WWF Coliseum Video Collection: World Tour ’92 (1992) (UK Version)

 

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: World Tour ’92 (1992) (UK Version)

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover features Randy Savage twirling, and promises a segment ‘at home’ with Tito Santana. Too bad Jesse Ventura was already in WCW at this point

Lord Alfred Hayes hosts from London. I'm pretty sure this motherfucker just looked at his naked wrist and pretended it was a wristwatch

The Beverly Brothers v High Energy: From Prime Time Wrestling on July 13 1992 (taped June 3) in Cornwall Ontario Canada. Beau Beverly starts with Owen Hart, and gets slapped around. Owen uses an armdrag into an armbar, and a criss cross ends in Hart using a dropkick to send Beau to the outside. Tag to Blake Beverly on the way back in, and he talks trash to Koko B. Ware, suckering him in, and then nailing Owen. Really, can you blame him, though? It's hard to take Koko seriously in that gear. It would be hard to take Brock Lesnar seriously in that gear. Kind of crazy that out of everyone in this match, he's the only one in the WWE Hall of Fame. Owen uses speed to get control, and uses a monkeyflip out of the corner ahead of a tag to Koko. Koko tries criss crossing, so Blake bails to the apron, but Ware brings him back in hardway. That allows him a legdrop to the groin, but another criss cross ends badly when Beau throws a cheap shot from the apron. The Brothers go to work on Koko for a while, until he manages to slip away long enough for the hot tag to Owen, and Roseanne Barr the door! Hart with a two-handed bulldog on Blake for two, but Beau breaks up a rollup with Genius's scroll, and that's a DQ at 9:22. Referee called for the bell there without ever actually seeing the illegal move. ¾*

Hayes gives Bobby Heenan a tour of Royal Albert Hall. Bobby wondering where the tractors drive in for the tractor pulls is pretty great

Highlights of Davey Boy Smith winning the battle royal at Battle Royal at the Albert Hall in October 1991, as it's time for a profile on the British Bulldog!

Lord Alfred visits Davey's childhood home, and meets his parents. Smith looks so incredibly uncomfortable and embarrassed here. Though, really, it's his parents who should be mortified. Their son is a white boy in dreadlocks! Shame, shame, everybody knows your name

Davey Boy Smith v Repo Man: From Prime Time, August 10 1992 (taped July 20) in Worcester Massachusetts. Repo attacks from behind, but Davey fights him off with a hiptoss, and a dropkick sends Repo to the outside. Repo suckers Davey into a chase and takes over on the way back in, but a criss cross goes Bulldog's way with a clothesline, and he works a wristlock. Funny bit as the announcers talk about Bulldog's upcoming Intercontinental title match at SummerSlam, and note that Davey probably hoped this match with Repo was 'three weeks ago' so he'd have more recovery time. I see what you guys did there. Repo gets into the ropes and goes to the eyes on the break, but a criss cross goes Smith's way with a schoolboy for two. Bulldog goes to the eyes for payback, and it's armbar time. Just do the suplex and the slam and go home already. Mr. Neidhart's probably waiting for you in the back. Backdrop, but Repo blocks, and uses a vertical suplex. Repo puts the boots to him, and Bulldog somehow fucks up getting dumped out of the ring, so Repo just goes back to stomping him some more. Repo with a backbreaker for two, but Bulldog counters a piledriver with a backdrop, and it's comeback time! Hanging vertical suplex gets two, and Davey actually argues the count, allowing Repo a schoolboy for two. But then Bulldog just clotheslines him, and hits the Running Powerslam at 6:40. Not much to this, but mostly watchable. *

Hayes and Davey visit his first school, where Davey excelled at sports, but didn't care for girls. He was 'strictly a boy's boy.' Got it, strictly dickly

Warlord v Davey Boy Smith: From WrestleMania VII on March 24 1991 in Los Angeles California. Power-showdown to start, as they size each other up. Davey manages to get the best of it and shoulderblock Warlord out of the ring, then back in, he tries a crucifix, but Warlord counters with a Samoan drop. He adds a series of three elbowdrops for two, and a corner whip sets up a bearhug. Davey slugs free, so Warlord responds with a hotshot for two, then delivers a nice belly-to-belly suplex. Chinlock, but Smith escapes, and fires off a nice standing dropkick to setup a series of turnbuckle smashes. 2nd rope flying punch sets up a bodypress for two, but Warlord backdrops out of a piledriver - only to get sunset cradled for two. Smith tries a charge in the corner, but eats boot, and that's enough to allow Warlord to get the Full Nelson on! The big angle going into this was whether or not Davey Boy could escape it. And escape he does! Warlord is shocked, and tries a slam, but gets countered into the Running Powerslam at 8:14. Kind of slow and lumbering, and a bit too much resting, but not terrible. * ½

Hayes watches the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and hopes to get invited in for tea. Yeah, only way his ass is getting in there is pulling a Michael Fagan

At Home, with Tito Santana. Apparently he lives in a television studio. And a cheap one, at that. We then get clips of 'Tito' fighting bulls

Roddy Piper v Barbarian: From Barcelona Spain, October 5 1991. The announcers sound bored as fuck here. Piper looks both too skinny and fat at the same time. They scuffle around to start, which the announcers note is 'nothing resembling wrestling.' Okay, accurate. They size each other up for a long while, until Piper manages to grab a standing side-headlock, but Barbarian whips him into the ropes to escape. Roddy tries to respond with shoulderblocks, but Barbarian just absorbs them, and calls for a test-of-strength. Roddy holds his own, but Barbarian takes a shot at him, so Piper backdrops him over the top. Roddy telling the referee to count, despite being a babyface, is great. Love that he never lost his edge. Barbarian easily beats the count, so Piper takes the fight to him with a slugfest, but that goes badly for the Hot Rod. Barbarian goes to work with a ropechoke and a backbreaker for two, and he uses a bearhug, but Roddy rings his ears to fight free. He tries a dive off the middle, but gets caught in another bearhug. Barbarian tries whipping him into the ropes, but Roddy is ready with a small package for two. Bodyslam, but Piper counters that with another cradle for two. Clothesline knocks Piper to the outside, so he comes back in with a slingshot sunset flip. Barbarian reverses, but gets busted using the ropes, and Roddy reverses back for the pin at 8:59. This wasn't good at all, but managed to be engaging anyway. ½*

16-Man Battle Royal: From Munich Germany on April 14 1992. Joined in Progress with 10 guys left. Tito Santana goes right away, of course, and Bret Hart flies out shortly after, via Mountie. Hawk’s gone, as I realize that this one isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, either. Hopefully they’ll just be quick about it. Davey Boy Smith dumps Col. Mustafa, as I realize that this is essentially just a WrestleMania VIII tag match reunion. I mean, you’ve got Jim Duggan, Repo Man, Sgt. Slaughter, Jerry Sags, and Mountie all in there. And the British Bulldog, just incase. Oddly, the German crowd chants 'USA' to support Jim Duggan. Don’t see THAT everyday. He gets tossed, however. The heels triple team Slaughter and Smith for a long spell, but the power of ‘roid rage takes over, and Repo hits the floor. So does Slaughter, as I can see that Sags has now become Typhoon, and this has become Albert Hall. Anyway, the shock stick gets involved, and Davey wins at 9:48 shown. Safe to call this a DUD

Back at Albert Hall, Heenan is wildly impressed that 'you can't even see the numbers' on the paintings. Hayes is a saint for not cracking up on camera

Sgt. Slaughter v Rick Martel: From Prime Time on August 3 1992 (taped July 20) in Worcester. Lots of posturing to start, and Rick grabs a headlock, but Slaughter counters to a headscissors. He works that for a bit, and I love how casually the announcers would always hype up the next pay per view (in this case SummerSlam), like even in passing. They did a great job of tying any conversation into it in an organic sounding way, and it's a lost art. Slaughter hammers him in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, only for Martel to miss a charge. That allows Slaughter to work on the shoulder, as Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes get into a funny discussion about Sensational Sherri's breasts. "That's a bit disgusting," shouts Alfred. To each their own, Al. Slaughter keeps wrenching on the arm, but a cross corner whip gets reversed on him again, and this time Slaughter takes a bump over the top. Rick follows to ram him into the apron out there, and he stomps the back as they head back in. Backdrop, but Slaughter throws a knee to block, and starts making a comeback. The announcers are doing a good job of getting over the timing of going for the finisher. Slaughter gets the Cobra Clutch on, but Martel makes the ropes to save himself, and bashes Sarge with the Arrogance canister for the pin at 8:51. Nothing special, but competent. *

Tito Santana v Kato: From Prime Time on June 22 1992 (taped June 3) in Cornwall. Tito dominates as they trade wristlocks in the early going, and I'm really loving this Monsoon/Hayes commentary team. It wouldn't work for a big show, but they just have such nice, relaxing conversations about the action and characters that it works for something like this. Gorilla was really an underrated master conversationalist. Criss cross ends in Kato trying a monkeyflip, but Tito stomps him, and Kato bails. Kato hides in the ropes once the count forces him back in, and he goes to the eyes to shake Santana off. Serves Tito right! The man was in the ropes, back off! Also, stop making bowing gestures at him, you racist fuck. Although Kato isn't actually Asian, so maybe it's not racist? Kato works a front-facelock, so Tito corner whips him to escape, but hits boot on a charge. Backdrop, but Tito counters with a facebuster, and it's comeback time. El Paso finishes at 5:59. Not much of a match, not much star power, not sure why they included it. ½*

WWF Title Match: Randy Savage v Shawn Michaels: From Munich Germany on April 14 1992, with Shawn subbing for Jake Roberts. Savage sells the banged up knee from WrestleMania the whole way to the ring, and in fact, he pretty much went on selling it for the rest of the year, too. They spend a while sizing each other up to start, with Macho reluctant to engage due to the knee, and Shawn waiting until he has a good opening on his end. Randy manages to dodge him once Michaels tries to strike, and Randy grabs a hammerlock. Shawn escapes and throws a shoulderblock for two, then goes right for the leg, but Randy bails to the outside before Michaels can do any damage. Macho chucks a chair in to try and distract HBK, so Sherri comes over and whacks him in the leg, allowing Michaels to pounce. Savage, of all people, should know better than to fall for Sherri's bullshit. Shawn unloads on the leg on the outside, but Randy reverses him into the post, and Michaels is in full oversell mode on the bump. A trip into the steps follows, and a flying axehandle on the way back in gets two, but also messes up Macho's knee. He's moving slowly, but manages a hangman's clothesline for two. Bodyslam, but Michaels counters with a cradle for two, so Savage throws a quick backelbow for two to fight him off, and Shawn bails. He decides to take a walk, but Savage drags him back, which seems like a pretty stupid idea. Like, dude, you can barely walk. You're already the champion, if he wants to walk out, take the easy V, and go home. Sherri tries another distraction, but this time it backfires, and Savage schoolboys for two. Unfortunately for him, the leg is slowing him down too much for a quick follow-up, and Shawn hits a kneebreaker. That allows Sherri to pounce on Macho's knee as well, bashing it into the post and apron while Michaels distracts the referee. Shawn works the leg in pretty basic fashion (all kick, pound stuff - but it's effective), and he slaps on a figure four to try for the submission. Huh, so Shawn's figure four always sucked, apparently. Still a more respectable version than the one he started using later, but he was really terrible at submission holds in general for such a master level worker. Macho makes the ropes, so Shawn keeps unloading on the leg, but another figure four is countered with a cradle for two. Savage has no follow-up, however, allowing Shawn to slap it on on the next try, but Randy reverses this time, so Sherri helps Shawn to the ropes to save himself. The quick escape allows Michaels to keep control with a bodyslam, but another figure four attempt is blocked, and this time Savage is able to throw a clothesline. Flying Elbowdrop (complete with slow, messy climb to sell the knee) retains at 13:50. This was good enough, but they'd have a better (and totally different, non-knee focused) match a few days later in England. ** ¾

Lord Alfred signs off from the London Bridge

BUExperience: I genuinely enjoyed the laid back segment on Bulldog’s youth and family life, and Savage/Michaels is a good match to close out on, but none of that is enough to add up to a recommendation.

Not a good addition to your Coliseum collection.