WWF Coliseum Video Collection: US Rampage ’92 (1992)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: US Rampage ’92 (1992)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Sean Mooney, dressed as a cowboy. The cover of the tape features The Ultimate Warrior, and promises WWF Superstars getting OUT OF CONTROL!!



The Undertaker v Razor Ramon: From a TV taping, September 1992. Ramon had just debuted on TV less than a month before this, but he's already completely comfortable with the character. You could tell me this was taped in 1995, and I wouldn't question it. In that vein, Ramon tries to mess up the Undertaker's hair, but gets choked out on the corner. For a long time. To the floor, Undertaker continues to plod after him, but the leaping elbowdrop misses, and Razor clotheslines him to the outside. Into the stairs, but 'Taker shrugs it off, so Razor starts bashing him with a chair. Inside, Ramon tries a chokeslam, but 'Taker blocks, so he goes with an abdominal stretch. Predictably, a guy who isn't fazed by getting hit in the face with a steel chair doesn't really bother to sell a stretch of his abdominal muscles either, so Razor tries a chinlock. Paul Bearer (aligned with the Undertaker at this point, for those Bearer-tracking) holds the urn high, however, and 'Taker escapes for a jumping clothesline. Tombstone, but Razor slips out, and decides to call it quits - but Undertaker being Undertaker stalks after him, and both get counted out at 8:53. Booking made sense, since Ramon was getting a solid push, and they weren't jobbing Undertaker either. Not a great match by any means, but interesting to see these two cross paths. ¾*

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Bret Hart v Shawn Michaels: From a TV taping, June 1992. Shawn was married to Bret on the summer house shows - being groomed to take the Intercontinental Title off of him at SummerSlam - but when the event moved abroad to the United Kingdom, the booking was changed. Shawn takes him down with an armdrag/armbar early, but Bret literally won't take it lying down, and dumps Michaels. Bret drags him back in for his own armbar, so Shawn tries to turn it into a criss cross - only to take an inverted atomic drop for two. Back to the armbar, but Shawn criss crosses again, and catches Hart with a kneelift - allowing manager Sherri to get her licks in. High knee gets two, and Shawn works a chinlock. Bret tries to criss cross this time, but Shawn slams him back to the mat with a backelbow, and hooks the chinlock again. They keep the hold exciting with lots of struggle, and when Bret does finally manage to break by railroading him into the corner, Michaels blasts him with a dropkick. Blind charge misses, however, and Hart with a 2^nd rope clothesline to turn the tide. Inverted atomic drop and a clothesline for two. Backbreaker and the 2^nd rope elbowdrop for two. Uppercuts, but Shawn ducks the third one, and gets the champ in a backslide for two. Double knockout, and both stumble to their feet for Shawn to blast him with the Superkick. TearDrop Suplex (a modified side suplex), but Hart beautifully counters into a sunset flip for two. Atomic drop, but Shawn flips out, and cradles him for two. Sherri tries to get involved again, but Bret knocks their heads together, and rolls Michaels up at 13:31. It had what you'd expect from Hart/Michaels (well worked, crisp execution, etc) - but was certainly the phoned in version. * ¾

40-Man Battle Royal: From a TV taping, June 1992. We've got: Virgil, Davey Boy Smith, Barry Horowitz, Money Inc, The Beverly Brothers, Rick Johnson, Al Hunter, Bob Knight, Glen Ruth, Jim Powers, Duane Gill, Repo Man, The Nasty Boys, Tatanka, Sgt. Slaughter, Rick Danger, Jerry Davis, Kerry Von Erich, Barry Hardy, Tony Ulysses, Owen Hart, Koko B. Ware, Bret Hart, Bruce Mitchell, Kato, Jim Brunzell, Skinner, the Dublin Destroyer, Phil Apollo, Tito Santana, Rick Martel, Joe Milano, and five others - unnamed local workers. Forty is a lot of sardines for a battle royal (it's like an entire Royal Rumble field, plus another ten guys for good measure, all in at once), so the standard battle royal kick-punch stuff is really limited, as guys can barely get around in the ring. It looks like an overcrowded public pool on a hot July day - and just like those pools, the losers get beat up and tossed quickly. It thins out pretty quickly (this was during a marathon TV taping - no one was going to bust their ass for a pointless battle royal), and gets down to the Beverly Brothers, Bret Hart, and Davey Boy Smith. Hart and Smith try to work together, but a miscommunication sees Davey accidentally knock Bret out. The Beverly’s double team, but Davey shrugs them off, and wins the thing at 10:19. DUD

Tatanka v Rick Martel: From the same TV taping as Hart/Michaels, June 1992. Martel bails right away, suckering Tatanka into a chase, and hammering him on the way in - but Tatanka responds in kind, and puts Martel back on the floor. He stalls out there, so Tatanka follows, and posts him. Inside, Tatanka with an armbar, but he misses a blind charge, and Martel hits a side suplex. He goes to work on the back, and hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Reverse chinlock, but Tatanka manages to power out, so Martel hits him with a backbreaker. Slingshot splash, but Tatanka lifts the knees, and starts unloading chops. Flying Tomahawk chop, but he walks into a stungun out of a criss cross. He still manages to get the victory, as Martel gloats and showboats to the crowd over it, and Tatanka schoolboys him at 7:09. Good effort, but dull. ½*

Six-Man Tag Team Match: The Genius and The Beverly Brothers v Paul Ellering and The Legion of Doom: From a TV taping, June 1992. Genius (dressed like some kind of bootleg version of mid-90s Rey Mysterio) starts with Ellering, and tries to dazzle him with a display of cartwheels - but gets caught in a quick backslide for two. Neckbreaker, so genius bails to Blake Beverly. He tosses Ellering around, but doesn't notice him tagging Animal off of a criss cross. The Beverly's immediately try to double-team, but Animal shrugs them both off, and tags Hawk in. He scares Beau Beverly out of the ring - though considering Hawk's reputation for working matches drunk/high, I'm not sure that I'd want to lockup with him either. The Beverly's regroup/draw straws on the floor, and Blake ends up going in to take a faceslam from Hawk, but he dodges a blind charge. That allows the Bevs a few cheap shots, and they cut the ring in half - but Blake misses a 2^nd rope flying headbutt. Tag to Animal to light the house on fire, and Hawk pins Beau after a Rocket Launcher at 10:04. Really dull match - they went through the motions, but it had no flow. DUD

Money Inc v Tito Santana and Virgil: From a TV taping, September 1992. IRS starts with Tito, and hits a quick slam, but Santana returns the favor. He and Virgil take turns working an armbar, until IRS can get the tag off to Ted DiBiase (wearing his bad ass alternate white tights). He tries to unload on Virgil, but gets caught in an atomic drop, and pinballed in the corner. Tito in with another armbar, so IRS fires off a cheap shot from the apron to turn the tide. Money Inc cut the ring in half, but Tito counters a DiBiase backdrop with a neckbreaker, and gets the tag. Virgil's a house of arson, and goes to suplex IRS, but DiBiase sweeps the leg, and IRS topples him for the pin at 10:00. Also going through the motions, but unlike the six-man, they actually bothered to work in transitions, and build flow. ¼*

WWF Title Match: Randy Savage v Repo Man: From a TV taping, June 1992. Repo tries to steal ('repossess') the title belt before the bout, but Savage goes ballistic (Randy Savage?! No!), and drags him back for a beating. Repo manages to post him, but gets caught with a hangman's clothesline, and a flying bodypress for two. Repo chokes him in the corner to slow him down, and ties Savage up in the ropes for a proper beating. He repossess the turnbuckle pad as the referee works to untie Savage, but the Official sees it, so Repo switches gears, and bops Savage with his tow-rope as the referee reties the turnbuckle. Side suplex gets two, but a blind charge misses, and Savage hits a flying axehandle for two. Repo goes for the tow-rope again, but Savage blocks, nails him with it, and finishes with the Flying Elbowdrop at 8:46. ½*

The Ultimate Warrior and The Undertaker v Papa Shango and The Berzerker: From the same June 1992 TV taping as the previous match - in fact directly following it as the finale. 'Taker and Warrior are an awesome combo - especially when you match Warrior's wildness with 'Taker's mildness. Together, they're almost balanced. Almost. Undertaker starts with Berzerker, but quickly misses a blind charge, and gets dropkicked to the floor. Berzerker follows, but gets rammed into the steps, and 'Taker tags. Warrior with a cross corner clothesline, but a cheap shot from Shango turns the tide, and he tags in to help Berzerker double-team. They cut the ring in half, but Warrior ends up backdropping Berzerker to the floor out of a charge, and he tags 'Taker. He's a morgue of fire, and Warrior pins Berzerker with a splash during the four-way brawl at 7:49. They stumbled around a lot of awkwardly executed spots here, but it was energetic, and knew when to go home. ¼*

BUExperience:  While nothing was terrible, certainly no hidden gems on this one to make it worth seeking out – even the enticing Hart/Michaels match, which wasn’t even their best match together that year, let alone a must-see. Not a good addition to your Coliseum Collection.