WWE Vault – Best Of Perry Saturn: I’ll Take It (Full Video Included
Best Of Perry Saturn
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Terry Taylor, Jonathan Coachman, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
This would fall into the “well ok then” category as who in the world was expecting a special look at Perry Saturn? He was never a big star in WWE, or really anywhere for that matter, though that doesn’t make him any less talented. I’m curious to see what kinds of highlights we’re getting here, as some of this stuff could be quite interesting. Let’s get to it.
From Barely Legal.
ECW Tag Team Titles: Eliminators vs. Dudley Boyz
The Dudleys are defending and we get the big entrance from Joel Gertner. The bell rings and Sign Guy Dudley tries to come in with some cheap shots. That earns him Total Elimination so the regular Dudleys are in, with Bubba powerbombing Kronus. D-Von’s top rope headbutt gets two and a splash (which the camera misses) connecting for the same. A Boss Man Slam plants Saturn but the 3D is broken up. The Eliminators are up with their usual collection of kicks as Saturn keeps having to tell Kronus where to go.
Stereo spinning top rope splashes hit the Dudleys and they roll outside, where they are knocked off the apron for a bonus. Kronus hits a big running flip dive to take the Dudleys down again, followed by a springboard spinwheel kick to D-Von back inside. Bubba is back in as well and you can tell there is something wrong (he broke his ankle somewhere in there). Saturn’s top rope elbow hits Bubba and D-Von is struck down. The fans chant for Saturn until Kronus hits a 450 on D-Von. Total Elimination to Bubba gives the Eliminators the titles at 6:31.
Rating: C+. The more I watch of the Eliminators, the clearer it becomes that Kronus did not have much. You could see Saturn having to tell him where to go and what to do, as Kronus was basically just a bunch of flips and dives with nothing in between. That being said, this was a good choice for an opener, as the hated Dudleys lose to give the fans a fun moment to start the show.
From Monday Nitro, November 3, 1997.
WCW TV Title: Saturn vs. Disco Inferno
Saturn is challenging in his WCW debut (save for a match on Saturday Night). Inferno jumps him to start fast and of course stops to dance. That lets Saturn trap the arms for a belly to belly and a hammerlock belly to belly. Saturn stays on the arm with some cranking and a spinning kick drops Inferno again. Another suplex sets up a Fujiwara armbar as the fans are distracted by something in the crowd. Inferno manages a shot of his own, only to get caught in a tiger suplex. The Rings Of Saturn gives us a new champion at 6:37.
Rating: C. Total squash from Saturn here, as Inferno’s early offense got him nowhere and his comeback lasted all of five seconds. Saturn completely dismantled Inferno and that’s exactly what this match should have been. Inferno was never presented as a serious champion so Saturn should have been able to run through him like this.
Post match the Flock celebrates by beating up Stevie Richards (a member of the team).
From Monday Nitro, February 23, 1998.
Saturn vs. Yuji Nagata
Sonny Onoo is here with Nagata. Saturn grinds away on a headlock to start as commentary talks about him losing the TV Title to Booker T. They go to the mat with neither getting very far so Nagata takes over with a series of kicks to the chest. A dragon suplex gets Saturn out of trouble but Nagata gives him an exploder for two of his own.
Nagata starts in on the leg and, after shrugging off a right hand, cranks on the leg even harder. A kneebar goes on as commentary talks about Rick Martel’s knee being wrecked last night at SuperBrawl (which is a shame as it cut off an amazing comeback). Saturn comes back with a hot shot and a suplex for two but Nagata gets in a Saito suplex. The Nagata Lock (standing Figure Four) goes on but Saturn slips out and pulls him into the Rings for the submission at 6:35.
Rating: C+. I’ve never quite gotten the appeal of Nagata but this was good enough. They beat each other up with a style of match that was pretty far ahead of its time. This was a bunch of suplexes and strikes, which felt like it belonged in 2018 rather than 1998. Saturn did well with this style, which shouldn’t be a surprise given what he was usually doing. Nice match here.
From Spring Stampede 1998.
Saturn vs. Goldberg
Dang those WCW pay per view sets were awesome. Goldberg sends him flying to start and it’s off to an early kneebar. Billy Kidman makes a quick save so Goldberg throws him onto Saturn. Back in and Saturn sweeps the leg into a springboard spinning legdrop. A middle rope elbow gets one but Goldberg is right back with his swinging neckbreaker. Goldberg picks him up for a gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam but Saturn gets in a suplex.
They go outside where Saturn sends him into the steps, snaps off a hurricanrana and then gets in a posting. An Asai moonsault almost goes horribly wrong as Saturn slips and almost falls down hard, with Goldberg thankfully there to catch him. Back in and a top rope spinwheel kick drops Goldberg for a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Goldberg hits a side slam but, after a bit of miscommunication, charges into a dropkick.
Back up and Goldberg hits a superkick (Bret Hart scoffs), followed by the spear. Kidman offers a distraction though and Saturn gets in a low blow. Saturn tries to take him up and gets super gorilla press slammed down (that looked great). Cue the Flock to swarm Goldberg, who shrugs it off and spears Kidman. The Rings go on but Goldberg powers him up into a fireman’s carry and then the Jackhammer for the pin at 8:02.
Rating: B-. What you had here was a good example of Saturn understanding the assignment. Goldberg was already set for a US Title shot the next night on Nitro (which he would of course win) so it wasn’t like there was any real drama about Saturn ending the Streak. Instead, this was about making Goldberg work for a win and look like a superhero, which Saturn could certainly do. Goldberg was still incredibly green at this point and Saturn was right there to walk him through the whole thing. Good stuff here.
From Monday Nitro, June 1, 1998.
Saturn/Raven vs. Public Enemy
Saturn suplexes Grunge to start and hands it off to Raven, who kicks away twice and then tags right back out. Rock comes in for a double elbow, followed by a drop toehold into a legdrop to the back of the head. Saturn gets knocked down again and a top rope elbow/side slam combination connects for two. Rock misses a moonsault though and Raven tags himself in, only to hit Saturn….by mistake? I think? It’s not entirely clear, but Saturn gets in Raven’s face.
Grunge clotheslines both of them down and Rock adds a flip dive to the floor. Back in and an assisted Swanton hits Saturn and Raven is put on a table for a running Swanton, with the table not breaking. Rock isn’t happy with that and does it AGAIN, with Raven landing on a mostly broken table. A chair is brought in but Grunge is sent into it, setting up the Death Valley Driver from Saturn. Raven is back in though and steals the pin at 6:44.
Rating: C+. You were probably expecting a sloppy brawl here and….well kind of as it came pretty close. Instead though, this was mainly about Raven and Saturn having issues, which worked out rather well. Saturn continues to look like the ready to break out star and that should be a great sign for his future. Raven is holding that back and that won’t work out well for him in the long term.
From Fall Brawl 1998.
Saturn vs. Raven
Anything goes and if Saturn wins, the Flock is free but if Raven wins, Saturn has to be his servant for the rest of his career. Kanyon is also handcuffed at ringside and is not happy. Saturn is now in trunks rather than jean shorts and it makes him look like a bigger star. Before the match, Raven calls Saturn an embarrassment while Saturn says Raven has no honor.
Raven starts fast with a hot shot but Saturn sends him into the corner. A knockdown sets up a top rope splash to give Saturn two and he knocks Raven into the barricade. Lodi tries to help Raven up but Saturn dives onto both of them for the big crash. Saturn gets sent into the barricade though and Lodi gets in some shots to put him in trouble again. Some middle rope elbows give Raven two and he grabs the sleeper, with Saturn jawbreaking his way to freedom.
A Russian legsweep gives Raven two but he drops down onto Saturn’s raised knees for a low blow. Saturn can’t fight back though and gets drop toeholded into an open chair. Cue Kidman for a save with Horace chasing him off. The Death Valley Driver gets a delayed two thanks to a Lodi distraction and Saturn fires off some clotheslines. The springboard spinning legdrop gets two and the Rings go on, with Lodi having to make a save.
Saturn beats them both up but the referee goes down, allowing Kanyon to pick his pocket. Kanyon unlocks himself and gives Saturn a Downward Spiral before being smart enough to handcuff himself again. Saturn kicks out of the very delayed cover and the fans are VERY pleased. Saturn’s Death Valley Driver sends Lodi through a table at ringside (that looked great) but the Even Flow connects….for two. A quick Death Valley Driver gives Saturn the win at 14:04.
Rating: B. This might be the peak of Saturn’s time in wrestling, as he gets to beat Raven to disband the Flock while overcoming the odds in the process. The fans were WAY behind what Saturn was doing here, with the reactions to those kickouts telling you everything you needed to know. It was a heck of a match and the culmination of a big story, which is more than we’ve seen thus far.
From Monday Nitro, January 25, 1999.
Saturn vs. Norman Smiley
Ok then. Saturn is in a dress (it was a thing for him, as I guess he was getting too over) and knocks him down to start fast. A running shoulder drops Smiley and Saturn grinds away on a headlock. Smiley fights out and gets in a shot of his own and teases the Big Wiggle, only to get elbowed in the face. A quick powerslam gives Smiley two and we hit the chinlock as we take a break.
We come back with Smiley suplexing him down and adding the swinging slam out of the corner. A butterfly suplex gives Smiley two and he turns Saturn inside out with a clothesline. Saturn knocks him down, only to have a Vader Bomb hit raised knees. A delayed vertical suplex gets two on Saturn and Smiley, after adjusting the dress, gets in the Big Wiggle. Saturn is back with a superkick and top rope knee before doing his own version of the Big Wiggle, which gets quite the reaction. The Death Valley Driver finishes Smiley at 10:47.
Rating: C+. And this is where the frustration sets in. Just a few months after Saturn beat Raven for the big moment, here he is in a nothing match with comedy wrestler Norman Smiley. Commentary spent a good chunk of the match making jokes about the dress, and what else were you expecting? WCW took a hot star and turned him into a joke, probably because he was getting to a level where they didn’t want him. That’s one of the many reasons WCW isn’t around today.
From Judgment Day 2000.
WWF European Title: Perry Saturn vs. Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero
Guerrero is defending and they start fast with Guerrero being sent into the corner. Saturn clotheslines Malenko down but gets dropped by Guerrero. A hurricanrana each takes both challengers down, followed by a tornado DDT to give Guerrero two. Malenko is back up with some running clotheslines, which gets commentary to stop oogling Chyna for a bit. Guerrero crotches Malenko on top but gets dropped with the super gutbuster.
Saturn sends Malenko outside and hits a nice frog splash for two on Guerrero with Malenko making the save. Saturn’s double belly to back suplex drops both of them before he goes outside…where Chyna hits him in the head with the bouquet of roses (including the lead pipe). Back in and Malenko cuts off a roses shot but Chyna trips him down, allowing Guerrero to get la majistral to retain at 7:57 (ignore Malenko’s shoulder being off the mat).
Rating: B-. They had to get the Radicalz in there somehow and they only had so many options that didn’t involve a certain someone. Saturn was getting in some good offense here but Guerrero retaining makes sense. Solid match here, and I’ll take that as the Radicalz entry on the collection.
From WWF Jakked, March 9, 2002.
Perry Saturn vs. Paul London
An early headlock takeover has Saturn down and London dropkicks him out to the floor. Saturn snaps London’s neck across the top rope to take over back inside. Some slow stomping lets Saturn keep him down for the big top rope elbow (which always looked great). Saturn goes up top again but get knocked out of the air, allowing London to get two off a Lionsault. The shooting star press misses though and a Death Valley Driver finishes London off at 6:58.
Rating: C. This was a really weird way to wrap it up, as I guess they were only interested in finishing with a Saturn win over a future name. The action wasn’t exactly great and you could tell that Saturn had been seriously demoted by this point. Still though, he got to do some of his signature stuff and it still looked good enough.
Overall Rating: C+. The frustrating thing about Saturn is that he was never given a real chance to get over as a big deal. Of course I wasn’t expecting him to be among the top names in either company, but he could work in the ring, had a unique look and had the fans behind him. Then he lost to a leaving Chris Jericho and was put in a dress, because that’s what you do with an up and coming star. Or eventually give him a mop as a best friend/love interest.
It’s a shame that he was the victim of such nonsense, as there was definitely potential to do something more. If nothing else, let him do that big elbow, as he made it look absolutely devastating. Either way, this was a very nice surprise on the Vault and I could go for seeing a lot more just like this with names that aren’t exactly top stars.
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