Hi Scott,
Hope all is well! I wanted to share this video with the blog o' doom.
I hadn't seen this since it aired live in the fall of 1996 but it's so fascinating watching all these personalities on one live show (WWF Livewire on USA).
You have Cornette and Russo shooting on each other, Sunny ripping Sable legit, McMahon talking dirt on Bischoff, Ross, Turner, and his thoughts on a WWF Network Channel (in 96), and even a call from Paul Heyman claiming his concepts are being stolen. Such a nice blend of shoot and fabrication in a very stale 96. It is awkward but compelling tv before they decided to finally strip things down and get edgy with Raw is War in 97.
Oh man, the Paul Heyman audio run-in was EPIC. Didn't he do a fake name once too, calling in as "Bruce P. from Hartford" or something like that? Good times.
Listening to the Rougeaus' theme, I just realized what today's themes are missing: synthesizers!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFANxf0AONU
ReplyDeleteOh. My. God.
GIVE THESE GUYS ALL THE BELTS!
My favorite Livewire moment ever is the episode where Austin completely terrorized it.
ReplyDeleteHard to pick an all-time favorite South Park...the World of Warcraft episode comes to mind, as well as Fun Time with Weapons.
ReplyDeleteLivewire was a great show in its first year and then they took all the fun out of it. Todd Pettengill and Sunny were great hosting that show.
ReplyDeleteHaha yupp...Paul E. Was Bruce from Stamford. Good times indeed.
ReplyDeleteFavorite by far and away is the one with the Harley riders. Remember, "fag" is no longer an anti-gay slur, the dictionary says so!
ReplyDeleteThis was awesome! So many little insider comments (I know how to the use the sharpshooter! wink wink) Russo and Cornette shooting on each other was funny, could tell that how the meetings would end up like back then.
ReplyDelete2 quick points:
1.They really hyped up Mr.Perfect's return,giving it a 2 week build and putting it on the Raw after the PPV, but then do that Angle and he turns heel. What was with that?
2.Is this Russo or "Venom" only TV appearance? Cause I am a little surprised he wasn't on more often, for a non wrestling guy, he was doing well there. Testing the waters maybe and then Vince (McMahon) decided not to go ahead with the angle? He could possibly been a heel manager,hiring someone to "save" the WWF or something like along those lines. (crazy to think I just suggested putting Russo on TV considering what happen in WCW but anyway)
I guess based on the flimsy whims of the blog, THAT would be a unification too. OH YEAH I WENT THERE.
ReplyDeleteHEEL TURN! HEEL TURN!
When in the video does the Paul E. call in? Because I remember watching that when it aired and immediately knew it was him. I thought it was a work.
ReplyDeleteIts a total work but still entertaining. Its about half way through after McMahon joins.
ReplyDeleteJust saw it. God, that was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Rougeaus. What a gimmick. Jimmy Hart themes are the best.
ReplyDeleteDid Vader ever hit a top rope Vader Bomb? I remember him teasing it a few times, as he did in the highlight clip, but I've never seen him hit it.
ReplyDeletehas to be said in the inevitable event of naysayers: anyone who denies south park's brilliance hasn't been paying attention
ReplyDeletein terms of social commentary, trey and matt as the frank zappa's of tv
South Park is for teenagers and the teenage at heart.
ReplyDeleteAnybody who thinks their social commentary is biting or clever needs to get out and read a fucking book.
Man, I totally forgot about Livewire. Looking back it seems just like a visual extension of the even older Radio WWF, which I actually used to catch in syndication.
ReplyDeleteThis was awesome! So many little insider comments (I know how to the use the sharpshooter! wink wink) Russo and Cornette shooting on each other was funny, could tell that how the meetings would end up like back then.
ReplyDelete2 quick points:
1.They really hyped up Mr.Perfect's return,giving it a 2 week build and putting it on the Raw after the PPV, but then do that Angle and he turns heel. What was with that?
2.Is this Russo or "Venom" only TV appearance? Cause I am a little surprised he wasn't on more often, for a non wrestling guy, he was doing well there. Testing the waters maybe and then Vince (McMahon) decided not to go ahead with the angle? He could possibly been a heel manager,hiring someone to "save" the WWF or something like along those lines. (crazy to think I just suggested putting Russo on TV considering what happen in WCW but anyway)
The Demos should STILL be tag champs
ReplyDeleteSupposedly the main reason Raymond quit wrestling is he was upset that Tully and Arn were given the belts instead of them. They put in the time in his opinion. They were a pretty good, just not nearly as good as Tully and Arn IMO.
ReplyDeleteSouthpark is still on? I'm not trying to be a smartass, I honestly thought that show got canned 6 or 7 years ago. I haven't watched it since the late 99 or 2000. Even then it was just casually. Never really cared for it.
ReplyDelete"Besides Sunny, the only two reasons people watch this program, this show completely sucks." That's...actually pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteWait...they actually outed Vince as the chairman? Didn't think they outed him until 97
ReplyDeleteThey can be entertaining but in a really obvious, really dumb way.
ReplyDeleteThirty minutes of the same unsubtle ''are you getting it yet?'' jokes make me feel slow (like the sarcasm/NFL ep)
But when they're trying and making episodes like 'Raising the Bar' or anything with original songs it can be good.
Were the callers shoots or was the whole show a work?
ReplyDeleteNorton was a bad ass here.
ReplyDeleteThe belts got returned and rougeaus not credited because Bret used his most potent offense: whining to Vince like a little girl.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree.
ReplyDeleteGranted, not EVERY social-commentary episode is great, but they have a lot more hits than misses. Even the last few "Black Friday" ones, while hardly a "brilliant" commentary on the greed of retailers being open earlier and earlier every year (that's a softball), nicely demonstrated that the retailers wouldn't be ABLE to do that if there weren't plenty of people willing to "eat their son for a Blu-Ray player". Again, not exactly genius-level insight, but well executed.
I'd definitely say that some of their bigger commentaries, like "Margaritaville" (about whether societies should spend or save during recessions), were absolutely brilliant. Just fantastic stuff.
Even as, like, the world's biggest SP/Trey fan, I can admit that they've fallen into a trap the last few years where they have an episode or two per season that just absolutely beats a joke into the ground. They also usually have one terrible episode per season (this year's was definitely the "Goth/Emo" episode).
ReplyDeleteStill, ten out of fourteen great episodes per year is still a fantastic average. Especially since even "The Simpsons" had drastically dropped in quality years sooner.
This was awesome! So many little insider comments (I know how to the use the sharpshooter! wink wink) Russo and Cornette shooting on each other was funny, could tell that how the meetings would end up like back then.
ReplyDelete2 quick points:
1.They really hyped up Mr.Perfect's return,giving it a 2 week build and putting it on the Raw after the PPV, but then do that Angle and he turns heel. What was with that?
2.Is this Russo or "Venom" only TV appearance? Cause I am a little surprised he wasn't on more often, for a non wrestling guy, he was doing well there. Testing the waters maybe and then Vince (McMahon) decided not to go ahead with the angle? He could possibly been a heel manager,hiring someone to "save" the WWF or something like along those lines. (crazy to think I just suggested putting Russo on TV considering what happen in WCW but anyway)
Favorite episode is either "Medicinal Fried Chicken" or "Fishsticks". Just so over-the-top ridiculous in every way.
ReplyDeleteThough I'd say that their all-around BEST episode has to be "The Death Camp of Tolerance" (aka "Lemmiwinks"). It's pretty much EVERYTHING that's great about the show - absurdism, shock humor, social commentary, music - combined into a single absolutely amazingly well-done episode.
Me too man. I thought for sure Bret or Shawn during the summer of 97 was the first. Continue to learn something new every day on this blog.
ReplyDeleteThen again, if you're seen by about 100,000 viewers, does it really count as the "first" outing. Kind of a tree falls in the forest type thing.
To get super nerdy, over on the old Youtubes, someone took their "All-American Boys" theme and spiced it up with some drums and other such musical effects that I am in no way qualified to even try to describe.
ReplyDeleteThe result? Awesomeness.
Someone with a beer gut was chosen for a run with the strap(s) over two muscular men... I really think this deserves to be etched in the historic anneals of www lore.
ReplyDeleteThis coming from a 19 year old community college kid. You must have such worldly and sophisticated social commentary yourself.
ReplyDeleteVince: "We're hoping Bret returns at Survivor Series."
ReplyDeleteSunny: *bedroom voice* "I hope Bret returns too."
Half-Life 3 confirmed.
Nice job. That was a side of you we done often get.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great episode.
ReplyDeleteYou're such a horse's ass Phred.
ReplyDeleteI loved Sunny's reaction to Heyman saying, "Shut the F up!"
ReplyDeleteI always did like The Rougeaus but yeah, there was nothing in the world stopping Demolition at that point. I think that I'd still mark out like an 8 year old if 84 year old Ax and Smash did a run in and squashed whoever the champs are today.
ReplyDeleteLove Cornette getting excited to see Russo at the beginning of the show.
ReplyDeleteSunny was so mesmerizing. Gorgeous and also had great charisma. Something none of them outside of AJ has today. Can you imagine Eva Marie hosting this show?
ReplyDeleteHe was first outed on one of their shows in Nov. of '95, when Diesel went on a tirade during an episode of Raw, saying that McMahon had turned him into a corporate puppet during his reign as champion. They would continue to subtly refer to him as the boss, or occasionally directly, over the next year. JR's heel turn promo in Sep. of '96 was the most direct statement ("And then he fired my ass!").
ReplyDeleteThere was a little more stuff going on in '95 & '96 than a lot of people realise.
"All American Boys"...so high in the running for greatest theme ever.
ReplyDeleteBest teacher I ever had praised South Park. I'm pretty sure he's read a book, what with the university education and all.
ReplyDeleteHe was also a wrestling fan, so go figure.
do you like fishsticks?
ReplyDeleteI know she gets a lot of love for her looks, but I always felt Sunny came off as fake and obnoxious (not very natural in her delivery or anything--just trying too hard). Even in this clip she's appears very insecure with her ramblings and seeking out the camera. Just my opinion though :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the stuff in 95/96, but he was officially outed in February 93 on Raw during a "Headlock on Hunger" ad--it was literally the first time it was ever acknowledged on WWF tv (even with a photo) that he was the owner.
ReplyDeleteAgree to disagree. I guess what some find to be art, others find to be shit.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was thinking more in terms of their storylines. Heck, I remember hearing about him testifying at a hearing in '89 and being outed as chairman. But that was in newspapers (remember those?;), not being put on their own TV shows.
ReplyDeleteThere's no way it could have been a unification match! HHH was not involved (that I'm aware of)
ReplyDeleteRemember when someone mentioned the NWO like he was a kid getting away with saying his first curse word?
ReplyDeleteThe Richers
ReplyDeleteDid demolition win that tag tournament we did a few years ago? What an amazing tag team, probably my favorite ever or at least top 3.
ReplyDeleteThe black Friday trilogy was fantastic. South park is definitely still throwing its 99mph fastball even after all these years.
ReplyDeleteThe Rougeaus video also unearthed this gem. So there you go- Hulk Hogan vs. Bret Hart in the WWF.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an episode of botchamania.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's nice for him to make sense.
ReplyDeleteThe whole new season has been amazing in my opinion. The NSA episode, World War Zimmerman, Informative Murder Porn, and Ginger Cow along with the Black Friday/Game of Thrones trilogy makes season 17 the best one in a while.
ReplyDeleteOh and I'd vote AWESOM-O as my favorite.
ReplyDeleteHey she knows how to do the Sharpshooter y'know.
ReplyDelete