This Week In WWE Vintage Collection History: Cor Blimey, Love A Duck, Guv...
By Aaron Wood Jul 1, 2012 - 7:36 AM
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COLLECTION #213 We
find Mean Gene at the UN as he opens the show. Oh no, wait, it's
just the same studio, but his desk is covered by little flags of the
world. Gene says that every four years, nations from all over the
world gather for the Olympics, and in honour of the Olympiad, they
will be presenting an "eight-pack" (so I guess episodes of
this) of shows showcasing Sports Entertainment's international stars.
Kicking things off, we'd be taking a look at the "Team GB"
of Great Britain, and starting with Northern Ireland's Fit Finlay, as
he took on Psychosis on an episode of WCW Thunder dated June 4th 1998
from Peoria, Illinois, defending his TV Title.
The
announcers for this were Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Lee Marshall.
Psychosis got the upperhand with some lucha, but Finlay just put
Psychosis on his ass, before dropping him on the top rope for an
early 2 count. he took control, and set Psychosis up on the apron
before grabbing a chair, although Schiavone noted he wouldn't retain
his title. And indeed, the ref got him to give it up as the
announcers talked about Finlay defending the title a number of times
a week and how he was an "open walking contract". Finlay
hit the rolling senton and hit the Tombstone piledriver for the win.
This was pretty much a squash, oddly enough, for a match for the TV
Title and with Psychosis in it.
We
came back from break to see a clip from the WCW Saturday Night
episode that aired on March 18th 1995, as Lord Steven Regal was
fighting it out with Beautiful Bobby Eaton in the ring. Eaton was
kicking Regal's ass. He hit the neckbreaker and went up for the
Alabama Jam, but Regal managed to roll out the ring. He went to the
interview area and told Mean Gene that he had a wonderful idea. He
suggested they became partners. He pitched his sell, seemingly
apologising for something he has said earlier, suggesting they go off
and talk business.
We
then cut to a skit on the following week's show where Regal was
awaiting outside some grand looking establishment, seemingly in
England, waiting on Eaton's arrival, who showed up late wearing a
terrible grey suit and white socks with black shoes (I mean, come
on!) regal said he looked like a reject from Saturday Night Fever.
We went inside and suddenly, Regal was wearing glasses. They then
did some comedy where Regal was trying to make Eaton sophisticated,
but was ultimately going to fail on this occasion.
However,
Regal would eventually get class into Eaton as we cut to the 1995
Great American Bash PPV and the now-named Blue Bloods where Regal and
the newly-entitled "Earl" Robert Eaton, took on The Nasty
Boys for the WCW Tag Team Titles.
After
the break, we took a look at another tag team, albeit an entirely
British one this time, The British Bulldogs. Gene noted they were
bill from Leeds, England (which they were despite both bring from
Lancashire, not Yorkshire) and had memorably won the WWE Tag Team
Titles at Wrestlemania 2. However, Before they got that shot, they
had to work their way up the ranks against the other formidable
teams, such as this match, which was taped on October 21st 1985 in
MSG, but aired on Prime Time on November 5th 1985, against The Iron
Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff.
We
took it back to WCW for our next match, and indeed the WCW Saturday
Night episode of January 17th 1998, and a "Battle Of Britain"
as Squire Dave Taylor took on Gentleman Chris Adams. The announcers
here were Schiavone and Dusty Rhodes. We joined things in progress
with Taylor in control, but Adams came back, putting on a side
headlock, only to get taken over with a back suplex, with Taylor
putting on a chinlock. Adams got out of that and put on the Cross
Armbreaker, for all intents and purposes, but Taylor managed to roll
it over and get the break. After an exchange, Taylor hit a suplex,
but Adams countered an arm hold, but tripping Taylor. Adams avoided
a charge and hti a back suplex. Adams then hit the superkick out of
nowhere for the win.
It
was main event time next and indeed, not just a battle of 2
Englishmen, but two from right in the North West as Manchester's
British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, challenged for the WCW TV Title
against it's holder, Blackpool's Lord Steven Regal at the 1993
Halloween Havoc event.
Gene
said that not only do you have to beat your opponent, but you have to
beat the clock as well, as Regal escaped still the TV champion,
although the show was also out of time. Mean Gene said we'd be
continuing this International series, although he didn't clue us in
as to which nation we'd be jetting to next.
Epilogue For
this series of episodes, I shall be concentrating on those people
being focused on, rather than literally everyone. Finlay would hold
the TV Title for 10 more days after the match that was on this show,
as he lost it to Booker T at the 1998 Great American Bash, Finlay
having been in a three way feud with Booker & Chris Benoit.
After losing he moved form the TV Title scene into a feud with
newcomer Alex Wright, based on the idea that Finlay had ended the
career of Alex's father Steven Wright. This feud ended at Halloween
Havoc when Wright pinned Finlay.
There
was a very valid reason why The Blue Bloods failed to beat The nasty
Boys for the Tag Team Titles. Harlem Heat had already won them...
It just hasn't aired yet! In fact, the title situation was so
entirely convoluted, it would make your head explode. You see, The
Nasty Boys had a Tag Title reign of NEGATIVE 18 DAYS. Harlem Heat
defeated The Nasty Boys for the titles BEFORE the Nasties had won
them from Harlem Heat in the first place!
The
Nasty Boys beat Harlem Heat at Slamboree on May 21st for the titles,
but they had filmed the switch back on May 3rd, although it didn't
air until June 24th. Anyway, once Harlem Heat had won them, the Blue
Bloods entered into a three-way feud with Harlem Heat and the team of
Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater for the belts, but the Blue Bloods,
even after Dave Taylor joined (and Eaton would eventually be booted
out) would never win the Titles in any incarnation. That despite the
fact that Regal and Taylor would continue to be partners until
Regal's release and move to WWE in 2000.
As
Okerlund noted, The Bulldogs would started a feud with "The
Dream Team" of Brutus Beefcake and Greg "The Hammer"
Valentine over the Tag Titles, winning them at Wrestlemania 2 with
Ozzy Osbourne in their corner. The continued to feud with The Dream
Team for some time afterwards, before feuding properly with Sheik and
Volkoff.
Chris
Adams would feud with Glacier about the superkick, but since Adams
and Regal legit disliked each other, that was as far as Adams went in
WCW (as he was brought in to be another Blue Blood), used as a jobber
until his release in 1999. We returned to Texas to promote and
compete in the NWA Southwest promotion.
Bulldog
wouldn't be long for WCW as Smith found himself fired just about a
month after the match featured here after he got into legal trouble
following a bar fight, making one last PPV appearance at the
Battlebowl event in November. This despite being pencilled in for a
feud with Rick Ruder over the "International" Title. He
would later return to the WWE in the summer of 1994.
Lord
Regal would take on all comers, successfully defending the TV Title,
or at least taking his challengers to a draw, until May 1994 when
Larry Zbyszko beat him for it. Regal would win it back a month
later, but then in Sept. 94, Johnny B. Badd defeated Regal for the
title. Regal wouldn't win it back for some time, his next major move
being the formation of the Blue Bloods.
