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Post by Bang Bang Bart on Jun 20, 2021 22:13:55 GMT -5
Thought I'd post this here rather than on the WWE or AEW forums, since I wanted all of wrestling covered... but anyways. A lot's been made about how we have dominant bad guys in WWE and AEW and how that leaves a sour taste with some people, so I thought this thread about the times in wrestling where the heels do suffer glorious comeuppance would be a fun discussion to have.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2021 22:26:29 GMT -5
WrestleMania 21 is a pretty great example. Triple H finally just runs into someone who sees through all his bullshit, smashes through his various attempts to cheat, beats him decisively, then holds the belt triumphantly in front of him while he weakly crumples to the floor.
The Hell in a Cell match afterward was also pretty damn good for that, particularly Triple H being unable to use the sledgehammer to steal it at the end.
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Post by Fade is a CodyCryBaby on Jun 20, 2021 22:32:07 GMT -5
First that popped in my head was Vince getting balls-kicked, beat up by Foley and Van-Terminator’d by Shane at the end of their match at WMX7. Give the devil his due, Vince had a ton of awesome comeuppances.
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Post by Aceorton on Jun 20, 2021 22:37:52 GMT -5
One that jumps out immediately for me is the Hart Foundation beating Demolition for the belts at SummerSlam '90. It had all sorts of important ingredients.
First, Demolition's heel turn had been totally needless: they were beloved three-time champions and suddenly turned on the fans and brought in an unproven new guy for cheating purposes, which they somehow were allowed to do via the Freebird Rule. Crush was a hired goon and had no business defending those belts.
Second, the Harts were pretty much universally adored at this point. It had been nearly three years since they last held the titles, and they had been screwed over by Demolition in the past. Everyone wanted them to win.
Third, it was a hot crowd in Philly and the match was structured brilliantly. Demolition wins the first fall clean, loses the second, and then just when it looks like they're going to pull their lame switcheroo and steal the thing, the LOD show up and spoil it, and it's Crush -- the guy who never should have been in the match in the first place -- who ends up getting knocked over and rolled up for the pin.
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Post by Jumpin' Jesse Walsh on Jun 20, 2021 22:38:07 GMT -5
Honky Tonk Man being destroyed by Warrior at SummerSlam ‘88 is usually my first thought when asked this question.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jun 20, 2021 23:02:16 GMT -5
Jericho getting thrown out like complete garbage when Cena beat him during his first time leaving WWE
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Post by Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! on Jun 20, 2021 23:11:52 GMT -5
For context: For the last year or so, Icarus had been this absolutely monstrous asshole, ending the career of Jolly Roger and Mr. Zero. He's joined the stable Kings of Wrestling and had continued violently assaulting the faces on the roster, including his opponent in this match Jigsaw, who also happened to be the older brother of Jolly Roger. He continued target the mask of Jigsaw and attempt to remove it leading to this Lucha De Apuestas match Mask Vs. Hair.
Then finally after a year+ of getting away with murder, Jigsaw finally manage to put him away once and for all to force his head to be shaved. Then as he desperately tries to escape from the stipulation of the match and who's there to block his exit but the men whose careers he'd ended. It was beautifully cathartic.
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Venti
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Post by Venti on Jun 20, 2021 23:24:43 GMT -5
After winning the belt in the Montreal Screwjob, and just being an insufferable heel for months with lots of DX shenanigans, HBK getting beat clean by Austin at Wrestlemania then getting knocked out after getting in Mike Tyson's face.
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Post by DiBiase is Good on Jun 20, 2021 23:34:04 GMT -5
Virgil hits DiBiase with The Million Dollar Belt at the 1991 Royal Rumble. After months of Teddy abusing Virgil, he finally has enough. It was obvious it was coming with Ted’s post-match verbal rundown and how he turns his back on the seemingly-resigned to being a Stooge forever Virgil but when Virgil twats him with that belt the crowd pops huge. The rest of the feud never really amounted to much and in the end, the evil DiBiase would still stand tall over Virgil but for that one second, it was awesome.
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Post by Mid-Carder on Jun 21, 2021 1:49:03 GMT -5
WrestleMania 21 is a pretty great example. Triple H finally just runs into someone who sees through all his bullshit, smashes through his various attempts to cheat, beats him decisively, then holds the belt triumphantly in front of him while he weakly crumples to the floor. Cena beating JBL just before this is a good example, too.
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Post by berlynwright on Jun 21, 2021 2:30:27 GMT -5
Edge/Taker in HIAC had a great finish with Taker hitting a conchairto, spear, camera shot (which was a callback to previous HIAC). Basically giving a taste of his own medicine
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Jun 21, 2021 3:41:13 GMT -5
Nick Gage finally getting his property back from Rickey Shane Page at rSpring Break was absolutely phenomenal. Almost two years beforehand (note: circumstances beyond everyone's control artificially lengthened RSP's reign and the angle), RSP stole the physical title belt from Gage, defaced it by spraypainting "rSp" onto the centerplate a la Hogan and the nWo, and "defended" it abroad in Canada and Japan where Gage's criminal record prevented him from trying to get it back. Then, Gage shockingly loses the title in a routine defense against AJ Gray, putting an end to over two years of Gage defending his title against all comers (and I do mean all comers, even David Arquette infamously got a shot against Gage's crown). Rickey chooses that moment to leverage his possession of the physical belt to get an immediate challenge on AJ, and wins the actual title belt thanks to RSP's new goon squad, 44.OH!
For months, RSP would refuse to defend the title, forcing GCW to sanction all of RSP's matches as "non-title" (though RSP pretty won all of these matches due to 44.OH! interference anyway). Around this time, Nick Gage's brother Justice Pain passes away on the same day as a GCW card. Gage would wrestle in the main event of that show, and was in the middle of his post-show speech paying tribute to his brother when 44.OH! attacked, making things ultra-personal between Gage and RSP.
This would lead to the first encounter between RSP and Gage for the title at Run Rickey Run in February 2020. This was a wild main event match with Nick Gage controlling most of the offense. However, RSP would take advantage by beating up referees, forcing GCW owner Brett Lauderdale to reprise his role as a referee to keep Gage's title hopes alive. There was interference from 44.OH!, but Gage's allies were preventing them from getting RSP the win. Even the injured G-Raver attempted to make a difference despite nerve damage in his arm, but RSP chose that moment to reveal that long-time GCW roster member Eric Ryan had defected to 44.OH! Ryan's interference would make the difference, and they forced Lauderdale to make the decisive three count. After the show, RSP vowed that Gage would never challenge for the title again, and threw the GCW belt in the trash, and revealed a new title belt design, with RSP's logos scattered on both the center and side plates.
Unfortunately, this is where real life takes a turn, as COVID-19 closures come into effect weeks later, cancelling a string of shows in the Midwest, including a Souled Out '97-esque show in Dayton that would have been real interesting to see how the fans would have sided (if you watch the 44.OH! block on the Fight Forever marathon, you can see Eric Bischoff actually reprising the open for Souled Out 97 that was originally meant for the Dayton show). Instead, GCW would go hiatus until the Summer, where RSP would continue to wrestle in non-title matches for the most part. However, RSP and Gage would end up agreeing to wager during a string of weekend shows on the Atlantic City boardwalk. RSP's squad vs. Team MDK, where Gage could get a title shot at any time of his choosing if his team wins, but would have to retire if he lost. However, mere hours before the big team showdown, Gage would wrestle for Beyond Wrestling and injured his leg, putting him out for the rest of the year. Team MDK would be held together mostly by AJ Gray, who was also among those RSP was denying a rightful shot at the title. But eventually, Gage's allies were able to get the upper-hand, and Gage would hobble out from the back to score the decisive pinfall, giving him one last shot at Rickey upon his return.
Meanwhile, RSP would continue to balk at putting his title on the line, again choosing to have non-title matches instead as GCW would be forced to cut down on shows in the winter months due to holiday spikes of COVID. However, RSP was still willing to use his title as leverage for opportunistic wagers. He would force Blake Christian into "retirement" (that Trey Baxter guy in NXT looks a bit like him though) at the Fight Forever marathon, and when Joey Janela tried to call Rickey out, he decided that Joey had something that interested him, and that was GCW's biggest show of the year "Joey Janela's Spring Break." Joey would be unsuccessful, despite an attempt from MDK ally EFFY infiltrating the group only to turn on them during the match, attempting to throw the Eric Ryan turn back onto 44.OH! Eventually, RSP would prevail thanks to interference from Chris Dickinson, who was interfering to cause Joey to lose Spring Break, and not to assist RSP. However, just as when things were looking at their bleakest, that familiar gong rang out in the Showboat, as Nick Gage was ready to go, and he chose what was now Rickey's vanity show as the battleground for their final match.
At last, Gage and RSP were going to have a fair fight for the title. RSP would continue to mock Gage's criminal past on social media, even shooting a vignette of a mock robbery of a store with RSP wearing a blue hoodie, just like the infamous photo taken at PNC bank that anyone who watched Dark Side of the Ring has seen (on a sidenote, RSP and 44.OH! deserve a lot of credit for their social media vignettes, as it was key in keeping the angle going during the pandemic). Then the match finally happened during Mania Weekend in Tampa, with all sorts of call backs to the last two years, particularly to their Run Rickey Run match. When 44.OH! attempted to interfere after a ref bump, Team MDK was right there to head them off. Atticus Cogar would eventually make it to the ring to attack Gage, Brett Lauderdale was ready to reprise his referee role, but this time, he came armed with a bundle of light tubes to dispatch Rickey's right hand man. This would allow Gage to finally hit the Chokebreaker (which RSP had been using as his finish to taunt Gage this whole time) and once again become GCW champion. To put the cherry on top, Brett would bring a bag to the ring containing two objects: a can of spraypaint to deface RSP's custom title just as RSP did to the original belt, and a brand new GCW championship with no one's personal logo on the belt, much less RSP's.
And since this was a few months ago, the follow up angle so far involved Gage defending against all comers like before, including finally granting AJ Gray a rightful one-on-one match for the title, with Gage getting his win back, while having other outsiders like Jon Moxley and Matt Cardona breathing down his back. Meanwhile, RSP immediately got demoted from the GCW roster to the JCW roster, which is essentially GCW's secondary brand with a mix of mostly young talent paired with some veteran indie talent like Crowbar and Slayer. Interestingly, RSP has surprisingly taken to the nostalgia aspect of JCW, reprising his role as a white meat babyface to the confusion of everyone, with some fans embracing him at face value while others doubt the sincerity of his act.
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Post by dangerousdanpotato on Jun 21, 2021 10:02:50 GMT -5
Virgil hits DiBiase with The Million Dollar Belt at the 1991 Royal Rumble. After months of Teddy abusing Virgil, he finally has enough. It was obvious it was coming with Ted’s post-match verbal rundown and how he turns his back on the seemingly-resigned to being a Stooge forever Virgil but when Virgil twats him with that belt the crowd pops huge. The rest of the feud never really amounted to much and in the end, the evil DiBiase would still stand tall over Virgil but for that one second, it was awesome. Came in to offer this example, too. I'd say Summerslam was another worthy moment; huge pop and feel-good moment when Virgil took that Million Dollar Belt.
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Ben Wyatt
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Are You Gonna Go My Way?
I don't get it. At all. It's kind of a small horse, I mean what am I missing? Am I crazy?
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Post by Ben Wyatt on Jun 21, 2021 10:31:10 GMT -5
Lita/Trish Survivor Series 04: Lita, after being tormented by Trish for months, comes down to the ring, and beats the ever loving piss out of her for a few min, breaking her nose, hitting her with a chair and getting disqualified. It was a title match, but Lita did not give a f***. She wanted to lay an ass kicking
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 12:15:54 GMT -5
I rewatched Virgil's turn after reading through this thread, and Virgil's facial expressions during the entire segment are just terrific. Fear, disdain, uncertainty, catharsis.. It's all there.
And I appreciate that he doesn't celebrate or slap hands after the turn. He was taking a huge risk severing ties with the man who was supporting his family, and that was really hammered home - intentionally or not - by how he looked walking out.
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Post by Aceorton on Jun 21, 2021 12:26:23 GMT -5
WrestleMania 21 is a pretty great example. Triple H finally just runs into someone who sees through all his bullshit, smashes through his various attempts to cheat, beats him decisively, then holds the belt triumphantly in front of him while he weakly crumples to the floor. Cena beating JBL just before this is a good example, too. Ooh - this reminds me of the gruesome Stevie Richards chair shot on JBL and the Blue Meanie pinning him (with an assist from Batista). One of those meta moments where you knew the real-life jerk was being held accountable for once.
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Post by jason1980s on Jun 21, 2021 12:33:14 GMT -5
Ted Dibiase leaving WWF after the Caribbean Strap Match. Even though it was not a major event, it may be one of the big turning points for WWF. The match was based on a re-match from the IYH where the lights went out and the Austin/Vega match had to be re-done. I don't remember if the original match was a strap match but the Dibiase leaves stipulation wasn't there originally. If Dibiase had stuck around as a manager for Austin, then probably no KOTR victory speech as Dibiase was the talker and of course, Austin's mega run may not have happened.
Also, Bobby Heenan's last days in WWF. Given how close he and Gorilla were I'm not sure how I feel. I feel like maybe they should have been given the chance to befriend each other on TV but I bet he loved his exit and getting to work with Gorilla. The "my belongings" phrase really means something in my opinion, as far as kayfabe goes. He lost Ric Flair, Perfect turned face, Lex turned face, Razor turned face so all these guys he probably invested in and he probably lost money kayfabe wise so it's very possible that tote bag were his kayfabe belongings.
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Post by EvenBaldobombHasAJob on Jun 21, 2021 12:42:15 GMT -5
Jericho getting thrown out like complete garbage when Cena beat him during his first time leaving WWE Hard disagree from me. On paper it was funny but the perception from fans was just that Jericho was once again being buried. Cena hate had already started but that was the point of no return. Vince told him not to do it, he called an audible and it blew up in poor John Cena's face. As for this thread, any of the numerous times Steve Austin beat up Vince and/or Shane.
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Post by Bang Bang Bart on Jun 21, 2021 13:14:04 GMT -5
Probably one of the best comeuppances for Vince was the night after Breakdown 1998 when he tried to present the vacated WWF Title to either Undertaker and Kane. Cue Stone Cold barging in on a Zamboni to beat up Vince. Austin’s arrested and all seems to be well, but Vince decides to poke the bear too much and mocks Taker and Kane for failing to protect him from Austin’s wrath. That leads to the two beating up on Vince and breaking his ankle by crushing it with the steel stairs.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 13:27:57 GMT -5
Backlash 2000. The deck is stacked completely against The Rock. He's by himself having to fight off HHH, special referee Shane, Vince, Stephanie, Patterson and Brisco and it looks like it's going to be too much to overcome until Austin arrives to turn the tide. The crowd for the last 5-10 minutes of that PPV are as hot as you'll ever see.
It would be an all-time great Wrestlemania ending had they done it at Wrestlemania 2000 but as I understand it they couldn't do it at that point because Austin was still in a neck brace and not physically able. Even a month later at Backlash was probably too early for him. You can see it after he dishes out all those chairs shots and kneels down to taunt in Vince's face. He literally has to use the chair to help him back up to his feet and it would still be 6 months before he was cleared to return to the ring.
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