The SmarK Rant for Coliseum Video presents WWF Free For All
By Scott Keith on 12 August 2025
The SmarK Rant for Coliseum Video presents WWF Free For All
Originally written 08.11.25
Another one I didn’t even know existed but I found it in Richard Land’s amazing Fish & Chips Premium collection this month.
Seriously the most valuable and fascinating subscription I get every month, and that’s saying something because I subscribe to FAR too much stuff.
I assume the concept here is pretty easy to grasp. Well unless you’re someone who answers one of those Twitter engagement questions about “Who was WWE champion the year you were born?” with “John Cena”, in which case I hate you and also I should explain that BACK IN MY DAY we had to pay for WWF shows on a system called Pay-Per-View, and there was generally a 30 minute pre-show with warmup matches to entice you to purchase. You kids today with your ESPN streaming and Paramount whosits won’t understand. We used to have to WORK at pirating those shows by importing sketchy black boxes from Mexico, consarnit! Kids today have it so easy. Harrumph!
Your host is Handsome Dok Hendrix, naturally.
WWF Tag team title tournament final: The Bodydonnas v. The Godwinns
From the pre-show of Wrestlemania 12, although the more notable match on that was of course the finale of Billionaire Ted. Also this was one of the worst tournaments in WWF history for those keeping track, kicking off a truly rancid period for the belts that only stabilized when they got it onto Owen & Bulldog later in the year. The Donnas double-team Henry in the corner and hit him with a double slingshot suplex, which gets two for Skip. Skip tries a slam and can’t pull that off for whatever reason. So they hit a double elbow and Zip gets a double-team legdrop for two. Skip to the top for a Rocket Launcher, but that misses and it’s hot tag PIG after 2 minutes of heat on Henry. He runs wild and goes to finish Skip, but Sunny flashes her ass at him and Skip rolls him up for the pin and the titles at 3:16. That probably doesn’t work so well on the prison guards for her these days. ½*
The Bodydonnas v. The New Rockers
From the pre-show of KOTR 96, as the Bodydonnas are now managed by “Cloudi” in a low point for poor Chris Candido. Joined in progress with Marty and Skip trading takedowns and Skip hits a northern lights suplex for two. Marty with the Rocker Dropper and he goes up, but Skip cuts him off, so Marty brings him down with a powerbomb off the top and makes the hot tag to Zip. Zip backdrops Skip over the top rope onto Marty and then hits Leif with a gut wrench to set up the Rocket Launcher, but that misses. Leif hits Skip with a Sky High, but Cloudi runs in and kisses Leif, allowing Skip to roll him up for the pin at 3:10. So yeah, this basically destroyed the career of both the Bodydonnas and Cloudi. *
Justin Hawk Bradshaw v. Savio Vega
From the pre-show of International Incident, surprisingly paying off a feud on Superstars that didn’t seem like it was every going anywhere. Savio slugs away in the corner to start and hits him with a boot to the head, but he misses a blind charge and hits the buckle to allow Bradshaw to take over. Bradshaw misses a charge himself and Vega slugs back and dropkicks him to the floor before chasing Uncle Zeb away. Bradshaw attacks and punches the post by mistake, so Vega goes to work on the hand in the ring. Vince declares it a REAL ROMP ‘EM STOMP ‘EM AFFAIR, one of this highest amounts of praise. Hawk with a knee to the gut to cut him off, but Savio fights back with chops and hits him with the leg lariat in the corner. Another leg lariat follows for two. Savio tries a bodypress and Bradshaw catches him in a slam and pins him with his feet on the ropes at 4:45. This would have been a pretty good Superstars TV main event, actually. **3/4
Yokozuna v. Stone Cold Steve Austin
From Summerslam 96’s pre-show. Austin attacks before Yoko can get his robe off, but Yoko chops him down. Austin fires back with clotheslines, but walks into a samoan drop and Yoko hits him with the Hulkbuster legdrop. He goes for the bonzai drop, but he’s too fat for the ropes and he falls backwards with the top rope in his hands, allowing Austin to pin him at 1:45 in a dumb finish. Well if that didn’t send a message to Yoko I don’t know what would have. DUD
Savio Vega v. Marty Jannetty
From the pre-show of Mindgames. Savio hits him with a monkey flip and goes to a headlock while we get an inset promo from Bradshaw, who rants about never getting to be on PPV. Marty gets a back elbow for two. To the chinlock and Marty slugs away in the corner and boots Savio down for two. Thankfully, Vince McMahon warns us about potential off-color chanting from fans of a local independent promotion that operates in a bingo hall elsewhere in the city, so I’m immediately put at ease and not worried about getting thrown off. Marty goes up and lands on Savio’s boot, and Vega makes the comeback and rolls through a bodypress for the pin at 3:57.
So we skip Buried Alive because it’s a 20:00 match between Bradshaw and Barry Windham and this tape is only an hour long, and move onto…
Jesse Jammes, Aldo Montoya, Bob Holly & Bart Gunn v. Billy Gunn, The Sultan, Justin Hawk Bradshaw & Sal Sincere
Billy Gunn is dressed like an extra from Yellowstone, complete with an actual black hat because he’s a heel now. Yeah that’ll get him over. We start with Sultan and Aldo and if there was anyone destined to get pinned by a traditional Survivor Series clothesline, it’s Montoya. JR makes a rare blunder, noting that Bob Backlund lost the WWF title to Iron Sheik in 1984, which of course is wrong because Backlund never actually lost the title at all. Aldo takes a piledriver and Sultan puts him away with the camel clutch at 3:00. Over to Bob, who bulldogs Sultan and that gets two. Sultan puts him down with a belly to belly and Sincere comes in with a dropkick to knock Bart off the apron on the way into the ring. Bart comes back with a sideslam and pins him at 4:38, however. Bradshaw attacks Bart from behind while the announcers put over all the new talent debuting tonight, like Furnas & Lafon, Flash Funk, and the mystery partner coming up later. Yup, that’s all the notable debuts, all right. Bradshaw beats on Holly and a legsweep gets two, but Holly sends him to the floor and back in for a rana. Bradshaw hits him with a clothesline and pins him at 6:20, however. Well someone was getting pinned with one of those. JJ rolls up Bradshaw for the pin at 6:35. Sultan stomps JJ down but misses a charge and Jammes slugs him down, but Sultan hits him with a backbreaker and then Jammes rolls him up for the pin at 7:20. Billy with the Rocker Dropper on Jammes for the pin at 7:43, leaving us with the SMOKING GUNNS EXPLOSION. Billy ties up Bart in the ropes and beats him down, but he misses a blind charge and Bart pins him at 8:27 to win the match. Incredibly rushed but I’ve seen way worse Survivor Series matches. **1/2
Rocky Maivia v. Salvatore Sincere
Off to It’s Time now. This was another Superstars TV feud with Cornette trying to manage Rocky and getting turned down over and over. Rocky works the arm and they trade headscissors off headlocks on the mat, but Sal gets cocky and Rocky slugs him in the ropes and out to the floor. Back in, Rocky does his goofy double leapfrog that he thankfully retired soon after this, and goes back to the arm again before slugging away in the corner. Sal cuts him off with a flying clothesline for two and goes up with a pump splash, but they clothesline each other for a double down. Rock makes the comeback with a powerslam for two and goes to the top with a flying bodypress, but Sal rolls through for two. Sal misses a charge, however, and Rocky seemingly puts him away with the shoulderbreaker before Cornette runs in for the DQ at 5:55. Obviously in hindsight this should have been Rock going over strong, but it was a fun TV match. **1/2
And we wrap it up with the Royal Rumble…
Mini Vader & Mini Mankind v. La Parkita & Mascarita Sagrada Jr.
Sagrada of course got repackaged into Max Mini as Vince tried to push him a little bit. No pun intended. Very strange to see the La Parka gimmick on WWF TV like this at the time. Vader and Parkita trade takedowns and Parkita sends Vader to the floor with an armdrag, and it’s over to Sagrada and Mankind. Sagrada takes him down with a headscissors and dropkick, so it’s back to Vader and he beats Sagrada to the floor. Mankind dropkicks Parkita and puts him down with a clothesline, but Vader misses a charge and lands on the floor. Mankind does a criss-cross with Parkita and Mankind puts him down with a big boot, but he misses a charge and lands on the floor. Vader hits a senton on Sagrada and goes up for a pump splash, but that misses and Sagrada pins him with la majastral at 4:30. Probably the best match of the tape, all action start to finish. ***
And Dok wraps things up.
Hey, for an hour long tape covering stuff that’s not currently archived by the WWF on their services, you could do a lot worse! I actually wish they’d put this one onto YouTube or Netflix or whatever so that it can be preserved. I’d call it an easy recommendation if you can find it.