Scott,
Watching some old SNME on the network. Quick question about the main event of Wrestlemania 2. Was Bundy the plan all along to face Hogan? Just the SNME before Hogan had a good program going with Terry Funk. The whole Bundy deal seemed to be rushed to me. I've also heard different rumors throughout the years that Vince wanted to run Savage/Funk/Piper and even Nikita Koloff instead. Any truth to any of these and what would you have went with if you were Vince.
Oh, I would have went with Hogan-Piper in a heartbeat. However, Piper wasn't going to lay down for him, so it just wouldn't have happened. And yes, Vince was desperately trying to get Nikita Koloff and would have definitely run that one instead, but Koloff didn't want to jump. I don't see Terry Funk headlining, as he was little more than a midcard guy at that point and I believe had already done the house show circuit and SNME blowoff against Hogan. Given the choices and given that you don't want Savage to get beat that early and Piper wasn't gonna let it happen, Bundy was as good as anyone.
Nikita would have been the best option, but failing that Bundy was a great pick. The guy was huge.
ReplyDeleteBundy and Hogan also had solid chemistry in the ring. And they planted the seed for the WM2 Main Event during the SNME show that had the Andre & Hogan vs. Studd & Bundy match.
ReplyDeleteMonster Heel Nikita vs. Hogan, then Orndorff-Hogan and Andre-Hogan? Holy shit, all the monies.
ReplyDeleteWhat was Pipers obsession with never laying down?
ReplyDeleteHe wanted to protect himself so that he'd remain a draw over the long haul. He didn't want to be one of Hogan's run of the mill heels who gets one run and that's it.
ReplyDeleteWell if he had just laid down once, he could have gotten the belt (according to that jericho podcast)
ReplyDeleteAny reason why they had it in a cage?
ReplyDeleteGuess he was right considering what a draw he still was in '96
ReplyDeleteSo Rumble 08, between Carlito/Flair and Jericho/JBL there's some guy down by the ring talking about his opinions on the guys, seems like he was supposed to be a Costas-type talking head, who the hell was that?
ReplyDeleteBecause it was a GRUDGE MATCH, brother.
ReplyDeleteMike Adamle.
ReplyDeleteThey could even have let Paul wait to ensure Andre was healthy, then do Orndorff leading right into Savage.
ReplyDeleteIf they booked it in today's WWE, they probably would have rushed through doing a Savage/Hogan program for WM2 and if TNA were booking things they would have done Hogan-Savage on SNME with zero hype and buildup.
ReplyDeleteJeff Harvey.
ReplyDeleteWhat was he supposed to be? Just a guy?
ReplyDeleteIt was smart; too bad his problems took a lot of what he made.
ReplyDeleteWow, that would've been a Hell of a run. I mean, Hogan's run from '85 to '89 is already legendary, but that would've been [i]insane[/i].
ReplyDeleteYea, but he became notorious for his screwups, so they turned it into an angle and he eventually became RAW GM
ReplyDeleteHe was the host of the original American Gladiators.
ReplyDeleteThanks, watching these PPV's with no context is confusing as hell some times.
ReplyDeleteBrets book; no one knew what the plan was for WM2 until the SNMES taping of the Bundy/Hogan program but the rumor in the locker room was Hogan v Savage or Bundy... in Feb they ran a Hogan v Bundy title match and it had an "event" feel and hot crowd so they went with it
ReplyDeleteBundy made so much money out of it he was one of the only guys to retire (2 year later) for real and on their own terms
Whoa. Hogan vs. Savage in the very first Wrestlemania Main Event with the WWF Championship on the line. That'd have been wild.
ReplyDeleteScott Keith, if you're reading, didn't Hogan and Savage have some incredible bouts in house shows throughout 1986? When was that going on? Is my timeframe off?
Why is Roddy Piper jobbing such a big deal? Even in his WCW run he couldn't lose clean.
ReplyDeleteit was a brand new cage that Hogan and Tunney had made with a door too small for Bundy to use!
ReplyDeleteWith Eric Young involved somehow.
ReplyDeleteI think he knew as a small guy, without muscles, that couldn't wrestle worth a shit... the only chance he had was not agreeing to lose. And once he proved in the mid 80s that he could draw by doing that... he bought himself the rest of his career.
ReplyDeleteVince really must have wanted him to succeed. He kept falling up the ladder as he went on to become the ECW lead announce guy and later the Raw GM before leaving the company.
ReplyDeleteZEUS
ReplyDeleteI think Piper was seriously dealing with some kind of PTSD from whatever rib Blassie did to his bagpipes in his MSG debut. After his return to the WWF, he just developed this personality that said "Don't fuck with me", and that included the sideshow that Hogan became. I think that just carried over into the 1990s, because that's the mindset he had.
ReplyDeleteLike wrestlemania 1 and first couple summerslams, they should have done a tag team match playa.
ReplyDeleteHe had that mainstream media cache that Vince aches for. If he'd had even a shred of competence he'd probably be in Cole's spot today.
ReplyDeleteAny reason why piper never got the ic belt or tag belt until 92?
ReplyDeleteMike Adamle, it's so weird because if he announced for WWE the way he did with AG, he would've been great. I think something happened to him between then, because he looked like a shell of his former self.
ReplyDeleteFWIW: My Favorite American Gladiators male player of all time is Rico Constantino. He ruled that shit, and I think was runner-up in the "Champion of Champions Tournament." Proof that stylists can be awesome athletes. :P
I think mainly because Piper was always used as a part-time guy/special attraction.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is... the ONLY people who knew who Mike Adamle actually was... were the diehard WWF fans who used to watch American Gladiators before Superstars started on Saturday mornings.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're very clear about never jobbing they tend to get iffy about giving you a belt.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing because he didn't really need a title and he would actually have to lose it eventually.
ReplyDeleteEveryone watched the American Gladiators, it was awesome.
ReplyDeleteI think by the time Adamle was hired by WWE he was already 50 so he was obviously on the downswing of his career.
ReplyDeleteCuz from 84-87 Hogan had a stranglehold on the top title, and the IC belt was the worker title, and no-one could stand Piper long enough to be his tag partner.
ReplyDeleteThen he turned to a part timer.
There's definitely a difference between 32 and 50, but I figured he would've progressed in his abilities and experience. With all due respect to JR, it seems like a very similar situation with Adamle. Like, maybe Adamle had some kind of stroke that affected his cognitive abilities. I mean, if you look at the difference between 32 year old announcer Vince McMahon and 50 year old Vince McMahon, there's a world of improvement. I don't know, I might be off here, just seems like something happened to Mike.
ReplyDeleteYeah, something happened... 23 years!
ReplyDeleteHow long was Piper a draw? Was he that big a draw that Vince would put up with his no job demands?
ReplyDeleteSome age like wine... some age like fruit.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I think as you get older, you tend to get slower and you get confused more easily.
ReplyDeleteNo, you don't.
ReplyDeleteOh shit, you're right.
Where's my newspaper...
It's always the discussion, did people pay to see Hulk Hogan at WM... or did they pay to see Roddy Piper get his ass kicked?
ReplyDeleteIt's probably a 60/40 Hogan split, but Piper held his own.
I think Hogan-Piper did good business in WCW so Piper was able to stay on top for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI kinda look at Piper and Hogan like Batman and The Joker. Established names didn't want to lay down for Hogan early on, so it's like they almost needed each other for the whole thing to succeed. I think Piper was somewhat aware of that, so he played it to his advantage.
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought about American Gladiators in years. Next to Nickelodeon Guts, it was about all I watched sports-wise until I became a baseball and football fan.
ReplyDeleteThey brought it back again in 2008 and it had the potential to be good, but the people running the show had the same incompetence as Dixie Carter.
ReplyDeleteSo McNeal, you might know this...what's the deal with Adamle walking off? Did he have a breakdown? There's no way that was a storyline thing.
ReplyDeleteWasn't that the version Hulk Hogan hosted? I never watched that version.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Insufferable. The less said about it, the better.
ReplyDeleteCrush.
ReplyDelete...and Animal? The New Legion of Doom?
ReplyDeleteOne venue. Hogan vs Piper for the title. I wonder if Piper would have laid down had they given him a title reign. Do some shenanigans after the first WM where Piper gets his revenge and wins the belt. All on the condition that he jobs it back as a mega heel at WM2
ReplyDeleteYup and hosted by Muhammad Ali's daughter too. And it had water to ensure the contestants get water clogged between each game.
ReplyDeleteWAY too many commercials and very over produced.
ReplyDeleteShe was the best thing about the show. And Michael O'Hearn was pretty cool too.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad Terry Funk couldn't get the nod. Then again, when you lose to Moondog Spot on the previous PPV, you're probably not next in line for the Hulkster.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest complaint was that it had waaay too much talking and the fact they gave contestants WWF 1995 gimmicks was pretty bad too. Plus some of the contestants they hired got injured after 10 seconds.
ReplyDeleteEven people who didn't know she was Gina Carano were into her. She was amazing on that show.
ReplyDeleteI thought Vince was going to snatch up Wolf.
http://www.nbc.com/sites/nbcunbc/files/files/styles/nbc_gallery_full/public/scet/photos/146/1924/wolf_0307.jpg
Yeah, I think Wolf was actually an independent wrestler and his mannerisms just screamed pro wrestler. The Samoan gladiator was also related to (suprise surprise) the Anoa'i family and should have been involved in the wrestling business too.
ReplyDeleteTJ: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan on Double Dare was the premiere life event for me until the arrival of the Super Nintendo.
ReplyDeleteThey did it for the Wrestling classic ppv in Chicago and it didn't sell out
ReplyDeleteVery good business early on
ReplyDeleteCauses losses actually matter despite what the stupid company says nowadays. He kept his aura
ReplyDeleteHis charisma was off the charts. That was his draw. The nonpins was needed to keep his mystique
ReplyDeleteThat's correct. It did good business IC vs World Champ. YouTube has them up
ReplyDeleteNo that's the summer of 86.. Savage beat Hogan by count out in a great match at the garden.
ReplyDeleteVince gave into the talent a lot more than other promoters/bookers of the time.
ReplyDeleteBack then those wrestlers wanted to grab that brass ring, brother!
ReplyDeleteYup. The benefits of not having to produce three hours of PPV-quality programming every week, not counting the other hours of b-level programming. Thems were better times.
ReplyDeleteAnd mtv I think
ReplyDelete