Coliseum Video Presents: WWF's German Fan Favorites II
by Scrooge McSuck
Gorilla Monsoon is our host from a god-awful green screen. I know it was 1994, but come on, there was better stuff available. I'm assuming this is a European exclusive title, which makes me question how it was added to the on-demand library ahead of so many other titles that were released in the states. Also, the WWE Network/Peacock lists this as German Fan Favorites, but this is the SECOND TAPE according to the graphic and Monsoon's comments in the introduction. A quick check shows that there was a German Favorites released either in late 92 or early 93, so there we go, some truth for once.
Steel Cage Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. Shawn Michaels:
Taped on December 1st, 1993, from Utica, NY. This one was requested by Alexander Haustein from Werdau, if anyone cares about these kayfabe tidbits. The match was also featured on a Bret Hart video released around the same time, so we're already double-dipping for our friends across the Atlantic. Michaels attacks Bret as soon as he comes through the door. Monsoon blames that jump on the crowd being quiet. UH-HUH. Michaels works Bret over in the corner as Johnny Polo talks about Don Sutton and being a Phillies fan. Whip across the ring, rattling the cage. Bret counters a dropkick and sends Michaels into the steel via slingshot. Bret scrambles Shawn's brains with a headbutt and stumbles around to sell the blow. Bret with a series of right hands and a back breaker. Bret starts climbing but Shawn pulls him back into the ring and rams the back of his head into the steel. Bret tries using his momentum to send Shawn into the post, but Shawn gives up the waist-lock, giving Bret the full brunt of meeting the cage. Both men scramble for the door, unsuccessfully. Shawn breaks up the sequence with a slingshot catching Bret's throat underneath the rope. Shawn gets over the top of the cage, but Bret grabs the hair to keep him from dropping down. Polo notes if Shawn was bald, he would've won. I'm sure Bret wouldn't mind helping make that a reality. Shawn sweeps the leg from under Bret, straddling him across the top rope. Shawn goes for the door and Bret returns the favor. Shawn with a Super-Kick and another slow climb. Bret catches up to him and kicks Shawn down, then falls himself. Whip to the ropes and Shawn grabs a sleeper. Bret gets the momentum spot to work in his favor on the second try, sending Shawn face-first into the cage. Both men climb and straddle the cage. Shawn has the advantage, but he traps his foot between the bars, allowing Bret to make the escape first at 11:36. This was just the greatest hits collection of cage spots without much story. Perfectly fine for the gimmick, but I hate the "escape the cage" rules to begin with, so mileage will vary. **WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
Razor Ramon (c) vs. Diesel (w/ Shawn Michaels):
Taped on April 13th, 1994, from Rochester, NY. Requested by Katrin Trede from Wismar. This match was used for the April 30th episode of Superstars, so the recycling of content now includes TV footage (to be fair, this match historically means something, in the days before compilation DVD's and on demand services were available). Razor rushes the ring and we're kicking things off with a slugfest. Ramon rocks Diesel with rights but the Razor's Edge is easily countered with a back body-drop. Diesel misses a boot and Razor drops him with a clothesline. Diesel hangs Razor up across the top rope and lays him out with a short-arm clothesline. Diesel with knees to midsection and a spinning side slam for two. Razor eats the turnbuckle via Snake Eyes and Diesel sits down across the back. We cut ahead (thanks to a commercial break) with Diesel dropping an elbow across the back for two. Razor fights out of a seated chin-lock, using the electric chair drop to break the hold. Razor with the slow crawl into a cover for a near-fall. Ramon brings up a boot in the corner and comes off the second rope with a bulldog for two. Shawn hops on the apron and gets decked. Diesel surprises Razor with a knee to the midsection. Meanwhile, Shawn is back on the apron, messing around with the turnbuckle pad. Ramon reverses a whip, sending Diesel into Shawn, launching him into the aisle. Diesel whips Ramon into the corner, showing an exposed turnbuckle. Diesel with a boot to the chest and Jackknife Powerbomb for three and his first Championship at 5:40. Good for a TV match, and the last title change to take place on either Superstars or Wrestling Challenge. ***
Lex Luger vs. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett:
Taped on April 12th, 1994, from Syracuse, NY. Requested by Vanesa Scheutz from Hamburg, and yes, recycled for another tape, Paul Bearer's Hits from the Crypt. Monsoon laughs about Jeff's father, saying he ran off, back South of the Mason-Dixon line. Yes, Monsoon and Stan Lane are talking insider jive on coliseum video. Lockup and Luger controls with a side headlock. Jarrett tries to counter with a top wristlock, unsuccessfully. Whip and Luger with a shoulder block. Someone check the license plate on that truck that just hit Double J. How boring is this? Monsoon and Lane yell at a fan in the front row "blocking their view." Luger blocks a hip toss out of the corner and sends Jarrett flying across the ring. Lockup and Jarrett goes to work on the arm. Whip to the ropes, Luger ducks an elbow and sends Jarrett to the canvas with a press slam. Luger meets a boot in the corner and Jarrett dives off the second rope with a clothesline. Snap mare and Jarrett with a flying fist drop for two. He comes off the ropes with a double axe-handle and hot dogs. Luger catches him going to the well once too often, but quickly misses a charge to the corner and gets taken to the canvas with a back suplex. Whip and Jarrett hops onto the back of Luger with a sleeper. Monsoon is so cranky about everything, burying all of Jarrett's offense. Luger fights to his feet and back peddles to the corner to break the hold. Whip and Luger counters a hip toss with a back-slide for two. Jarrett takes Luger to d*ck kick city but a suplex is countered. Luger unloads with rights and an atomic drop. Jarrett blocks a roll-up but showboats again and gets laid out with a pair of clotheslines. Luger with a whip and elbow, followed by a powerslam. He hooks the Rebel Rack and Jarrett submits at 13:12. Dull match that was technically OK. *½Lumberjack Match: Tatanka vs. Crush (w/ Mr. Fuji):
Taped on May 23rd, 1994, from Youngstown, OH. This was featured on the June 6th episode of Monday Night Raw and would be the last of the King of the Ring Qualifying Matches. Allegedly requested by Christian Suttrop of Duisburg. The bell rings and all the Lumberjacks want to fight to. THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS! During the confusion, Crush works Tatanka over in the corner. Tatanka fires off a series of chops but Crush cuts him off and dumps him out of the ring. Back inside, Crush with a snap mare into a chin-lock. OH GOD. Tatanka fights to his feet so Crush cuts him off with a pair of headbutts. Tatanka avoids a knee drop and throws more chops. Whip to the ropes and Tatanka with an overhead arm drag, followed by a hip toss and dropkick that knocks Crush out of the ring. Back inside, Tatanka covers for two. We come back from a commercial break with Tatanka working the arm. You know this is poverty era WWF when the screen has this foursome featured: Duke Droese, The Bushwhackers, and Babyface Doink. Crush takes control with a body-scissors. Back breaker for two. How pointless is this match? Vince hypes Crush and Yokozuna challenging for the Tag Titles... AT KING OF THE RING.Tatanka teases the comeback, hitting Crush with a clothesline and elbow for two. Crush cuts him off with an inverted atomic drop for a two-count then goes back to the body-scissors. KILL ME. Tatanka fights free but is distracted by I.R.S (he tore up Tatanka's sacred head-dress to kick-off a summer program). Tatanka with a slam and jumping elbow drop for two. We come back from ANOTHER BREAK with Tatanka throwing chops. Crush gets trapped in the Andre Special and Tatanka shows no mercy. Crush with another inverted atomic drop. These two men don't have the offense to carry a match this long. Oh God, now we get a front face-lock to waste time. Tatanka gets dumped, allowing Yokozuna to stomp him out like a flaming bag of dog poo. Some of the lumberjacks fight while the referee plays dumb to Tatanka getting walloped. HERE WE GO WITH ANOTHER FRONT FACE-LOCK! Crush with the ugliest suplex I've ever seen, followed by a leg drop for two. Crush gets knocked to the floor and works over the babyface geeks. Lex Luger, who wasn't allowed to be a Lumberjack, finally has enough of this garbage and KO's Crush with the forearm. What a hero, cheating on behalf of another babyface because the heel is too tough. Crush gets rolled back in and Tatanka puts the arm across him for three at 16:47. IT'S OVER! THANK GOD! ZERO STARS. ZERO. NONE. NOTHING. Thanks for wasting 20-minutes of my life.
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow:
Taped on May 4th, 1993, from Worcester, MA. Requested by the fictional Marco Henrichs of the non-fictional Dusseldorf. I wonder if he was neighbors to Agustus Gloop. JIM ROSS is on commentary, so this is not only recycled, but old, because he wasn't used much outside of a few weeks on Monday Night Raw while Vince McMahon was distracted by circumstances outside the ring. Monsoon references Bobby Heenan to REALLY date this match, considering the video was released in the Fall of 1994. Taker no-sells Bigelow's punches and rocks him with his uppercut thrusts before grabbing a choke in the corner. Whip across the ring and Taket meets a boot. Bigelow's shoulder block does nothing, and a second attempt is countered with a drop toe hold. Bigelow tries using the cat-and-mouse trick to his advantage, unsuccessfully. Taker wraps up the arm and comes off the top rope with the clothesline across the back. He goes for the diving lariat, but Bigelow drops down to avoid it. Bigelow follows Taker to the floor, giving him a taste of the post and sending his knees crashing into the steps. Back inside, Bigelow with a snap mare and falling headbutts. Taker sits up, so Bigelow puts him down with a slam and more headbutts. Bigelow climbs the ropes and misses the flying headbutt. Taker with the diving lariat, knocking Bigelow out of the ring, and he takes a walk, only for Tatanka to cut him off. The referee seems OK with Tatanka assaulting Bigelow before sending him into the ring. Taker with the chokeslam for three at 5:44 as Ross and Monsoon complain about the finish. Match was decent, but the finish was as dumb as it sounded. **WWF Championship Match:
Yokozuna (c) (w/ Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette) vs. Bret "Hitman" Hart:
Taped on March 20th, 1994, from Madison Square Garden. YEP. NOW WE'RE RECYCLING FROM WRESTLEMANIA X! "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (Bret's WrestleMania VIII opponent) is the agreed upon guest referee, making his first appearance for the company since SummerSlam ‘92. Bret is still selling the knee from earlier (and going back further, the Royal Rumble) on his way to the ring. Yoko attacks Bret coming through the ropes, pounding him down to the canvas. Yoko casually scoops up Hart and plants him with a slam. Bret fires back with right hands and rocks the big man with a dropkick, but he misses a second attempt. Yoko controls until missing a splash. Bret backs Yoko up with repeated right hands and a headbutt puts both men down. Piper yells at Yokozuna because he's crazy. Bret keeps going to the well and finally puts Yoko down with an axe-handle. Cornette pulls Piper to the floor to stop the count and gets decked. Piper refuses to call for the bell and orders the match to continue. Yoko regains control, crushing Bret's face with the massive leg drop (emphasis on the ass in massive). Loud "Let's Go Bret" chant as Yoko casually dumps him over the top rope, practically toying with him at this point. Whip to the corner and Yoko misses the avalanche. Bret with the second-rope bulldog for two. Elbow from the second rope for two. Hart Attack clothesline for two. Yoko catches Bret coming off the ropes and plants him with a belly-to-belly suplex. He goes up for the Banzai Drop, but he loses his balance, crashing to the canvas, and Bret covers him for the three-count and his 2nd reign as WWF Champion at 10:35. What a poor finish, practically a slip on a banana peel. Lex Luger comes out to congratulate Bret, and we cut off the rest because WHY SHOW THE BEST PART. *½
WWF Tag Team Championship Match:
The Quebecers (c) (w/ Johnny Polo) vs. The Headshrinkers (w/ Afa & Lou Albano):
Taped on April 26th, 1994, from Burlington, VT, and featured on the May 2nd episode of Monday Night Raw. Requested by Tim Osterhaus from Unna. Fatu and Pierre lockup, with neither man gaining an advantage. Pierre with a side headlock, but Fatu with the edge on the shoulder tackle. Fatu no-sells a punch to the head and lays Pierre out with a headbutt for two. Jacques and Samu lockup into the corner and Jacques with a thumb to the eyes. Crisscross and Samu surprises Jacques with a headbutt. Pierre accidentally hits his own partner and the Headshrinkers clean house. The Quebecers tease walking out on the match, but Earl Hebner will have none of that, doing the standard house show gimmick of threatening to award the titles to the Headshrinkers via Count-Out. We come back from commercial, with Fatu planting Pierre with a slam for two. Samu with a side slam for two. Whip to the ropes, Jacques with a knee to the back of Fatu and Pierre turns him inside-out with a clothesline. To the outside, Fatu sells being slammed face-first into the steps. Back inside, Jacques with a whip and elbow. Jacques slams Pierre across Fatu for a two-count. Combination clothesline and leg sweep for two. Pierre with the assisted senton for two. Back from another break, with Fatu dumping Pierre over the top rope. Samu runs wild with rights and headbutts. DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER! Samu misses a charge and hangs himself up in the ropes in the process. Jacques with a delayed piledriver. Pierre goes to the top but the Tower of Quebec misses. Meanwhile, Albano and Afa take a shot at Polo. The referee misses the tag, but we get heel miscommunication. Pierre decks Jacques in retaliation before being knocked out of the ring with a Super-Kick. Headshrinkers with the double-team reverse Russian leg sweep, and Fatu finishes with the flying splash at 12:56 to win the Tag Team Titles. Decent, but I expected a little more considering the quality of Headshrinker matches at the time. **½
WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
Diesel (c) (w/ Shawn Michaels) vs. Lex Luger:
Taped on July 1st, 1994, from Bushkill, PA, and featured on the July 18th episode of Monday Night Raw. The last match on the tape, requested by Stefan Seewald from Wiesbaden. J.R. with mild shade, saying Luger is hoping to have better luck here than in other title matches. Lockup into the ropes and Diesel with an extra-aggressive pie-face. They trade shoves, with LUGER being knocked out of the ring like a geek. Luger with a shoulder to the midsection and a sunset flip for two. Diesel with a knee to the midsection, followed by elbows across the back of the head. He punishes Luger with forearms in the corner. Luger reverses a whip and takes Diesel over with a power-slam for two. Luger unloads with rights, knocking Diesel out of the ring. He tries a double noggin knocker, but Diesel picks the leg and pulls him out. SOMEONE COUNTERED THAT SPOT?! Back inside, Luger counters a Jackknife attempt with a back body-drop but misses a charge and goes flying over the top rope. Diesel follows, planting him on the outside with a slam. We see Ted Dibiase watching the match as we take a break. We return with Diesel rolling Snake Eyes for two. Diesel with a choke across the middle rope, followed by the seated splash for two. Luger escapes a chin-lock, only to run into a big boot. Diesel with a jumping elbow drop for two. He hooks a sleeper as Jim Ross continues to gush over how Diesel is no longer one-dimensional. Luger fights free with elbows and takes Diesel down with a back suplex. Luger with right hands and clotheslines. He ducks a boot and hits Diesel with a DDT for a near-fall. Luger from the middle rope with a clothesline for two. Diesel greets him with a boot in the corner. Whip is reversed, and referee Joey Marella gets knocked out. Luger slaps on the Torture Rack, but Michaels runs in and hits him from behind with a Super-Kick for a long two-count. Luger and Diesel trade blows as Razor Ramon makes his way to ringside and gives chase to Michaels. Everyone gets in the ring and the match is thrown out at 14:04 (shown). Razor gets worked over, but Luger saves. I don't know what was in the water, but this was way better than it probably should've been. Could've had a better finish, though. ***
style="max-width: 100%; height:auto" /> Personally speaking, when I look for a Coliseum Video release, I want something with content not readily available elsewhere, especially in the modern era where a lot of old television and PPV shows are at our fingertips on a moment's notice. There are good matches here, and we cover three major title changes in the first half of 1994, so for that, this isn't the worst tape in the world, and I don't know much about distribution and TV rights for the overseas audience. Judging this by 1994 standards, and for a European audience exclusive, it's a good way to catch people up on stuff, but watching it now, there's no original content, so it's automatically a thumbs down.
Sound Off!
Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!