WWE Vintage Collection Report: July 24th 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Jack Korpela

Welcome aboard! Still no Mean Gene. Last week, he was on assignment filming for Zack Ryder’s Z True Long Island Story, this week, he’s on a golfing vacation. Fore!!!!!

Jack Korpela has “tagged in,” once more as we begin a two week look at Tag Teams. Let’s begin!

WCW Monday Nitro: January 29th 1996
The Road Warriors vs The Faces of Fear
This is the Road Warriors’ first match back in WCW following a near six year absence. Meng (aka Haku) and Barbarian make up the Faces of Fear. The match is joined in progress. After taking a pounding from Barbarian on the floor, Animal absorbs a Meng dropkick and Barbarian powerbomb. Barbarian comes off the second rope with a clothesline, tries his luck again, but Animal hits his own clothesline. Hawk gets the hot tag, staggering both opponents. Hawk gets sent to the corner, but rebounds with a double clothesline. The action quickly breaks down. Barbarian sets Hawk up on the top rope. Animal comes from behind to get Barbarian on his shoulders. Meng derails a Doomsday Device by shoving Hawk off the ropes. Hawk posts Meng on the floor, while Barbarian drills Animal with a piledriver. As Barbarian sets up for another, Hawk catches him with a top rope clothesline for the 1-2-3. A typical Road Warriors match, quite stiff and hard-hitting at times. Winners: THE ROAD WARRIORS.

WWF Prime Time Wrestling: November 25th 1986
WWF Tag Team Titles: The British Bulldogs vs The Hart Foundation w/Jimmy Hart
Davey Boy gets the better of the challengers early on, atomic dropping Bret and dropkicking Anvil. Shoulder tackles fail to budge the big man. Davey mistakenly goes for a cross body, which Anvil turns into a slam. The Harts take over, as Anvil slingshots Bret on top of Davey from the apron. Bret delivers an inverted atomic drop and backbreaker. Anvil uses the hair to toss Davey around. Bret then combines to hit the Demolition Decapitation. Davey ducks under an Anvil clothesline, however, Bret lies in wait to drive a knee into Davey’s back. Bret slams Davey on the hardwood floor of the Boston Garden, then tosses him back in for an Anvil chinlock.

Davey escapes a Hitman sleeper by driving him backfirst into the corner. After Davey crotches Bret on the ropes with a press slam, Dynamite gets the hot tag. Dynamite gives the Harts a double noggin knocker, then follows up with a running clothesline and snap suplex to Bret. Anvil breaks up a sleeper by coming off the second rope, wiping out Bret, Dynamite and the referee in the process. Anvil tosses Davey to the floor, then places Bret on top of Dynamite for a couple of slow nearfalls due to the referee’s groggy state. As Anvil props the referee back up, Davey sneaks up from behind with a rollup. Despite neither being the legal men, the referee counts the 1-2-3 and the Bulldogs retain. Bret gives Dynamite a piledriver after the bell to incense the crowd. Davey clears the ring, while the fans show their anger by throwing rubbish into the ring. Anvil played a great bully throughout this match. Winners: THE BRITISH BULLDOGS.

WCW Great American Bash: July 7th 1990
NWA U.S Tag Team Titles: The Midnight Express w/Jim Cornette vs The Southern Boys
Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane made up the new Midnight Express, while Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers formed the opposition. The Southern Boys stay a step ahead of the Express and Eaton in particular early on, throwing him from the top rope before clearing the ring of Lane.

After a commercial break, the tide has turned and Smothers is the one being double teamed. Smothers superkicks Eaton, but Eaton recovers to slam and hit the Alabama Jam (top rope legdrop.) Lane kicks Smothers to set up an Eaton swinging neckbreaker. Smothers gets tossed outside, where a few fans start chanting for a Cornette tennis racket shot. Eaton slingshots Smothers back in. Smothers turns the tide a second time, but Lane prevents a tag. Smothers counters a double clothesline with a unique double sunset flip which enables him to make the tag. The action breaks down. Smothers holds Lane in a bearhug position, as Armstrong delivers a missile dropkick. Smothers clotheslines Eaton, but the referee focuses on this, thus missing the chance to count Armstrong’s pin on Lane. Eaton pushes Armstrong from the top rope. Lane aids Eaton with a Rocket launcher splash onto Armstrong. 1-2-kickout. As the Express argue the count, Smothers pulls a switcheroo with his partner. Lane saves Eaton from a small package. As Smothers runs the ropes, Lane kicks him in the back of the head. Eaton small packages Smothers for the 1-2-3. The crowd cheer the result, despite the Express being heels. They were that good! Winners: THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS.

WWF Prime Time Wrestling: July 20th 1987
The Glamour Girls vs The Jumping Bomb Angels (Non Title)
Glamour Girls (Judy Martin and Leilani Kai) were the reigning Women’s Tag Team champions. The Angels (Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki) had fought them all around the world, but kept coming up short. We pick things up as Martin gives Yamazaki a powerbomb. The Glamour Girls each apply a cross armbreaker and keep Yamazaki isolated in their corner for several minutes. Just as the crowd get restless and chant boring, Yamazaki ducks under a double clothesline and kicks both Glamour Girls down. Tateno wakes up the crowd with dropkicks galore, then slingshots Kai across the ring. Tateno jumps from the top rope before Martin can push her, resulting in a sloppy kneedrop to Kai. All four enter as Yamazaki ends up crashing into Kai. Tateno dropkicks Martin out of the ring. Yamazaki catches Kai with a sunset flip out of the corner for the pin, as Tateno stops Martin from interfering. Not one of their better matches together. Winners: THE JUMPING BOMB ANGELS.

In the buildup to WrestleMania VII, reigning Tag Team champions the Hart Foundation were without a set of challengers. To determine their opponents, a seven team over the top rope Battle Royal would be held.

In pre-recorded comments from the February 9th 1991 edition of Superstars, Bret runs through the teams, but says it doesn’t matter who wins. He declares the Harts as the best there is, was and ever will be, while Anvil lets out his patented laugh.

WWF Superstars: February 16th 1991
Seven Team Over The Top Rope Battle Royal
The rules state that when one member of a team is eliminated his partner has to leave also. The teams are: Rockers, Power & Glory, Orient Express, Demolition, Legion of Doom, Nasty Boys & Bushwhackers. Ding ding!

After a few minutes of punching, Demolition hoist the Rockers up ready to press slam. They get down to drill Crush with a double superkick, then eliminate Smash after a double dropkick. Crush chooses to take out his frustrations on Marty Jannetty before leaving. Shortly after, Tanaka superkicks Bushwhacker Luke into the path of partner Kato, who backdrops the Bushwhackers out of contention. Jannetty holds Nasty Boy Knobbs for a Shawn Michaels dropkick, but Knobbs moves and Michaels takes his own partner out. Shawn throws a fit, but quickly goes to check on his partner. No dissension in the ranks just yet, but a preview for what would come later on in the year.

Hawk backdrops Kato out, then Animal press slams Tanaka on top of his partner for good measure. Sayonara Orient Express! Three teams are left. Animal and Paul Roma briefly step out through the ropes to fight on the floor so they aren’t eliminated. Hercules goes to elevate Roma from the top rope, but Animal catches Roma and dumps him out. Power and Glory are pissed. Hawk gives the Nasty Boys a double clothesline. As LOD go for the Doomsday Device, Roma crotches Hawk up top, causing him to fall out of the ring. Winners: NASTY BOYS. The Nastys would go on to win the titles at WrestleMania, while LOD would have to settle for a quick squash against Power & Glory. Originally it was Power & Glory who were meant to get the title push, but the Nastys coming into the company scuppered their chances. Ironically enough, the same thing would happen to the Nastys in 1993 when the Steiners and Headshrinkers came in to squeeze them out of the title picture and ultimately send them to WCW.

Korpela promises to “tag Okerlund back in” next week as we conclude our look at Vintage Tag Teams!

An enjoyable show! I’ve not seen the Harts/Bulldogs have a bad match yet and this offering didn’t disappoint either. The Battle Royal was a good throwback to when there was a deep tandem talentpool and watching the Road Warriors kick lumps out of opponents is always fun. Meng and Barbarian were certainly big enough to take it and dish it out.

Whoever they decide to feature next week is anyone’s guess. There’s no shortage of teams they could showcase. Some Vintage Edge & Christian would be nice, although I’d be fine with another trip back to the old-school.

See you next week!

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