WWE Vintage Collection Report: October 10th 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome aboard. This week’s offerings come from a selection of house shows held in the late 80s at the famed Boston Garden. Let’s begin!

June 4th 1988:
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Hercules
Hercules stalls on the floor, grabs a leg, but Bam Bam pulls him onto the apron by the hair and suplexes him back in. Bam Bam goes to a chinlock, Hercules gets to the corner and avoids a charge. Hercules uses clotheslines and a flying tackle to put Bam Bam down, before squeezing him with a bearhug. Bam Bam headbutts free, tackles Hercules down and misses a diving cross body. Hercules goes airborne to land a flying double sledge before getting caught and dropped throat first across the top rope. Bam Bam quickly follows up with a springboard splash to pick up the 1-2-3. Winner: BAM BAM BIGELOW.

May 7th 1988:
The Killer Bees vs The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers
Both teams were fan favourites, but the Rougeaus were starting to portray subtle heel behaviour in their matches. Jacques Rougeau sportingly shakes hands with the Bees after they get the better of him at the start. Jim Brunzell and Raymond Rougeau cancel out hiptoss attempts, with Brunzell scissoring out of all three of Raymond’s side headlock attempts. The Rougeaus work over Brunzell’s leg, but the Bees quickly turn the tide and work over Jacques’s leg for a longer period. Jacques finally kicks B. Brian Blair to the floor, where Raymond cheap shots and drives him into the apron. After initial silence, the crowd finally get behind the Bees as the Rougeaus play subtle heels, isolating Blair and dropping him throat first across the top rope.

Blair absorbs a Jacques camel clutch and, while trapped in an abdominal stretch, takes a mule kick from Raymond. Raymond holds a bearhug, allowing Jacques to dropkick Blair from behind, before Raymond releases into an inverted atomic drop. That was a nice sequence. Blair gets his knees up to thwart a Jacques splash and both tag out. Brunzell hits Raymond with a backdrop, slam, and monkey flip out of the corner. Brunzell catches Raymond in a sleeper. Jacques breaks it up. Dazed, Raymond goes for a tag in the wrong corner and pays for it. Brunzell gives Raymond an atomic drop and dropkick. Jacques breaks up a cover, which brings Blair back in. As the referee gets rid of Blair, Brunzell scoops up Raymond, but Jacques lands a double axehandle from the second rope and Raymond falls on top for the 1-2-3. As the crowd boo the finish and the Bees protest, Jacques offers his hand from the floor, but the Bees don’t go for it. Winners: THE FABULOUS ROUGEAU BROTHERS. Despite dragging at the start, the match told a good story as the Rougeaus continued to tease turning heel. By summer, the turn was complete as the Rougeaus took Jimmy Hart on as manager and professed their love for America in an over the top way while twirling around mini USA flags in promos and on their way to the ring.

May 2nd 1987:
Ken Patera w/Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs The Honky Tonk Man w/Jimmy Hart
Former Olympic weightlifter and American powerlifter Ken Patera was a month into his comeback run after a stint in jail for assault. Initially a bleached blonde haired heel, Patera rose to fame as a member of the Heenan family, feuding with Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Now a brown haired babyface, Patera was feuding with Heenan and his protégés after they “abandoned” him during his time in the clink. Patera was subbing for Jake, after Honky and Kamala “injured” his ribs during the 11th Saturday Night’s Main Event show. In reality, Jake was feeling the effects of a neck injury brought about from an ungimmicked guitar shot by Honky during an episode of the Snake Pit back in February, and was kept out of the ring for a while as a precaution. Jake is sporting his arm in a sling here and the ring canvas are covered in dried blood from a previous bout.

Patera dominates the early going, giving Honky two throwaway slams, prompting Jimmy Hart to whine to the announcers about not being able to prepare for Patera. As Patera applies an armscissors on the mat, Jake freaks Honky out by shoving the snake bag containing Damian into his back. The crowd wildy chant DDT, as Honky cowers away. The tide turns after Honky avoids a corner charge and Patera posts his shoulder.

Honky ties Patera up in the ropes and kicks away at the shoulder. Honky mocks Jake’s injury and turns to shuffle. Patera comes from behind with an atomic drop. Patera delivers a slam, backbodydrop and backbreaker. Patera catches Honky in a bearhug. Hart gets on the apron as Honky goes to Patera’s eyes to escape. Jake trips Honky as he runs the ropes, Patera drops an elbow and picks up the 1-2-3. Honky complains on the mic that Jake tripped him, but the decision stands. Patera traps Honky in a full nelson, Jake prepares to unleash Damian, but Hart comes to his protege’s rescue by hitting Patera in the back of the head with his megaphone and Honky escapes. Winner: KEN PATERA. This was an entertaining match and Jake had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire time. Honky was on the cusp of the Intercontinental Title, while Patera’s momentum was cut short by a biceps injury. He came back once more, but mainly put others over before departing the WWF for good in late 1988.

June 4th 1988:
Ultimate Warrior & Strike Force vs Demolition & Mr Fuji
Warrior was on the cusp of superstardom, while Demolition had just beaten Strike Force for the Tag Titles. Smash corners Warrior, who responds with a clothesline. Smash gets caught in the wrong corner as Team Warrior work over his arm. Smash escapes after Warrior misses a splash in the corner. Ax stomps a mudhole in Warrior, while Fuji lands a falling headbutt. Ax sends Warrior into the corner, but eats a boot upon charging. Santana drills Ax with a flying forearm and locks on the figure four. Martel runs in to counter Smash, while Fuji, who is armed with salt, takes a stiff clothesline from Warrior. Fuji is hurt and is helped to the back by Smash and a couple of referees. Strike Force continue to work over Ax’s leg as we now have a handicap match on our hands. Ax kicks Santana off of a toehold to send him face first into the corner.

Demolition wear down Santana with a chinlock, head vice and a double team assault in their corner. Santana avoids an Ax headbutt, dodges a Smash elbow, then crawls around Smash to make the hot tag. Martel scores with dropkicks and a double sledge to Smash. Martel applies a Boston Crab, which is broken up by Ax. The action breaks down as Demolition are whipped into each other. Ax manages to toss Warrior and Santana to the outside. Demolition start to double team Martel, until Warrior shocks Ax with a double axehandle from the top rope. Despite neither being the legal man, the referee counts the 1-2-3 as Smash turns around too late to realise. Even the referee gave up on this match in the end, not caring who was in and out of the ring. The match lost its edge when Fuji was taken out of the equation. Winners: ULTIMATE WARRIOR & STRIKE FORCE.

Despite two matches having the same finish, it was nice to see a show full of clean pinfalls. See you on Sunday for another trip down memory lane. Shaun.

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