Watching the 5/4/98 Raw Replay and in the middle of the Dan Severn v. Savio Vega match, Jim Ross plugs UFC XVII, complete with an on-screen graphic for the PPV...... what was that all about?
Probably they had to make a deal with UFC to use Severn, and that was part of it. Just a guess, but it's not unprecedented.
I always liked Severn.
ReplyDeleteI think specifically it had to do with Severn coming out carrying a UFC title belt.
ReplyDeleteHis music ruled
ReplyDeleteYou've read foley's book I assume. He mentioned asking Owen how Severn was in the ring and Owen, being considerate, only says "well he's a nice guy,"
ReplyDeleteSevern would have guy in perfectly in late 80's WWF. He would have had a good house show run against Hogan. That mustache ain't no joke brother! So whatcha gonna do when this handlebar mustache runs wild on you?
ReplyDeleteHis title defense on the King of the Death Match show is incredibly awesome.
ReplyDeleteEven weirder was Ken Shamrock appearing at nearly every UFC PPV in 1999 despite the fact that he was still working for the WWF.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange that Vince would let Shamrock skip house shows to appear on a few barely watched UFC PPVs.
Even stranger that Douchebag Dana (or did he not own UFC at that point?) would let one of his guys work for the WWF.
ReplyDeleteSEG still owned the UFC at the time although they were definitely on life support.
ReplyDeleteAccording to John McCarthy's great book, SEG was several months behind on paying pretty much everyone associated with SEG and the UFC (Why does that sound like it's happened recently to a certain wrestling company that just lost their TV show in much the same way the UFC had lost every PPV provider except DIRECTV by 1999?)
Dan's son has done great work tagging with Aiden English.
ReplyDeleteTotally different things though: UFC almost died early because it rattled the sabres of the dumbass right-wingers (and even now its not a thing in New York because apparently the Fertitas hate unions while the guy responsible for passing MMA loves them), whereas TNA got gored on its own sword. UFC's never really had difficulty promoting itself on its own merits until now, when they've overdone it and are now doing a card a week without a draw a week.
ReplyDeleteShammy didn't have much of a role after about June and he was totally gone sometime in the middle of the Jericho feud. I was always puzzled at how he was in No Mercy since I don't remember him wrestling one match in 2000.
ReplyDeleteDana took over in 2001. First Dana/Zuffa show was UFC 31 which is a great PPV.
ReplyDeleteJust remember -- Orndorff grew his because of his current wife -- she hates them -- so he grew one.
ReplyDeleteUFC 33. Dana referred to it as the worst show they've ever had. Every fight went to a decision and the show cut out half way through the main event.
ReplyDeleteWe are both wrong, it's UFC 30 that was the first. That's also a good show.
ReplyDeleteUFC 33 is indeed terrible but Dana is just being insane to say it's worse than 149 or 174. Those shows SUCKED.
his whole appearance with the suit was so badass.
ReplyDeleteYou're not even remotely close. Shamrock's last UFC before going to WWF was in December '96. He never fought MMA while under contract and didn't fight again until Pride in 2000 or 2001.
ReplyDeleteThey actually plugged ufc pretty regularly back when Shamrock and Severn first came in. When those shows were popping up on 24/7 I found it weird as well
ReplyDeleteDan Severn and Dr. Death had no business being within a mile of 1998 WWF.
ReplyDeleteUFC is Exhibit A in how bad branding can stick. Rather than advertise its athleticism--kickboxing champ vs. sumo champ, BJJ champ vs. boxing champ, karate champ vs. shootfighting champ--Art Davie and Bob Meyrowitz and all the other SEG geniuses decided to play up the bloodsport angle.
ReplyDeleteNearly all the original posters had "THERE ARE NO RULES" plastered all over them, which allowed certain interests to turn them into public enemy #1. And that's where they had trouble with state sanctioning bodies and PPV companies--the "human cockfighting" line stuck with them for more than a decade until eventually the public started to come around.
Ah, you're right. Must have heard something over the years about it being a bad start for Zuffa and assumed it meant the literal very start.
ReplyDeleteAh okay, I got it. It was their first show in Vegas.
ReplyDeleteThat's his son!? I had no idea. That's crazy
ReplyDeleteSimon Gotch isn't Severn's son, but he looks like he could be.
ReplyDeleteDisagree. They would have been awesome as the Angry Uncle team that doesn't get the kids these days with their rap music.
ReplyDeleteThat was his last UFC fight until 2002 but he appeared as a cornerman for Pete Williams and Guy Mezger and did commentary for a few fights at nearly all of the UFC's shows in 1999 which is quite odd since the WWF was running house shows on the same nights as those shows and it's definitely not something they would allow today.
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