WWF SuperTape (Vol. 1)
by Scrooge McSuck
- Scrooge Fun Fact: The first Coliseum Videos I subjected myself to, other than rentals of the PPV's at the local boob tube, were the SuperTape series. By the time this set of tapes were being released, the Coliseum Video format was starting to make a progressive change. While a lot of the early releases were mostly matches pulled from local arenas and recycling stuff from Tuesday Night Titans, by the 90's, there seemed to be more and more focus on "Coliseum Exclusives", which is a lame way of saying "taped during one of those 6 hour long television tapings where everyone gives a half-effort."
I forgot to mention this in my original introduction, but the Supertape series basically replaced the "Best of the WWF" series, which ran for 20 sets! Usually the "Best of the WWF" featured some of the most-average they had to offer, but it would be unfair to say that most of the time, each tape featured at least something memorable.... up until we got to around Vol. 14, then it was just another series.
- As expected, Sean Mooney is our host, but he's just hanging by in the Coliseum Video studio for this one. We're going to see a WWF Profile on non-other than the Bushwhackers, hosted by Mean Gene Okerlund! Bobby "The Brain" Heenan is in the Managers Profile, and Lord Alfred Hayes will be standing by with his Call of the Action, but first... our fan favorite match, picked at "random" at the suggestion of "WWF fans."
"Rugged" Ronnie Garvin vs. Mr. Perfect (w/ The Genius):
This looks to be a true "Coliseum Video" exclusive, and after a quick research, this was taped a few weeks after the Survivor Series, so Perfect was prepping for a run against the WWF Champion, and Ron Garvin was feuding over a shinguard. I wonder who's going to win. Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes are calling the action, by the way. Lockup to start, but no one with an advantage. Perfect responds the stalemate with a fireman's carry, followed by a hip toss. Lockup to the corner, and Perfect with chops. Whip across the ring is reversed, and Garvin with a hip toss, followed by a slam. Garvin with a few rights, over-sold by Perfect, of course. Back inside, and Perfect hammers away in the corner, then Garvin returns the favor, sending Perfect outside, once again. Perfect slaps on a side headlock, then pulls the hair to hault a counter attempt. Garvin tries to whip Perfect off, but the hair is used, again. Perfect chops the skin off the chest of Garvin, and works him over in the corner. Garvin, sportsman of the year, grabs a handful of face and slaps the chest of Perfect a few times. Garvin rolls over into a pin attempt, and gets a two count. Irish whip, and Garvin counters a sunset flip with a big right, followed by a crappy splash for a two count. GARVIN STOMP TIME! Perfect doesn't sell it like grim death, which is pretty damn funny considering how everyone else sold it. Garvin goes for the reverse figure-four (Sharpshooter), but Perfect kicks off. Perfect with a snapmare, followed by his float-over neck snap. They exchange blows, with Garvin gaining the upper hand. Irish whip, and Garvin with a sleeper hold. Garvin releases the hold and covers, but Perfect gets a foot on the ropes at two. Garvin pounds away on Perfect and takes him over with a back drop. Garvin drops an elbow for a two count, then introduces Perfect to the turnbuckles. Garvin with a school boy for another two count. Irish whip, and a head collision puts both men down. Garvin with a small package, but Perfect counters for the three count at 10:47. Started off slow, but picked up gradually, and turned out to be a fairly decent match. That's what you can basically hope the most for from Coliseum Video exclusives.- Manager's Profile, with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. He name drops a bunch of the top talent in the World Wrestling Federation, and it's one of the most generic promos you could ever hear from Bobby Heenan. Seriously, I think this was the most bland I've ever heard him, and that seemed nearly impossible, at least up until he went to WCW and had to suffer through six years of terrible product.
- It's time for our special profile on the Bushwhackers! Mean Gene Okerlund is being driven around to find these two crazy, zany fellows. "This can't be it, this plae looks like a toilet!" Soon enough, we hear the classic "WOOOOOAH!" coming from the Love Shack, and here they are, with a dog they might or might not have sexually abused. I can honestly say the Bushwhackers are my LEAST favorite Tag Team from the "classic era" of the WWF (that would be 1985-through the turn of the decade for me), so I get to sit through not one, not two, but THREE matches featuring these nutballs. I know as the Sheepherders/Kiwi's, they were watchable heels, but when they came to the WWF as the Bushwhackers... oh My God. Awful. Each match is wrapped around with Gene and the Bushwhackers being whacky, including a barbeque that somehow makes Gene Okerlund act stupid, just like them. The end result? Gene Okerlund, The Third Bushwhacker. He's actually more entertaining doing they're nonsense than the Bushwhackers are.
The Bushwhackers vs. The Bolsheviks:
(Butch & Luke vs. Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov)From the December 30th, 1988 card held at Madison Square Garden, and this was the first televised appearance of the Bushwhackers, since being signed away from the recently rebranded WCW right at the conclussion of a Tag Title Tournament, forcing some last minute substitutions. Got to love the way Vince kept sticking it to that company. Rod Trongard, Hillbilly Jim and Lord Alfred Hayes are calling the action. Both teams brawl to start, with the Bushwhackers clearing the ring with some pathetic looking offense. Trongard has a hard time identifying the Bushwhackers from each other. Irish whip, and the Russians are knocked into each other, again. Volkoff traps Luke in a bearhug, but Luke uses the bee ear smack and some biting to escape. Luke with a crummy forearm for a two count. Volkoff with another bearhug, and this time Butch takes a bite out of Volkoff. Zhukov in with a cheap shot to Luke, so Butch bites him, too. Whip to the corner, and Luke with a dramatic over-sell. Zhukov "tags" in and chokes Luke across the top rope. Irish whip, and the Bolsheviks with a two-man version of the Boomerang! Sorry, I have so little enthusiasm left for this match, an Outback Jack reference is enough to get me excited. Zhukov with a chinlock on Luke, then Volkoff with a headlock roll over into a cover for a two count. Trongard says there's very little difference to tell which Bushwhacker is which... ARE YOU STUPID?! Butch comes in to save, but hits his own partner, so Luke goes after Butch, allowing Zhukov to attack from behind. Sloppy sunset flip spot, Luke pulls the beard, Butch gets the dead tag, and cleans house of the Bolsheviks. We get heel miscommunication, and the battering ram to Zhukov, followed by a stomach buster, finishes things off at 9:24. That sure did suck. Sloppy wrestling, unconvincing work, and a structureless match.
The Bushwhackers vs. Bad News Brown & The Brooklyn Brawler:
I don't know, this might not be much better than that last match. Pulled from the June 5th, 1989 episode of Primetime Wrestling, during a three week period where Brawler and Brown teamed up to defeat the unlikely duo of Hillbilly Jim and the Blue Blazer, and ended up having a heel vs. heel match that I'm sure no one wanted to see, anyway. Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes are calling the action, again. Brown barks orders at the Brawler, forcing him to start with Butch. Brawler with rights and an eye rake. Irish whip, and Butch comes bouncing back with a clothesline. Luke tags in and pounds away, then takes a bite out of the Brawler's ass... insert Pat Patterson joke, here. Bushwhackers with a double clothesline, and some celebrating. Brown tags in, and is quickly intercepted by Butch. Brown no-sells and casually headbutts Butch, then drops an elbow and chokes. Brawler tags in to stomp away and rake the eyes some more. Butch manages to make the tag, and Luke does the usual. Irish whip, and Luke with a diving back elbow. Brown tags back in and more of the same. Whip to the corner, and Brown boots a charging Luke. Brown chokes him across the rope, then Brawler chokes with his foot. Irish whip, and Brown with a chop. Brawler tags back in and slams Luke, but misses an elbow drop. Butch tags in, thumbs the eyes, and hammers away. Luke tags in, and the Battering Ram and Stomach Buster ends things at 5:43. We cut away soon after, since the post-match had more to do with the Brawler and Brown, rather than the Bushwhackers. Oh, and this match sucked too, but it was shorter, at least.The Bushwhackers vs. The Powers of Pain (w/ Mr. Fuji):
(Butch & Luke vs. The Warlord & The Barbarian)Oh my God, I can't believe they managed to dig up three different matches with some of the worst possiblities to work with. Couldn't they find anything with the Rougeau Brothers to give us something higher than a DUD? From the October 8th, 1989 card held at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, with Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes calling the action. Barbarian attacks Butch before the bell and chokes, but Luke bites the ass, allowing Butch to slap on a headlock. Shoulderblock spot allows Barbarian to show off his muscles. Stalling, then Butch grabs another headlock, with the same end result. The Bushwhackers with some school yard tactics, then more stalling. Warlord and Luke tag in to crank up the workrate ratio. Luke with rights to the midsection, but Warlord no-sells. Surprised? Irish whip, and Warlord with a bearhug. Luke escapes with biting., but Warlord goes back to the hold. Butch comes in to bite, and Barbarian comes in to counter. Warlord puts Butch down with a clothesline, then stomps Butch out of the ring. This gives Fuji a chance to earn his paycheck for the night. Barbarian scoops Butch up, and rams him into the ring post for good measure. Butch humps the air to get himself motivated,, then runs into the arms of the Warlord. Moron. Barbarian tags in and nails Butch with a running boot, then does the same to Luke. I think I heard a minor pop for that. The Powers with a London Bridge on Butch, and this is just dragging. Barbarian with a scoop slam, and Warlord with an elbow drop. Barbarian with a headbutt to the lower-back, followed by a slam. Guess what Barbarian does next? If you said miss his second rope elbow, then you get to keep reading about this match. Butch gets the "hot" tag, or it is Luke, I don't care anymore. They battering ram Barbarian, then do it to Warlord. Fuji's cane becomes involved, and the Bushwhackers win by Disqualification at 9:10. Wow, three for three... a clean sweep of sucky Bushwhacker matches. At least I'm done with them, though. No more Bushwhackers for a month.
- Lord Alfred Hayes is standing by with our "Call of the Action" segment of this particular video. We are first shown footage of the Rockers in action, performing such dazzling moves, like a skin-the-cat, leap frog, clothesline, and double synchronized dropkick. More Rockers in action, and more names for their moves. Double elbow drop, nip-up, and a "human cannonball". More Rockers, more moves, this time we see them doing stuff like an Irish whip, double face breaker, mid-section blow, and a bulldog. The Rockers have two moves to finish opponents off, the "springboard" and double fyling fists. We take a look at Superfly Jimmy Snuka, next. He's doing stuff like a side headlock and running shoulder block. He's also known to use a flying headbutt, and "The Superfly."
Tito Santana vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude:
It's time for the segment of the tape called "Feature Matches", which includes this and the match following it. This is pulled from the February 11th, 1989 card held at the Boston Garden, and we've got Trongard and Lord Alfred back to call all the action. At the time of when this took place, Rude was just kicking off a feud over the Intercontinental Title with the Ultimate Warrior. Santana was kind of in limbo, to the point he was jobbed out in a Handicap Match to Andre the Giant on an episode of Superstars from around this same time. Rude taunts Santana and offers a test-of-strength. Rude naturally has the early advantage, but Santana turns the tide and stomps the hands. Rude hides in the corner and sulks while Santana tries to show him up. Rude boots Santana and slaps on a side headlock. I think Coliseum Video did a weird edit, but I'm not too sure. Santana tries to counter, but Rude yanks the hair to stop the momentum swing. Santana fights free and hammers away in the corner. Whip across the ring, and Rude over-sells it, so Santana does it twice more, just because. Santana with a seated chinlock, quite odd since usually a heel does this spot. Santana mocks Rude with a little hip shaking, then goes back to the chinlock. Rude counters a butt drop with knees to the crotch... seriously, did they switch roles here, or something? Rude with an inverted atomic drop, then waits a minute before following up.Rude "hammers" away on Santana with rights, and does more taunting, but sells the back being injured. Rude grabs a chinlock, and I just hope this match ends soon. Santana fights back and rams a series of shoulders to the midsection, but runs into a knee from Rude on a charge attempt. Rude heads to the top rope, and he comes off with a forearm across the back. I'm so bored, I'm starting to think Trongard sounds a lot like Dewayne Staats, the current lead broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Rays. Rude maintains control, I maintain a lack of interest. Irish whip, and Santana slams the face of Rude into the canvas, but meets the knees on a splash attempt. Rude stomps the hand of Santana, no doubt retribution from earlier in the contest. Irish whip, and Rude drives a knee into the midsection of Santana for a two count. Rude goes for a suplex, but Santana counters with his own. Rude is up first and goes for a slam, but his back is still bothering him. Santana with an inverted atomic drop, followed by rights in the corner. Santana introduces Rude to the buckle ten times (thanks to the crowd for counting for me), then does his best impersonation of a hispanic Rocky. Santana signals for the end, and slaps on the Figure-Four?! I thought he was going for the Flying Jalupeno, but whatever... Rude grabs the ropes to force a break, then rolls outside. Santana follows with a forearm off the apron. Santana with a sunset flip back into the ring, but Rude counters and holds the ropes for the three count at 16:26. Way too long for what they went with. The last 5-minutes or so were very watchable, but everything leading up to it was an excercise in wasting time. You want to see Rude and Santana putting on an underwhelming performance? Right here.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. "Million $ Man" Ted Dibiase (w/ Virgil):
From the April 24th, 1989 card held at Madison Square Garden, and we're only a few weeks removed from WrestleMania V. This feud kicked off during the conclussion of Roberts vs. Andre from that show, but was put on the backburner thanks to Roberts' sudden departure from the company (injury probably, but you never know). Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes are in the broadcast booth for this one. I was a little surprised that the WWF never did an angle with Roberts and someone who DIDN'T get scared shitless of the snake. Lockup, and Dibiase shoves Roberts off. Lockup into the corner, and Roberts cheeses Dibiase off. Roberts blocks several sucker punches, and Dibiase hides in the ropes. Please, not another one of these types of matches. Dibiase with a knee to the midsection, followed by rights. Roberts counters a slam and unloads with rights and lefts of his own, knocking Dibiase into the spooky bag of snakes, and sending him running to the outside. Back in the ring, and Dibiase wants a test-of-strength?! That seems a little out of character. Lord Alfred sounds more interested in guessing where a ringside photographer is from, rather than the match. Dibiase controls the hold as the camera zooms in on the dollar sign on Dibiase's undies. Roberts counters and goes for the DDT, but Dibiase slips away. Lockup, and Roberts goes to work on the left arm with a wristlock. Dibiase yanks the hair to escape, but Roberts returns the favor... and gets yelled at by the referee for it? Roberts goes back to the wristlock, then turns it into an armbar. Irish whip, and Roberts with a shoulder block, followed by a knee lift. Roberts with another DDT attempt, but Dibiase rolls out of the ring, again. Dibiase and Virgil have a private meeting, so Roberts heads out and noggin'knockers them. Lord Alfred just refered to Dibiase as Virgil's "Master"... wow. That came across the wrong way.Roberts jaws at Virgil, then rolls back in the ring, allowing Dibiase to drop an elbow on him, then choke away. I'm assuming there's not going to be a lot of neck work like in their other MSG matches, since this was before the "neck injury" was taped on Superstars. Or maybe I'm wrong, as Dibiase drives a pair of elbows across the back of the head, then rams Roberts to the buckle. Dibiase to the second turnbuckle, and he comes off with a double axehandle. We get a close up of the (then) new Million Dollar Belt, and damn does it look impressive. Irish whip, and Dibiase lays Roberts out with a clothesline. Dibiase with a knee drop across the throat for a two count, then slaps on a chinlock, and works that for quite a while. Roberts fights free, but Dibiase regains control, and drops a fist across the forehead for a two count. Dibiase goes back to the chinlock, and shockingly doesn't use the ropes for extra leverage. Roberts with elbows to the midsection to escape the hold, but he runs into a knee. Dibiase slaps on the Million Dollar Dream, but Roberts gets a foot on the bottom rope to force the break. Dibiase drags Roberts body into the center of the ring and covers for a two count. Dibiase goes to the chinlock again, but this time Roberts counters with a jaw buster. Roberts fight a series of left jabs and a roundhouse right, followed by the short-arm clothesline. Roberts signals for the end, but Dibiase backs Roberts into the ropes and nails him across the back of the neck, with a little assistance from Virgil from outside the ring. Roberts counters a slam and school boys Dibiase for a surprising three count at 16:16. Dibiase attacks from behind, and lays a beating into Roberts, with some help from Virgil. Roberts makes a Superman comeback and whoops Virgil, then unleashes Damian as Dibiase pulls Virgil away from further harm. I thought VIRGIL was the bodyguard. Match started slow, but picked up perfectly fine, and even had a clean finish. One of their better in the long series of MSG matches the two had in 1989.
- Tony Schiavone is in the Coliseum Video studio, and he's hosting a "Fans Across The World" segment of the tape. It's just five minutes of "candid comments from WWF fans", but I'm saving my sanity by jumping over it and not looking back. It's a waste of time, but it could've been another Bushwhackers match, so there's the silver lining to this dark cloud.
Tugboat vs. Iron Mike Sharpe:
On paper, this looks odd, but it's part of a segment of the tape called "From the Pages of WWF Magazine", which featured an article on the newest WWF Superstar, from Norfolk, VA, Tugboat... Thomas. We take a look back at his debut in the World Wrestling Federation, from the January 27th, 1990 episode of Superstars of Wrestling, with Vince McMahon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura calling the action. Sharpe hits the ropes for a shoulder block, but Tugboat doesn't budge. Sharpe goes for a slam, with the same lack of success. Tugboat scoops Sharpe up and slams him with ease. Cross-cross sequence, and Sharpe misses a dropkick. Tugboat takes Sharpe by the legs and drops a head across the stomach. Tugboat works a wristlock, but Sharpe fights free with forearms. Whip to the corner is reversed, and Tugboat nails Sharpe coming with a big boot. Tugboat with a dropkick, and he actually almost missed by kicking too HIGH. Whip to the corner, and Tugboat with an avalanche. Tugboat hits the ropes, and a BIG splash gets three at 2:26. Nice elevation on the splash. Good enough debut, and I actually liked the idea of featuring something like this, but it was a very-short lived aspect.- Note: I'm sorry to copy-and-paste, but the next match was reviewed in GREAT detail in it's own seperate review from not too long ago, so if anything seems out of place, this was typed up a few months ago, and came from it's own PPV. I recommend checking that one out, since I would definitely list it as one of my favorite reviews I've ever done... so without further delay, let us take you to...
Steel Cage; No Holds Barred: The Match!
WWF Champion Hulk Hogan & Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake vs. "Macho King" Randy Savage & Zeus (w/ Sensational "Queen" Sherri):
It's time for the match that everyone's been waiting for! I should point out, this was taped during a Wrestling Challenge taping, roughly two weeks before the PPV broadcasted. The referee will be outside the ring, and you can win the match either by escaping the cage, or foolishly trying to make a pin attempt, despite the referee chaining the door shut. Beefcake gets in the ring, and Sherri rams Hogan into the cage from the outside, leaving Beefcake to be double teamed. Savage whips Beefcake into Zeus, and Zeus begins choking. In the mean time, Savage starts choking Hogan through the cage wall, and Sherri ends up bolting the door. Too bad there's no roof on the cage. Hogan trips up Savage through the bars and starts scaling the cage. Zeus continues choking away on Beefcake, and here comes Hogan, connecting with a clothesline, then a clothesline for Savage. Hogan with a back rake, then rams Zeus into the cage, and he actually sells it. Hogan beats on Savage with lame heel moves, then Beefcake back drops Savage into the cage wall. Beefcake whips Zeus into a Hogan boot. Beefcake sends Savage to the buckle, and he gets a boot for his troubles, as well. Beefcake with an atomic drop, and Hogan nails him with a forearm. Double stomach rake by the Maniacs, followed by double chops. Zeus blocks being rammed into the cage, and rams the duo instead. Zeus chokes Hogan, as we spy Savage trying to climb the cage. Irish whip, and Zeus with a clothesline. Beefcake brings Savage back in as Zeus goes back to choking. Sherri climbs up to interfere, and gets rammed together with Savage, who takes a decent bump, falling down to the canvas. Beefcake climbs the back of Zeus with a sleeper hold, and Savage breaks it with a top rope double axehandle. Sherri reaches through the ropes, and starts choking away on Beefcake. Double clothesline to Hogan, and another to Beefcake. Hogan gets introduced into the cage, and the same for his partner. Zeus throws Hogan down to the canvas, as Savage tosses Beefcake into the cage again. Savage breaks up the choking so he can drop a knee across the throat of Hogan.
Zeus and Savage begin climbing, but they get stopped. Beefcake brings Savage down with a back suplex, as does Hogan with Zeus, and now all four men are down and out. The referee decides to unlock the cage door, and gets rammed into the door at the hands of Sherri in the process. Despite the door opened, Sherri scales the cage, not only to give us an upskirt shot, but to hand off the chain to Savage. Savage heads to the top of the cage, and gets nailed in the midsection by Beefcake on an axehandle attempt. Hogan hammers away on Zeus, but a slam attempt fails, and Zeus lands on top of him and begins choking again. Hogan starts HULKING UP, and he no-sells Zeus' double chop to the neck. Savage goes for the door, and Beefcake goes over and out, leaving it to Zeus and Hogan. Hogan hammers away with rights, then floors Zeus with a clothesline. Hogan with a body slam! Hogan stops Beefcake from coming back in, and wants to take care of Zeus by himself. Selfish bastard. Hogan rams Zeus into the cage four times and scoops him up for a slam. Hogan hits the ropes and drogs the leg not once, not twice, but thrice, and it's finally all over at 9:25, via pinfall. It's time for the usual pose-down routine, as Beefcake does a poor job imitating Hogan, and Hogan does his usual act. Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura surprisingly bitch about the fact that WWF PPV's might be blacklisted by certain cable providers. ** Match was surprisingly entertaining, but a brawl inside of a steel cage isn't too hard to screw up, I guess. Everything went by at electrifying speed, so when Zeus did his usual garbage, Savage was bumping his ass off for Beefcake, or vice versa.
Final Thoughts: For a tape called "Supertape", this one wasn't very super. First, the positives... I liked the structure of the tape, with various features and segments. You had Fan Favorites, Feature Matches, WWF Magazine Profiles, Call of the Action, Manager's Profile, and a Feature Profile. The downside to all of these was that, for the most part, it all sucked. The Bushwhackers were featured in three matches, the Call of the Action was pointless and long, Bobby Heenan's "manager profile" was dull, and there was a waste of time talking to the "fans". The "main event" of the tape delivered, and you got some good rasslin' from Roberts/Dibiase and Garvin/Hennig, but everything else is definitely stuff you can do without.
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