WWE Vintage Collection Recap – 10/18/09

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Another week, another Vintage Collection. I have to apologize for the lateness of this, but as life happens, things get pushed back. But it’s here now, and it was an interesting episode!

What an awesome promo to start off with. I couldn’t help but hysterically laugh. There is a crazed wrestler in trunks running through a forest towards an evil looking hologram. Does it get any better? The hologram guy comes to life and talks to the wrestler (who is Kevin Sullivan). And of course, its based around hyping a match (with Hulk Hogan). Oh, and the wrestler disappears and comes back with a crazy red tracksuit and some “scary” looking face paint feeling much more confident about his task to destroy Hulk Hogan and all the Hulkamaniacs. pretty entertaining stuff.

So, Gene Okerlund is welcoming us, and we’re looking at monsters and oddities today.

To kick us off, we have a match between Andre the Giant & Special Delivery Jones, facing Big John Studd & Ken Patera on November 13th, 1984. Starting off we have SD (Special Delivery Jones) in the ring with Patera and they’re locked up. SD gets in an arm drag and then tags in Andre who starts off with a few headbutts before tagging SD back in again. It doesn’t take much for Patera to get a tag in here, bringing in Big John who lays a beat down, and then tags Patera back in again. Patera bounces SD off the ropes, and as he comes off he kicks Patera and pushes him over to the corner to tag in Andre. Patera manages to send SD out of the ring, but Andre is already tagged in. Andre basically squashes him in the corner, until Patera manages to get a knee into the back of the giant. Patera locks in a full nelson, and then a massive double team where Patera & Studd manage to get him up and over in a slam. The two men try to take Andre out. Patera & Studd get disqualified here, but it doesn’t stop them. And in an act of “heel-ness” the two men cut the hair of the giant. (as the crowd throw cups at the wrestlers. dontcha miss the days of minimal security?).

More from that fun promo featuring Kevin Sullivan in that red tracksuit & the scary hologram man. And now Hulk Hogan has somehow fallen into the dream world. Where the water burns him, and he faces off with Sullivan talking about the Zodiac, Kamala and the Shark. And someone breaks through the stone, and pushes Hogan down. Its The Giant. (who is known as Big Show these days). Apparently they’re trying to destroy Hulkamania.

This match is actually a War Games match. (hmm, wonder if this is more proof that WWE are considering bringing War Games back?). And its between the Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Lex Luger and Sting) and the Dungeon of Doom (Kamala, The Zodiac, The Shark & Meng) at Fall Brawl 95 (September 17th, 1995). We start off with Sting and the Shark inside the cage, the coin toss brings Zodiac in and we’re off. Sting hangs off the top of the cage and kicks Zodiac down and tries to lock in a figure four. Shark breaks it up, and both Doom guys drop elbows and legs on Sting. Eventually Sting manages to hit a shoulder that only knocks Zodiac down. Doom take over again, the door is opened and Randy Savage comes in and starts beating on both Doom guys. Sting is being held down as his hand is outside the cage and the remaining Doom members are pulling on it. Inside the cage Savage is beat on somehow, but it must have been anti-PG as the scenes freeze frame and its impossible to work out what actually happened. Sting comes in to help, and they split. Zodiac is fighting with Savage, and Shark is fighting with Sting. We see what is going on outside here, and Savage’s leg is under the cage & being pulled on by Kamala. It basically looks like a brawl as Kamala comes in. 3 on 2 in favor of the Dungeon of Doom here.

During the ad break we’ve missed the entire section where Kamala was in, and we’re brought forward to Lex Lugar opening the cage and running in. Lugar pulls a superman and manages to knock all three Doom members down onto the canvas. Savage takes out Shark, and Lugar is working on the Zodiac while Sting works on Kamala. It appears that during this, the Doom men have gotten some control. Things go back and forth, the timer counts down and Meng comes in. Somehow things have gotten confusing and Savage & Lugar are actually fighting each other. Meng takes complete control here mowing down all the Hulkamaniacs. And we go to an ad break.

Back in now, and Hogan is in the cage, working with Lugar on Kamala and Zodiac. In the other ring, Sting is being beaten on. It looks like the Hulkamaniacs have gained control here. Hogan locks in a reverse chinlock on Zodiac, who submits which means that the Hulkamaniacs have won the match.

Now we go to footage of the Taskmaster (Kevin Sullivan) up on the entrance ramp, trying to run away. He is brought back, and thrown into the cage. We’re now seeing Hulk Hogan vs. Kevin Sullivan. Hogan sends him flying into the walls of the cage over and over again. Sullivan tries to escape, but Hogan just keeps on working on him and manages to get him back inside the cage. Hogan keeps going, and then unravels the tape around his wrists and chokes Sullivan. (more freeze frames). The camera cuts to the Giant coming down the ramp and into the cage. The Giant grabs Hogan around the neck, twists, and manages to get Hogan down and out.

Our main event here is from King of the Ring 96 (June 23rd, 1996) and its between Mankind and Undertaker. We come in to the darkness with the blue lighting & Undertaker’s music. The lights come on, Mankind is in the ring, and Undertaker is on the top ropes. He takes Mankind down straight away. Into the corner and Undertaker unloads with a series of strong punches. Mankind tries to come back, but it doesn’t work out. And Undertaker keeps going before sending Mankind to the outside. Mankind is just walking around outside. he comes back in, and Undertaker puts on a claw type move on him. Undertaker goes up high here, walks across the ropes and slams down on the arm of Mankind. And into an ad break here.

Coming back in, Mankind seems to have gotten an advantage punching Undertaker off the apron. But Undertaker comes straight back in, tries to grab the boot of Mankind and spins him around, but Mankind reverses and clotheslines Undertaker down. Undertaker is thrown down out of the ring, and Mankind uses the steel steps as a weapon. Mankind goes under the ring, throws a couple of chairs in, and tries to charge at Undertaker with a chair. But I’m assuming he reverses it. (freeze frame footage again) As Mankind looks dazed and confused as the footage starts moving again. Undertaker then backdrops Mankind into the chair on the ground. Back in the ring, Undertaker takes the chair and hits Mankind on the back of his head, then uses the ropes to choke him. He hits a massive boot to the head, and tries to set up for a tombstone. Mankind manages to get a swinging neckbreaker and both men are down.

Mankind seems to have the upper hand, but Undertaker takes a matter of seconds to throw a series of punches, and then manages to send Mankind to the outside. He pulls Undertaker out with him, and then punches until Undertaker is down. Mankind goes for a run around the ring, and with the force uses a knee to smash the head of the Undertaker into the steps. Mankind hits a scoopslam into the chair on the ground. He then tries to hit a flying elbow onto Undertaker who is on the ground, but Undertaker lifts the chair, stops Mankind, and goes straight into another chair shot. Both men roll into the ring, and Mankind is holding onto the ring ropes. They go at it again with Undertaker just using headbutts, and hits another clothesline. Undertaker tries to set up for the tombstone, but Mankind reverses it and drives Undertaker down. Mankind goes a bit insane here and starts pulling out his own hair. he then steals the urn from Paul Bearer, looks like he’s going to use it as a weapon, but Paul Bearer is able to snatch it back. Mankind then locks in the Mandable Claw. Paul Bearer was trying to hit Mankind with the urn on the apron, but instead hits Undertaker. Mankind locks in the claw again and takes out the win.

That’s all we’ve got this week, but come back next week for more featuring matches from various WCW Halloween Havoc PPV’s.