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Post by Jindrak Mark on Nov 30, 2023 15:38:58 GMT -5
Anyone with a good memory remember if fans were actually expecting this to be a big name or was it just wishful thinking and obvious that Vince was going to give him an easy opponent?
It ended up being a pre-Gillberg Duane Gill but beforehand there were huge HBK chants. Had that even been hinted at on TV?
Apparently there were some rumors about WCW names like Hogan/Savage but that seems pretty far-fetched.
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Post by Celexa Bliss 54 on Nov 30, 2023 15:56:20 GMT -5
I remember thinking Marc Mero for some reason lol I liked him and thought he was an odd omission from the tournament.
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XIII
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Post by XIII on Nov 30, 2023 16:00:10 GMT -5
Can’t remember if it was hinted at on tv but there was definitely a rumor that it was going to be HBK. IIRC he had been showing up on tv a good bit around that time. Then I guess Vince decided that he was too high. lol
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 30, 2023 16:20:06 GMT -5
It stood to reason with the story, letting Mankind think he was getting an easy path only for Rock to be the true beneficiary. I do think that Foley acknowledged the HBK chant in Have a Nice Day, though, or speculation in general at the very least.
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Post by jason1980s on Nov 30, 2023 16:22:11 GMT -5
I liked the Duane Gill choice because he was such a long time journeyman and this may be his only chance to be on a PPV. He was/is a Maryland guy, local to the indy shows for years prior and after so it was very cool. Even better, is that it led to him becoming more of a regular roster member with the Gillberg character. After all these years, Gillberg seems to be what he is most known for.
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Post by The Rick Jericho on Nov 30, 2023 18:51:00 GMT -5
Wasn't Ric Flair going through his WCW issue with Bischoff?
I know the dirt sheets were teasing in the fall-winter of 1998-99 that he was coming aboard and to feud with Steve Austin as the corporate champion.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 30, 2023 18:53:23 GMT -5
Wasn't Ric Flair going through his WCW issue with Bischoff? I know the dirt sheets were teasing in the fall-winter of 1998-99 that he was coming aboard and to feud with Steve Austin as the corporate champion. Yeah, during 1998, he was flirting with the idea of trying to jump to WWF. Same reason he's not in WCW/nWo Revenge, the issues they had. I am unsure if that's part of why David Flair was a big thing in 1999, as one of several peace offerings, but it wouldn't surprise me. |
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cjh
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Post by cjh on Nov 30, 2023 18:56:48 GMT -5
Wasn't Ric Flair going through his WCW issue with Bischoff? I know the dirt sheets were teasing in the fall-winter of 1998-99 that he was coming aboard and to feud with Steve Austin as the corporate champion. No, Flair was gone from WCW from April to September, so any chance of him going to the WWF was off the table before Survivor Series. |
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Post by wildojinx on Nov 30, 2023 19:17:29 GMT -5
I remember thinking Marc Mero for some reason lol I liked him and thought he was an odd omission from the tournament. Mero had left the company by the time of Survivor Series. |
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Post by jason1980s on Nov 30, 2023 19:27:56 GMT -5
I remember thinking Marc Mero for some reason lol I liked him and thought he was an odd omission from the tournament. Mero had left the company by the time of Survivor Series. Was he off TV by that point, after the retirement match? Some reason I thought he was around until very early 99. He did the UK PPV in December but maybe for the U.S. audience he was already off TV. |
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Post by wildojinx on Nov 30, 2023 19:35:38 GMT -5
Mero had left the company by the time of Survivor Series. Was he off TV by that point, after the retirement match? Some reason I thought he was around until very early 99. He did the UK PPV in December but maybe for the U.S. audience he was already off TV. Now that I think about it, Mero was still around, since the retirement match was against Gill (this was before the Gillberg stuff though, that was in January). |
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Post by Celexa Bliss 54 on Nov 30, 2023 20:35:19 GMT -5
Was he off TV by that point, after the retirement match? Some reason I thought he was around until very early 99. He did the UK PPV in December but maybe for the U.S. audience he was already off TV. Now that I think about it, Mero was still around, since the retirement match was against Gill (this was before the Gillberg stuff though, that was in January). Not only was he still around, he was in Jacqueline's corner at Survivor Series. |
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chazraps
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Post by chazraps on Nov 30, 2023 20:49:15 GMT -5
Anyone with a good memory remember if fans were actually expecting this to be a big name or was it just wishful thinking and obvious that Vince was going to give him an easy opponent? It ended up being a pre-Gillberg Duane Gill but beforehand there were huge HBK chants. Had that even been hinted at on TV? Apparently there were some rumors about WCW names like Hogan/Savage but that seems pretty far-fetched. Fans on the AOL WWF Messageboard were all convinced it absolutely 100% was going to be Shawn Michaels. On the original PPV broadcast, like you said, you can hear an audible HBK chant as Mankind is in the ring and the music stops. I don't recall the Hogan or Savage rumors, but I do remember the rumor of Savage being the mystery partner at Survivor Series 96. There wasn't much speculation about that partner online, as I recall, as the match wasn't giving much TV hype and seemed pretty meaningless going into it. I remember one fan on the AOL boards saying "It's Snuka. It's always Snuka" and they were right. |
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Post by sarkerpolseng on Dec 1, 2023 0:17:43 GMT -5
I love Vince's introduction for Duane Gill. Really makes you think a big name is coming.
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Post by James Fabiano on Dec 1, 2023 0:37:18 GMT -5
I want a video of his Titantron from then.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 1, 2023 10:21:55 GMT -5
How did the HBK rumor get started? And why did people believe it?
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salz4life
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Post by salz4life on Dec 1, 2023 10:35:09 GMT -5
How did the HBK rumor get started? And why did people believe it? I think it was just people still wanting HBK back and not truly knowing how seriously he was hurt (and messed up). |
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fw91
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Post by fw91 on Dec 1, 2023 21:05:53 GMT -5
wasn't this one of the inspirations of the "Sid returns" memes?
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chazraps
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Post by chazraps on Dec 1, 2023 21:25:51 GMT -5
How did the HBK rumor get started? And why did people believe it? This was 1998 internet. People believed Goldust was going to be Vince's "corporate champ" and that the whole reason WWF purchased a casino was so that Steve Austin could looney tunes style blow it up with plunger detonator. |
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Cranjis McBasketball
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Dec 1, 2023 22:37:04 GMT -5
Rumour was always HBK. I don't recall anyone else, but a few people have said names but I don't recall those.
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