repomark
Unicron
For Mash Get Smash
Posts: 3,049
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Post by repomark on Dec 16, 2020 13:38:28 GMT -5
It has some very low lows, but actually has much higher highs than WM1 (and I am not just talking about Ozzy Osbourne). Purely speaking in terms of match quality, there are at least six good matches there including one great one (Bulldogs v Dream Team).
It also has the single greatest battle royal elimination in history with Jim Neidhart inexplicably diving over the top rope.
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Post by James Fabiano on Dec 16, 2020 13:46:55 GMT -5
I can't dump on it as much as others. It was my first WM and what the WWF was building up to when I started watching, so I have fond memories of that time.
Was the show that great? Of course not. But it carries nostalgic feelings for me.
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Post by Jaws the Shark on Dec 16, 2020 13:59:27 GMT -5
I'm another who doesn't hate the multiple venue concept, it was a fine idea in theory but executed poorly. I wonder if it would have worked better if there had only been two venues, one on either coast, although that wouldn't have upstaged Starrcade to quite the same extent.
It's not a completely irredeemable show, the tag titles match is very good, the battle royal is a battle royal, and the cage match is decent and I think is a perfectly acceptable main event despite what a lot of people say. That said, pretty much everything else is at best unremarkable and at worst unwatchably terrible, with the boxing match being a particular low point.
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Post by chronocross on Dec 16, 2020 14:00:54 GMT -5
I thought it was okay, I liked the tag title match, the Battle Royal, Funks vs. Tito/JYD and Hogan/Bundy.
I rented it a few times from the video store back in the day, but I remember renting WM3 a lot more.
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Post by lildude8218 on Dec 16, 2020 16:05:43 GMT -5
I wonder if that tag title match outside referee was clued in to WWF being predetermined. I think he was a Rosemont referee rather than WWF. I don't think Brutus Beefcake expected this guy to be grabbing his ankle. I asked this question some time ago as I often wondered about this too. officialfan.proboards.com/thread/572187/who-tripped-brutus-beefcake-wmThe stipulation was that there would be an outside official to keep the Dream Team from getting away with all the cheating they had in the past.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2020 17:13:42 GMT -5
Watched 2 again and again when I was a kid. It's a mixed bag, but where 2 might have come behind 1 in terms of high interest matches, it made up for it in spectacle. I feel like it was just another step in the WM evolution, and 3 was perfection of the recipe.
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Post by lildude8218 on Dec 16, 2020 19:28:42 GMT -5
I am embarrassed to say that it took me almost 35 years....
Today I learned the outside official grabbed Beefcake's leg and that's why he tripped on the way into the ring. I always thought he just got tripped on the ropes.
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Post by edgestar on Dec 16, 2020 19:50:29 GMT -5
I've only seen it twice. I don't like the ending of the Jake the Snake match. Sis does not like the spit up part. Or snakes.
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Post by Limity (BLM) on Dec 16, 2020 20:03:44 GMT -5
It's come up a few times on here, but I wish they'd revisit the multiple venues idea. While they haven't had the roster for it for a while, they at least now have the technology to do it. Each arena gets their live event one day, and the next they watch the live feed from the other coast on massive screens set up where the ring would be.
Imagine the marketing for such a show. A Wrestlemania so large and monumental it spans the country. You can practically hear Vince get hard as a rock.
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Post by Triangle Lancer on Dec 16, 2020 20:22:59 GMT -5
I loved the bit PWI did after WM2: "Next year, the WWF will have 12 venues with one match each."
I've turned the corner on this show. It's a tale of two halves: The first half was pretty dreadful, the second half salvaged it with some fun matches.
I remember having to go to bed before the LA portion of the show, so I woke up early the next morning to watch it before school.
11 year old me was amused by Lee Marshall as the ring announcer.
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Post by johnnyk9 on Dec 16, 2020 20:29:20 GMT -5
It was an experiment and it didn’t work out the way they wanted can’t blame them for trying
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Post by Milkman Norm on Dec 16, 2020 23:07:31 GMT -5
The Fridge should have won the battle royale.
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CMWaters
Ozymandius
Rolled a Seven, Beat the Ads.
Bald and busy
Posts: 63,063
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Post by CMWaters on Dec 16, 2020 23:21:09 GMT -5
The Fridge should have won the battle royale. Would you have told Andre he wasn't allowed to win the battle royal? First have of Mania 2 I mostly remember for Susan Saint James saying "Alright George, eat his leg!" during the Savage/Steele match. But Elvira was probably the best of the three lady commentators (Cathy Lee Crosby didn't do TOO bad, but wasn't that memorable and didn't commentate during the battle royal). Was an experiment of the time, one that they could probably do much better nowadays with modern tech and everything, but it would be a hard sell. Even this past WrestleMania being split into two days was just to make it seem special despite no crowd due to the pandemic and everything.
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Post by Milkman Norm on Dec 16, 2020 23:31:40 GMT -5
The Fridge should have won the battle royale. Would you have told Andre he wasn't allowed to win the battle royal? First have of Mania 2 I mostly remember for Susan Saint James saying "Alright George, eat his leg!" during the Savage/Steele match. But Elvira was probably the best of the three lady commentators (Cathy Lee Crosby didn't do TOO bad, but wasn't that memorable and didn't commentate during the battle royal). Was an experiment of the time, one that they could probably do much better nowadays with modern tech and everything, but it would be a hard sell. Even this past WrestleMania being split into two days was just to make it seem special despite no crowd due to the pandemic and everything. If he was protected & he got paid I don't think he'd mind. It's not like there were plans for him the rest of the year anyway. He was leaving to film "The Princess Bride" and would only be doing the Machines gimmick until the heel turn the following January.
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Post by sungod2020 on Dec 17, 2020 16:58:40 GMT -5
It's come up a few times on here, but I wish they'd revisit the multiple venues idea. While they haven't had the roster for it for a while, they at least now have the technology to do it. Each arena gets their live event one day, and the next they watch the live feed from the other coast on massive screens set up where the ring would be. Imagine the marketing for such a show. A Wrestlemania so large and monumental it spans the country. You can practically hear Vince get hard as a rock. The problem with that is, each audience member would pay to see half or one third of a show, while watch the rest on a titantron. It's really not the same experience as seeing a full show live. If you think the crowd is exhausted now from these super long shows, just imagine what they would be like to only sit through a portion of it. Also, the venue that gets the match to close out the show will make the other ones seem less important. As others have said, it's sounds cool in theory, but when you think of the logistics that go into it, it's really not worth the hassle.
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Post by corndog on Dec 17, 2020 17:50:34 GMT -5
I always thought Wrestlemania 2 was fun, granted some strange decisions for matches, especially putting Steamboat and Jake in squash matches. Enjoyed the Battle Royal, the tag title match,the Funks vs JYD/Santana, Hogan vs Bundy was solid, but it didn't feel Wrestlemania main event worthy. Honestly, Hogan should have defended it against either Piper, Savage, Big John Studd or Jake. I think Piper was a natural for the first choice with the continuity from the first Wrestlemania, but of course he would have needed to do business. In reality, while it was an interesting concept that clearly didn't work, the Big Event was a much better show, with more significant matches. Then again, I always felt Hogan's best matches were against Orndorff.
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Post by Limity (BLM) on Dec 17, 2020 19:37:59 GMT -5
It's come up a few times on here, but I wish they'd revisit the multiple venues idea. While they haven't had the roster for it for a while, they at least now have the technology to do it. Each arena gets their live event one day, and the next they watch the live feed from the other coast on massive screens set up where the ring would be. Imagine the marketing for such a show. A Wrestlemania so large and monumental it spans the country. You can practically hear Vince get hard as a rock. The problem with that is, each audience member would pay to see half or one third of a show, while watch the rest on a titantron. It's really not the same experience as seeing a full show live. If you think the crowd is exhausted now from these super long shows, just imagine what they would be like to only sit through a portion of it. Also, the venue that gets the match to close out the show will make the other ones seem less important. As others have said, it's sounds cool in theory, but when you think of the logistics that go into it, it's really not worth the hassle. That's why I said the WWE doesn't have the roster for it now. Each show would have to stand on its own, with each having main event matches. Early to mid 2000s was probably the last time the WWE had the roster to pull it off. And split into two days would mitigate the audience exhaustion. While you are right about paying to see only half a show, even reducing the ticket price by a fourth, the amount of tickets sold from two venues could more than make up for that for the WWE.
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petef3
Don Corleone
Posts: 1,783
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Post by petef3 on Dec 17, 2020 19:50:34 GMT -5
The idea of the Fridge winning the battle royal is preposterous. The entire point was to use NFL guys to put the WWF over. Remember when the WWF did that with celebrities instead of shamelessly catering to them?
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Post by CeilingFan on Dec 18, 2020 5:41:39 GMT -5
The idea of the Fridge winning the battle royal is preposterous. The entire point was to use NFL guys to put the WWF over. Remember when the WWF did that with celebrities instead of shamelessly catering to them? Also, Perry was not the last NFL player eliminated.
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Futureraven: Beelzebruv
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Spent half my life here, God help me
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Dec 18, 2020 5:53:40 GMT -5
The problem with that is, each audience member would pay to see half or one third of a show, while watch the rest on a titantron. It's really not the same experience as seeing a full show live. If you think the crowd is exhausted now from these super long shows, just imagine what they would be like to only sit through a portion of it. Also, the venue that gets the match to close out the show will make the other ones seem less important. As others have said, it's sounds cool in theory, but when you think of the logistics that go into it, it's really not worth the hassle. That's why I said the WWE doesn't have the roster for it now. Each show would have to stand on its own, with each having main event matches. Early to mid 2000s was probably the last time the WWE had the roster to pull it off. And split into two days would mitigate the audience exhaustion. While you are right about paying to see only half a show, even reducing the ticket price by a fourth, the amount of tickets sold from two venues could more than make up for that for the WWE. I'd argue they do just about have the roster for it. Hell, they drag out Wrestlemania for like, 9 hours, split it into 3 3 hour shows and you avoid crowd burnout. They need to top up talent, mix NXT guys in the the regular roster, the returns etc. It's possible.
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