Best Of The WWF Volume 15: They Picked That? (Includes Full Video)
Best Of The WWF Volume 15
Commentators: Bruce Prichard, Luscious Johnny V., Mike McGuirk, Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura, Bruno Sammartino, Gene Okerlund, Dick Graham, Jimmy Hart, Lord Alfred Hayes, Craig DeGeorge, Don Muraco
Host: Gene Okerlund
I love these things. They’re such an easy concept and you can find all kinds of hidden gems in there with no particular theme to a lot of the tapes. It’s great to have them around again and I’m curious about what we might find here this time. In other words, it’s a Coliseum Video so let’s get to it.
This is from early 1988.
Opening sequence.
Gene Okerlund, chilling in a chair instead of standing as usual, welcomes us to the tape and gives us a preview without getting very specific. He does however promise three title changes, which is quite the spoiler.
From Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 6, 1987. Okerlund: “We begin with a Coliseum exclusive and what we sometimes call a dark match.” Ok then. I mean it aired on Prime Time so it’s not a dark match but points for a buzz term.
Tito Santana vs. Haku
Rick Martel, Bobby Heenan and Tama are here too. Santana jumps him to start fast and sends him into the buckle, which actually works! The middle rope elbow to the head sends Haku bailing out to the floor and it’s already time for a breather. Commentary actually recaps the feud, which started with the Islanders jumping Santana while he was doing guest commentary. I’m not sure I can imagine Santana doing that but I’ll take something over nothing.
Back in and Santana sends him face first into the mat, allowing Santana to grab a headlock as the fans are ALL OVER Heenan. Haku gets up for a leapfrog but eventually gets backslided (Backslidden?) for two. Santana works on the armbar again but Haku gets smart by going with the headbutts. The running knee misses though and Santana is right there to work on the leg.
Haku breaks that up and gets some twos off some suplexes. A shoulder breaker just wakes Santana up and he raises his boots to cut off a charge in the corner. Santana faceplants him to set up a backdrop and there’ the flying forearm. That’s enough to draw Tama to the top so Martel jumps him, which is enough for the double DQ at 6:43.
Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but I’m a fan of both guys so this was only going to get so bad. I can go with seeing the tag division getting split up a bit for a change and Santana and Haku could probably have a fine match in a bunch of different combinations. Nice opener here, which actually felt like part of a bigger angle in a rarity on these tapes.
Post match Santana and Martel clear the ring without much trouble.
From Superstars, November 7, 1987.
Tag Team Titles: Strike Force vs. Hart Foundation
The Harts, with Jimmy Hart, are defending and the roof comes off for Strike Force’s entrance. Bret pounds on Martel to start and gets dropkicked a few times so Martel can grab an armbar. Santana comes in for an armbar of his own before doing the same thing to Neidhart, who powers him back up against the rope.
We’re minorly clipped to Bret getting in a cheap shot from the apron to cut Santana off and then dropping him with a backbreaker. Some good old fashioned choking behind the referee’s back keeps Santana in trouble and it’s time to fire him outside. Back in and Santana almost makes the tag so Hart knocks Martel off the apron in a smart move. Something close to a Demolition Decapitator gets two, with Ventura complaining about unfair officiating. And it’s not even Danny Davis!
More choking draws Martel in again, which just means the choking continues (with Ventura pointing out the bad idea). Santana manages to whip Hart chest first into the buckle (of course) and it’s back to Martel to unload on Neidhart. A spinning high crossbody gives Martel two, with Hart making the save. Everything breaks down and a double slam sets up the Boston Crab…and Neidhart actually gives up to give Strike Force the titles at 9:10!
Rating: B. This was a good one, with Strike Force being so crazy over that they had to get the titles at some point. They were as good of an idea as you could have had as the white meat babyfaces and it worked perfectly here. Granted it helps to have the Harts on the other side as they’re as good as it gets for a team in this company in the 80s. Rather awesome match here.
It takes a few seconds before reality sets in and then the crowd goes nuts for the title change.
From Des Moines, Iowa, November 17, 1987.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. King Kong Bundy
This is also billed as non-televised, even though it aired in January 1988. They stare at each other to start and lock up with neither’s running shoulder scoring a knockdown. Bigelow tries it again and Bundy goes down, with Ventura insisting it was a slip. Bundy misses a charge and gets elbowed for two but comes back with a hard clothesline. A big clothesline puts Bigelow on the floor and another one drops him again back inside. The big splash misses for Bundy though and Bigelow’s splash gets a VERY fast three at 3:57.
Rating: C-. Again, you know what you’re going to get here as this was the match you were probably expecting. It’s a pair of big guys hitting each other until one of them missed and got splashed for the pin. They were smart to keep things short here, as is often the situation for these battles of the big men.
Post match Ventura rants about the speed of the count (as he should), with McMahon saying is slow. Ventura: “THAT’S SLOW MOTION YOU IDIOT!”
From the 1988 Royal Rumble.
Women’s Tag Team Titles: Glamour Girls vs. Jumping Bomb Angels
The Angels are challenging in a 2/3 falls match. The Angels start fast and hit running dropkicks to start with Yamazaki taking over on Martin, allowing Tateno to come in for a delayed suplex. McMahon admits that he doesn’t know which Angel is which as Yamazaki comes back in for a jumping knee to Kai.
Everything breaks down and the Angels get stereo Figure Fours, both of which are broken up. Yamazaki drops a double leg onto Kai’s legs and then cranks back on one of them in a rather aggressive manner. Kai gets up for the tag to Martin, allowing Jimmy Hart to rub the circulation back into Kai’s leg. Martin pops back up with a powerbomb dropped backwards into a faceplant for the first fall on Tateno at 6:11.
Girls – 1
Angels – 0
We take a break and come back with Martin tossing Tateno into the corner by the hair for a nasty crash. The splash misses though and it’s Yamazaki getting in a heck of a running clothesline. The middle rope clothesline gets two and everything breaks down, with the Girls colliding. Martin runs Tateno over but gets sunset flipped to tie us up at 8:05 (total, omitting the time between falls).
Girls – 1
Angels – 1
The third fall is joined in progress with Tateno in trouble in the corner but managing to pick Martin up for some hard drops. Yamazaki comes back in with the top rope knee for two and a bridging suplex gets two. The middle rope backsplash misses but the double missile dropkick finishes Martin for the pin and the titles at 13:56 total (that’s the full version at least, but a good chunk was clipped here).
Girls – 1
Angels – 2
Rating: B. This was so far ahead of its time that it’s hard to fathom in a way. You have to remember that women’s wrestling was basically Moolah doing the hair pulling and suplex, but here was a pair of women going nuts with big spots and an athletic match. The Girls deserve some praise of their own too, as they were able to hang in there with the Angels well enough. Good match here, which was, oh, about 30 years ahead of its time.
From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 7, 1984.
Wild Samoans vs. Tiger Chung Lee/Mr. Fuji
Okerlund says this is an entire match that belongs on the Most Embarrassing Moments tape. Fuji and Afa start things off with Afa headbutting Fuji around. That’s enough for Fuji to load up something, with the referee waistlocking him before it can go anywhere. Fuji tries the salt but keeps trying to hand it off to Lee, which turns us into a comedy of errors as they try to hide it.
We’re clipped to Fuji still in trouble but fighting away only to miss a top rope legdrop. Lee comes in and goes up, earning a slam off the top. Sika gets two off a headbutt and then headbutts Lee down again, with Fuji walking away from the tag. Some headbutts put Lee down and the falling headbutts finish him off at 4:05 shown (the full thing ran almost twenty two minutes so this might have been quite the interesting edit job).
Rating: D+. Yeah we got the idea. Fuji and Lee were having one issue after another and that only means so much when they’re in there against a team of monsters in the Samoans. It wasn’t a particularly interesting match and I’m almost scared of how dull it would have been in its full form. Then again, Lee wasn’t going to be interesting no matter what he did.
Post match Fuji comes back in and goes after Lee, who finds a kendo stick to chase Fuji off. Yeah but it’s Tiger Chung Lee. This isn’t going to mean much.
From Houston, Texas, July 24, 1987.
Women’s Title: Sherri Martel vs. Fabulous Moolah
Moolah is defending and we’re told she’s held the title for “at least fifteen to seventeen years” as 1984 and Wendi Richter are erased from history. I’m guessing it’s due to Richter’s exit from the promotion but the fans aren’t going to remember something from a few years ago? This is also Martel’s debut and she’s starting fast. They take turns pulling the other down by the hair and Moolah grabs a hammerlock.
Moolah bites Martel’s hand and makes a disgusted face before she gets flipped into a chinlock. Back up and they trade choking in the corner before Moolah gets two off a backdrop. The armbar goes on again before Martel is back up with some slingshots. They go outside with Martel getting in a slam but being pulled back inside. Moolah tosses her outside again but Martel small packages her for the title at 7:58.
Rating: D+. This didn’t work at all, as it was basically heel vs. heel but Moolah was ancient and Martel was an unknown so the fans didn’t know how to react. At the same time, Moolah absolutely had to lose (again) to someone as it was just way too late for her. The division was getting something of a reboot at this point and Sherri as the top heel was a fine way to go. This actually led to a Moolah face run, which thankfully didn’t last long.
From New York City, New York, February 20, 1978.
Junior Heavyweight Title: Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Ted Adams
Fujinami is defending and we’re joined in progress with Adams taking him down without much trouble and working on the arm. That’s reverses with Fujinami’s jumping headscissors, which is broken up for a quick standoff. A test of strength is flipped into a sunset flip to give Fujinami two more and the surfboard goes on. That’s broken up and Adam grabs a headlock, only to get caught with a dropkick.
Adams knocks him down and misses a top rope splash as they keep going back and forth. Back up and Adams takes over in the corner, allowing him to crank on the arm. You can imagine how thrilled the fans are with this stuff, especially with a star as big as Adams (you might notice some sarcasm there). A crossbody sets up another armbar on Fujinami and Adams takes him up to the ropes as this keeps going.
Back up and Fujinami gets in a shot to the face for two but gets taken down with a double underhook. Fujinami kicks him away and hits a heck of a dropkick to take over and wake the crowd up a bit. An airplane spin drops Adams again and Fujinami’s bridging German suplex retains the title at 13:45 shown of 15:06.
Rating: C+. So here’s the thing: yes it’s technically sound and yes it’s a rather well executed back and forth match, but that doesn’t make it fun to watch. This was something that probably belonged on a British wrestling show more than it would have fit here, as the style just didn’t work for the WWF. It can be done, but not with Fujinami against a low level guy like Adams, who didn’t exactly mean much around here.
From San Francisco, California, August 24, 1987.
George Steele/Billy Jack Haynes vs. Demolition
Steele is substituting for the injured Ken Patera, who is at ringside to cancel out Mr. Fuji. And yes this is the main event. Haynes and Ax start things off, with Haynes taking over. Smash comes in and goes after Steele, who gets in a bite to the arm. That leads to more general chaos, with Demolition bailing out to the floor. Back in and Smash knocks Haynes down for a neck crank, which is quickly broken up.
Steele gets in a bite from the apron and Haynes grabs an armbar. It’s back to Steele, who is choked down in the corner with Smash getting in quite the jostling. Ax’s neck crank keeps Steele in trouble and a knee to the chest drops him again. Steele finally gets up and brings Haynes in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Haynes decks an interfering Fuji, allowing Ax to get in a cane shot to give Smash the pin at 9:30.
Rating: D. Somehow this is how we wrapped it up, with Demolition, who were becoming the new big force around here and they were having trouble beating Steele and Haynes. I have no idea how this was the best they could do for the unofficial main event, as it’s not like there were better tag teams around here. Just a bad match and I do not get this making the cut.
Okerlund doesn’t even wrap it up.
Roll credits.
Overall Rating: C-. There were good parts here, but my goodness some of this stuff was just not worth seeing. The best match was the Women’s Tag Team Title match and Strike Force vs. the Harts was right there too (shocking I know), but that’s not really enough to carry the whole thing. It was a tape that needed some replacement matches, but even the best stuff is only so good compared to some of the other options they had.
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