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Post by Aceorton on Feb 23, 2010 0:35:58 GMT -5
I'm trying to pinpoint THE mistake that tops all others in the history of wrestling in terms of its long-term impact.
It could be
- a strategic business blunder by a promoter
- a horrendous booking decision
- a destructive career move by a specific wrestler
- something else
What do you think?
I'll give the matter more thought, but right off that bat, the big thing popping into my head is the McMahons' violation of the agreement with the World Wildlife Fund that resulted in them having to give up the WWF name in 2002. Besides the obvious hit to brand recognition and having to get their fanbase to accept a new name after years of "WWF" being a household name, the company must have spent a fortune on all the editing to their archive footage over the years. Maybe it's just coincidence, but the product also seemed to go south quickly around the time of "Get the F Out" and never has returned to the same levels.
What other blunders would you rate up there? The Invasion? Something from WCW? Duggan and the Sheik's '87 pullover? Something wellness or steroid-related?
Remember, the key is long-term impact.
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Post by Mayonnaise on Feb 23, 2010 0:45:38 GMT -5
Time Warner's failed merger with AOL leading to Jamie Kellner canceling Nitro and Thunder allowing WWF to buy WCW.
The Briscoes selling their shares of GCW to Vince and, causing Black Saturday.
Verne not putting the belt on Hogan, causing him to go to Vince.
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Post by jobsquad on Feb 23, 2010 0:46:28 GMT -5
I'm trying to pinpoint THE mistake that tops all others in the history of wrestling in terms of its long-term impact. It could be - a strategic business blunder by a promoter - a horrendous booking decision - a destructive career move by a specific wrestler - something else What do you think? I'll give the matter more thought, but right off that bat, the big thing popping into my head is the McMahons' violation of the agreement with the World Wildlife Fund that resulted in them having to give up the WWF name in 2002. Besides the obvious hit to brand recognition and having to get their fanbase to accept a new name after years of "WWF" being a household name, the company must have spent a fortune on all the editing to their archive footage over the years. Maybe it's just coincidence, but the product also seemed to go south quickly around the time of "Get the F Out" and never has returned to the same levels. What other blunders would you rate up there? The Invasion? Something from WCW? Duggan and the Sheik's '87 pullover? Something wellness or steroid-related? Remember, the key is long-term impact. Stephanie becoming head of creative in 2001-02. Vince can't fire her, and her reign of terror will hopefully be read by Wrestlecrap's viewers in the future. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2010 0:48:35 GMT -5
Luger going out to a bar right before WM bragging that hes about to win the WWE Title causing them to change their mind and put the belt back on Bret
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Post by joeskvorecky on Feb 23, 2010 2:04:33 GMT -5
Luger going out to a bar right before WM bragging that hes about to win the WWE Title causing them to change their mind and put the belt back on Bret That's a myth. It never happened. |
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Post by Slingshot Suplay on Feb 23, 2010 2:32:13 GMT -5
Fritz Von Erich refusing to take WCCW nation wide. Also, turning a blind eye to the rampant drug abuse in his company, and more importantly, his family.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2010 3:04:35 GMT -5
Luger going out to a bar right before WM bragging that hes about to win the WWE Title causing them to change their mind and put the belt back on Bret That's a myth. It never happened. Source? I wasn't aware of that...Then again around that time I'd have believed anything |
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Post by hajimenoippo on Feb 23, 2010 3:30:27 GMT -5
Time Warner's failed merger with AOL leading to Jamie Kellner canceling Nitro and Thunder allowing WWF to buy WCW. The Briscoes selling their shares of GCW to Vince and, causing Black Saturday. Verne not putting the belt on Hogan, causing him to go to Vince. Well what happened after, was Vince kept Briscoes on as employwees, and then JCP buying back the slot, and paying for Wrestlemania... |
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Post by Jedi-El of Tomorrow on Feb 23, 2010 3:45:37 GMT -5
Eric Bischoff firing some dude from Texas because he wasn't marketable, and was injured.
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Post by hajimenoippo on Feb 23, 2010 4:05:04 GMT -5
Verne Gagne not putting the title on Hulk Hogan and beginning the expansion.
Fritz Von Erich deciding to not expand out of Texas even though he was getting big ratings everywhere.
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Phil Parent
El Dandy
Your Favourite Teacher
Posts: 8,508
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Post by Phil Parent on Feb 23, 2010 4:55:21 GMT -5
GREAT SUBJECT.
Prior to going to the UFC: Brock Lesnar leaving WWE.
The Fingerpoke Of Doom.
Ending Goldberg's streak.
Heyman trusting himself to hold accounting books.
Verne not putting the belt on Hogan, or alternatively, not pushing the likes of Hennig, Hall, Lawler, Martel even harder. Not making a play for Kerry Von Erich. Not making a play for Brody. Not aligning himself seriously with the other territories who didn't want to fall. Pushing his old friends, his son and his son-in-law too hard.
The Crocketts not keeping a closer eye on cash ins and outs, causing them the family business.
"lol I'll say you said 18"
John Zandig having the brilliant idea of suspending himself with meat hooks handing from the roof of the ECW Arena. Disgusted even the CZW die hards.
Gabe Sapolsky basing EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA on Davey Richards...without contractually locking him up, you know, for real.
Fuyuki letting FMW become a cheesy sports-entertainment company.
Katsuyori Shibata leaving wrestling for MMA.
Jacques Rougeau Jr. having an epiphany and turning his highly succesful indy promotion into a glorified circus where strikes, fighting outside the ring, and other wrestling staples are banned, and generally becoming the most backwards promoter since Cowboy Bill Watts.
You could go on and on...New Japan letting go of a young pre-Ultimo Dragon Yoshihiro Asai because he was too small...WCW letting Jericho, Show and the Radicalz go, thus sending a large part of the WCW identity to the WWE...Sabu trying to move up in the world time and time again, despite being custom made for ECW without fitting in elsewhere too much...
WWE eliminating their old developmental system in Louisville/Cincinnati/Memphis in favor of the clone factory down in Florida.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2010 9:04:26 GMT -5
Even though they weren't particularly hurt by it, I'd say that Vince and co. missed out on the most profitable angle of all time by not buying out the contracts of the WCW wrestlers that weren't included with the purchase of WCW. If Hogan, Flair, and Goldberg were brought in at the start of the Invasion instead of after the disappointing McMahon vs. McMahon angle, Vince could be swimming in his (even larger) Scrooge McDuck-style money pool.
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Post by Woooooolhouse! on Feb 23, 2010 11:21:53 GMT -5
Not having Sting go over Hogan cleanly. You know when and where.
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H-Fist
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 6,485
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Post by H-Fist on Feb 23, 2010 14:54:48 GMT -5
I think the biggest blunder was the AOL/Time Warner failed merger, as said above. If Turner was still in control of his own company, then the company would still want wrestling on TV. That would have bought Eric Bischoff more time to kill the nWo and figure out how to retain talent and build up the Thunder show. If Ted Turner hadn't cashed out, WCW wouldn't have been running on fumes for the last year.
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Post by joeskvorecky on Feb 23, 2010 15:04:13 GMT -5
That's a myth. It never happened. Source? I wasn't aware of that...Then again around that time I'd have believed anything Radio interview with Luger. |
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Post by notoriousjrh on Feb 23, 2010 15:16:44 GMT -5
Losing Hogan to Vince, because pretty much none of the last 25 years would have happened if not for it.
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Post by mschif420 on Feb 23, 2010 15:27:21 GMT -5
 i was hoping for biggest boobs  Anyway...I think I'll also have to say Verne losing Hogan to Vince, brother. |
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Post by sweatpants on Feb 23, 2010 16:07:05 GMT -5
Making Johnny Ace Vice President of Talent Relations.
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Post by captaineasychord on Feb 23, 2010 16:18:45 GMT -5
It's hard to say if any one in particualr was the worst or most devestating, but some decisions that had many long-standing reprucussions include turning Austin heel at WM 17, Jim Herd firing Flair in 91 without him dropping the belt, and Vince's subsequent failure to book Hogan vs. Flair for WM 8.
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Post by "Playboy" Don Douglas on Feb 23, 2010 16:38:00 GMT -5
the most backwards promoter since Cowboy Bill Watts. But let's not ignore the highly successful territory he ran, or that under his watch, WCW's financial losses were a fraction of a fraction of what they were before and after. And yes, Bischoff brought them success after Watts. He also played a large part in bringing them failure, including losses of millions of dollars. I'm not saying you fall into this category, but I've noticed something on the net that I feel inclined to comment on. I've even encountered it in real life. I've regularly heard fans trash Watts' WCW reign, but when you ask them about it, they haven't even seen it. One of my best friends, a guy I've managed on a couple of indie shows, recently did this. I was watching during the era, and believe me, with the way the company had fell off during '90 and '91, the Bill Watts era was a breath of fresh air. As for the AWA-Hogan thing, the main problem wasn't Verne not wanting to put the belt on Hogan. Bobby Heenan has said that Verne wanted to do it several times. Where Verne and Hogan really got sideways was Verne wanted a cut of Hogan's earnings from Japan. Hogan was having none of it. And, from what I've heard at least, while Hogan was gone on a trip to Japan, Verne made up some Hogan merch and was selling it at shows without cutting Hogan in on the profits. As most things go in the business, the big issue was money. |
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