Chris Cooley Presents The WWE Vintage Collection: Ep 58: The Liger-Pillman Classic, Chavo vs. Sugacane Helms, and Bret Hart Has An Eerie Moment of Foreshadowing
By Chris Cooley
Aug 2, 2009 - 10:20 AM
It's good to be back. Sorry about not being able to provide you with your weekly fix of Vintage Collection, but it's been a rather frustrating couple of weeks, and now it's time to play catch up.
This is the first part of the catch-up episodes that have been missed during my time away.
MATCH#1: WCW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Jushin 'Thunder' Liger (c) vs Flyin' Brian DATE OF MATCH: February 29, 1992
FUN UNTRUE FACT: This title was only defended on February 29th every year.
They exchange wristlocks to start, and after a battle to see who'll get the early momentum, it's Brian who wins out, working on the arm of Liger.
Jushin makes the ropes, but then runs into a headscissors takedown out of the corner and a dropkick puts Thunder on the floor.
Baseball slide from Pillman puts Liger up against the guardrail, before Flyin' Brian heads up top, but Jushin gets out of the way. Back in, Liger takes Pillman to the mat for a legbar.
Flyin' Brian fights out and whips Liger into the corner, but then Liger catches himself and nails the Hollywood Blonde with a moonsault press for a 2 count. A Dropkick puts Pillman on the floor.
Liger’s on the move, but he fakes Pillman out with a handspring off the ropes! The Loose Cannon comes back in to try and stretch the Champ out with an ab stretch on the mat.
Brian then transitions over into a headscissors. Liger turns it over to escape and goes for the Surfboard, but Pillman knows its coming and scurries over to the ropes.
The man with the horned mask brings his opponent to the center of the ring and tries it again, but the challenger for the Gold manages to escape once more.
Liger delivers some shoulderblocks in the corner and follows Pillman in with a running dropkick, but then the first WCW Light HeavyWeight Champion comes back with a crucifix for a 2.
Liger gets a rollup for a near-fall, then he grabs a headlock, so Pillman counters it with a back suplex. Cover, and a 2.
Brian whips Thunder in the corner and charges knee-first, but Jushin moves out of the way! Liger channels the spirit of Ric Flair and delivers a shin breaker and follows it up with a Figure-Four Leglock.
They exchange a ton of slaps to the face while still in the hold and then Pillman goes for the reversal, but they’re in the ropes so it's broken up. Liger stays on the knee though and hooks on a half-crab,
but the Hollywood Blonde then fights up and nails Liger with an enziguri!
Flyin' Brian charges at the Champ and snaps off a headscissors takedown. Pillman charges again at Liger up against the ropes and takes a backdrop out to the floor. The Champ seizes the moment and heads up top for a somersault senton on the floor!
Liger looks to suplex Pillman back in the ring. They fight over it, but then Jushin gives up and tries a turnbuckle smash instead. Brian blocks that and fires back in the ring and connects with Air Pillman!
He takes a few seconds to gloat and doesn’t go for the cover. Instead, he brings Liger out to the floor with a suplex from the apron!
Brian then comes off the top with a crossbody block! He places Liger up against the guardrail and dives off the apron, but Liger moves out of the way and Pillman hits the steel chin-first!
Back in, Liger tries something off the top, but the Loose Cannon catches him on the way down with a dropkick.
Pillman tries a missile dropkick, but Liger catches him on the way down with a dropkick! Now they both try for a spinning heel kick, but both miss, naturally. Thunder chops back, but then runs into a powerslam for another two count.
Flyin' Brian wants a German suplex, but Jushin blocks that and turns it around into a German suplex of his own for a near fall. Liger wants a superplex, but Pillman shoves him off and hits him with a flying crossbody block for another near fall.
The Hollywood Blonde whips Liger into the ropes, but ducks his head too soon and gets nailed with a powerbomb for a long two.
Liger tries for another powerbomb, but Pillman blocks it with a Hurracanrana into a rollup for another near fall.
Now the Champ makes the same mistake that Flyin Brian' did by telegraphing a backdrop, and pays for it with a DDT. Cover, 1 ... 2 ... NO!
Both go for crossbody blocks, but they end up cracking heads together. Pillman climbs up top, but Liger is there to stop him and get that superplex he wanted earlier.
Cover, 1-2-NO! Liger goes for the kill with a flying headbutt, but Pillman avoids that and cradles Liger up for 3!!
YOUR WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: FLYIN' BRIAN
COMMERCIAL:
MATCH#2: WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Chavo Guerrero Jr. (c) vs 'Sugar' Shane Helms DATE OF MATCH: January 14, 2001
This match took place at WCW Sin. WCW's 3rd last PPV. EVER!
# Lock up with a series of reversals.
# Helms with an armbar but Chavo gets under the ropes.
# More mat wrestling from the two cruiserweights and Guerrero has to get under the ropes again to break another hold.
# The former Lt. Loco with a low kick and a couple of nice looking chops on the future Hurricane.
# Shane with a headscissors takeover.
# 'Sugar' gets Chavo in a fireman's carry, spins him around like he is gonna give him a Diamond Cutter-esque move, but introduces Chavo's face on his knee instead.
# Chavo clotheslines Helms over the rope and outside Helms counter by whipping Chavo into the rail.
# Back in the ring, an Irish whip and Sugar rolls the Champ up for a 2 count.
# Helms blows another roll up spot but still gets a 2 count.
# Chavo reverses a piledriver attempt into a powerbomb.
# Guerrero hits the standard "Knee to the groin" and only gets a one count, he throws Helms over the top rope.
FUN TRUE FACT: 'Sugar' Shane Helms' red dot is still missing.
# Chavo wastes some time, rolls him back into the ring and gets a 2 count.
# Loco with a good looking dropkick and another 2 count.
# Guerrero applies a rest hold, only for Helms to fight his way out and hits an atomic drop followed by a reverse neckbreaker. The ref starts to count down both men.
# Helms manages to get a cover, but Chavo kicks out! Sugar then gets a German suplex into a bridge and gets another 2 count.
# One-half of 3 count with a superkick but the Champion gets his foot on the ropes at 2.
# Guerrero dumps Shane over the top rope from the corner and goes up top and kinda jumps down on him.
# Back in the ring Chavo gets a 2 count and he begins to get angry.
# Hurricane hip tosses Chavo Jr. over the top rope and goes up top to connect with a cross body.
# Sugar gets a near fall, then connects with a Samoan Drop, and gets another two.
# Helms calls for the Vertabreaker but Chavo counters. Guerrero receives Nightmare on Helms Street for his troubles.
# Chavo Jr. somehow kicks out at two and takes Helms to the corner to try for a Tornado DDT.
# Shane blocks the DDT attempt, but Chavo counters the block and connects the BrainBuster to retain the gold.
YOUR WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: Chavo Guerrero Jr.
COMMERCIAL:
MAIN EVENT: WWF CHAMPIONSHIP
Bret 'Hitman' Hart (c) vs 1-2-3 Kid DATE OF MATCH: July 11, 1994
Owen and Anvil are at ringside, to make sure that Owen's dear brother Bret doesn't win, but referees soon send the King of Harts and the Anvil away from ringside.
Kid gets an early armdrag in, and the Hitman seems impressed with his opponent early on. Bret tries to use the small size advantage he has by bodyslamming his opponent out an armbar attempt, but Kid kips up.
1-2-3 switches to a hammerlock, which the Champion attempts to snapmare him out of, but Kid keeps the hold locked in. Hart eventually elbows him coming off the ropes, and puts him in a chinlock.
Back from a Vintage Collection commercial and 1-2-3=-4 is in control, with Syxx Pac keeping the move on no matter what reversal Bret tries, with a knee to the gut off the ropes finally breaking up Pac's hold.
Hitman stays on Kid's stomach and upper body, eventually moving to his head. He does this by kicking Kid in the stomach and legdropping him.
The pace is slower at this point because Bret needs it to be that way to neutralize the speed advantage his opponent has.
A series of European uppercuts in the corner do the job, as the momentum swings to the Champion.
Bret has him where he wants him, with a swinging neckbreaker getting a good nearfall, and a drop down off of a sunset flip getting an even better nearfall.
Kid tries to come back again, but the Hitman blocks his crucifix attempt and covers him for the 3!!
YOUR WINNER AND STILL WWF CHA...
Wait just a dang minute ... Kid's feet were on the ropes. EARL SCREWED WALTMAN!! EARL SCREWED WALTMAN!! Actually, that's a lie. Timmy White and Bret being the good samaratians they are, tells Earl Hebner, who wasnt watching for some strange reason,
that the feet were on the ropes, and gets the match restarted.
Maybe he was thinking of what t-shirts to sell out of the trunk of his car, rather than doing the job he was paid to do. Oh Bret, just think, in 2 years and 4 months time, you won't be so friendly to Mr. Hebner.
When the match is restarted, Minus 4 Four sneaks in a quick rollup on a distracted Champion and almost gets the victory. Bret regains control and works a chinlock tenaciously. The crowd rally behind Kid's comeback as he reverses
Hitman's hiptoss attempt with a backslide, but Hart immediately cuts him off again, dropping an elbow on his head.
He toys with the future amateur porn star briefly as the crowd is now in full support of the challenger, chanting "1-2-3! 1-2-3!". Bret continues his assault on Waltman's head by dropping a DDT,
but Kid breaks up the five moves of doom by kicking Bret squarely in the face when Bret tries his middle rope elbow. X-Pac's educated feet drive his comeback, as he neutralized Bret with a series of great kicks from all angles.
His flying crossbody gets an amazing false finish, and after Bret kicks out of a top rope legdrop, he clotheslines his larger opponent out of the ring.
Kid now feels as big as anyone in the company. (NOTE: Of course he feels as big as anyone in the company. The Kliq may haved split up, but it's not like his buddies, Helmsley and Michaels have gone). Bret attempts to
block a somersault plancha, but he isn't effective completely, as some of the move still makes its mark, but when 4-5-6 gets overzealous back in the ring and tries a senton bomb, the Hitman moves out of the way and goes for a
sharpshooter, but he can't lock it in because 7-8-9 is out of position.
We get some more uppercuts in the corner, as at this point, the crowd is going crazy. The best nearfall of the match comes when Bret attempts a superplex, but Kid blocks it and lands on top of the Hitman for a pinfall that's way too
close for comfort. Again, Syxx Pac x2 = a Dozen gets overzealous and misses a splash in the corner, and Hart follows that up by going back to his head with a bulldog. He goes up top yet again, but the man who filmed his 'One Night in Chyna'
again reminds him that it's not his domain. Kid makes a last attempt at a missile dropkick, but Bret counters that into the sharpshooter for the victory.
