WWF in 1984

[wildojinx]

I was watching some 1984 WWF and i noticed that the product, despite being in the hulkamania era (albiet the shows i watched were only a month or so after hogan won the belt), it still had a "regional" feel. They still had only a single camera on the ring (no multi-camera shots, despite WCCW doing that around the same time), and the matches (even the squashes) still had an "old school" feel. Even Piper's Pit wasnt as crazed as it would get later on. So when did the 80s WWF start resembling the product we know it as (by product i mean the 80s feel obviously)?

[Tiger Millionaire]

I would say between Wrestlemania 2 and Wrestlemania 3

[steamboat1]

When they switched to filming tapings in arenas as opposed to the studio/high school feel. Mainly the switch from All-star Wrestling to Superstars of Wrestling and the advent of Wrestling Challenge really changed the presentation of the show. Kevin Dunn, for as much flack as we like to give him, was hired around the end of 85 and really made the show really look big time and brought forward a much more polished looking presentation.

[747]

Wrestlemania 2 did still have that "old school" feel to it and even some of the earlier Superstars that I watched on you tube. Even some of the MSG house shows into 1988 and beyond had that "territorial" feel and by that I mean by the lighting, but I would say that by Wrestlemania III the "old school" feel had been left behind for their major shows.

[hitch]

the MSG house shows were a regional project broadcast only in the NYC area and i believe they were also produced by the MSG Network as opposed to WWE themselves.

[ToyfareMark]

Superstars and Wrestling Challenge debuted in September 86. Its the point where I personally believe the Expansion Era ends (83-86), and the Syndication Era begins (87-92).

[destrucity]

The company said that they learned a lot about how to do TV and make it look big from NBC when they started SNME.

[TuneinTokyo]

Roddy Piper/Frank Williams and the question "Where are you from?" started it all.

[willywonka666]

Don't forget "Championship Wrestling" which predated Superstars and Challenge and aired in 85 and 86. That was when I had barely started watching and I know what you mean about the regional feel and this was where it changed or started to IMO-or at least they were in the process.

[Deleted]

Oct 24, 2012 11:19:11 GMT -5 747 said:

Wrestlemania 2 did still have that "old school" feel to it and even some of the earlier Superstars that I watched on you tube. Even some of the MSG house shows into 1988 and beyond had that "territorial" feel and by that I mean by the lighting, but I would say that by Wrestlemania III the "old school" feel had been left behind for their major shows.

The archaic days of just lighting the ring were over, WrestleMania 2 was what possibly led to this decision. Paul Orndorff & Muraco fought to a DCO outside the ring. But you couldn't see much of it because the ringside area was just too dark. They had a guy with a spotlight, and he wasn't following the action all that well.
You'd watch any promotion and you couldn't see the crowd. If action happened outside the ring, you just couldn't see it all that well.
Now, if you don't draw well, that's the veil you can't see behind. You're too focused on the ring work to notice there might have only been 1,000 people there.

The WWF was starting to draw pretty well. Why not show the people at home all those people coming and pretty much subliminally telling you "this is the place to be"? You'd have a star like Randy Savage who is no stranger to outside the ring chaos, why not light up the ringside area so we can see what's going on?

Crap, Jim Crockett promotions would have really bright lighting for Center Stage taping that drew maybe 30 people. But when you see tapings in high schools and such, the lights were on the ring.

[RowdyRobbyPiper]

A Q for Canadian WWF fans. What was WWF's Maple Leaf Wrestling before it became the Canadian broadcast version of Superstars? When I started watching, the pre-86/post WWF purchase of MLW was jobber squashes a la WWF Championship Wrestling. Monsoon and Ventura (and later Monsoon and Heenan when Ventura left to film Predator) did the commentary and Ventura did the Body Shop (his version of Piper 's Pit).