WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake (1988)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake (1988)

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover features Brutus Beefcake cutting hair in all his Scrappy Coco glory

Gene Okerlund hosts from the studio, in what looks like a really low quality production compared to the level they’re usually known for

We start with clips of Johnny Valiant and Brutus Beefcake on an episode of Tuesday Night Titans in late 1984. Not much here, but my God, those outfits. It’s like they mugged David Bowie on their way to the set

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Brutus Beefcake: From Prime Time Wrestling in Landover Maryland on January 27 1986 (taped August 17 1985). It’s weird seeing how thin Beefcake’s hair was looking in the 80s compared to his look as Disciple in 1998. He must have been on the Jeremy Piven plan. Beefcake tries some taunting early, but Hulk takes control with a corner clothesline, and the champ adds an atomic drop to send Beefcake to the outside. Back in after some stalling, and Beefcake manages to pound the Hulkster down, but Hulk reverses a series of turnbuckle smashes, and delivers a few headbutts. Hulk with a backbreaker for two, but Brutus reverses a cross corner whip, and follows in with a clothesline. Beefcake works him over, and delivers a backbreaker for two. He holds a bearhug, but Hulk fights free, and nails him with the axe bomber. Big boot follows, and a bodyslam sets up the legdrop, but Valiant distracts him during the cover. That allows Beefcake a sneak attack, but Hulk sidesteps, and Brutus goes crashing into Valiant - allowing Hulk to schoolboy at 10:35. The Hulk-Up was such a great trademark thing that definitely got over and became one of the most beloved aspects of Hogan’s act, but his work was much more interesting before he discovered it. ¾*

Review of the Dream Team/British Bulldog feud, ending in clips of the Bulldogs winning the WWF Tag Team title at WrestleMania 2

Review of Beefcake’s babyface turn, starting with Adrian Adonis accidentally cutting his hair on TV, which planted the seeds. Then, onto WrestleMania III, as Greg Valentine, Dino Bravo, and Johnny Valiant walk out on him, leading to Brutus backing Roddy Piper up against Adonis later in the show, and giving Adrian a haircut in retaliation for before

Beefcake swears revenge on his former partners

Brutus Beefcake v Johnny Valiant: From Prime Time in Boston Massachusetts on May 18 1987 (taped May 2). Valiant attacks from behind to kick start the bout, and he chokes Brutus down in the corner. Valiant with a bodyslam to set up a bootrake, and he bashes Beefcake’s head into the mat a few times, before the Barber reverses. Beefcake with a bodyslam of his own to set up a 2nd rope axehandle drop, and a series of turnbuckle smashes follow. Beefcake with an atomic drop, and he wants the sleeper, but Beefcake goes to the eyes. Beefcake quickly fights him off, however, and a 2nd rope elbowsmash leads to the sleeper at 3:28. This was nothing in the way of a competitive wrestling match, but I get why they included it. ½*

Gene Okerlund catches up with Brutus Beefcake, who is embracing this new barber role. I’m not sure when this is from, but it seems like late spring/early summer 1987

Greg Valentine v Brutus Beefcake: From Superstars in Des Moines Iowa on November 28 1987 (taped November 17). Lord Alfred Hayes introduces this as ‘literally a case of brother against brother,’ which may be the worst use of the word ‘literally’ this side of Gorilla Monsoon. Greg attacks from behind to kickstart the match, but Beefcake wins a slugfest, and corner whips him to set up a clothesline on the rebound. Beefcake with a bodyslam, and a turnbuckle smash staggers him for Beefcake to chop down. Another bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, but Greg dodges, and blasts him with an elbowsmash. Hammer with a backbreaker, and he goes to the top, but Brutus slams him off before he can dive. Brutus with a ten-punch count, and he drops an elbow to the groin, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets clobbered. That allows Greg some mounted punches, but Beefcake blocks the figure four. He tries an axehandle, but Greg blocks. He goes back to the figure four, but Beefcake blocks again, so Jimmy Hart distracts him, allowing Valentine to put Beefcake down again. Figure four, but Beefcake blocks again, so Greg starts cracking him with chops. That triggers a slugfest, and the referee gets caught in the crossfire, so there’s no one to check for a submission as Beefcake gets the sleeper on. That allows Hart to come in with the shears, but Beefcake blocks him, only to get clobbered by Valentine. Hammer gets the figure four on, but there’s still no referee. Beefcake gets hold of the shears and scares his way out of the hold, as the referee recovers and calls a double disqualification at 8:12. This was a solid TV match. I always dug how the WWF presented star/star matches on TV, basically condensed versions of house show matches that cut right to the chase, and lots of angle. Like, I’m sure these two could have had a technically ‘better’ match with twenty minutes, but sometimes you just want to be entertained, and see a story play out in the ring, as opposed to pure workrate. * ¼ 

Honky Tonk Man v Brutus Beefcake: From Wrestling Challenge in Green Bay Wisconsin on November 1 1987 (taped October 7), with Honky’s WWF Intercontinental gold not on the line. Beefcake’s at least got black tights underneath his cut outs tonight, thank God. Beefcake with a trio of atomic drops right away, as Danny Davis split screens in to warn Beefcake about the danger of the shears. Honky bails, so Beefcake follows with a fourth atomic drop on the outside, and a slingshot sunset flip gets him two on the way back in. Brutus with an axehandle, and a cross corner whip follows, but Honky dodges the follow up charge. That allows Honky a bodyslam to set up a 2nd rope fistdrop, but Brutus blocks, and gets the sleeper on! Honky fades, so Jimmy Hart comes in for the DQ at 2:16. Afterwards, Beefcake goes to give Jimmy a haircut, but Davis makes the save. This was too short to really be anything, but at least it went somewhere, giving Beefcake a mini-feud with Davis, and setting up a proper feud with Honky over the belt. ¼*

Brutus Beefcake v Danny Davis: From Wrestling Challenge in Rochester New York on November 22 1987 (taped October 28), airing just days ahead of the first Survivor Series. Beefcake with tassles on his boots is a weird look, and makes his legs looks really skinny on top of things. Davis goes to the eyes right away, and slugs at him, but Beefcake slugs back, and that goes badly for Danny. Beefcake with a bodyslam, and Davis begs off, as Sam Houston split screens in to talk about Danny. Beefcake with an atomic drop, and he takes Danny into the corner for abuse, but Davis goes to the eyes again. Davis with a turnbuckle smash, but Brutus reverses a cross corner whip, and unloads with a ten-punch. Beefcake with a hiptoss and an earringer, before dumping Danny over the top, but Jimmy Hart helps him up. Beefcake brings Davis in the hard way, and puts the sleeper on, so Jimmy tries running in, but Beefcake cuts him off. He chucks Hart into Davis, and then covers Danny for the pin at 3:50. ½*

Brutus Beefcake v Ted DiBiase: From Boston on September 12 1987. Ted offers him $500 cash to forfeit the match, which Beefcake responds to with a closed fist. You know, a simple ‘no, but thank you, sir’ would have done just fine there. Brutus onloads on him early, sending Ted to the outside for some regrouping. Inside, Barber gets a side-headlock on, but Ted escapes. Bodyslam, but Beefcake counters to the sleeper, so Ted dives into the ropes to quickly escape. Ted bails to the outside to regroup again, and manages a turnbuckle smash on the way back in, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Beefcake backdrops him on the rebound. Beefcake with a stomp to the groin that sends Ted back to the floor to break the momentum, and he manages to take control on the way back in, and keep it this time - as the ring fills with more trash than a 1997 episode of Nitro. DiBiase had some serious heat, no wonder they went right to the top with him. Ted works him over, but telegraphs a backdrop, and Beefcake cradles for two. Ted immediately cuts him off with some stomping, however, and a vertical suplex gets DiBiase two. Ted with a snapmare into a chinlock, and a kneedrop gets him another two. 2nd rope axehandle, but Beefcake blocks with a gut-punch, and he makes a comeback. Virgil trips him up before he can finish, however, and Ted schoolboys at 9:05. Solid enough, though quite basic overall. * ¼

Brutus Beefcake visits Mr. Fodera for some lessons in strutting and cutting 

Brutus Beefcake v Dino Bravo: From Wrestling Challenge in San Diego California on May 24 1987 (taped May 13). Beefcake knocks him around to start, and a bodyslam sends Bravo to the outside to regroup with Johnny Valiant. Dino comes back in with a gutwrench suplex to set up a legdrop, as the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers split screen in to cut a promo on the New Dream Team. Beefcake reverses Dino into the corner and delivers a clothesline on the rebound, and it’s comeback time for the Barber. Sleeper looks to finish, but Greg Valentine runs in for the DQ at 3:41. ¼*

Brutus cuts a promo on the New Dream Team. If you bet on him using the words ‘nightmare,’ step up to the window and collect your prize

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Brutus Beefcake, Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau v Jimmy Jack Funk, Iron Mike Sharpe, and Johnny K-9: From Superstars in Buffalo New York on June 27 1987 (taped June 2). It felt like they were using the split screen in the last match to build to Beefcake and the Rougeau’s against the New Dream Team to close the tape, but we get this instead. What an odd choice to wrap things up. And speaking of the New Dream Team, they split screen in to cut a promo on the babyfaces, as the faces put this away with a combo at 2:49. ¼*

BUExperience: There wasn’t any good wrestling on this one, but they did a really good job with their profile tapes those days, as this told a story, instead of just throwing on random matches. It wasn’t a perfect story, and sometimes it went with some weird choices, but it’s much better than some of the later 90s ones where it was just a bunch of unrelated matches to fill time and make a quick buck.

A good addition to your Coliseum Collection