WWE Vintage Collection Report: 16th August 2009
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund

Welcome aboard. SummerSlams 1994 (August 29th from Chicago, Illinois), 1995 (August 27th, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and 1996 (August 18th, at Cleveland, Ohio) are this week’s focus. A short video on Vader coming after Shawn Michaels’s title kicks off the show. Their match from 1996 is today’s Main Event. Cutouts of Michaels, Razor Ramon and Bret Hart are standing behind Okerlund this week in the studio. Each of today’s four matches features either the Kliq or the Harts. Let’s begin.

SummerSlam 1996
Owen Hart vs Savio Vega
Joined in progress. Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Mr Perfect are announcing. Owen was pulling a Bob Orton, sporting a cast on his healed right forearm, following a legit broken arm. Savio is on the offense with clotheslines, mounted corner punches, a slam and legdrop. The referee screws up a count, registering three when it should have been two. On we go. Owen gets caught in a sidewalk slam. Owen counters a backbodydrop with a neckbreaker, then hits a missile dropkick. Savio crotches Owen up top. Savio back suplexes, but his head lands on Owen’s cast. Owen uses the cast as a weapon, puts it back on and applies the Sharpshooter. With Savio out cold, Owen is declared the winner. Clarence Mason comes out to hand Owen his slammy. Owen sells his arm by instructing Mason and the referee to raise his other arm. Good opener and devious heel tactics from Owen. Justin Hawk Bradshaw’s post match attack on Vega to set up their forthcoming strap match is not shown. Winner: OWEN HART.

The Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Diesel Intercontinental title feud is quickly recapped. Razor defeated Michaels in the infamous Ladder Match at WrestleMania X. Not long after on Superstars, Diesel beat Razor. Michaels removed a turnbuckle pad, Razor hit the steel and Diesel jackknifed him to defeat. Razor’s attempt for revenge over Michaels was thwarted on Raw by a Diesel boot, and rollup win by Michaels. Razor says he’s brought in (NFL Hall of Famer and former Chicago Bears running back) Walter Payton for backup and somewhere, sometime, the Bad Guy will get what’s coming to him. Michaels says it’s time he and Diesel finish this chapter and close the book on Razor.

SummerSlam 1994 – Intercontinental Title
Diesel w/Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon w/Walter Payton
Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are announcing in Walter Payton’s old stomping grounds. Shawn and Diesel were also Tag champs at this point. Diesel starts by working over Razor’s back. Diesel cuts off a fightback with a clothesline. Razor ducks a big boot to hit a couple of his own clotheslines before running into a backelbow. Diesel boot chokes in the corner, while Michaels pulls Razor’s hair from the floor. Razor escapes a sleeper with a back suplex, but Diesel tosses him to the floor. Michaels removes the top turnbuckle pad, goads Payton then leaps off the ringsteps clotheslining Razor. Michaels high fives Diesel before climbing the ropes to assist the referee in laying the count on Razor. We skip to the closing stages. Razor puts the brakes on a charge to slide underneath Diesel to the floor and crotch him in the ringpost. Razor gets nearfalls following a second rope bulldog and slam. Razor punches Michaels off the apron, who takes a perfect face first bump across the guardrail. Diesel uses an elbow to block a fallaway slam out of the corner. Razor counters a jackknife powerbomb with a backbodydrop. Michaels distracts Razor to stop him going for the Razor’s Edge and allowing Diesel to clothesline from behind. Diesel nails a flying tackle. Michaels grabs the IC title, but gets into a tug of war with Payton. You can see Michaels give Payton the cue to pull it away, which prompts the referee to go outside and take it back. Diesel holds Razor for Sweet Chin Music, Razor ducks and Diesel gets wiped out. Michaels pitches a fit, then runs from Payton, who pulls Michaels from the ring. Razor drapes an arm across Diesel and Michaels is too late to save as Razor gets the 1-2-3 to regain the Intercontinental Title. Razor celebrates with Walter and his son Jarrett while Diesel furiously stalks Michaels to the back to start their split angle and Diesel’s babyface turn. Match told a nice story but Michaels was more entertaining in his antagonist role outside. Winner: RAZOR RAMON.

The Bret Hart, Jerry Lawler feud is recapped. At King of the Ring 1995, Hart won a Kiss My Foot match, forcing Lawler to taste both his and his own feet. Outraged, Lawler recruited evil Dentist Isaac Yankem DDS (the future Fake Diesel and current superstar Kane) to do his dirty work. Sporting rotting teeth, Yankem looked a cross between Val Venis and Sid. Cue several Dentist cliches from narrator Todd Pettengill (where is he now?) and Okerlund, who promises to floss more.

SummerSlam 1995
Bret “Hitman” Hart vs Isaac Yankem DDS
Joined in progress. This was Yankem’s WWF debut as in the weeks leading up to the event footage was shown from Yankem’s surgery mis-treating patients. Vince McMahon is joined by Jerry Lawler who keeps leaving to distract Bret at ringside. Bret is in control with an inverted atomic drop and several clotheslines. Bret nails a plancha on the floor. Back inside, Bret lands a clothesline from the second rope. Yankem blocks a Sharpshooter attempt, so Bret headbutts the groin then drags Yankem’s face across the top rope. A rollup gets Bret two. Bret counters a hiptoss with a backslide for two. Bret ducks a clothesline, but gets elevated into the top rope where his hand gets trapped. Bret gets free, but gets sent crashing front first into the corner. Once more, we skip to the closing stages. Bret is back in control punching away on Yankem’s head in the corner. A concerned Lawler has left the booth and is lurking around ringside. Bret slides outside to crotch Yankem in the ringpost, before tying his legs together with cable. Lawler calls for Bret to be DQed as he stomps away. The referee frees Yankem. Bret catches Lawler trying to get in so he goes out to punch. From behind, Yankem comes off the top rope with a shot across Bret’s back. Back inside, Bret decks Yankem, but Lawler trips him as he runs the ropes. Bret lunges at lawler as Yankem spikes him in the ropes. Yankem and Lawler tie Bret up in the ‘hangman’ position in the ropes then pull at his legs for the DQ (Bret and Undertaker used this as their finish at the One Night Only PPV in 1997). Several officials ward Lawler and Yankem off then free Bret, who stares ahead motionless with his eyes fixed and mouth wide open. Good selling from Hart, especially at the end. A feud with Jean Pierre Lafitte was next for Bret before he found his way back into the title picture at Survivor Series. Winner by DQ: BRET HART.

SummerSlam 1996 – WWF Title
Shawn Michaels w/Jose Lothario vs Vader w/Jim Cornette
Another Vader package airs beforehand. He had been built up as an uncontrollable monster, gaining wins over Yokozuna and manhandling acting President Gorilla Monsoon with a Vader Bomb. Michaels had also suffered the same fate. Michaels sends Vader to the floor early, connecting with a baseball slide and over the top rope dive. Michaels interrupts a Vader/Cornette huddle, sending Cornette running in fear. Michaels puts Vader back in for a top rope double axehandle. Michaels lands two hurracanranas, with the second one taking Vader outside. Michaels skins the cat back in. Vader catches another aerial maneuver by powerbombing Michaels on the floor. Fresh off commercials, Michaels has made a comeback with a clothesline. Michaels tries an elbow from the top, but changes direction in mid-air after realising Vader isn’t going to move. Michaels lands on his feet then loudly shouts “Move” twice as he stomps Vader. Michaels apologised for this act of unprofessionalism in his book “Heartbreak and Triumph.” A Michaels cross body takes both to the floor. Vader sends Michaels into the apron then press slams him into the guardrail. Michaels is counted out and helped up the entrance. Cornette gets on the mic saying he doesn’t want it like that. Vader came to win the title. Cornette calls Michaels gutless and challenges him to start over. Michaels agrees and gets pounded on the floor. Cornette gets in a tennis racket shot to the back. Vader squashes Michaels in the corner, then nails a belly-to-belly suplex. Michaels counters a powerbomb by frantically punching in mid-air and sitting on top of Vader. A flying forearm, nip up, and top rope elbow connects as Michaels tunes up the band. Cornette grabs a leg, so Michaels hits him. Cornette tosses his tennis racket in, Michaels intercepts and hammers away on both for the DQ. Vader grabs a chair as referees separate the two. Cornette gets on the mic once more, accusing Michaels of getting DQed on purpose to save his title. Cornette calls Michaels a coward, wanting a restart and a winner. Gorilla Monsoon sanctions it as Michaels tears into Vader. Michaels avoids a sitdown splash, recovering to hit another flying forearm and top rope elbow. Sweet Chin Music connects. 1-2-no. Vader sends Michaels into Earl Hebner, who gets knocked out of the ring. Vader powerbombs Michaels. Mike Chioda runs in to count two. Vader sets up for the Vader Bomb. Cornette advises he goes higher for a moonsault. Vader does and misses. Michaels gingerly goes up top, nailing his own moonsault and hooking the leg for the 1-2-3. Winner: SHAWN MICHAELS. This was a good match but Vader should have won the title and continued the feud. Vader was never this hot again as he slipped down the WWF pecking order in the following two years of his tenure.

Okerlund says our SummerSlam special will conclude next week.

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