WWF Coliseum Video Collection: SlamFest (1995)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: SlamFest (1995)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Ted DiBiase. The cover of the tape features Bret Hart battling Owen Hart at WrestleMania X, and promises exclusive strategy tips for the latest videogames from Acclaim!


WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Diesel v Lex Luger: From an episode of RAW, July 1994. They do a power-stalemate to start, until Diesel tries to choke him, and Luger starts shoving back. He'll choke just fine on his own, thank you! Lex with a sunset flip for two, drawing Shawn Michaels up onto the apron to have a strategy session with big Diesel. His advice was apparently 'use the knee' (he passed that on to Triple H a few years later, too) as he catches Luger with a kneelift, and railroads him into the corner for some body shots. Luger with a powerslam to come back, and a series of closed fists put the champion on the outside to regroup with Michaels. Luger tries to break them up, but he learns the same lesson workers in locker rooms across the country have - ain't gonna happen, and Diesel pulls him out to the floor. Slugfest goes Luger's way, and he hits a backdrop, but a bodypress misses - and Lex goes flying over the top. Diesel slams him out there for Shawn to get in a cheap shot, and they clip to Diesel holding him in a sleeper - with Shawn yelling at the time keeper to ring the bell. Luger with a side suplex to break the hold, and another series of clotheslines sets Diesel up for a DDT for two. 2^nd rope clothesline for two, and he hooks the Torture Rack - but the referee gets bumped along the way! That allows Shawn to sneak in with a Superkick, but by the time the referee revives, it only gets a dramatic two count. That draws Razor Ramon out (feuding with Diesel and Michaels), and both run in for a double disqualification at 9:30 of 14:25. I won't rate it due to clipping, but it was very energetic stuff - Diesel looking motivated with his push, and Luger looking motivated to move back up after his demotion to the midcard post-WrestleMania X.

Yokozuna v The 1-2-3 Kid: From a TV taping, May 1994. Kid easily dodges Yoko in the early going, and unloads the lightning kicks on the big man. Series of dropkicks puts Yoko on the floor, so he regroups, then marches back in and simply decks Kid. He casually tosses Kid to the floor for good measure, but gets too cocky, and Kid tries a schoolboy for two. Well, that was ballsy, to say the least (INCOMING!!). Yoko isn't impressed, and keeps pounding him, but a blind charge misses, and Kid hits another series of kicks. 2^nd rope flying bodypress, but Yoko catches him in midair for a belly-to-belly suplex, and it's over at 5:10. Kid was energetic, but this didn't go anywhere. ¼*

Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith v Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart: From a TV taping, October 1994. Bret and Owen start, and they work a stalemate off of the initial lockup. Owen with a hammerlock on the second go, but Bret reverses, and takes him down to the mat with it. Owen uses the hair to get free, so Bret hooks a crucifix for two, and takes him into an armbar. Owen jabs his way out (all while complaining of a hairpull, of course), but gets caught with a monkey flip, and clotheslined to the outside. Clipped to Owen and Neidhart doing a great job of cutting the ring in half. Hart Attack (a bearhug/flying clothesline combo popularized by the original Hart Foundation) gets two when Bret saves, so Neidhart forces Davey into the home corner to properly abuse him. Owen tries a neckbreaker for two, but a criss cross ends in a double knockout, so Neidhart comes back in to stop the tag. Miscommunication sees Owen dropkick Neidhart, and Davey is finally able to make the tag to the Hitman. He's a house of arson, and hits Owen with a Russian legsweep for two. Backbreaker and the 2^nd  rope elbowdrop for two, and a snap suplex sets up the Sharpshooter - only to have Neidhart break it up. Tag back to Davey for a press slam, but Neidhart breaks that up, too - and we have a four-way brawl. Davey with an inside cradle, so Neidhart rolls Owen on top, but Bret sneaks over and tilts it back in Davey's favor - and that's the pin at 10:00 of 15:37. I gave the full version two stars, and this captured the spirit of it well enough, even if it did cut out some good bits from the first half.

Jeff Jarrett v Doink: From an episode of RAW, October 1994. Jarrett bails to the floor to frustrate Doink, and tries to sweep him off his feet on the way back in, but Doink dodges, and slams him. Drop-toehold into a side-headlock, with Jarrett going right into heel mode and reaching for the hair - only for it to now work, since Doink's hair is a wig attached to a mask. Jarrett switches up to a rope-assisted abdominal stretch, and a high knee puts Doink on the floor. Jerry Lawler's band of midgets (this was during the build up for Survivor Series) attack him out there, but Jarrett breaks it up to pull him in for more abuse. Come on, now. Really? What kind of person breaks up a good midget beat down? Especially one leading to your easy countout victory. Jarrett hits a dropkick, and hooks a chinlock - but Doink somehow escapes. Enzuigiri gets two, but Jeff walks into a double-underhook suplex, and we have a double knockout. Various midgets cheer both men on, and Jarrett recovers first - but misses a 2^nd rope fistdrop. Doink with a powerslam, so Lawler's midgets try to get involved - only to have Jarrett whipped into them (taking a crazy bump off of the apron - which, considering the size difference, is like Foley falling off the Cell), and Doink hits the Whoopee Cushion (a flying buttsplash) to finish, but the referee is caught up with the midgets, and the real Lawler runs in to nail Doink, allowing Jarrett the pin at 10:00. This was just background for Lawler/Doink. ½*

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Shawn Michaels and Diesel v Razor Ramon and The 1-2-3 Kid: This is a quite famous match from the short lived Sunday morning 'Action Zone' program (taped September 1994, aired October) that I used to rush home from Sunday school every week just in time to only miss the first five minutes of. The champs jump them before the bell, but get reversed on a double cross corner whip, and Shawn gets caught with the Razor's Edge in the first minute - only to have Diesel pull him out at two. They decide to head home, but Ramon goes after them in the aisle, and drags Shawn in for Kid to schoolboy for two. Backdrop, and a flying bodypress get two. Victory roll for two, and a rana - but Shawn counters with a powerbomb. God, watching this makes me want to go back and kick whomever didn't book Shawn/Kid one-on-one for SummerSlam that year - especially since they weren't doing anything else, anyway. Shawn bails to Diesel, and he launches Kid across the ring with a hiptoss. Backdrop, but Kid counters into a sunset flip - so Diesel reaches down, and chokeslams him. Kid catches him with a dropkick, and gets the tag off to Ramon, and it's slugfest time! Razor with a bodyslam for two, but he walks into a short-clothesline, and Diesel powers him into the heel corner. Clipped to Diesel hitting a sidewalk slam for two, and he tags Shawn in for a well executed 2^nd rope elbowdrop. Chinlock, but Razor powers up, and hooks a backslide for two. Michaels with a swift dropkick to keep his momentum, and he tags big Diesel in to take a shot at the lower back. Snake eyes, and a pair of elbowdrops get two. Clipped to Shawn and Razor doing a double knockout, with Diesel running in to hold Ramon - only to have Shawn's Superkick get dodged, and leave him unconscious on the ring apron. That allows the tag to Kid, and Shawn pinballs to the outside - Kid follow with a slingshot somersault senton. Back in with a missile dropkick for two, and the tag to Ramon for a blockbuster - then blockbusting Kid into Michaels for two. Ramon with a side superplex, but Shawn counters with a bodypress, only to have Ramon roll through for two. Kid with a Rocket Launcher for two, as the faces are just unloading on poor Michaels. He crawls over to try and revive Diesel, but he's still dead, so Shawn tries a sleeper out of pure desperation - the tag titles on the line. Kid breaks it up, as Diesel starts to stagger to his feet on the floor - Ramon and Michaels both on their backs. Razor manages a slingshot into the corner before making a dramatic tag to Kid, and he kills Shawn with a flying legdrop - but it only gets two. Criss cross, and Diesel hops back in to plant a big boot on Kid, allowing Shawn to cover and retain at 13:53 of 22:02. What a fantastic match between four close friends – the infamous ‘Kliq.’ Incredible pace, booking, and execution all around - the decision to knock Diesel out not only perfect for the match (the crowd was losing their minds thinking Shawn was going to lose the title without the help of his buddy at every near fall), but also a good bit of storyline development, as that was the second of what would be three missed Superkicks that led to Shawn and Diesel's break up at Survivor Series. I can't rate a match clipped that badly, but I remember being blown away when I saw it on TV in 1994 - and I really wish they included the full version. 

BUExperience: For some reason this was only a one hour tape (most standard Coliseum Videos ran approx two hours), and that resulted in loads of clipping – the rest mostly ‘highlights’ from RAW. The tag title match has become legendary over the years, and while it is badly chopped up, still makes this worth checking out – and a good addition to your Coliseum Collection.