WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Inside the WWF (1994) (Version II)

 

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Inside the WWF (1994)

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover features Tatanka carrying Bam Bam Bigelow on his back like he's Forrest rescuing Bubba, while the back promises a feature showing us what the wrestlers do in the locker room. I'm thinking they poop!

Gorilla Monsoon hosts, from the studio (on the set of All American Wrestling)

Undertaker v Crush: From Springfield Massachusetts on November 30 1993.  Crush attacks from behind, but quickly gets dropped with a DDT. Undertaker tries an elbowdrop, but misses, allowing Crush to clothesline him over the top. He goes after him, but the Deadman snaps his throat across the top rope to block, and hits the ropewalk forearm on the way back in. Johnny Polo (on commentary) is quick to note that both Quebecers can do that too, so we shouldn't be too impressed. Undertaker tries a jumping clothesline, but Crush dodges, and a superkick knocks him to the outside. Crush successfully goes after him out there this time, sending Undertaker into the apron, and beating on him with a chair as Fuji distracts the referee. Gorilla is all over that, of course, leading Polo to agree that referee Bill Alfonso is pretty bad - though not as bad as "that Joey Marella guy." Monsoon and Polo were an underrated team. Probably because not only didn't it last very long, but they were paired up during one of the least popular periods in the promotions history. Back in, Crush unloads a series of kicks, and rakes the eyes ahead of a turnbuckle smash, but Undertaker no-sells. He chokes Crush against the turnbuckles, and uses a cross corner whip, but takes too long following in, and Crush hits a backbreaker. Undertaker sits up, so Crush decides to give him an impressive press-slam (with multiple presses, to boot), but Undertaker still sits up. This time he hits the jumping clothesline, so Crush tries a tombstone to put this away, but gets predictably reversed at 7:02. This was fine. Paint-by-numbers, but fine. *

Inside Look, as we see some of the ‘inside’ stuff, like Shawn Michaels and Diesel watching tapes, with Shawn talking Diesel up

Shawn Michaels and Diesel v Marty Jannetty and Razor Ramon: From Plattsburgh New York on July 27 1993, in Diesel’s first WWF match. Shawn and Marty start, and Jannetty armdrags him over, so Shawn complains of a (nonexistent) hairpull. We have Stan Lane and Ted DiBiase on commentary here, and it’s… not good. Jannetty with a second armdrag, so Shawn tags out to Diesel. They posture a little, and Marty uses a go-behind to try a takedown, but Diesel shrugs him off in violent fashion. Tag to Razor, but Diesel catches him with a knee, and he hammers on the Bad Guy. Back to Shawn for a flying bodypress, but Ramon catches him in a bearhug, and tags to Jannetty for a bearhug/flying clothesline combo for two. Jannetty goes to a mat-based side-headlock from there, but Shawn forces a criss cross, so Jannetty pops him with a jab for two. Back to the headlock, but another criss cross allows Diesel to take a cheap shot. Diesel tags in with a gutwrench suplex-slam, and the heels to go work in cutting the ring in half on Jannetty. Shawn runs into an elbow during a corner charge, allowing Jannetty a 2nd rope bulldog, and Razor gets the hot tag. Ramon hits Shawn with a fallaway slam, so Diesel comes in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Diesel gets dumped, and Razor puts Shawn away with a chokeslam at 11:28, to a huge pop. I’m shocked this got a clean finish. The match was okay, but not at the level of the 1994 match with 1-2-3 Kid in Jannetty’s place. Anyway, this was before Diesel got even passably good, and Ramon had a long way to grow as a worker as well. That said, it’s significant as Diesel’s first WWF match. * ¼ (Original rating: *)

Next we get the WWF Studio Tour, hosted by Johnny Polo. Unfortunately, he has some trouble getting into the actual building

Bam Bam Bigelow v Tatanka: From Saginaw Michigan on September 1 1993, with Gorilla Monsoon and Johnny Polo on commentary. Much better. Tatanka kickstarts things, and Bigelow ends up on the outside, where Tatanka dives with a plancha. He rolls Bam Bam in, but Bigelow gets the high ground, and puts the boots to him. Bam Bam adds a shoulderblock, and he hammers away on Tatanka. Another shoulderblock finds the mark, but Tatanka fires back with a dropkick, and lands a bodypress for two. Tatanka with chops, but a cross corner whip gets reversed. Bam Bam follows in, but takes too long, and eats an elbow. That allows Tatanka a trio of clotheslines for two, and a DDT follows. That allows Tatanka to get to the top for a flying bodypress, but Bam Bam hits the deck to dodge. That allows Bigelow a pair of headbutt drops for two, and a dropkick is worth two, as Polo grills Monsoon on his career. A headbutt knocks Tatanka out of the ring, where Luna Vachon is quick with some abuse. Back in, Tatanka tries hammering, but Bam Bam throws an enzuigiri to cut him off. Bam Bam with a corner whip to set up an avalanche, but a second one gets blocked. Tatanka goes in for a tomahawk, but Bam Bam blocks. Tatanka goes to a sunset cradle instead, but Bam Bam sits down on him to block. Bam Bam with a jumping headbutt for two, and he goes to a chinlock from there. Tatanka escapes, and tries going on the comeback trail, but Bam Bam cuts him off again. Bigelow wastes time gloating, allowing Tatanka to recover, and now he’s able to get a comeback going. Bigelow ends up on the outside, so Tatanka follows for a Samoan drop on the floor. Tatanka rolls in, but Bam Bam can’t beat the count at 13:08. These two always had natural chemistry, though this was on the slower side. ¾* (Original rating: *)

Next up, we go inside All American Wrestling, with a look at how the show is produced. Softball stuff, but I live for this kind of bullshit 

Bret Hart v Adam Bomb: From Grand Rapids Michigan on August 31 1993. Bret's way of sizing Bomb up as they square off is pure genius. Just the little facial expressions and such. It's so small that you might not even notice it, but it adds so much if you do. Bomb knocks him around in the early going, so Bret uses Adam's own momentum against him into a hiptoss, and a clothesline sends him over the top. Bomb drags him out after him, but hits the post while trying to use it against Bret, and the Hitman capitalizes by working on the hand as they head back inside. Bomb fights him off with a powerslam, and a cross corner whip causes Hart to crumble up like an old accordion. Bomb reacts by giving him another one, and a ropechoke puts Bret on his back for two. Hart fights back with a sunset flip for two, but Bomb cuts him off right away, and hits a sidewalk slam for two. Chinlock, as Gorilla excitedly asks Stan Lane how much Bomb weighs on commentary, and marvels at the response. And here he got pissed off at Art Donovan. Hypocrite. Bomb with another corner whip, but Bret lifts his boot on the charge, and dives with a 2nd rope flying bulldog for two. Inverted atomic drop and a hangman's clothesline get two, and a Russian legsweep is worth two. 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop misses, allowing Adam to choke him a bit, and he goes up for the flying clothesline, but takes too long getting there, and Hart slams him off. Sharpshooter, and Bomb is defused at 11:36. * 

Another Inside Look, at Earthquake coming into a building

Meanwhile, Polo has made it in for his studio tour, and he takes us into the tape library, but gets bored, and raps the guy behind a wall of tapes. He gives us a look at the edit bay next, and you can tell that he’s just having the time of his life messing around with his coworkers here

Randy Savage v Doink the Clown: From Columbus Ohio on June 14 1993. Polo makes reference to WrestleMania X here, but the match sees Doink still back as a heel, though they don’t bother mentioning it at all. Posturing to start, and Macho gets control with a backdrop. To the outside, Doink eats the steps, and Savage tries adding a helping of post, but Doink reverses him into it. Doink adds a flying axehandle on the floor, but Randy beats the count in anyway, so Doink gives him a facebuster. Doink with a bootchoke before dumping Macho back to the outside, but he beats the count again, so Doink goes to town in the corner. Macho slugs back, and tries a quick flying axehandle, but Doink blocks. That allows the clown a bodyslam to set up the whoopie cushion, but Savage dodges. That allows Randy to clothesline him over the top, and Macho dives after him with a flying axehandle on the floor! Cue a second Doink, and he switches off under the ring. The second Doink attacks Macho from behind, and he pounds on him. They end up on the outside, where the first Doink hooks Machos’ ankle while the second beats on him, and Randy gets counted out at 8:33. Afterwards, Macho gets the referee to see the second Doink, and the decision gets reversed. ½* (Original rating: ½*)

Another Inside Look, this time Randy Savage giving Razor Ramon some advice in the high school gym they’re working in that night

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Razor Ramon v Ludvig Borga: From Lowell Massachusetts on December 14 1993. We have Stan Lane and Ted DiBiase on commentary, and Ted notes that he was ‘born in Miami,’ but ‘got the hell out of there’ as quickly as he could. So, I guess he definitely didn’t make his money in real estate, then. They size each other up for a bit, before Borga just grabs him, and throws the champion over the top. Back in, Borga continues to power the champion around, until Razor manages a suplex to escape a test-of-strength. Borga ends up on the outside, so he tries suplexing Razor from the apron out, but Ramon reverses him back in for two. Borga cuts him off, and a cross corner whip rebounds Ramon into a clothesline. Borga with a headbutt, but Ramon fires off a right hand - only to telegraph a backdrop, and get clobbered. Borga with a bodyslam, but an elbowdrop misses. They criss cross, and Borga tags him with a jumping clothesline to win the exchange. That allows Borga to go up with a flying clothesline, but Ramon is in the ropes at two. The referee initially counts three at 6:39, but he notices the foot, and calls it off, despite the bell already ringing and Borga’s music playing. Borga is pissed, but stays on Ramon with a sidewalk slam for two. A cross corner whip sets up a corner splash, but Ramon sidesteps, and delivers a side suplex for two. Borga tries a big roundhouse punch, but Ramon ducks, and muscles Borga up for a side superplex. He sets up for the crucifix powerbomb, but the referee gets bumped in the process, and Shawn Michaels runs in to nail Razor with the ‘bogus’ title belt. Everyone is down, but Borga is stirring, and so is the referee. Borga brawls over to make the cover, and he gets the pin at 9:48. So, this time, the bell rings, the music plays, and Borga is announced as the champion, before two other referees come out to tell the original referee what happened. The referee notices that there are two title belts out there, which he considers all the proof needs to reverse the decision. This was okay, but two bullshit finishes in one match was a bit much. Not to mention, right after another reversed decision finished in the preceding match on the tape. * ¼ (Original rating: * ¼)

Polo continues his studio tour, barging in to the All American studio to ruin a take for a documentary Lord Aldred Hayes is making

Another Inside Look, with a blown up Lex Luger recommending that we train. Well, maybe take your own advice first, pal

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Lex Luger: From Grand Rapids on August 31. Luger grabs a standing headlock right away, and grinds with that for a while. Shawn manages to force a criss cross, but Luger blasts into him with a shoulderblock, and Michaels ends up on the outside. Nice oversell from Shawn there. Inside, they trade wristlocks, with Lex dominating. Shawn tries a bodyslam, but Luger reverses, and Michaels does another oversell to the outside. Luger chases, but here’s Diesel with a distraction, and Michaels clobbers him. Inside, Shawn goes to work with axehandles to the back, and a 2nd rope axehandle gets the champion two. Michaels with a jumping backelbow for two, and he grounds the challenger in a chinlock from there. Lex escapes, so Shawn tags him with a superkick for two, but Luger backdrops his way out of a piledriver. That allows Lex to go on the comeback trail, so Shawn pokes him in the eyes to try and cut it off. Lex stays on track, and a powerslam gets him two. A cross corner whip leaves Shawn splayed in the top turnbuckle for Luger to punt a few times, and Michaels ends up taking a bump to the outside on the third kick. Shawn decides to walk, and Luger doesn’t even try to drag him back in - Michaels counted out at 8:51. Gosh, no wonder he developed such a reputation for blowing title matches. And, yes, they really did book Lex to win another title match by countout just one day after SummerSlam ‘93. ¾* (Original rating: *)

Our next Inside Look is Jeff Jarrett teaching us how to spell

Polo is back on his tour, now messing around in the Mania studio. He somehow annoys the crew even more than Todd Pettengill might

Another Inside Look, with Jim Cornette prepping Yokozuna for a match with Bret Hart

WWF Title Cage Match: Yokozuna v Bret Hart: From Augusta Maine on December 15 1993. Bret takes the fight right to him with a series of right hands, but a bodypress gets caught in a bodyslam. Yokozuna tries an elbowdrop, but misses, and Bret climbs. He manages to get one leg over before Yokozuna pulls him back in, and slams his ass off the top rope. Yokozuna looks to add a legdrop, but that misses as well, as Gorilla quips that the only thing Yokozuna doesn’t miss is lunch. Hart throws a headbutt and a dropkick to knock Yokozuna into the cage, but a series of rights ends up getting answered with a big right. Yokozuna stumbles towards the door, but he’s still loopy, and collapses. Bret is up first, and goes after the champ, but Yokozuna shakes him off with a low blow, then adds a headbutt drop to the groin for good measure. Yokozuna goes for the door, but Bret runs up and uses the middle rope to crotch him back! Bret climbs, so Yokozuna goes after him, but Hart kicks him away. Bret gets himself over, but Yokozuna cuts him off, and throws him into the cage. Yokozuna dominates, but an avalanche misses, and Hart is able to dive with a 2nd rope bulldog. Hart climbs, but Mr. Fuji jabs him with the flagpole to knock him off. Both guys stagger up, and Yokozuna catches him with a right. That allows Yokozuna to climb for the banzai drop, but Bret scurries away for the door. He gets half out, but Fuji blocks him, and Yokozuna is able to get over there. Bret fights to shake him off so he can get out the door, but Yokozuna is able to anchor him, and deliver a facebuster. Bret fights him off and climbs, and he gets closer, but still can’t get out before Yokozuna is able to drop him crotch-first across the top rope. Yokozuna goes to the door, but Bret grabs an ankle. He manages to pull Yokozuna back in, but the champion brings the salt bucket in with him. Bret hammers him with punches before he can use it, but Yokozuna jabs him in the throat to cut it off. A bodyslam sets up a splash, but Hart rolls out of the way. Hart is slow, but looks for a climb, though Yokozuna cuts him off. Yokozuna tries to send him into the cage, but Hart reverses, and adds a bulldog. Hart keeps coming with a hangman clothesline, so Yokozuna grabs the bucket, but Bret blocks a shot. Hart grabs it and gets a few blows in, then covers for two - the referee running in to count, despite Gorilla explaining that it wouldn’t count. Bret pops him with the bucket again, and Yokozuna looks to be out cold, right near the door. That blocks Bret’s path, so he goes for a climb, but Fuji throws salt in his eyes to block and blind him. Despite that, Bret makes a blind climb attempt, but Yokozuna is able to roll out the door just ahead of him at 18:18. I appreciated the psychology here, and Yokozuna’s selling was fun as well. * ½ (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: I really liked the concept of this one, with the behind the scenes stuff being a real treat for nerds like me (and something pretty rare for this era), as well as lots of matches that didn’t already air on TV.

A good addition to your Coliseum Collection.