WWF Coliseum Video Collection: SuperTape II (1990) (Version II)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: SuperTape II (1990)

 

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover features Marty Jannetty working a toehold (and promises a profile on the Rockers), while the back puts 'home video audience' in parenthesis, as if it's an allegation

 

Sean Mooney hosts from the studio, sporting a collection of Hasbros that would get him mugged at recess

 

Randy Savage v Jim Duggan: From Saturday Night's Main Event XXV in Chattanooga Tennessee on January 27 1990 (taped January 3). So, while Rumble '90 was the first time I remember seeing Savage work with the long tights, he's actually got them here as well (this was taped weeks before the pay per view). I guess it was some sort of fashion related New Years resolution type deal for him, like Ross and his leather pants. Duggan is not impressed, however, and overturns Macho's throne during the entrances, then beats him up on the way in. Cross corner whip and a clothesline get two, but an atomic drop triggers a distraction from Sensational Sherri, and Savage capitalizes by knocking him to the floor for a flying axehandle. Randy hits another one on the way back in for two, and he snaps Jim's throat across the top rope for two. Savage's timing and speed as a worker are just incredible. He misses a straddling ropechoke, however, and Duggan backdrops him over the top. That cues another distraction from Sherri, but this time Hacksaw ignores it, and levels Savage with a clothesline on the outside. Bodyslam on the way back in sets up a kneedrop, so Sherri distracts the referee to delay the count - Macho kicking out at two. No wonder Sherri was so mad after he lost to Warrior at WrestleMania VII - she certainly lived up to her end of the bargain as a manager. She attacks Duggan on the outside next, and nearly takes a beating for it before Macho saves with a high knee. Flying axehandle hits, but Sherri wants to make sure, and passes Savage her loaded purse - distracting the referee to allow him to bash Jim with it. It only gets two, however, and Duggan comes back with an inside cradle for two. Turnbuckle smash and an atomic drop lead to a pair of clotheslines, but the 3-Point Stance knocks Macho to the floor. Jim is right after him with a vertical suplex back in, but Sherri sweeps the legs, and Macho topples him for the pin (with two feet on the ropes to make sure) at 9:14. Holy fuck, Sherri EARNED her money, I'll tell you. This was basically two people carrying Duggan to something watchable - and doing a damned good job of it, too. ** (Original rating: *)

 

The Rockers are ready to bring a 'well-coordinated assault.' Hopefully not of the sexual kind

 

The Rockers v The Powers of Pain: From New York at the Garden on January 15 1990. Shawn Michaels and Barbarian start, with Shawn pinballing around for him, of course. Marty Jannetty comes in with a double team to get Barbarian off his feet, and the Rockers stick and move on him, switching off with quick tags. Stereo superkicks knock him silly, so Warlord runs in to try and save, but meets the same fate, and the Rockers clean house! Dust settles on Shawn and Warlord, and Michaels manages a rana after an assist from Jannetty. The Rockers keep overwhelming Warlord with combos, until Marty tries his own rana, but gets powerbombed. Warlord sends him to the heavens with a backdrop for two, then sends him even higher with a pop-up flapjack for two. You'd think two guys going out there and killing themselves like that would only serve to get their opponents over (especially during this era), but somehow it made the Rockers even bigger stars than ever. The Powers go to work on Marty, until Barbarian misses an elbowdrop off the middle, and Michaels gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Shawn hooks a sunset flip on Warlord for two (with an assist via superkick from Marty), and a bodypress gets two (again with an assist from Marty via dropkick). Shawn ends up getting tripped up by Mr. Fuji while running the ropes, however, and Barbarian clobbers him for the pin at 9:57. This was fun, with everyone playing their part just right, and the Rockers seemingly having a contest to see who can sell power moves harder. Jannetty won that one, by the way. Afterwards, the Powers and Fuji triple team Jannetty, until Shawn chases them off with a chair. This was setting up a six-man rematch for the next Garden show, with Duggan backing the Rockers. And that would pretty much be it for the Powers as a team. ** ½ (Original rating: ¾*)

 

The Rockers v Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo: From Prime Time Wrestling in Rochester New York, aired July 3 1989 (taped June 28). Marty Jannetty starts with Bravo, and of course, pinballs around. The Rockers against power guys is never not fun, though Bravo is a real slug. Greg tries coming in, but Shawn Michaels cuts him off, and the Rockers clean house with dropkicks. Dust settles on Shawn and Dino, and Michaels grabs a wristlock, but Bravo uses a handful of hair to force him into the corner, into a double team with Valentine. The Hammer goes to work on the arm, but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Michaels to work the arm some himself. Tag to Marty for a splash on the arm, and the Rockers work the part, switching in and out with quick tags. Bravo manages to tag in, so Marty sends him flying with a monkeyflip, but a try at a second one backfires when Dino counters with an inverted atomic drop. That allows the heels to take control, and they go to work on Jannetty. The action isn't great here, but give Jannetty his due: he know exactly how to take this kind of pounding, and engage the crowd. Bravo misses an elbowdrop to allow the hot tag to Shawn, and Roseanne Barr the door! Bodypress on Bravo gets two, and a vertical suplex connects. Stereo dropkicks on Bravo set up the stereo flying fistdrops, but Greg saves at two. Criss cross ends in Shawn and Dino bumping heads, and Greg puts Bravo on top, but Jannetty saves at two. Marty rolls Bravo up, but Greg clotheslines him to allow Dino a reversal for the pin at 11:14. Oh, but then special trouble shooting snitch Ronnie Garvin comes out to tattle on them, and the referee reverses the decision. Would it have killed them to put the Rockers over decisively in either of their two profile matches? * ¼ (Original rating: * ¼)

 

Some kid from Hawaii wants to see Hercules kick Akeem's ass because she doesn't like the way Akeem dances. Racist. Hercules is happy to oblige, especially since the match has already been in the can for a year

 

Akeem v Hercules: From Portland Maine on Prime Time, aired September 25 1989 (taped August 30). Akeem pounds him into the corner, but Hercules reverses a cross corner whip, and unloads a ten-punch on him. Big right hand sees Akeem do an exaggerated sell that ends in him on the outside, and holy shit, literally everything about both the Akeem and Slick characters would get everybody in the promotion cancelled in 2021. Back in, Hercules wins a slugfest, but he stupidly goes for a bodyslam, and Akeem is able to pound him down for a ropechoke. Slick gets in some cheap shots, of course, but Akeem misses an avalanche, and Hercules makes a comeback. He goes for the kill, but Slick pulls down the top rope as Hercules bounces off of them, and he spills over the top for the DQ at 5:00. Boy, this sucked. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

 

Call of the Action! Yes! So this time out, Lord Alfred Hayes uses an Orient Express squash to teach us complicated moves like 'forearm' and 'knuckle blow.' That last one was a punch, by the way. Clearly Eric Bischoff was taking notes here

 

The Orient Express want to make Demolition squeal like a piggy. Meanwhile, Demolition would really, uh, rather that they did not do that

 

Demolition v The Orient Express: From MSG, March 19 1990. Smash and Tanaka start, and the Demos get him into their corner for a double team early on. Tags to Ax and Sato, and there's lots of posturing, until Tanaka takes a cheap shot from the apron, and Sato pounces. The Express double up, but Ax fights out of the corner, and tags to Smash to hit Tanaka with a backbreaker for two. The Express try doubling up again, but Smash fights them off anyway, so they dump him to the outside so Mr. Fuji can get a shot in to turn it into a triple team. That's finally enough to give them control, and they go to work on Smash. "Looks at these Japanese men go to work," declares Lord Alfred. He's so fucking excitable! Ax gets the hot tag and runs wild, but Fuji distracts him ahead of the Decapitation, and Ax gets counted out while dealing with him at 10:51. Really boring. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

 

Rick Martel v Bret Hart: Also from MSG, March 19 1990, and Bret is a replacement for Roddy Piper here. And he's over big time. Martel pounds him into the corner, but Hart reverses a cross corner whip, and clotheslines the Model. Hart with a small package for two, so Martel bails, and stalls to kill the momentum. Back in, Martel misses a charge in the corner to hurt his arm, and the Hitman zeros right in on that. Backslide gets Hart two, so he goes back to the arm. Rick fights to a vertical base and suckers him into a criss cross, allowing Martel to dump the Hitman to the outside. Rick follows to ram Hart into the apron out there, but Hart looks like he'll beat the count anyway, so Martel dives with an axehandle from the apron, then posts the Hitman. Hart recovers again, so Martel brings him in with a vertical suplex for two, and then rattles the ring with a corner whip. I know it's hardly a revelation, but boy, Bret could sure take a nice corner bump. Rick works an abdominal stretch, and it's fun to listen to the announcers kind of marking out for how good these two are. Martel uses the ropes, but gets busted after a while, so he just switches to putting the boots to Hart instead. Into the corner for a ten-punch, but he wastes time, and Hart escapes with an inverted atomic drop. The Hitman makes a comeback, and a vertical suplex sets up a pointed elbowdrop for two. Bodyslam sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, and a Russian legsweep is worth two. Martel wisely bails before Hart can continue the onslaught, but the Hitman drags him back in, and plants him with a backbreaker for two. Martel bails again, so Bret drags him right back in, and a dropkick leads to a stomp the groin for two. Martel bails again, so a frustrated Hart chases for a third time, but this time Rick is ready with a rake to the eyes. He tries capitalizing by smashing Bret's face into the apron, but Hart reverses, and delivers an atomic droop on the floor. He rolls in to try for the countout, but time expires at 11:23. There must have been some clipping here that I didn't notice, because I believe this one ran about ten minutes longer than that. I'm hesitant to officially rate a match this heavily clipped, but it looked to be around three-stars. (Original rating: *)

 

Manager profile on Slick! Basically just a short promo, followed by clips of Slick dancing around. It worked

 

Cage Match: Rick Rude v Roddy Piper: From New York on December 28 1989. This is escape of pinfall rules. Rude attacks as Piper walks through the door, but Roddy blocks a smash into the cage, and reverses a whip into it! Rick responds by trying to climb out, but Piper knocks him down by attacking with his belt, and he bites him down to the mat to draw blood. I know it's the Garden, but man, blood on a house show? The 80s really were a very different time. Rick tries to climb out again out of sheer desperation, but Piper isn't done with him by a damn sight, and sends Rick flying into the steel. Roddy is satisfied, and decides to climb out himself, but Rick crotches him on the top rope to block, and drops a knee to the groin for two. Rude goes for the door, but Piper tugs the tights to keep him inside, and poor Bobby Heenan is losing his mind. Roddy unloads on him, but Rick fights him off long enough to deliver the Rude Awakening. Piper cuts him off at the door again, so Rick tries to climb, but Piper follows up to the top of the cage for a slugfest. Both guys climb halfway down the side, so Roddy bashes his head into the cage, and both hit the floor at the same time at 8:12. The referee doesn't want a cheap finish, however, and rules that the match must continue. Rude nails him with a chair while they're out there, and brings him back in to drop a knee on. Rick then climbs to the top of the cage for a flying kneedrop for two, and a piledriver follows. That allows Rude to climb again for another dive, but Piper crotches him at the top of the cage this time, and leaves Rick hanging upside-down there. That allows Roddy to go for the door, but Heenan slams it in his face to block. Rude recovers, and manages to cover for two. Heenan passes his man the knux to finish this off, but Piper swats them away, and knocks Rude cold with them! That allows him an easy escape for the win at 12:58. The first seven minutes, or so, were pretty dull, but business picked up following the false finish. * ¼ (Original rating: **)

 

Bloopers! Though, unfortunately, they're staged bloopers, and not actual bloopers, since they weren't fun about that stuff yet in 1990. This includes clips of Brutus Beefcake giving Genius a haircut, so this must be one of those Coliseum clip jobs they're always talking about. Sorry, I had to

 

Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake v Mr. Perfect and Genius: From NYC on February 19 1990. The heels attack during the entrances, but of course babyfaces quickly fight them off, and clean house. WWF Champion Hulk Hogan starts with Perfect, and Perfect manages to weather the initial assault long enough to get control, and he knocks Hulk to the outside. Perfect with chops on the way back in, but Hulk reverses him into the ropes, and a big boot sends Perfect over the top! Genius runs in, but gets dispatched as well, and Brutus bashes their heads together out there. Back in, the babyfaces pinfall Perfect around, and Beefcake uses an earringer for two. Back to Hogan for a clothesline, as the announcers note that some might call him a 'closet genius.' Let's not touch that one. Beefcake hits Perfect with a high knee for two, and Hogan uses a 2^nd rope axehandle. Bodyslam sets up a few elbowdrops, and a corner smash sees Perfect do some big spiral overselling. I'm surprised how much abuse Perfect is taking here, considering he was on deck to get the Intercontinental title. You'd think that's what Genius is out there for. Perfect takes another bump over the top, but manages to take a cheap shot with the metal scroll when Hulk goes after him, and Hogan eats the post and the guardrail. Inside, the heels go to work on Hogan, but a flying moonsault from Genius hits the knees, and Hulk is able to tag! Beefcake comes in hot on Perfect, and the sleeper looks to finish, but Genius manages to bop him with the scroll to break it up in time. That allows Perfect to cover, but Hogan saves at two, as the announcers (Gorilla Monsoon, Hillbilly Jim, and Bobby Heenan) have a hilarious conversation about Jim's horseshoe good luck charm. Heenan, in his prime, was incredible. Just so fast, so witty. Watching his Nitro era WCW stuff lately is just so sad, especially juxtaposed with this. They work Beefcake over in rather dull fashion as the match slows way down. Perfectplex looks to finish, but Hulk saves at two. That allows him to get the legal tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! The heels fly around for him, and the legdrop finishes Genius at 15:27 (16:52 total). This was mostly fine, but a little too long, and the heat segment on Beefcake dragged badly. * (Original rating: ½*)

 

Mooney finishes the tape by crapping his pants

 

BUExperience: This was a fun tape, and much better than most of the junk they were putting out around this time.

 

A good addition to your Coliseum Collection.