WWE Vintage Collection Report: April 22nd 2012
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Apologies for a belated first of two shows looking back at WCW Spring Stampede.

April 19th 1998: Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude vs British Bulldog w/Jim Neidhart
Hennig was feuding with Bret Hart hence the involvement of Bret’s extended family. Hennig is hampered by a knee injury and is wearing a brace. Rude and Neidhart are handcuffed together on the outside. Bulldog focuses on the knee, while Neidhart stops Rude from interfering. Hennig tries to fight back and looks in real pain. Bulldog applies a Sharpshooter (ignored by the inept announcers) as the drama is with Neidhart throttling a cop on the floor (fellow nWo flunkie Vincent.) Rude steals the keys, unlocks himself and chains Neidhart to the ringpost. Neidhart doesn’t look around once as he’s too busy choking the man formerly known as Virgil. Rude grabs Bulldog’s foot, Hennig sends him into the ringpost (Bulldog barely makes contact) and Hennig pins the unconscious Brit for the 1-2-3. Rude and Hennig continue the beatdown after the bell. The expected Bret Hart run-in doesn’t happen. This was just awful to sit through. The two had better matches years earlier in the WWF. Winner: CURT HENNIG.

April 17th 1994: U.S Title:
“Stunning” Steve Austin w/Colonel Rob Parker vs The Great Muta
Muta had been away from WCW for the best part of a year. We pick things up with Muta utilising a side headlock and escaping a headscissors. Muta takes Austin down with a hammerlock. Parker grabs Muta’s leg, allowing Austin to knee him through the ropes. Austin sends Muta into the guardrail.

Muta hiptosses free from an abdominal stretch after Austin is caught cheating. Austin holds onto the ropes to telegraph a dropkick. Austin delivers a forearm from the middle rope for a series of nearfalls. Austin stands on the back of Muta’s head in the ropes. Muta makes a comeback with a spin kick, backbodydrop, suplex and standing dropkick. Muta misses a missile dropkick, but blocks Austin from applying the Hollywood and Vine (standing figure four.) Instead, Muta takes a page out of Austin’s book, dropping him with a stun gun across the top rope. Muta follows up with a handspring backelbow in the corner and Frankensteiner from the second rope. A spin kick knocks Parker off the apron, but Muta backdrops a charging Austin over the top rope (a big no-no at the time) to cause a DQ. After the bell, Muta takes out both Austin and Parker with a springboard cross body. This started slow, but was building to something good until the copout finish, done to protect both men. Winner via DQ: “STUNNING” STEVE AUSTIN.

April 19th 1998: Ultimo Dragon vs Chavo Guerrero Jnr w/Eddie Guerrero
Chavo was under Uncle Eddie’s orders after losing a prior match to him. Both come out in “Eddie Guerrero is my favourite wrestler” shirts, which also have “Cheat to win” on the backs. However, squeaky clean Chavo refuses to take the lowroad in winning. If Chavo wins this, he’s free from his obligations. Lose and things become even tougher. Dragon utilises a standing figure four. Chavo counters into a deathlock with a bridge. Chavo hits a pair of headscissors and a dropkick, then some resting. Dragon hooks a camel clutch and modified surfboard. Chavo rolls through a pin to clothesline. Dragon foils a backbodydrop and goes for a ‘rana, which gets reversed into a sunset flip for two. Dragon crotches Chavo up top, suplexes him to the floor and connects with an asai moonsault. Eddie berates Chavo, reminding him what’s on the line.

Chavo slides through the ropes to dropkick Dragon, then (just) connects with a twisting somersault suicide dive. Back inside, both cancel each other out with clotheslines and chops. Dragon hits an enziguiri. Dragon goes airborne, but gets caught low in mid-air with a dropkick. Chavo refuses to take advantage. Eddie goes ballistic and slaps some sense into his nephew. Chavo dropkicks, but Dragon nearly sneaks it with a rollup. Chavo drops Dragon with a brainbuster, then goes for a tornado DDT, but Dragon turns it into a Dragon sleeper and Chavo is forced to tap. Eddie drops to his knees, screams at Chavo some more and slaps him. If only Chavo had been as sly as Eddie, he’d have won this. Or that’s the story they tried to get across. Winner: ULTIMO DRAGON.

April 6th 1997:
Diamond Dallas Page w/Kimberly vs Macho Man Randy Savage w/Elizabeth
DDP had refused to join the nWo, so they were making his life hell. This match is no DQ by the way. Savage uses Kimberly as a shield. Elizabeth rakes DDP’s back from behind. Savage cheap shots Page, with Kimberly caught in the crossfire. Savage drops Page across the guardrail, hits a flying sledge, then sends him into the ring steps twice. Savage unseats Michael Buffer, using the chair on Page’s back. Referee Mark Curtis confiscates it for reasons unknown. He mustn’t have read the memo that it’s no DQ! Undeterred, Savage turns his attention to Dave Penzer, pulling off his headset and taking his chair. Vandaminator by DDP! Both slug it out, before Savage clotheslines and chokes Page along the top rope. Savage catches a kick, spins DDP round, but eats a discus clothesline.

Savage delivers three slams, beats on Penzer some more and grabs a spare ring bell. Kimberly grabs the bell from a perched Savage, who then misses his patented flying elbow. Savage stops a Diamond Cutter, but can’t get a backslide, so he kicks DDP in the balls. 1-2-no. Savage beats up Curtis in frustration. After a piledriver, Savage steals Curtis’ trouser belt and whips him like a dog. Savage lands his flying elbow on DDP, but there’s no-one to count. “Evil” Nick Patrick runs out as Savage shakes his hand. Kevin Nash is seen smiling in the aisle. Savage pulls up DDP for a slam, but from out of nowhere Page drops him with the Diamond Cutter. Patrick counts the 1-2-3 and just like that DDP is a bona fide main eventer. We cut away and miss the post match shenanigans of fake nWo dissension which is probably a good thing. Winner: DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE.

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