WWF Coliseum Video Collection: The Brains Behind the Brawn (1989)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: The Brains Behind the Brawn (1989)

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover features Miss Elizabeth, and promises that she is a beautiful woman. Truth in advertising

Jimmy Hart hosts from the studio, and runs down all the managers we’ll be seeing today. Literally every manager in the promotion is a heel except for Miss Elizabeth, which makes it all the more incredible that they produced this tape. The other heel managers all try to take over hosting duties, so Sean Mooney steps in to handle things himself

Our first profile is on Bobby Heenan, and we start with the buildup to WrestleMania III, with Bobby showing up on Piper’s Pit with Andre the Giant, to the shock of WWF Champion Hulk Hogan. Hulk is not a good actor, and he’s not good in this segment in that regard, but he gets this over like crazy. As does Andre, Heenan, and supporting players Jesse Ventura and Roddy Piper. “You’re bleeding…”

The next week, Piper has Hogan back out, and he’s still selling his shock, and carrying around his torn necklace. Roddy doesn’t give him any space, however, prodding him to explain what’s going on, culminating in Hogan accepting Andre’s challenge to defend the title at WrestleMania

Next up, the contract signing, and Heenan is in brilliant form here, telling President Jack Tunney he’ll only sign if Jack promises to make a new, bigger title belt. Meanwhile, Hogan is unbelievable, jittery, and looking terrified while trying to sound strong. Hulk’s acting may not have been great in the earlier segment, but he was fantastic here. And Andre, playing it cool, calm, and collected, is excellent as well. “Au revoir”

Clips of Hogan defeating Andre in the main event at WrestleMania III. I’m sure some people who got this tape in ‘89 were annoyed that they didn’t include the full match, but I’m glad they didn’t, since I’m enjoying seeing the stuff I haven’t seen a million times, and isn’t as widely available (even here in 2022, WWE Network is still shockingly lean on a lot of content from the 80s boom period)

Next, we move on to a new angle, as Heenan sells Hercules’ contract to Ted DiBiase in the fall of ‘88, but Hercules takes exception to the deal (since DiBiase wants to use him as a 'slave'), and chokes Heenan down, until DiBiase clobbers him with the briefcase. Bobby immediately scurrying away with the cash is perfect

Next up, clips of the Super Posedown between WWF Intercontinental Champion Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude at Royal Rumble 1989, ending in Heenan’s charge (Rude) laying Warrior out

Tito Santana v Red Rooster: From Saturday Night's Main Event XIX on January 7 1989 (taped December 7 1988) in Tampa Florida. They trade off in the early going, and Tito dropkicks him down for a splash for two. Bobby Heenan is so frustrated with his charge, that he seeks George Steinbrenner's advice, since big George is at ringside tonight. That's kinda amazing, actually. Rooster fires back with a chincrusher, but can't string a follow-up together, and Tito sweeps him down for some mounted punches. Rooster tries a sunset flip, but Santana blocks, and delivers a hellacious earringer! Bobby flipping out on the floor is a thing of beauty! Backdrop sets up the Figure Four, but Rooster grabs a handful of hair (in full view of the referee) to block, and Heenan snaps! He pulls Rooster to the floor to berate him (cheating's fine, but IN FULL VIEW OF THE REFEREE?!?!?!), and it's just fucking hilarious. 'He's treating you like he owns you!' Bobby dresses him down, but makes the mistake of getting physical, and Rooster is not pleased. Santana vertical suplexes him back in for two, but gets kicked in the face as he tries a backdrop, and Rooster follows up with a kneedrop for two. Backbreaker gets two, but Tito counters a vertical suplex with an inside cradle for two. Rooster tries to keep control, but runs into a backslide for two. Rooster plants him with a well executed piledriver for two, but mistimes a stungun (he drops him on the middle rope - which still works, so it's not a botch), but Tito blocks a sharpshooter, and clotheslines Rooster over the top. A frustrated Heenan rolls him back in before he's ready, however, and Santana schoolboys him at 7:27. Afterwards, Heenan continues to run him down and publicly embarrass him, and Rooster has had ENOUGH! Watching Bobby go from abuse to cowering in the span of about five seconds is phenomenal. Not exactly the Mega Powers breakup here, as far as angles go, but it was a well done midcard angle. Solid match, too. ** ½

This leads to Prime Time Wrestling, as Rooster shows up as a guest with hosts Gorilla Monsoon and Heenan, and Bobby wants to apologize, and wish him well. He offers his hand, and Rooster takes it, but Heenan slaps him across the chops - with Brooklyn Brawler running in to attack him before Rooster can respond! Brawler even takes Monsoon out with a chair, which I think might be the only time I’ve ever seen Gorilla get physically involved, aside from the angle with Vader in 1996

The next profile is on Jimmy Hart, and we get a promo from Jimmy

Bret Hart v Steve Lombardi: From Superstars on May 21 1988 (taped May 10)

in Duluth Minnesota. Bret kicks Jimmy out at the bell, telling him he doesn’t want his services any longer. That allows Lombardi to attack, and he hammers Hart into the corner, as Jim Neidhart split screens in to put Bret over as a good guy. Bret fights Lombardi off, and a piledriver finishes at 1:34. DUD

A few weeks later, Bret is working another squash, and again banishes Jimmy at the bell, but Jimmy doesn’t want to go, so Neidhart runs him off to make sure he gets the message

Later on in the summer, The Hart Foundation are battling the Conquistadors, and Jimmy split screens into swear revenge on his former clients. After the match, Jimmy shows up to promise that WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition will get revenge for him come SummerSlam 

We get clips of Demolition retaining their title against the Foundation at SummerSlam ‘88 with an assist from Jimmy

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Honky Tonk Man v Ultimate Warrior: From SummerSlam, August 29 1988 in New York City. This is supposed to be Brutus Beefcake challenging for the title again, but he's been injured by Ron Bass on Superstars two days prior (kayfabe), so Honky makes an open challenge to anyone who wants a shot. And, boy does he get an answer: the Ultimate Warrior charging down the aisle, and totally obliterating him in 0:27 to win his first Intercontinental Title! As a match, it's nothing, but as a blow off to the long Honky Tonk Man title run, it's terrific - the entire thing from Warrior's entrance to exit just one sustained pop. Plus, it saved us from having to watch Honky and Beefcake stink up the ring on another pay per view, so there's that. DUD

On TV after SummerSlam, Craig DeGeorge brings new WWF Intercontinental Champion Ultimate Warrior out, and Warrior tells Honky that if he wants the belt back, come and get it. That draws Jimmy out to rant at the champion, and the distraction allows Honky to attack him with the guitar. Boy, Honky used to bash the heck out of guys with that thing

The next profile is on Slick, and we start with clips of him introducing The Bolsheviks singing the Soviet national anthem

Next, on the Brother Love Show, guest Hulk Hogan is interrupted by Slick and Big Boss Man, and Boss Man nails Hogan in the throat with his nightstick, and Slick blinds him with some hairspray, allowing Boss Man to cuff him to a piece of the guardrail, and deliver a beatdown. Good segment, with Hulk selling the heck out of it

Next up is Slick’s introduction of Akeem in the fall of ‘88, which features Gene Okerlund meeting him in a dangerous alley somewhere, where Slick promises to ‘bring Africa to you.’ So Slick plays some tunes on his boombox, and a bunch of tribal dancers suddenly appear, dancing around a fire (in a trash can). Suddenly, the fire jumps, and One Man Gang is standing there, but now he’s dressed in traditional African style garb, and doing ‘black voice.’ From now on, he wants to be known as Akeem. I never realized that they were acknowledging that he was the same character, I thought that they just repackaged him. If you’ve never seen this, it’s incredibly racist, and I can’t believe this actually made TV, even in 1988

Speaking of racist stereotypes, the next profile is on Mr. Fuji, and we start with clips of Fuji helping Demolition win the WWF Tag Team title from Strike Force at WrestleMania IV

We skip ahead to Survivor Series ‘88 next, with Fuji turning on Demolition, and aligning himself with the Powers of Pain instead. Despite the Demos still being the reigning tag champs

Frenchy Martin gets the next profile, which means we get a promo from Dino Bravo

We get clips of Dino doing that boring bench press segment at Royal Rumble ‘88 to start. Ugh, this and the stupid Super Posedown on the same tape? And that’s it for the Frenchy profile, apparently, as we start flying through this thing

Ms. Elizabeth gets the final profile, but she’s ‘too distraught’ after the breakup of the Mega Powers so we don’t get a promo from her. Instead, we get clips of her bringing Hulk Hogan out to aid Randy Savage in the main event of WrestleMania IV

Next up, SummerSlam ‘88, as Elizabeth distracts the Mega Bucks with her ass, allowing the Mega Powers to recover, and win the match

Next, Survivor Series ‘88, as Liz steals the keys from Slick to get Hogan out of the handcuffs, allowing the Mega Powers to put Haku away to win their elimination match

Sean Mooney wraps up. What, so no Mega Powers breakup clips?

BUExperience: This one is really heavy on segments, but since I’ve never seen the bulk of them in full (and since, when this came out in 1989, there was no place to see that sort of thing unless maybe you video taped the original episodes), that was very welcome. It got lazier as it went along, but there’s a lot of good stuff here.

A great addition to your Coliseum Collection.