Nickrj’s rant for Supertape
This is a coliseum video release from March 1990. There would go on to be 5 Supertapes in this series. The theme song on this first tape sounds like it’s from the early 80’s though.
Your host is Sean Mooney. He says there’s going to be a profile on the Bushwhackers. Oh goodie.
Rugged Ronnie Garvin VS Mr. Perfect (with The Genius)
A fan favorite match from Nashville TN on 12/12/89. Perfect was still undefeated at this point and he hired the Genius as his manager earlier in the fall. It wasn’t until he won the Intercontinental title in May 1990 that he hired Bobby Heenan as his new manager. I tell you though 1989 always will be an important year for me. I first got to see Super Mario Bros. Cartoons and the Wizard, and it was the year that the Cubs last won a division title. (UPDATE That is no longer the case. As of two night ago the Cubs captured the 2003 NL Central. WAY TO GO CUBBIES!!) Also it was a hot year for the NWA but for the WWF the ratings were starting to slip but I don’t think the buyrates though. Anyways on to the match now. Garvin has his “hammer jammer” shinguard on as described by Tony Schiavone. Tony was a much better announcer back then. Perfect gets a fireman’s carry takeover and a hiptoss. He tries to intimidate Garvin with a right hand. Tie up and Perfect gets some chops but Garvin gets a hiptoss and a slam and a couple of right hands sending Henning to the outside. Tie up again and Perfect starts hammering now but Garvin returns the favor knocking Perfect to the outside again. Now it’s Garvin trying to intimidate Perfect now. Some more right hands and Henning goes to the outside again. Tie up and Perfect with a side headlock into a wristlock. Perfect gets back to the headlock. He pulls to hair to maintain control. Good strategy. Hard chop and a right hand. Another chop in the corner. He rakes the back but Garvin reverses and hammers away and gets a headbutt. Another one and a right hand sends Perfect down. Roll up for 2. Sunset flip by Henning he tries pulling the tights but can’t bring him down. Splash by Garvin for 2. Then comes the GARVIN STOMP OF DOOM!! He tries his sharpshooter but Perfect gets an eyerake. Perfect back up and he snapmares Garvin and snaps the neck. Stomping now and a kneedrop to the neck. Slugfest develops by both men and Garvin wins it and hooks a sleeper. He lets go and covers him but Henning gets his foot on the rope breaking it. Garvin drops Perfect down and a right hand and a chop. Backdrop by Garvin and an elbow for 2. He rams his head time and time again to all 3 turnbuckles. Crowd is hot here on this night. Roll up for 2. Double KO occurs then. Garvin cradles Perfect but Perfect reverses and hooks the tights for 3 at 10:45. Not a bad first matchup. *1/2
Manager profile now on Bobby Heenan. Bobby runs down the current superstars on the roster (March 1990) of the WWF.
WWF Profile on the Bushwhackers Luke and Butch. Gene Okerlund goes out in the middle of a desert to find where the Bushwhackers live. They live in a run down shack of course.
This is the Whackers WWF debut at MSG on 12/30/88. They jump the Russians to start it off and they clear them out of the ring and do some yaying which is their best move. They interrupt the Russians on the outside and hammer on them some more. Boris Zhukov is out there now and Luke gets the tag. Double clothesline by the Whackers. Nikolai Volkoff gets nailed as well. The Russians collide into each other inside the ring. Volkoff now gets hammered on by Butch and Volkoff gets a bear hug but Luke gets out of it by biting. Cover by Luke for 2. Luke is thrown into the corner and takes another bearhug but Butch comes in and bites the leg. Luke is down now and he’s thrown into the corner hard. Volkoff with some kicks now to take control. Boris comes in and chokes Luke on the top rope. Yawn. Luke is knocked to the outside. Butch is knocked out as well. Volkoff is back in and they do some doubleteaming out there. Boris chokes Luke with the tag rope. Snapmare by Boris into the chinlock. Small package for 2. Choking by Nikolai and he kicks him some more. Luke backed into the corner again. Butch comes in and accidentally nails Luke and Luke nails Butch out there. Boris gets a sunset flip but is choked. Butch gets the tag and cleans house on the Russians. Elbow smash gets 2. The Russians doubleteam Butch now but Boris hits his own partner and they hit the battering ram followed by the double stomach breaker for 3 at 9:23. Completely boring match. –*
Back at the shack Luke Butch and Gene grill up some chicken or duck or something like it and enjoy it.
This is probably from Summer 1989 on Superstars. Stalling to start it off. Brawler starts hammering on Butch. Clothesline by Butch though and Luke gets the tag who gets a boot and bites him. Double clothesline by the Whackers. Brown comes in for the first time and he gets hammered on as well but Brown gets a headbutt and an elbow followed by some choking. Brawler is back in again and stomps a mudhole. Butch gets an uppercut and Luke is back in and bites the face and a flying elbow. He’s pulled into the turnbuckle and Brown is back in again. He kicks Luke in the face and gets a throat shot. Another throat shot. They try to choke Luke out in the corner. Brown gets an elbow and tags Brawler. Slam by Brawler but misses an elbow. Butch gets the tag and gets some shots. Luke is in and they hit the battering ram on Brawler and the double stomach breaker finishes it at 5:42. That was rather brisk wasn’t it? DUD. I think they edited out Brawler getting pummeled by Brown after the match.
The Bushwhackers VS The Powers Of Pain (with Mr. Fuji)
From Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens. Barbarian jumps Butch at the start. Butch gets a side headlock though. He runs into a shoulderblock and Barbie showboats. The Whackers stall which is their other best maneuver. Headlock by Butch. Barbie gets a shoulderblock knocking Butch down. They do the schoolboy and stomp away on Barbie. The Warlord is in now as is Luke. Luke with some shots no sold by Warlord but he sells an eyerake and hits a bearhug. Luke bites (of course) to get out of it. Bearhug again by Warlord. Butch comes in and bites the leg of Warlord but gets nailed. Clothesline by Warlord. He sends Butch to the outside where he’s nailed by Fuji. He’s rammed back first into the post by Barbie. Butch is back up and he is hammered on by Warlord now. Axhandle by Barbie. Big boot and he hits Luke as well. The POP double team Butch in the corner now. Slam by Warlord and an elbow. Warlord tags Barbie who hits a headbutt. Slam and he goes to the 2nd rope and misses an elbow. Luke gets the hot tag and he pummels on Barbie and gets an eyepoke. Battering ram and one on Warlord as well. Fuji comes in the ring and uses the cane for the DQ at 9:13. Another boring match -*
At the shack Mean Gene comes out as an honorary Bushwhacker. Yawn.
Time for a Call Of The Action. Lord Alfred Hayes goes over the moves and holds in the WWF. Today we learn the moves of the flyers like The Rockers and Jimmy Snuka. We look at moves like Skin The Cat, Leap Frog, Clothesline, Double Synchronized Drop Kick, Double Elbow Drop, Nip Up, Human Cannonball, Irish Whip, Double Face Breaker, Mid-Section Blow, Bulldog, Springboard, Double Flying Fists, Side Headlock, Running Shoulderblock, Flying Headbutt, The Superfly (Flying Body Press, Top Rope Splash)
Tito Santana VS Rick Rude
From Boston. Rude decides to show his muscles as the match begins and wants a test of strength. Arriba chant goes up as they lock up and Rude looks like he’s winning it. Tito gets back up and puts Rude down and stomps on his hands. Tito now shows off his muscles and wants a test of strength as well. Geez these two should know how to have a better match than this. Rude gets a headlock. He grabs a hair hold to keep control. Rude goes to the hair again and continues the sideheadlock. Tito finally gets out of it and starts to hammer on Rude and rams him to the corner and again. Uppercut and another whip to the corner. He hooks a camel clutch and works on the back now. Back to it again and the same thing occurs. Camel clutch again but Rude gets the knees up this time. Rude with an inverted atomic drop. Right hands now by Rude and the hip swivel. Chinlock now. Santana gets out of it by ramming him into the corner. He runs into a knee though. Rude goes to the top rope and nails him. He continues to work on Santana slowly. Faceslam by Tito though but Rude brings up the knees on a big splash. Kneelift by Rude. Santana blocks and reverses a suplex. Rude hurts his back on a slam attempt and Tito hits an inverted atomic drop. Tito hammers on him in the corner. Tito with some jabs knocks down Rude and he rings the bell and tries for the Figure Four and hooks it. But Rude makes the ropes. They go to the outside now and then back in. Sunset Flip but Rude blocks it and holds on to the ropes for the pin at 16:43. The first half of this match was all resting though 3/4*
Jake Roberts VS Ted Dibiase (with Virgil)
From MSG and I think this was right before Jake suffered a ruptured disk in his neck that sidelined him for 6 months. Tie up to start and Ted gets a shove. Tie up again and Ted almost runs into Damian. Ted starts hammering away but Jake returns the favor and Ted almost lands on Damian again. They stall some more and we get the test of strength. Jake gets up and almost gets the DDT. Jake goes to an armbar now. He pulls down Ted with the arm. Side headlock into another armbar by Jake. Kneelift by Jake. He almost hits the DDT again and Ted slides to the outside. Jake rams Ted and Virgil together on the outside. Jake decides to go after Virgil and the strategy almost works for Dibiase. Ted gets an elbowdrop as Jake comes back in the ring and he goes to a choke. Elbows by Ted on the apron. Ted starts to hammer away on Jake and hits a 2nd rope double axhandle. Elbowdrop for 2. Clothesline and a kneedrop for 2. Sideheadlock now by Ted. Jake gets out with an armdrag but Ted keeps the pressure on. Chinlock again. Back up is Jake but he takes a knee. Ted hooks the Million Dollar Dream. Jake’s foot reaches the ropes though. Ted covers him for 2. Chinlock again by Ted but he takes a jawjacker. Jake comes back with some jabs and hits the short clothesline. He almost hooks the DDT again. Ted blocks a roll up but gets rolled up anyways for 3 at 16:16. Another boring match with no flow. 3/4* They’d have a much better match at Wrestlemania VI though.
We then get a segment of fans talking about the WWF. Of course most of the comments are about Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior.
This is Tugboat’s WWF debut on Superstars which aired 1/27/90. Of course this gimmick of Fred Ottman didn’t get over. Let’s have a big fat guy go out there and imitate a steam ship whistle and see if that gets over with the fans? Yeah right. Of course he was best friends with Hulk Hogan so I guess he got over in that regard. Anyways this is your average TV squash match at the time with Tugboat pinning Sharpe with a big splash at 2:26. DUD
Steel Cage Match: Brutus Beefcake and Hulk Hogan VS Randy Savage and Zeus (with Sensational Sherri)
This is from the same show as the first match and it was a on a PPV entitled No Holds Barred, which showed the movie and then this match which aired December 27th 1989. To win both men must pin both opponents or get out of the cage or vice verca. Sherri rams the door into Hogan as the match begins and Bruti is in there alone with Savage and Zeus. Sherri then padlocks the cage so Hogan can’t get in. Hogan gets in the cage by climbing over the top and into it anyways. Clothesline on Zeus and a backrake. Zeus rammed into the cage. Hogan goes after Savage now. He’s backdropped into the cage. Big boot on Zeus and one on Savage. Atmoic drop by Bruti and a double backrake on Zeus. Zeus rams both Hogan and Beefcake into the cage and chokes out Hogan. Savage tries to climb out but Beefcake stops him. Sherri tries to help Savage but she’s rammed into Randy. Sleeper hold on Zeus. But Savage with a double axhandle on Beefcake and Sherri chokes Brutus. Savage and Zeus now take control over Hogan and Beefcake. Zeus chokes Hogan and Savage hits a kneedrop. Both heels try to get out but Hogan hits a back suplex on Zeus and both Beefcake and Savage are rammed into the cage. Sherri rams the door into the ref and he’s down. She climbs into the cage and give a chain to the Macho King. He goes to the top of the cage with the chain on his hand but he’s nailed. Hogan fires back on Zeus as Beefcake hits the chain on Savage. Hogan hulks up now. He no sells Zeus’ offense as Beefcake gets out of the cage. Clothesline by Hogan as Savage is busted open. Beefcake pulls Savage out of the cage so it’s one on one now. Beefcake wants a double team but Hogan refuses it. Zeus is rammed into the cage 4 times. Slam by Hogan and 3 legdrops finishes the match and Zeus’ career at 9:26. Good brawl here **
Summary: Well nothing that great is this first Supertape especially when the best match has Zeus involved in it. RECOMMENDATION TO AVOID