home | wrestling | flashback_reviews | wwe | coliseum-videosColiseum Video: WWF World Tour (1990)
by Scrooge McSuck
- Coliseum Video rears it's ugly head with a new series in their lineup of videos, the World Tour series. Basically, it's a collection of stuff pulled from various foreign shows, and in a lot of cases, not-so foreign shows, as you'll see with the two matches that open the show don't leave the East Coast of the United States. Our host for this video is none other than Sean Mooney.
... And we kick things off with the Superstar Profile on "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. Hurray?
"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka vs. Boris Zhukov (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Pulled from the June 10th, 1989 card held at the Nassau Coliseum. Zhukov is "subbing" for the Honkytonk Man, who had a minor program going on with Snuka that went nowhere until a random blowoff match on the weekend shows right around the time of Survivor Series. Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes are calling the action for this one. Zhukov attacks from behind with a clothesline, sending Snuka to the arena floor. Snuka with a headbutt from the apron, but he misses some sort of slingshot move. Criss-cross sequence, ending with a Snuka cross body for a two count. Snuka with a dropkick, but he allows Zhukov to catch a breather. Irish whip, and Zhukov drops an elbow across the head for a quick two count. Irish whip and a clothesline for another two count. Zhukov scoops Snuka up and connects with a back breaker for another two count, then slaps on a chinlock. Snuka escapes with elbows and chops to the throat. Snuka charges to the corner, but eats boot for his efforts. Zhukov with a snapmare, then back to the chinlock. I'd make a smart ass remark about how boring this is, but sadly, it's probably one of the least offensive when it comes to what lies ahead. Snuka fights free, again, but misses an elbow drop. Snuka starts no-selling Zhukov's offense and pounds away. Zhukov with a shoulder block, but Snuka is quick to his feet and lays him out with a chop. Snuka with a scoop slam, followed by a dropkick to Jimmy Hart, who was talking smack on the apron. Snuka to the top rope, and the Splash finishes Zhukov off at 7:21. Quite boring, but not bad or anything. That's not a positive recommendation, either.
"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka vs. The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Pulled from the September 30th, 1989 card held at Madison Square Garden. Tony Shiavone and Hillbilly Jim are calling the action here, a very odd pair indeed. Honky attempts a sneak attack, but Snuka catches it coming with a headbutt, followed by a big chop. Snuka with his usual offense, followed by a giant headbutt. Snuka with an atomic drop and a chop from the second turnbuckle. Is it me, or was Honky's selling way too over the top? Snuka turns on the heel dial with some choking, followed by more chops. Whip across the ring, and Snuka charges into a knee from the Honkytonk Man. Honky works over the midsection, but Snuka starts no selling and slaps on a side headlock. Jimmy Hart interferes, then gets chased around the ring until Snuka goes back into beating on Honky... give the guy some offense, please. Honky gains control, sending Snuka to the arena floor, allowing Jimmy some cheap shots. Back inside, and Snuka again takes control before meeting the knees on a splash attempt. Honky slows things down a bit more by slapping on a chinlock. Irish whip, and Honky with a knee to the midsection, followed by some choking. Honky tosses Snuka out of the ring once again, then brings Snuka back into the ring with a back suplex. Honky goes for the Shake, Rattle, N' Roll, but Snuka blocks it and counters with a back drop. Snuka starts doing the Superman comeback, hammering away with chops and headbutts. We get heel miscommunication, Snuka lays Honky out with a slam, then finishes him off with a top rope headbutt for the three count at 10:27. Long and boring, and quite amusing to see Honky doing clean jobs to guys like Snuka after nearly two years of cop-out finishes and cheap victories. At least this concludes the feature on the man from the Fiji Islands, and honestly, it wasn't worse than the Bushwhackers Profile on SuperTape.
Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. Dino Bravo (w/ Jimmy Hart):
I've reviewed this one very recently for the WWF card held in London, England on October 10th, 1989, so it's time to Copy and Paste. Oh, this is the "Fan Favorite" selection of the tape, by the way. Bravo does some pretty lazy push-ups during his entrance, then does some with Jimmy on his back, since that isn't unusual looking. Lockup to start, and Bravo celebrates shoving Bret down. Bret grabs a side headlock as Hayes and Schiavone discuss the alleged World Bench Press Record, possibly set by Dino Bravo. Bravo plows through Hart with a shoulder block, then connects with an inverted atomic drop. Irish whip, and Hart comes off the ropes with a cross body for a two count. Bret with his own atomic drop, followed by a dropkick and a clothesline. Bret comes off the ropes with another clothesline, sending Bravo rolling out of the ring. Bravo hangs around on the apron, so Bret knocks him back off for being a stalling jerk. Bravo takes a walk, but Jimmy Hart talks him into going back in the ring. Lockup, and Bret goes to work on the arm, takes him over and slaps on the armbar. Bret pounds away on the shoulder and goes back to the armbar. Irish whip, and a shoulder block doesn't do much. Criss-cross, and Bret drops an elbow across the chest. Bret with an arm drag, followed by a headlock takeover, then back to the armbar. Bravo escapes, but they blow a crucifix spot, but Bret quickly turns Bravo around and goes back to the arm. It was a blown spot, but it's ugliness turned into a decent cover up, at least. Hart pounds away with rights then goes back to the arm. Bret takes Bravo off his feet and stomps the gut of the French-Canadian Strongman. Bravo sucker punches the gloating Hitman, and drives a series of knees into the lower back, knocking Bret out of the ring, in the process. Bret tries climbing back in, but Bravo clubs him across the chest, then shoves him off, into the security rail! Too bad the camera crew missed the impact! Oh no, the Bret fan is trying to give Bret support. They should've done a twin switch or something.
Bravo tosses Bret back inside and drops an elbow for a two count. Bravo with a snapmare, and he quickly slaps on a chinlock. Bret struggles back to his feet, then drives a pair of elbows to the midsection, but Bravo catches him coming off the ropes with a clothesline. Bravo covers for a two count, then slaps on a seated chinlock, just to change it up a bit. The crowd tries rallying behind Hart, but Bravo maintains control, and takes Bret over with a gutwrench suplex for a two count. Bret surprises Bravo with a back slide for a two count of his own, but Bravo is quick to attack and traps Hart in a bearhug. Lord Alfred has identified Bravo as "that big French-Canadian" about ten times during the match. Whip to the corner is reversed, and Bret does his signature chest bump, but Bravo only gets two going for the cover. Bravo pulls Bret back to the center of the ring and slaps on another bearhug. Bret fights free with elbows to the face, but Bravo rakes the eyes. Whip to the corner, and Bravo eats boot on a charge. Bret to the second rope, and he misses an elbow drop! Bravo goes to the TOP rope, and Bret catches him coming down with a fist to the midsection. Irish whip, and Bret with a back drop, followed by a leg drop for a two count. Bret with a small package for another two count. Bret with the side back breaker, and that gets a two count. Bravo blocks a roll up, but Bret knocks him out of the ring with a dropkick. Bret means business, so it's plancha time! Bravo yanks Bret off the apron and stomps his head a couple of times. Bravo tries for a suplex, but Bret counters and rolls Bravo up for two, but then Bravo counters THAT, and sits down on the chest for the three count at 16:10! I'm surprised that was a pretty clean finish, but at the same time, I can understand why it didn't have to be a tainted victory. Pretty good match, slightly better than what I was expecting in comparison to the other match I've recently sat through, and yeah, it might have to do with a really hot crowd, but it was a well worked match with only one flaw, and that could've looked worse.
- Hulk Hogan is shown touring Barcelona, promoting his new movie No Holds Barred, starring WWF Champion Hulk Hogan... sorry, I think that was running joke for me in a recent review of PrimeTime Wrestling. Boring stuff, but it's a cute waste of five minutes. We then waste more time as Lord Alfred Hayes narates a tour of Paris... yeah, like that's not getting the fast-forward/skip routine.
The Rockers vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (w/ Jimmy Hart):
(Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty vs. Jacques & Raymond Rougeau)
What is this, Jimmy Hart Appreciation Tape? This is our fourth match, and he's been the manager of the heel in all four of them! Not the same match as from that London show, which means we're going to suffer through it all over again. Pulled from a show held in Paris, France, held on October 13th, 1989. Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes are in the booth for this one. The Rockers rush the ring, and quickly send the Rougeaus packing with a pair of crescent kicks (not to be confused with croissant kicks). Michaels and Raymond start officially. Raymond works the arm, and quickly tags out to Jacques, who does more of the same. Criss-cross sequence, ending with Michaels ramming Jacques face into the canvas. Jannetty tags in and hits a splash into the corner. Whip across the ring, and Jannetty takes Jacques down with a double axehandle for a quick two count. Raymond tags back in, and gets caught in a side headlock. Criss-cross sequence part deux, and Jannetty with an elbow across the back of the head. Michaels tags in, splashes the knee, and works a toe hold. Jannetty tags in for more of the same. The Rockers do a wishbone, and then it's back to the leg. This is roughly 3-4 minutes worth of commentary. Michaels ends up getting posted, and it's time for the heels to take control. Jacques with choking via the tag rope, while Raymond hammers away on the midsection. Raymond slams Michaels across the knee of Jacques, who then does a kip up because it's cool to taunt the crowd with athleticism? Raymond stomps away and covers for a two count. Irish whip, and Jacques connects with a diving back elbow. Irish whip and a double clothesline. Raymond with a crescent kick, knocking Michaels out, over the top rope. Back in the ring, and Raymond slaps on a chinlock. Jacques tags back in, and connects with a dropkick. Raymond back in and it's time for a front facelock... please don't do the spot... yup, they did it. They did that stupid fucking spot. You know the one I'm talking about. We get heel miscommunication, allowing Jannetty to finally get the real hot tag. Jannetty with a back elbow, followed by a running knee lift on Jacques. It's time for everyone to get into a chaotic mess of a brawl! Jannetty gets a back slide on Jacques, but the referee is ignorant to the attempt until it's too late. Irish whip, and Raymond trips Jannetty up, allowing Jacques to lay him out with a piledriver, but the referee still is playing retarded. Michaels comes in, takes Jacques out with his own piledriver, and rolls Jannetty on top for the three count at 14:43. Holy crap, the Rockers actually won a match?! Long and boring, but not one of the worst matches I've ever seen between these two teams. I think we all know which one between them I find absolutely terrible.
WWF Championship Match:
The Ultimate Warrior © vs. "Million $ Man" Ted Dibiase:
Pulled from Tokyo, Japan, originally broadcasted on April 13th, 1990, less than two weeks after WrestleMania VI. This seems like an odd choice, just because the tape came out sometime towards the end of May, and all the other matches were pulled from the Fall of 1989. I guess they wanted to get Warrior on here with the title, or something. Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura are on commentary for this one, quite a surprise to me. Dibiase attacks from behind and whacks Warrior with his own belt. Whip to the corner and Warrior takes him over with a back drop, followed by a slam and clothesline., sending Dibiase out of the ring. Back inside, and Warrior shoves Dibiase back to the corner. Lockup, and repeat. Dibiase slaps on a side headlock, but Warrior casually throws him off to break the hold. Dibiase with a knee to the midsection, followed by chops and rights. Irish whip, and a criss-cross sequence leads to Warrior plowing through Dibiase with a shoulder block. Warrior comes off the ropes again, but Dibiase side-steps and slams Warrior face-first into the mat. Dibiase continues working over Warrior, mostly punching. Irish whip, and Dibiase with a clothesline for a two count. Dibiase haults a comeback attempt and chops away on Warrior in the corner. Dibiase with a snapmare, followed by his signature fist drop and a suplex for a two count. Dibiase connects with a piledriver, but that only gets two, as well. Warrior starts going through his routine and comes off the ropes with a trio of clotheslines. Warrior with a diving version followed by the big splash, and it's over at 6:12. Well, that was pretty short. Not a horrible match or anything, but seemed very by the numbers, although with Warrior, less is generally more.
"King" Jim Duggan vs. The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Copy and Paste from that London show, again: you know it's funny that Duggan is still playing King, when even in television time, he had already lost the crown to Randy Savage, who held his coronation on an episode of Superstars of Wrestling a couple of weeks before this event, also in television time. I guess the UK fans were kept in the dark still about it, or something. Duggan's king music cuts off Honkytonk Man singing, upsetting Lord Alfred Hayes, but not enough to be a true heel. Duggan, in that robe and in his blue undies, looks more like someones drunk grandfather that was snuck out of the old folks home one cold, saturday night, rather than a professional wrestler. Does Duggan realize he was goose-stepping, or is he just ignorant Duggan kicks off the match leading the crowd in a chant of "U-S-A!" At least the Canadian crowd at WrestleMania VI boo'ed him out of the building for trying that. Honky stalls, of course. I don't understand the production crews obsession with showing the same fans throughout the night. Jimmy Hart gets on the microphone and threatens the Honkytonk Man won't sing if they don't calm down. Duggan heads outside and hammers away with rights. Back inside, and Duggan nails Honky with a clothesline, knocking him back out of the ring. Duggan noggin-knocker's Honky and the Colonel, to the aproval of the crowd. Hebner is sporting a cast on his left hand, just thought you'd like to know. Duggan with an atomic drop and punches in the corner. Jimmy grabs the leg of Duggan, allowing Honky to get some cheap shots in, then choke Duggan across the bottom rope. Honky maintains control and applies a LAZY chinlock, and I do mean lazy. Duggan tries to fight free, but Honky knees him down and covers for two before going back to the shitlock. Duggan with elbows to escape, followed by rights, but he runs into another knee. BORING! Honky rams Duggan into the ring post, as more nothing continues to take place. Back in the ring, and Honky puts Duggan down with an elbow for a two count. Another "chinlock". The crowd is surprisingly not going wild for this one. Duggan fights out and hammers away with rights, but Honky thumbs the eye. Honky with mounted punches, but he misses a charge, and flips upside down to sell it. Duggan gets punch happy like Soda Popinski, and nails Honky with a clothesline. Duggan with his big clothesline from the corner, and gets the three count at 9:06! After the match, Honky gets the mega phone and bashes Duggan with it. Duggan manages to fight back and clears the ring with his 2x4. Match sucked, but it was kind of short.
WWF Championship Match:
Hulk Hogan © (w/ Elizabeth) vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/ Sensational Sherri):
Finale of the tape, and we're back in Paris, France, and hey, this was originally broadcasted on Canal+... I know, who cares? If this is like any of their other matches from this time period, it's going to be long, boring, full of stalling, and sucky. As expected, Savage starts the match off with a bunch of stalling, and tossing a chair into the ring. Lockup, and Savage with a side headlock. Irish whip, and Hogan with a shoulder block, then more stallingh from Savage. Savage gets on the house mic', mid-match, outside the ring... where's the fucking Count-Out? Sherri attacks Hogan from behind, allowing Savage a sneak attack from the top rope. Hogan no-sells the double teaming, sends Savage out of the ring with an atomic drop, then throws Sherri through the ropes, into the Macho Man. Hogan follows them out and introduces the both of them into the ring mat. What a hero. Savage with choking, but Hogan no-sells and beats on poor Sherri some more. Lord Alfred doesn't agree with Hogan's antics, but Monsoon does, as he is a firm believer in fight fire with fire. Savage attacks from behind, sending Hogan out of the ring, then comes off the apron with a double axehandle. Back in the ring, and Savage with more choking and another axehandle for a two count. Savage with several more covers for near falls, then clamps on a chinlock. Hogan tries to escape, but Savage brings him back down. This one is so boring, Monsoon talks about all the glitter on Sherri's body. I love how Hogan's selling is like a flopping fish out of water. Very convincing. Hogan escapes with elbows, then comes off the ropes with a shoulder. Sherri trips Hogan up, and again Savage attacks from behind. Savage hangs him up across the top rope, then comes off the top with another axehandle for a two count. Hogan does his Hulk Up routine, but interrupts it to give Elizabeth a cheap shot from the apron. Elizabeth even gives a shot to Sherri. Hogan with a clothesline and leg drop, and it's all over but the shouting at a slightly trimmed 10:09. Match could've been worse, but it was kept reasonably short for what they brought to the table, so not much to c complain about, other than Hogan beating up a woman most of the match.
Final Thoughts: Not much to see here. You have one good match in Bret/Bravo and for rarity sake, I enjoyed Warrior/Dibiase, but the rest is nothing worth getting excited over. A collection of random matches from the European Tour of '89 and a lackluster "profile" on a washed-up has-been does not make a good tape. This may come as a surprise, but this might have been the best of the World Tour tapes, too. I hope I have the courage to make it through the rest of them.
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