Hawk Hart
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by Hawk Hart on Jan 4, 2015 3:19:05 GMT -5
...Mick Foley put a lot butts in the seats.
One of my best wrestling memories and I have Mr. Shivontay to thank for making sure I caught Raw's main event despite WCW having my interest that night.
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Jan 4, 2015 3:20:24 GMT -5
Actually, this took place 16 years and one week ago. Almost infamously.
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Post by Dave the Dave on Jan 4, 2015 3:31:07 GMT -5
Tony gets flack for that call. I blame Easy E.
Yeah. Ernest Miller!
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
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Post by Boo! on Jan 4, 2015 3:37:17 GMT -5
From WCW's point of view it made sense. Offering a free world title match on TV would draw numbers anyway, it wasn't as if without Tony's intervention people wouldn't have cared about it. A large section of the audience was tuning in come what may. It was worth the risk - attempt to lessen the appeal by spoiling the ending. They weren't ever going to stem the tide of fans seeing a title match on TV but who knows whether or not their attempts at spoiling didn't prevent more people from switching to Raw than did.
Sometimes the history of this moment is written to imply that people only cared about a world title match on Raw on the mention of it by Tony Schiavone. It was ALWAYS going to out-pull whatever Nitro had up against it whether Schaivone mentioned it or not. Truth is we don't know how harmful or helpful the comments were to either side but in this 'WWE narrative' world now, it's accepted as a fact that Tony said "that'll put butts in seats" and everyone and his dog who'd never heard of Mick Foley or seen a wrestling show all turned into Raw and Vince became the king of television...or something like that.
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Post by thegame415 on Jan 4, 2015 4:17:39 GMT -5
Nitro never beat Raw in the ratings again
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Hawk Hart
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Sold his organs.
The Best There Is, the Best There Was, and the Best That There Ever Will Be
Posts: 15,296
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Post by Hawk Hart on Jan 4, 2015 4:24:05 GMT -5
From WCW's point of view it made sense. Offering a free world title match on TV would draw numbers anyway, it wasn't as if without Tony's intervention people wouldn't have cared about it. A large section of the audience was tuning in come what may. It was worth the risk - attempt to lessen the appeal by spoiling the ending. They weren't ever going to stem the tide of fans seeing a title match on TV but who knows whether or not their attempts at spoiling didn't prevent more people from switching to Raw than did. Sometimes the history of this moment is written to imply that people only cared about a world title match on Raw on the mention of it by Tony Schiavone. It was ALWAYS going to out-pull whatever Nitro had up against it whether Schaivone mentioned it or not. Truth is we don't know how harmful or helpful the comments were to either side but in this 'WWE narrative' world now, it's accepted as a fact that Tony said "that'll put butts in seats" and everyone and his dog who'd never heard of Mick Foley or seen a wrestling show all turned into Raw and Vince became the king of television...or something like that. Quarter hour ratings breakdowns show how harmful it was to WCW that night. And WCW was running a title match of their own against it. I'm not saying you're entirely wrong, I'm just saying you fudged the facts. Both programs were running a title match on free TV that night. |
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
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Post by Sephiroth on Jan 4, 2015 8:07:17 GMT -5
I remember reading a short story written by one of the newz rag writers right after WCW shut down. It depicted a scenario where Eric Bischoff has a nightmare about what Vince McMahon would do with WCW. It included Vince booking hell in a cell match between him and Bischoff with the stipulation that if Bischoff won he could have WCW back. But Vince proceeded to toss Eric out on to the announce table-at which point Foley leaped off the top of the cage to drop an elbow on Bischoff and asked him "Who's putting butts in the seats now?" The very last part of the story had Bischoff accepting an offer to work in WWE and Vince McMahon handing him a bag with a brightly colored costume and telling him "Congratulations Eric, you're the new Doink!"
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
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Post by nisidhe on Jan 4, 2015 10:34:39 GMT -5
I'm increasingly convinced that the bloom was off WCW's rose prior to that (Starrcade '98 did much to pluck it bare); but Schiavone's commentary was definitely a nail in the coffin for three reasons. First, it revealed the ending of a title match in which a known underdog (Foley) that WCW had made then discarded was about to win wrestling's #1 championship; whatever could be said for WCW, it could never really claim, with a straight face anyway, that their World title was the top prize of them all. Secondly, it revealed the arrogance of WCW's booking team that it could pull the stunts it had while denigrating two of their former stars - stars who went on in WWE to become bigger "household" names. Third, it was simply petty and reeked both of a desperation and a lack of confidence in their product to draw winning numbers against one of WWE's biggest moments.
What might have saved WCW that night was a turn in the booking that restored people's faith that they were going to get something they wanted - I spoke of this at length about the Authority angle - at some point you have to give your viewers what they want and, if you frustrate them or corrupt the object of their desire, they're going to stop caring about what they're watching and, out of powerlessness, they might stop watching altogether. What happened that night was not simply about Mick Foley overcoming the odds and becoming bigger than WCW could make him; it was about three years of predatory marketing and alienation-theater-style booking by WCW coming back to bite it on the ass.
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Lancers
El Dandy
Oh you
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Post by Lancers on Jan 4, 2015 11:31:56 GMT -5
Nitro never beat Raw in the ratings again I read this in Keith David's voice. He's quickly moving up the Black Male Voiceover Depth Chart. He's currently #3 behind Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones. |
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jan 4, 2015 11:34:48 GMT -5
Tony gets flack for that call. I blame Easy E. Yeah. Ernest Miller! Foley mentioned something to the degree that he left a message on Tony's answering machine and he actually got back to him, around when this happened, and while he didn't name names and otherwise put his spot in jeopardy, he did basically convey that the line was mandated to him to say and that it was not his own personal opinion, given Foley and him were on good terms. That said, I guess it's possible he was passing the buck, but it's easier to believe he was following orders. |
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jan 4, 2015 11:50:52 GMT -5
One of the greatest moments of my absolute favourite wrestlers, and still one of the greatest calls I've ever heard (the one that has had me on Cole's side since) - 'Mick Foley has done this for himself and for anyone else who's ever been told you can't do it.'
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jan 4, 2015 12:34:11 GMT -5
Well it was 16 years ago today
That Eric Bischoff got the channel changed
The New World Order going out of style
While Mick Foley made the children smile
And interfering in the match
The man you've known for all these years
STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN, WITH A CHAIRRRRRRRR
*horns*
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Post by Sponsored by Groose Wipes on Jan 4, 2015 13:50:45 GMT -5
What made things worse was not only did Tony say that Mick was going to win the belt, is that if you stayed on WCW you got to experience the finger poke of doom. It was almost as if WCW poked fun at people who did not watch Mick win the WWF belt. If people did not turn it into WWF to see Mankind win the belt, then they sure as hell did the next week.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jan 4, 2015 14:46:52 GMT -5
What made things worse was not only did Tony say that Mick was going to win the belt, is that if you stayed on WCW you got to experience the finger poke of doom. It was almost as if WCW poked fun at people who did not watch Mick win the WWF belt. If people did not turn it into WWF to see Mankind win the belt, then they sure as hell did the next week. Foley said in his book that after his win loads of people switched back, which is hilarious because it showed that people actually wanted to see that match. |
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Post by Dr. Mantis Toboggan on Jan 5, 2015 0:48:22 GMT -5
Well it was 16 years ago today That Eric Bischoff got the channel changed The New World Order going out of style While Mick Foley made the children smile And interfering in the match The man you've known for all these years STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN, WITH A CHAIRRRRRRRR *horns*  Late '90s wrestling references used to parody Beatles lyrics? I like your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter. |
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Tony Schiavontay
Dennis Stamp
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Post by Tony Schiavontay on Jan 5, 2015 1:30:46 GMT -5
What?! You all changed the channel to the competition?! I mean Mick Foley who worked here as Cactus Jack?! That was their world champion! Well I regret to inform you people that you missed out on a doozy over here.
Not the greatest night in the history of our sport but up there.
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Cranjis McBasketball
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Jan 5, 2015 3:43:32 GMT -5
Well it was 16 years ago today That Eric Bischoff got the channel changed The New World Order going out of style While Mick Foley made the children smile And interfering in the match The man you've known for all these years STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN, WITH A CHAIRRRRRRRR *horns* Late '90s wrestling references used to parody Beatles lyrics? I like your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter. Nice, I didn't notice until you mentioned it, I just quickly read it and went "Huh"... |
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Magnus the Magnificent
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Post by Magnus the Magnificent on Jan 5, 2015 7:39:35 GMT -5
"That'll put butts into the seats"
Was Tony implying that people watched Nitro standing up, changed the channel and then sat down?
Wondering minds require an answer.
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Rave
El Dandy
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Post by Rave on Jan 5, 2015 10:26:33 GMT -5
Schiavone's call, Goldberg being arrested and unable to make it back to the arena despite the police station being right across the street, and the Fingerpoke of Doom, all happening on the same night. Wow and damn did WCW put on a perfect shitstorm. And nobody linked a video? For shame. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGOvL4TQACM |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 15:10:15 GMT -5
"That'll put butts into the seats" Was Tony implying that people watched Nitro standing up, changed the channel and then sat down? Wondering minds require an answer. He meant "oh that'll draw money" in sarcastic fashion. My apologies if I missed the joke. |
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