Vintage Collection Chris Cooley Presents The WWE Vintage Collection: Ep 59: Lita Leads Essa Rios Into Battle Against The Hardys, Blue Blazer vs. Ted DiBiase, Dean Malenko in a Mask, and More
By Chris Cooley
Aug 8, 2009 - 4:08 PM
This is Catch-Up Week Two of the Vintage Collection, or Episode #59, depending on which way you look at these things.
MATCH #1: WWF LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Essa Rios (c) w/Lita vs Jeff Hardy w/Matt Hardy
DATE OF MATCH: March 2, 2000
Hardy nailed Rios with a clothesline off the ropes, then hit a crossbody splash on to Essa. Rios missed with a baseball slide
onto Jeff in the corner, and Hardy then missed with a dive to the outside, crashing into the barricades. Rios then hits running somersault plancha dive over the top turnbuckle and ringpost, on to Hardy outside the ring. Back inside, Rios caught Hardy with a missile dropkick from the top rope, then gave Jeff a top rope Hurrancanrana to the outside. Lita then jumped off the ring apron and gave Hardy a Hurracanrana too, replicating Rios' move. Back in the ring, Rios missed a dive on to Jeff, and Lita distracted the referee. Matt Hardy jumped into the ring and gave Rios the Twist of Fate behind the referee's back. Jeff then gave Rios a swanton bomb, but Lita immediately responded by moonsaulting on to Jeff, causing the disqualification. After the match, the Hardys left, and Essa and Lita argued in the ring. Rios said something in Spanish that Lita didn't like, and she responded by slapping him and left the ring without him.
YOUR WINNER BY DISQUALIFICATION: Jeff Hardy
COMMERCIAL: This can be found in the TNA News thread in the forums, but I just had to post it here.
MATCH #2: WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Juventud Guerrera (c) vs Billy Kidman DATE OF MATCH: September 14, 1998
Before the match started, they detailed that earlier that night, Kidman had split from Raven's Flock and turned babyface.
Raven appeared in the crowd and cut a promo on Kidman, imploring him to rejoin the Flock. Perry Saturn, in the ring and acting as Kidman's babyface mentor, told him not to, and to win the match and title to prove he didn't need
Raven or the Flock to be a success. Kidman walks away from Raven.
FUN TRUE FACT: This was the same night, that Ric Flair famously returned.
The match started at a fast pace, with Guerrera taking down Kidman with a spinning headscissors, then catching him with a flying bodypress off the ropes and knocking both Billy and himself over the ropes and to the outside. Back in the ring, Kidman nailed Juvi with a dropkick, then a springboard legdrop off the top rope. He scored a nearfall after a powerbomb, then hit a German suplex. The future Mexicool then gave Kidman a reverse German suplex of his own, plus a top rope Frankensteiner that had Kidman rocking. Juvi Juice attempted the Juve-Driver, but Kidman blocked it and gave him a reverse suplex. After another Frankensteiner, Guerrera then missed a top rope splash. The future Filthy Animal then seized the moment, giving Juventud a powerbomb, before hitting his finisher, the Seven Year Itch (Shooting Star Press) for the pinfall, to win the match and title. After the match, Perry Saturn came out and led the applause for Kidman, saluting the new champion.
YOUR WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: Billy Kidman
COMMERCIAL:
MATCH #3: Million Dollar Champion 'Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase w/Virgil vs The Blue Blazer DATE OF MATCH: March 11, 1989
FUN UNTRUE FACT: The Blue Blazer was not Bret 'Hitman' Hart in disguse. It was his dear brother, Owen.
Blazer came running to the ring, and executed a back flip off the top rope, only to walk into a standing clothesline from DiBiase. The Million Dollar Man gave him a spinning back elbow off the ropes, slammed him, and dropped four standing elbow drops on to him. Blue Blazer small-packaged him for a nea rfall out of nowhere, and tried a backslide, but normal service was resumed when Ted Sr. clotheslined him coming off the ropes. DiBiase gave him a double axe handle blow from the middle turnbuckle, and followed it up with a standing suplex. Million Dollar Man became cocky, and gave Blazer a back bodydrop, but Blue landed on his feet and gave DiBiase a running clothesline, knocking him to the outside. Blazer then hit a great running top on to DiBiase through the middle ropes. He gave the Million Dollar Champion an atomic drop into the ring steps, then threw him back into the ring. Blazer scored another near fall with a flying crossbody block from the top rope,and gave DiBiase a series of backbody drops and dropkicks, as DiBiase begged off and Ventura on commentary sold that DiBiase was in serious trouble. Then, out of nowhere, DiBiase caught Blazer coming off the ropes and bodyslammed him, pinning himto win the match.
YOUR WINNER: TED DIBIASE
COMMERCIAL:
MATCH#4: 15-MAN BATTLE ROYAL NUMBER #1 CONTENDER FOR THE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP DATE OF MATCH: May 17, 1998
FUN TRUE FACT: This match took place at the 1998 Slamboree Pay-Per-View
The competitors are: Ciclope, Super Calo, Chavo Guerrero Jr, Damien, El Dandy, El Grio, Billy Kidman, Juventud Guerrera,
Marty Jannetty, Evan Karagias, Lenny Lane, Psicosis, Silver King, Johnny Swinger and Villano IV
Before the match, WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Chris Jericho stood by the ring entrance and over the mic,
provided the ring introductions for each of the Battle Royal participants.
Amongst the highlights of what he said were:
Super Calo (His hat never comes off, he has a 1 in 10 chance of winning this match),
Chavo Guerrero Jr (Used to be a great bartender, but it hasnt transitioned over to his wrestling skills. has a 2 in 10 chance of winning),
Ciclope (A rags to riches story),
Damien (Can't afford a mask so he's wearing paint, but sooner or later, he will buy a mask),
El Dandy (The winner of the Lou Ferrigno lookalike contest),
El Grio (The world welter light featherweight peso champion),
Billy Kidman (A lost and lonely soul; you can have some of my camomile lotion later if you want),
Juventud Guerrera (The ugliest man in our sport today),
Marty Jannetty(Will rock rock until he drops),
Evan Karagias (True shooter of WCW with zero chance of winning this match),
Lenny Lane (I want my Loverboy tapes back, Lenny),
Psicosis (Has lots of hubcaps in his collection),
Silver King (If he wins 12 more matches, he will upgraded to Golden King),
Johnny Swinger (Johnny Singer? Never heard of this guy) and
Villano IV (Representing Villanos 1 thru 62).
Jericho then added he was heading to the back to have a coffee.
As for the match, it was a standard battle royal. Solid, if unspectacular. Lenny Lane attempted a top rope splash, but was
knocked off the turnbuckles and eliminated. Damien tried to walk the top rope and was also eliminated. Final four were
Ciclope, Psicosis, Billy Kidman and Juventud Guerrera. Ciclope eliminated Psicosis and Guerrera eliminated Kidman.
Ciclope and Juventud stared at each other, before Juventud shook Ciclope's hand and jumped over the top rope,
eliminating himself and giving the match to Ciclope. Ciclope then unmasked, revealing himself to be
SuicideKazKaneChris Jericho Dean Malenko!!!!
YOUR WINNER: Dean Malenko (disguised as Ciclope)
COMMERCIAL: The following commercial proves you don't need skill and ability to become a WWE Champion.
MAIN EVENT: WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Chris Jericho (c) vs Dean Malenko DATE OF MATCH: May 17, 1998
This match took place immediately after the above Battle Royal match. Okerlund sets up the match, explaining how Jericho
had insulted Malenko's father months earlier, and after a defeat to Jericho, Malenko hadn't been seen in WCW for a couple
of months and was presumed to be retired.
Malenko was extremely fired up and jumped on Jericho, putting the boots to him, pounding him, throwing him out of the ring and then nailing him with a plancha dive over the top rope. The Iceman threw Jericho into the guardrail, before heading back to the ring. Malenko unloaded with punches on the future Y2J, as the crowd chanted 'Jericho Sucks' loudly.
Jericho gives the man of 1,000 holds a standing suplex, before hitting a Lionsault off the ropes for a near fall. The Champ gave him a double underhook suplex into a backbreaker, and also nailed him with a flying back elbow. Chris sat the Iceman on the top turnbuckle and attempted a Hurrancanrana, but Malenko blocked the attempt. Instead, Malenko placed 'Lionheart' on his back and gave him a gut buster off the top rope. Dean then placed Jericho in the Texas Cloverleaf, and after a brief struggle, Jericho tapped out, giving Malenko the win and title.
YOUR WINNER AND NEW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION: Dean Malenko