Our first match on WWE Vintage Collection this weeks comes from Summerslam 88, and is featuring Big Boss Man vs. Koko B Ware. Vintage Collection will be featuring matches from past Summerslams leading up to Summerslam 09.
We come in to  Big Boss Man going for the cover, but he pulls Koko back up again to continue the match. They go straight into a submission hold with Big Boss Man taking complete and utter control. The next move yet again is a drop onto the back of Koko who is on the ropes, and it doesn’t seem like Koko is going to be able to come back from this at all. Big Boss Man goes for a scoopslam and takes Koko down yet again. The match goes high risk as Big Boss Man climbs up to the top rope and jumps, but misses as Koko rolls out of the way, and we see Big Boss Man go again to crush Koko in the corner of the ring, but as he flies towards the corner, Koko gets out of the way with more motion this time and we see Big Boss Man crotch himself on the top rope. Which gives Koko a second wind and we see some punches, a flying dropkick off the top rope, and a cover attempt which ends badly as Koko is literally thrown off into the air. There is a point where Koko is almost thrown over the shoulder of Big Boss Man and he grabs onto the top ropes and hangs there. Another moment of proof that Big Boss Man is a strong guy. And they come back in, a quick side slam from Big Boss Man, the cover, and the one, two, three. This one was taken out by Big Boss Man (with Slick on the sidelines).
After the ad break we’re taken straight back into the lead up for our next match, featuring Demolition and the Hart Foundation. We’re shown a quick entrance promo from “Superstars: June 23, 1990” to completely confuse the viewers by showing us that there are apparently not two, but three members of Demolition. And that they are the current tag team champions.
You’ve got to enjoy old promos, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The three members of Demolition, who are Ax, Smash and Crush, come in to talk about the fact that there are three of them, and only two can compete in the tag team match. Each member gets a chance to suggest possible combinations, and we get this amusing line: “we’re Demolition, and just like the name says, we’re going to demolish the Hart Foundation”.
We cut to another promo, featuring the Hart Foundation. (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart). And again we’re talking about which members of Demolition will be competing in their Summerslam match. The Anvil is a tad insane, and you have to love promos which feature bad jokes. This one delivers on that one, giving us such gems as “we’re going to make flatliners out of Ax and Crush”, and “after the Hart attack we’re going to give you, you’ll be buying pacemakers by the truckload”, and my personal favorite “what we have here is two Harts beating as one”.
Which brings us back to mean Gene to hype up our next match. Obviously featuring Demolition vs. the Hart Foundation in a 2 out of 3 falls match, which is taking place at Summerslam 1990.
We’re taken straight into the match, starting off with Crush and Bret Hart in the ring, and it appears like Hart is in a bad position as they mention him needing the tag. The match seems to turn around with Hart getting in a kick, and then going for a quick roll up pinfall which fails. Both men get their tags, and the match is now Smash and the Anvil. The Anvil gets in a nice clothesline, but as he goes to bounce off the ring ropes, Crush delivers a kick to the back of his head just as the ref has his back turned. Another tag is made, and the power in this match literally is changing from second to second. Crush gets in a few punches, only to be taken down a few seconds later with the Anvil getting in a clothesline again. The tags are literally also flying back and forth here, again both men get tags. and Bret Hart seems to be cleaning up, even with both members of Demolition in the ring. Hart manages to organize it so that the two members of Demolition end up crashing into each other and its back to singles in the ring again. With no obvious commentary to say which man is legal at this stage, we have no idea who is who. Hart gets a two count and we see a backbreaker and an elbow off the top rope and attempt at a three count again. This time its broken up by the other member of Demolition, and the tides start to change quickly. We’re also shown a cut of the Anvil off to the side, injured somehow and nowhere near the ring. Demolition use a few double teaming moves to knock the wind out of Hart, and then Demolition get the first fall as the Anvil comes back in to grab Hart.
And at this stage, we go to another ad break.
We come straight back into the second fall, with Bret Hart being held in a submission hold by a member of Demolition, until he manages to break the hold. Demolition are making fast and constant tags to keep Hart from tagging in his partner until Hart manages to turn things around with a clothesline and both men go down. Hart struggles across the ring and even with a member of Demolition hanging off his foot, Hart manages to make the tag and the Anvil comes in. He works hard and fast against Demolition and has a failed pin attempt before going back to his corner to tag Hart back in. They double team to slingshot the Anvil into the corner, and they get in a Hart Attack and Bret goes for the pinfall. The two count is made, and the other member of Demolition flies over the top, landing on the ref to stop the count. Which is interference, and the ref calls the pin to the Hart Foundation.
So we’re even with one pinfall each to both teams going into the third and final fall.
As the Hart Foundation is celebrating their pinfall, one of the members of Demolition takes out Bret Hart who ends up out on the floor. As we’re watching the Anvil check on his teammate, the third member of Demolition manages to run out and down the entrance ramp, managing to slide under the ring before the ref notices. And its proof here that the commentary team also have no idea who is who in Demolition as they throw a few different names at the guy who is now hiding under the ring. Guess we’ll have to wait until after the ad break to see how this one plays out now (and see if the commentry team decide exactly WHO is under the ring).
Coming straight back into this match, looking at the third pinfall now, there is a bit of commentary about the third member of Demolition hiding under the ring. And its back into the action, Hart is starting this one off, he gets a strong starting, and goes straight for a quick tag into some double teaming action for the Hart Foundation. We see a beautiful move where Hart is smashed down ontop of Demolition by the Anvil for an unsuccessful pin attempt. And as this continues, somehow the member of Demolition gets outside of the ring and switches with Ax who was under the ring. Ax fakes a little tiredness (to make it look like he isnt a fresh man of course), and goes straight in hammering away on Hart. We see Ax basically dominating over Hart, and another failed pinfall, and really, it looks like this is going one way. Pin attempts by Ax with no success, with the Anvil breaking up a pinfall. A backbreaker, and then the Anvil breaks up another pin attempt.
The ref gets distracted by the Anvil and one of the members of Demolition. Off to the side, outside the ring, the hidden member under the ring member pops out and the two Demolition members get stuck into Bret Hart. They throw Hart in again, bounce him off the top rope, and we cut to the Legion of Doom coming down to the ring. They pull out the member of Demolition from under the ring, cause some general chaos, and manage to give the Anvil a chance to fly in from outside, landing a blow, and then Bret Hart goes for the rollup, and gets the three count. The Hart Foundation take out the match, and take home the tag team titles.
Its time for some more ads before our next match.
We come back to Summerslam 88, for an Intercontinental Title match. The Honky Tonk Man comes out with Jimmy Hart, and we’re lead to believe that he doesn’t actually have a scheduled opponent. Honky Tonk Man gets on the mic asking for a challenger, and the Ultimate Warrior comes flying out. He gets in three huge punches, a scoopslam, a flying shoulder, and is essentially dominating like crazy. Ultimate Warrior jumps up, slams down, grabs Honky Tonk Man for the three count, and it’s all over and done with. A crazy short match. (Apparently it lasted 00.32). Ultimate Warrior is the new Intercontinental Champion.
Mean Gene gets in some commentary here, talking about the Honky Tonk Man’s record breaking title reign, as he held the title for 15 months straight, a reign that has never been equaled. But we move on, and we’re taken into our next bout between Ultimate Warrior and Ravishing Rick Rude, as the explanations behind the feud roll on. We’re shown some footage from the Royal Rumble 89 where Rick Rude takes out the Ultimate Warrior with a steel bar. (but as per Vintage Collection rating rules we only see stills of what actually happened). And the footage continues on quite quickly, we see Rude vs. Warrior at Wrestlemania V with Bobby Heenan on the sidelines to interfere and cost Ultimate Warrior the match. Then onto WWF Superstars (July 24th, 1989), where Warrior comes in as Rude is waiting, eyes closed, lips puckered, waiting for a kiss, and Warrior takes him out. And then onto another match where Heenan distracts Ultimate Warrior so that Andre the Giant can come up from behind and choke the life out of the Warrior. We of course also get two spoken promos, Ultimate Warrior is angry and hard to understand. And Rick Rude & Bobby Heenan talk about how Warrior has promised to win the belt back, but how he is the “Ultimate Liar” as he wont win the title back. The talking takes us out to a break.
We’re back at Summerslam 89, with the match already taking place. They pace around the ring, slowly, and they exchange blows. Ultimate Warrior is showing strength early on in the match, throwing Rude up, and over the top rope. Warrior is dominating outside the ring, and takes the belt and smashes Rude with it. The match is moving quite slowly with Warrior throwing Rude back in, and then out again. And you guessed it, throws Rude back into the ring again. Warrior takes this up to the top rope, gets in a strike, and goes for the cover. Unbelievably Rude manages to kick out. Warrior is consistant with his dominating behaivour. And somehow Rude is still able to kick out of the pinfall attempts. There is a vertical suplex taken by Rude, and he still kicks out. Warrior continues the beatdown, literally throwing Rude around. And making a mockery of Rude’s little hip thrusting dance.Rude finally manages to get a break when he crotches Warrior on the top ropes, stopping him as he was climbing up. And of course, just as it gets good, its time for another ad break.
Rude somehow has managed to make a comeback in this one, he has the Ultimate Warrior in a sleeper hold. And holds it there until it is countered and both men start to go for some action in this, until they collide in the center of the ring, also taking out the ref. Bobby Heenan becomes involved, slapping the face of Rude to try and get some response from him. Rude is slowly up again, but there is no conscious ref. Warrior is shaking around and somehow manages to get back up too. Rude and Warrior exchange chops to the shoulders, and both men come alive again. They bounce around inside the ring, and Rude ends up being powerslammed into the mat. But there is no ref. Warrior goes to get a response from the ref. Rude is then the victim of a piledriver, and somehow the ref is back, but Rude only stays down for a two count. Warrior is trying to finish this match off, but Rude manages to stop the momentum by lifting his knees just as Warrior is coming down stomach first. Rude then manages to hit a piledriver, but only for a two count. Rude gets back in control, going off the top ropes, and he punches down into the head of the Warrior. Again, only for a two count.
We cut to Rowdy Roddy Piper taking a slow walk down into the ring. Rude gets in another piledriver, and only for a two count yet again. So many near falls in this one. Piper is just standing at the side of the ring. Rude is posing and then waving his hips around at Piper, failing to notice Warrior behind him, and Warrior gets in a massive belly to back suplex, he follows it up with a shoulder, lifts up Rude high above his head, and drops him down, and finally, we have a three count and a winner. The new Intercontinental Championship, the Ultimate Warrior.
This episode of Vintage Collection is done and dusted, and we’re reminded to come back next week for some more Summerslam Vintage action.
