WWE Vintage Collection Report: August 7th 2011
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
This week, we begin our “Summer Sizzlers” theme with a look back at Attitude Era Tag Teams and mid-1990s luchador action from WCW. Let’s begin!
SummerSlam: August 22nd 1999 – Tag Team Turmoil
Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz vs Mideon & Viscera vs Droz & Prince Albert vs The Acolytes vs The Hollys
Winners will receive a Tag Team title shot the next night on Raw. Two teams start. When one team is eliminated, the next one comes out with no respite. E & C enter through the crowd, while Gangrel accompanies the Hardys to the ring. The rebellious Hardys had just ditched mentor and former Freebird Michael Hayes in order to form the (short-lived) New Brood.
Both teams brawl to start. Christian is in control of Matt Hardy until Gangrel cheapshots him on a rollup attempt. After a double flapjack and Jeff’s springboard moonsault, the Hardys land poetry in motion in the corner. Jeff follows up Matt’s suplex with a swanton bomb. Christian cuts off a double lift with a couple of reverse DDTs to get out of trouble. Edge goes clothesline crazy until Matt tosses him over the top rope. All four spill to the floor. Edge spears Jeff in mid-air after both run the guardrail. Christian and Matt take each other out with a top rope dive and moonsault respectively. As Matt and Christian battle on the top rope, Edge gets Matt on his shoulders, planting him face first onto the mat. Christian hits a flying elbow and picks up the pin.
Mideon and Viscera enter and work over Christian. Viscera surprises Edge with a rolling heel kick. Viscera sends Edge to the corner, but his fatness proves to be his team’s undoing as Edge pulls Mideon in the way of an avalanche splash. Whoomp there it is! E & C dropkick and tackle Big Vis out of contention, before Edge spears Mideon for the 1-2-3.
Prince Albert and Droz are next out. A double clothesline to the floor takes care of Albert for a short time. Droz dominates Edge for a bit. Albert misses a running charge, but comes back to hit a reverse TKO. Christian makes the save, then pulls down the top rope to avoid Droz’s three point stance charge. Christian connects with a plancha on Droz, then chopblocks Albert as he has Edge up in a press slam. Edge pins Albert following a downward spiral.
The Acolytes blindside E & C. Edge gets worked over as Bradhsaw rushes across the ring to give Christian a stiff clothesline on the apron. Faarooq nonchalantly covers Edge, who then slips out of a Dominator to drill the Acolyte with a DDT. Christian tags in and throws some dropkicks. E & C clear the ring. Faarooq crotches Christian on the top rope, but he recovers to give Bradshaw a tornado DDT. The Hollys think it’s over and rush to the ring prematurely. Christian jumps off Edge’s back to splash Faarooq in the corner. However, Bradshsaw’s lying in wait, and as Christian turns round, he gets walloped with a clothesline (from hell). Faarooq holds Edge back as Bradshaw gets the pin to eliminate the crowd favourites.
The Hollys start squabbling from the get-go. Faarooq gives Crash a Dominator. Hardcore suplexes Faarooq, only for Crash to blind tag in. Hardcore looks on in disgust as his cousin takes a licking. Hardcore blind tags to resume the advantage, but the Hollys pull each other off pinfall attempts and start shoving one another. Hardcore kicks Crash to the floor, then eats a Faarooq spinebuster for the decisive 1-2-3. Well I’ll be damned! The Acolytes get the title shot. The Hollys brought the comedy, but Edge and Christian carried the match. Winners: THE ACOLYTES. Unfortunately for the Acolytes, their title match against Undertaker and Big Show the next night would end in a no-contest.
WCW Bash at the Beach: July 7th 1996
Rey Mysterio Jnr vs Psychosis
The winner of this is set to meet Dean Malenko for the Cruiserweight title the next night on Nitro. This Lucha feud started in AAA, carried over into ECW and now WCW. Both are masked with Psychosis sporting a wicked perm. Rey armdrags Psychosis to the floor. Both trade submissions and flips, before Psychosis takes over with a spin kick and suicide dive. After wearing Rey down with a chinlock, Psychosis hits a guillotine legdrop and locks on a headscissors. Psychosis hangs Rey up on the top rope. Rey gets his feet up on the ring apron to elevate Psychosis head first into the ringpost. Rey leaps off the apron to deliver a hurracanrana.
Psychosis elevates Rey once more, landing throat first across the top rope. A reverse DDT puts Rey outside, where Psychosis drops him across the guardrail, then lands a senton splash. Back inside, Psychosis connects with an enziguiri. Psychosis breaks a camel clutch to rip at Rey’s face and hammerlock an arm. Rey cartwheels onto his opponent’s shoulders to hurracanrana him to the floor. Rey follows up with a springboard dropkick and another hurracanrana across the apron, showing great balance and agility. After a moonsault, a pair of dropkicks put Psychosis back on the floor. Rey wipes Psychosis out (as well as his own knee) with a corkscrew asai moonsault. Psychosis catches Rey leaping back into the ring with a powerbomb. Psychosis flips Rey upside down to drive him stomach first into the corner. Psychosis sets Rey up for a top rope Razor’s Edge aka Splash Mountain, but Rey flips into a Frankensteiner in mid-air. Oh My God!!!! 1-2-3. Wow, some crisp action, easily a match of the year contender and a hot start to what was an eventful PPV (the infamous Hulk Hogan heel turn and birth of the nWo). Rey gets the title shot, while Psychosis also shows what he can do on the big stage. Winner: REY MYSTERIO JNR.
WCW Monday Nitro: July 8th 1996
WCW Cruiserweight Title: Dean Malenkov s Rey Mysterio Jnr
We’re outdoors for this match at Disney’s MGM Studios. Both had crossed paths one month earlier. Malenko spoiled Rey’s debut by handing him a loss. Malenko uses mat wrestling to score the advantage. Rey uses his quickness to land a headscissors and armdrag (after slipping and sliding around Malenko’s upper body). Both cancel each other out until Rey lands a pair of springboard dropkicks and armdrags his way out of a powerbomb. Malenko catches Rey in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and takes control with a belly-to-belly throw.
Rey absorbs a couple of restholds and a brainbuster on the outside. Rey counters a pumphandle slam by falling on top of Malenko, before both take a spill over the top rope. Malenko fails to catch Rey’s asai moonsault properly and Rey’s knees smack onto the concrete floor. Rey shows no side effects as he hits a top rope Frankensteiner and springboard moonsault for nearfalls. Malenko catches Rey going high risk, and hits a gutbuster from the top rope. Malenko pulls Rey up at a count of two, then again following a belly-to-belly throw. Malenko’s cockiness comes back to haunt him when Rey counters a tilt-a-whirl maneuver into a hurracanrana pin for what would be the first of five reigns Rey would enjoy as Cruiserweight Champion in WCW. Winner: REY MYSTERIO JNR.
Okerlund promises more summer spectaculars for us next week. This was an action-packed show, which only served to highlight what’s sadly missing from today’s WWE, namely the lack of great Tag Team and Cruiserweight action. It was fun watching Rey fly around the ring in his prime to put on two fantastic matches. See you next week!
Any comments or discussion points drop me a line at [email protected].
Follow me on Twitter @Shaun_Best.