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Post by wildojinx on Jun 3, 2023 19:54:55 GMT -5
The year started off similar to previous years, with Flair on top, though this time as a beloved veteran babyface, while guys like Sting, Dustin, Rude, Steamboat, and Vader were all booked strong, while the tag scene was on fire with crazy brawls involving the Nasty Boys and Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne (and later, Kevin Sullivan). Then Hogan comes in and things start changing, First Flair turns heel (which is what he was better at anyway), then Rude, and later Steamboat are forced to retire, Cactus Jack leaves, guys like Duggan, Earthquake (as Avalanche), Beefcake, and even Honky (briefly) come in. By Halloween Havoc the company looks nothing like it did in the beginning of the year, with Dusty's comeback match at Fall Brawl being a goodbye to the old guard. Even the guys who stuck around are portrayed differently (Arn was hanging out with Col Rob Parker and Meng, Flair had Sherri as a valet, Sting was kind of seen as an afterthought, etc). Anyone else see it?
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Post by Hernan on Jun 3, 2023 20:13:06 GMT -5
...and don't forget Dave "Evad" Sullivan of all people.
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Post by Jindrak Mark on Jun 3, 2023 20:19:19 GMT -5
I watched this era of WCW PPVs on the network a few years ago and it really is so jarring how much the company changes immediately when Hogan arrives. It goes from this dusty, still kinda NWA feeling company headlined by like Flair/Steamboat/Vader/Rude then suddenly it's all glitz and glamour 80s WWF looking with Hogan and his boys running wild.
I can only imagine how even weirder it must have seemed to actually live through it at the time.
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Post by ppl591 on Jun 3, 2023 21:41:26 GMT -5
Looking back now it is so strange. I was so excited myself. Now I would prefer it before hogan. But for me it was a continuation of the hulkamania era
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tafkaga
Samurai Cop
the Dogfather
Posts: 2,457
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Post by tafkaga on Jun 4, 2023 9:37:39 GMT -5
Early '94 felt like JCP had just evolved into the 90's, whereas late '94 felt like an "if you build it, they will come" scenario and they had Ring of Dreams with the 1990 WWF roster walking out of the cornfield.
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Post by jason1980s on Jun 4, 2023 10:52:16 GMT -5
I was a WWF fan foremost but that early 1994 WCW period was pretty awesome. I took to the Hogan era very quickly but looking back, see how important the pre Hogan era was as well.
Guys who were successful in WWF, like Steamboat and Rude did even better in WCW. Sting, in WCW, was Warrior and Hogan level. Vader was a monster far more impressive than Bundy, Gang, Kamala, Studd and others because of how he was portrayed. WCW also had something for everyone, whether it was top quality talent at the top of the card or even lower, gimmick guys on the lower end.
But like Kevin Sullivan said, they had to make Hogan happy so they had to go with what worked for him in WWF.
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SmashTV
Dennis Stamp
Big Money, Big Prizes, I Love It!
The Excellence of Allocation
Posts: 4,530 
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Post by SmashTV on Jun 6, 2023 2:39:01 GMT -5
‘Welcome to WCW, Hulk! Your contract’s all signed, the money’s in your account, is there anything else we can do?’
‘I’d like to make some changes, brother...’
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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Jun 6, 2023 6:55:39 GMT -5
Top 3 Faces/Heels in 1994:
1st Half:
Faces
1. Ric Flair (WCW Champion)
2. Sting (WCW International Champion)
3. Dustin Rhodes
Heels
1. Vader
2. Rick Rude (WCW International Champion)
3. Steve Austin (US Champion)
2nd Half:
Faces
1. Hulk Hogan (WCW Champion)
2. Sting
3. Jim Duggan (WCW US Champion)
Heels
1. Kevin Sullivan
2. Avalanche
3. The Butcher
Hogan, Duggan, Avalanche, and Butcher were not in the company at the start of 1994 with Avalanche even wrestling at Wrestlemania X and on Raw weeks later.
Sting stayed there but he was the most over WCW babyface and so it was harder to move him down the card
Kevin Sullivan was in a midcard Tag Team with Cactus Jack as babyfaces feuding with the Nasty Boys who would turn Face after Hogan came over.
Flair lost a loser leaves town match to Hogan at Halloween Havoc and right after is when Sullivan and the Faces of Fear stepped in as the top heels. Smartly WCW brought back Flair in early 95 and reunited him with Arn to strengthen the Main Event Heel scene.
Dustin Rhodes was written as an important character in early 94 and that story would ride into Fall Brawl but after that show he is lessoned and pushed down the card as Hogan, Duggan and Savage come in.
Vader was still on TV but he was pushed down the card throughout 94 until the end of Starrcade where he emerges as the top Heel again for Hogan.
Rude's back injury took him out in 94.
Austin was pushed down the card after losing the US Title to Duggan and never reached the same heights as he had in 93 as a Heel.
The 90s JCP description of early 94 was accurate. Especially with the top faces and heels. Flair and Sting were carry overs from Crocket/early Turner and Dustin was the successor to Dusty. Vader and Rude were both dominant Heels throughout 92 and 93 while Austin was a traditional NWA Heel.
Slamboree 94 is the true end of that era. Terry Funk returned to fight Tully Blanchard, Flair/Windham for the title being a callback to their 1987 feud, and Sting/Vader having their final blow off to their 1992-94 feud.
Bash at the Beach is where the transition hits but its not noticeable until Duggan comes out at Fall Brawl 94 that the shift truly hits. I consider Fall Brawl 94 to be the official end of the JCP/early Turner era WCW with the War Games match concluding it.
Once you hit Halloween Havoc the Sullivan stuff goes into full force and by Starrcade its almost an entirely different promotion.
Harley Race leaving at the end of 94 really drives home that the era of the NWA/JCP is long gone and that this new WCW is focused on taking veteran talent from across all promotions to build what goes from a conglomerate of old territories brought together to a 2nd WWF.
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Post by Triangle Lancer on Jun 9, 2023 20:02:27 GMT -5
After I started working in August 1994 (retail, overnights, unloading trucks Mon nite-Fri nite), I dozed off during a LOT of WCW PPVs.
So I'd rate them in Z's. Not stars. The less Z's, the better the match because I didn't fall asleep during them.
I love Hacksaw Duggan but poor guy got the most 5-Zs ratings. (Although his winning the US title was BS and we all knew it.)
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Post by Triangle Lancer on Jun 9, 2023 20:03:41 GMT -5
Early '94 felt like JCP had just evolved into the 90's, whereas late '94 felt like an "if you build it, they will come" scenario and they had Ring of Dreams with the 1990 WWF roster walking out of the cornfield. Double post: Beautiful analogy. Had to give credit where it's due. 🙂 |
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Post by JasonVoorhees1988 on Jun 9, 2023 21:10:32 GMT -5
1994 is a transition period. But I love 95.
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chrom
Backup Wench
Master of the rare undecuple post
Posts: 87,901
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Post by chrom on Jun 9, 2023 21:19:35 GMT -5
1994 is a transition period. But I love 95. Really? Nothing to talk about in 95 until Nitro went on the air. |
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Post by jason1980s on Jun 9, 2023 22:53:25 GMT -5
I posted on another board that, John Studd's 1995 hall of fame induction seemed like something to get the attention of the Hogan/WWF fan. Would most fans coming from WWF to WCW with Hogan know of the old school legends from JCP/NWA/WCW as well as a WWF guy?
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Jun 9, 2023 23:02:13 GMT -5
Early '94 felt like JCP had just evolved into the 90's, whereas late '94 felt like an "if you build it, they will come" scenario and they had Ring of Dreams with the 1990 WWF roster walking out of the cornfield. Double post: Beautiful analogy. Had to give credit where it's due. 🙂 Nine Men Out: Hogan, Savage, Beefcake, Duggan, Boss Man, Honky Tonk Man, Earthquake, and The Nasty Boys Visualizing those guys walking out of a cornfield is hilarious. I guess Hogan is Shoeless Joe Jackson. And Eric Bischoff is Ray Kinsella. Trying to think who can play James Earl Jones and Timothy Busfield's characters. |
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Post by Triangle Lancer on Jul 4, 2023 19:57:23 GMT -5
Double post: Beautiful analogy. Had to give credit where it's due. 🙂 Nine Men Out: Hogan, Savage, Beefcake, Duggan, Boss Man, Honky Tonk Man, Earthquake, and The Nasty Boys Visualizing those guys walking out of a cornfield is hilarious. I guess Hogan is Shoeless Joe Jackson. And Eric Bischoff is Ray Kinsella. Trying to think who can play James Earl Jones and Timothy Busfield's characters. Ice Train as JEJ? |
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Post by JasonVoorhees1988 on Jul 4, 2023 20:31:48 GMT -5
1994 is a transition period. But I love 95. Really? Nothing to talk about in 95 until Nitro went on the air. I LOVE the Hogan vs Vader feud. |
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Post by jason1980s on Jul 4, 2023 21:25:22 GMT -5
...and don't forget Dave "Evad" Sullivan of all people. I was a huge Dave Sullivan fan. WCW did an autograph signing at a local buffet the night before Super Brawl V. When my father called the place to ask who was signing, I was pissed to hear a Hulk Hogan impersonator. They also mentioned Alex Wright who I liked but the impersonator didn't sit well with 11 year old me. I wanted to meet a real WCW wrestler. The signing was on my birthday which was cool. We met Wild Cat Willie outside the place. I marked out big when it turned out it was Alex and also Dave Sullivan. He wasn't an impersonator. He was a real life WCE star. In 1995, if you asked me who would be a bigger star, EVAD or Dallas Page as they feuded, I would tell you EVAD. I did start to wonder about wrestling when he didn't play up the EVAD character at the signing and signed as "Dave Sullivan." |
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Post by Hernan on Jul 5, 2023 0:11:04 GMT -5
...and don't forget Dave "Evad" Sullivan of all people. I was a huge Dave Sullivan fan. WCW did an autograph signing at a local buffet the night before Super Brawl V. When my father called the place to ask who was signing, I was pissed to hear a Hulk Hogan impersonator. They also mentioned Alex Wright who I liked but the impersonator didn't sit well with 11 year old me. I wanted to meet a real WCW wrestler. The signing was on my birthday which was cool. We met Wild Cat Willie outside the place. I marked out big when it turned out it was Alex and also Dave Sullivan. He wasn't an impersonator. He was a real life WCE star. In 1995, if you asked me who would be a bigger star, EVAD or Dallas Page as they feuded, I would tell you EVAD. I did start to wonder about wrestling when he didn't play up the EVAD character at the signing and signed as "Dave Sullivan." Always cool to hear these stories. |
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Jul 5, 2023 1:00:26 GMT -5
Nine Men Out: Hogan, Savage, Beefcake, Duggan, Boss Man, Honky Tonk Man, Earthquake, and The Nasty Boys Visualizing those guys walking out of a cornfield is hilarious. I guess Hogan is Shoeless Joe Jackson. And Eric Bischoff is Ray Kinsella. Trying to think who can play James Earl Jones and Timothy Busfield's characters. Ice Train as JEJ? Way too young. Ron Simmons definitely has the voice but again too young. "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd I think would work. |
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 29,402
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Post by Sephiroth on Jul 5, 2023 5:37:20 GMT -5
...and don't forget Dave "Evad" Sullivan of all people. Say it right. It’s SULLIVAN!!!!!! |
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