The IWC in The Attitude Era...

[rawthentic]

I posted on Rajah about 9 years ago. What i remember was The Undertaker, Steve Austin, and The Rock were hated on that board for not having the workrate and holding back the younger guys.

[Crazy Diamond]

The forum I occasionally posted at was tied into a video game board (might have VGF). On this forum there were a significant amount of Hogan and HHH fans. Being a hater of Hogan since childhood and being a legit hater of HHH, I didn't get along with most of the posters there. They would routinely say that guys like Rock and Jericho sucked because they didn't win all the time. They would constantly bash WCW. They generally seemed to like WWF and ECW, but especially the older stuff from the mid-90s. They had no tolerance for any wrestling outside of the US because it was foreign and boring. All of those combined to keep me away from wrestling forums until about last year. I did see discussions about wrestling on other forums I went to like tSf. The fans were like me in that they were between marks and smarks.

Other than that, the only sites related to wrestling I read were Wrestlecrap and another site like Wrestlecrap called Xavier Doom's Slayground. I kind of miss the latter. I think there was another page which was like Wrestlecrap too, but it was smaller.

I knew a kid in middle school who used to constantly say that HHH was screwing the bosses's daughter and that's why he always won. He hated Hogan like most people my age where I lived but his reasoning was because Hogan had "creative control" and could therefore decide whether he won and lost. I asked him where he found about this and he mentioned the Internet. I didn't take him seriously when it came to HHH because I thought he was reading too much into it but the former made sense to me at the time.

[fw91]

Sept 28, 2009 10:13:08 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

If you think Hart/HBK threads are boring now, oh sweet baby jesus they were all over the place in 97.

How were those? Were they split like they sorta are today, or was everybody Pro-Bret ot Pro-HBK?

[Dean-o]

I remember there being a lot more marks around, but other then that, things haven't changed so much

[ritt works hard fo da chickens]

Bret/Shawn was Civil War territory. You had to pick a side there was no liking both. Then again they were different men then. Remember HBK has said himself he was kind of a dick back then. Then Shawn had surgery and was retired forever and Bret was moving toward the top of WCW finally.

Rock was LOATHED and the reason WWF/modern wrestling sucks. I was part of a forum of NWO blindly loyal fans. Hogan/Nash/Hall should get two hour promos every nitro even if the ratings were slipping because the NWO beat the WWF damnit!

Foley was crap and the fact that he was a champion shows how inferior WWF was. Or Foley was better in ECW and WWF was misusing him.

Austin couldn't work he was just punch,kick, give finger, stunner.

DX was always loved but it became massive AFTER Shawn left, which everyone now seems to forget.

And they were going to expand always like the NWO. Dirt sheet rumors had Kane, Val Venis, Justin Credible, and a few others joining from week to week.

That Jericho debut on RAW we love now, it got crapped on big time. The Rock burried him. Or Jericho failed to impress, wasn't worth the hype.

And ECW fans were kinda like modern day RoHbots except on Heyman Kool-Aid and trucker speed.

Today people can like parts of Raw and TNA but back then it was WCW or WWF and the only reason you watched the other was to make fun of the fans of it.

[chunkylover53]

Man, with comments like those, I'm glad I wasn't part of the IWC back then.

[Allie Kitsune]

Sept 28, 2009 23:31:31 GMT -5 ritt works hard fo da chickens said:

Austin couldn't work he was just punch,kick, give finger, stunner.

My all-time favorite response to this was "What? Austin knows 200 moves! Punch, Kick, Stunner, and 197 versions of a clothesline!"

People loved Bret, but there was always a lot of talk about his FIVE MOVES OF DOOM, and some people made fun of his tendency to overuse the word "Hyena" during his "I hate Americans" heel promos.

Chris Benoit got the sort of scary God-Worship that Punk does now (it actually slowed down a little once Benoit jumped to the WWF, in some places)

Bischoff was the Devil because he didn't like Flair.

[chunkylover53]

Sept 29, 2009 0:44:05 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

Sept 28, 2009 23:31:31 GMT -5 ritt works hard fo da chickens said:

Austin couldn't work he was just punch,kick, give finger, stunner.

My all-time favorite response to this was "What? Austin knows 200 moves! Punch, Kick, Stunner, and 197 versions of a clothesline!"People loved Bret, but there was always a lot of talk about his FIVE MOVES OF DOOM, and some people made fun of his tendency to overuse the word "Hyena" during his "I hate Americans" heel promos.

Chris Benoit got the sort of scary God-Worship that Punk does now (it actually slowed down a little once Benoit jumped to the WWF, in some places)

Bischoff was the Devil because he didn't like Flair.

Well, ever since Owen Hart gave him that botched piledriver, his wrestling ability has been limited due to safety purposes. It was beyond his control.

[AriadosMan]

Flair was a holy paladin on a quest to save the kingdom of WCW from the evil LORD HOGAN, who ate babies, crushed small animals, and pissed acid. Everything that Flair did was for the good of the industry and the fans; everything Hogan did was for himself and putting down the young guys.

The IWC was so Manichean (in regards to WCW Hogan/Flair) it was laughable. Scott Keith's biases in Hogan/Flair matches were hilarious.

Oh yeah, and two of the biggest voices were Keith and that Hyatte jerk. RD was a breath of fresh air after them.

[Ryushinku]

Sept 28, 2009 19:09:22 GMT -5 celticjobber said:

The Rock was treated alot like John Cena is now.

And as Sting was before them. I remember people in 1993 complaining about The Stinger along much the same lines ('goody two-shoes babyface' 'too much punching' 'ignores all damage' etc).

[rapidfire187]

Sept 28, 2009 9:54:00 GMT -5 chunkylover53 said:

Okay, so back then the internet was becoming a big phenomenum, not just with wrestling, but with everything. Now, before that, there were dirt sheets that you needed to subscribe for a nominal fee. In later years, this information was alot easier to access to with just a simple click on the mouse. Many people say that the internet ruined the enjoyment of professional wrestling(I in part agree) with the backstage stuff and knowing what the performers we love are "really" like.

Anyway, I wasn't part of the IWC until 2003, so what I would like to know is, what was in like in the late 90s/early 2000s? From what I read guys like The Rock and to a lesser extent Austin were giving alot of crap and countless discussions over which company(WWF and WCW) was better.

So for those of you who were part of the IWC back then, what was in like in great detail? Plus, are there any forums back then you can get access to today. I'd love to see those discussions for pure amusement.

I first started reading NEWZ around 1998. Back then, there weren't a whole lot of big scoops, but my friends and I were fascinated by stuff that's pretty much common knowledge now. Like wrestler's real names, Taker and Kane's previous gimmicks, etc. The best part was reading all of the storyline spoilers that never actually came true.

I think everyone remembers the one during the Kane/Xpac feud that said that Kane would join DX and start wearing a green version of his outfit.

There was also a huge rumor back in 1998 that HBK, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall would all return to WWE and join DX.

Actually, the DX rumors were probably the most prevalent at the time. The pre-New Brood Hardy's were even rumored to join DX at one time (based on them doing the X sign with their arms on an episode of Shotgun Saturday Night).

There was an awesome rumor that Jericho would join the Brood when he debuted in WWE.

Thankfully the unfounded rumors started burning out around 2000, and the internet news started to come true more often than not. The early 2000's was a fascinating time to be part of the IWC. Getting to read all the dirt behind the Radicalz jumping to WWE, the ECW bankruptcy, the WCW buyout.

I wish I had posted on wrestling boards back then so I could have a better idea of what the smark opinions of certain wrestlers were. I do remember seeing a lot of Rock hate when he started doing movies. I also remember people talking about RVD as if he were the greatest wrestler ever, but by the time 2002 rolled around people were complaining that he was too watered down. Interestingly enough, I also remember hearing a LOT about this guy called The Prototype. Not sure what happened to him.

[Ringmaster]

i remember being on a wcw/wwf forum and if you did'nt know better you'd think some of the wcw zelots were missonaries trying to save us poor wwf fans from damnation, at 1 point the forum mod even alluded to the fact that he felt it be better to close the wwf forum, WCW was that hot.

[poi zen rana]

One I just remembered, the millenium countdown that led to Jericho's debut, was actually counting down to the debut of Goldberg.

[Ryushinku]

Anyone also remember some of the wilder speculation regarding Sting when he started his Crow phrase? Including one that he had had plastic surgery and the facepaint was to cover that while he healed up?

[cabbageboy]

It's odd but I was into wrestling sites and news on and off for most of the late 90s, only getting full fledged home net access around 2000. The first I really recall with the net was the Montreal Screwjob. Reading about it the day after the PPV shocked me (after PPV, before Raw that night).

Can't comment on the various boards since I stayed away from those up until Rantsylvania became a full site with a board and everything. All the anti WWF stuff is surprising to hear considering how utterly horrendous WCW was becoming circa 1999.

The best net reporting I can recall was 1Wrestling's coverage of WCW's total meltdown in January 2000. I used to look forward to reading that stuff every day just to see how truly bad it would get, what dumb decisions they would make, etc.

[AriadosMan]

Sept 29, 2009 12:20:38 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

It's odd but I was into wrestling sites and news on and off for most of the late 90s, only getting full fledged home net access around 2000. The first I really recall with the net was the Montreal Screwjob. Reading about it the day after the PPV shocked me (after PPV, before Raw that night).

Can't comment on the various boards since I stayed away from those up until Rantsylvania became a full site with a board and everything. All the anti WWF stuff is surprising to hear considering how utterly horrendous WCW was becoming circa 1999.

The best net reporting I can recall was 1Wrestling's coverage of WCW's total meltdown in January 2000. I used to look forward to reading that stuff every day just to see how truly bad it would get, what dumb decisions they would make, etc.

Yeah, WCW's partisans were in full denial mode all the way up to Nov. 2000, as I recalled. Eventually it got replaced with a grim resignation and "Jamie Kellner killed WCW", which persists to this day.
People had HUGE biases during the Monday Night Wars. Now, I can watch both TNA and WWE and not get flamed for it (because the companies should really be looked at as companions rather than direct competitors). Back then, such a thing was imposssible.

[Redneck]

well during the 90's I was a little kid and thought it was a legit sport. Then in 99-2000 when I realized it was predetermined, the Internet was so slow, And I wasn't aware of all these sites. I heard other people talk about rumors though. I remember one that it was Tazz that ran over Austin

[chunkylover53]

Sept 29, 2009 12:26:28 GMT -5 AriadosMan said:

Sept 29, 2009 12:20:38 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

It's odd but I was into wrestling sites and news on and off for most of the late 90s, only getting full fledged home net access around 2000. The first I really recall with the net was the Montreal Screwjob. Reading about it the day after the PPV shocked me (after PPV, before Raw that night).

Can't comment on the various boards since I stayed away from those up until Rantsylvania became a full site with a board and everything. All the anti WWF stuff is surprising to hear considering how utterly horrendous WCW was becoming circa 1999.

The best net reporting I can recall was 1Wrestling's coverage of WCW's total meltdown in January 2000. I used to look forward to reading that stuff every day just to see how truly bad it would get, what dumb decisions they would make, etc.

Yeah, WCW's partisans were in full denial mode all the way up to Nov. 2000, as I recalled. Eventually it got replaced with a grim resignation and "Jamie Kellner killed WCW", which persists to this day.
People had HUGE biases during the Monday Night Wars. Now, I can watch both TNA and WWE and not get flamed for it (because the companies should really be looked at as companions rather than direct competitors). Back then, such a thing was imposssible.

Even in the "Real" World WWF and WCW fans were like Crips and Bloods, so I wonder what things were said on the "smart" side of things.

[The Deadly Snake]

I was actually one of the few crossoever fans that tried to watch both shows. We were a smallest segment, I believe... but we also the "smarkiest".

[Turd Ferguson]

Rock got a lot of flak due to his wrestling abilities, much like Cena.

However, whenever Rock opened his mouth, he immediately redeemed himself.

Cena can't be redeemed unless he stops with these over the top intense promos that really don't make much sense...