WWE Vintage Collection Report: 3rd January 2010
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Happy New Year everyone! Our Starrcade retrospective concludes this week with five matches from the 1990s.

The same Starrcade video package that aired last week narrated by Eric Bischoff and Jim Ross amongst others opens the show.

December 29th 1996: Nashville, Tennessee
WCW Women’s Championship Tournament Final
Akira Hokuto w/Kensuke Sasaki & Sonny Onoo vs Madusa
The announcers for this match are Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes and self-proclaimed “women’s wrestling expert” Lee Marshall. Yeah I don’t know who he is either. Heel nWo official Nick Patrick is refereeing, with Heenan calling into question Patrick’s gimmicked neck injury. (Heenan suffered from real life neck pain for years).This tournament had been going on for a month and featured eight participants. Madusa is the former WWF Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze, while Hokuto and Sasaki were legitimately married at the time. (I don’t know if they still are). Madusa bridges out of an early pin attempt, before scoring a couple of takedowns. Hokuto fights out of a pin with a throttle, tree choke and choke across the knee, before delivering a northern lights suplex and cross armbreaker. Madusa counters a clothesline with a DDT, but Hokuto comes back with a bridging german suplex for two. Madusa is sent to the corner, kicks Hokuto away then plants her with a tornado DDT. A powerbomb gets Madusa two. Hokuto counters a second powerbomb by falling on top of Madusa. Hokuto misses a golden opportunity to grab the ropes and pin Madusa whilst on top of her. Madusa catches a boot attempt to execute her own bridging german suplex, but Hokuto escapes, and even manages a top rope superplex. Hokuto goes high risk one too many times as Madusa surprises her with a dropkick to the floor. Sasaki distracts Patrick, and, from behind, Onoo smashes Madusa in the back with her own USA flagpole. Madusa is easy pickings for a Hokuto missile dropkick followed by a Northern Lights Bomb (Michinoku Driver) for the academic 1-2-3. Winner: AKIRA HOKUTO. Sasaki discards the flagpole after the bout as the heel trio celebrate. This was quite good and was a step above many Diva matches today and on a par with some of the TNA Knockout bouts. The Women’s division was discarded in WCW just months after this due to a lack of depth.

December 28th 1997: Washington, DC
U.S Title: Curt Hennig vs Diamond Dallas Page
The trio of Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes and Mike Tenay cover this bout. Bret Hart made his PPV debut later in the card. Manager turned wrestler DDP is wrestling in jeans, with his ribs taped and boldly stated beforehand he could beat any nWo member in a one-on-one match. Hennig is a bit on the porky side here and had recently turned on DDP during a tag match. Hennig escapes a quick rollup and early Diamond Cutter attempt. Hennig goes after the ribs until DDP tackles and side headlocks him on the mat. DDP makes the mistake of following Hennig outside and he gets hung up on the top rope. Hennig works over the back/ribs, before resting his feet on the ropes during a chinlock. Mortis, Alex Wright, James Vandenberg and Greg Valentine are shown watching in the crowd, as DDP uses a jawbreaker to escape. DDP wins a punch exchange, sending Hennig flying over the top rope. DDP jumps on top of Hennig, takes the fight over the guardrail then pulls Hennig’s crotch into the ringpost. Hennig counters a second Diamond Cutter by hanging onto the ropes. DDP kicks out of a cover with Hennig’s feet on the ropes. Hennig argues the count, DDP scores with a rollup and cradle for nearfalls. Hennig levels DDP with a clothesline at the second attempt. DDP counters a Hennig-Plex with a single arm DDT. DDP gets sent off the ropes and hits the Diamond Cutter out of nowhere to get the pin and bag his first singles title. As DDP leaves through the crowd, Schiavone states there is no harder working wrestler than DDP. The match was pretty bad and dragged during the middle. Winner: DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE.

December 16th 1990: St Louis, Missouri
Pat O’Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament Final
The Steiner Brothers (USA) vs Mr Saito & The Great Muta (Japan)
Pat O’Connor was a former NWA World Champion who had recently passed away, so the NWA honoured him with the classy gesture of a prestigious tournament in his name. Tandems from Great Britain, Mexico, USSR, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada had joined USA and Japan in the eight team elimination bracket. Famous Japanese referee Tiger Hatori officiates this bout which is joined in progress, with Jim Ross and Paul E. Dangerously on commentary. Rick Steiner is worked over until he Steinerlines Muta and makes the hot tag. Scott backbodydrops Muta then catches him in a double underhook powerbomb. Saito ambushes a pin attempt and the Japanese double team Scott, as Hatori seemingly allows it. Paul E states this as “good officiating.” Saito back suplexes Scott, who then suffers a spike piledriver. Muta sends Rick out of the ring with a spin kick, then poses on the top rope. Rick gets the last laugh as he blind tags in, and, as Saito applies a sleeper to Scott, Rick surprises him with a top rope sunset flip. Scott dives at Muta’s legs as Hatori registers the pinfall. This was a very innovative finish that caught the crowd by surprise as they were beginning to believe that the Steiners were done for. Winners: THE STEINER BROTHERS.

December 27th 1994: Nashville, Tennessee
U.S Title: Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Vader w/Harley Race
Hacksaw beat Stunning Steve Austin for the belt in 35 seconds earlier in the year. Vader, preparing to feud with Hulk Hogan stepped in here while Austin was out nursing an injury. Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan are announcing. Joined in progress. Vader (missing his menacing harness mask) lands a Vader Bomb. Hacksaw gets a foot on the bottom rope to stop the pin, then kicks at Vader’s legs to prevent a second Bomb. Vader sends Hacksaw out to the apron, where Race chokes the champion. Earlier in the match (not shown) Hacksaw attacked Race on the floor. Back inside, Vader misses a top rope moonsault, but recovers to squash Hacksaw in the corner. Hacksaw cancels out a second charge with a running clothesline. With Vader softened up, Hacksaw lands the three point stance clothesline. Race rakes Hacksaw’s eyes before the three count. The referee knows something happened, but Heenan correctly notes “he can’t call what he doesn’t see,” and the match continues. Hacksaw catches Vader coming off the second rope with a powerslam. Now there’s no referee to count as Race has him distracted. Hacksaw manhandles the referee, ducks an oncoming Vader swing, before dropping him to one knee. From a short distance, Hacksaw attempts the three point stance clothesline again, but Vader sends him into Race who’s holding Hacksaw’s 2×4. As Race gets knocked off the apron, the damage is done to Hacksaw and Vader delivers a wheelbarrow facebuster to pick up the win and the U.S Title. I guess Hacksaw couldn’t take a powerbomb, so this was the improvised finish. Pretty decent match considering the combatants. Winner: VADER.

December 27th 1998: Washington, DC
No DQ – WCW Title: Goldberg vs Kevin Nash
Since debuting in late 1997, Goldberg had amassed an inflated 173 wins with no losses. Here the crowd are split 50/50 with Nash a part of the popular nWo Wolfpac stable. Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan are on commentary as we join the match in progress. Goldberg uses a side slam to escape a side headlock. Nash softens Goldberg up in the corner with a series of knees and punches. Goldberg turns a boot choke into a takedown and pummels Nash with fists. Nash tries a cross armbreaker, Goldberg reverses into an ankle lock and Nash makes it to the ropes. Heenan puts over Nash’s large frame. Goldberg drops Nash to the mat. Nash pulls Goldberg head first into the middle turnbuckle. Goldberg ducks a big boot off the ropes and spears Nash. Goldberg pulls up a lifeless Nash who delivers a low blow. Nash presses Goldberg into the ropes and hits a running spike and several kidney shots. Goldberg staggers Nash with a back kick to the gut. Nash comes back with a backelbow and clothesline. Goldberg counters a suplex with a spinning neckbreaker, then dominates with an underhook suplex, a standing side kick, powerslam and something resembling an enziguiri kick. Nash stays alive, but is down on the mat, as Wolfpac wannabe Disco Inferno runs in. Goldberg spears him for his trouble then clotheslines second unwanted guest Bam Bam Bigelow over the top rope. As Goldberg sizes Nash up for a spear and security remove Bam Bam, Scott Hall, wearing a yellow “Event Staff” T-Shirt zaps Goldberg with a taser gun. With the announcers proclaiming Nash didn’t see any of this, Big Sexy jack-knifes Goldberg to end the streak, and raise his first WCW World Title. This was wrong in so many ways and completely killed Goldberg’s aura. Winner: KEVIN NASH.

Okerlund brings the curtain down on Starrcade by revealing his doubts at anyone racking up another Goldberg-like winning streak.

Next week begins our annual lookback at my favourite PPV of the year, the Royal Rumble.

The Vintage Collection Award nominations for 2009 will also be listed next Sunday. Categories will be decided during the week, but I’m very much open to ideas, so do get in touch. Shaun.

Comments/praise/feedback/criticism/discussion points please direct to [email protected].