Chris Cooley Presents The WWE Vintage Collection: The Rock(y Maivia) vs. Davey Boy Smith, The Macho Man vs. The Boy Toy, Y2J vs. The Game, and More

Chris Cooley Presents The WWE Vintage Collection: The Rock(y Maivia) vs. Davey Boy Smith, The Macho Man vs. The Boy Toy, Y2J vs. The Game, and More

Before we begin, I have to apologize for the lack of Vintage Collection recaps in recent times. Work has been tiring and hectic (22 days straight and counting), plus, it completely slipped my mind that I was recapping the show. Now things are back to normal, I bring you updated with Episodes 88 and 89.

Episode 88 looked at various generations of families, whom competed inside the squared circle, whereas Episode 89, looked at couples in the wrestling business, in a special Valentine’s Day edition.

Episode#88

MATCH#1: Jerry Lawler and ‘Too Sexy’ Brian Christopher vs. Ivan & Scott Putski
DATE OF MATCH: July 14, 1997

Ivan gets the tag, and dominates the King, and while Scott and Brian brawl on the outside, the elder Putski nails the King with the Polish Hammer, and gets the win.

To be honest, I don’t remember much of Scott Putski in the WWF, but further research shows that Putski wrestled Goldberg in WCW for the World Heavyweight Championship. A match, which Bill won in under a minute.

Jerry Lawler is the colour announcer for Monday Night RAW, Brian Christopher last wrestled in the Hulkamania Tour, teaming with Rikishi to defeat Orlando Jordan and Umaga, and Ivan Putski recently had an interview with JG over at ClubWWI.com

MATCH#2: ‘Cowboy’ Bob Orton vs. ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper
DATE OF MATCH: November 15, 1986

A video package played before this match, about Bob Orton, and his son Randy, complete with photos of a young Cowboy Bob.

Interference from Don Muraco couldn’t stop Piper. Jimmy Hart couldn’t stop the Hotrod. Infact, nothing could stop the Rowdy One from getting the victory in this one. Piper and Orton started feuding, because of Piper coming back to reclaim his talk-show segment from Adrian Adonis, whom Orton was then bodyguarding for at the time.

Bob would end up forming a tag team with Don Muraco, which included a loss to the Can-Am Connection at WrestleMania III. However, the team lasted for only a few months after this match.

MATCH#3: Hardcore Holly vs. Randy Orton
DATE OF MATCH: April 25, 2002

This match was the first match, in the continuing career of Randy Orton. Sadly, it was also the first match for Orton in the WWF at the time, with that ridiculous mop-like hairdo. I wonder if Randall lets his hair grow, does it turn out all boofy like his dads? Maybe thats why he has it shaved and pretty much bald these days.

As we find out later on down the track, Bob Holly loves to blood the rookies, but it was the future Legend Killer who managed to get his first victory on SmackDown!, as well as the WWF. Later in the year, Orton would be traded to RAW, in which he defeated Stevie Richards in his first match for the brand.

A video package shows the family history of The Rock, before the next match.

MATCH#4: Rocky Maivia vs. British Bulldog
DATE OF MATCH: January 13, 1997

Bret Hart is the guest commentator, but it doesn’t take long for his dear brother Owen, to make his way to ringside, to stare down the Hitman.

Maivia sends Bulldog to the outside, which triggers calamity, but not from those involved in the matchup. From nowhere, Steve Austin comes down, and takes out Bulldog, which leads to Bret chasing Austin out of the ringside area, and Owen Hart following suit. Rocky is able to crawl into the ring at a nine count, and get the countout victory.

Rocky Maivia, changed his name to the Rock, joined the Nation Of Domination, and the rest as they say, is history.

British Bulldog became the first holder of the European Championship, and also won the Hardcore Championship, before contesting for the WWF Championship as part of the six-pack challenge at Unforgiven 1998. Unfortunately, Davey Boy Smith passed away on May 18, 2002, after a heart attack.

MAIN EVENT: WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Texas Tornado (c) vs. Mr. Perfect w/Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan
DATE OF MATCH: December 15, 1990

This match took place, after the events of SummerSlam earlier in the year, in which the Texas Tornado won the Intercontinental Championship from Mr. Perfect.

Before this match however, we see Ted DiBiase pay off Howard Finkel, to become the ring announcer for this title match.

The referee gets knocked down, and the Champ hits the Tornado Punch, but the pinfall attempt doesn’t work, due to there being no referee. This allows DiBiase to enter the ring and nail Tornado with the belt, and Heenan manages to wake Perfect, so he can hit the Perfect Plex, and regain the Championship.

Unfortunately, both the Texas Tornado (Kerry Von Erich) and Mr. Perfect (Curt Hennig) have passed on, but have both been recognized by the WWE for their contributions to wrestling, by inducting them both into the Hall Of Fame. Von Erich in 2009, as part of the Von Erich family, and Hennig in 2007.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kfhd8-swEY

Episode#89

The edition aired on Valentine’s Day.

We begin with Brother Love interviewing Ultimate Warrior, about his retirement match with Macho King Randy Savage, at WrestleMania VII. Brother Love tries to stir trouble by not believing that the Ultimate one can end careers. This angers the Warrior, who trashes Brother Love’s set, then lays a beat down on Brother Love in the ring, ending with Love being stretched out of the arena.

Okerlund talks about the relationship between Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, before our first match.

MATCH#1: WWF CHAMPIONSHIP
‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage w/Miss Elizabeth vs. Shawn Michaels w/Sensational Sherri
DATE OF MATCH: April 19, 1992

This match can be seen on Macho Madness: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection and it occurred in the UK. I believe this is Shawn Michaels’ first of many WWF Championship matches.

Sherri confronts Elizabeth, so Savage sends his wife to the back. Sherri Martel gets involved in the match, after a ref bump and a Macho Man elbow, but Savage scares her out of the ring. The Sensational One stands on the apron, only for Elizabeth to come running back, and push her into the ring. Sherri tries for a third time to get involved, only for Miss Elizabeth to pull her off the apron. Meanwhile, Savage nails a cross body on Shawn, and gets the three.

Post-match, Michaels and Martel try to attack the Macho Man, but it backfires, as she hits her own man.

A segment is shown from the June 29th 1996 edition of WWF Superstars, in which Sunny pretends to like Phineas Godwin, in order to orchestrate a beatdown by the Smokin’ Gunns, but it backfires, as Henry Godwin, and Hillbilly Jim scare off the Gunns, then tip the slop bucket over Sunny.

MATCH#2: WCW TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Johnny B.Badd (c) vs. Diamond Dallas Page
DATE OF MATCH: November 26, 1996

DDP’s Diamond Doll is also on the line in this match, meaning, if Badd wins, then the Diamond Doll is released from her managerial contract from DDP, and become property of Johnny B. Badd.

DDP was wearing some of the weirdest tights I have ever seen someone wear. They were a pastel blue, with a bit of black, and what looked like green diamonds in the black. It's very different from the dark tights he would wear during his more successful times.

Johnny B. Badd won the match with a Springboard Leg Drop from the apron, and saved the Diamond Doll from the clutches of the evil Dallas Page.

Diamond Dallas Page went on to become a three-time WCW Champion. Johnny B. Badd became 'Marvelous' Marc Mero in the WWF, and married Sable.

A video, recapping of that glorious wedding of Stephanie McMahon and Andrew ‘Test’ Martin, which turned into a Shotgun Vegas Wedding between Stephanie and Triple H shows. This led to the beginning of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction in early 2000.

Did you know, if you add Stephanie’s wedding to the Undertaker earlier in the year, she had three weddings in 1999?

MAIN EVENT: WWF CHAMPIONSHIP
Triple H (c) w/Stephanie and Shane McMahon vs. Chris Jericho w/APA (Faarooq/Bradshaw)
DATE OF MATCH: April 17, 2000

This match would be an impromptu match, set up by Jericho, in which he baited Triple H into a title match, then revealing that he hired the Acolytes Protection Agency to watch his back, so that the McMahons could not interfere.

This match would be known as the match that never happened, because of a fast count by Referee Earl Hebner, screwing Triple H out of the Championship. Hebner and Helmsley were having a mini-feud of their own, and it broke down at the end of this match. Hunter and the McMahons would demand that the match be written out of the record books. Earl agreed, if he was not touched by either one of them whilst he was a WWF Referee. Triple h then proceeded to fire him, and give him a Pedigree for good measure.

That’s it from me and the Vintage Collection this time. Stay tuned for the next editions, as we begin our WrestleMania Road Trip.