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Post by jobsquad on Feb 23, 2010 17:22:02 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. Watts gets a lot of crap, even from me. My main complaint is his refusal to change with the times, taking away mats, and the top rope rules. I saw him on the R&F of WCW trying to justify it as, "We never had mats, we were real tough guys". Then again, they were not doing the types of spots Lyger/Pillman were doing, and if you really get down to bare bones, wrestling was a lot less dangerous. Believe me, bumping on the mats already hurts like hell outside the ring. The booking was ok during 1992, but they made some real boners in the process. Ron Simmons as world champion? Sting never getting that big, super hero run (everyone did this to Sting for some reason). The only thing they really did right was Vader IMO, and stepped on everyone else in the process. How Rick Rude doesnt get a run with the big belt is a mystery. I will say this though, the unpredictability was very appealing to me, but I think it hurt the company overall because it wasn't heading in the right direction. All in all, I enjoyed the Watts run, but I also enjoyed wrestling in 1987, so I really don't count.
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Post by ligerfan on Feb 23, 2010 19:59:18 GMT -5
I dunno about the BIGGEST blunder, but I'd nominate:
- Turning SCSA from the #1 face to the #3 heel (as lackey to Vince and 3H).
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Post by N E O G E O B O Y S on Feb 23, 2010 20:18:51 GMT -5
HHH was the lackey of Austin
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Post by "Playboy" Don Douglas on Feb 23, 2010 21:55:11 GMT -5
Watts gets a lot of crap, even from me. My main complaint is his refusal to change with the times, taking away mats, and the top rope rules. I saw him on the R&F of WCW trying to justify it as, "We never had mats, we were real tough guys". Then again, they were not doing the types of spots Lyger/Pillman were doing, and if you really get down to bare bones, wrestling was a lot less dangerous. Believe me, bumping on the mats already hurts like hell outside the ring. The booking was ok during 1992, but they made some real boners in the process. Ron Simmons as world champion? Sting never getting that big, super hero run (everyone did this to Sting for some reason). The only thing they really did right was Vader IMO, and stepped on everyone else in the process. How Rick Rude doesnt get a run with the big belt is a mystery. I will say this though, the unpredictability was very appealing to me, but I think it hurt the company overall because it wasn't heading in the right direction. All in all, I enjoyed the Watts run, but I also enjoyed wrestling in 1987, so I really don't count. I'll admit, it wouldn't have bothered me at all if the mats had stayed. I see what Watts was going for, but it wasn't really necessary. As far as the top rope rule, aside from not getting to see the Alabama Jam at a house show I went to, I honestly didn't really notice it. And Watts has stated that the plan was to lift the rule after a while, once a guy coming off the top rope actually meant something again. Simmons as champ could have worked. The pop when he won the belt was massive, and there were actually people crying in the audience. What hurt Ron was a lack of credible challengers. He ended up defending the belt against the Barbarian in a semi-main event at Halloween Havoc. Now, I like Barbarian, but he wasn't seen as a main event guy. I like Cactus Jack, too, but at that point in time, he wasn't a main event guy either. Ron won the belt and then all they had as established main event heels were Vader and Rude. Putting the belt on Simmons wasn't a bad idea. Doing it when they weren't prepared was. I agree about Rude. I thought he should have been world champion. But, I thought that in the WWF. About Sting, I'm kind of conflicted. In one way, I totally agree that he should have had that mega run. On the other, it would have seemed strange to have him dominating Vader the way such a run would entail. Beating him could be fine, but if he beat him enough to really get that Superman run, it would kill the top heel. Much like Hogan would do a few years later. And I may be in the minority, but if you enjoyed wrestling in 1987 that makes your opinion carry more weight with me.
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Post by General Adam on Feb 23, 2010 22:00:07 GMT -5
Pushing the man that killed Bruiser Brody as a babyface.
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Post by jobsquad on Feb 23, 2010 23:49:08 GMT -5
Watts gets a lot of crap, even from me. My main complaint is his refusal to change with the times, taking away mats, and the top rope rules. I saw him on the R&F of WCW trying to justify it as, "We never had mats, we were real tough guys". Then again, they were not doing the types of spots Lyger/Pillman were doing, and if you really get down to bare bones, wrestling was a lot less dangerous. Believe me, bumping on the mats already hurts like hell outside the ring. The booking was ok during 1992, but they made some real boners in the process. Ron Simmons as world champion? Sting never getting that big, super hero run (everyone did this to Sting for some reason). The only thing they really did right was Vader IMO, and stepped on everyone else in the process. How Rick Rude doesnt get a run with the big belt is a mystery. I will say this though, the unpredictability was very appealing to me, but I think it hurt the company overall because it wasn't heading in the right direction. All in all, I enjoyed the Watts run, but I also enjoyed wrestling in 1987, so I really don't count. I'll admit, it wouldn't have bothered me at all if the mats had stayed. I see what Watts was going for, but it wasn't really necessary. As far as the top rope rule, aside from not getting to see the Alabama Jam at a house show I went to, I honestly didn't really notice it. And Watts has stated that the plan was to lift the rule after a while, once a guy coming off the top rope actually meant something again. Simmons as champ could have worked. The pop when he won the belt was massive, and there were actually people crying in the audience. What hurt Ron was a lack of credible challengers. He ended up defending the belt against the Barbarian in a semi-main event at Halloween Havoc. Now, I like Barbarian, but he wasn't seen as a main event guy. I like Cactus Jack, too, but at that point in time, he wasn't a main event guy either. Ron won the belt and then all they had as established main event heels were Vader and Rude. Putting the belt on Simmons wasn't a bad idea. Doing it when they weren't prepared was. I agree about Rude. I thought he should have been world champion. But, I thought that in the WWF. About Sting, I'm kind of conflicted. In one way, I totally agree that he should have had that mega run. On the other, it would have seemed strange to have him dominating Vader the way such a run would entail. Beating him could be fine, but if he beat him enough to really get that Superman run, it would kill the top heel. Much like Hogan would do a few years later. And I may be in the minority, but if you enjoyed wrestling in 1987 that makes your opinion carry more weight with me. First and foremost, I was in a rush when I made that post earlier. I did not really get to elaborate on what they did right. As a fan, the rope rule was awesome. It made it all look believable, since there were actual parameters and rules to follow. Most guys were doing things that were so ahead of their time in the ring that the actual wrestling product destroyed the WWF in 1992. The bad was the refusal to make those marketing decisions, like giving Sting a great run, but Watts wasn't the only one doing that. Sting should have had a few big matches with Flair after he beat him at Starrcade 1989 in that round robin, superstar of the 90's tournament. He should have ruled 1990-1991, and Flair should have worked with someone else while he was there. Imagine if Flair never has the belt, and Luger screws Sting for his first reign instead of the Barry Windam(sp?) cage match. I'm with you on Vader. He was such a monster because he could always beat guys like Sting, and that was a huge plus for his push. My favorite match between these guys was at Starrcade 92 in the finals of that King of Cable tournament, where Sting went over, but Barley. There strap match at Superbrawl was great as well. As for liking 1987 and before, it was a different era, that's for sure. It maybe that when I started renting tapes as a 7 yr old in 1993, these were indirectly my favorite events to follow. It would pay off when I started at the wrestling school and when I started working matches in front of people. See, I was lazy as hell in a way, and I did not like to get hurt. I wanted to know how guys like Flair/Steamboat/Savage/Bret Hart/Harley Race, etc. were able to get their matches over without risking life and limb each time out. These were my idols for wanting to be in the business, and all of my matches featured many old school spots, and most importantly, psychology. CW Anderson came in for a show where he trained the 'highspot' guys who worked stiff. I wish I had a video of it. Anyway, that night it was me and the two high flying heels where he stiffed the crap out of them, but was light as a feather to me. I did a few spots with CW before he tagged out and it was me and my trainer. To be fair, these guys were self taught, and great acrobats, but they did not know wrestling formula, so CW spent all afternoon trying to give them a crash course. Well, one of them stiffed him, so it was a potato fest, lol. I told you that to illustrate that I truly understand it when Watts wanted the top rope to mean something again. However, I think there should have been an exception for the lighter guys. One other thing I left out; I am probably the biggest Vince Russo mark on the planet, but his booking style is worthless when you have all of the guys working ring psychology and genuinely telling a story in every match. His forte is writing stuff that allows the audience to be able to miss out on the little things that guys today seem to not know how to do. I also like the surprises, but WCW/NWA showed us convincing storylines without predictable parts in them when Russo was still hocking videos. In other words, he is still entertaining/writing to get around people's short comings, but he is also not able to book the kind of show I would prefer to see, and is the lesser of 2 evils (Steph). These 'little things' can only really be taught in the ring. It is also a blessing for TNA to have the older guys (yes, even the Nasties) around to teach this stuff. The reason being is that guys go to a school, learn to bump and do moves, and come up with spots then decide their training is over. They then go off to the independent circuit, where a lot of them make it to TNA. They miss out on the rest of their education though.
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Post by Madman Szalinski on Feb 24, 2010 14:17:35 GMT -5
Great American Bash 1991.
The InVasion.
Get The "F" Out.
I'd like to also nominate whoever was the first to use a cheese grater in a wrestling match.
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Post by squaredcircle on Feb 24, 2010 15:04:30 GMT -5
I'm going with Verne Gagne losing Hulk Hogan over some petty T-shirt money.
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Post by chunkylover53 on Feb 24, 2010 16:04:00 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. Actually, the World Wildlife Fund gave Vince crap about the use of WWF initials before, but never to that level. For a long time, they were marketed as the World Wrestling Federation, but come the late 90s, the WWF got immensely popular and it was something beyond Vince's control. What he should've done however was offer the World Wildlife Fund money to change their name, or he could've paid them the money to allow past footage of old WWF events(especially The Attitude Era) to air uncensored. It would've saved them loads of money and hassle in the long run. Anyway, I would say exploiting Eddie Guerrero's death and Sgt. Slaughter being an Iraqi sympathizer were in horrible taste. I'm debating weather continuing Over The Edge 1999 after Owen Hart was killed in that freak accident was in bad taste.
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Post by Nickybojelais on Feb 24, 2010 16:57:06 GMT -5
The Iron Sheik for not humbling the Ultimate Warrior in the Summerslam main event after the Warrior held Vince to ransom right before the match.
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Post by toodarkmark on Feb 24, 2010 21:19:22 GMT -5
I'll admit, it wouldn't have bothered me at all if the mats had stayed. I see what Watts was going for, but it wasn't really necessary. As far as the top rope rule, aside from not getting to see the Alabama Jam at a house show I went to, I honestly didn't really notice it. And Watts has stated that the plan was to lift the rule after a while, once a guy coming off the top rope actually meant something again. Simmons as champ could have worked. The pop when he won the belt was massive, and there were actually people crying in the audience. What hurt Ron was a lack of credible challengers. He ended up defending the belt against the Barbarian in a semi-main event at Halloween Havoc. Now, I like Barbarian, but he wasn't seen as a main event guy. I like Cactus Jack, too, but at that point in time, he wasn't a main event guy either. Ron won the belt and then all they had as established main event heels were Vader and Rude. Putting the belt on Simmons wasn't a bad idea. Doing it when they weren't prepared was. I agree about Rude. I thought he should have been world champion. But, I thought that in the WWF. About Sting, I'm kind of conflicted. In one way, I totally agree that he should have had that mega run. On the other, it would have seemed strange to have him dominating Vader the way such a run would entail. Beating him could be fine, but if he beat him enough to really get that Superman run, it would kill the top heel. Much like Hogan would do a few years later. And I may be in the minority, but if you enjoyed wrestling in 1987 that makes your opinion carry more weight with me. First and foremost, I was in a rush when I made that post earlier. I did not really get to elaborate on what they did right. As a fan, the rope rule was awesome. It made it all look believable, since there were actual parameters and rules to follow. Most guys were doing things that were so ahead of their time in the ring that the actual wrestling product destroyed the WWF in 1992. The bad was the refusal to make those marketing decisions, like giving Sting a great run, but Watts wasn't the only one doing that. Sting should have had a few big matches with Flair after he beat him at Starrcade 1989 in that round robin, superstar of the 90's tournament. He should have ruled 1990-1991, and Flair should have worked with someone else while he was there. Imagine if Flair never has the belt, and Luger screws Sting for his first reign instead of the Barry Windam(sp?) cage match. I'm with you on Vader. He was such a monster because he could always beat guys like Sting, and that was a huge plus for his push. My favorite match between these guys was at Starrcade 92 in the finals of that King of Cable tournament, where Sting went over, but Barley. There strap match at Superbrawl was great as well. As for liking 1987 and before, it was a different era, that's for sure. It maybe that when I started renting tapes as a 7 yr old in 1993, these were indirectly my favorite events to follow. It would pay off when I started at the wrestling school and when I started working matches in front of people. See, I was lazy as hell in a way, and I did not like to get hurt. I wanted to know how guys like Flair/Steamboat/Savage/Bret Hart/Harley Race, etc. were able to get their matches over without risking life and limb each time out. These were my idols for wanting to be in the business, and all of my matches featured many old school spots, and most importantly, psychology. CW Anderson came in for a show where he trained the 'highspot' guys who worked stiff. I wish I had a video of it. Anyway, that night it was me and the two high flying heels where he stiffed the crap out of them, but was light as a feather to me. I did a few spots with CW before he tagged out and it was me and my trainer. To be fair, these guys were self taught, and great acrobats, but they did not know wrestling formula, so CW spent all afternoon trying to give them a crash course. Well, one of them stiffed him, so it was a potato fest, lol. I told you that to illustrate that I truly understand it when Watts wanted the top rope to mean something again. However, I think there should have been an exception for the lighter guys. One other thing I left out; I am probably the biggest Vince Russo mark on the planet, but his booking style is worthless when you have all of the guys working ring psychology and genuinely telling a story in every match. His forte is writing stuff that allows the audience to be able to miss out on the little things that guys today seem to not know how to do. I also like the surprises, but WCW/NWA showed us convincing storylines without predictable parts in them when Russo was still hocking videos. In other words, he is still entertaining/writing to get around people's short comings, but he is also not able to book the kind of show I would prefer to see, and is the lesser of 2 evils (Steph). These 'little things' can only really be taught in the ring. It is also a blessing for TNA to have the older guys (yes, even the Nasties) around to teach this stuff. The reason being is that guys go to a school, learn to bump and do moves, and come up with spots then decide their training is over. They then go off to the independent circuit, where a lot of them make it to TNA. They miss out on the rest of their education though. Big fan of this convo.
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Post by jobsquad on Feb 24, 2010 21:50:58 GMT -5
First and foremost, I was in a rush when I made that post earlier. I did not really get to elaborate on what they did right. As a fan, the rope rule was awesome. It made it all look believable, since there were actual parameters and rules to follow. Most guys were doing things that were so ahead of their time in the ring that the actual wrestling product destroyed the WWF in 1992. The bad was the refusal to make those marketing decisions, like giving Sting a great run, but Watts wasn't the only one doing that. Sting should have had a few big matches with Flair after he beat him at Starrcade 1989 in that round robin, superstar of the 90's tournament. He should have ruled 1990-1991, and Flair should have worked with someone else while he was there. Imagine if Flair never has the belt, and Luger screws Sting for his first reign instead of the Barry Windam(sp?) cage match. I'm with you on Vader. He was such a monster because he could always beat guys like Sting, and that was a huge plus for his push. My favorite match between these guys was at Starrcade 92 in the finals of that King of Cable tournament, where Sting went over, but Barley. There strap match at Superbrawl was great as well. As for liking 1987 and before, it was a different era, that's for sure. It maybe that when I started renting tapes as a 7 yr old in 1993, these were indirectly my favorite events to follow. It would pay off when I started at the wrestling school and when I started working matches in front of people. See, I was lazy as hell in a way, and I did not like to get hurt. I wanted to know how guys like Flair/Steamboat/Savage/Bret Hart/Harley Race, etc. were able to get their matches over without risking life and limb each time out. These were my idols for wanting to be in the business, and all of my matches featured many old school spots, and most importantly, psychology. CW Anderson came in for a show where he trained the 'highspot' guys who worked stiff. I wish I had a video of it. Anyway, that night it was me and the two high flying heels where he stiffed the crap out of them, but was light as a feather to me. I did a few spots with CW before he tagged out and it was me and my trainer. To be fair, these guys were self taught, and great acrobats, but they did not know wrestling formula, so CW spent all afternoon trying to give them a crash course. Well, one of them stiffed him, so it was a potato fest, lol. I told you that to illustrate that I truly understand it when Watts wanted the top rope to mean something again. However, I think there should have been an exception for the lighter guys. One other thing I left out; I am probably the biggest Vince Russo mark on the planet, but his booking style is worthless when you have all of the guys working ring psychology and genuinely telling a story in every match. His forte is writing stuff that allows the audience to be able to miss out on the little things that guys today seem to not know how to do. I also like the surprises, but WCW/NWA showed us convincing storylines without predictable parts in them when Russo was still hocking videos. In other words, he is still entertaining/writing to get around people's short comings, but he is also not able to book the kind of show I would prefer to see, and is the lesser of 2 evils (Steph). These 'little things' can only really be taught in the ring. It is also a blessing for TNA to have the older guys (yes, even the Nasties) around to teach this stuff. The reason being is that guys go to a school, learn to bump and do moves, and come up with spots then decide their training is over. They then go off to the independent circuit, where a lot of them make it to TNA. They miss out on the rest of their education though. Big fan of this convo. Thank you. I joined this board to share my knowledge with people. I skipped other boards and the like because they were not really moderated like this one is. It is the best moderated board on the net on the subject. Just one person following it means a lot to me, thank you.
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Post by indymadman on Feb 24, 2010 22:05:18 GMT -5
People already mentioned the AWA/Hogan fiasco...
Mine is easy... Nitro moved to Monday
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barley96
Dennis Stamp
This is the biggest Mickie James mark
Posts: 4,170
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Post by barley96 on Feb 24, 2010 22:11:13 GMT -5
WCW not pushing new talent which drove away Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Eddy Guerrero. this was the death knell of WCW.
WWE changing WWECW from a version of its former self to WWE's C show. Ratings were higher when WWECW was more geared towards the IWC.
A lot of people will think of me as a moron, but WWE not pushing Christian prior to his TNA run. I believe that Christian helped elevate TNA with his rivalries against Samoa Joe and Sting. Now TNA is ready to go to war with WWE.
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Paco
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 7,145
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Post by Paco on Feb 24, 2010 22:25:14 GMT -5
Mine is RVD getting busted causing him to lose both the WWE and ECW Championships on back-to-back nights. Speaking of which, here's an off-shoot, Brian Kendrick having his priorities out of whack (pot > the major league push you've worked for ever since wrestling in a gym for 12 people) Mine is easy... Nitro moved to Monday Nitro never moved to Monday. It was there from the beginning.
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Post by PaperStreetBrigade on Feb 24, 2010 22:26:28 GMT -5
Anytime Vince didn't like anyone cause they were "Too Small" Actually I'm shocked Mysterio ever had a title run.
I'm tired of almost everyone looking the same on either WWE show, either huge freaks of Nature, or steroided out freaks.
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H-Fist
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 6,485
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Post by H-Fist on Feb 24, 2010 22:35:01 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. Actually, the World Wildlife Fund gave Vince crap about the use of WWF initials before, but never to that level. For a long time, they were marketed as the World Wrestling Federation, but come the late 90s, the WWF got immensely popular and it was something beyond Vince's control. What he should've done however was offer the World Wildlife Fund money to change their name, or he could've paid them the money to allow past footage of old WWF events(especially The Attitude Era) to air uncensored. It would've saved them loads of money and hassle in the long run. Anyway, I would say exploiting Eddie Guerrero's death and Sgt. Slaughter being an Iraqi sympathizer were in horrible taste. I'm debating weather continuing Over The Edge 1999 after Owen Hart was killed in that freak accident was in bad taste. The World Wildlife Fund brand was a lot more established than Vince's was and they certainly had more money. Vince never would have been able to pay them off to change their name because of the PR issues and such it would entail. The irony, however, is that the organization changed its official name outside of North America to World Wide Fund for Nature, retaining the original name in the U.S. and Canada.
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Post by jobsquad on Feb 24, 2010 22:39:57 GMT -5
WCW not pushing new talent which drove away Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Eddy Guerrero. this was the death knell of WCW. WWE changing WWECW from a version of its former self to WWE's C show. Ratings were higher when WWECW was more geared towards the IWC. A lot of people will think of me as a moron, but WWE not pushing Christian prior to his TNA run. I believe that Christian helped elevate TNA with his rivalries against Samoa Joe and Sting. Now TNA is ready to go to war with WWE. I don't think of you as a moron, in fact, I highly respect YOUR opinion, as I do most guys on the internet. You know what you want to see and are damn disappointed when you don't get it, believe me, I know. Christian is a great talent, his look is what is holding him back, either way. When you come up with a storyline, you think of how a particular worker will LOOK doing your main parts, and Christian, for some reason, never cuts the mustard with creative. Christian is probably in their top 20 overall, and he should be a major player because he can tell a great story in the ring.
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Post by Super Duper Dragunov on Feb 25, 2010 1:56:23 GMT -5
Not having Sting go over Hogan cleanly. You know when and where. outside of the business decisions this is the first "match" answer that popped in my head. even the rematch on Nitro the next night....wtf?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2010 11:02:37 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. I blame that stupid venture into football as the reason he didn't spend money like water to get some of the top guys. That's why the first men you seen in the first stages of this InVasion were Lance Storm & Hugh Morrus, not Goldberg and Booker T. My opinion: I'm sure Vince figured since it was the only wrestling on Monday nights, he was expecting all those WCW loyalists to switch over on a dime and the ratings would skyrocket. That didn't happen because most WCW fans (the ones that remained, that is) are very stubborn. I lived in the South - most of my friends who live there think the WWF/E is garbage, too cartoonish (the production didn't look right to them), "fake"/too soap opera-like, what-have-you. They didn't like their brand of wrestling and were not going to care about Lance Storm or Buff Bagwell jumping over to them. But, they loved Goldberg, they loved Sting, respected Ric Flair, they hated Scott Steiner - but Scott was one of "their guys". If you gave those fans a real reason to get interested in the WWF, that's how you do it. Not with marginally mid-to-lower card guys who just wasted time. Add to that the idea the ECWCW crew were never really treated as a real threat to anybody - until Vince had a couple of the WWF guys "jump sides". The WWF didn't just drop the ball. They stepped on it with their cleats, deflated it, tore the pigskin casing away, set the rubber bladder on fire and inhaled the noxious fumes. Then, they went about writing a year's worth of feces that only showed the world Vince flushed a billion-dollar storyline down the crapper, just to show everyone he had the power to do so. (God forbid somebody might actually look strong and people might want to buy tickets.)
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