We’re back this week with Vintage Collection. This week we’re featuring matches from both WWE and WCW.
Our first match comes from WCW Nitro, December 29th 1997. And it’s between Curt Hennig and Chris Jericho. We come in in the middle of the match, Hennig has Jericho in a headlock and manages to stay strong on the offense until Jericho hits a nice clothesline. Hennig goes to the outside of the ring, and we see an verbal exchange between him and someone I don’t recognize (who also isn’t named by the commentary team either). Eventually the action goes back inside the ring and Hennig digs into Jericho in the corner, lasting till Jericho manages to turn it around on Hennig in that same corner. Hennig gets Jericho into a headlock for a little, but Jericho fights back and looks strong in the match, but when he botches what looks like a moonsault, Hennig hits a fishermans suplex and takes home the win.
The next match takes place in the WWE, not for any gold, but for, and i quote “bragging rights”. It’s between the Steiner brothers, Rick & Scott, and the Hart brothers, Bret & Owen on January 11, 1994. We come into the match with Scott Steiner holding Bret Hart in a side headlock. Finally the action begins and Scott takes out Bret with a shoulder to the mouth, sending him outside the ring while the commentary team talk about how Bret is checking to see if all his teeth are still inside his mouth. Back in the ring again, a couple of holds, some reversals, and it leads into Bret hitting a few power moves then into an arm bar. While still in the hold, Bret tags in Owen and he continues the arm bar on Scott. It gets reversed and Scott tags in Rick. Rick grapples with Owen on the ground using traditional wrestling moves but neither of the men get the upper hand. Owen goes for a leapfrog but Rick catches him mid-air and slams him down. And after a suplex, Rick goes for the cover getting a near fall. The action slows down a little here building up to a german suplex and cover attempt but from Owen this time. The tag gets made to Scott who gets beat on by Owen in all sorts of creative ways. But Scott manages gets a little in on Owen, and goes for a cover, but Bret breaks it up. After this both men make tags and after a few seconds Rick gets Bret in an arm bar again. Bret breaks it up, only for Rick to lock it in again literally seconds later. Eventually when Bret gets free, he takes control again, getting in a nice headlock in there. And off to an ad break we go.
We’re back, and Rick has Owen in another submission hold, but Rick stops to tag in Scott, and we see a huge piledriver on Owen. Scott goes for the cover, and again, Bret goes in for the save, and Owen ends up outside the ring. Scott unloads on Owen on the apron, but Owen manages to reverse things and send Scott flying out of the ring. Owen manages to tag in Bret who unloads with power on Scott with a massive flying elbow and another pin attempt. Bret starts to lock in the sharpshooter on Scott, but Rick breaks it up. While the ref has his back turned Owen gets Scott in the sharpshooter so that Rick could break it up again. Scott manages to get Owen up onto his shoulders, and it looks like a double team move is going to happen as Rick climbs the ropes. This is where Bret grabs his foot and holds him down. While this is happening, Owen gets a really close pin attempt and bedlam breaks out in the ring. All four men are involved, as Rick and Bret end up outside the ring, and Scott goes to the top ropes to come down hard on Bret outside the ring. And of course, Owen follows over the top rope to take out Rick. this is where the ref calls a DQ, but the action continues outside the ring. Rick and Owen are going at each other and they end up inside the ring again. As Bret and Scott use the railings as weapons outside the ring to keep battling. Somehow a group of referees manage to split them all up again and the Steiners end up inside the ring and the Harts outside the ring. The match is called as a double countout so there are no winners in this one.
Our next match is between Triple H and Jeff Hardy and it is for the Intercontinental Championship. The match is from Smackdown on April 12th 2001. We come straight in to see that Triple H is in control as we begin here, throwing Hardy outside the ring. We’re shown a cut to Stephanie McMahon watching the match on a TV set out the back of the arena after she suffered from a Twist of Fate delivered by Hardy earlier in the show. And we come back in to Hardy hitting some beautiful flying moves, and keeping up the abuse on Triple H. Ending his control with some punches in the corner of the ring. Triple H keeps trying to use power moves on the high flyer, but Hardy manages to reverse this by flying off the top ropes with a Whisper in the Wind and then a near fall. Triple H manages to use his strength at this stage to throw Hardy outside the ring where Hardy gets his head smashed into the stairs, and he of course then manages to also do the same back to Triple H. They stay outside the ring, doing a lot of back and forth until Hardy is powerslammed into the ground and then thrown into the steps. When they go back into the ring, Triple H is in control and manages to ward off Hardy when he tries to fight back. Eventually hitting a knee to Hardy’s face. Triple H hits a lot of punches, and also uses a couple of holds on the ropes to wear down Hardy. Then, a sleeper hold gets locked in on Hardy, and it is only when Hardy manages to break out of the hold that he looks to be coming back into the match. Hardy goes up to the top ropes, and Triple H throws the ref into the ropes to knock Hardy down and crotch him on the ropes. The ref goes at Triple H, and that same ref ends up taking a blow from Triple H. While the ref is down, Matt Hardy runs down the entrance ramp with a steel chair, and hits Triple H with it inside the ring, and then slides out. Giving Jeff a chance to hit a Swanton Bomb and Jeff gets the three count. The new Intercontinental Champion, Jeff Hardy.
The next match comes from the WCW Great American Bash on July 7th 1990. It is between Sting and Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Sting starts off strong, managing to get in a mockery of Flair with the Woo, and follows it up by staying on top of this fight. Flair gets started with a series of chops to the chest, but it doesn’t last long till Sting hits a military press and some flying kicks, eventually taking the match outside of the ring. A bit of back and forth occurs outside the ring, but Sting is still dominating and clotheslines Flair back into the ring again. Flair ends up in the corner shaking his head begging Sting to stay away, and then he uses the vantage point to put a thumb into Sting’s eye which is the first opportunity that we get to see Flair in control. But again, Sting takes over again and manages to hit a flying cross body off the top ropes. A failed three count, and again we see Flair back on his knees shaking his head at Sting. Which is where we hit an ad break.
Straight back into things, Flair is getting started with some chops and then throws Sting outside the ring. His first move outside is another chop, and it all goes back inside the ring again, with Sting pushing Flair into the corner. Flair seems to be targeting the knee of Sting who is beginning to limp in a rather over the top fashion. The action goes into the corner again, but this time Sting gets on top of the match again. Until a missed dropkick leaves Sting on the ground again. Flair takes this opportunity to start working on the knee of Sting again. and it isn’t until Flair misses a knee drop that Sting manages to take over. Locking in a figure four leglock. After a while Flair manages to get to the ropes to get it broken up. And then slides out of the ring pulling Sting after him. Flair sends Sting into the railings but it seems to not affect Sting at all. The action goes inside the ring again, and yet again, Flair seems to be begging for a break on his knees. Which doesn’t stop Sting. Who gets in six punches. Flair gets up, and goes straight up to the top rope, where Sting grabs onto him and slams him straight down off the top rope. Sting goes for a backslide, but only gets a two count. Flair manages to again get in a kick to the back of Sting’s knee leaving him on the ground again. And we’re off into the ad break.
We’re into the home stretch here, and it appears that Flair is in control. Sting is limping across the ring. And again, Flair hits some chops in the corner. But yet again, Sting goes for control, lifting and pressing Flair up, and back down onto the mat. Sting gets in some right hands in the corner. And as Flair tries to run, Sting clotheslines him on the apron. A standing vertical suplex leads into another two count as Flair loses control. Leading to Flair begging on his knees again in the corner. Sting hits a Stinger Splash in the corner, and then locks in a Scorpion Death Lock. We see the Horsemen try to get down to the ring, but they’re being held back by the “Dudes with Attitudes” who were already at ringside and were there to keep this match as a one on one fight. Flair gets to the ropes eventually, and it gets broken up. We see both men try for some quick covers, but to no avail. Flair goes again for the chops, and again gets down on his knees shaking his head. Sting then goes for a knee in the corner, but Flair moves, and when Flair tries to lock in the figure four, Sting reverses into an inside cradle and he manages to get the three count. The new WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Sting.
And that is all that she wrote this week. Check in again next week for some more vintage action.
