SAJ Forth
Wade Wilson
Jamaican WCF Crazy!
Half Man-Half Amazing
Posts: 27,214
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Post by SAJ Forth on Mar 8, 2016 13:40:10 GMT -5
Facing bad gimmicks in good matches.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,722
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Post by nisidhe on Mar 8, 2016 14:15:41 GMT -5
1995 was a crap year overall, but Bret Hart was perhaps the one bright spot in WWE at the time. Not only did he add gravitas and interest to on-paper Gooker-nominee gimmicks, he actually turned the ignition on the Attitude Era by going through the table during his title match against Nash and the bladejob against Davey Boy the following month.
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Post by HMARK Center on Mar 8, 2016 18:53:55 GMT -5
It's amazing to see the moment the company begins to realize what they've been missing, and it takes all the damn way until Survivor Series '96 once Bret and Austin start their match. JR outright exclaims how neither man is a "garbageman" or whatever other gimmicks, they're wrestlers who are going to fight one another, one to prove he's still the best, the other to keep the other guy from ever moving again. You think back to that era, and there was really nobody else Austin could've had that feud with; Bret was really the only guy there who had the championship aura, gravitas, and "real fighter" feel that made all of their interactions feel very "real", while so much else that was going on the company felt beyond hokey.
They had to drag their fanbase (and Bret, in terms of his booking) through the entirety of 1995 and most of 1996 to get there, and it very nearly killed the promotion, and even then they STILL didn't immediately follow Bret/Austin up very well given how poorly events through WM 13 went. It's kind of jaw-dropping to think about.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Mar 8, 2016 19:35:17 GMT -5
This year always made me feel like Vince never truly wanted Bret to be THE MAN. After Hogan left, he put the title on Bret but quickly wanted Lex Luger to take over. When Luger failed miserably, he went back to Bret but again, found his next project in Diesel. While Diesel held the title for a year, he stuck Bret in midcard hell. That was dumb considering the severe lack of star power at the time.
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Post by Nickybojelais on Mar 9, 2016 19:11:02 GMT -5
Has any top guy ever had a more mediocre year? Rock in '99 perhaps? Although it started strongly with Mankind and Austin, after Mania he just seemed like a total afterthought, feuding with Billy Gunn, the British Bulldog, Al Snow!!! and tagging with Foley against the likes of the Outlaws and Hollies.
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Tony Schiavontay
Dennis Stamp
This is the greatest post in the history of this board!
Posts: 4,083
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Post by Tony Schiavontay on Mar 9, 2016 19:23:47 GMT -5
Has any top guy ever had a more mediocre year? Rock in '99 perhaps? Although it started strongly with Mankind and Austin, after Mania he just seemed like a total afterthought, feuding with Billy Gunn, the British Bulldog, Al Snow!!! and tagging with Foley against the likes of the Outlaws and Hollies. Yeah, after Mania the only thing Rock had was feuding with Triple H early in the summer but it felt like a placeholder for both guys. Triple H was getting the rocket strapped to his back (as Rock had the prior year) and Rock just kind of got left out. There had to be better uses of him though, especially at Summerslam. The semi-main event of the second biggest card of the year was a comedy match where one of the top guys shoved a midcarder's face up an obese woman's ass. What a waste of the Rock. And of course Bret Hart had a far more mediocre year in 1998 but that's a completely different thread. At least this one there are actual feuds, matches and moments to talk about.
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Post by Nickybojelais on Mar 9, 2016 19:36:19 GMT -5
Rock in '99 perhaps? Although it started strongly with Mankind and Austin, after Mania he just seemed like a total afterthought, feuding with Billy Gunn, the British Bulldog, Al Snow!!! and tagging with Foley against the likes of the Outlaws and Hollies. Yeah, after Mania the only thing Rock had was feuding with Triple H early in the summer but it felt like a placeholder for both guys. Triple H was getting the rocket strapped to his back (as Rock had the prior year) and Rock just kind of got left out. There had to be better uses of him though, especially at Summerslam. The semi-main event of the second biggest card of the year was a comedy match where one of the top guys shoved a midcarder's face up an obese woman's ass. What a waste of the Rock. And of course Bret Hart had a far more mediocre year in 1998 but that's a completely different thread. At least this one there are actual feuds, matches and moments to talk about. At we got JR's "And The Rock put Billy Gunn's face in that large woman's ass" out of that Summerslam match.
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Post by berlynwright on Mar 9, 2016 21:33:38 GMT -5
Bret still had great matches here and there. I might probably the only one who liked the Season's beatings match more than the Summerslam 92 one.
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Post by BRAINFADE on Mar 12, 2016 9:24:04 GMT -5
Bret still had great matches here and there. I might probably the only one who liked the Season's beatings match more than the Summerslam 92 one. You're not the only one. Although as a Brit I see the significance of the SummerSlam match, I though the IYH match the two had was better. Thought it at the time and still do.
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Renslayer
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
every time i come around your city...
Posts: 16,573
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Post by Renslayer on Mar 12, 2016 15:40:34 GMT -5
Rock in '99 perhaps? Although it started strongly with Mankind and Austin, after Mania he just seemed like a total afterthought, feuding with Billy Gunn, the British Bulldog, Al Snow!!! and tagging with Foley against the likes of the Outlaws and Hollies. Yeah, after Mania the only thing Rock had was feuding with Triple H early in the summer but it felt like a placeholder for both guys. Triple H was getting the rocket strapped to his back (as Rock had the prior year) and Rock just kind of got left out. There had to be better uses of him though, especially at Summerslam. The semi-main event of the second biggest card of the year was a comedy match where one of the top guys shoved a midcarder's face up an obese woman's ass. What a waste of the Rock. And of course Bret Hart had a far more mediocre year in 1998 but that's a completely different thread. At least this one there are actual feuds, matches and moments to talk about. Not that I disagree with anything you said, but what would we be able to do with Rock after Backlash? can't think of anyone they'd be able to pair with him until HHH fully supplanted himself in the main event (& even that took until the end of the year).
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
Better have my money when I come-a collect!
Posts: 27,959
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Post by chazraps on Mar 12, 2016 15:50:41 GMT -5
Did we ever get Bret vs Jarrett in '95?
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TGM
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 6,073
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Post by TGM on Mar 12, 2016 17:34:05 GMT -5
Did we ever get Bret vs Jarrett in '95? Google tells me in on a RAW in January.
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Tony Schiavontay
Dennis Stamp
This is the greatest post in the history of this board!
Posts: 4,083
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Post by Tony Schiavontay on Mar 13, 2016 0:47:00 GMT -5
Yeah, after Mania the only thing Rock had was feuding with Triple H early in the summer but it felt like a placeholder for both guys. Triple H was getting the rocket strapped to his back (as Rock had the prior year) and Rock just kind of got left out. There had to be better uses of him though, especially at Summerslam. The semi-main event of the second biggest card of the year was a comedy match where one of the top guys shoved a midcarder's face up an obese woman's ass. What a waste of the Rock. And of course Bret Hart had a far more mediocre year in 1998 but that's a completely different thread. At least this one there are actual feuds, matches and moments to talk about. Not that I disagree with anything you said, but what would we be able to do with Rock after Backlash? can't think of anyone they'd be able to pair with him until HHH fully supplanted himself in the main event (& even that took until the end of the year). There really isn't much. Having some good but ultimately forgettable matches with HHH (especially their much stronger and more memorable 1998 and 2000 feuds), wrestling some of his lackeys and then tagging with Mick was really all there was for him. If anything it shows just how thin the card was before Angle and the Radicalz came in. Jericho had just debuted and, if anything, I'd put Rock in there with him for Summerslam.
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Post by johnnyk9 on Mar 13, 2016 17:41:13 GMT -5
As much as it gets a bad rap for the kiss my foot match, I thought rekindling his feud with Lawler was greatly done, mostly thanks to Lawler, I feel what killed it was Issac Yankem, they should've just ended it at KOTR
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