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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Mar 24, 2024 15:23:58 GMT -5
So watching a comp of WCW Worldwide on YouTube. Currently on January 1995, here are my observations.
1. Eric Bischoff is very insider with commentary. One of the cases of this is during a Nasty Boys match where he brings up them beating up Ken Shamrock. This was 2 years before Shamrock debuted in the WWF but he was a name in the UFC I'd imagine at the time. Just seems odd to bring this up and brag about it on air.
2. Jean-Paul Levesque gets dragged pretty hard. First Bobby Heenan says he pretended to speak French and figured out his name. Later on a show Tony mentions that he is looking to team with Lord Steven Regal. My guess is they would have been a Tag Team in 1995 and likely feuded with The Nasty Boys and Harlem Heat for the belts. Bischoff eventually ends the JPL arc by saying that Jean-Paul Levesque was suppose to be a big deal but he couldn't cut the mustard. Those comments aged well.
3. The crowd is chanting "USA" during Duggan's match with Bunkhouse Buck. That Japanese Heel Bunkhouse Buck.
4. Its weird to see Colonel Parker managing Arn. I'm surprised he was still with him, but he shortly goes back to Flair.
5. The amount of big name sponsors is crazy. Milky Way, McDonalds, Spearmint Gum, and The Mask; WCW was way ahead of the WWF with mainstream product placement.
6. Hotline was 1.49 a minute. Today it would be $3.03. Yikes.
I'll have more. Any thoughts so far?
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Post by David-Arquette was in WCW 2000 on Mar 24, 2024 15:32:35 GMT -5
I'm honestly surprised by that many massive sponsors. That would be impressive these days for a PPV, but on a show that would not long after this be relegated to B, and later C status, that is amazing.
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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Mar 24, 2024 15:34:35 GMT -5
I'm honestly surprised by that many massive sponsors. That would be impressive these days for a PPV, but on a show that would not long after this be relegated to B, and later C status, that is amazing. Thats what blew me away. This was a Saturday morning show I believe.
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Post by David-Arquette was in WCW 2000 on Mar 24, 2024 15:41:33 GMT -5
I'm honestly surprised by that many massive sponsors. That would be impressive these days for a PPV, but on a show that would not long after this be relegated to B, and later C status, that is amazing. Thats what blew me away. This was a Saturday morning show I believe. You're right, wasn't this a B show already? Saturday Night was their flagship show before Nitro wasn't it, so that's even more impressive haha
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Post by lildude8218 on Mar 24, 2024 15:46:20 GMT -5
Levesque and Regal did have a couple of matches together as a team before HHH left.
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Post by A Platypus Rave on Mar 24, 2024 15:49:08 GMT -5
2. Jean-Paul Levesque gets dragged pretty hard. First Bobby Heenan says he pretended to speak French and figured out his name. Later on a show Tony mentions that he is looking to team with Lord Steven Regal. My guess is they would have been a Tag Team in 1995 and likely feuded with The Nasty Boys and Harlem Heat for the belts. Bischoff eventually ends the JPL arc by saying that Jean-Paul Levesque was suppose to be a big deal but he couldn't cut the mustard. Those comments aged well. They did team for a very short time before he left for WWF From WCW Pro on Dec 31st.
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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Mar 24, 2024 15:50:14 GMT -5
Thats what blew me away. This was a Saturday morning show I believe. You're right, wasn't this a B show already? Saturday Night was their flagship show before Nitro wasn't it, so that's even more impressive haha I think they had a Sunday night show too. Another observation. 7. They advertise "The Mask" in an episode from February 1995 and the cost of the VHS being 19.98. That's 38 dollars today for a 4:3 VHS copy of a movie. 8. The Control Center was so much like the one the WWF did that if I was a blind viewer just flipping channels, I wouldn't know the difference between WWF and WCW minus the mentioning of the company name.
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Post by Jaws the Shark on Mar 24, 2024 15:52:00 GMT -5
Jean-Paul Levesque gets dragged pretty hard. First Bobby Heenan says he pretended to speak French and figured out his name. Later on a show Tony mentions that he is looking to team with Lord Steven Regal. This always seemed like a weird pairing, because the British and the French spent several centuries kicking the shit out of each other on and off. I assume that Bischoff or someone thought that since we were both European countries with aristocracies at some point, we were either big pals or could be passed off as such. Because, you know, wrestling.
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Post by A Platypus Rave on Mar 24, 2024 15:55:29 GMT -5
also watching this match Regal is wearing blue tights... blue! It's not right I tells you! (especially odd as he does have the Mauve boots) Jean-Paul Levesque gets dragged pretty hard. First Bobby Heenan says he pretended to speak French and figured out his name. Later on a show Tony mentions that he is looking to team with Lord Steven Regal. This always seemed like a weird pairing, because the British and the French spent several centuries kicking the shit out of each other on and off. I assume that Bischoff or someone thought that since we were both European countries with aristocracies at some point, we were either big pals or could be passed off as such. Because, you know, wrestling. Yeah, it's probably just them thinking aristocracy rather than any thought in history... like any time someone pairs up someone Irish with the English... >_>
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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Mar 24, 2024 15:58:24 GMT -5
also watching this match Regal is wearing blue tights... blue! It's not right I tells you! (especially odd as he does have the Mauve boots) This always seemed like a weird pairing, because the British and the French spent several centuries kicking the shit out of each other on and off. I assume that Bischoff or someone thought that since we were both European countries with aristocracies at some point, we were either big pals or could be passed off as such. Because, you know, wrestling. Yeah, it's probably just them thinking aristocracy rather than any thought in history... like any time someone pairs up someone Irish with the English... >_> i.e. Finley and Regal in WWE
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Post by A Platypus Rave on Mar 24, 2024 16:07:32 GMT -5
watching the Regal/Levesque vs. Jobbers match on pro... they go into the logic behind the Pedigree... which is interesting to hear. Something like when you're put in the double underhook your instincts are expecting to get lifted for a suplex so you lower your center of gravity which works to Jean-Paul's favor.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Mar 24, 2024 16:37:05 GMT -5
also watching this match Regal is wearing blue tights... blue! It's not right I tells you! (especially odd as he does have the Mauve boots) Yeah, it's probably just them thinking aristocracy rather than any thought in history... like any time someone pairs up someone Irish with the English... >_> i.e. Finley and Regal in WWE He is at least Northern Irish
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Mar 24, 2024 17:44:31 GMT -5
also watching this match Regal is wearing blue tights... blue! It's not right I tells you! (especially odd as he does have the Mauve boots) This always seemed like a weird pairing, because the British and the French spent several centuries kicking the shit out of each other on and off. I assume that Bischoff or someone thought that since we were both European countries with aristocracies at some point, we were either big pals or could be passed off as such. Because, you know, wrestling. Yeah, it's probably just them thinking aristocracy rather than any thought in history... like any time someone pairs up someone Irish with the English... >_> Nah, we can team.up with the French when it comes to you yanks.
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Post by jason1980s on Mar 24, 2024 18:35:59 GMT -5
That's odd the commentators would be trash talking Jean-Paul that early on. I know Worldwide shows were taped months in advance so commentary was be dubbed later. I don't think he debuted in WWF until April or May but according to wikipedia he left WCW in January so they probably put the match on with the commentary knowing his plan was to go to WWF. He said he'd take his chances in WWF where they were known to make stars.
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Post by cjh on Mar 24, 2024 18:46:31 GMT -5
Regarding the sponsors, I have noticed that WCW programming seemed to have way more commercials than WWF shows. WCW Main Event, a 1-hour show airing Sunday evenings on TBS, would be around 40 minutes without the commercials while a 1-hour WWF show would be about 45-46 minutes.
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Post by MrElijah on Mar 24, 2024 19:24:40 GMT -5
Thats what blew me away. This was a Saturday morning show I believe. You're right, wasn't this a B show already? Saturday Night was their flagship show before Nitro wasn't it, so that's even more impressive haha Yeah Worldwide was a B Show from jump, since Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling was JCP's original A Show.
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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Mar 24, 2024 19:36:21 GMT -5
That's odd the commentators would be trash talking Jean-Paul that early on. I know Worldwide shows were taped months in advance so commentary was be dubbed later. I don't think he debuted in WWF until April or May but according to wikipedia he left WCW in January so they probably put the match on with the commentary knowing his plan was to go to WWF. He said he'd take his chances in WWF where they were known to make stars. Seems like he would have been in the Blue Bloods and possibly in the hunt for the Tag Titles with Regal so they were trying to set up the character. Not sure if that whole "My name isn't really Terra Ryzing" promo was a WCW creative or a Hunter idea but Heenan mocked it while Tony was hyping up him and Regal. Eric just flat out buried him and it was so out of the way. The context was Alex Wright entering the ring and Bischoff referring to their Starrcade 94 match but he wnet backhand, almsost to dismiss him all together.
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Post by jason1980s on Mar 24, 2024 19:57:06 GMT -5
Seems like he would have been in the Blue Bloods and possibly in the hunt for the Tag Titles with Regal so they were trying to set up the character. Not sure if that whole "My name isn't really Terra Ryzing" promo was a WCW creative or a Hunter idea but Heenan mocked it while Tony was hyping up him and Regal. Eric just flat out buried him and it was so out of the way. The context was Alex Wright entering the ring and Bischoff referring to their Starrcade 94 match but he wnet backhand, almsost to dismiss him all together. He had to have been out or just about out the door at that point. No reason to bury him that bad otherwise. He was a decent hand at the time. WCW really did not have a way to market him, not really their fault if he was stuck on the blue blood gimmick but it's not like they were churning out a lot of new stars. Other than Paul himself, maybe friends and family, I don't see anyone pegging him as a main eventer. But to downright bury him in commentary, they had to have been burning him in case he would be going to WWF soon.
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Post by ace on Mar 24, 2024 20:44:15 GMT -5
Seems like he would have been in the Blue Bloods and possibly in the hunt for the Tag Titles with Regal so they were trying to set up the character. Not sure if that whole "My name isn't really Terra Ryzing" promo was a WCW creative or a Hunter idea but Heenan mocked it while Tony was hyping up him and Regal. Eric just flat out buried him and it was so out of the way. The context was Alex Wright entering the ring and Bischoff referring to their Starrcade 94 match but he wnet backhand, almsost to dismiss him all together. He had to have been out or just about out the door at that point. No reason to bury him that bad otherwise. He was a decent hand at the time. WCW really did not have a way to market him, not really their fault if he was stuck on the blue blood gimmick but it's not like they were churning out a lot of new stars. Other than Paul himself, maybe friends and family, I don't see anyone pegging him as a main eventer. But to downright bury him in commentary, they had to have been burning him in case he would be going to WWF soon. Ironic given that pegging is what got him main events. anyway…what I remember about that era HHH was that he was clearly better than Alex Wright and commentary was relentless on telling me the opposite.
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Post by Squirrel Master on Mar 25, 2024 15:46:37 GMT -5
I enjoyed the camaraderie on WCW Worldwide between Terry Funk and Chris Cruise on commentary. One could tell they were good friends.
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