontinental Champion) as everyone knows that we can’t talk about Hulk Hogan on WWE programming in today’s current climate.
September 18th 1990 – WWF Intercontinental Title
Texas Tornado vs Haku w/Bobby Heenan
Tornado was one month into his shock reign after dethroning Mr Perfect at SummerSlam. Haku controls from the get-go, sending Tornado to the corner and utilising a series of restholds. Haku delivers shoulder thrusts in the corner. Tornado escapes a throttling to apply the Von Erich claw then knocks Haku out cold with the discus (Tornado) punch for the win. Mr Perfect was waiting in the wings and would win the title back soon enough as the plug was pulled on Tornado’s push pretty quickly. Winner: TEXAS TORNADO.
February 3rd 1989
Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase w/Virgil vs Hercules
DiBiase had failed to make Hercules his slave after buying out his contract from Bobby Heenan. Bang, there’s your feud. This match is joined in progress with the crowd burnt out having just witnessed the Mega Powers splitting. DiBiase has things in hand, until Herc reverses head rams to the corner and nearly wins it after a powerslam. Virgil hangs Herc’s chain up in the corner in full view of the referee, who lets it slide. Predictably, DiBiase ends up being the one eating steel twice. Herc catches a dazed DiBiase in his patented torture rack. As the referee removes the chain, Virgil yanks Herc’s trunks into the ropes, causing him to drop DiBiase and turn around. DiBiase takes advantage of the distraction to roll Hercules up with a handful of tights for the 1-2-3. After the bell, Herc scares the heels to the back by swinging the chain over his head. Winner: MILLION DOLLAR MAN TED DiBIASE.
July 16th 1990 – WWF Title
Ultimate Warrior vs Ravishing Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan
Before our Main Event we pick up pre-match comments from both champion and challenger. Heenan states Warrior will be just another link in the food chain, while Rude confidently adds he’s devoured Warrior before and history must repeat itself. After likening Warrior to a guppy in the ocean of life, Rude warns the waters in which Warrior swims are inhabited by the deadliest predator of all…Ravishing Rick Rude…the next WWF champion. Rude had lost his trademark mullet in favour of shorter hair and was now more serious, cutting out some of the kissy-kissy, gyrating mannerisms, in favour of showing a series of promos training hard in the gym.
Warrior provides Rude with a lesson in Evolution, noting in the food chain, the bigger animals devour the smaller ones, as they fight for territorial value. Warrior warns he knows no boundaries, fears no predator and tonight he’ll prove he’s the Ultimate animal.
Both had feuded over the Intercontinental title the previous year and were now fighting over the big prize. That was some feat at this period of time. Rude had handed Warrior his first (televised) WWF defeat at WrestleMania V. Rude ambushes Warrior from behind after he’s calmed down from his highly charged entrance. Warrior comes back to dominate Rude with an atomic drop, clothesline and double noggin knocker (with Heenan) on the floor. Back inside, Warrior uncharacteristically goes high risk, hitting a double sledge, but misses his trademark big splash and rolls to the floor.
After a commercial break, Warrior uses a jawbreaker to escape a sleeper, then his power to block the Rude Awakening. Rude ducks a clothesline, kicks the gut and hits the Rude Awakening at the second attempt. Warrior kicks out at two, re-energises and launches into his Herculean comeback. Rude is done after three clotheslines, a flying tackle and splash, but before the referee can count, Heenan reaches in to tug at Warrior’s hair. Warrior goes out to throttle Heenan in the aisle. Rude tries an ambush, but Warrior hoists him into a press slam position and walks back towards the ring. Heenan saves Rude by kneeing Warrior in the back. Warrior corners Heenan inside the ring, sending him to the corner several times before tossing him out. Winner via DQ: ULTIMATE WARRIOR. This ending did little to build interest for a rematch inside a Steel Cage at SummerSlam, as many people knew that Warrior would cream Rude, given how every other match between the two was booked. WWF really dropped the ball by not giving Warrior credible title challengers during his reign. They should have had him feud properly with Earthquake and let Rick Rude have a run with Hulk Hogan.
This was an enjoyable selection for the most part. Best scrap has to go to the Demoliiton bout, while fans of Bobby Heenan will be happy as he’s all over this show. We continue our look back at the later years of SNME next week. Here’s hoping for some Rockers, Harts, Randy Savage, Tito Santana involvement. Hint hint. See you next week!
Don’t forget to email your “Vintage” category ideas for the 2010 Michael Cole’s to shaunmb1@hotmail.com.
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