Coliseum Video Presents - The Ultimate Warrior! (1990 Release)
by Scrooge McSuck
- We're making our second stop on the Ultimate Warrior, Coliseum Video train. Unlike the original, this and the following videos were more "under the radar" releases. Coliseum Video had (at least) two different numbering systems for their videos, with one featuring the majority of their videos, and the second being a more obscure list, consisting mostly of short videos that had run times of roughly an hour, and very under-produced. Most of the times, they were throw together videos with no rhyme or reason (High Flyers? Best of Fan Favorites?), and even the videos dedicated to particular Superstars had very little syncronization. Is that even a word? Oh well, let's take another trip down memory lane...
WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
The Ultimate Warrior © vs. Andre The Giant (w/ Bobby Heenan):
Pulled from the October 29th, 1989 card held at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This is indeed a rarity, and a match I've only seen once, a long time ago, courtesy of YouTube, way back when I first discovered the website. I'm sure it's going to suck, but I love me some rarities. Warrior tries a sneak attack, but Andre catches him by the throat and chokes away in the corner. Warrior tries to retaliate while in the grasp, but it's Andre. He connects with a headbutt, then chokes some more. Warrior slips out, and hammers away on the Giant with rights. Warrior tries to mule kick Andre away, but he comes in for more choking. Warrior with chops and slaps, completely no-sold, so Warrior goes to the neck with chops, and chokes Andre down. Warrior with a clothesline, knocking Andre into the ropes. He charges in for another, but Andre gets a boot up. Warrior pulls Andre down by the leg, and that looked like it could've been bad. Andre fights free of the choking and rams Warrior face-first into the canvas, then goes back to his nerve hold/choke combo. Warrior with a slam from out of nowhere, but the splash is met with a fist to the jaw. Both men are slow to their feet, and Andre quickly hooks a bearhug. This lasts for a couple of minutes. Did they both fall asleep? Seems like neither was moving for 30-seconds. Warrior suddenly bursts free and pounds away on Andre with a variety of blows. He tries grabbing a bearhug, but Andre shrugs him off. Warrior comes off the ropes with a clothesline, sending Andre to the outside. Back inside, Warrior goes for another, but Andre throws the referee in the way. Andre attacks from behind with headbutts. He comes off the ropes with his crappy elbow drop, but the referee is down and out. Suddenly, he wakes up to ring the bell at 10:43, awarding it by Disqualification to the Warrior. Wasn't nearly the train wreck of a match from the September '89 show at Madison Square Garden, but it still isn't anything I would consider good.
The Ultimate Warrior vs. Haku:
Originally taped on June 27th, 1989 from Niagra Falls, NY, and later rebroadcasted on the SummerSlam Special of Prime Time Wrestling on August 13th the same year. Warrior was still in hot pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship, held at the time by arch nemesis "Ravishing" Rick Rude, and Haku... well, once he lost the King crown to Jim Duggan, he kind of went on for a while without much of anything to do, and other than the brief program with Demolition over the Tag Titles, he didn't have any singles programs that I can remember for the rest of his tenure. This one pretty much follows the same formula as the match we saw on the previous Coliseum Video. Warrior dominates, Haku grounds him, Warrior goes for the splash but meets the knees, Haku works the vulcan neck pinch or whatever the holds real name was. Warrior ends up making the superman comeback, and finishes Haku of with a diving clothesline for the three count at 8:02. After the match, Rick Rude hits the ring, pouncing on Warrior like a shark sensing blood. He quickly lays into him with blows, and plants him with a piledriver. Suddenly, Andre The Giant comes to ringside to... stand around, looking the other way, like a goober? Meanwhile, Rude is working Warrior over in the corner with shoulders to the midsection. Warrior finally mounts a comeback with a series of roundhouse rights. Whip to the ropes, and Warrior with a clothesline. Warrior press slams Rude over the top, into the arms of Andre, except Andre couldn't catch him, and they both fall to the ground like a pile of bricks. One would think "hey, Andre isn't exactly fit enough to do that kind of stuff anymore", but never say never with Warrior. Match was as paint-by-numbers, and the post-match shenanigans were far more entertaining. Too bad it seems out of place on the tape.The Ultimate Warrior vs. Bob Emery:
What... the... hell? Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes are calling it, even though it's pulled from Superstars. The July 23rd, 1988 episode, to be exact. Yeah, we're kind of jumping all over the place with the timelines, I'm sorry. Emery attacks from behind with rights. Whip to the ropes is reversed, and Warrior absolutely MURDERS Emery with the nastiest clothesline you will ever see. Warrior sends the poor bastard to the ropes, and lays him out with a chop. Scoop slam and elbow drop, but Warrior lands his entire body on the guy. Warrior slams him face-first into the canvas, choke lifts him into the corner, and continues to lay into him with blows. Whip across the ring, and Warrior charges in with an avalanche. He actually hit that move? He comes off the ropes with a splash, and it's finally over at 1:39. That, right there, is the very definition of a squash match. The new commentary putting over Warrior's intensity seemed very fitting. Really, that was a brutal clothesline. I had to rewind it a few times to understand how Emery got up from it.Weasel Suit Match: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan:
Pulled from Wrestlefest '88, originally taped on July 31st, 1988, from Wilwaukee, WI. I don't know the reasoning, but the Warrior and Heenan had been working the "Weasel Suit" match around the country for most of the Summer. Was there anything on television to give an explanation for it, or was it just something that seemed like a good idea at the time, to quote Gorilla Monsoon. (Editor's Note: in "WWF Magazine", they reported the reasoning that Heenan had been bragging about getting the pinfall at WrestleMania IV, so he put out an open contract to wrestle anyone. Warrior responded) The other matches between the two I've seen have been incredibly long stall-fests, so hopefully this will be a bit shorter. Heenan hides outside the ring, which is one of the few smart ways to work this one, but Warrior grabs him by the arms and pulls him into the post. We get an extended game of cat-and-mouse (or should that be dog-and-weasel), but Heenan's a manager, so he's not going to try and attack in the ring. Instead, Warrior ducks down to "hide" and surprises Heenan with clubberin' blows. Into the ring, Warrior rams Heenan into the buckles. Heenan drops a "son of a bitch" on us, then cheap shots Warrior with something he was hiding inside his trunks. Heenan gets a few more shots in, but Warrior goes back to not-selling, and whips Heenan into the corner, turning him inside out. Warrior slaps on a "sleeper hold", and that's good enough for the victory at an even 5-minutes. Afterwards, we all know the routine. Heenan flops around comically, realizing he's wearing the Weasel Suit. Good for comedy, I guess, and kept reasonably short.WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
"Ravishing" Rick Rude © (w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. The Ultimate Warrior:
Final match of the tape, and it's a Coliseum Video EXCLUSIVE, pulled from the May 16th, 1989 Wrestling Challenge tapings from LaCrosse, WI. You think we'll actually get to see the entire match? That's a rib on the last Warrior video, where two of their rematches were featured in clip jobs that didn't include finishes. Warrior bum-rushes, quickly takes Rude over with a back drop, and sends him to the floor with a clothesline. Warrior follows him out, ramming the Champ into the apron, and taking him over with a suplex. Back inside, Warrior goes to the top rope, and connects with a double axehandle for a two count. Warrior with a pair of slams, then he slaps on a bearhug. Rude rakes the eyes to break the hold, but Warrior remains in control. He sends Rude from corner to corner, then traps him in the tree of woe. More punishment follows. Warrior sets up for an avalanche, but Rude drops down, and Warrior eats buckle. Rude to the top rope, and a sledge connects across the side of the neck for a two count. He goes up again, but Warrior slams him off. He goes for a splash, but it meets the knees. Ugh... I've grown to really hate that spot. Rude pounds away in the corner. Warrior blocks being sent across the ring, but he misses a clothesline, and Rude quickly plants him with a piledriver. That only gets a two count. Rude settles into a seated chinlock, but only for a brief moment. He works over the back some more, then goes back to the chinlock. Warrior goes low with his head, throws Rude intot he corner, then presses him into the air, dropping him face-first. Warrior with clotheslines, and another face-first drop to the canvas. Warrior connects with a piledriver of his own and signals for the end, but Rude rolls to the floor, and tries to take a walk. Warrior follows, lays him out with a roundhouse right, and rolls back in for the lame Count-Out victory ay 7:42. Warrior takes it out on Heenan until Rude makes the save. Warrior gets the gorilla press and splash combo on Rude after all, but it's too little too late. Solid "exclusive". These two had worked so many matches together, you can tell they were starting to have better chemistry since WrestleMania V.
Final Thoughts: For 60-minutes, you really can't complain too much, as long as you're a Warrior fan, that is. There's a decent exclusive with Rick Rude, a nice little rarity with Andre The Giant from the Maple Leaf Gardens, a comedy match with Bobby Heenan recycled from WrestleFest '88, and an OK pull from Prime Time with Haku. Heck, even the squash match was watchable, and downright enjoyable for Warrior's brutality. I'd say this tape was much better, and would recommend it, but it's not exactly the easiest video to find, and you're better off just google searching the random videos on their own. Again, that's if you're into the Warrior.
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