As I take a (well deserved) break from writing Raw, I thought I'd blog on WWE matters and what else could I possibly talk about other than WrestleMania?
I'm going to do two pieces, one on my personal memories of WrestleMania (that's this one), and secondly, my predictions and hopes for this years event.
In the beginning... Vince created WrestleMania.
WrestleMania at the beginning really wasn't seen as "the Superbowl of professional wrestling", it really wasn't as grand as all that. The NWA had already promoted their Starrcade supercards and WWE had produced Showdown at Shea, make no mistake, WrestleMania was the answer to Starrcade.
Vince McMahon is the kind of man, much like myself lol, who has to do everything bigger, better and badder than the opposition. Vince will have looked at Starrcade and thought - how can we blow that out of the water. At this time Vince was at the forefront of new innovation and technology, something WWE is NOT in 2009. Vince looked at cable and MTV in particular, he looked at the 1980's political landscape and gave us Hogan, Volkoff etc... he looked to pay-per-view.
PPV was the single invention that changed wrestling forever, talking it out of local arenas and barns and into the front room, the revenue allowed companies to suddenly become major TV players and increase production values and wages tenfold. People like Hulk Hogan became mainstream celebrities, all from this one event. Vince apparently figuratively stakes the family jewels on this being a success... and it was. The celebrity endorsement brought in new fans and exposure and WrestleMania, in one night, made the WWF the hottest thing in America, burying the NWA in the process.
My first WrestleMania was apparently WrestleMania III though I remember nothing of it. My father was allegedly something of a fan in the 1980's and literally everybody watched WrestleMania 3, I was allowed to stay up for it. Even though I don't remember it, maybe it left a subconscious memory that led me to VWWE some 15 years later lol. What follows next is my own memories of the events I saw live at the time. Many of these I, in truth, haven't watched fully again since then, so I'm just remembering off the top of my head what I can (I nearly forgot the ladder match at WM16 for one lol, so sorry if I miss anything really important out)
My first actual memory of a WrestleMania is WrestleMania IX at Caesars Palace with those absurd toga costumes. All I remember remembering is how much Hulk Hogan sucked and at that time I'd wished Bret Hart had left with the title lol. In truth I probably still believe that, Hulk Hogan winning the title at WM9 being the moment Hogan Jumped the Shark in the WWF, it was one of the most shameful power plays ever seen. Bret should have left WM9 as champion and although it didn't hurt his career, it could easily have done.
WrestleMania X I remember a lot more, by this point I was watching the WWF regularly with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon etc being my favorites (even Bret Hart). WrestleMania X is still one of my favorite PPV's and one of the best ever WrestleMania's with Owen Hart going over Bret and the infamous Ladder Match. This was imo the PPV where the New Generation really came into their own. The main event, like last year and next year was forgettable however - Bret vs Yokozuna and I don't think imo that WrestleMania had really reached its "Superbowl" status yet and wouldn't for a long time.
WrestleMania XI and the involvement of Lawrence Taylor I remember, funnily it's really only the celebrities I remembered from this PPV, Pamala Anderson of course being there with Jenny McCarthy. I didn't remember a thing about any of the matches which says everything about the quality of the show. This was a PPV where they tried to mask the lameness of the card with the celebs. Did it work? nope.
WrestleMania 12 was the Ironman match and of course the Warrior vs Helmsley, losing in 12 seconds which is hilarious now... but I was pissed back then. Not for Helmsley who I hated but if there was one person I hated more it was the Warrior. I was a total New Generation freak at the time and ANYBODY who I saw as being from the 80's I hated - Hogan, Warrior, Slaughter. An Ultimate Warrior return filled me with dread, luckily it didn't last. I haven't seen the Ironman match in ages but it's always been one of my favorite matches.. yet thinking back to it, I really think HBK has had better matches since. Id certainly rather watch his Flair match or Jericho matches. Maybe I've just forgotten how great it was, I'll have to rewatch sometime.
WrestleMania 13 came at a time I was becoming exasperated, for want of another word, with the WWF. I'd been watching WCW a lot in the latter half of 1996 and it was on fire, the WWF was in transition but mostly lame and WrestleMania 13 didn't buck the trend. I remember little of it and haven't seen it since first broadcast I don't think. I really had little interest in it. The only match that stands out is Bret Hart vs Steve Austin... and i'm gunna leave my thoughts on that for my 1997 history blogs lol.
What a difference a year made... WrestleMania 14 and it could have been a whole different company. This was the "official" start of attitude with Tyson, Austin and Michaels being so memorable. Throughout that match it really felt like the end of an era but HBK was in such visible pain its still amazing they had the match they did. The final punch by Tyson and the 3:16 T-Shirt over the face were absolute perfect. There was much more to this PPV though, the DX Band murdering America the Beautiful was perfect for this era, LOD and Sunny was great, the dumpster match... great PPV and at this point, my favorite of them all.
A year later and the WWF was now trouncing WCW... but in my own opinion, WrestleMania 15 wasn't as memorable as the year befores and all that stands out is the very poor Hell in a Cell match and the main event. The HIAC really was a snooze fest from a feud undeserving of the stipulation, it seemed tacked on and there simply to build on the reputation of the Taker/Mankind HIAC. The main event however was, like last year, genuinely the best two guys in the company and the hottest acts in wrestling. The right result with Austin again being champion led to the main event for the second year in a row being particularly memorable.
WrestleMania 2000, XVI, 16, whatever you call it... it was shoite. Possibly the biggest disappointment in WrestleMania history for me, WrestleMania 16 should have been so much more. With the roster they had, the total domination... they decided for some reason to simply stick as many people as they could on the card. I'm struggling to remember much about the event, its another I haven't seen in a long time despite buying the DVD a few weeks back. Ice T I remember of course and there was the Angle/Benoit/Jericho match that was very good but could have been more. Plans I've always presumed originally featured the Undertaker who'd been scheduled to return at the 2000 Royal Rumble but in the end they had the four way that was excellent all told. Mick Foley's return however was lame and he should never have been in the match. Mick's career ending so close to WrestleMania was a perfect tragic ending to a career, it told a story. Coming back for this one match ruined that and would only have worked had Mick won the title for the fairytale ending. In the end we broke with tradition and Triple H won when many were expecting the Rock to do so. The ONLY great thing on the show as the triple threat ladder match, that's all that saved this card from being a disaster. That alone and the fact that all the matches, while not stellar, were good ranks it over WM15. Not my favorite event though....
But the next one was.
WrestleMania 17 from the Houston Astrodome was simply the greatest night in the history of wrestling, I'll not hear otherwise. This show was the final act in the attitude era, the last hurrah before the onset of a dark period. From top to bottom the card was utter quality. I remember watching this one live with some mates from college as everybody was still into wrestling at this point, something unthinkable just a year later. This night for me personally was the peak of wrestling's popularity even though ratings had already started to fall, but in terms of quality, passion from the fans, productions, talent, everything on this night was aligned.
We had the TLC match, the gimmick battle royal, that awesome Limp Bizkit theme song, Undertaker and Triple H, the great garage brawl with Kane, Show and Raven, Angle and Benoit.
McMahon vs McMahon for me at the time was just absolutely brilliant, it had been built perfectly with Shane buying WCW and on the night it was amazing storytelling with Linda rising up and kicking Vince in the balls, Shane going coast to coast - it was a fine start to the Alliance feud that sadly never lived up to these heights.
The match of the evening however was Austin vs The Rock and frankly, this was one of the best built matches of all time. Austin and The Roc in the run up to this contest put in some of their finest ever performances, from Austin's NEED to be champion to the Rocks quest to actually win the belt from Kurt Angle, it was all brilliant and on the night they gave us one of the greatest WrestleMania main events ever. I loved them stealing each others finishers lol, you never seen that these days.... but the finish was what always made this special. I knew very little of backstage happenings at this point so it was a complete shock, Austin turning heel was the greatest swerve of all time, that image of Austin shaking hands with McMahon was one of the great pictures in wrestling history, played perfectly by JR and Paul Heyman. As much as I'd loved King, this event wouldn't have been quite as good without Heyman imo. It was a perfect end to a perfect show. The greatest WrestleMania of em all.
For me, WrestleMania 17 was the moment that WrestleMania became WWE's answer to the Superbowl. Unlike other recent Manias, the crowd was huge, over 70,000, I cant remember the exact number. Every match on the card was fantastically built and a huge collision, the performances were off the chat as was the production. WrestleMania 17 heralded a new dawn for WrestleMania.
WrestleMania 18 the year after was the first of the VWWE era, for many of our younger members, that must seem an age ago lol. The problem with WrestleMania 18 is that it followed 17 and could never live up to the previous years event despite the fact that WWE followed exactly the same formula almost. There was the big arena and crowd, the massive set, a live band... the problem? the matches.
I'm as big a Chris Jericho fan as anybody but the decision to put the belt on Jericho at Vengeance in December 2001 was one of the biggest mistakes in WWE history. Following what happened at WrestleMania 17, the logical and poetic finale to the year 2001 was The Rock vs Steve Austin for the Undisputed Championship with The Rock winning and avenging his loss at WM17, possibly going on to WM18 to face Triple H. However... WWE threw us a swerve and had Jericho win and the had him hook up with Stephanie McMahon. In just a year WWE had gone from some of the greatest TV ever seen... to shoite. Jericho was a poor champion, a weak champion.. and there was never any doubt in anybodys mind that Triple H would roll over him at WM. That said, Triple H's return at the Rumble had been awesome.. but the whole fake pregnancy? not so. And Steph really looks a slut at this point as a side note lol.
Steve Austin was completely wasted on this show and I've never understood why. From being the biggest draw in wrestling just 6 months previously, Austin was reduced to facing Scott Hall (no disrespect to him) in an undercard match... why? Personally, I'd have gone for - Nash and Hall challenge for the tag titles, Hogan faces The Rock, Austin faces Triple H, Undertaker faces Ric Flair. THAT would have been a challenger to WrestleMania 17.
But the show wasn't a complete disaster, The Rock and Hulk Hogan was as well built as Austin/Rock had been the year previously. Who can forget "Yes.... or no?", one of the great promos of the decade? the match was absolutely electric, a magnificent example of psychology and working a crowd. This was the final answer to the idiots who believe that the likes of American Dragon have what it takes to be stars. These two men held the crowd in their palm and, frankly, out of an average match in the ring, gave us an ICONIC match through the manipulation of the crowd and the audience. The told a story and THAT is what this business is all about.
Often forgotten on the card tragically is the Undertaker vs Ric Flair. Another fantastically built match, I LOVED this heel Undertaker, demanding respect and taking it if he didn't get it. Taker was awesome in the run up to this match with his beat down of David Flair for example. The match is a great street fight, another example of great storytelling but in truth, also the best actual match on the card. I MARKED for the run-in of Arn Anderson in the match, that was a WrestleMania moment for me.
The main event as I mentioned... was crap. The crowd burned themselves out with Hogan/Rock which should have main evented, but besides that.. it just wasn't a good match. I never believed Jericho stood a change and frankly... his ring attire was vile. This match really marked a MASSIVE downturn in the quality of the main events in WWE for about the next six months. We had the atrocious Triple H/Hogan and Hogan/Undertaker in the moths that followed and ratings plummeted.
Over all.. a letdown of a WrestleMania, but maybe not as bad as many people remember.
WrestleMania XIX the year later was a return to form and a big improvement all round. WWE once again were following that formula of the past two events - big arena, live music, even Limp Bizkit returned this time.
Matt Hardy vs Rey Mysterio started us off if I remember and it was a great opening match, Limp Bizkit played Taker to the ring.. Fred Durst looking an absolute midget next to Taker.
This was the first WWE branded PPV and the first with the two titles. The WWE Championship match was poorly and offensively built with a vaguely racist Angle built around Triple H and Booker T which I thought was beneath Triple H and Ric Flair and even if they'd gone there, Booker T had to win the blow off... which of course he didn't. This match really held little interest for me or anybody else as I remember, there were three other matches on the card of prime importance - Michaels vs Jericho, Lesnar vs Angle and Hogan vs McMahon.
There was always a sense in the early days of HBK's return, as far up to this match at WM19 that we should expect too much from him, his back could give out at any moment and going into the event, although we expected a good match, we didn't think it'd be a classic as this was. This was the moment we realized "Michaels is truly back" The ending where Jericho kicked him in the balls was great storytelling again and really got Jericho over as a heel at that point.
Lesnar vs Angle was a match where Lesnar had to step up, it was make or break for him. Luckily he and Angle had a great match but what everybody talks about is that final moment where Lesnar was supposed to win with the Shooting Star Press and botched it. There was complete shock both in chat and the arena, a moment of silence where the whole world thought "he's dead". Luckily he wasn't and recovered enough, Angle has the intelligence to work a finish on the fly and all was well, but that was nearly the worst possible moment in WrestleMania history.
The big match promoted here however was McMahon vs Hogan, twenty years in the making. In one way, it would have been cool had they held this off to WM20 but as it was this was built fantastically with a lot of great promos from both Hogan and McMahon on who was really responsible for the success of WrestleMania. In WWE, few people really are as good at this type of street fight as Vince McMahon, he's really pretty much mastered it over the years. The ladder and bloody Vince with the pipe were both great moments but the return of Roddy Piper was just brilliant. Very similarly booked to Undertaker vs Flair the year before in many ways.
One year later and the WWE was really up shit creek. Raw had been poor, SmackDown had descended into shit central and VWWE was closed nearly, my own interest in WWE was dwindling a little, one of the few saving graces WrestleMania XX on the horizon from the iconic Madison Square Garden.... but WWE really dropped the ball here. WrestleMania 20 should have been the greatest card of all time, yet like at WrestleMania 16 WWE decided to simply cram the card with as many people as possible. There were a few saving graces going in - Evolution vs Rock/Sock, Angle vs Eddie, The Triple Threat and Christian vs Jericho.
Christian vs Chris Jericho had been one of WWE's better booked programs going into the event with Christian playing the Creepy Little Bastard to perfection, perving after Trish Stratus. It was an excellent match with a great swerve finish with Trish turning on Jericho... and watch this space for VWWE ripping that Angle off soon enough :)
The Rock and Sock Connection vs Evolution was a match that let me down on a lot of levels and I know many in VWWE were angry about the match and in particular by the performance of The Rock and Mick Foley that was just not up to standard. A lot of backlash went against The Rock after this in some quarters while Mick salvaged a lot with his excellent match against Orton at Backlash. However, watching iMPACT this week and Mick's words about WrestleMania... fuck him. And talking of TNA wastes... Kurt Angle. In seriousness, Angle and Eddie were on top of their games at this point, it was the height of both men's careers and after the euphoria of Eddie Guerrero winning the title at No Way Out, I think a lot was expected of this match... and for me... it failed to deliver. The match was excellent and certainly one of the best on the card... but it wasn't quite the 5 star match we were expecting and it was something of a letdown as well. After 5 hours almost, I was tired and exhausted by the main event but what happened next certainly kept me awake.
The triple threat WAS a 5/5 star match. I remember the early talk in the locker was about how awesome Triple H's combination of white boots and black trunks was... which gives you an idea how "Queer Eye" Sam was back in those days lol. The match was another masterclass and an answer to the critics who'd been out in force for Triple H for well over a year. What happened after the match however is something that has changed since then. When Eddie came out to congratulate Chris Benoit in 2004, it was a poetic finale to the show, the two friends who were like brothers after all these years, champions together at last. Now it's a symbol of tragedy, the two friends locked together by a fateful future. What was once the most joyous end to a WrestleMania, is now the saddest.
WrestleMania 21 had a theme - Hollywood, despite not actually being held in Hollywood. The commercials for this WrestleMania were probably the best thing about it with the "You lookin a me" one actually helping to build up Batista's character at the time I think. My personnel favorite was Austin's Gladiator one, being a big fan of that film but the Braveheart one with Flair falling off the donkey was hilarious. The event itself really marked the beginning of a new generation in WWE with Randy Orton, John Cena and Batista all in prominent singles matches for the first time.
The build before the show was all about Batista, it had been going on for about six months and was the best turn WWE probably ever did. It was so subtle and Batista and Triple H played it to perfection, each week Tista got a little bit further away from Evolution. When he finally turned and powerbombed Triple H through that table, a viewing audience cheered in unison. It really seemed that Batista was the next big thing at this point, everybody was behind him. Unfortunately after his 3-0 winning streak over Triple H he got sent to SmackDown and was found out very quickly, he never reached these heights again which says a lot about Triple H's fantastic ability and is the final word to people who believe Helmsley wont do what's right for the business.
Batista's victory was met with a massive response.. but on the undercard, Cena's wasn't. At this time Cena was over as a face, not to Batista's level at that time but certainly over. His win over JBL was more expected I think, the program was nowhere near as good, the crowd were bored of JBL as champion, the match was atrocious for a World title match at WrestleMania and Cole completely, as usual, failed to get the moment and its significance across. The Cena era started with a whimper.
Elsewhere on the card Undertaker downed Randy Orton in a great match that's started their excellent feud and Shawn Michaels faced Kurt Angle in the match of the night, Shawn against stealing the show. To be honest though, I cant remember off the top of my head who won here, I'm pretty certain it was Angle but I wouldn't bet on it. I could go and look it up on Wiki... but I'll leave it lol.
WrestleMania 21 marked a move back away from the big arenas that had made WrestleMania's 17 to 19 so great, 20 being excepted due to it being MSG and WrestleMania 21 to me always seems far smaller and less grand than many other manias, even WrestleMania 22 which was at just a small arena.
WrestleMania 22 marked WWE with the Cena era in full swing and again, this isn't one of my favorite WrestleMania's. The Edge vs Mick Foley match was the highlight and an excellent match as Mick always manages in that environment, nothing less was expected. There were some great touches with the barbed wire, fire and Lita and it probably stole the show. However, there was some crap here too - the Boogeyman's involvement, Undertaker being landed with Mark Henry, Rey Mysterio winning the World title. Cena vs Triple H was excellent and I remember everybody was rooting for Triple H, having turned on Cena in the proceeding year... yet Cena won. Shawn Michaels vs Vince McMahon was another excellent match.. yet with two street fights on the card, it may have been overbooking in retrospect. Though the elbow off the ladder onto the trash canned Vince = WrestleMania moment. At the time I was caught in the atmosphere of WrestleMania and the good points outweighed the bad... but in retrospect, this was an average WrestleMania I'm sad to now say. The theme song rawked though, it was also the first web era WrestleMania for VWWE.
WrestleMania 23 felt somewhat different to WrestleMania 22 to me, it was nearer WrestleMania's 17 -19 in terms of scale. WWE went back to the big arenas for it and the build up was brilliant. I've always put over the three months of Raw prior to WrestleMania 23 as some of the best Raw's ever and I still think that. With Cena, Orton, Edge and Michaels, the four of them gave us great match after great match in the build to Mania that year, coupling that with The Donald and you already had a great lineup and in truth, I was a little disappointed when Orton and Edge were put in the MITB as I thought they deserved to be in singles action after their awesome performances.
Undertaker vs Batista was again, very well built on SmackDown.. even if nobody believed for a moment Batista stood a chance. Undertaker winning the title was an added bonus. Much of the build however surrounded that hair vs hair match. The less said about Bobby Lashley the better but the match was decent enough, an enjoyable clusterfuck and the crowd got what they wanted with Vince being shaved, a nice added epilogue to the McMahon/Austin feud.
Much like WrestleMania 22 the main event featured John Cena, as a face, squaring off against a man who most people wanted to beat him, this time Shawn Michaels. Original plan seemed to be Triple H vs John Cena again but Helmsley of course got injured. This was really the best opportunity WWE had to put the belt on Michaels at a time most fans believed he deserved it, a lot of people thought he'd win... but no. Excellent match however and the trend of great main events continued. WrestleMania 23 was overall an excellent PPV... the feel and format of which WWE's again followed last year at WrestleMania 24 and again tonight for WrestleMania 25.
WrestleMania 24 is probably my favorite WrestleMania since WrestleMania 17. The outdoors nature gave it a unique look and the set looked absolutely awesome as well. Those great images of the pyro, a lot of the entrances couldn't have been done indoors. A decent opener from Finlay and JBL, nothing spectacular but it warmed the crowd up. The MITB, which I haven't mentioned at all this blog, was fucking amazing. Remember that Morrison bump? and Kennedy with the Green Bay Plunge to Hornswoggle? Batista vs Umaga = passable and Kane defeating Chavo, while disrespectful possibly to Chavo... was funny as hell.
But now it was down to serious business - namely Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels. When thinking of my favorite match of all time... I can't think of anything better than this. Is it either mans best match? no. Was it the best ACTUAL wrestling match of 2008? no. Was it probably the best wrestling match of the decade? oh yes. This was about spectacle, about that storytelling and that psychology. That image of Ric Flair getting up, begging Michaels to finish it and Shawn telling Ric he loved him before pulling the trigger was THEE most memorable moment in the history of WrestleMania for me personally. For most its probably Hogan slamming Andre or some huge moment... this was so different. Subtle almost, quiet.. but just as emotional. It was the death of a career and an era, Michaels and Flair told the perfect story, the perfect ending to a perfect career and no true wrestling fan can have watched that without a mix of emotions. Delight that Flair had gone out in such style, sadness that it was all over and so much more. A rollercoaster and in my humble opinion, the greatest 30 minutes in WrestleMania history and why these two men are and were peerless in this industry.
The Triple Threat was excellent and somewhat unexpected as I think many believed Orton would lose the title, The Undertaker and Edge giving us a hell of a main event, definitely deserving of the spot after Taker got bumped last year, winning the title for the second year in a row.
Like WrestleMania 23, much of the hype and advertising centered on the celebrity involvement - this year being Floyd Mayweather Jnr. I'd always been a fan of Floyd, getting even bigger when he beat the crap out of the annoying Ricky Hatton. Mayweather and Big Show were excellent in the run up to the event I thought, building it like they would a boxing contest. Celebrities either "get" it.. or they don't, Pete Rose for example "got it" as did Kevin Federline and Mike Tyson all those years ago, while other celebrities remain aloof backstage and believe they're above the business. Mayweather luckily "got it" and was said to be very willing to learn and very sociable. Mayweather totally performed above my expectations and his match may actually be my favorite celebrity match of them all.
So... there ya go, my memories of WrestleMania. I expect WrestleMania 25 will follow the format of the past two years and I think we've seen that already - big arena, big set, celebrity, big matches, well built. The event is fitting into a predefined template almost and now at the 25th anniversary, is truly... the Superbowl of Wrestling.
Welcome back to my review of WWE history which started last week on January 6, 1997. I wount recap any of that... you can read it below :)
We are now however just one week away from the Royal Rumble so this is the go home show. In the world outside wrestling, the past week we saw the TV debut of King of the Hill, the box office hits were The Relic... which i mentioned last week, still haven't seen if it was any good or not, Scream and Jerry McGuire still being big. For a quick link to 2009, Bruce Springsteen also sang an awesome song on the soundtrack to Jerry McGuire as he did The Wrestler called Secret Garden. An awesome song. Your billboard number one was still Unbreak My Heart while in the UK... no change either, still the Spice Girls and 2 become 1.
Random fact for January 97.. the biggest selling video game in the US was Super Mario 64 while the SNES was still shifting units, Donkey Kong Country 2 one of the top games in the charts.
On with the show.
We start with a recap from last week of Sycho Sids attack on Jose Lotharios son last week and a look at Superstars where Stone Cold attacked Bret Hart, apparently Shawn will join us live from San Antonio. Not much of a preview but as we kick off the show Hunter Herst Helmsley is entering the ring... his theme rawked :D
Honky Tonk Man is on commentary, still looking for a protege.... sigh. Like it was ever gunna be Triple H lol (the business would have been quite different if it had been) his opponent will be Marc Mero. Sable gets the pop. She didn't look as slutty in these early days lol.
We now notice that Jerry Lawler is prepped to fight at ringside. There's no explanation for this but it appears this is in fact a tag match as Goldusts coming out (no pun intended). So our match is in fact Jerry Lawler and Helmsley vs Goldust and Marc Mero. Its quite shocking this isn't made clear by Vince on commentary to be honest.
Goldust pairs off with Trips, Lawler with Mero and the faces clean house, King telling the crowd to shut up. Honkey is decent on color commentary, i'm surprised he was never offered a perminant spot. Vince plugs Shawn being live from San Antonio and tonights matches - Undertaker vs Crush (that'll draw...) and somebody called Rocky Maivia versus The British Bulldog.
"Shades of Sugar Ray Leonard" - Vince on Marc Mero. That's almost Michael Cole like lol
I actually liked Mero in his early WCW days as Johnny B. Badd, the Mero character i always found bland and colorless, it was only Sable that kept him employed so long. Vince plugs whats coming up once more and this is one of the problems i have with the commentary on this show and last weeks, Vince, King and now Honky don't talk about the action in the ring half as much as they should do. They're either off topic, talking about whats coming or recapping whats been. Its fantastic watching the early days of Triple H, there's no way i'd believe this man would in 2009 be giving performances like he has been doing alongside Randy orton or become as successful as he has been. Just think thouigh, this was 12 years ago... just imagine how good Randy Orton will be in 12 years? its a staggering thought.
Commercials. So far... i'd have turned to Nitro. This is a poor match to kick off Raw with. Nitro always started their show usually with a lucha match to excite the crowd, smart booking. This match would only have served to turn me over to TNT. Once again, the attitude era ideas are here but not fully here yet. Goldust was DQd and he's facing Trips on Sunday at the Rumble allegedly. Triple H is also Intercontinental Champion apparently, this fact not being mentioned until the match is over. This show in January 1997 is completely frustrating.
Shawn is in San Antonio, we go live, there's a hot chick behind him. He is in high spirits.
Rather worryingly at this point, we go to Sycho Sid who's in the empty Alamo Dome. Sid uses the exact same quote Michael Shane used on VWWE Raw this week from Neitziche about "he who fights monsters". Now thats just a weird coincidence. Sid gives his quietly mad promo, a very good one. Sid was underestimated on the mic, a lot of the time he could cut a very good heel promo as he does here, coming across as genuinely dangerous and unbalanced... which he probably was. Sid mentions HBK's family being at ringside and watching as Sid destroys HBK. Excellent go home promo from Sid.
Back to Shawn for a second before we get a Taker/Crush graphic, commercials, back to Shawn amidst fans somewhere in San Antonio, fans mob Shawn. We get another replay of Sid/Lothario last week.
Shawn gives a equally good promo, putting over San Antonio and Texas. One thing that strikes me again here is how natural all the promos are compared with today, these are neither not scripted at all or the Superstars have just been given vague instructions, they barely seem scripted at all. In one way, thats good as its far more natural but equally you probably would never be able to have gotten highly scripted segments like Orton/Triple H at this point in time. It really did mean that you had to get by on your own talent and not the talent of a Hollywood writer though.
HBK namechecks Stalin... possibly his only ever reference on WWE TV lol, gives the old favorite teeth down the throat line and adds that Sid will see them next morning in his stool sample... classic. Shawn directly talks to Vince as the Chairman which wasn't being acknowledged at this time.
Back live we get the screech and beats - it's Bret, limping out after Steve Austins attack yesterday on Superstars. Steve is still been treated as a full blown heel at this point which seems odd to watch to be honest.
Commercials. Quick flick back to Shawn, that cute chick pressed against him, fans everywhere, some have beer and HBK puts up the Hook-em Horns. Can there be any doubt that HBK was THEE man in 1997? lol
In the arena, the Bulldog is in the ring. One of the first things you really notice is that physique which was essentially the death of him, its rare to see somebody that size now but was pretty common back then pre-Attitude when look became secondary.
"I think Rocky has shown more promise than any wrestler i've ever seen in the World Wrestling Federation" - Bret Hart... see, he did once talk sense. Rocks haircut was a farce though, very mid-90s. Rocky had only been in the WWF two months at this point, it'll be a treat watching his career progress over this blog series. We get a recap from Shotgun Saturday of an altercation between Rocky and Marc Mero. Rocky looks bigger than the image we're all more familiar with at this point.
Bret on commentary is a classic example of why the double turn at WrestleMania 13 happened. Bret is complaining that guys like Steve Austin are trying to end his career and it comes across as very whiny. In the 80s and early 90s it would have been a fine face interview, but from this point on when you have the tough Steve Austin, coupled with the change in attitude i mentioned in my Attitude blog, this isn't what the fans wated to hear.
Bret makes a few references to Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia, always nice to see history referenced, guess this is history within history. Honky Tonk Man suggests Bret could be his new protege... which is plainly absurd. The fact this angles getting so much air time is as well considering who eventually he selects. Waste of time imo.
We get a ringside shot.. wonder where Raw was tonight, they look rather inbred. Here comes Owen Hart with his slammys to boos which his puts on the announce desk in front of Bret.... break.
The Bulldog is in control, of this match, some of those nice arm drags from Rocky. Some nice near falls for Maivia.... here's Austin - Stunner to the Bulldog, fingers to Bret, Owen chases after him. Rocky wins via countout. Probably the first time The Rock and Stone Cold ever appeared together on TV.
There's a Rocky chant and frankly... it sounds fake lol
The Nation is backstage, Faarooq was fucking brilliant in this role as the leader of the Nation. Crush... really didn't fit.... here's Taker, an entrance that was just as awesome then as now. We cut back to Shawn in San Antonio, go to commercials.
Back live, the Nation are coming out, the rappers rawked, this is pure attitude era here as was the Crush character that played on his real life jail time. Taker attacks Crush in the aisle, the Nation scatter, Faarooq looks pissed.
The Undertaker had that ginger beard he has now back then, his costume very much the Phenom also, has that tear on the cheek... which is emo well before it's time. Vader suddenly appears on stage looking on at the match.. and that's our que for another break.
After the break we get a Starburst sponsored rewind showing us Austins attack earlier. Live however, Crush is in control of Taker. Taker fails to Tombstone Crush... but hits the Chokeslam and the Nation storm the ring to mob the Underatker, Vader runs in and its a beat down on the Deadman, the Nation move Taker to the ropes and Vader hits the Vader Bomb on the Deadman. The bell rings frantically as Vader goes up again... second Vader Bomb.... and here's AHmed Johnson with a 2x4, stolen by Faarooq... and down goes Johnson. Faarooq smashes Ahmed in the back with the wood... and that's your show. A decent ending that promoted the Vader/Undertaker match and the Johnson/Faarooq feud, i think they'll fight at the Rumble, i'm not sure, not watching or reviewing Superstars or Shotgun Saturday obviously a slight issue. I think in these days Raw really wasn't seen as the flagship as it is today, that really didn't come in until Raw is War and the two hour format, so angles are spread out over the three shows.
Although it was a strong ending.. again, i don't think highly of this episode. The oepning match was a bore. Sid and HBK gave strong go home promos however.. yet i don't see why they kept going back to Shawn after he'd said his piece, again, like last week, it seems a waste of time on a show that can't afford to be doing it. Austin was underutilized again but Rocky Maivia got his first run out of the year in a decent encounter with Bulldog. Feuds were advanced certainly.. but there's wasn't much to get excited about and i doubt this show would have persuaded me to buy the Rumble - 6/10.
Next time... i'll be reviewing the Royal Rumble 1997, the first PPV of the year that will lead us to WrestleMania 13 :D
This blog started life as a single paragraph in my next Raw 1997 review but i got writing so much i couldn't conceivably put it in... so here's a whole new blog.
This one off blog looks at the reasons, causes, rise and fall of the WWF Attitude era. I intended it to be a little background initially but i think it may be interesting for those who don't remember these years. Much of it is just my opinion and thoughts. You'll probably also get a little insight into me and my own booking style as well cause this is where i came from lol
To understand why the attitude era happened and why it was a success you need to look at 90's youth culture in America.
The ultra-patriotism and successful capitalism of the 80s had given way to nationwide scorn of the American political landscape, the continual scandal of the Clinton administration, in particular the resurfacing of the Jennifer Flowers allegations and the national outrage and feelings of injustice over OJ Simpson, in 1995 and 1996 respectively, the Monica Lewinsky scandal following in early 1998, led to a feeling of complete failure in Americas institutions.
Americans, particularly the youth, lost their faith in the America that their parents had known in the 1980s that promoted saying your prayers and eating your vitamins and increasingly turned to alternative culture.
The Grunge scene of the early 1990s with bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana gave way to seemingly newly rebellious sounds like Rage Against The Machine, new punk like Green Day and The Offspring and a resurgent metal with the likes of Marilyn Manson (who would heavily influence the attitude era and had released Antichrist Superstar in 1996 to great morale furor) and bands such as Korn, Slipknot and The Nine Inch Nails. The rebellion even broke onto TV with networks pushing the envelope as far as they could, starting with one show that probably influenced WWE far more than will ever be realized - The Jerry Springer Show.
The Jerry Springer Show by 1997/1998 was a phenomenon, seemingly well adjusted Americans would tune in to "trash TV" in their millions to see what "trailer trash" were doing this week. The nation was gripped by tales of midgets, incest, affairs, rednecks, alien abduction, transvestites and sexual depravity. It was a modern day freak show, a car crash that didn't take itself seriously and became beloved for it as the worst excess of American bad taste.
The envelope was being pushed... and soon others followed suit. South Park debuted in 1997, the tale of four foul mouthed high school kids that took bad taste to whole new levels. Shock Jocks like Howard Stern ruled the airwaves and there wasn't a day gone by that some moral guardian like the PTC wasn't up in arms about some new outrage, laying the blame for the nations moral corruption at the feet of Marilyn Manson, Tupac Shakur or Bill Clinton.
The WWF however, was still stuck very much in the 1980s still. Cartoon characters, traditional faces and 80s presentation. While the World around them changed, the WWF remained the same. The WWF was uncool.
One company however had managed to tap into the 1990s counterculture - ECW. Paul Heyman had seen what the WWF had done in the 80s and applied the same principle in the 1990s. In the 80s, the WWF tapped into popular culture with the Rock and Wrestling era, they tapped into the Cold War with anti-American heels, they tapped into the wave of ultra patriotism and gave us Hulk Hogan, into the new generation of TV viewers - the MTV generation. Wrestlers helds their heads high alongside the rock stars of the day... but not in the 1990s.
In the 1990s, ECW tapped into popular culture just as Vince had done. They carved out a niche, promoted an adult product and gained a loyal following. While i don't believe ECW was as influential in the WWF Attitude era as some internet marks do, there's no doubt that the WWF and Vince Russo and McMahon looks toward ECW for ideas.
Russo, who was appointed to the creative team in late 1996 realized exactly what Heyman had realized - that to survive the WWF had to tap into popular culture. With Vince controlling his wilder ideas, the two made a perfect team.
Russo gave the rebellious American youth their anti-hero face in Steve Austin, rebelling against authority, the obnoxious punk rebels in DX, the gang wars and angles straight off Springer. The closet homosexual pervert in Goldust, transvestites with Mark Henry, Satan worshiping with the Ministry and so much more. The WWF was cool again, the viewers flocked in droves and the rest is history.
By 2000 and 2001 however, the public's appetite for trash TV had been worn out, the ratings for shows such as South Park and Jerry Springer began to fall and in the place of this crash TV we saw the rise of reality TV, shows such as American Idol capturing the public's attention anew. The onset of the Bush Administration meant that what was previously acceptable on TV was no longer going to happen. Two particular incidents however put paid to "attitude" forever.
The September 11th terror attacks quashed the public's appetite for trash TV forever as the nation "lost its innocence", things such as South Park didn't seem funny anymore, the time for rebelling was over, the nation was united. An era of introspection had begun.
On February 1, 2004 at the Super Bowl half time show, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson were involved in a controversy when Jackson's right breast was exposed following a dance routine.. the infamous "wardrobe malfunction."
The Bush era will possibly be remembered politically for the rise of the Religious-Right in politics and public life, individuals such as Rush Limburgh promoting a conservative mob agenda. The reaction to this incident was just that - a mob reaction. A conservative powerbase, in power four years and feeling confident, just waiting for the excuse to go on a moral crusade to clean up the TV that had been spiraling out of control since those heady days of South Park, Raw is War and Springer. No longer would TV be allowed to get away with what they had been doing for the past 8 years, new standards were in place and attitude slipped into a fading memory.
Once i believed that WWE needed to go back to the attitude era, to produce crash TV the like of which TNA iMPACT often does these days. This was more to do with fond memories of the era than common sense. While it was fun while it lasted, this era was a unique point in time just like Rock and Wrestling, it wouldn't work in 2009, American and the viewing audience is a whole different place.
To truly become a force in the ratings again, WWE need to once again tap into popular culture, to promote angles and characters relevant to their target audiences in 2009, to promote an adult product that doesn't talk down to the audience but doesn't descend into trash TV. Going off the quality of Raw over the past few weeks, maybe... just maybe... WWE are starting to do just that.
WWF Attitude: 1997 - 2001, RIP
Welcome to the first of a new series of regular blogs looking at the history of WWE and Monday Night Raw. These blogs won't be VWWE connected, though i may make reference to angles we stole etc lol, they will instead simply be my reviews, thoughts, opinions and knowledge on all things WWF.
Starting on January 6, 1997, i will review every episode of Raw and the PPVs in order, giving those thoughts and a retrospective look at the product, how it compares to today. I'll go through the entire attitude era, from the start of 1997 and the debut of Raw is War two months later up to WrestleMania 17 and Stone Colds heel turn, possibly taking in the alliance afterward. Maybe right up to the debut of VWWE and the onset of the WWE down period... those two events entire coincidental, i can assure you.
January 6, 1997 then. Lets set the scene. The Monday Night Wars are in full swing and WCW is destroying the WWF in the ratings, the nWo that was formed last year in 1996 is the hottest thing the business has seen since Hulkamania, a poor WWF product has however started to slowly improve. An unknown writer by the name of Vince Russo is working hand in hand with Vince McMahon, influenced by WCWs styles and that of the adult ECW, to also make the product adult and darker in tone. As we start off, i expect to see an odd mix of attitude and mid-90s wrestlecrap, a product not quite there yet.
I also have the January 6, 1997 episode of Monday Nitro in my collection so i MAY review that also :D get both sides of the tale. Outside wrestling, Bill Clinton is President and John Major is the British Prime Minister still, Jerry McGuire, Scream and Mars Attacks were in the top 10 grossing movies the weekend just gone and your number one songs? the UK was still obsessed with the Spice Girls, 2 become 1 being their number one while Stateside.... it was Toni Braxton and Unbreak My Heart. The X-Files is probably the biggest show on TV, Seinfeld, Friends and Frasier make up a trio of classic comedy still on the air and the Nintendo 64 had just been launched.
Good times :D on with the show
TV-PG!!!!!! that'll soon change. I loved that "for over fifty years" intro too.
We start off with a quick pre-credits promo by Vader, you don't see anything like that any more, either in terms of the Vader style or the placement on the show. Vader i've always said was one of the biggest wastes of talent ever by the WWF, as a hell he had NO peers. He was one of those rare heels that was scary and imposing without having a gimmick like the Undertaker or Kane or being a psychopath like Sid. When he got in that ring you genuinely felt that he could and would hurt his opponent, no matter how much you knew about the business. Unrivaled power and skill as well, should be a WWE Hall of Famer some day... if Vince can admit he fucked up with him in the WWF lol. Bret Hart vs Vader is our main event apparently and HBK will be at ringside.
Brief recap of Shotgun Saturday Night. This show was really where attitude was born. WWE were allowed to get away with things they couldn't at that point on Raw, we have Mankind i think it is laying out Ahmed Johnson with a chair, Ahmed giving on of the Nation the Pearl River Plunge on a car and Marlena exposing herself. You DEFINITELY don't see any of that on Raw any more lol.
As we enter the arena, Owen Hart is on the way to the ring with his Slammys, no pyro. The production values compared to today are poor, its dark and grimy... but i kinda like that, it looks like a wrestling arena and not a TV studio and set as it does too often these days. Mankinds out next and this will be a familiar phrase in these blogs.. you don't see anything like this any more either and that's a sad thing. The original Mankind in the brown attire with his Ode to Freud theme was a stunning piece of characterization before he became the clown he did in 1999. This mentally disturbed Foley was a brilliant heel, the vignettes in 1996 with him in the basement with the rat were brilliant and he was a multi-layed character. In one way you felt sorry for him, in another hated his actions. This character really was the first of the attitude characters.
Note: Vince really sucked on commentary lol
The rulebook is certainly not in effect like today here, Mankind sent onto the exposed railings... those things must have hurt, Owen hitting him with a belt and the Referee (i like its Jimmy Korderas) doesnt bat an eyelid. Seeing that ECW influence there. King is brilliant here, complete heel, joking about Mexican food blocking Jose Lotharios arteries after he'd done a heart attack angle. Jose being HBKs mentor and occasional manager in these days btw. Nice Enzuguri by Owen.. into the barrier by Foley.... hit with a plastic tray and up goes an ECW chant by a single fan lol
Commercials... Freddie Blassie advertising Full Metal: The Album
Owen counters the Mandible Claw.. but cant escape the Piledriver - Mankind wins. A decent opener which showed what both men are about, Owens athleticism and Foleys hardcore nature.
HBK is backstage, with hair and as much fashion sense as always. Shawn was talking to the wrong camera for half the promo. These things happened in the days when everything wasn't scripted and a lot pre-recorded i guess. Standard promo, building up Shawn's feud with Sycho Sid.
Shotgun Saturday Night Recap 2.... THE FLYING NUNS!!!!! The sisters of love lol, watch this space in VWWE, i love it.
Here's Kane as the Fake Diesel... and the Fake Razor. This is the wrestlecap i spoke of. Whatever gave the WWF the impression this would work i dunno.... and here's the Honky Tonk Man, looking for a protege. After Mankind, this really shows the battle backstage between the Russo camp who wanted that adult modern style and those wanting to keep the mid-90s style. The fakes will face Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon. I'm fast forwarding this, no doubt this is the point that the nation switched to Nitro. 16 minutes in... i'll check that Nitro episode later, see what was on.
Commercials, Royal Rumble commercial... comes to you live from San Antonio, HBK will face Sycho Sid for his WWF Championship and Ahmed Johnson will face Faarooq.
The match is still going on... back to the fast forward. 26 minutes in and it's over. I really cant believe they gave that 10 minutes of a one hour show as Raw was at this point.
Here's Bret, randomly stood backstage. That's all.
More Shotgun Saturday Night recaps, Marlena (Terri Runnels) exposing herself to The Sultan (Rikishi) and the crowd to give Goldust the win. A good amount of this show has already been spent recapping SSN, too much imo. People who'd already seen the show... must surely have flicked straight to Nitro, not wanting to see what they watched just two days ago once more?
Back to Bret. Anti-HBK promo... an apt way to start 1997... cut off by Sycho Sids music, looks pissed, leaves.
Commercials and we're now half way through the show. My thoughts.... um. As i thought it'd be, its half way between heaven and hell, the attitude era is hinted at in Mankind but the mid-90s wrestlecrap is still here and the booking, when faced with Nitro.. i have to question. The tag match was 10 minutes too long and there's too many recaps of Shotgun Saturday. But on with the show....
Heeeeeeeeeres Sid. We're back to the attitude here, the fans are clearly cheering Sid despite the fact he's supposed to be an evil heel. Sid is the reigning WWE Champion, will face HBK at the Rumble as noted earlier. JR is in the ring for an interview. Sid shouts and does the "constipated smile" he does quite often. Sid seems to be a cliche of what many people thing of when they thing "wrestler" - big, dumb, shouts a lot lol. For some reason they didn't turn Sids music off during the whole interview. What Sid said seemed to make little sense but it sounded impressive and that's good enough for both me and the crowd. He is the master and the ruler of the World.
OH.. OH.. OH... SHAWN... here comes HBK... in a robe and sunglasses.... Shawn proceeds to climb on the announce desk and in a stripper fashion remove his robe. Sid is amused. If you people think Jeff Hardy is gay... you really need to see this lol. Sid is actually waving at HBK from the ring... Sid leaves and HBK is unfastening his belt and pants as we go to commercials....
Commercial for the Superstar Line... y'know.. the same thing that the WWF ran down WCW for running lol
Back live and here comes Bret Hart o a big reaction, HBK is on commentary, we cant see whether he's sans-pants or not. Earl Hebner is the Referee... heh
IT'S TIME... IT'S TIME... IT'S VADER TIME!!!!!
Vince is talking about Attitude, Shawn references losing his smile as now we get a recap from Superstars yesterday.... Undertaker Tombstones Jim Cornette... fantastic, cant believe that wasn't saved for Raw. Vince calls JR the best play-by-play man in the business.... so whys he not on Raw FFS? lol
Vader into the steps early, follows with the ringpost and we're just informed that Vader will be facing the Undertaker at the Rumble. Apparently Bret has been saying we was screwed out of the WWF Championship..... this really is such an apt start to the year isn't it? :D
Stone Cold is backstage and is watching the match.... commercials. Rewind to Shotgun again on the return, Ahmed Johnson with the Pearl River Plunge on the car.
Back live Vader has ten command of this match.... FROG SPLASH... Jesus lol, Vader + Frog Splash are two terms which really should not go together ever. The athleticism and power of Vader were off the chart as was his ability, he could have seriously injured Bret with that but as far as i'm aware, he never hurt anybody except one young man in Germany i believe it was, Mick Foley telling the tale of how he wept when this guys neck was broken and what a gentle giant Vader was.
Few shoot comments from HBK on Bret being no angel on commentary... Bret gets the Knees up on the Vader Bomb. Shawn says it's "The same all the time" as Bret goes into his Five Moves of Doom lol, Austins still watching and doesn't look impressed.
Sid comes out and for no reason at all pulls a cameraman backstage. Austins out now, Stunners Bret. Quite why Sid kidnapped a cameraman isn't clear.
Vader Bomb - one.. two... three, Vader wins. Good match while it lasted, bit of a clusterfuck ending, could seriously have gone on longer if the show hadn't had that tag match or so many recaps.
Backstage we get answers, Sid is strangling Jose Lothario's son. Shawn dashes backstage (wearing pants), Joses son is powerbombed on a very unrigged table. Commercial Break.
Back again and Aldo Montoya (complete with jockstrap on his face) is making up the numbers in a small crowd, HBK tending to Pete Lothario. And thats all, thats your show.
Overall.. a mixed bag. There's signs os what the show will become with HBK/Sid and Mankind but also the old wrestlecrap of the mid-90s like the fake Razor and Diesel. Some of the booking was shocking such as that tag match which i'm sure turned off a huge number, there were also too many recaps for my liking. The star power in some cases, like with Austin, no Undertaker either, was slightly wasted but that maybe understandable considering the one hour format. Over all i can't however give this opening Raw of 1997 anything more than 5 out of 10.
Stay tuned this weekend and i'll review the next episode which i believe is the last one before the Royal Rumble 1997.