WWE Vintage Collection Report (06/06/10)

WWE Vintage Collection Report: June 6th 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome aboard to the continuation of Cruiserweight classics, or as Okerlund states the “best Cruiserweight matches of all time.” Man, that’s a bold statement to make Gene. I digress. WCW takes centre stage this week providing three of our four match offerings. The Cruiserweight title is still on display in the studio, albeit on a red cushion and not Okerlund’s shoulder. After hyping today’s Main Event, which includes a current WWE Hall of Famer, Okerlund takes us back to 1993 for our opener which prompts him to say “man that’s a long time, seems like it was just yesterday.” I know the feeling Gene. Let’s begin.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXII: January 13th 1993
2 Cold Scorpio vs Scotty Flamingo
Announcers are Jim Ross (announcing his last big show before defecting to WWF) and Jesse Ventura. The “unorthodox” Scorpio shows off his acrobatics as he hiptosses free from Flamingo’s arm work. Scorpio screws up a handspring backelbow then barely connects with a martial arts kick, but Flamingo still takes a spill to the floor. Scorpio teases a pescado, Flamingo turns away, then turns back into a Scorpio flying forearm from the apron. Back inside, Flamingo dropkicks Scorpio to the floor, then clears the top rope with a flying cross body. Ventura gloats that Scorpio is getting a taste of his own medicine. Flamingo suplexes, then keeps Scorpio grounded with a choke and chinlock. Scorpio escapes and mounts a comeback with a hiptoss, dropkick and slam. Scorpio nails a flying splash, changing direction in mid-air for a nearfall. Scorpio misses a stinger splash, allowing Flamingo back into the match with a rollup and clothesline. Scorpio floats over from an irish whip, lands a superkick, corkscrew legdrop out of the corner and finishes with a picture perfect 450 splash for the 1-2-3. Winner: 2 COLD SCORPIO. Good back and forth opener. There was no Light Heavyweight Title to feud over as it was on the shelf after Brad Armstrong vacated it some five months earlier due to injury. WCW Booker Bill Watts had promised a tournament, but never bothered to organise it. It was finally reborn in 1996 as the Cruiserweight Title. Scorpio would soon find himself part of a babyface tag team with Marcus (Buff) Bagwell. What about Raven?…I mean Flamingo, well he was jobbed out until he quit to become the smug, annoying Johnny Polo and Adam Bomb’s manager in the WWF four months later.

WCW Superbrawl VII: February 23rd 1997
Cruiserweight Title: Dean Malenko vs Syxx
Announcers for this match are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes and Bobby Heenan. Syxx is the former 1-2-3 Kid, representing the nWo as their sixth member. After previously stealing Eddie Guerrero’s U.S Title, Syxx had just done the same to Malenko, who was about a month into his reign. Add in Syxx insulting Malenko’s late father Boris, and an irate Malenko steams to the ring and wipes Syxx out with a leg lariat. Rather than get the pin, Malenko pulls Syxx up to deliver more punishment, by way of a brainbuster. Malenko runs into a boot, but quickly catches Syxx in a powerslam. Malenko grinds down Syxx in a chinlock. Syxx reverses an irish whip, misses a dive and hangs in a tree of woe position. Malenko dropkicks the knee and attempts the Texas Cloverleaf, but Syxx kicks him away. A Malenko cross body takes both to the floor. Malenko retrieves his title, hoisting it in the air. Malenko ducks a spin kick, and drops the title to quickly clothesline Syxx. Back inside, Syxx uses his good leg to connect with a spin kick to take us into a commercial break.

Despite limping a little, Syxx works over Malenko with kicks in the corner followed by a Bronco buster, snapmare and legdrop. Syxx utilises a couple of sleepers. Malenko runs Syxx into the corner to escape the first then gets out of a second hold with a back suplex. The announcers speculate on the state of Malenko’s surgically repaired neck, as Syxx works over it, including a forearm shot from the middle rope as Malenko is draped out on the apron. Syxx delivers a brainbuster and hits a top rope legdrop. Malenko backs Syxx into the corner to escape a third sleeper and quickly reverses. Both men collide. Syxx blindly heads up top, so Malenko crotches him. Syxx tries to counter a back superplex, but overshoots it a little so he doesn’t land on top of Malenko. Syxx grabs the Cruiserweight title. A babyface Eddie Guerrero runs out and a three way tug of war ensues – Guerrero and Syxx over the belt, with Malenko tugging Syxx back by the hair. As Malenko stops to question Eddie’s presence, Eddie releases his grip to hold his hands up in innocence. As the referee ducks his head out to question Eddie, Syxx takes advantage of having full use of the belt to wipe Malenko out, get rid of the smoking gun and pick up the win and the title. Afterwards, a remorseful Eddie holds his hands to his head in disbelief. Eddie and Dean would soon enter into a feud. Winner: SYXX.

WWF Judgment Day 1998: October 18th 1998
WWF Light Heavyweight Title
Taka Michinoku w/Yamaguchi San vs Christian w/Gangrel
This was Christian’s big stage debut after appearing in the crowd during “big brother” Edge’s matchups to throw him off. Christian was in his early Gothic phase aligned with Gangrel. Meanwhile, Taka, who was ten months into his reign, had joined goofy heel stable Kaientai, and booked as a comedy character after the Light Heavyweight Division had somewhat stuttered. Here’s the opportunity to have a great match, but the crowd have no reason to care and no clear guy to root for. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are announcing and Ross says right from the get-go that he “doesn’t understand” the gothic lifestyle. Taka floats over an early irish whip. Christian avoids a second and attempts a german suplex, but Taka lands on his feet. Taka stuns Christian with a spin kick, clotheslines him to the floor and lands a springboard top rope dive. Edge is seen in the bleachers, watching over his “little brother.” Taka drives knees into Christian’s head as he tries to get back in. Christian charges into a reverse kick, comes back with a reverse DDT, dropkick, then holds on to deliver a couple of snap suplexes and a front faceplant suplex. Edge continues to watch from afar as Christian holds the momentum with a chinlock. Taka elbows free, Christian avoids a dive and Taka sails over the top to the floor. Christian leaps from the second rope on top of Taka. Ross calls Christian out for his “emotionless” state.

After commercials, Christian stays in control after a powerbomb, slam and choke on the mat. Ross says he’s surprised the rest of Kaientai aren’t at ringside. Lawler summises they mustn’t have much regard for newcomer Christian and see him as a small step for Taka. Christian misses a top rope splash. Taka sends Christian outside with a dropkick before meeting him with a baseball slide through the ropes. Taka connects with an Asai moonsault before flipping off some fans. Back inside, Taka delivers chops in the corner. Christian tosses him out, but Taka hoists himself back up and yanks Christian down by the hair. Christian rolls through from a top rope cross body for a nearfall. Taka counters a slam with a rollup off the ropes for his own nearfall. Christian tries to do the same, but Taka holds onto the ropes and scores with a low dropkick. Taka irish whips Christian a couple of times until Christian counters with a side Russian legsweep. Taka reverses a powerbomb attempt into a tornado DDT, then wastes too much time in signalling for the end. As Taka goes for the Michinoku Driver, Christian rolls him up tighter than a sushi roll, hooking the leg for the 1-2-3. Taka protests, Edge just looks on, and Christian simply leaves with Gangrel as Ross calls it a “big upset” due to Christian having no proven track record/history. Winner: CHRISTIAN. Good match, with Taka entering an impressive performance, but unfortunately bereft of crowd heat.

WCW Halloween Havoc: October 25th 1992
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs Flyin’ Brian Pillman
Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura are announcing today’s Main Event. Pillman had recently turned his back on the fans looking to prove himself. Both exchange chops to start. Steamboat tries to pick up the quick win after a couple of tackles. Pillman tosses Steamboat, who skins the cat back in and gets a rollup. Pillman kicks out, sending Steamboat face first to the corner in the process. Pillman slams, however, Steamboat is playing possum as he drop toeholds Pillman and applies an armbar. Steamboat tackles, reverses a hiptoss and stays on the arm. Pillman uses his own drop toehold to try a side headlock, but his grip isn’t strong enough, and Steamboat easily reverses into a hammerlock. Pillman attempts forearms, Steamboat sends him into a backbodydrop and slam. Pillman drives his head into Steamboat’s gut, rakes the face and throws him down, as Ventura praises him for reaching into his “bag of tricks.” The crowd chant “Brian sucks.” Pillman’s momentum doesn’t last long as Steamboat leapfrogs over a backbodydrop attempt to give Pillman a tree slam. Thinking on his feet, Pillman thwarts Steamboat’s attempts to send him off the ropes by continually falling to his knees. Pillman sucker punches Steamboat and laughs as we go into our final break.

Pillman utilises a headscissors takedown. Steamboat reverses a hiptoss into a backslide. Pillman uses the hair to take Steamboat down, before blatantly choking him. Steamboat blocks a superplex attempt by throwing Pillman to the mat. Pillman meets Steamboat in mid-flight with a dropkick. Pillman goes for repeated covers, but Steamboat stays alive. Steamboat takes advantage of Pillman arguing with the referee to deliver a back suplex. Pillman leaps onto Steamboat’s back to apply a sleeper. Steamboat runs Pillman into two corners to escape. Pillman steps out to snap Steamboat’s neck across the top rope. Steamboat recovers quickly to catch Pillman going up top and throws him off. Shades of Ric Flair there. Pillman begs off and rolls to the outside to stop a fired-up Steamboat, but Steamboat gives chase and is ambushed back inside by a waiting Pillman. Steamboat wins a chop exchange, prompting Pillman to retreat outside once more. Notorious WWF superfan Vladimir can be seen taunting both from the front row wearing a WBF t-shirt. This is ironic and funny in so many ways. Steamboat looks to have made the same mistake twice by going after Pillman, but this time, Steamboat trips Pillman as he gets back inside. Steamboat sends Pillman to the corner, charges into a knee and Pillman lands a cross body from the second rope. Steamboat counters a slam with a backbreaker then comes off the top rope with a sunset flip. Pillman counters with his own rollup, but Steamboat flips him back over and picks up the 1-2-3. Winner: RICKY “THE DRAGON” STEAMBOAT. This was a really enjoyable match.

Okerlund puts over Steamboat’s “crafty veteran move,” comparing it to his match with Randy Savage at WrestleMania III before wrapping things up. The Cruiserweight collection continues next week. Shaun.

Comments/praise/feedback/criticism/discussion points please direct to [email protected].