Simple: Which PPV made you go "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!" to the highest degree?
The actual quality of the PPV is negligible, just which one had you chomping at the bit the most? For me, it was Wrestlemania 21. While it didn't live up to all my expectations (the title matches and the disappointing Eddie/Rey match), I remember being psyched beyond belief for it. First, it was going to be my first WrestleMania that I would be attending.
And then it turned out that event on paper was STACKED: You had the company's two biggest rising stars FINALLY getting a chance to end two endless and maligned heel title runs (Cena/JBL, Batista/Guess wHHHo), a legit dream match in Angle vs. Michaels, a SIX-MAN ladder match with a year-long title shot opportunity on the line (I think it was called the Win a Year Long Title Shot Ladder Match), a legit contender to end Taker's streak with another rising star in Randy Orton, Eddie vs. Rey, and Stone Cold dropping by Piper's Pit. I think once the card became set, I pretty much had the HOURS counting down towards WrestleMania in my head weeks in advance.
Even now, when I watch the clip of JR and King running down the card on the RAW before WM21 (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHVVS3aZCQU&t=0m27s), I still get chills just from remembering how pumped I was for it. Even the pomp and circumstance around it was great, from the hilarious movie spoofs to the epic-looking match card graphics and theme music.
So while I change my shorts, what say Scott Keith and the Commentators of Doom?
I guess we'd probably have to delineate between the modern era and the old days, because when I was a teenager they were all like Christmas, especially Wrestlemania. Once I got old enough to be buying them myself and being forced to make a decision, the one that stands out most is Starrcade 97 and then Summerslam 98. We were just insanely pumped for those shows, although the payoff was much different in each case. Can I also add UFC 100, where we were literally driving all over the city looking for a sports bar that wasn't so packed that we could actually get in? Because I'd add that one too.
Wrestlemania X7
ReplyDelete"Can I also add UFC 100, where we were literally driving all over the city looking for a sports bar that wasn't so packed that we could actually get in? Because I'd add that one too."
ReplyDeleteYou can add anything you want; it's your blog. But in the interests of keeping to my nature I will rule based on the facts: the man asked for the ppv's we anticipated the most - milieu wasn't specified.
Easily Starrcade 97. There will never be a build like that again. Too bad the payoff was one of the worst finishes in wrestling history.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it was King of the Ring 1999 (don't laugh!). It was my first pay per view live; you had Rock vs. Undertaker and Austin vs. Shane/Vince. I have never seen Rock and Austin in person before so I was pumped and their pops were even larger than my expectations. We could barely even hear Vince because of all the boos. The crowd was pissed off after Rock lost, Austin lost, and after the first round of the KOTR tourney (everyone thought Shamrock or Big Show would win).
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania X-7. I remember Dave Meltzer saying right before the PPV: "For this show not to be great, every single person on the roster is going to need to have an off-day at the same time". Hilariously enough, one of the matches I was most pumped for was the Gimmick Battle Royal since the company rarely brought back legends and old-timers back then.
ReplyDeleteIn recent years, no PPV has come close to matching the anticipation for Money in the Bank 2011.
Most definitely Starrcade 97. Not only was there a bullshit payoff (or lack thereof), but the entire card sucked from top to bottom, with a total lack of effort from nearly everyone on it. Raven and Nash not wrestling didn't help either, and I still don't understand why they didn't just put Hall in
ReplyDeleteNash's place. When the most memorable thing on that show (for me, anyway) was that chunk of metal flying from Bischoff's shoe into the cheap seats, you know it was a really shitty show.
I would actually add WM 21 as well. I hadn't watched or bought a PPV in years but this was first one where I got a bunch of friends together and have been doing it ever since (for mania at least). I still remember screaming at the TV for HBK to tap out for what seemed like forever.
ReplyDelete2011 MITB is the most recent example. Wild donkeys couldn't have kept me away from that show and instead of doing the whole sports bar thing I actually bought it at home and invited people over. It was nice to have my faith in the company rewarded, everything was good top to bottom even the stuff that didn't have to be like Henry/Show.
ReplyDeleteThe other picks are probably going to be the most common ones, UFC 100, UFC 148, Wrestlemania X7 and the Invasion PPV.
December to Dismember.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the top 5 PPVs I anticipated the most are Wrestlemanias 14 and 17, King of the Ring and Summerslam 98, and No Way Out 2001.
ReplyDeleteI anticipated WM21 quite a bit at the time too, considering the card.
ReplyDeleteI recall looking forward to this show a lot too at the time.
ReplyDeleteRoyal Rumble 2000, no doubt - not only because the Rumble is always suspenseful and awesome but also we had Taz(z) debuting vs the undefeated Kurt Angle (i think it was supposed to be a secret but everybody knew), a Hardyz/Dudleys tables match which you just knew would be awesome, a Miss Rumble Bikini Contest which as a teenager I was more than happy to sit through (despite how it turned out!) and Mick Foley who had a few weeks earlier reverted to his Cactus Jack persona taking on HHH in a Street Fight, which you knew would be great and turned out to be even better. Other than that there was Outlaws/Acolytes which I didn't care for but I think ended up being inoffensive and Y2J vs Chyna vs Hardcore Holly which I was 1/3 excited for.
ReplyDeleteI recently sold my Royal Rumble 2000 DVD (original WWF version) on eBay without a second thought and am now slightly sad about it
Lately, I've been looking forward to all of them, mostly because it gives me an excuse to go to a sports bar and have a couple of drinks with some old coworkers.
ReplyDeleteIt is almost the same for me. Starrcade 97 was the culmination of the angle that brought me back into wrestling. I was so pumped for it that when a cable snafu prevented me from watching it live, I just waited until the 11:00 replay to watch it all.
ReplyDeleteAnd as I said the other day, Summerslam 98 was the first WWF ppv I had purchased in over 6 years, and I remember the buildup for that being real good, especially with the "Highway to Hell" video packages. That said, I think I had more anticipation for WM X7.
On the crushing disappointment scale it's being a 9-year old kid, all jazzed up for Wrestlemania 2. I was just waiting for my brother to take me to the closed circuit showing. And waiting and waiting. And he went. Without me. I brought this up recently to him. "I thought I took you," he said to me. "No. No you didn't."
Royal Rumble 2000. At the time I was DYING to see Foley destroy HHH in the street fight.
ReplyDeleteShit UFC 100 brings up some bad memories, I brought a bunch of people to my sister's house because she wanted me to house-sit while she was out of town on the caveat that I could order that one while I was there, and then the cable company wouldn't let me order it on screen and I was supposed to call, but the cable office was closed for the night. We ended up just re-creating it on the Xbox, and my buddy's 50 year old dad who probably hadn't played a video game since Pong somehow wrecked us in every fight.
ReplyDeleteFor most anticipated, X7 was a big one of course, and MITB 2011 was the first one that I've actually plunked down money to watch on my own (non-Mania, but I'm usually not watching those at home and paying my way in beer & pizza) since I was a teenager. I was ecstatic for that show, and the payoff was so picture perfect my jaw was on the floor.
MITB 2011 is the most recent example for me. I would've been hyped about it anyway because CM Punk was the first person to get me to emotionally invest that heavily in a long time. The show being in Chicago put it over the top for me. If I could go back in time I would have absolutely gone to this show instead of the Sox/Cubs game earlier in the month. (Couldn't afford both, was moving later in the month).
ReplyDeleteSummerslam '98, WM15, Royal Rumble '00, WMX7, Invasion, Summerslam '01 and WM19 would be the rest of my list.
Wrestlemania 10, for reasons mentioned here on the blog recently. The build was phenomenal and there was actual intrigue over who would leave the show as champion. The most recent show I was pumped for was WM 20.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned already, Starrcade '97. That, for me, marked the highest of high points in my WCW watching life (leading up to it) and the lowest of low (the way the ME was handled among other things). Very weird feeling waiting all day for that show and by the end of it, I became a much more casual WCW viewer and started watching much more WWF.
ReplyDeleteLately, MITB'11 of course!
Old school it's WM3. Modern times here's my top list:
ReplyDeleteWM2000: this was my peak fandom as an adult with the HHH/Foley storyline, Rock going after belt, great workers having joined the company, etc.
Summerslam 2002: HBk's return, Lesnar/Rock
Royal Rumble 2000: I was such a foley mark at this point (still am)
No Way Out 2000: Had to see the bittersweet retirement of my favorite
WM17: Austin vs. Rock, stacked card, gimmick battle royale, what more could you want?
Starcade 98: I was in a very anti-Goldberg place and wanted to see him lose...big time
Starcade 97: same reason as everyone else
Invasion: I had not completely given up on WCW vs. WWF at that point
You asshole.
ReplyDeleteWrestleMania XX for me. Ignoring history as it unfolded, and the 5-hour run time, the main event was one of the most satisfying finishes ever since becoming a "smart" fan." I would say the Invasion PPV is a close second.
ReplyDeleteI actually went into WrestleMania X-Seven with very little anticipation. Maybe it was having the flu for the two weeks leading to the show, but my god, best PPV, ever. I had to make several bathroom visits to vomit, being sick and marking out so much.
There were probably 7-8 of us watching MITB, several of whom hadn't watched wrestling in years and had no frame of reference on Punk and little on Cena, much less the weight of the storyline. Even the non-fans were absolutely hooked by the end. People who want to nit-pick that match should probably stop watching wrestling.
ReplyDeleteNo one had given up on WWF v. WCW at that point, had they? I was still assuming they were going to find a way to get more big WCW names into the mix way earlier than they did.
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania 3 -- Hogan v. Andre is the be all end all
ReplyDeleteStarrcade 97, until Sting decided not to workout and showed up looking terible in a singlet
Summerslam 1998 -- you think they played My Way incessantly, what about Highway to Hell?
WrestleMania X-7 -- Just a huge build
MITB 2011 -- In three weeks, Punk put together a historic build for a B show.
I want to throw in some additional PPVs that I anticipated a lot:
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania III
Royal Rumble 92
Survivor Series 98
Judgment Day 2000
One Night Stand
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania XIV, but that is probably cheating since I was lucky enough to attend that one.
ReplyDeleteI was pretty pumped for Starrcade '98.
ReplyDelete(Rimshot)
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania 6 Warrior/Hogan as a kid, one of the highlights of my childhood! Wrestlemania 17 when I was older. In recent years MITB 2011 tops for me.
ReplyDeleteWM14, if I had to choose one. All my school friends and I were mega Austin marks (we were all about 16 or so, pretty much their dead-target demo then) and there would be no way in hell we were missing that one. We talked about it for months, even before the show fully took shape. Also helping with the UT/Kane showdown, Mike Tyson's involvement, and NAO/Cactus and Funk.
ReplyDeleteSummerslam 98 is pretty close.
InVasion, because stupid 12 year old mark me thought that we would actually get WCW vs WWF
ReplyDeleteI'd much rather listen to Highway to Hell, so there's that.
ReplyDeleteHow was it there live?
ReplyDeleteMitB 2011. Fist time I really marked out for wrestling in a LONG time.
ReplyDeleteWM XIX. Stacked card and I couldn't wait for it.
As a Jerichoholic, it was hard not to be pumped for Vengeance in 2001 because you KNEW with almost 100% certainty what was going to transpire, and it did. (And then it was all downhill from there... well, after Royal Rumble anyway.)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'd echo this pretty much exactly.
ReplyDeleteanything on iPPV these days..
ReplyDeleteDead on.
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania 17, Wrestlemania 20, and Wrestlemania 28.
ReplyDeleteAlso Invasion 2001, actually. I was into Stone Cold turning on the WWF and Angle being the savior and all that... And it was pretty good for about a week.
Also Bash and the Beach 94, cause I wasnt smartened up yet and I thought Flair would win.
I wasn't the least bit excited for Starrcade 97. I knew it would suck.
I was beyond excited for the 1992 Royal Rumble.
YES to money in the bank.
ReplyDeleteReally? I swore Austin was going to get the nod mainly because I thought they were going with Austin vs. Triple H at Mania. Hell, even at No Way Out I had a feeling they were going to have Austin beat Jericho for the belts.
ReplyDeleteJericho was such a dark horse pick at the time it was crazy.
Royal Rumble 2004, mostly because I was going to be there live, and because I predicted the moment Benoit was named the first entrant on Smackdown that he was winning it. Best part of that is out of my group of friends that went to the show, I was the only one who pegged Benoit as the winner.
ReplyDeleteHalloween Havoc 98. 'twas the first PPV I ever watched live, and I was beyond excited to see Goldberg vs. DDP, Hogan vs. Warrior, Bret vs. Sting, Hall vs. Nash, and even Steiner vs. Steiner was supposed to go down (that Buff Daddy sure was clever). I can still watch that show, anytime.
ReplyDeleteI was also pumped for Bragging Rights 2010, but only because it was the first PPV I ever ATTENDED live.
I may or may not be alone in this, but I didn't really anticipate any WCW PPVs. I mean, some of them I saw when they aired (mostly with some of my cousins, as I was always pro-WWF during those days), but I wasn't excited for any of them, and that includes Starrcade 97.
ReplyDeletePersonally it has to be Bash at the Beach 1996 for me, just to see the Outsiders and the 3rd man, they built that match for months, Starrcade 1997 is another from WCW..
ReplyDeleteWWE, Survivor Series 1997 cuz I was there live, WM 17 & 18 were well built too.
Other than that the only modern PPVs I can think of are Wrestlemania with Rock vs Cena, and Extreme Rules Cena vs Lesnar..
Crowd was pretty hot. Memory might be a little hazy since it was 14 years ago, but I remember it was a good crowd that was invested in every match (except for the Light Heavyweight bout) The roof went off the damn place when Kane delivered the Tombstone to Pete Rose after Rose went through his cheap heel heat schtick of ripping into the Red Sox...and somehow found a louder volume after Austin won the title.
ReplyDeleteThis was only the second PPV ever in Boston, and '93 Survivor Series felt like such a Meh show.
WrestleMania 7, because I was a kid, a Savage mark, and had no context for retirement matches. I was absolutely terrified Savage would lose and be gone forever, so the whole thing was that kind of powerful emotional experience to something on TV that you can only have when you are a little kid and everything seems gravely important.
ReplyDeleteI of course flipped my shit when Savage lost and then did a 180 when Elizabeth came out. What a day!
Every WWF pay per view from 1992 until 1995. It was different when there were only four or five of them a year. They all felt like a mix between Christmas and the Super Bowl. I was really excited for TLC 2011. I think I was just so into Ryder at that point the possibility of him winning a title in a meaningful match was enough for me.
ReplyDeleteAs far as WCW goes, Bash at the Beach 1994 and Halloween Havoc 1994 for the two Ric Flair Vs. Hulk Hogan matches would probably be on my list. I remember being excited for SuperBrawl II even though I didn't order it, and the same goes for Starrcade 1997 and Halloween Havoc 1998.
Sorry to betray my ignorance but Ryder?
ReplyDeleteOh gee I see what happened I was looking at 1992-1995 and suddenly you were on the 2011 tlc.
ReplyDeleteFor me it has to be WM III, the first one I got to see live on PPV. The build up was perfect for almost every match, the card was stacked and just an amazing show. That first look at the crowd was awe inspiring, just an amazing crowd. The build for Hulk/Andre was spectacular, as was Savage/Steamboat, Harts/Bulldogs, Dog/Race. Even the other matches looked like they were going to be great, Reed/Koko, Muraco & Orton/Can Am, Haynes/Hercules, Bundy/Hillbilly. Just the way they led to the show was great, with the Wrestlemania Reports with Mene Gene announcing new matches each week, and the celebs. Alice Cooper with Jake Roberts to face Honky Tonk Man, Mary Hart, Bob Uecker (who I only knew of from Mr. Belvedere).
ReplyDeleteI miss when PPV felt special and exciting. Just finished Summerslam and it just felt like another episode of RAW.
I'd throw in an odd one out there of No Way Out 2002, just to see the nWo show up on WWE TV. And if we're talking UFC, then Lesnar-Carwin had me jacked more than any wrestling PPV in a long time.
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania XIX is my top. I was a senior in high school and five of us bought tickets and made the 13 hour drive to Seattle for the event. It was my first trip without any family, my first Wrestlemania and the event was fantastic. I still remember the day at school before we left, we were all so amped. One of the best times of my life.
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania XX is next up for me. I was a huge Benoit mark and was beyond excited that he was finally getting his shot. My buddies and I spent the entire weekend watching classic mania matches and the payoff of HHH tapping was probably my favorite moment ever as a fan.
Survivor Series 98 is another one for me. I have always been a fan of tournaments and was totally wrapped up in this one.
Barely Legal 1997. On the West coast, we never got ECW. I'd read about them in PWI and the ECW invasion on Raw had all of my friends talking. We were all very excited about this one.
Some oddball choices:
World War 3 1995. I was 10 at the time and my friends and I couldn't stop talking about the battle royal. We were doing the typical mark thing of saying, "What if Johnny B Badd won? What if Alex Wright won?" I still remember the opening video where they ask everyone what they would do if they won and got the title. Alex Wright responds in his thick German accent, "I would just party and freak out!" So awesome.
Royal Rumble 1993. This one wasn't much, but it was the first ppv I was going to live and I couldn't have been more pumped. I still remember marking out huge for Bob Backlund towards the end of the match.