WWF Coliseum Video Collection: SuperTape I (1990)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: SuperTape I (1990)

Standard Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Sean Mooney. The cover features Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake posing behind the bars of a steel cage, and promises a profile on The Bushwhackers.



Mr. Perfect v Ron Garvin: This was supposedly by 'special fan request' - and even features a post card from some kid asking for it. Taped from Nashville during the No Holds Barred Match/Movie pay per view in December '89, it didn't air during the event, as that show featured only a showing of the movie, and cage match between Hogan/Beefcake and Savage/Zeus. Garvin tries to get rugged with him, so Perfect takes him down with a fireman's carry. Again with a hiptoss, and Perfect slaps him in the face for good measure. Garvin responds with a slam, and a big right hand puts Perfect on the floor. He regroups out there, but stupidly tries to get into a slugfest with Garvin, and ends up on the floor again. Back in, he goes back to wrestling, and gets a chinlock applied. Garvin won't quit, but is worn down, so now Perfect starts unloading on him in the corner. Even still, Garvin returns fire, and hits a splash for two. Garvin Stomp (a literal series of stomps, to various pressure points) sets up a Sharpshooter - but Perfect goes to the eyes, and hits the Hennig-necksnap. He keeps after the neck, but loses another slugfest, and gets hooked in a sleeper. Rope break, so Garvin backdrops him for two. Rollup for two, and an inside cradle for two - but Perfect reverses on the mat, and gets the pin at 8:24. Perfect's tendency to oversell is a perfect match for a relatively small guy they were trying to put over as powerful, but the match didn't work. ¼*

The Bushwhackers v The Bolsheviks: From a house show, December 1989. Big slugfest to start, and the 'Whackers clean house. The Bolsheviks take too long regrouping, so the 'Whackers drag them in, and we start all official-like, with Butch and Boris Zhukov. The 'Whackers throw a bunch of 'fancy' double-teams to mess with the Russians, so Nikolai Volkoff tries to hug Luke like a bear. More double-teaming to break that up, but that's the limit of shit a Russian will put up with, and they start cheating liberally to take Luke down. Read that again: blatant cheating was needed to slow down Bushwhacker Luke. That's the kind of match this is. Luke finally comes back by tugging on Zhukov’s goatee, and Butch is an outhouse of fire. Four-way brawl breaks out, and not even Russian heel tactics can topple Butch. Who do they think he is, Luke? Double-team gutbuster finishes at 9:00. We knew this was going to be bad, the question was always just 'how bad?' This wasn't 'negative stars bad,' but it wasn't too far off, either. DUD

The Bushwhackers v Bad News Brown and The Brooklyn Brawler: From a TV taping, May 1989. Butch and the Brawler start, and it's Brooklyn power, baby! Tag to Luke, and he busts out the patented ass-bite. Brawler doesn't like that (well, not from Luke, anyway), and tags Bad News. That... that doesn't go well for Luke. The heels work Luke over, but Brawler misses an elbowdrop, and Butch is an outhouse of arson. Double gutbuster finishes at 5:30 - with Bad News not even attempting to make the save. Hey, tough love. Match was the usual Bushwhackers 'comedy' train wreck, but thankfully kept short. DUD

The Bushwhackers v The Powers of Pain: From a house show, October 1989. Barbarian jumps Butch to get us going, but gets caught with a headlock - which he nobly sells. He eventually gets overpowered (no shit!) so the 'Whackers pull a double-team to trip the big guy up. Tag to Warlord, and he's big and strong, too, so Luke goes to the eyes. I'm assuming the referee is just letting them get away with all the blatant double-teaming out of sympathy. Warlord with a bearhug, so the Bushwhackers go cheap again to break. Barbarian posts Butch in response, and the Powers cut the ring in half, until Barbarian misses a 2^nd rope elbowdrop. Tag to Luke, and he just plain shits his pants until Powers manager Mr. Fuji runs in with the cane for a disqualification at 9:30. Wow, even with the Powers pretty much done as a team, they didn't put the Bushwhackers over them. That about says it all. Slow, dull match, probably most notable for having an elevated ramp all the way to the ring, which was usually a WCW thing. Welcome Negative Stars! We knew you'd get here eventually! -*

Call of the Action: A segment guiding viewers with the technical names for various moves (Dropkick! Clothesline!), perplexingly hosted by Lord Alfred Hayes, who couldn't guide a bowel movement.

Rick Rude v Tito Santana: From a house show, February 1989. Rude's hair and mustache are in glorious form here. He calls for a test-of-strength at the bell, and after some encouragement from the crowd, Tito obliges. Rude dominates, but Tito stomps his fingers. Rude sells it like he was shot, as Tito calls for another test-of-strength. Rude isn't so bold now, though, and cautiously approaches - only to nail Santana with a cheap shot, and grab a side-headlock. Tito comes back with fists of fury, and starts working Rude's back. Reverse chinlock, but Rude breaks out ('roids can lead to that), and hits an inverted atomic drop (they can also lead to rage - commonly known as 'roid anger'). Chinlock, but Tito gets uppity, so Rude hits a flying axehandle to shut up'a his face. Backdrop, but Tito counters with a faceslam, only to have a splash hit the knees. Rude works the midsection, and a kneelift gets two. Suplex, but Tito reverses, and more fists of fury set up an earringer. Figure Four, but Rude dives for the ropes, and bails to the floor. Tito follows right out after him, and sunset flips in - only to have Rude drop the knees, and hold the top rope for leverage as the referee counts three at 18:30. Psychologically sound, and great selling from Rude throughout, but this was pretty standard house show stuff - no real reason it needed to be showcased. Well, other than filling a tape to sell to ten-year olds like me. ½*

Jake Roberts v Ted DiBiase: House show action, from April 1989. DiBiase stalls after losing the initial tie-up, until finally going to a test-of-strength, then bailing again when Jake tries the DDT. They fight over an armbar, with DiBiase trying to use the hair, but it's too greasy. Jake returns the favor, but has better luck with DiBiase's feathered locks, and hits a kneelift. DDT, but DiBiase hits the deck, and bails again - frustrating Jake. His frustration allows DiBiase to goad him into a chase on the floor, and he clobbers him with an assist from valet/slave/lover Virgil, then goes to work. 2^nd rope axehandle gets two, and a clothesline levels Jake. Kneedrop for two, and DiBiase works a chinlock. Jake breaks, so Ted hooks the Million Dollar Dream to finish him proper. Jake makes the ropes, though, so DiBiase simply drags his half-conscious carcass (a lot of people have had to do that…) to mid-ring to cover. Only gets two, so he tries the chinlock again, but Jake quickly counters with a chincrusher. Series of jabs, and a short-clothesline lay DiBiase out. DDT, but Virgil gets involved again, so Jake regroups, and pulls off a simple rollup (with a handful of tights for good measure) for the victory at 16:00. Really slow, dull match. ¼*

Tugboat v Mike Sharpe: From a TV taping, January 1990. Sharpe proves that he isn't by immediately trying to slam the fat Tug. Dropkick misses, and Tug blows him low. Sharpe don't swing that way, though, and goes ballistic on him. He runs into a big boot, however, and Tugboat breaks out a surpassingly good dropkick. Avalanche, and a splash finish at 2:30. Total squash, but they made an effort. ¼*

Cage Match: Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake v Zeus and Randy Savage: As noted earlier, this is from the ‘No Holds Barred’ pay per view special in December 1989. Tornado-style Cage Match here (no tags necessary), battling to a pinfall or double escape. Savage manager Sherri nails Hogan with the cage door on the way in, leaving Beefcake inside to get double teamed. He does indeed, with Zeus choking him out, but Hogan climbs in (batting away Savage like a jobber) to make the save. He unloads on Zeus, knocking him into the cage, as Beefcake backdrops Savage into the steel. Big boot for both heels, and they try to ram Zeus into the steel again, but he ACTS UP!! and chokes Hogan down. Beefcake tries to save by hooking the Sleeper, but Savage breaks it up with a flying axehandle, and Hogan gets tossed into the cage. They go for an escape, but Hogan and Beefcake hits stereo side suplexes to stop them, leaving all four knocked out. Sherri takes the opportunity to climb the cage, handing Savage a chain, and he dives off of the top of the cage with it at Beefcake - only to get nailed on the way down, and the Barber escapes. He pulls Savage out with him to keep things one-on-one, but it doesn't matter much as Hogan's HULKING UP!! Fists of Fury! Bodyslam! Series of Rams into the Cage! Three Legdrops! 9:32! Thankfully, this was the final blowoff between Hogan and Zeus, as he would leave the WWF almost immediately after, though he wasn't done with the wrestling world yet, resurfacing to face Hogan again as part of the Dungeon of Doom in mid-90s WCW. Match had a couple of nice bumps and spots from Savage, and not much else – though all four worked hard. ½*

BUExperience: Man, they really used that 'SuperTape' title liberally, didn't they? A lot of this plays out like some kind of sick joke. Three Bushwhackers matches? In a row? Most shows can get dragged down by one Bushwhackers match, let alone three. In a row. Not only one you don't need for your Coliseum Collection, but one you should openly burn copies of, if you come across it.