What can I say............watching the wwe network gets my mind racing. Here's some more unrelated questions.
1. Is it just me, or was 1997 an awesome year for the wwe? I know ratings sucked, but after re-watching the ppv's, there was some awesome stuff going on. You have Steve Austin just hitting it out of the park everytime he's on tv, his feud with Bret Hart, the I quit match at Wrestlemania, the hart foundation angle, the undertaker having consistantly good matches, they lay the foundation for Kane early in the year, Shawn Michaels being an awesome jerk, the formation of DX, Mick Foley coming into his own, the Rock starting to become The Rock, and on and on. Lots of great stuff if you ask me. Does 1997 get the proper respect???
2. Why didn't the WWE try to capitalize on WrestleMania 19 being Steve Austins last match??? Wasn't there big money & buyrates to be made off of the biggest star of all time calling it quits? What am I missing here?
3. What is Kurt Angle's legacy going to be? His WWE career was relatively short (7 years) but man did he have some great matches. Does being in TNA for so long + his sometimes crazy behavior hurt his legacy, or will he be remembered as great???
Thanks as always.................love reading your stuff.
1. Totes magotes. 97 was an awesome time to be a fan, especially after the extended slog that 96 turned into in a lot of ways. 96 had some great matches and the birth of Stone Cold, but 97 was exciting and anarchic and just so DIFFERENT from anything else I had been watching before that. And considering all the people here pining for the Attitude Era again, I'd say it gets lots of respect. I really wish they'd start getting to the RAW is WAR era on the Network already, though.
2. Austin didn't particularly think it would be his last last last, but I think he's also said he wanted to make sure it was about Rock when he went out.
3. I think he'll be remembered as a great wrestler who pissed away his chance at immortality because of all the crazy. If he had stuck around WWE and stayed clean, he'd be in the Hall of Fame by now and probably would have made millions off a Streak match.
Luger was underrated in every regard.
ReplyDeleteI went as Repo Man for Halloween 1992. I was 7. Huuuuge mark for that gimmick.
ReplyDeleteFlair was a face then, right?
ReplyDeleteIt's just that it's not like WM 20 with Goldberg/Brock where they knew both guys were leaving. Did they even know Flair and the boss had a falling out? Weren't they more about "I want the bad guy to fail" than "I wanna see a good match"? All I'm saying is, it was a very different time, so I'm surprised about the reaction.
Uncensored 96 except Finlay/Regal is way worse. Worst ever ppv main event.
ReplyDeleteYea, I always thought she was over rated
ReplyDeleteI am surprised they havent had a heel go homophobic on Darren Young since that is the only upside to keeping him around.
ReplyDeleteYeah, a little bit. I'm not saying Herd was a genius by any means but the idea that promoters just liked to unfairly fuck Ric Flair for no particular reason likely isn't as true as Ric would have people believe.
ReplyDeleteHe is Ric Fucking Flair. You will pay his bar tab and be grateful he grabbed your girlfriend's ass and called the waitress "sweetheart" all night. You will fetch his sambuca shots and like it. Fans today. Fucking casuals man. I am glad he broke TNA's bank. I bet a night at the bar with Space Mountain is more entertaining than anything they ever produced
ReplyDeleteOn commentary JR was saying Oz was "going back down the Yellow Brick Road" and Meltzer said in the WON at the time that this was supposed to kill off the character. I could have sworn he was Vinnie Vegas by the time of that Clash, but I'll look it up.
ReplyDeleteThis show sucks in an interesting way compared to so many WWE shows that suck in predictable ways.
ReplyDeleteThat main event had the potential to be a fun trainwreck. But it was just so... Awkward.... Very disappointed!
ReplyDeleteHoly crap. Just watched the video. New Jack is a friggin' moron!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNm5kNUUpFA#t=320
Here's another one: Why DIDN'T they go Austin/HHH at WM 18?
ReplyDeleteWe talked about the reasoning behind the unification a few weeks ago, but it seems like EVERYTHING was leading to HHH/Austin? Why didn't they pull the trigger?
I am imagining one of those WWE blooper reels for his whole appearance set to "Baby Elephant Walk"
ReplyDeleteI have a neighbor who is a 60 year old tragic alcoholic Vietnam vet who reminds me so much of drunk Jake.
Thank you. And I still say Shawn and Taker did NOT need to win the KotR. Not saying Mabel did but a new guy who wasn't terrible could have won it instead.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost 20 years since King of the Ring 1996 , TWENTY YEARS.
ReplyDeleteWas face vs face. And they wanted Austin to originally fight.Hogan, before Austin said no
ReplyDeleteDefinitely better than pretty much any scaffold match, but that isn't saying a lot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MS8Taksw9M
ReplyDeleteSo I have a random question, inspired by none of these. I read a couple interviews with Sting where he said he actually used to put some thought into his facepaint every night. Not just like wearing red white & blue at GAB, but like if he was feeling kinda down or out of it, he would wear soft colors like blue & white & lots of curves, and if he was hyped about a match or angle he would use hot or contrasting colors like red yellow and black and more angular looking designs.
ReplyDeleteDid Warrior ever talk about his aesthetic choices at all? Might sound ridiculous, but if I ever had the chance to ask WOYAH a question, it would probably be "Why all the orange when you beat Hogan for the title?" I WENT TO ART SCHOOL OK? WE THINK ABOUT THIS KINDA STUFF SHUT UP.
'97 was great. Losing on the ratings, but winning on the product.
ReplyDeleteI honestly wanted to see Austin/HHH at Mania 17, up until No Way Out. Survivor Series 2000 was horrid yeah, but they corrected shit afterwards and their feud was tits.
ReplyDeleteYeah, then both of 'em got into a "I won't lose" pissing contest. Which has always made me wonder - why was Hogan willing to lose to The Rock and not to Austin?
ReplyDeleteit was pretty terrible... yet I still watched it at least a dozen times.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part was them setting up the next PPV main event... By having the #1 contender walk away from the fight instead of confronting the champ. Strong buildup there!
1997 gets tons of respect. People on this blog will consistently mention how awesome it was. I'm more fond of 1998, but re-watching '97 on On Demand, it was crazy good.
ReplyDeleteI watched that match recently expecting it to at least be hilariously awful. Instead it was just 30 minutes of agonizing boredom. It's barely even a match.
ReplyDeleteThat main event was like a carbon copy of this year's Rumble.
ReplyDelete-The fans badly wanted a new guy on top (In this case, Punk or RVD, both were eliminated very early)
-Vince wanted to shove Lashley down our throats, and the fans 100% turned on him
-During the final 2, the fans openly chanted for the heel (Big Show in this case) just to spite Vince's chosen one (Lashley).
A moron who has done unspeakably dirty things to my #1 favorite diva of all time, Terri Runnels... Which makes me hate him.
ReplyDeleteKOTR 93: holy Crap whose idea was it for Tatanka and Lex to go to a draw?
ReplyDeleteI thought Angle was great from about 00-03. I loved his Carlton Banks-esque gimmick. He was an obnoxious goof but could bring it in the ring. He was great he listened to road-agents that guided him through his matches. He could do everything; he just didn't exactly know why. At some point, he created the "Angle Formula" match. I think it all started with his Chris Benoit match, where they threw the kitchen sink at each other, but they kicked out of everything. Angle saw how much the fans reacted because of that; so about every match after that, he did that same exact match. The reason, however, Benoit and Angle got massive praise at the time was because their finishing moves had credibility, and sort of match didn't happen a lot. Over time, due to doing those type of matches over and over, finishers lost credibility fast; he allowed everyone to kick out of the Angle Slam, making it nothing more than a signature move, and he allowed his ankle lock to become weak by sinking it in as long as possible to create fabricated drama. Everyone he wrestled, he wrestled virtually the same. Formulaic, one big spot after the other matches, does not equal good psychology nor storytelling.
ReplyDeleteWe saw Pillman's best character work in 97 as well. Fucking car crashes.
ReplyDeleteThe answer for any "Warrior rationale" question is always cocaine.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is the endless debate over who was the biggest star. Plus Austin was a pain in the ass in 2002.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone really convinced we won't see Angle in the WWE before he retires, & as a HoF shoe-in? He's had plenty of problems, sure, but as a key member of the early 00s product there's no way he isn't coming back, even if it's only for a one-off into retirement
ReplyDeleteUh I'd say 1997 has been pretty well received by the iwc over the years.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Petrie was raving about Raw in his reviews. It seemed like the attitude was that WCW was more popular but WWF was a better product that year.
ReplyDeleteIt was more or less, Hogan was willing to do the job if he got his win back. Austin thought it should be a one time only match, with JR agreed with. Plus, I think the match would suck.
ReplyDeleteProbably my favorite review of Scott's I've ever read. GET. ALL. THIS.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing downloads on torrents labeled as Owen Hart that ended up being this. Insane that New Jack tried to kill him, or that Grimes was even willing to take that bump ever... let alone in front of 900 people.
ReplyDeleteMy vote is for either the Bizarro Rant from the first WWE Draft or the Halloween Havoc one in which he says one positive thing about every match, This rant is definitely in the pantheon, though.
ReplyDeleteNot DESTRUCITY?
ReplyDeleteGosh, thanks. This one was a lot of fun because it was bad, but it was the BEST kind of bad, where there was tons of interesting stuff to talk about and rag on.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many people that come here were on the iwc from 96 on but it was insanely pro WWF right up until wcw went out of business. Yeah you had guys like Dave that didn't give a shit either way but 99% of the sentime was that the WWF was more creative and organic, and that the wcw was dicking around guys like Benoit, Guerrero, and Jericho while the WWF was making guys like Foley, Austin, and Rhodes into big stars. Vince was the beloved genius of the 90's iwc and I'm sure no matter how fucking senile he gets guys like me and Scott that were around then will always have a soft spot for vkm. The iwc didn't real turn on McMahon until he totally fucked up the invasion/HHHs big run
ReplyDeleteAlso April fools tjack: Am I the only one pti nailed with that fake Vogel is fired/Bird is replacing him as coach story? I actually was calling people on the phone about it before they said it was a joke! That's the best I've been gotten by a prank in a long time.
ReplyDeleteTHIS. WAS. GLORIOUS!
ReplyDeleteThe review, not the show. The show was fucking awful.
Oh my god pti got me so bad with that prank. I was calling and texting my sports fans friends for a whole two minutes before they dropped the April fools bomb!
ReplyDeleteThet got me also. I started texting people about it. They puller it off well...completely believable
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to add here that fans (ergo ratings) dictate that 96 was WCW's year, but I was having a blast watching HBK tear it up, Austin break through, Triple H trying like Hell to get over, And Bret triumphantly returning.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like I was watching KOTR 96 and going "Geez, I'm worried that this is a small ppv arena for the WWF."
The point is lots of great periods of wrestling have not always been met with triumphant ratings and buyrates.
Wasn't it just a file sharing ... uh. client? Like a place to grab the latest version of Netscape or Eudora?
ReplyDeleteOne of TWO actually.
ReplyDeleteWish them best of luck, although single income marriages are a bitch.
ReplyDeleteDude, they got me so badly also. It all made complete sense as they were explaining it. Sucked me right in
ReplyDeleteThis review goes up with the Shane McMahon story, and the King Lear/For the Want of a Nail, as Scott Keith favorites
ReplyDeleteHe flopped as a heel on top in 91 and a face on top in 93. Underrated guys dont' get multiple chances to headline.
ReplyDeleteThere's a Konnan/Eddy match on there, right? That can't be bad.
ReplyDelete97 was an all around great year for wrestling, you had the WWE and the Attitude Era kick off, you had the WCW undercard putting on awesome matches, the nWo fued was still good and we had the buildup of Sting, ECW was on PPV and to varying success putting on interesting matches.
ReplyDeleteCarlton could totally bring it in the ring.
ReplyDeleteZiggy.
ReplyDeleteOh god no. She's way up in the ol' wank bank.
ReplyDeleteHeartbroken Hogan look alike in the front row is priceless after the match.
ReplyDelete1997 is the best year of RAW ever for me. So many amazing shows
ReplyDeleteWhy all about Rock though? He's had five matches in the 11 years since.
ReplyDeleteI don't care how old, drugged-out, injured, or crazy he is (or becomes in the future), I'll be the first in line for Angle/Taker at "WM".
ReplyDeleteOh my god if you mentioned anything good about WCW or Dusty. The cruiserweights were awesome, the NWO was a really unique idea when it started and you could count on solid matches on Nitro's undercard. I say these things as a WWF fan at that time. Vince's gamble just beat Eric's.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought 97 was pretty highly regarded on the interwebz. It's probably my favourite year ever.
ReplyDeleteAngle was amazing from 2001-2005; even now, with the DUIs and the incredible shrinking arms, he's still pretty good in the ring, although he should've retired years ago.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he'll be back at some point; there's no way in hell he passes a WWE physical, though.
ReplyDeleteI've heard Austin say he wasn't sure that would be his last match. He knew he was in his last run but he didn't know *that* would be it.
ReplyDeleteIm not sure if I believe him but I'll take his word for it. It really does seem like there is a great bond between Rock and Austin. I know that Austun held a little resentment after the "took his ball and went home speech" (rightfully so imo) but they really did GREAT things together.
I obviously don't want to see him hurt, but if Angle could come back even at half speed I would mark the fuck out.
ReplyDeleteDoing Austin/HHH would have made sense and if they did that then the show probably would have been remembered more fondly, but I think the reason they didn't do it was because neither guy would agree to do the job.
ReplyDeleteAustin wouldn't want to do the job, as he previously jobbed to him at No Way Out so Austin would have wanted HHH to return the job and HHH wouldn't want to job because he could argue that this was his big comeback angle and it would deflate the fans if he didn't end up winning the world title in the end.
At the time, nobody knew that Rock would catch-on in Hollywood - I think most people assumed he'd be another Hulk Hogan, doing "Mr. Nanny" stuff and then going back to wrestling.
ReplyDeletePlus, Austin liked and appreciated Rock, the two really helped make each other.
I just subscribed to the Network tonight. I clicked through the banner ad on this site. Does that give Scott any credits or anything?
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to watch it on my SmartTV fullscreen without the frame/borders? Will WrestleMania be fullscreen?
Good point and Rock always choked vs Austin so it was fair to do one job. If only Flair actually jobbed to Luger one time....
ReplyDeleteI legit lol'ed at Dustin Rhodes as the Knight of Nepotism, the CM Punk time machine joke, and Black Blood at the airport, so hell yeah. Probably one of my favorite Scott reviews ever.
ReplyDelete1997 was an amazing time to be a teenage wrestling fan. Wrestling was on all the time! I'm a huge real sports fan now and sometimes wonder why I wasn't as hardcore about it back then as I am now, and I think I just really had no time for anything other than wrestling. Between WWF, WCW and ECW, magazines, the internet, pay per view, television...non stop wrestling.
ReplyDelete"Sexting Dustin Rhodes" about had me on the floor laughing; just imaging one if those huge gray cell phones buzzing, and then him going "What....nice."
ReplyDeleteVintage Scott Keith!
ReplyDeleteDid Main Event get taped last night? I know that Smackdown is a highlight show this week, so...
ReplyDeleteJack claims that he did because Grimes botched a spot where they were supposed to jump off the balcony and Jack had his skull fractured and now he has brain damage and is blind in one of his eyes.
ReplyDeleteIf you have never seen any of the Jack shoot interviews where he talks about her and their sex life, I highly recommend you stay away from them.
ReplyDeleteAngle may literally be put to rest in that one.
ReplyDeleteThat part ALWAYS cracks me up when I watch the show. I have no idea why Vince thought putting this guy on commentary was a good idea (well...it was a steroid trial...). Maybe it was a rib on Monsoon.
ReplyDeleteI tried to find some clips of interviews, but he just kept saying "She's nasty" about 82 times. I gave up.
ReplyDeleteLets not forget that Bischoff didn't invent the nWo angle, he stole it from Japan. That was always a big anti-wcw talking point at the time. Although the iwc did lose its collective shit at the end of Uncensored 97
ReplyDeleteThey did a great behind the scenes thing at WM 19 that was supposed to be WrestleMania the Movie but ended up as a one-hour special.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, they didnt know it was going to be Austin's last match until he spent the night prior in the hospital. And he should not have wrestled that night. So that explains the booking and Rocky's post-match chat.
Also, Kurt Angle went into shock after the Lesnar match and had to be ambulanced to the hospital.
If it means we get a musical performance from the West Texas Rednecks I'd be game....
ReplyDeleteWell it was supposed to be babyface Triple H's triumphant return capped off by winning the WWF Championship(s) in front of his adoring fans....and we would have booed the fuck out of him for going against Steve Austin.
ReplyDeleteI was at WMX8 and I wonder what the crowd reaction would have been like - I just can't see the crowd turning on Austin the way they turned on Rock, Hogan or not.
ReplyDeleteAnd you couldn't afford to miss anything cause it's not like it would be on youtube the next day.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. They turned Austin back face when, like January if that year? They could have just kept Austin heel and done heel Austin vs face HHH but I'm not sure if you can sell that
ReplyDeleteThat's a great documentary. YouTube only has 4 of 5 parts uploaded if I remember correctly.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it on the special features of the WMXX DVD? I know I've got that on a DVD somewhere.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone else having issues replying to posts?
ReplyDelete1997 was a great year to be a fan it was insane. The Big Three will never be repeated. I ended up a huge fan of ECW. If you were a true wrestling fan, inspired by the "boom" and Monday Night Wars, then you could just sit back and enjoy the madness. It was beautiful. But......
ReplyDeleteIf you were a true fan, and at the right age, you had to be naturally drawn to ECW. I got hooked, and it was my most favorite era to date, and I'm 36. ECW just offered something different, something real, dirty and addicting. Being at a show was a form of release.
And what were Rock & Austin chatting about anyway?
It is on the WM XX DVD.
ReplyDeleteThink it is actually. It's a great watch. It really shows how fucked Angle was for that match
ReplyDelete"the pacers fired vogel?!?!?!?!"
ReplyDelete"bird in as head coach"
"lol nm, guess it was a pit april fools joke"
Three consecutive texts a friend sent me earlier today. You weren't the only one.
What about Brock after it?
ReplyDeleteYea, that too. The part where they said Austin was hospitalized for exhaustion and drinking to many red bulls the previous night was kinda nuts also
ReplyDeleteForgot about that part.
ReplyDelete1997 and 2000 are probably my favorite years ever.
ReplyDeleteThat press-conference was friggin' awful (the audience seemed bored out of their mind), but Batista was absolutely hysterical. I implore everyone to watch it just for that one five-minute segment.
ReplyDelete"Whoever wrote this should be fired. Unless Steph wrote it."
Why can't we have THAT Batista?
Complete the metaphor:
ReplyDeleteIf 1997 WWF is like Homeland season 1 or the Worse season 3, 2000 WCW is like_______?
Agreed.
ReplyDeleteAnyone noticing advertisements galore on Chrome? I have AdBlock plus installed and working, but the YouTube + every other advertisements are back
ReplyDeleteSad thing for Kurt is that he hit a home run his first at bat in the big leagues. Where do you go from there? If there is solid, legit competition, then by all means try and push or better yourself. But Kurt had nowhere to go to try and strengthen his legacy. TNA doesn't count. Then he let all his personal life issues seep out. Booze, drugs, girls.....hey all good stuff and in fact on my itinerary tonight, but I'm not trying to establish myself as a marketable superhero to kids and tv distributors.
ReplyDeleteKaren was WOW though. Nice grab Double J!
Presumably.
ReplyDeleteIMO we do. Dave's been killing it on the mic except for his initial raw appearance.
ReplyDeleteI think clicking the ads in general is beneficial to Scott. I try and do it daily if I remember. What are you using to watch it? The app on your TV?
ReplyDeleteI think that's also a reason why the ECW and WWF fanbases overlapped like crazy from late 96 to 2001. You would always see some of the same guys in the audience at both promotions, probably because all of the ECW fans were just frustrated WWF castoffs, although they approached it like the old sports team that was struggling.
ReplyDeleteWatching beware of dog. Pretty solid show. I'd never seen that scsa vs savio Vega strap match. Definitely lived up to the hype.
ReplyDeleteThe 3rd 1999 ECW ppv has a pretty amazing super crazy vs taka michinuku match. I'd say its about ****
ReplyDeleteBrock was freaking out like a trapped animal, and understandably so. He just screamed "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" to no one in particular at one point.
ReplyDeleteFinal season of Dexter.
ReplyDeleteOr better yet that masato Tanaka vs mike awesome match from November to remember 99 is one of the best crazy ECW styles matches ever, and the best match in their series. I'd say its easily 4.5 and maybe more.
ReplyDeleteI was gonna make fun of you for the booze/drugs/girls stuff because no one likes that guy who brags about that stuff. (Not saying you were.)
ReplyDeleteThen I remembered the Dogfish Head IPA sitting next to me, the bowl I'm about to smoke and the sex I'm planning to have with my girlfriend later. The last part is nothing to brag about; once you live together there seemingly needs to be a reason for sex, and alas, she's going out town tomorrow.
No, I just use the internet browser on the TV. Would the app be better?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. I have all kinds of annoyances watching off the browser on my laptop but its smooth as silk on the app on my tablet and PlayStation. I'd try that for sure
ReplyDeleteHe worked a few shows in Japan. But I don't think, outside of a pre recorded promo or two, he was on any WWF TV.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing this golddust/undertaker match sucks?
ReplyDeleteSo what's the consensus for why Vince decided to cut Bret Hart loose in 1997? Was it strictly a money issue and Vince was strapped for cash? Or was it Bret's hardheadedness about the incoming Attitude Era and his obviously toxic relationship with Shawn Michaels? Or was it Vince and company booking such a great product with Bret at the centre or near centre of and still not moving the needle?
ReplyDeleteA mix of all 3? If Bret couldn't boost the bottom line with that level of Grade A booking, would he ever have been able to?
I think a mixture of all 3. Vince just saw Bret as expendable, especially for what he was making, with the direction the company was going.
ReplyDeleteI heard an interesting rumor that said Vince always planned on going public and that he couldn't have any long term liabilities on his books of he intended to, amd this played part in him wanting his contract jettisoned. Don't know if this is true
A Michael Scott-less The Office.
ReplyDeleteMaybe?
ReplyDeleteMaybe not
ReplyDeleteAustin turned face the day after the Alliance was vanguished at Survivor Series 01.
ReplyDeleteHoly shit that was not the finish I expected!!!
ReplyDeleteThe scenario I've always suspected was playing out in Vince's head was this: He needed to unload Bret's salary, which he did. The necessity of the Screwjob also allowed him to get rid of Bulldog and Neidhart as well.
ReplyDeleteHis refusal to grant Owen his release always seemed odd, but I think he kept him there to lure Bret back once his likely disastrous run with WCW would end.
And then a series of absolutely awful things happened.
The series finale of Dexter. Hell, Dexter after season 4. They were NEVER going to top the Trinity killer.
ReplyDeleteDing ding. The only thing that was remotely good (MNM vs. Hardys) was stretched way too long and it was obvious they were filling time. That show made fans chant "TNA, TNA" for chrissakes!
ReplyDeleteI asked the same thing on the rspwfa2 blog last night. He's so effiminate, not even just in a southern gentleman kind of way, and no one could possibly care about his family. WHY IS THIS A SHOW?
ReplyDeleteCurrent Divas/Knockouts?
ReplyDeleteHemme > Tessmacher > Scarlett Bordeaux > Taryn Terrell > Brie > Eva Marie > Summer Rae > Angelina > Kaitlyn > Stephanie > Layla > Renee > Gail Kim > AJ
Downvote. Fuck his immature ass. It might be funny to him to waste thousands at the bar every night, but he has debts he'll never pay off in his lifetime. It's not fair to his family, and is typical of a LOT of people in the country who can't live within their means.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder what Angles legacy would be if he had stayed his entire career in the wwe? I'm guessing he ends up in that Bret/HBK tier.
ReplyDeleteThere's always been conflicting stories as to how much Owen really wanted to leave. Bret seems adamant that Owen wanted to leave but a lot of people say that Owen really just wanted to finish out his contract and retire. It's even been said that he was happier once Bret was gone because he wasn't stuck in the middle of political drama.
ReplyDeleteAt least it made for the best Botchamania (101).
ReplyDelete"Scaffold Match to open? P.N. News wrestled? A Scaffold Match with no payoff bump?YO BABY YO? Two thrown together teams? Dodgy rule change? FUCK THIS COMPANY.....and it's only the first match of the night!"
The last season of Family Matters.
ReplyDeleteBret and HBK aren't in the same tier!
ReplyDeleteI think it's because we all could tell you were having fun with this one... and anyone's work product is always better when you're having fun. It probably didn't even seem like work.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably a bit of all 3, but I think Bret thought him wrestling classic matches for the WWF Championship would always be the way to go, and Vince knew it was time to go in the Attitude direction. Bret just didn't fit into that - even if he was willing to go along with it, which he wasn't, can you picture Bret Hart sticking a sausage down his pants and grinding with women in bikinis? Shawn was better suited to be Attitude Era Champion, Bret and Shawn's issues had been going on for almost 2 years at this point so Vince and everyone else was probably sick of dealing with it, and I highly doubt Bret would have sat back and kept his mouth shut if he was working mid-card feuds while Shawn walked around in his under wear wearing the WWF Championship.
ReplyDeleteWith AJ off the market, what the hell do I have to live for now?
ReplyDeleteI'm watching Starrcade 87 right now, next on the list is Bunkhouse Stampede. I'm not sure I can handle that tonight.
ReplyDeleteGod damn. There was just an 8 minute segment on my local tampa news about how Randy is being "snubbed" by the HoF.
ReplyDeleteI love Macho as much as the next guy, but come on. You're taking a 26% of your news time out to do a news piece on Savage?!?!
No, they weren't. And the more seasons they do the more characters they have to kill off so they more characters they have to introduce and eventually there's just too many people who either know Dexter is a killer or who were close to him and died to this to keep being realistic.
ReplyDeleteIt's like Rescue Me, if you watched that. When someone close to him has to die in every season it kinda lessens the impact.
I thought this would fit the conversation.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkrrx4Nwqt4
The thing I find most fascinating is what does 2 14 look like with Bret?
ReplyDeleteBy all accounts, they were building towards Austin finally beating Bret for the title at 14...do they bring in Tyson? I can't picture Tyson/Bret having a great dynamic. Etc., etc.
So the main event has no time limit, yet they announce the time every 5 minutes...interesting.
ReplyDeleteTyson was perfect for DX and the Attitude Era. A controversial badass celebrity. I don't see that fitting into the Hart Foundation. I guess you could tone down his personality and focus only on the fact that he's a former boxing champion, but Tyson's crotch chopping and obnoxious grinning was great. Bret's too old school, the whole feud is probably Hart Foundation beat downs and "I'm the best there ever was" speeches before Bret carries Austin to a classic match and drops the title to him.
ReplyDeleteBut if Bret doesn't leave, DX doesn't become the top heel group. So Triple H doesn't take it over the next night and have it become the company's #2 most popular act. Would Bret go along with Austin vs McMahon? Or would he want to carry Austin to classic rematches?
"once you live together there seemingly needs to be a reason for sex"
ReplyDeleteSadly, that's true, but I still maintain "I want sex" is a valid reason.
I could see them thinking "Well, the fans are going to hate this anyway, so what's the point of trying?"
ReplyDeleteBret Hart's in the greatest tier of all time!
ReplyDeleteThey really need to add more WCCW, I've been into the 12 or so episodes they've shown, but it doesn't seem like they've added a new one in at least a week.
ReplyDeleteGilbert Godttfried in a wig.
ReplyDeleteTessmacher has a masculine jawline, she has a face like Kurt Russell.
ReplyDeleteAJ has great abs, a nice cute ass (neither too big or too little), and thick thighs that would put Chun Li to shame. She's the hottest diva since Trish, though Trish is more beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat's revisionist history from the Jarrett camp. True fans know that the Scaffold Match was actually invented by Bret Hart in 1970.
ReplyDeleteBut she has a major case of horseface.
ReplyDeleteOh I know want to see how long Scott lasts.
ReplyDeleteTriple H was guest ref. for Cena vs. Punk at Summerslam a couple years ago.Aries was guest ref. in MVP vs. Roode on Impact recently..
ReplyDeleteScott might be the best wrestling writer I've seen at adding topical asides to his work.
ReplyDelete*****s Scott.
It'd be better if he was a meek loser who never drew a dime, right?
ReplyDeleteYoung is a Perfectly Acceptable Wrestler.
ReplyDeleteBut a homophobic heel would be brilliant.
"7th can of Red Bull for the working man." *slurp*
ReplyDelete"Aries was the guest ref in MVP vs Roode on Impact recently"
ReplyDeleteGreat now I feel embarrassed.
Btw I thought HHH was the guest enforcer and not referee for some reason in those matches
It's doubtful Vince could have afforded both Hart and Tyson. As it was, Vince paid Tyson's salary from loan proceeds (that also paid for Titantron upgrades). The loan was paid off when he went public.
ReplyDeleteGood post. Never heard that before
ReplyDeleteMick Foley winning the title on a taped show as the #1 most memorable moment from RAW? Mehhhh......can't really complain.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just watched it. I'm on board now.
ReplyDeleteHere's a couple more that for whatever technical bug reason don't show up on the menu but are in fact in the system:
ReplyDeleteEpisode 52
http://network.wwe.com/video/v31314801
Episode 53
http://network.wwe.com/video/v31314717
I wonder if there's some residual hard feelings from the WWE's offer of rehab and retire instead going to TNA. I don't think they bring him back until he shows he's 100% sober and stays that way. HUGE risk for them to take.
ReplyDeleteBecause by mid-1997, Vince was confident that the company no longer needed Bret on board. Austin, DX and the whole Attitude approach had caught on in a big way and Bret's time as a major attraction had largely passed. If Vince had believed he still needed Bret then he would have made whatever comprimises were necessary. It's not much different to 1993, Vince could cut Hogan lose because he was no longer a vital part of the equation and therefore didn't need to be placated.
ReplyDeleteThe bigger question for me is why on earth did Vince re-sign Bret in 1996 in the first place? He had to have had some idea of the direction the company was going to go in, had to have known Bret wouldn't be comfortable with a lot of it, and knew that Bret had never really had the drawing power to justify such a large contract. Why sign him for the rest of his working life when you obviously had no intention of honoring your part of the deal. If Vince had simply been honest to begin with I suspect he would have been able to convince Bret that him heading to WCW was best for all concerned.
Tajiri/Corino from "Hardcore Heaven 2000" is my favorite match ever.
ReplyDeleteNot what most people would consider a 5* match, but it was a simple story that was executed perfectly.
Viva Jay Sherman!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was pretty damn memorable and a great moment. WWF and Foley sticking it to WCW after that butts in the seat line was nice too.
ReplyDeleteYOU INHUMANE COMMUNIST BASTARD! YOU GO TO HELL! YOU GO TO HELL AND YOU DIE!!
ReplyDeleteThe sad part was, this was the endgame all along. If they changed the way the season went, like half at the wedding and half with the mother, it probably wouldn't have been that bad. A little annoying, but not as bad as it went down. In the end, they put themselves in a corner here, and hurt any repeat viewing for me in the near future.
ReplyDeleteJust threw on kotr 96. Anything happen on this show?
ReplyDeleteI remember that part, yeah, it was Brock.
ReplyDeleteOooooohhhhhh yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhh!
ReplyDeleteJan 2000 - Mania 17 is untouchable. 1997 still had a lot of lame stuff as they were exercising the finals demons of the "new generation".
ReplyDeleteI was actually happier with Austins last match being the Raw main event with Flair. No one remember this match and it was a damn classic.
ReplyDeleteComments like this make me miss the downvotes option
ReplyDeleteWhat no one talks about is that Angle was unable to elevate TNA. Surely this failure is part of his legacy.
ReplyDeleteHe WAS from Tampa, I believe, so it was a local story, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding? Tyson joining the Hart Foundation would have been a bigger deal than him joining DX. It makes Tyson look like a huge turncoat, and it makes Bret look like a giant hypocrite for teaming with one of the guys that he was talking about when he chastised America's "heroes".
ReplyDeleteAfter the old Chief killed himself, the show really went downhill.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I liked the Truther storyline with Franco. Hell of a twist that they have a firefighter that actually bought into it (as the actor himself believed in it).
I liked the deleted scene with Triple H claiming that Booker T could be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin if he was more consistent with his matches.
ReplyDeleteTriple H, in 2003, saying someone needed consistency with their matches.
Triple H, who was stinking up the ring in 2003.
I think Hogan was willing to lose, it seemed more like Austin didn't think thew match would be good because it would be a huge clash of styles.
ReplyDeleteWith WCW red-hot in 1996 due to the NWO angle, the last thing Vince needed was Bret leaving. Obviously it makes more sense in hindsight to let Bret walk, but at the moment, Vince absolutely needed to retain one of his upper-tier stars.
ReplyDeleteBest me to it!
ReplyDeleteNo one can elevate TNA.
ReplyDeleteI watched almost all of Dexter in between seasons 7 and 8. I thought season 5 was decent enough, ditto for 7, but 6 and 8 were just horrendous. Like, offensively bad. Especially the series finale. Good grief.
ReplyDeleteHe did what he could. His match with Joe was still the biggest PPV match in TNA history.
ReplyDeleteIn hindsight I wish he would have been healthier when he wrestled Joe.
From the spring until the Montreal Screwjob, the product was incredible. The roster became depleted after Montreal and they were pretty much in a holding pattern until WrestleMania, but from like April or May through November, that was just a wonderful 5-6 month stretch.
ReplyDeleteI feel like DVR's were just 10-15 years too late. They would have been wonderfully valuable during the mid-late 90's wrestling period.
ReplyDeleteI think Austin's said that he was a little paranoid during Rock's initial ascension to the top of the card and that while it wasn't necessarily a poor relationship, they weren't Shawn and Hunter either. I think in the years since, Austin's totally comfortable in his own skin and Rock is Rock, so I'd imagine they get along swimmingly if/when they see/talk to each other.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I didn't know 97 was so good until I went back and rewatched it on Classics on Demand. I didn't turn 10 years old until July of that year and was mainly watching Nitro at the time. I kept up with the WWF mainly through Livewire and because my best friend in school watched Raw instead of Nitro. Rewatching both shows via CoD showed how much better Raw was for most of 97 since Nitro was just killing time until Starrcade. The realism of those Raws was just great. I'd say 2000 was a better overall year for the WWF (not factoring in ratings, just for pure quality), but the roster was also ridiculously deep.
ReplyDelete'97 (and most of '98) was the best of the Attitude Era. It's '99 that's the worst of it.
ReplyDeleteThe IWC was awesome during the mid to late 90's (I got on in 96). There were so many message boards some for news, some for opinions and even some for humor (do you remember Wrestling Uncensored?).
ReplyDeleteAnd you're definitely right, there was overall a very pro-WWF vibe. I remember it being that EVERYONE loved ECW, but WWF was regarded as where you go so VKM could make you a star and WCW was where you went to retire. There was always an air of disappointment when an ECW guy would go to WCW and not WWF.
More precisely the James Spader, Michael Scott-less season. The last season wasnt bad at all but the one with Robert California is fucking dreadfull.
ReplyDeleteAlso "I NEED sex"
ReplyDelete