WWE Vintage Collection TV Report
September 13, 2009
Aired in the U.K. on Sky Sports
Report by Cody Endres, PWTorch contributor

WWE's Vintage Collection show airs in the U.K., Canada, and Australia. The show is hosted by Mean Gene Okerlund. They show a varied assortment of older matches every week, similar to WWE's "Classics On Demand" pay subscription service.

-The show started with footage from August 12, 1996. Ahmed Johnson was talking about his physical and mental pain. Johnson would be out of action for around four months after being attacked by Faarooq. In reality, Johnson was suffering from legit kidney problems at the time. Gorilla Monsoon stripped Johnson of the Intercontinental Title and ordered an eight-man tournament to crown a new champion.

1 – STEVE AUSTIN vs. MARC MERO (w/Sable) – First Round Match

This is from the September 6, 1996 episode of a special Raw held on a Friday. Brian Pillman is on commentary and talks about the greatness of Bret Hart at the beginning of the match. Mero executes a sunset flip for a nearfall. Mero catches Austin with a dropkick for another nearfall. Austin quickly rolls to the outside to recover. Austin attempts a bodyslam, but Mero turns it into an inside cradle for a nearfall. Austin hoists up Mero and hits the Stun Gun for a nearfall of his own. Austin misses an elbow drop off the second rope. Mero whips Austin across the ring and nails him with a hard running clothesline. Mero scores with a double axe handle off the top rope for a nearfall. In desperation, Austin tosses Mero to the floor. Mero climbs up on the apron and tries to send his shoulder into Austin's gut, but Austin pulls the referee in front of him. The referee calls for the DQ as Austin lays out Mero with a Stunner. A group of officials came out to break both men up.

WINNER: Marc Mero in 5:30 of what aired by DQ to advance. Nothing special. Austin didn't get much offense.

[Commercial Break]

-Clips were shown from the August 19, 1996 opening round match which featured Owen Hart taking on the British Bulldog. Okerlund did voiceover work and explained that Hart won by count out to advance in the tournament. So, to recap, we get to see matches like Austin-Mero and Sid-Triple H, but we can't watch what was most likely the best match of this tournament.

2 – PSYCHO SID vs. HUNTER HEART HELMSLEY – First Round Match

This match is also from the September 6, 1996 episode of Raw on a Friday. Sid catches Hunter coming off the ropes with a big boot. Sid looks for a back body drop, but Hunter counters with a neckbreaker. Hunter hits a few kneedrops for a nearfall. Sid nails Hunter with a one handed chokeslam and the fans go crazy. Mr. Perfect slowly walks down the aisle. Sid destroys Hunter with a powerbomb to get the win. Sid follows through on his powerbombs more than Kevin Nash ever did. Perfect left with Hunter's arm candy.

WINNER: Psycho Sid in 3:00 of what aired to advance. Entertaining squash.

[Commercial Break]

-The "Please, Don't Try This" video aired.

3 – SAVIO VEGA vs. FAAROOQ (w/Sunny) – First Round Match

This is from the September 9, 1996 episode of Raw. Lawler claims that Sunny was winking at him. Faarooq grabs Vega's pants and sends him headfirst into the bottom turnbuckle for a nearfall. Vega with a quick inside cradle for his own nearfall. Faarooq slams Vega, but misses a diving headbutt off the second rope. Faarooq continually goes back to a headlock. Faarooq hits Vega out of nowhere with the Dominator for the win.

WINNER: Faarooq in 4:25 of what aired to advance. This match should have been clipped so viewers could have watched the Hart/Bulldog match. Awful.

[Commercial Break]

-An old video package aired hyping the Hart vs. Mero & Sid vs. Faarooq Semifinal Matches.

4 – OWEN HART vs. MARC MERO (w/Sable) – Semifinal Match

This match is from the September 16, 1996 episode of Raw. Hart connects with a spinning heel kick and then stomps Mero in the gut. Hart with a butterfly suplex for a nearfall. In the midst of the match, Gorilla Monsoon popped up in a split-screen to talk to Jim Ross. Monsoon said that there was no indication that Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were returning to the company. Ross told Monsoon that not everything has to go by his desk. This will lead to the fake Razor and fake Diesel storyline that was beyond atrocious. Hart hits a missile dropkick for another nearfall. Hart hits Mero with his cast and tosses him outside the ring. Mero rallies with an inverted atomic drop, a back drop, and a dropkick. Hart retreats to the floor, but Mero takes him out with an impressive somersault plancha to the outside. Both men collide in the ring and collapse. Hart removes his cast and smacks Mero with it for a nerfall. With Hart arguing with the ref, Mero grabs the cast and gets retaliation on Hart for the win. This was done right in front of the referee, but he somehow missed it.

WINNER: Marc Mero in 6:00 of what aired to advance. Good match, but the announcers never focused on it due to the Jim Ross/Gorilla Monsoon segment.

[Commercial Break]

-A video aired hyping the Breaking Point PPV.

5 – PSYCHO SID vs. FAAROOQ (w/Sunny) – Semifinal Match

This match is also from the September 16, 1996 episode of Raw. Faarooq sends Sid head over heels after a back suplex. Faarooq targets Sid's kidneys. In a pre-taped promo, Ahmed Johnson promised revenge on Faarooq. In a familiar theme, Faarooq locks in a headlock. Faarooq leaps off the top, but Sid catches him with a powerslam for a nearfal. Both men take each other out with simultaneous clotheslines. Faarooq targets the kidneys once again. Faarooq hits a diving headbutt off the second rope. Sid breaks out of a Dominator attempt and takes out Faarooq with a chokeslam. While Sunny distracts the referee, Faarooq destroys Sid with a steel chair. Sid grabs the chair and returns the favor, but the referee notices and calls for the DQ.

WINNER: Faarooq by DQ in 5:24 of what aired to advance. Only half of the matches in this tournament so far have had clean finishes.

[Commercial Break]

6 – MARC MERO (w/Sable) vs. FAAROOQ (w/Sunny) – Tournament Finals

This match is from the September 23, 1996 episode of Raw. The first ever Intercontinental Champion, Pat Patterson, is the special guest referee. Faarooq attacks Mero immediately as the bell rings. Mero catches a foot, but Faarooq counters with an enziguri. Mero sends Faarooq to the outside with a clothesline and follows up with his somersault plancha. Back in the ring, Mero hits a MeroSault for a nearfall. Faarooq back body drops Mero over the top rope to the floor. With Mero standing on the apron, Faarooq runs across the ring and nails a shoulder block to send the "Wildman" into the steel guardrail.

[Commercial Break]

-The "Please, Do Not Try This at Home" video aired.

Mero attempts something off the ropes, but Faarooq catches him with a knee. Faarooq returns to his patented headlock. Mero manages to hit a clothesline, but misses an elbow drop. Faarooq climbs up to the top rope, but Mero crotches him. Mero hits a hurancanrana off the top for a nearfall. Both men collapse after a double clothesline. Sunny and Sable get into a slapping contest at ringside. Patterson leaves the ring to break it up. Mero grabbed Sunny's loaded purse and nails Faarooq. Mero connects with The Wild Thing (shooting star press) off the top rope for the victory.

WINNER: Marc Mero in 7:12 of what aired to capture the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship. After Triple H trashed Mero on national television just a few weeks ago, WWE dedicates an entire hour of programming to a tournament won by Mero. Odd choice.

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