Shark
Hank Scorpio
The world's only Samurai Ninja Pirate
Posts: 7,045
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Post by Shark on Apr 27, 2020 21:36:34 GMT -5
The segments where Paul Bearer revealed what happened to the Undertaker's family and then revealing that Kane was still alive are so so so good. I think we forget how good on the mic Bearer was, but when he's telling the story, you are just hooked and the fire in his voice when he calls Taker a murderer. Taker is great in this too. He sells all of it perfectly. No way in hell this would work in WWE today, even if written and performed perfectly, fans just would not go for it and that's a shame, but maybe for the best.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2020 22:34:54 GMT -5
The segments where Paul Bearer revealed what happened to the Undertaker's family and then revealing that Kane was still alive are so so so good. I think we forget how good on the mic Bearer was, but when he's telling the story, you are just hooked and the fire in his voice when he calls Taker a murderer. Taker is great in this too. He sells all of it perfectly. No way in hell this would work in WWE today, even if written and performed perfectly, fans just would not go for it and that's a shame, but maybe for the best. You could modernize it for today’s fanbase.Have Paul do a bunch of flips during his promo and have Taker talk about Percy Pringle & Jack Hart.
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67 more
King Koopa
He's just a Sexy Kurt
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Post by 67 more on Apr 28, 2020 4:14:39 GMT -5
SNME 4, Mr Fuji talks about all the ways they eat dogs in Japan. Oof.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Apr 28, 2020 7:39:56 GMT -5
Somehow, Razor Ramon's pink ensemble drew more ire than any other color of his for heels.
Two times I saw him in it and both times the heels jumped him before the bell sounded (first Ted Dibiase at Summerslam 1993 and then the Brooklyn Brawler at the last RAW before the Survivor Series.)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2020 19:06:27 GMT -5
One thing I always liked about WWF in 97 was everything that happened on the show was treated as real.Within that universe what we were seeing was happening to these people and it wasn’t treated like a joke or farce.It makes it so much easier to get sucked into that world.
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Shark
Hank Scorpio
The world's only Samurai Ninja Pirate
Posts: 7,045
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Post by Shark on Apr 28, 2020 20:35:16 GMT -5
I definitely didn't appreciate the Steiner Bros. nearly enough as a lad growing up. Watching them in 1997 is one of my most favorite things. They are just so so so awesome!
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Apr 29, 2020 10:47:50 GMT -5
Tommy Rogers vs Bobby Fulton on Raw in June 1997 is billed as a light heavyweight division match. We're promised to have more speed and athleticism than in usual matches. The match sucked. They weren't all that fast or athletic. You want fast and athletic, I'll take Owen vs HBK any day of the week. I will say though, WWE certainly treated their light heavyweight division as an after thought, but they still treated it better than WCW treated their women's division. Those ladies got jack. Barely appeared on Nitro, The women's title was defended on PPV all of 3 times and once Madusa retired, the division was basically dead and she wasn't the champion. Also a underrated aspect of the ECW feud going on at the time was that when ECW guys would show up on Raw, the announcers knew who they were. Vince and JR talking about Sandman and Tommy Dreamer, who it is weird seeing look in such good shape, talk about these guys with familiarity made them look legit and not nobodies no one had heard of. Wait, what? On WWF RAW in 1997 of all places, we had "The Fantastics EXPLODE!"?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2020 12:42:53 GMT -5
Tommy Rogers vs Bobby Fulton on Raw in June 1997 is billed as a light heavyweight division match. We're promised to have more speed and athleticism than in usual matches. The match sucked. They weren't all that fast or athletic. You want fast and athletic, I'll take Owen vs HBK any day of the week. I will say though, WWE certainly treated their light heavyweight division as an after thought, but they still treated it better than WCW treated their women's division. Those ladies got jack. Barely appeared on Nitro, The women's title was defended on PPV all of 3 times and once Madusa retired, the division was basically dead and she wasn't the champion. Also a underrated aspect of the ECW feud going on at the time was that when ECW guys would show up on Raw, the announcers knew who they were. Vince and JR talking about Sandman and Tommy Dreamer, who it is weird seeing look in such good shape, talk about these guys with familiarity made them look legit and not nobodies no one had heard of. Wait, what? On WWF RAW in 1997 of all places, we had "The Fantastics EXPLODE!"? And Sable replaces Finkel for the match so you know its big.
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Shark
Hank Scorpio
The world's only Samurai Ninja Pirate
Posts: 7,045
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Post by Shark on Apr 29, 2020 20:28:03 GMT -5
The WCW announcers always being fooled by the fake Stings never gets old. It's ridiculous, but I'm so glad it always happened. They never get it right and are always, without fail, stunned when it's revealed to not be Sting. My favorite ones I think is when Nash dresses as Sting. Sting is suddenly a foot taller and the announcers don't notice a difference. I do also love that Nash can't be bothered to try and sell the bit even a little and still steps over the top rope to get in the ring.
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Shark
Hank Scorpio
The world's only Samurai Ninja Pirate
Posts: 7,045
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Post by Shark on Apr 30, 2020 18:14:52 GMT -5
In case anyone was wondering, Canada hated Shawn Michaels well before Montreal. July, 1997 Shawn is cutting a promo in the ring, he's announcing he will be the referee for Bret vs Taker and the Canadian crowd begins chanting a gay slur at him, the one that starts with the letter F. 1997 was a very different time folks.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2020 3:33:51 GMT -5
In april 86 Arn Anderson busts Sam Houston’s spine and Flair calls it a double inverted powerslam on commentary. Flair also claims Houston will be a big star.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 2, 2020 6:50:38 GMT -5
Didn't know Bob Caudle was the play-by-play guy for Smoky Mountain Wrestling (although I don't know whether he was it from the start).
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Post by Alice Syndrome on May 3, 2020 6:47:39 GMT -5
For no good reason, Brock Lesnar Guy is in the front row at the Shield Final Chapter show, despite that just being a random unaired house show until a few days prior.
That guy is EVERYWHERE.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 3, 2020 8:02:58 GMT -5
I wonder whether Smoky Mountain Wrestling came up with the whole meddling authority figure trope because after the first three episodes, Bullet Bob Armstrong certainly gives off the vibe of the later commissioners/general managers in WWE.
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Post by Joe Neglia on May 4, 2020 0:00:01 GMT -5
Flair also claims Houston will be a big star. A lot of people were high on Houston at the point. He looked to be the next Terry Taylor at the time, when being the next Terry Taylor was still considered a good thing. I wonder whether Smoky Mountain Wrestling came up with the whole meddling authority figure trope because after the first three episodes, Bullet Bob Armstrong certainly gives off the vibe of the later commissioners/general managers in WWE. Definitely did not invent it. To the best of my knowledge, the first such meddling/heel authority figure was Tom Renesto in Memphis circa 1985. Cornette was already gone from the territory at the time, but he was still paying close attention to it:
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 4, 2020 2:52:36 GMT -5
Ah OK. Thank you, Joe Neglia. I always appreciate being educated on some things.
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Post by Joe Neglia on May 4, 2020 2:58:26 GMT -5
Ah OK. Thank you, Joe Neglia. I always appreciate being educated on some things. Likewise - I love this thread because y'all mention seeing stuff on the Network I never knew about either.
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Shark
Hank Scorpio
The world's only Samurai Ninja Pirate
Posts: 7,045
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Post by Shark on May 4, 2020 17:33:30 GMT -5
Ok, so Luger beating Hogan for the title might be my favorite WCW moment ever and it is everything Sting's win over Hogan wasn't. I think we all know Hogan winning the title back 6 days later was a bad decision, but something that I think makes it even worse is Hogan disappeared from TV immediately after, On the next Nitro, Bischoff reveals that Hogan is filming a movie up in Montreal, my guess is Assault on Devil's Island, so instead of Luger as champion for a month or so until Hogan wins the title back at Fall Brawl or a Nitro, he just wins it back and vanishes from TV.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2020 17:44:17 GMT -5
Flair also claims Houston will be a big star. A lot of people were high on Houston at the point. He looked to be the next Terry Taylor at the time, when being the next Terry Taylor was still considered a good thing. He was really talented its just so odd on a show where everyone both face & heel buries their opponents.At this point Houston is total jobber losing in seconds most weeks but in recent weeks Flair & JJ have put over George South,Mike Jackson and Sam Houston as great...just not as great as the horsemen.Its’s way more effective than burying. Just Yesterday I saw a Cody Rhodes interview about his match with Lance Archer where he buries Lance for not being a good wrestler.It totally killed my interest for the match and made Archer’s recent squashes a giant waste of time. On the Houston topic the WWF used Houston to debut Terry Taylor.They lost a tag match,Taylor turned on him and they had a brief feud mostly on houseshows.
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Post by Joe Neglia on May 4, 2020 18:03:50 GMT -5
On the Houston topic the WWF used Houston to debut Terry Taylor.They lost a tag match,Taylor turned on him and they had a brief feud mostly on houseshows. That's the exact way WWF debuted Ted DiBiase the prior year. Brought him in as a babyface for a handful of Houston-area house shows, teaming with Sam. The day before the first heel Million Dollar Man vignette was set to air on TV (introducing him to the national WWF audience), DiBiase turned on Houston in a match and went heel.
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