WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat (1986)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat (1986)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Gorilla Monsoon. The cover of the tape features Ricky Steamboat, and promises to show us Steamboat’s ‘three moments of truth.’ Oh dip!

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Greg Valentine v Ricky Steamboat: From June 1985. They take a while sizing each other up at the bell, with Steamboat trying to corner him in fight-stance, but Greg shooting at the leg to try a takedown. Ricky holds his ground and reverses, and takes the champ into the corner for a pair of chops - Valentine bailing to the outside. Back inside, Valentine wrenches the arm to force Steamboat into the corner, but a cheap shot only pisses the Dragon off, and he unloads with chops. Snapmare and a somersault necksnap set up a chinlock, and a savate kick follows when Valentine tries to counter into a wristlock. Greg begs off in the corner, but Ricky doesn't buy it, and nails him with a series of wicked kicks. Bodypress gets two, and Ricky grounds him with a front-facelock. Valentine fires back with forearms, but Ricky comes off the top with a tomahawk chop, and covers for two. Scoop slam sets up a splash, but Greg lifts the knees to block, and we clip to later with Valentine working the knee. Figure Four, but Steamboat blocks with an inside cradle for two - only to get toppled when he tries a slam due to the bad knee. Greg tosses him to the outside, and we clip again to Steamboat walking around the ring and pumping himself up. Slugfest on the apron goes Ricky's way, and a big chop flops the champ for two. More chops, and a flying bodypress get two - Greg getting his foot onto the ropes. He rakes the eyes and nails Steamboat with a side suplex to take the pep out of his step, and a pair of well executed elbowdrops are worth two. Figure Four, but Steamboat shoves him into the corner to block, and hits an enzuigiri - only for it to knock Valentine out to the floor, giving Steamboat the victory by countout at 11:40 shown of 14:20. Fun match! Both guys worked hard, and sold well for each other here. Though I would have loved to have seen it unclipped, it's almost intact, and I feel comfortable rating it. * ½

No Disqualification Match: Ricky Steamboat v Brutus Beefcake: From May 1985. Beefcake takes advantage of the stipulations by knocking Steamboat out to the floor during the entrances, and kicking the shit out of him out there. Inside, Beefcake keeps it going with more punch-kick stuff, and we clip to Steamboat coming back, but getting side suplexed when he tries a bodyslam. That gets Beefcake two, and he goes right back to his boring punch-kick offense. To the outside, Beefcake slams him on the exposed concrete, and drags him back in for a piledriver - only for Ricky to block with a backdrop. The Dragon reels off some knife edge chops, and hits a swinging neckbreaker followed by an inverted atomic drop. Steamboat with a flying bodypress for two, though the ring crew mistakes it for a pinfall, and brings the arena lights up. I like bits like that, because it makes it feel legit. They slug it out, and Johnny Valiant trips Steamboat to allow Beefcake to topple him for the pin, but the referee catches him. Beefcake dumps him, but the Dragon skins the cat back in, and schoolboys Brutus for the real pin at 11:10 shown of 14:27. A little too punchy-kicky for my liking, and certainly too long, but Steamboat's selling was fantastic as always, at least. ¼*

Ricky Steamboat v Mr. Fuji: From August 1985. Steamboat (still pissed over Fuji and Don Muraco trying to hang him a few weeks prior) doesn't even wait for the bell, and jumps Fuji with a series of chops in the corner before choking him with his belt. Snapmare with the belt, and he manages to whip Fuji before the referee wrestles it away. Atomic drop, but Fuji goes to the eyes before Ricky can follow-up, and unloads with chops. Falling headbutt to the groin triggers a pretty righteous 'Steamboat' chant, so Fuji slaps on a nervehold. Steamboat breaks free with a chop, and hits a flying bodypress for two. Undeterred, Ricky tries a splash, but Fuji lifts the knees to block - only for the Dragon to counter a side suplex with a schoolboy for the pin at 4:06. Afterwards, Muraco comes out to attack again - furthering the feud. Short, harmless, and worth highlighting because of the feud. DUD

Ricky Steamboat v Don Muraco: From January 1986. Steamboat is good and pissed as the bell sounds, but starts with a standing side-headlock, of all things. He quickly gets into chopping when Don tries to break, and a big knife edge puts Muraco on the floor - Steamboat trying to push the referee aside to go after him, in a great visual. Muraco works the count to stall Steamboat, and back inside, Muraco cheats his way through a test-of-strength - only to get backdropped when a cross corner whip fails. Steamboat with a slam, and Don bails out to the floor again - frustrating the Dragon. Inside, Muraco with another cheap shot, and he hits a Russian legsweep before using a slingshot to snap the Dragon's neck across the bottom rope. Don with a 2^nd rope clothesline and a pair of bodyslams, but Steamboat won't stay down. Clothesline and another bodyslam, but Ricky's still coming, so he dumps him to the floor to quiet his beak. Don follows out with a slam across the guardrail to make sure, but Ricky has the gall to try and climb back in - Muraco whacking him with another clothesline on the way. To the top rope, but Steamboat is there to slam him off, and he follows with a pair of bodyslams to return the favor from earlier. An atomic drop leaves Muraco tied up in the ropes for some abuse, and they spill to the outside for Ricky to exact some revenge with a flying tomahawk chop. Ricky suplexes him back in, and goes ballistic with a series of tomahawk chops, until the referee (wearing the most amazing pants, ever) is begging him to stop. Steamboat responds with another flying tomahawk, so manager Mr. Fuji gets involved, and the distraction allows Muraco to wallop the Dragon with a set of knux for the pin at 12:00. Another fun match. Not crazy in terms of spots, but they got the angle over and worked the crowd perfectly with basic stuff. * ½

First Round Match: Ricky Steamboat v Davey Boy Smith: From The Wrestling Classic - November 1985. The announcers had been touting this as a 'scientific encounter' in the buildup, so expect to see a couple of Bunsen burners busted out. Reversal sequence to start, and Steamboat gets two off of a backslide. Davey with a press slam for two, and he grabs a front-facelock. Press slam again for two, to wear him down, and he goes back to the facelock. Suplex, but Steamboat reverses into a gorgeous hanging vertical suplex. Splash, but Davey lifts the knees. He hits a pair of dropkicks, but a third gets him crotched in the ropes, and... the referee stops the match... at 2:53?! Apparently he decided that that was enough of showing up everyone else, and decided to have an abortion, live on pay per view. The official decision is 'Davey is too injured (in the nuts, folks!) to continue,' and Steamboat advances to face Savage, though, come on! Wrestlers take low blows like blow jobs. Match was headed somewhere, but didn't have a chance to get there - and screwy ending didn't help. ¾*

Quarter Final Match: Ricky Steamboat v Randy Savage: Also from The Wrestling Classic. Savage hides behind valet Elizabeth to start, and throws her into Steamboat to take the advantage, drawing big heel heat. Steamboat catches him in the corner, however, and headscissors him over the top, to the floor. Atomic drop out there, and inside Steamboat chops away, but gets caught with a side suplex. Flying axehandle meets fist, so Savage bails, but Steamboat suplexes him back in. Flying bodypress for two, and he tries to bail again, but Steamboat's all over him, so Savage reaches deep into his tights for a pair of brass knux (eww...) and clocks Steamboat in the face with his dick-knux to go on to face Dynamite at 4:00. This was just non-stop, and obviously these two could have put something more substantial together given time - which they would, in a benchmark setting match at WrestleMania III. Still, for what it was, this was a fuckton of fun. * ½

BUExperience: As we all know, Ricky Steamboat is considered among the best professional wrestlers of all time, and while this tape doesn’t exactly feature his most memorable matches, it’s still good stuff – especially for the period. Remember, that most WWF matches from 1985 didn’t break a star, so while these might not be considered classics today, at the time these were the best matches on the card. And a lot of them (Valentine, Muraco, Savage) are still fun, because these guys were masters of crowd psychology, and could make even a basic match really click –  whereas today, midcard guys can do moonsaults and shooting star presses, but can’t get engage the crowd. A good addition to your Coliseum Collection.