Friday, April 26, 2024

WWF Hottest Matches Coliseum Video

WWF Hottest Matches Coliseum Video

I've been going through 1990 WWF and why not do a Coliseum Video release while we are at? It may even have some of the house show matches that were built up but we didn't get to see on TV. This was advertised on TV around October 1990. It turns out that this is not the only WWF Hottest Matches video as there is another one from 1993 or so that is only about an hour.

We see an ad for the Hulkamania Forever VHS tape then we get an for Wrestlemania VII tickets.

Sean Mooney says it might be chilly outside, but we will need the AC after seeing these hot items. We then see an ad for WWF Hasbro figures.

Sean Mooney welcomes us to the show. He says this is the greatest tape yet in the Coliseum collection. He said this was hand selected for sizzling matches. We have The Rockers vs The Orient Express, a superstar workout, a profile on Jake Roberts and Dusty/Sapphire vs Macho/Sherri.

Rick Martel vs Tito Santana

Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon are on commentary. They say this is taped exclusively for this video. Bobby says Tito turned on Rick when they were in Strike Force.

Rick waistlocks him and Tito ropebreaks. Rick hits a dropkick and poses. Rick hits punches and Bobby/Gorilla bet on who wins. Tito hiptosses him then hits dropkicks. Rick then goes out. Rick is slingshotted back in then hits Tito in the gut. Tito's head is banged off the buckle then Rick hits knees to the body.

Rick misses a knee in the corner then is kicked in the back of the leg. Tito butt drops Rick's leg then yanks it. Tito stomps his gut then pulls on the foot. Rick pulls the hair and Bobby says "it's there, you gotta do something with it". Rick chokes him and Gorilla asks if Bobby ever made a play to manage Rick. Bobby said he's not saying he did or didn't and says he could be managing him right now. Tito side headlocks him and Rick limps after a leapfrog. 

Tito bangs Rick's leg off the post. Tito stomps the leg and Rick eye rakes him on the figure four. Bobby said Tito was going for the hold on the wrong leg and Rick gets some offense in. Rick snapmares him then chokes him on the apron.  Rick catapult's Tito's neck into the bottom rope.

Rick slams Tito and goes up top. Rick gets nailed while he's up there and flips down. Tito hulks up and bangs Rick's head off the buckles. Rick misses a 2nd rope twisting crossbody. Bobby says "close but no burrito". Tito hits punches and Rick cradles him. Tito lariats him then hits a big back body drop. Tito flying forearms him and Rick goes out.

Rick grabs Arrogance and sprays Tito in the eyes while the ref isn't looking. Rick then gets the pin.

Thoughts: The finish was dirty here and I doubt that Tito was blinded by this like Jake was. The work here was really good. Everything felt like it meant something, the selling was good and they really kept up a good tempo here. 

Bobby celebrates after saying Monsoon owes him dinner. He said he will get the large fries and says he wants some nuggets.

We go back to Sean Mooney. He talks about Rick and Tito being Strike Force partners.

Tracking The WWF Tag Team Championship

Lord Alfred Hayes narrates a video on the tag titles. He puts over what a tag team needs and we see clips of Demolition vs Strike Force at Wrestlemania IV. He says tag matches are like a volcano with surprising results.

Wreslemania IV - Strike Force vs Demolition

We see about the last 2 minutes of this total. Tito hits the flying forearm on Ax. He goes after Fuji on the apron then Ax nails Martel with the cane. Tito shoves the ref aside then bangs Fuji's head off the apron. Smash then pins Martel.

December 30, 1989 - Demolition vs Colossal Connection

Hayes talks about both teams. Andre hits headbutts to Ax's head then chokes him. Ax is held and Haku superkicks him. Andre elbow drops Ax, Smash tries to break up the pin but can't move Andre. Andre then picks the pin up. Bobby Heenan is super happy.

Wrestlemania VI - Colossal Connection vs Demolition

Andre gets tied up in the ropes. Haku takes a double throat drop on the ropes. Haku then takes demolition decapitation and is pinned. I saw that match in full here.

WWF Summerslam 1990 - Demolition vs The Hart Foundation

Hart is double teamed outside then Ax and Smash switch. The Legion of Doom come out as Smash hits Hart with a stun gun on the ropes. The LOD pull Ax out then Crush is crotched on the top rope. Anvil slingshot shoulderblocks Crush then Hart rolls up Crush for the win. I saw that match in full here.

Hayes says tag team history is uncanny for it's repetition. Hayes says many teams are hovering on destiny and says the tag titles are fickle mystery. He says the future of this form of ring combat remains strong with supersonic intensity.

It was just a small highlight video but it was really good. Hayes made the titles feel important and it was cool to see some of the old clips.

Sean Mooney wipes his head as he says it's hot (hence the name of the video). He says let's take a look at our Tag Team Match of the Month. He asks if someone could turn up the AC.

The Orient Express vs The Rockers

The Rockers slide in and get hit immediately. The Express have their heads banged together then take stereo hiptosses and dropkicks. The Express go out. They get back in and Tanaka takes control on Shawn. Shawn's head is banged off the buckles then he is hit in the throat.

Shawn wristlocks Tanaka then rolls him over. Marty splashes Tanaka's arm. Mooney says Fuji has The Express train on rice paper and says they are severely reprimanded if they put a hole in it. Marty leapfrogs Tanaka then armdrags him. Sato gets in without a tag when ref Danny Davis isn't looking. He armlocks Marty, then Tanaka gets in without a tag when the ref isn't looking.

Marty leapfrogs Tanaka and Tanaka runs into Sato. Marty armdrags Sato then Shawn hits a shot off the top onto Sato's arm. Shawn shoulders Sato over then spinning neckbreakers and armdrags him. Sato takes a double chop for 2 then takes a monkey flip off a missed corner charge.

Marty shoulders him over then Tanaka knees Marty in the back from the apron. Tanaka superkicks Marty out of the ring then Fuji hits Marty in the back with a cane. Marty is kicked in the head by Sato then Sato side kicks him. Marty is draped on the ropes and Tanaka jumps over Sato's back and butt drops Marty's back.

Tanaka chinlocks Marty then Marty takes boots from both opponents. Sato slams Marty then punches him in the gut off the 2nd rope. Sato chinlocks Marty then shoulders him over. Marty sunset flips him and Tanaka breaks it up. Marty and Sato do a double clothesline and both go down. Shawn is hot tagged in and hits punches on both Express members. Tanaka takes a high back body drop then The Express has their heads banged together.

Shawn lariats Tanaka for 2. All four men fight and The Express are sent into each other. Shawn superkicks Tanaka then both Rockers miss attacks. The fight goes outside and The Express get knocked down on the floor. The Rockers get in and the ref holds up their hands.

Thoughts: We couldn't see the count here so it was surprising when The Express got counted out. That's something that would never happen today. The match dragged a little and went a little too long. It started off great and The Express took control for a while. The Rockers made their comeback and the countout happened soon after. It was still a solid match but a quicker version of this would have been better.

Sean Mooney is still wiping the sweat away in the studio and there's smoke in the background. He says things are beginning to heat up here. He says it's time for this month's Fan Favorite Match. Sean said Arthur from Brooklyn, New York wants to see Dusty Rhodes rake Greg Valentine over the coals. He shows us the post card but it's all burnt up as it was left in the back of the studio.

Dusty Rhodes vs Greg Valentine

This is pre-Rhythm and Blues Valentine here. Greg backs him up in the corner off the lock up. Greg takes a shot and they push each other with Greg going down. Dusty then dances. Greg wristlocks him and takes an elbow to the head. Greg then flair flops and goes out.

Greg hits forearms on Dusty and Dusty fires up. Dusty hits some shots and drops him. Dusty back elbows him then misses an elbow drop. Greg chops Dusty in the neck then hits elbows to the head. Greg chinlocks him, elbows him in the head then headbutts him in the crotch/gut.

Greg hits chops and punches. Dusty fires up then dropkicks him. Greg begs off then Dusty hits corner punches. Dusty goes for the figure four and is eye raked. Greg snapmares him and hits knee shots to the leg. Greg turns his shin pad around then is rolled up off a figure four attempt.

Greg hits fist drops then chinlocks him. Dusty fires up and hits shots. Dusty hits a double shot to the head. Greg knees Dusty as Dusty charges him in the corner. Greg chokes him. Jimmy Hart gets on the 2nd rope then Ronnie Garvin in a ref uniform and pulls Jimmy down. Greg is distracted and Dusty wins it.

Thoughts: This was slow paced and went on too long here. It really should have ended after the first Dusty comeback. Ron Garvin as ref was really dated by October 1990 as he had not been in that role at all on TV for months.

Sean Mooney is soaked with sweat here. He tells us to send us a post card if there's a match to see. He says to send postcards only as more paper would be a fire hazard.

WWF Profile

Jake "The Snake" Roberts is the feature this time around. Hayes says Jake and Damien are a devastating force. He says Jake is the master of the skull-crushing ddt.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs Akeem

Jake has different tights on than usual here with one leg having leaf designs all over ala The Islanders. Akeem gets the first shot in ten wristlocks him. Jake reverses it then is shouldered over. Akeem misses an elbow drop then slides out of Jake's ddt attempt. Akeem pulls the hair then armdrags him but Jake rolls him over and armlocks him. Akeem takes a knee lift. They go out and fight, Slick distracts Jake then Akeem nails Jake.

Jake is thrown hard into the corner then Akeem lariats him. Akeem butt drops Jake on the ropes. Slick chokes Jake while the ref isn't looking. Akeem hits punches in the corner then knee drops Jake's back. Akeem misses a corner charge then Jake hits punches. Akeem back body drops him then misses a splash.

Jake short arm clotheslines him and Slick interferes. Jake goes after him. Slick gets in the ring and Jake throws him into Akeem. Jake then ddt's Slick.

Thoughts: I presume Jake won by disqualification here. The match wasn't that good with Akeem doing basic offense and the finish being lame with Slick getting in the ring.

Jake pulls out Damien after then Akeem pulls Slick out.

We see a Jake Roberts promo on Ted Dibiase from Superstars 3/3/1990. He says Ted told him if he wanted The Million Dollar Belt, he had to come get it. So Jake said that's what he did. He said he's keeping it in a safe place with his snakes. He said Ted has to think about it though as if Jake the type of man you trust? Jake shows off his snakes and says Ted could find some of these. Jake shows us Damien's big brother Lucifer and says he's never nice when he's shedding. Jake says "trust me, come on".

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Jake slides in and Virgil grabs him. The bell rings with Jake taking a 2v1 then he double clotheslines the heels. Virgil is thrown out then Jake kneelifts Ted. Ted then rolls out and Jake chases him around the ring. They talk about Jake having surgery recently and wonder if he's at 100%.

Ted hits a knee and punches. Jake hits punches back and Ted does a nice bump nearly into Damien. Ted then slides out of the ddt and stalls outside. Virgil has a cast on and he lays his hand on the apron. Jake then stomps it. Ted then tries to slip in from behind. Gorilla questions why Virgil is out there when he doesn't have a manager's license then they say Damien doesn't have one either. Sean Mooney says Virgil should be put in the bag to even thing up.

Ted stalls outside again. Gorilla said Ted's money was given to him. Ted and Virgil have their heads banged together then Jake chases Virgil around the ring. Jake rolls in and gets hit then Ted hits elbows to his throat on the apron. Ted stomps and knee drops him.  

Ted kneedrops Jake's neck then elbows it. Ted front facelocks him then hits more shots to the neck. Ted front facelocks him. Jake pulls Ted's tights down some and rams his back into the corner. Ted 2nd rope double axe handles him.

Ted hits kneedrops and stomps. Jake neckbreakers him then back body drops him. Jake drops him with punches then hits an atomic drop. Jake kneedrops him in the back of the neck in revenge. Virgil gets on the apron and Jake decks him. Jake hits a short arm clothesline. Virgil then gets in the ring and nails Jake for the DQ.

Thoughts: The finish was lame here though it did make some sense. The beginning of this was fun with Ted running away from Jake. Ted's work on the neck was really good and the finish kind of made sense as Jake hit Virgil and Virgil came for his revenge. I didn't like the bell being rung here with Jake taking a double team.

Jake is double teamed after and has money put in his face. Jake ends up dropping Virgil and Ted. Ted goes over the top and runs away.

Virgil gets left behind and grabs the ref to hide from Jake. Jake then ddt's him. Jake then puts Damien on Virgil.

We go back to Sean Mooney. He says the next match is from WWF Magazine.

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake vs Haku

No entrance for Haku here. Haku pounds on Brutus in the corner then bangs his head off the buckles. Brutus hits a jumping knee then a punch to the gut. Brutus kneelifts him and Haku goes out to regroup. Brutus hits Haku in the gut then atomic drops him.

Haku begs off in the ring and Brutus hits corner punches. Haku hits him in the throat and bites him. Brutus has his throat dropped over the top rope then Haku chokes him. Haku shoulderbreakers him for 2 then chinlocks him. Haku chokes him on the ropes then catapults his throat into the bottom rope.

Heenan teases doing a cheap shot to Brutus. Brutus hits double chops on Haku. Haku slams him and misses an elbow drop. Brutus slams him three times and they botch a back body drop. Brutus suplexes him then sleeperholds him. Heenan gets in the ring and Brutus sends Heenan into Haku. Brutus then sleepers Heenan and Haku breaks it up.

Brutus grabs his clippers after to fend the heels off. The heels run off.

Thoughts: This is the third match in a row where the heel manager got in the ring and caused a DQ. Can't we do a little better quality control here? It was just an average match. Brutus really gave Haku a whooping early on with Haku getting nothing in. 

Back to Sean Mooney, who is soaked with sweat. Sean said things are getting hot in the ring and on the studio.

WWF Manager Profile

Sensational Sherri is featured this week. I can't prove it, but she is wearing the same facepaint she wore on WWF Superstars of Wrestling 10/20/1990 and I wonder if this was taped at the same time. She says she's the queen of the Macho King Randy Savage kingdom. She said no one can take care of that responsibility like she can. She said he gets first class tickets and she tastes the food for him so it's inspected. She said she makes sure there is proper respect given to him. She said there is nothing anyone can do to take the crownd from Savage. She said she is the one responsible for combing his hair and polishing his boots. She says she's not a mere manager, she's a woman. She said you can call queen of mean, someone that is sadistic, someone that screehes but whether you like it or not, you got your profile on Sensational Sherri. She says Randy Savage is the #1 man in the WWF and will be champ.

Sean is still sweating it out. He said Shawn Michaels is a tag team guy, but does singles matches to keep sharp. Sean says this could be called the match of the year. He says the next match is our Match of the Month.

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase vs Shawn Michaels

They lock up and Ted armdrags him twice. Ted hits a hiptoss and armdrag then poses. Shawn hits dropkicks, a hiptoss and armdrags. Ted then goes out to regroup. Shawn hiptosses, armdrags and headlock takeovers Ted. Ted tries to roll him into a pin using the tights. Shawn hiptosses him and headlock takeovers him.

Ted backs Shawn up in the corner and hits some shots. Ted poses then is dropkicked and headlock takeovered. Ted boots him out of the corner then hits fist drops. Ted chokes him then spins him with a lariat for 2. Ted backbreakers him then back elbows him. Ted knee drops him then Shawn rolls him up for 2.

Ted hits knees on Shawn's back then throws him out. Ted drops Shawn throat first on the rails. Ted suplexes him in then headlocks him. Shawn back body drops him then they double clothesline each other down. Ted misses a backdrop elbow off the buckles.

Shawn atomic drops him and hits a lariat. Ted begs off and Shawn hits punches and a back body drop. Shawn hits a nice dropkick for 2. Shawn spinning neckbreakers him then top rope crossbodies him. Virgil trips him. Marty chases Virgil around the ring and is lariated. Marty is thrown over the top then Shawn's head is banged off the buckles. Ted lariats him.

Ted stomps on Shawn then Virgil gets in the ring. Marty gets in too and the match is originally called a double countout. Gorilla and Hayes question it from the booth then it is turned into a double disqualification.

Marty hits a flying double lariat after. The heels take back elbows then Ted takes a double dropkick out. Virgil takes a double superkick. Marty goes up top and Ted hits him, sending him down hard on the buckles. 

Thoughts: This is the fourth match in a row where a heel got in the ring and caused a DQ. FOUR IN A ROW. The match was fine otherwise but went a little longer than it needed to. The two really could work. Ted got most of the offense in here.

Sean Mooney is even sweatier now and says it's useless to try and cool off now. He said we should be warmed up for our next feature.

WWF Superstar Workout

Power and Glory are the guests his week. Herc says the fans want to see how a superstar works out. Herc says this isn't for the puny or weak. He said this is where the Power and Glory lives in the steel jungle.

We see Herc laying down and pressing dumb bells up. Roma says it's like when Herc grabbed lightning bolts from the sky and Herc shows off his pump. Roma says that's what power is all about. Herc calls him "Glory" as he does the same exercise. Herc says you need the power of mind to be truly strong. Roma takes off his shirt and poses.

Roma says they will show us how to work the bicep but never expect to acheive the power of Herc. Roma says Herc's arm has to be 23 to 24 inches. Roma then works the curl bar while Herc does more dumb bell lifts.

We see Roma work his back and shoulder as Herc says he's big and massive. Roma says he's tired of working with these people. Herc says to get off the couch and get to the local gym. He says maybe someday they will be like Power and Glory. Roma says he doubts it.

Sean's jacket is off and he's still soaked. He is dripping water and says let's crank up the heat for the next match.

Brother Love gets on the mic. He says to get on your feet and bow in servitude for Savage and Sherri.

Dusty Rhodes and Sweet Sapphire vs Macho King Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri

Miss Elizabeth is in the corner of Dusty wearing black and yellow and Brother Love is in the corner of Macho. They hyped this one up for house shows so it's nice to finally see it.

Savage says "ooh yeah" on the mic. Dusty says it back then says he's gonna whip Brother Love first. The heels protect Brother Love in the corner.

Sherri starts the match in heels and a dress. Saph trips her and pulls the heels off. Sherri charges at her in the corner and Saph side steps her. Sherri goes into the buckles and Saph throws her back. Sherri hits knees to the body then eye rakes her. Saph's head is banged off of Macho's knee.

Dusty elbows Macho and pulls up Sherri's skirt showing her underwear. Sherri punches Saph then takes a rolling ddt. Dusty gets over top of Sherri and she runs away in fear. Macho has some beautiful gear on. He slides out and goes after Elizabeth with Heenan saying to slap her around a bit.

Savage knees Dusty in the gut and says Elizabeth used Savage. Dusty hits elbows on Savage. Love gets on the apron and distracts Dusty, then Macho elbow drops Dusty out. Love hits boots on Dusty outside. Savage chokes Dusty then eye rakes him.

Savage top rope double axe handles Dusty then sleepers him. Heenan says Elizabeth is concerned because Dusty is her ride home. Dusty hits elbows to the gut then Savage eye rakes him. Savage comes off the top and is hit in the gut. Love puts Savage's foot on the ropes and Dusty goes after Love. Savage chokes Dusty then hits jabs.

Savage eye rakes Dusty then misses a leg lariat. Dusty grabs Love outside and Sherri grabs Dusty. Love flying knees Sherri when Dusty moves. Macho grabs Love then Dusty grabs Macho. Macho begs off from Dusty in the ring then Dusty sleepers Savage.

Sherri gets in the ring to grab Sherri then Love hits Dusty with a purse in the head. Sherri is tagged in and she tries to pin Dusty. Saph gets in and drops her form the fireman's carry. Dusty hits elbows on Macho. Love throws the purse in. Dusty grabs Love. Macho misses Dusty and knocks Love off the apron. Sherri grabs the purse then Miss Elizabeth comes in and grabs the purse from Sherri. Elizabeth hits Sherri with the purse and Sapphire pins Sherri.

Thoughts: This was all smoke and mirrors here but was really entertaining as I expected and everything I had hoped it would be. This one pretty much had everything with Sherri in her underwear, the seconds getting involved and the heels getting thwarted. In case you are wondering, Sapphire did very little and clearly wasn't able to do a real match.

We go back to Sean Mooney. He says that wraps it up for the show and says Hulkamania Forever is the feature release next month. Sean said hopefully the AC is fixed. A fire breaks out on Sean's desk and he uses a fire extinguisher on it. He loses control of it and spins around. We then cut away with people running everywhere.

Overall thoughts: This was a long tape filled with decent matches with dirty finishes. We had four matches in a row at one point where the managers/seconds got involved and caused a DQ.  I was ready to strangle the person that put this one together after the third dirty finish in a row. This isn't really news though as Coliseum Video was notorious for putting bad wrestling videos together. Dirty finishes were also a staple of the 80's and early 90's.

The few personality segments were fun little breaks away from the action and the stuff with the AC being out was a way to add some entertainment to the show. I wouldn't recommend this one due to the bad finishes and due to everything going long.

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