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Post by Gravedigger's Biscuits on Apr 1, 2024 6:12:57 GMT -5
I've been watching WrestleMania 25 and when Stone Cold comes out as part of the '09 Hall of Fame Class, the commentators try and sell this is as Austin's farewell appearance. JR even ends the segment by saying "You'll never forget where the Austin Era began and you'll never forget where it ended".
It's really odd - did Austin tell WWE he didn't want to appear anymore at the time? Maybe it was a Rock type situation where he was trying to get taken seriously acting wise and so he just didn't want to be closely associated with wrestling for a while.
A couple more that come to mind for me are two match-billings: promoting HHH vs Cena at Night of Champions 2008 as "a moment in time". I get it was two top stars facing each other but that seemed totally OTT. Similarly, the hype for Orton vs Edge at Backlash 2020 as "the greatest wrestling match ever". They both sound like weird Vince marketing ideas, like a few years ago when they kept saying WrestleMania 38 was the most "stupendous" Mania ever.
What are some other weird ways of promoting stuff WWE have done over the years?
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Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone. Got away with it, this time.
Posts: 23,586
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Post by Bo Rida on Apr 1, 2024 7:13:19 GMT -5
Pretending hhh vs undertaker had never happened before despite it being part of one of the biggest events in wrestling history. Then billing the rematch as an end of an era despite nothing ending.
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 28,961
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Post by Sephiroth on Apr 1, 2024 7:22:19 GMT -5
Having virtual Cinnamon Toast Crunch characters sitting in the audience.
Buckets of Kentucky grilled chicken sitting on the announcers desk-and everyone looking totally underwhelmed.
Some of those weird ass 2000’s ppv posters.
WM 9. All of it.
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MiLB Fan
Fry's dog Seymour
Posts: 20,396
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Post by MiLB Fan on Apr 1, 2024 7:40:39 GMT -5
The Ninja Turtles appearing at Hell in a Cell because the video game sponsored the show.
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Post by David-Arquette was in WCW 2000 on Apr 1, 2024 8:01:07 GMT -5
I always thought "Where it all begins.. again" was strange for Wrestlemania XX.
I get that it's maybe a reference to it being Wrestlemania in MSG again.. where it all started, but it's still strange.
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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Apr 1, 2024 8:31:43 GMT -5
I always thought "Where it all begins.. again" was strange for Wrestlemania XX. I get that it's maybe a reference to it being Wrestlemania in MSG again.. where it all started, but it's still strange. Put in context how different the business was in March 1985 to March 2004 and where we are from March 2004 to April 2024 and it makes sense. The beginning of a very long journey and ride culminating in an anniversary show made possible by the 20 years prior.
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Post by Citizen Snips Has Left on Apr 1, 2024 8:39:46 GMT -5
The theme song to Wrestlemania 22 being Peter Gabriel’s “Big Time”, which was released the same year as Wrestlemania 2.
Ironically enough, 22 was the last Mania to be held in an arena as opposed to a stadium (excluding 36 for reasons outside their control) so it was actually a “Small Time” Mania.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Apr 1, 2024 11:46:56 GMT -5
WrestleMania 23’s All Grown Up ads. It’s your favorite WWE Superstars as kids!!!! Doesn’t that make you wanna order the PPV!?
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fg
Unicron
Gaming
Posts: 2,984
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Post by fg on Apr 1, 2024 15:29:58 GMT -5
Pretending hhh vs undertaker had never happened before despite it being part of one of the one of the biggest events in wrestling history. Then billing the rematch as an end of an era despite nothing ending. On the Raw after WM27 (where they faced each other), HHHssid it wasn’t the first time he faced Taker at WM.
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fg
Unicron
Gaming
Posts: 2,984
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Post by fg on Apr 1, 2024 15:34:20 GMT -5
I've been watching WrestleMania 25 and when Stone Cold comes out as part of the '09 Hall of Fame Class, the commentators try and sell this is as Austin's farewell appearance. JR even ends the segment by saying "You'll never forget where the Austin Era began and you'll never forget where it ended". It's really odd - did Austin tell WWE he didn't want to appear anymore at the time? Maybe it was a Rock type situation where he was trying to get taken seriously acting wise and so he just didn't want to be closely associated with wrestling for a while.
A couple more that come to mind for me are two match-billings: promoting HHH vs Cena at Night of Champions 2008 as "a moment in time". I get it was two top stars facing each other but that seemed totally OTT. Similarly, the hype for Orton vs Edge at Backlash 2020 as "the greatest wrestling match ever". They both sound like weird Vince marketing ideas, like a few years ago when they kept saying WrestleMania 38 was the most "stupendous" Mania ever. What are some other weird ways of promoting stuff WWE have done over the years?
With WWE having just become a PG company, there was a feeling we wouldn’t see Steve again (not even for rare appearances.) For WM38, I kinda get it since that event took place at AT&T stadium and since WM32 also took place there and supposedly beat the WM3 attendance, there was a feeling that this event could break WM32’s record and it did.
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Post by Gerard Gerard on Apr 1, 2024 16:17:59 GMT -5
The build to Wrestlemania 31, especially the main event, felt like WWE were really banking on the fact it was 10 dollars on the network would sell the show alone. There is a jarring lack of hype for anything whatsoever and culminates in that weird-ass tug-of-war between Roman and Lesnar on the go-home show.
I mean, we were all shocked when it turned out to be an absolute banger of show, but still, weird ass promotion for the deal.
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
Better have my money when I come-a collect!
Posts: 27,988
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Post by chazraps on Apr 1, 2024 18:20:34 GMT -5
Associated Press upload so it's 100% cleared by WWE.
For two weeks WWE said they were going to lay the "smackdown on autism!"
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Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone. Got away with it, this time.
Posts: 23,586
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Post by Bo Rida on Apr 2, 2024 4:16:47 GMT -5
Associated Press upload so it's 100% cleared by WWE. For two weeks WWE said they were going to lay the "smackdown on autism!" Oh wow, I didn't know about this, new levels of wwe scuzziness promoting an anti-vaxxer.
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Post by The Thread Barbi on Apr 2, 2024 5:40:26 GMT -5
I always thought "Where it all begins.. again" was strange for Wrestlemania XX. I get that it's maybe a reference to it being Wrestlemania in MSG again.. where it all started, but it's still strange. I honestly thought it was a reference to Shane's son, and a new member of the dynasty's first Wrestlemania.
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Post by James Fabiano on Apr 2, 2024 8:42:46 GMT -5
I always thought "Where it all begins.. again" was strange for Wrestlemania XX. I get that it's maybe a reference to it being Wrestlemania in MSG again.. where it all started, but it's still strange. I honestly thought it was a reference to Shane's son, and a new member of the dynasty's first Wrestlemania. "It Begins Again..." I'm going to claim WWE was referencing the 1978 Dusty Springfield album, and I'm sticking by that! ;-) ;-) ;-) Hey, it isn't totally unusual for WWE to use the Britgirls in advertising... they did use Petula Clark for one of their video game ads, after all. And technically Marianne Faithfull WAS in the Metallica song they used for the "End of an era" UT/HHH match.
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Post by CeilingFan on Apr 2, 2024 8:56:44 GMT -5
Anyone else remember Tout?
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 28,961
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Post by Sephiroth on Apr 2, 2024 8:59:09 GMT -5
A lot of the guest host era. The A Team movie was one of the worst. And the implied death of R Truth.
Bringing Tiny Lister in as Zeus to promote No Holds Barred.
Leslie Nielsen searching for the undertaker
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Post by wildojinx on Apr 2, 2024 10:11:46 GMT -5
Austin and Rock on the go-home show for Survivor Series 2001 singing Margaritaville together.
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Post by Aceorton on Apr 2, 2024 11:55:10 GMT -5
Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy trying to solve the case of the missing Undertaker to build up SummerSlam '94. I shudder to think how much Vince shelled out for that.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Apr 2, 2024 23:02:36 GMT -5
This one became weird in retrospect: The 1997 Survivor Series was promoted as "Gang Rulz." It made sense at the time as WWE had a bunch of stables running around: D-X, The Hart Foundation, The Nation Of Domination, DOA, Los Boriquas, and The Truth Commission. (This was WWE's attempt to counter WCW's nWo. "Instead of one big stable, we'll have a bunch of smaller ones!" A young Tony Khan must have saw that and got ideas.) So, you would think that the PPV that was built around elimination tag matchs would feature all these stables fighting each other in the PPV's signature match. Not quite.
Only two stables for each other; and, ironically, they were the two that seemingly had the most in common: DOA VS The Truth Commission (a white biker gang VS a white paramilitary group). The Nation all fought together, but they took on the makeshift team of Ahmed Johnson, Ken Shamrock, and LOD. Only one D-X guy wrestled at the PPV: Shawn Michaels, though he at least wrestled someone from one of those stables. The Hart Foundation all wrestled but in different matches: Jim Neidhart and The British Bulldog in the Team Canada VS Team USA match, Owen Hart losing the Intercontinental Title to Stone Cold, and Bret Hart "losing" the WWE Title to Michaels (you may have heard of that match). And, Los Boriquas weren't even booked for the PPV. I get why they booked the show that way, but it was still weird how it turned out.
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