Did you know that WWE has a YouTube channel dedicated to sharing old matches, Coliseum Video releases, awesome behind-the-scenes videos, and so many other great and random clips? I recently found out about the WWE Vault, and over the past few weeks, I’ve spent a ton of time watching some of my favorite WWE moments of the New Generation and Attitude Era, as well as things I never knew existed.
Seriously, if you’re a wrestling fan and want to check out stuff you’d expect on the old WWE Network that’s not available with a Peacock subscription or with a Netflix subscription, this channel is going to scratch that itch. Here are five things I cannot recommend enough for die-hard wrestling fans or those just now getting into the product since the start of the Triple H Era!
So Many Classic Matches Are In The Vault And Easy To Watch
Don’t get me wrong, I love watching classic pay-per-view events and random episodes of WCW Monday Nitro on Peacock, but sometimes I just want to go back and revisit a one-off match without having to skip two hours into a show and end up in the middle of the bout. While the WWE Vault YouTube channel doesn’t have every single match of all time, there are some absolute bangers in the vast collection of over 1,000 videos. Here’s one particular match I had a lot of fun revisiting:
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H – Three Stages of Hell at No Way Out 2001
I recently went back and watched the 2001 Royal Rumble match, and couldn’t get enough of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s brawl with Triple H as the Texas Rattlesnake was trying to enter the match (he would eventually win and headline WrestleMania X-7). Not long after, the WWE Vault shared their brutal “Three Stages of Hell” match (Fall 1 - Singles, Fall 2 - Street Fight, Fall 3 - Steel Cage). I immediately watched the grueling affair in all its bloody glory.
Watch Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H’s Three Stages of Hell Match on YouTube.
These Old Coliseum Video Home Releases Are Are Great
Some of my favorite childhood memories involved going to Blockbuster with my dad to pick up wrestling tapes from the surprisingly stacked collection. Over the years, I had hoped the now-defunct WWE Network or current WWE Network on Peacock would host these old pay-per-view releases and Coliseum Video compilations, but they never showed up or were removed before I knew better. However, that all changed with the Vault, as the channel continues to upload several old VHS tapes each month. But there’s one old compilation tape from what appears to be 1993 that I can’t stop thinking about:
Smack ‘Em Whack ‘Em
I never knew the Smack ‘Em Whack ‘Em tape existed until a few weeks ago, but I’m so glad I found this gem. Not only does it showcase Bret Hart defeating Ric Flair for the WWE Championship (The Hitman’s first WWE Title), but also features Razor Ramon vs. The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels vs. Hart for the WWE strap, and some hilarious segments with The Bushwhackers and Lord Alfred Hayes. Seriously, this was an unexpected and amazing trip down memory lane.
Watch Smack ‘Em Whack ‘Em on YouTube.
The Must-See Dark Matches Compilation Is Full Of Forgotten And Random Matches
There is something about watching dark matches that has always felt so intriguing and wrong, like I wasn’t supposed to see these clips or something. Over the years, videos of tryout matches and pre-show bouts to get the crowd hot for Raw, SmackDown, or ppvs have leaked online, but the Vault has now put out a 34-minute compilation featuring everyone from Paul London and Brian Kendrick to Justin Credible to PCO. But there’s one that particularly caught my attention:
Dr. Death Steve Williams vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
It’s a shame Dr. Death Steve Williams never got a decent run in WWE, because he was an absolute legend in WCW, AJPW, and pretty much everywhere else he wrestled (including the time I saw him tag with Hacksaw Jim Duggan at a Boat Show in high school). Well, this compilation features a great dark match between the late wrestler and 2 Cold Scorpio from what looks like early 1998 (WWE was still using the pre-Attitude Era font at the time). I’m not kidding you, go watch this match!
Watch Dr. Death Steve Williams vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
There's A 4.5-Hour Terry Funk Mixtape Full Of Great Promos, Matches, And Horse Farts
The world of professional wrestling lost one of its toughest, craziest, and most prolific figures in August 2023 when Terry Funk died at 79. From his days as NWA Champion to his resurgence as one of the industry’s premier deathmatch wrestlers, and everything that happened in between, the Funkster was a legend among legends. The Vault recently put out a massive four-and-a-half-hour compilation featuring all sorts of matches, promos, and random shots of Funk with a farting horse. But there’s one section that I’ve loved the most:
Terry Funk and Jerry “The King” Lawler’s Empty Arena Match
In the midst of an epic feud, Terry Funk challenged Jerry “The King” Lawler to an empty arena match at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, back in June 1981. Nearly 20 years before The Rock and Mankind duked it out during the Super Bowl halftime show, these two bitter rivals went to war in front of a cameraman and commentator Lance Russell (who kept trying to get Funk to quit cussing). It’s epic, it’s iconic, and it’s so much fun to watch.
Watch Terry Funk and Jerry “The King” Lawler’s Empty Arena Match on YouTube.
The WWE Vault Will Randomly Release Behind-The-Scenes Videos From Past Royal Rumbles And Other Iconic Moments
Much like the compilations of dark matches, the Vault also releases random behind-the-scenes videos that show everything from “found footage” from ECW and WWE shows to the recording of the 1995 Monday Night Raw intro atop Titan Towers in Stamford, Connecticut. Speaking of which:
The Raw Rooftop Open BTS Video
If you want a throwback to the New Generation and see how one of the most iconic (and certainly the most ambitous) wrestling intros came to be, then check out this behind-the-scenes video. Though I had seen the hilarious clip of The Undertaker giving Hunter Hearst Helmsely and Goldust some serious side-eye as they played the WrestleMania arcade game, a lot of this was new to me.
Watch the Raw Rooftop Open BTS video on YouTube.
But, this is barely scratching the surface of the WWE Vault, as the channel continues to add more and more matches, shows, and random videos each and every day.
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