The SmarK Rant for Coliseum Video presents Wham Bam Bodyslam!

The SmarK Rant for Coliseum Video presents Wham Bam Bodyslam!

Originally written 12.29.25

Amazingly enough, WWE Vault finds another Coliseum Video where not only have I never reviewed it before, but I don’t even have a copy in my collection. Truly impressive.

https://youtu.be/CMuApaYPWJw?si=hvuq90FhDq2fI8CK

We are in late 1994 for this one.

Hosted by Ted Dibiase

Lex Luger v. Tatanka

It’s Stan Lane and Gorilla on commentary, so of course we get lots of talk about Luger being the REBEL and the RENEGADE! Apparently following all the rules and waving the flag is being a REBEL! Lex chases Tatanka to the floor right away, and we get a footrace around the ring as Tatanka stalls. Finally Tatanka catches Lex RIGHT IN THE BREAD BASKET and beats him down with chops, but Lex slugs back and puts him down with a clothesline and back elbow. But then the ref stops Luger from continuing the beatdown for some reason, and Tatanka tosses Lex to take over. Stan, already doing a watered down Vince impression as it is, calls it a “see saw battle back and forth” but you can tell he doesn’t mean it the same way Vince does when he says it. Tatanka chokes him out and puts the boots to Lex’s ribs before dropping the big elbow for two. Another, bigger, elbow gets two. So with that strategy failed, he goes to a chinlock instead and Lex uses RENEGADE POWER to fight out while Tatanka puts him back down again. Lex fights out and Tatanka puts him down with a knee to the gut for two and then back to the chinlock again. Lex fights out again, but misses a blind charge and Tatanka clotheslines him for two. Back to the chinlock as Gorilla claims that Luger clearly has better cardio if the match goes long. Yeah, that’s what Luger is well known for, his cardio and long match stamina. Did I mention the chinlocks? Because there’s quite a lot of them. Tatanka with more chops to change it up from the chinlocks, but he misses a blind charge and Luger makes a comeback and goes AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH so you know he means business. Kneelift! Bulldog! FLEXING! Clothesline puts Tatanka on the floor and they slug it out down there, oblivious to the referee’s count because of all the chopping and punching, and it’s a double countout at 13:45. “Both men have been counted out, resulting in a double countout” notes the ring announcer. Well that was kind of evident. Hell of a start to the tape. ½*

BUT WAIT! Lex Luger didn’t come all the way here to ALBANY NEW YORK to see a countout! They came here for steamed hams? No that was Utica. So they fight again and Lex gets the REBEL RACK but all the referees break it up because this wrestling ring on a wrestling show is neither the time nor the place for a wrestling match. Stan demands a NO TIME LIMIT match to settle the issue. Let’s not.

Owen Hart & Jim Neidhart v. Bret Hart & British Bulldog

I felt like I had actually seen this match in Edmonton at the time, but it turns out that it was Bret & Razor v. Owen & Neidhart. Owen loses a lockup and celebrates, but Bret takes him down with a hammerlock and slaps Owen around a bit on the mat while Owen cries in pain. Crucifix gets two. Bret monkey flips him and clotheslines him to the floor and Owen claims CHEATING. So Bret demands Anvil face him, and body shames poor Jim to egg him on. That seems like a bad idea. Bret tries a rollup and gets blocked, and Anvil catches him in a bearhug. So it’s over to Bulldog for a showdown with his crack buddy and he wins a battle of shoulderblocks. Back to Owen and Bulldog backdrops him out of the corner and hits him with a delayed suplex for two, so delayed they should call it my WrestleDream review. But then Anvil hits him with the patented Bret cheapshot on the apron and the New Foundation goes to work with a leg lariat from Owen for two. You’d think Bret would have briefed Davey on that particular tag team technique before the match. Neidhart with a chinlock and Owen with a kick for two, and they double-team Davey and work the leg. Anvil does the hairpull drop spot, but it worked better in 1986 when Bulldog was 50 pounds lighter. Still, I appreciate the callback. Owen annoys Bret and prompts a chase around the ring, and then he jumps in and covers Bulldog for two despite not being the legal man. They work Davey over in the corner while Bret keeps protesting to the ref, and Owen gets a neckbreaker for two and goes to a chinlock. Guys I think Bulldog is FOOKED. But he quickly fights back because he’s BIZARRE and they collide for a double down, but we get the false tag as Bret continues to be conspired against. But the heels collide and it’s HOT TAG Hitman and noggins are knocked. He slugs away on Owen and hits Neidhart with a bodypress. Russian legsweep gets two on Owen. Backbreaker and middle rope elbow gets two. Snap suplex sets up the Sharpshooter, but Anvil clobbers him to break it up. Bulldog comes in and it’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA, but Bulldog cradles Owen while the ref escorts Bret out, so Anvil pushes them over. But then the ref escorts Anvil out, so Bret pushes them back over again and puts Bulldog on top for the pin at 14:19. This was a glorious throwback to tag team wrestling in 1987 and the Bulldogs-Harts matches. ****

Meanwhile, Doink the Clown is at the TV studio and the amount of hilarity you’d expect occurs, with a standard deviation of one or two yuks and a guffaw.

Intercontinental title: Razor Ramon v. Jeff Jarrett

Razor has a guest manager who appears to be some kind of forest ranger. Ranger Ramon? Jeff takes a toothpick in the eye and sells the tremendous pain before taking Razor down with an armdrag. JJ takes him down and stops for a celebration, so Razor slugs him down. Jarrett with a headlock, but Razor dumps him with the fallaway slam for two. Jarrett fires back with dropkicks NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE, BUT THRICE and a pretty impressive backdrop suplex for two. To the top for a flying bodypress, but Razor rolls through for two, and Jeff clotheslines him down for two. Jeff with a chinlock, but Razor gets a backslide for two. Jarrett whips him into the corners and gets an enzuigiri that looked like it missed, but Razor sells it anyway. Jarrett with a chinlock and Razor suplexes out for two, although Gorilla immediately declares that he’s not gonna get the pin with that. Razor makes a comeback and they slug it out, but Jarrett tosses him over the top rope to stuff that rally. And Razor is counted out at 11:00. BUT WAIT! Jeff Jarrett didn’t come here to (INSERT CITY HERE) to win by countout, so he demands the return of Ramon to finish the match. So Razor returns to restart the match, even though they did this exact deal in the Luger-Tatanka match and the refs immediately broke it up, but in this case Razor hits a Razor’s Edge and pins Jeff to retain. Kind of a weird double standard there. They’d actually do this same finish at Royal Rumble 95, but in that case, Jarrett ended up getting the win. This was every Razor-Jarrett match you’ve ever seen in your life. **1/2

The Bushwhackers v. Well Dunn

Well beats on Butch to start, but Dunn comes in and somehow manages to drop an elbow on his own partner. So the Whackers chase them out of the ring by running in circles. Also Stan spreads misinformation about Butch singing backup on “Tie Me Kangeroo Down Sport” in the 60s. Well Dunn regroups but they both make the mistake of pointing to their heads to indicate intelligence, and of course the Bushwhackers lay them out. But then Luke gets caught in the corner because he’s slightly more stupid than the heels, and they double-team him to take over. Dunn with a flying forearm for two. They drop elbows on Luke as the crowd is dead, but Butch gets the “hot” tag and they can barely even bother to edit in crowd noise. Battering Ram on Well, but the ref is distracted, and Dunn drops a leg on Butch and turns them over. But then Luke turns them over again and that finishes at 7:30. Holy shit they already did THAT EXACT FINISH two matches ago! What kind of lazy production is that? DUD

Lex Luger & The Smoking Gunns v. Diesel, Shawn Michaels & Tatanka

Kind of an interesting match. Lex clears the ring to start, but Bart gets worked over in the heel corner for a bit before coming back on Tatanka with armdrags and a dropkick. Gunns with the Sidewinder on Tatanka, but they tag in Lex instead of going for the win, and Tatanka runs away and tags out to Shawn. Bart goes to work on his arm, but Diesel pulls the ropes down and Bart takes a big bump to the floor. Interesting that we never got Shawn & Diesel v. The Gunns at this time, since that would be a pretty good tag team title program and the Gunns were being groomed for the belts anyway. Bart gets triple-teamed in the heel corner and Diesel chokes him out and catapults him under the bottom rope. Gorilla makes an interesting point as Lex comes in to protest: If you’re gonna come in and cause a distraction, then come all the way in and pull your partner out of the corner so he can tag! Shawn with a chinlock on Bart, but he fights out and it’s hot tag Billy. Billy runs wild and goes up with a flying bulldog for two. It’s BONZO GONZO and the Gunns throw punches on the tag champs in the corners, but the ref is distracted by Shawn and Diesel hits the POOCHIEBOMB on Billy and Shawn gets the pin at 9:20. Very entertaining six-man. ***

Lumberjack match, WWF title: Bret Hart v. Owen Hart

We’ve got the usual cast of 1994 characters as lumberjacks, as Owen immediately tries to run away and gets sent back in by the likes of 1-2-3 Kid and the Bushwhackers. Bret gets sent to the floor and you know that it’s Well Dunn and KWANG tossing him back in again. Owen goes to a camel clutch and Bret fights out of that, so Owen goes to a chinlock, but Bret breaks free and he’s already got the Sharpshooter. But then Anvil runs in behind the ref’s back and hits Bret, putting Owen on top for the pin at 3:00. And Owen is the new WWF champion! He gets to touch the belt and everything! But then all the babyface lumberjacks protest to the ref and we get instant replay on the video wall, and THIS MATCH MUST CONTINUE. So Bret slugs away on him and Owen misses a blind charge and hits the post. Bret goes to the chinlock and gets a crossbody for two, and then back to the chinlock again as this is obviously a “night off” match between these two. Owen escapes and puts the boots to him before tossing him to the floor for some abuse from the heels, and you know the likes of Well Dunn and Double J Jeff Jarrett are making appearances! Back in, that gets two for Owen. Owen with a dropkick and Bret goes to the floor, so we get the big brawl with all the lumberjacks now. Back in the ring, Owen with a suplex for two. Bret makes the comeback with the usual as Kwang is very concerned on the floor. Bret with a small package for two. Middle rope elbow gets two. Anvil gets involved and Owen hits him by mistake, and Bret gets the rollup for the pin to retain at 13:30. Good but not great or anything. ***1/4

WWF Women’s title: Alundra Blayze v. Bull Nakano

Bull just HURLS Blayze around the ring with hairtosses and drops a leg on her for two. Bull puts the boots to her and chokes her out on the ropes before going to a double choke and slamming her for two. Blayze retreats to the apron and necks Bull, but she goes up and Bull immediately slams her off again. Bull with a NICE piledriver for two. Bull goes to a vicious anklelock while bending Blayze’s leg over, and then puts her in a reverse figure-four before switching it to a Gory Special and then switching it AGAIN to a Scorpion Crosslock. Bull with a suplex for two. Alundra bridges out, so Bull butt-splashes her down again and chokes her out in the corner before bulldogging her out of the corner. Blayze bails to the floor and Bull just clobbers her out there like she’s Vader or some shit, and then hangs her on the apron behind the ref’s back. Back in the ring, Bull with the first actual bodyslam here on Wham Bam Bodyslam, but Blayze makes the comeback and takes out Luna on the apron. But then Bull hits her with a draping DDT, off the top rope mind you, and that gets two. Blayze with a crucifix for two, but Bull sits on her to block a sunset flip and that gets two. Bull with a powerbomb for two. They fight to the top and Blayze tries a superplex, but Bull blocks it and comes down with the legdrop, which misses. Blayze comes back with dropkicks and a missile dropkick for two. Bull tries a lariat and misses, and Alundra hits her with the german suplex and pins her to retain at 10:13. This match FUCKING RULED. ****1/4

20 Man Battle Royale

So this is our finale. We’ve got, you know, a bunch of guys. Yokozuna gets taken out by everyone at 0:20 to get rid of him early. So it’s the usual array of punches and kicks and Typhoon gets thrown out at 2:00. Nikolai Volkoff gets thrown out at some point here. Dr. Tom gets pushed out by Backlund at 4:14. Bigelow charges and goes out at 4:50. Backlund backdrops Bart at 5:10. More laying on the ropes and punching as Adam Bomb and Kwang put each other out at 6:30 and continue their feud all the way to the back. Diesel throws Mabel out at 7:30, as the crowd gets behind Big Kev just as everyone gangs up on him and puts him out at 8:10. And this was all the way back in August! JJ puts Bob Holly out at 8:56. JJ also throws out Duke Droese at 9:20. And he continues his run by putting IRS and Jimmy Del Ray out at 10:04. Samu is out at 10:32, leaving a final four of Billy Gunn, 1-2-3 Kid, JJ and Bob Backlund. Really? Jeff backdrops Gunn out at 11:10 and tosses Kid out right after, but Kid grabs the ropes and throws Jeff out at 11:43. So the Kid goes after Bob, but Mr. Backlund PROCURES THE CHICKENWING and renders him unconscious, and then throws him out to win at 12:14. So yeah, this happened.

Anyway, with the Harts tag match and the women’s title match, this was TOP TIER Coliseum Video, especially for the time. That women’s match was crazy good, with Bull busting out submission moves and just kicking the shit out of Blayze and was great stuff all around. Recommended.