WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Global Warfare (1993)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Global Warfare (1993)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Jimmy Hart. The cover of the tape features Crush, and promises WWF action from around the globe – much like the ‘World Tour’ video series that preceded it.


WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Crush: From London, England - April 1993. Shawn tries to evade the bigger man, but gets thrown across the ring off of the initial tie-up. Shawn puffs his chest out, and tries to bodyslam Crush, but that... doesn't work out. Side-headlock gets him tossed again, and Crush tries to hug him like a bear - but Shawn rakes the eyes. Off the rope, but Crush catches him with a backbreaker, and Shawn bails to the floor to regroup. He lures Crush into a chase, but the challenger no-sells, and press slams him. Clothesline sends Shawn tumbling over the top, but he manages to ram Crush into the rail, and that gets his attention. Trip to the post to make sure, and inside he drops a series of flying axehandles. 2^nd rope elbowdrop to the neck, and a DDT only get two, so Shawn hooks a chinlock. Crush powers up, so Shawn tries a superkick - but has his foot caught, and Crush with a big boot. Hanging vertical suplex, and Crush calls for his headvice finisher, so Shawn bails to the floor, and decides to head home with the title in tow. Crush goes to drag him back, but he can't do it fast enough, and ends up with a countout victory at 8:51. Standard Flair/Luger formula here - with Shawn running in fear, getting thrown around and having his stuff no-sold, then turning the tide with something cheap before whatever clusterfuck ending they settled on that week. * ¼

Yokozuna v Jim Duggan: From Paris, France - April 1993. I was half expecting the French to back heel Yokozuna in a battle against Mr. USA, but Duggan actually gets a pretty good reaction, and even a decent 'USA' chant going. God bless him. He goes right at Yoko (who's wearing weird, all-black alternate tights) with a ten-punch, but Yoko's too big to sell, and clobbers him with a backelbow. Legdrop, and a bearhug wear Duggan down - but he rings Yoko's ears to break free. Stupidly, he tries to follow-up with a shoulderblock, but Yoko drops him by simply letting Duggan run into him, and he grabs another bearhug. Duggan channels Hannibal Lecter to break, and starts firing off clotheslines to finally get Yoko off of his feet. 3-Point Stance, but Mr. Fuji gets involved, and Yoko avalanches him. Banzi Drop finishes at 7:31. The poor French, this shit was actually the main event of the show. DUD

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc v The Steiner Brothers: From Barcelona, Spain - April 1993. Money Inc hold the high ground by wielding IRS' steel briefcase, so they do a bit where the referee rules that he give up the case, or forfeit the match - and the titles. Bobby Heenan (on commentary) correctly notes that the referee can't just rape the rulebook like that (though in slightly different words), but that doesn't stop the Steiner's from running in a cleaning house. Rick Steiner starts with Ted DiBiase, and the champ grabs a side-headlock, but gets caught with a belly to belly for two. Tag to Scott Steiner to work the arm, but DiBiase catches him with a kneelift, and tags IRS. The Steiner's pick their arm work right back up on him, but IRS bails to the floor - only to get his neck snapped across the top rope for two. Cheap shot from DiBiase turns the tide, and a shot into the rail keeps Scott docile. Inside, Money Inc cut the ring in half, but accidentally knock him into Rick for the tag. He's a doghouse of fire, and Scott hits the Frankensteiner during the four-way brawl, but IRS breaks it up, and referee disqualifies the champs at 10:20 - saving the titles. Weird camera work here, as they shot pretty much the whole match from the hard camera (at one point switching to a crane shot that literally sat on the crowd for a full minute) - though that's what gives international matches flavor. Match was just formula stuff. *

Mr. Perfect v Samu: From the same London show as Michaels/Crush, April 1993. Both guys feel each other out, and a big criss cross ends with Samu misses a bodypress, and Perfect hitting his own for two. Series of armdrags and dropkicks put Samu on the outside to regroup, and back in, Samu calls for a test-of-strength. Perfect won't go for it, and grabs a side-headlock instead, but gets walloped with a lariat, and pounded into the corner. To the floor, Samu manager Afa gets in a few cheap shots, and Samu fires off some chops - but bangs up his knee off of a blind charge. Perfect goes right after it, but gets his eyes raked during a spinning-toehold attempt, and dumped for more Afa love - getting rammed into the ringpost. Savate kick gets Samu two, and a series of headbutts allow him to sweep Perfect off of his feet for a falling headbutt to the nuts. Another falling headbutt (this time, to the face) gets two, but Perfect wins a dramatic slugfest, so Samu blows him low. Flying headbutt, but Perfect dodges him, and the Perfectplex finishes at 13:34. Odd match, as the pace was fine, the spots were fine - but it completely lacked flow. Also, it kinda turned into the plot of Brokeback Mountain there for a bit. ¾*

Bret Hart v Bam Bam Bigelow: From the same Barcelona show as the tag title match, April 1993. Bigelow throws Hart across the ring out of the initial tie-up, and Bam Bam powers his way out of a headlock attempt - putting Bret on the floor. Inside, Bam Bam hammers away, but gets caught with a dropkick, and Bret dives after him with an armbar. Bigelow to the eyes to break, and tries a press slam, but Bret topples him for two. Diving backelbow sends Bigelow crashing to the floor, and Hart dives out after him - but gets caught, and posted. Again for good measure, as Hart sells it like he's been shot - building drama nicely. Hart barely beats the count back in, and when he does, Bigelow goes right after the back and hugs him like a bear. Bret tries to counter, so Bam Bam drops him with a well executed side suplex for two. Pair of falling headbutts to the back, and Bigelow hooks an overhead backbreaker. Hart counters into a side suplex of his own to slow Bam Bam down, but is only buying time - as Bam Bam recovers first with a double-underhook backbreaker. Flying headbutt misses, however, and Hart unloads closed fists. Furious ten-punch count sets up a Russian legsweep for two. 2^nd rope clothesline gets two, and a 2^nd rope bulldog sets up the Sharpshooter - but Bigelow shoves him off, and goes back to the bearhug. Bam Bam stops another counter attempt with a bodypress, but a blind charge misses, and Hart pins him with a victory roll at 11:56. Bret has often called this among his favorite matches (he even went so far as to include it on his first DVD set in 2005), and his brilliant selling carries a hard hitting, well paced bout. ** ¼

Doink v Crush: From the same Paris show as Yoko/Duggan, April 1993. Doink tries to jump him from behind, but Crush dodges, and stomps a mud hole in the corner. Doink suckers Crush into a chase, but gets his offense no-sold, and caught with an atomic drop. Backbreaker sets up a headscissors (guess he figured he might as well work all his parts, just to cover his bases), but Doink makes the ropes, so Crush slams him. Belly-to-belly suplex and another backbreaker set up a flying kneedrop - but Doink rolls out of the way. Doink goes after the leg, and a kneebreaker sets up a flying splash - but Crush boots him in the face. Crush mounts a comeback with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and a big boot sends Doink tumbling over the top. Crush tries to drag him back in with his headvice, but Doink slips free, and decides to bail - giving Crush the countout victory at 8:10. Bad ending, to an otherwise decent match. ¾*

IRS v Scott Steiner: From Milan, Italy - April 1993, which was the last stop of the post-WrestleMania European tour. Scott tries to take him to the mat, but IRS hides in the ropes. Scott finally pulls him away, but gets nailed with an enzuigiri - but still manages a powerslam for two. Side-headlock, but IRS gets uppity, so Scott with a backslide for two, and the taxman bails. Inside, IRS tries a drop-toehold, but gets countered into a hammerlock, so IRS bails to the floor again to kill the momentum. The frustrated Steiner charges, but IRS sidesteps, and sends him crashing to the floor. IRS with a slam, but a splash hits the knees, and Scott with a sunset flip for the pin at 10:03. Obviously, both have tremendous amateur backgrounds - which were played up in the NWA-days - but here, IRS' gimmick is a wrestling taxman, so the announcers (including Jim Ross, who you know was dying to start reeling off stats) don't even mention it. ½*

Yokozuna v The Undertaker: From the same Milan show as the previous bout, April 1993. Big staredown broken when Yoko throws a closed fist, but 'Taker shrugs it off, and fires back. Jumping DDT puts Yoko down, but 'Taker misses an elbowdrop, and Yokozuna clotheslines him to the outside for a few shots into the ring steps. Back in, 'Taker starts no-selling again, and grabs a chokehold - but catches a backelbow coming into the corner, and gets slammed. Legdrop doesn't work, so Yoko grabs the salt bucket for a few shots, and that's a disqualification at 5:43. Thankfully short, because it was not going well at all. DUD

BUExperience:  International events are almost always interesting and fun – with very different atmospheres than the domestic shows, and lively crowds. While somewhat less polished than the usual WWF product, that’s part of what gives it flavor – from the weird camera angles, to the goofy referees, to the way the ring is set up – this is a nice mixture of highlights from the post-WrestleMania European tour, and a good addition to your Coliseum Collection.