Your favorite time as a fan of wrestling

[smokinvokoun]

I'm sure this thread has been done before but oh well.

My favorite time was probably being a WCW fan in 96 to 98. I live in the Chicagoland area and there was two things I would watch constantly as a kid back then, it was The Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan when they won there last three NBA titles and Monday Nitro every Monday. It was the best of times for me, Nitro ruled during that period, and I never changed, even when the WWF Attitude era come around. But unfortunetly both of my favorite things, The Bulls and WCW started to go really bad at the around the same time, and that era of me being a die hard for both of them died out. But that era of 96 to 98 was perhaps the funnist times for me being a wrestling and sports fan.

[Cactus Jack]

Early 2000 WWF.

[Jimichiro Likes Erick Rowan]

2002-2005, mostly for Smackdown.

[Loki]

WWF 1987-1994 easily.

Being a mark until my first house show (when older smarks had to "spoil" the fun to everybody else) made the good old days 10x better.

I remember fondly the anticipation for the weekly episode of Superstars (friday night, then saturday night, then sunday morning), the excitement for the live PPVs, the disappointment when they brought WWF on pay-tv...

Sadly I won't be able to enjoy wrestling like I used to do 15 years ago.

[skillz]

WWF 1985-1992
WCW 1996-1998

[Dynamite Kid]

2000-end of InVasion.

The InVasion, before I looked back and realised it sucked, was a great time to be a fan.

[rhynomite]

I would say Hulkamania era first because thats what made me a fan first. I still remember when Hogan won the belt from the Sheik. Andre pouring champagne on him that was awesome.

Second the attitude era. It was HHH who made me laugh when they started DX and you had Cold Stone(Mike Tyson) and Rocky Maiva(his original finisher was a shoulder breaker. How lame.)

[YouStayClassy]

WWF from the summer of 1991 to early 1993, a/k/a Bret Hart becoming a superstar and running with the ball.

You had:

*Bret winning the Intercontinental Title in my favorite match of all time

*Bret regaining it in a classic against Piper

*Bret getting the main event at SummerSlam 92 over the Savage/Warrior/Flair/Perfect angle

*Bret unexpectedly winning the World Title (I'll never that episode of WWF Superstars when he came out with the belt. I think you could hear my "WOO HOO!" all the way to the moon.

*Bret's "fighting champion" angle where he defended the belt damn near weekly against EVERYONE (what a unique and original concept that was for a WWF Champion)

*Bret's defense against newly minted superstar Shawn Michaels at the Survivor Series. What was originally a minor match on the card was suddenly tha main event with the company's two best wearing the gold

*Bret's awesome defense against Razor Ramon at the Royal Rumble. At that point, he was beyond being "The Man".



If you can't tell, I'm one of the biggest Bret Hart marks breathing.

[YouStayClassy]

Just because I'm bored right now, I'm going to post my second too.

The fall of '98 to early '99 in the WWF, where the Rock started REALLY rising in the ranks.

Right after the AWESOME three way match against Mankind and Ken Shamrock when he started becoming an underdog hero, despite Vince McMahon's best intentions.

The PERFECTLY booked Survivor Series '98 tournament where he overcame all odds to make it to the main event, and the jaw dropping shocker at the end.

The Rock's subsequent promos where he elevated his game into outer space, completely making the crowds eat out of his hand. My favorite just as he was closing and getting ready for his catchphrase: "Whoa whoa whoa Philadelphia, this ain't sing along with the champ!" He just had such an awareness for controlling audiences I'd never really seen before.

The feud with Mankind, which is easily one of my top feuds of all time, if not my #1. One could make a case those two guys brought of the best in each other to an extent which has never been seen in the ring.

[Bishblast]

Spring-Winter '97, WWF. Without a doubt, I will always look at this time as my favorite. The Hart Foundation/USA feud was the hottest thing in my mind, Shawn Michaels heeling throughout the year was amazing, and of course the rise of Austin. Perfect wrestling product, even if the ratings blew then.

Also, late Summer-Winter 2002, Smackdown. The Smackdown Six (Rey, Angle, Benoit, Eddie, Edge, and Chavo) were having ***1/2 star or higher matches every week and the booking was the best, IMO, that wrestling has been in the last 7 years.

[heyguesswhatidid]

1997 WWF.

[Deleted]

WWF, 2000.

The single greatest year of that company, in my opinion. Everything just came together and it made for an exciting product.

[ddt]

Stampede Wrestling, late-70s and first year or two of the 1980s.

WWF, 1986/87 (especially '87).

[Hiroshi Hase]

skillz said:

WWF 1985-1992
WCW 1996-1998

What he said.

Also ECW 1996-1997

[MGH]

WWE 97-02. At the end of that, my love for wrestling died and I left for about 2 years. 1997 is better than so many people will ever give it credit for, and the 98-00 era speaks for itself.
'
Though ROH 06-07 has been climbing the ranks.

[#Classic Hi-Definition X]

WWF: 1997, 2000-2002

After that it all went downhill.

[Jared Has Been Enlightened :)]

1996-2001

Everything pre-96 was tame and boring by comparison, everything post-2001 has been garbage *cough* brand split *cough*.

Although TNA has given me hope for the future. If only they'd get a new and improved set and expand to locations outside of Universal Studios.

[Metalheadbanger Man]

WWF 1998-2002. I watched WWF and WCW compulsively during this period, and being a kid at the time, I marked for so many angles and wrestlers. I only just started watching again in 2006 and it hasn't really been the same, despite some good aspects.

[King Fox -1017 Bricksquad]

WWF 1996-2002
I loved every moment of that time period. When everyone else was jumping on WCW's bandwagon around mid 96 or so, I stayed put.

Also Smackdown late 2002 to early 2004. Great booking with the Smackdown six.

Smackdown early 2006 to mid 2007. After they raped smackdown in the draft, it became a really horrible show

[KevFalcön07]

when I didn't know any better.