WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Battle of the WWF Superstars (1990)

 

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Battle of the WWF Superstars (1990)

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover features Jake Roberts clotheslining Ted DiBiase over the top rope

Sean Mooney hosts from the studio, dressed like a soldier 

The Bushwhackers v Rhythm and Blues: From New York City on April 30 1990. The Bushwhackers clean house to start, and the dust settles on Honky Tonk Man with Luke. Luke works a wristlock, and it's over to Butch to keep on the arm. Honky bails for some stalling, and it's over to Greg Valentine once he gets back inside. Greg gets control, but Luke starts biting his ass to fight him off, and Honky eats the battering ram. The Bushwhackers go back to work on Greg, but they run into trouble in the heel corner, and R&B cut the ring in half on Luke. A miscommunication spot allows the tag to Butch, and Roseanne Barr the door! Honky grabs a chair, but he gets chased up the aisle, and the Bushwhackers are counted out at 12:20. Yeah, I'm sure this had the Garden crowd in stitches. DUD

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Tito Santana v Mr. Perfect: From Superstars in Austin Texas on May 19 1990 (taped April 23). This is a tournament final for the vacant title. Vince McMahon notes that Santana is ‘the favorite’ here, and Jesse Ventura rightly jumps all over that. Tito gets a standing side-headlock to start, but Perfect forces a criss cross, and uses a drop-toehold into a headlock. Tito counters to a hammerlock, triggering a reversal sequence, won by Santana when he throws an elbow. Perfect returns fire with a jab, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Tito uses a hiptoss on the rebound. Tito knocks him to the outside, and he drags Perfect back in for a slingshot shoulderblock for two. Tito goes to a wristlock from there, but Perfect forces another criss cross, and Tito takes a bump to the outside during it. Inside, Perfect puts the boots to him, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Tito uses a sunset flip for two. Perfect cuts him off, and a forearm knocks Santana to the outside, so Tito sweeps the leg, and wraps it around the post a few times. Inside, Santana stays on the leg, and Bobby Heenan suddenly runs down as Tito goes for the figure four. That allows Perfect a cradle for two, so Tito bodyslams him, and calls for the forearm. Another distraction from Heenan derails the attempt, and Perfect is ready with a small package at 7:00. Solid enough, and achieved the goal of getting the belt on Perfect, and introducing Heenan as his new manager. A more fitting pairing than Genius. And then afterwards, Perfect celebrates with… one of the tag titles. And they don’t even cut away from it. That’s pretty insulting. * ¼ 

Mooney introduces a profile on Dusty Rhodes, noting that Dusty ‘isn’t sitting behind some desk, playing a war game.’ Not anymore

Akeem v Dusty Rhodes: From New York on February 19 1990. Dusty had been in the WWF for a while by this point, but apparently this is his first match in the Garden of this run. Akeem dominates a bit early, but gets reversed into the corner, and Rhodes puts him down with a series of elbowsmashes. I’m pretty sure the selling here is what inspired a bunch of memes I’ve seen on social media recently Akeem regroups on the outside, and man, the commentary here is super sleepy, even with Gorilla and Bobby on the headsets. Dusty with a series of elbowsmashes to leave Akeem tied up on the ropes, but Akeem throws a few punches, and delivers an elbowdrop for one. Akeem with a nervehold, until Dusty slugs free, but Akeem dumps him. Slick goes after Dusty out there, and Akeem hops out to hammer the Dream. Inside for another nervehold, but Dusty fights free, and takes it into the corner for a ten-punch. They spill to the outside, where Akeem goes after Sapphire, but Dusty saves, and wins via countout at 9:04. DUD

Dusty butcher vignette. These were all great

Dusty Rhodes v Big Boss Man: TV taping dark match from Fresno California on August 9 1989. Boss Man hammers him down to start, but Dusty comes back with a series of elbowsmashes. Boss Man goes to a headvice, but Dusty escapes, and delivers a ten-punch. A clothesline leads to an elbowdrop, but Slick comes in to attack for the DQ at 2:46. Well, that was a whole bunch of nothing. DUD

Dusty shit shoveling vignette

Randy Savage v Dusty Rhodes: From Phoenix Arizona on February 13 1990 in a TV taping dark match. Dusty hits him with an elbowsmash right away, but he wastes time with Sensational Sherri, and Macho attacks with an axehandle. Macho then makes the same mistake by wasting time with Sapphire, and Rhodes attacks back. Rhodes with an elbowsmash and a few turnbuckle smashes, followed by a corner whip to put Randy in a tree of woe. Dusty tosses him over the top from there, but Randy snaps his throat across the top, and delivers a flying axehandle for two. Sleeper, but Rhodes fights free, so Randy throws a knee to knock him to the outside, where Sherri is waiting. Randy with a flying axehandle on the floor, and more abuse from Sherri allows him a choke. Inside, Savage covers for two, so he grabs the ring bell, and knocks Rhodes silly… for two. I guess he didn’t get all of it there. Macho with more choking, but a series of jabs get no sold, and Dusty goes on the comeback trail. Macho bumps around for him, but a criss cross results in a double knockout. Sherri tries to pass Macho her loaded purse, but Sapphire steals it back, and Dusty pops Randy with it - knocking Macho out of the ring for the countout at 7:20. Entertaining beyond its star rating. ½*

Lord Alfred Hayes shows us how the arena is put together before a show, via the magic of time lapse video. Actually pretty cool, as they go from a mostly empty floor space to when the ring announcer welcomes the crowd

Jim Neidhart v Genius: From New York on January 15 1990. Genius stalls to start, and manages to outsmart Neidhart through some sequences. It isn’t until some four minutes in that the first significant contact is made, and it ends in Genius down on the outside. For more stalling. Neidhart finally gets upset enough to chase him, but eats a dropkick on the way inside, and Genius puts the boots to him. Genius unloads on the ropes, and a bodyslam sets up a flying moonsault, but Neidhart gets the knees up. Jim makes a comeback, and Genius ends up on the outside. Neidhart chases, but gets nailed by Mr. Perfect out there, and Genius covers at 9:19. Genius is a talented worker, but he was all character at this stage. DUD

No Disqualification Match: Ted DiBiase v Jake Roberts: From New York on December 28 1989. Jake shakes off some mind games early on, and sends DiBiase into the corner after unloading a series of jabs. Jake takes him to the mat to work the arm, really making the most of that ‘no DQ’ stip. DDT, but Ted slips free, and bails. Back in, Jake goes back to the arm, until DiBiase manages to fight him off, and get Roberts tied in the ropes for some abuse. Ted drills him with an elbowsmash, and a swinging neckbreaker follows, with Jake doing a great job of selling throughout here. DiBiase with a kneedrop and a piledriver, but Jake has a foot in the ropes at two. DiBiase responds by wearing him down with a chinlock, but Jake fights free, so DiBiase puts the boots to him some, and goes back to it. Ted tries a 2nd rope axehandle, but Jake dodges, and catches DiBiase with a kneelift. Roberts makes a comeback, but runs into a knee while trying a corner charge, and DiBiase gets the cobra clutch on! Jake makes the ropes, and manages to pull himself out of the ring on the break. Ted follows, but wastes time jawing with the referee, and Jake bashes his arm into the post. Roberts with a 2nd rope high knee on the way back in, and a short-clothesline finds the mark. Time for the DDT, and he plants DiBiase for the pin at 17:54. I’m legitimately shocked this had a clean finish. They didn’t really do enough with that stipulation, though. ½*

WWF Trivia!

WWF Title Match: Ultimate Warrior v Mr. Perfect: TV taping dark match from La Crosse Wisconsin on May 15 1990, with Perfect's WWF Intercontinental title not on the line. Oddly, Perfect wears it to the ring, despite his title win not airing on TV yet when this was taped. Perfect tries blitzing him at the bell, but gets nowhere, and Warrior casually knocks him over the top. Warrior drags him back in for a few shoulderblocks, and you’d better believe Perfect is all about that selling. Warrior launches him over the top, and he delivers a facebuster after dragging the challenger back in, then clotheslines his ass right back out. Perfect is like a bump machine here. Warrior follows for a chop on the floor, and he rolls Perfect back inside to unload a series of turnbuckle smashes. Warrior with a cross corner whip, and he catches Perfect with a pop-up flapjack on the rebound, but misses a splash. Looked like Warrior was going for a backdrop there, and Perfect misread something, and took a flapjack instead. It looked awkward, but not terrible/didn’t breach kayfabe. Perfect unloads on him, and they spill to the outside, where Perfect feeds him the guardrail, then pops him with the title belt. Back inside, Perfect keeps hammering, but Warrior starts no selling, so Perfect ups the ante with a 2nd rope axehandle. Warrior no sells, so Perfect tries a standing dropkick, but same result. Perfect keeps coming with a 2nd rope punch, and a flying dropkick - though Warrior is out of position, and it looks awkward. He sells it, though, at least. Perfect with the bridging fisherman suplex for two, and Warrior makes a proper comeback. The jumping shoulderblock sets up a splash at 5:55. This was a little sloppy at points, but Perfect was trying to fill up his bump card out there to make this work. I get why it wouldn’t be feasible from a booking or box office perspective during this period, but man, Perfect would have been an ideal opponent to make Warrior look like a million bucks after his title win. * ¼ 

BUExperience: I like the era, but other than the Perfect/Santana tournament final, there’s really nothing here worth seeing.

Not a good addition to your Coliseum Collection.