WWF Coliseum Video Collection: The Best of the WWF: Volume I (1985)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: The Best of the WWF: Volume I (1985)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Vince McMahon. The cover of the tape features Jimmy Snuka, and promises Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, and Cyndi Lauper!


Handicap Match: Big John Studd, Adrian Adonis, and Dick Murdoch v Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant: From July 1984. Adonis starts with Hogan, and outwrestles him with a hammerlock. Hulk reverses, so Adonis fires off a backelbow - only to run into Andre as he tries hitting the ropes. Whoops. The heels triple-team Hogan in the corner for a bit, and we clip to Studd facing off with Andre - cowering as Andre offers a test-of-strength. Clip again to Andre headbutting Adrian, and sending Adonis into the corner with a Flair Flip. Tag to Studd, but Andre has no problem throwing him around either. Murdoch and Adonis come in to help, but it's Andre the fucking Giant, and he destroys all three. Those spots are impressive enough with jobbers, but considering Studd is a giant in his own right, it's just crazy awesome! Andre gets overwhelmed in the triple-team, and we clip to the heels cutting the ring in half on him until Murdoch stupidly tries a charge, and runs into a Giant fist. Tag to Hogan, and he's a house of arson on all three, but runs into an elbow from Murdoch as he tries a cross corner charge. The heels get back to cutting the ring in half on their new victim, but a tag to Andre triggers a brawl. Adonis and Murdoch go flying, and a double-team puts Studd on the floor as well. He bails up the aisle, so Andre chases, and the tag champions use the opportunity to double up on Hogan. But, only until Andre's back, and Murdoch gets pinned at 9:29 shown of 22:21. Too much cut out to rate, but it was old school-style fun.

WWF Women's Title Match: Fabulous Moolah v Wendi Richter: From July 1984, on the record setting 'Brawl to End It All' MTV special. They trade armdrags to start, until Moolah gets sick of her, and sends her flying with a pair of snapmares. Richter regroups with Cyndi Lauper on the outside, and we clip to her coming back, but missing a kneedrop. Cut again to Moolah snapping her neck across the ropes, but taking a headbutt to the gut, and getting tied up in the ropes. Clip to Wendi holding the champ in a full-nelson for Lauper to hit, and Richter dropkicks her for two - a horrible cover. Wendi with a slam for two, and we clip again to Moolah backdropping her, but getting cocky, and pulling her up at two. Clipped yet again to Moolah trying what vaguely resembles a German suplex, but forgetting to lift the shoulder, and getting pinned in her own hold at 4:00 shown of 11:20 - which is a terribly booked finish, since casual fans (who this was supposed to cater to) didn't even know it was over. I can't even imagine this on MTV today, but it was pretty big for the time. Terrible match, though.

Gorilla Monsoon v Baron Scicluna: From June 1976. Barely a match, as Monsoon beats the piss out of him, and knocks him to the floor for a countout at 0:46. But then, the real reason this is here, as Muhammad Ali (at ringside) challenges Monsoon to a fight - only to take an airplane spin, and get dumped out of the ring. Not really a match, but awesome stuff, and certainly worth checking out. Also awesome? Seeing a young (early thirties) Vince McMahon interview Monsoon after the bout, in all his 70s glory. DUD

Jimmy Snuka v Bobby Bass: No date, but this is early 80s. Bass tries to jump him in the corner before the bell, but Snuka backdrops him, and hiptosses him to the floor. Clip to Bass taking a diving shoulderblock and a backbreaker, and Snuka finishes him with the Superfly Splash at 1:30 shown. I'm not sure how long it was, but it looked like a squash, and I feel comfortable giving it a DUD, and moving along.

Jimmy Snuka v Roddy Piper: From August 1984, and we even get the famous coconut cracking episode of Piper's Pit to set it up. Slugfest at the bell, and Snuka unloads on him with fists and headbutts. Piper fires back with an eye rake, and he takes Snuka to the mat for mounted punches. Snuka jabs him in the throat to send him flying over the top rope, and he follows out to bash Piper's head into the ring apron. Back in, Snuka ties him up in the ropes, and slaps on a Sleeper, but Piper falls into the ropes, and they go tumbling to the floor. Piper goes for the post, but Snuka reverses, and then gives him a chairshot for good measure - Piper busted open. Inside, Roddy begs off, but Snuka mounts him with punches, and drops a headbutt. Flying bodypress, but a dazed and desperate Piper knocks him to the floor on the way down, and gets a countout victory at 5:51 shown of 7:05. A technical classic? No. But, the crowd wanted to see Piper get his, and they delivered - Roddy selling the beating brilliantly. ¼*

WWF Junior Heavyweight Title Match: Black Tiger v Cobra: From December 1984, this is for the vacant title. Cobra takes control with a wristlock in the early going, but Tiger flips out of it, and drops a pair of swift elbowdrops and snapmares. Chinlock, but Cobra counters into an armbar, and we clip to Tiger holding a chinlock. Tiger with a clothesline and a somersault senton for two, but he walks into a backdrop, and Cobra grounds him with a chinlock. He hits a sloppy spinkick and a gutwrench suplex gets two. Crucifix cradle gets two, and Cobra slaps on a headscissors. Tiger kips up to break, but takes a gutbuster for his troubles, and Cobra hooks a Boston crab. He trades for a surfboard, and we clip to Tiger taking a pair of dropkicks to the outside. Cobra slams him back in to set up another headscissors, but a shoulderblock backfires, and Tiger splashes him for two. Tiger with a swinging neckbreaker, and we clip again to Cobra hitting a spinheel kick for two. A backdrop gets two, and a dropkick puts Tiger back on the floor for a tope! Tiger comes back with a flying splash on the way into the ring, and a vertical suplex gets two. A modified Tombstone gets two, but a second Tombstone gets reversed, and Cobra finishes him with a flying senton splash at 7:00 shown of 12:29. Not great by today’s standards, but this was pretty wild stuff for 1984. I won't rate it, but this was three-star level stuff.

Hulk Hogan and Gene Okerlund v George Steele and Mr. Fuji: From August 1984, and luckily we get the full training montage that sets it up - with Gene playing a hilarious straight man to Hogan's workout tips. And the match is basically just a handicap match, with Hogan destroying both heels, and Gene only sneaking over to get a shot or two in when the heels are down. Hulk makes the mistake of high fiving him though, and Okerlund is forced into the match against Steele. He quickly tags out, and he clip to the finish, as Hogan kills Fuji, and places Gene on top for the pin - placing a firm hand on his backside to make sure he gets the pin at 4:00 shown at 10:21. Fun stuff from a WWF stop in Hogan/Okerlund's old AWA stomping grounds, and worth a look if only for the novelty of seeing Okerlund wrestle.

Bruno Sammartino v Larry Zbyszko: From January 1980, the angle here is that Zbyszko is tired of living in mentor-Sammartino's shadow, and wants a chance to step out. Bruno takes it easy on his protégé in the early going - not really wrenching his holds on, and giving him easy breaks - but it backfires when Zbyszko hiptosses him for two. Zbyszko with a standing side-headlock, and a criss cross ends in Bruno hitting a drop-toehold - but again, he backs off. Larry slams him, but Bruno matches him with a slam of his own, and blocks a waistlock. Larry manages an abdominal stretch, but Bruno pretty easily counters with a hiptoss, so Larry bodyslams him for two - and Sammartino is a bit shocked. Larry tries a half-crab, but Bruno is up with an overhead wristlock. A big criss cross ends in Sammartino reversing a hiptoss, and Larry is frustrated. Another criss cross ends in Bruno hooking a quick bearhug, but Larry manages a hammerlock - only for Bruno to knock him out to the floor to break. Sammartino holds the ropes open for his protégé, but Larry snaps, and takes a cheap shot - then goes ballistic with a chair for the disqualification at 9:34 as Bruno bleeds and the crowd is ready to kill Zbyszko. * Great old school stuff here, that kicked off an incredible angle, all of which led to...

Cage Match: Bruno Sammartino v Larry Zbyszko: From Shea Stadium in August 1980. They waste no time in getting going, as Larry tries jumping Bruno as he climbs into the cage, and gets thrown around for his troubles. Clip to Zbyszko firing back with a low blow, and Bruno eats several helpings of cage. Zbyszko climbs, but Bruno pulls him down, and we clip again to Bruno choking him in the corner. Bruno slams him off the top rope, and we clip to Zbyszko trying to exit the door, and getting dragged back for a shot into the ringpost. Clip to Larry eating cage, and Sammartino just destroys him on his way to walking out for the win at 5:00 shown of 13:59. Afterwards, Larry wants more, so Bruno kicks his ass again outside the cage until Zbyszko accepts defeat, and raises his mentors arm. No headlocks here, this was just an intense, brutal, and bloody fight - just the way it should have been. No rating, but this was one of the most well remembered matches of the 80s, and worthy of inclusion.

BUExperience: Fun tape here. Sure, a lot of stuff is heavily clipped, but it makes up for it with a nice variety of stuff – from big angles (Sammartino/Zbyszko, Piper/Snuka, Monsoon/Ali, Women’s Title) to harmless fun (the Okerlund stuff), to innovative wrestling (Junior Title).

Besides being a nice mix of stuff, it’s also historically significant for being the first of the well remembered ‘Best of the WWF’ series that ran four years and twenty volumes. A very good addition to your Coliseum Collection.