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April Wrasslin |OT| DO DO, DO DO DO-DO-DO, DO-DO-DO, DO-DOOOOO DO-DO
- Thread starter Aiii
- Start date
Host Samurai
Member
Props to Bully Ray. He looks incredible, even younger. Dudes in great shape now. He use to be such a fat ass in ECW, its amazing how much he progressed.
I've always loved his heel mic work in ECW. When I went to a live show he got under everyone's skin. The shit talk he'd say to the people in the crowd was epic.
I've always loved his heel mic work in ECW. When I went to a live show he got under everyone's skin. The shit talk he'd say to the people in the crowd was epic.
Mr. Enigma
Member
The Honky Tonk Man announced on Twitter that he's signed a multi-year deal to return to WWE and that it's not a Legends deal. It's a complete talent contract. He's no longer taking independent bookings.
Pretty good impact. TNA has improved a lot. If they can work out some of their booking issues, they could be a true competitor. Of course, we've been saying this for years about this company. Still, they're improving.
Best segments from tonight:
-Hogan, AJ, and Storm
-Brooke and Bully
I missed the first hour, enjoyed the X Division match with Petey Williams, and didn't care for the Aces and Eights match.
Best segments from tonight:
-Hogan, AJ, and Storm
-Brooke and Bully
I missed the first hour, enjoyed the X Division match with Petey Williams, and didn't care for the Aces and Eights match.
Really the best part of about Joe Park is how the crowd has gone with it from day one. No way that shit would fly in WWE where the crowd would immediately be chanting ABYSS and shitting all over it. But the TNA crowds have played along and it has been awesome.
And not having Abyss has been pretty great as well.
And not having Abyss has been pretty great as well.
Host Samurai
Member
It's just that he makes these strange faces
People should know by now to rarely believe anything Honky says.
It most likely is the Legends deal... but he's embarrassed to say it.
I've met tons of wrestlers over the years, and far and away... he was the absolute biggest asshole of them all. I've never seen a guy so full of his own shit.
Suuuuuuuuure...
Well, not all bears. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCet...UxAqpbOgOlUQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=287s
I can't say I've even heard of WWL before this, but that talent and card list definitely has me interested. Thanks for sharing.
He is currently down in OVW as they don't have room for him on Impact.
After Raw we'll decide unless it's glaringly obvious before.
British Monsoon
Member
Morning WrassleGAF. I'm bored, so here's some random old-school wrasslin' pictures;
Look at that skinny fat-ass goof, front and centre - he'll never make it;
There was a market for this?;
Sherri...*sigh*
Look at that skinny fat-ass goof, front and centre - he'll never make it;
There was a market for this?;
Sherri...*sigh*
Carnby
Member
There was a market for this?;
The Miz?!
Professor Beef
Banned
Damn, Mike Mizanin just can't catch a break.
Say no to drugs or end up like him? That was the Beyond The Matt message to future wrestlers wasn't it?
Trust me
I think I've started to hit the wacky parts of Brave and The Bold. The Owl Man two parter that saw Bats travel to an alternate universe where the Red Hood was the good guy. Batman and Owlman travel back to Batman's time, with Owlman wearing 40s serial/JLU Batman costume and convincing everyone that Batman was the evil one. And Batman had to team up with The Joker to fight off Owlman and the regular cast. He had a spare 50s era Batmobile and told it to stop just like in the Burton movies. And at the end, Batman takes a worm whole for a second that was actually at least a week and brings back Gorilla Universe Batman, Pirate Batman, Cowboy Batman, what looked like a form of AzBats, an actual Batmonsterman like from Batman Begins, and one that I think was some kind of Green Lanternish Batman. It was awesome.
The next episode features a depressed Aquaman and Batman taking a Zeta Ray to another planet and having a space battle. Depressed Aquaman sings the Sad Song of the Sea as interpreted by Beluga Whales and draws sad faces in the sand.
I think I've started to hit the wacky parts of Brave and The Bold. The Owl Man two parter that saw Bats travel to an alternate universe where the Red Hood was the good guy. Batman and Owlman travel back to Batman's time, with Owlman wearing 40s serial/JLU Batman costume and convincing everyone that Batman was the evil one. And Batman had to team up with The Joker to fight off Owlman and the regular cast. He had a spare 50s era Batmobile and told it to stop just like in the Burton movies. And at the end, Batman takes a worm whole for a second that was actually at least a week and brings back Gorilla Universe Batman, Pirate Batman, Cowboy Batman, what looked like a form of AzBats, an actual Batmonsterman like from Batman Begins, and one that I think was some kind of Green Lanternish Batman. It was awesome.
The next episode features a depressed Aquaman and Batman taking a Zeta Ray to another planet and having a space battle. Depressed Aquaman sings the Sad Song of the Sea as interpreted by Beluga Whales and draws sad faces in the sand.
Jeff Albertson
Member
Just watching NXT
Is Oliver Grey actually Injured or just so dull that he was used to get a belt on Neville then thrown away
Is Oliver Grey actually Injured or just so dull that he was used to get a belt on Neville then thrown away
Carnby
Member
I don't think you understood my comment. Look at the top right. The sticks are endorsed by Steve "The Miz" Mizerak.
I shouldn't be laughing.
British Monsoon
Member
I think it was a pun, Miz can't catch a 'break'. I guess we can chalk that one up to a miss-hit on Beef's part. He's been well and truly snookered. He should corner more puns into his pocket, it'll help cushion the blow. I'm running out of puns now, I guess that's my cue to call it quits. Billiards.
She... she looks so deep and sophisticated!~~ :3
ecwontnn.tumblr.com
ECW on TNN 11/26/99
Joel "A tisket, a tasket, let me slip my biscuit in your basket" Gertner and Joey Styles bring out Jerry Lynn for an interview. They ask if he's in cohoots with Tajiri. Jerry says "fuck you Joey" and the left the interview. Is one question and a non answer even an interview? That was a stupid question anyway. Obviously he's not in cahoots with Tajiri. It's just that Super Crazy took shit too personal when Jerry fought him while blinded by Asiatic Mist. Duh.
Rhino and Skip interrupt Joey and Joel about a 6 man tag tonight, but Rhino was promised a warm up match. Sunny is going to fuck him again. Skip seems to have zero problem with any of this. In fact, I think he's actually pimping her out to him.
TO THE NEW YORK. New Jack is LIVE VIA SATTELITE waiting on the train and Da Baldies. I'm pretty sure he called them "fucking fags" a number of times. We'll have a New York City Subway Match tonight!
RVD vs CW Anderson ECW TV Championship
Been a while since RVD's wrestled on the show. Almost 2 months. He's only had one or two promos, too. Kind of strange. Naturally, a lot of show offy bullshit from Rob. Cartwheel into a standing moonsault. CW at least punches Rob in the face a few times. Super kick almost pins the champ. RVD does a driving facebuster on the apron.
via Imgflip GIF Generator
Guillotine leg drop on the railing. Spinebuster! But CW doesn't even try for a pin. Isn't that his finish? Vandaminator and 5 Star Frog Splash for the win.
TO THE NEW YORK. New Jack is still ranting while moving from train car to train car.
Sabu came out and fought with RVD.
Sabu vs RVD ECW TV Championship
Okay, I guess this is a match. And ECW had a black ref! WWE steals everything. Both guys go for a springboard kick, but Rob's hit harder.
via Imgflip GIF Generator
Springboard frankensteiner from Sabu. Triple Jump Moonsault, but Rob rolls to the floor. A fan gets drilled in the mouth with Sabu's foot when he get thrown into the crowd. RVD jumps into the crowd. After a break, we come back to see Sabu leg dropping RVD through a table.
via Imgflip GIF Generator
Sabu went for another Triple Jump Moonsault, but his foot slipped and he got all tied up in it.
via Imgflip GIF Generator
Candido and Rhino run in and attack both men. Vandaminator on Rhino. RVD does a somersault plancha on both men. Sabu tries to do one, but he can't stand. Officials and trainers come out to help Sabu. RVD then attacks Sabu's leg, including hitting a frog splash with a chair on top of it. That seems like that'd hurt RVD way more. The match is still going on apparently. Fonzie tried to throw in the towel for Sabu, who threw it back. Fonzie did it again where Sabu couldn't catch it and RVD retains his title again. Fonzie wasn't very happy with Rob for trying to injure Sabu's leg further.
Little Guido vs Super Crazy
TO THE NEW YORK. New Jack, still being crazy, on the #6 train waiting for Da Baldies.
Guido gets Crazy down and does some amateur wrasslin. Guido catches Crazy's lionsault with a dropkick in the balls. Looked awkward and mistimed.
via Imgflip GIF Generator
Crazy hits one on the outside to both Guido and Sal, though. Sicilian Slice! 2 1/2. Italian leg sweep off the second rope. Tornado Bomb gets a 2 7/8s. Swinging DDT from Crazy. Ref gets squashed by Sal. Tajiri comes out. Jerry comes out and accidentally hits Crazy. Tajiri hits a brainbuster and Guido wins. It's pretty obvious it was an accident that Jerry hit Crazy and that he was chasing, not leaving with, Tajiri.
Impact Players/Rhino vs Raven/Dreamer/Sandman
TO THE NEW YORK. New Jack finds Da Baldies on a departing train. Pussies.
N2R rematch. Tommy starts the match on his own, which is pretty stupid. Raven hobbles out. Sandman has his entire entrance before he can get in the ring. Drop toe hold to Lance. Raven and Tommy do dueling 10 count punches. Raven pushes Tommy out of the way of a GORE and eats it himself, but it wasn't really played up on commentary. Credible puts Raven through a table with an elbow off the apron.
via Imgflip GIF Generator
Enter Sandman finally starts up and instead of just beating up Tommy while the whole song plays, they stop and wait for Sandman. Sandman makes it to the ring and is super kicked right away. Francine jumps on Rhino. Tommy GORES Rhino! Looked shittier than Edge's spear. Piledriver to Rhino. Also looked shitty. CAT FIGHT! White Russian Leg Sweep to Justin, but Justin is the one to make the pin. What? DVD to Lance. Raven was about to DDT Lance, but Sandman hits him with the cane. Justin makes the pin. This was probably no more than 6-7 minutes.
TO THE NEW YORK. Jack finally meets up with DeVito, but is hit from behind by Angel. Angel calling everyone "Papa" is really weird. I don't know how Jack caught up to them since they were on trains going different directions, yet ended up at the same stop at the same time.
ECW on TNN 11/26/99
Joel "A tisket, a tasket, let me slip my biscuit in your basket" Gertner and Joey Styles bring out Jerry Lynn for an interview. They ask if he's in cohoots with Tajiri. Jerry says "fuck you Joey" and the left the interview. Is one question and a non answer even an interview? That was a stupid question anyway. Obviously he's not in cahoots with Tajiri. It's just that Super Crazy took shit too personal when Jerry fought him while blinded by Asiatic Mist. Duh.
Rhino and Skip interrupt Joey and Joel about a 6 man tag tonight, but Rhino was promised a warm up match. Sunny is going to fuck him again. Skip seems to have zero problem with any of this. In fact, I think he's actually pimping her out to him.
TO THE NEW YORK. New Jack is LIVE VIA SATTELITE waiting on the train and Da Baldies. I'm pretty sure he called them "fucking fags" a number of times. We'll have a New York City Subway Match tonight!
RVD vs CW Anderson ECW TV Championship
Been a while since RVD's wrestled on the show. Almost 2 months. He's only had one or two promos, too. Kind of strange. Naturally, a lot of show offy bullshit from Rob. Cartwheel into a standing moonsault. CW at least punches Rob in the face a few times. Super kick almost pins the champ. RVD does a driving facebuster on the apron.
via Imgflip GIF GeneratorGuillotine leg drop on the railing. Spinebuster! But CW doesn't even try for a pin. Isn't that his finish? Vandaminator and 5 Star Frog Splash for the win.
TO THE NEW YORK. New Jack is still ranting while moving from train car to train car.
Sabu came out and fought with RVD.
Sabu vs RVD ECW TV Championship
Okay, I guess this is a match. And ECW had a black ref! WWE steals everything. Both guys go for a springboard kick, but Rob's hit harder.
via Imgflip GIF GeneratorSpringboard frankensteiner from Sabu. Triple Jump Moonsault, but Rob rolls to the floor. A fan gets drilled in the mouth with Sabu's foot when he get thrown into the crowd. RVD jumps into the crowd. After a break, we come back to see Sabu leg dropping RVD through a table.
via Imgflip GIF GeneratorSabu went for another Triple Jump Moonsault, but his foot slipped and he got all tied up in it.
via Imgflip GIF GeneratorCandido and Rhino run in and attack both men. Vandaminator on Rhino. RVD does a somersault plancha on both men. Sabu tries to do one, but he can't stand. Officials and trainers come out to help Sabu. RVD then attacks Sabu's leg, including hitting a frog splash with a chair on top of it. That seems like that'd hurt RVD way more. The match is still going on apparently. Fonzie tried to throw in the towel for Sabu, who threw it back. Fonzie did it again where Sabu couldn't catch it and RVD retains his title again. Fonzie wasn't very happy with Rob for trying to injure Sabu's leg further.
Little Guido vs Super Crazy
TO THE NEW YORK. New Jack, still being crazy, on the #6 train waiting for Da Baldies.
Guido gets Crazy down and does some amateur wrasslin. Guido catches Crazy's lionsault with a dropkick in the balls. Looked awkward and mistimed.
via Imgflip GIF GeneratorCrazy hits one on the outside to both Guido and Sal, though. Sicilian Slice! 2 1/2. Italian leg sweep off the second rope. Tornado Bomb gets a 2 7/8s. Swinging DDT from Crazy. Ref gets squashed by Sal. Tajiri comes out. Jerry comes out and accidentally hits Crazy. Tajiri hits a brainbuster and Guido wins. It's pretty obvious it was an accident that Jerry hit Crazy and that he was chasing, not leaving with, Tajiri.
Impact Players/Rhino vs Raven/Dreamer/Sandman
TO THE NEW YORK. New Jack finds Da Baldies on a departing train. Pussies.
N2R rematch. Tommy starts the match on his own, which is pretty stupid. Raven hobbles out. Sandman has his entire entrance before he can get in the ring. Drop toe hold to Lance. Raven and Tommy do dueling 10 count punches. Raven pushes Tommy out of the way of a GORE and eats it himself, but it wasn't really played up on commentary. Credible puts Raven through a table with an elbow off the apron.
via Imgflip GIF GeneratorEnter Sandman finally starts up and instead of just beating up Tommy while the whole song plays, they stop and wait for Sandman. Sandman makes it to the ring and is super kicked right away. Francine jumps on Rhino. Tommy GORES Rhino! Looked shittier than Edge's spear. Piledriver to Rhino. Also looked shitty. CAT FIGHT! White Russian Leg Sweep to Justin, but Justin is the one to make the pin. What? DVD to Lance. Raven was about to DDT Lance, but Sandman hits him with the cane. Justin makes the pin. This was probably no more than 6-7 minutes.
TO THE NEW YORK. Jack finally meets up with DeVito, but is hit from behind by Angel. Angel calling everyone "Papa" is really weird. I don't know how Jack caught up to them since they were on trains going different directions, yet ended up at the same stop at the same time.
Thankfully, I don't have to sit through them when I go to the shows since it's not broadcast live.
Junkyard Dog bless fast forwarding when I come home to watch my recording of them. Shame I have to do that though, but soon we'll be done with this Wrestlemania thing and it'll only be 15 min recaps of Raw again.
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
Good pun. A+
LoneWolf296
Member
THIS. Plus the Taker/Punk promo for the 20th time not to mention the awful Diddy Coming Home video. Then I have to sit through another brutal Conor O'Brien match. It's a good thing Paige showed up for all of 5 seconds and redeemed it
I've done it. Bah gawd I've done it. It took me over 2 years, and many bandwidth cap-exceeding months, but with my viewing Wrestlemania 17 last night, I've finally completed my Attitude Era viewing. I believe my posts from early 2011 on 1997 wrasslin and my intent to undertake this viewing still exist in various GAF threads.
I believe my quest began in early 2011. I was taking a semester off school and had fuck all to do. Coincidentally, finally, The Rock had come back to the WWE, which got me interested in the product again. This must have been... February 2011? Whenever it was, it tickled my nostalgia bone, so I started watching random wrestling youtube videos. Fuck, wrestling was awesome!
It was at this point that I realized I never watched Wrestlemania 17, which seems to be agreed upon as the greatest wrestling show of all time. At the very least, it had the best damn video packages of all time. Shit got me hyped as fuck! However, I couldn't just jump right into it. I wouldn't be able to appreciate the magnitude of it all... the storylines, the characters, the feuds, the evolution of the company! It was time. I was going to watch the entire Attitude Era in its entirety.
Growing up as a huge Wrestling fan... I was never able to watch as much as I would have liked. Despite my uncle being a wrestler and constantly telling stories at every family meeting, my mother never let me watch wrestling. She watched the news. Wrestling was a bad influence! It was no program for kids! Besides, I was 7-10 during the peak of the Attitude Era, so the program going from 9-11 PM was way passed my bedtime. It wasn't until late 2001/early 2002 that my parents finally eased up and let me order PPVs. Furthermore, I had a PVR, so I could FINALLY watch the last hour of programming as soon as I got home from school on Tuesdays!
This was no ideal way to watch wrestling, so this insane viewing session was 10 years in the making. I was going to go through with it. Every Raw, Smackdown and PPV from January 1997 to Wrestlemania 17. Bandwidth cap be damned! Megaupload died in the process, Vince raided the fuck out of Youtube during Linda's campaign, but my thirst for content never faltered!
It's hard to pinpoint the beginning of the Attitude Era. Was it the screwjob? Was it Austin winning the belt at Mania 14? Or maybe the debut of the Stone Cold Steve Austin character?
I decided the Screwjob was the appropriate starting point. It was when ratings started to turn around for WWF. It was the birth of the Mr. McMahon character. It was the birth of more realistic storytelling, effectively blurring the line between reality and fiction. The dinosaur was out (Bret), and the new blood (Austin, DX) was on top, ready to take this company in a radically different direction.
Maybe it would have been wise to start a tad earlier to fully appreciate the feud, but starting in January 1997 gave me a good feel for the Shawn vs. Bret rivalry. 97 was a fantastic year for WWF, even though the ratings didn't show it. It was truly the uprising of Steve Austin, and the Hart Foundation vs. America angle has become one of my favorites of ALL time, watching it in its entirety. All culminating in the Montreal Screwjob, possibly the most important moment in WWF, nay, WRESTLING history. You couldn't have written it better!
98 was the boom. If the Attitude Era hadn't started with the Screwjob, it most certainly did in 98 with Austin winning the belt and the Austin vs. McMahon rivalry, where WWF finally started winning the ratings war with WCW. And god damn it, it was COMPELLING TELEVISION. To be fair, the undercard and work rate at the time was pretty weak, but the story telling was top fucking notch. This is not nostalgia talking, as I had never seen any of these Raws until this viewing! Every time Austin was on the screen he had a fucking aura or something. Dude was unbelievably over, Cena can't compare at ALL.
99 was great too. The boom continued, starting with a BANG. Arguably my favorite Raw of all time... it certainly kept my butt in my seat. Mick Foley winning the WWF title on Raw, and Austin coming out to the biggest pop I've ever heard in my life. Speaking of big pops, the crowd was INSANE throughout the entire Attitude Era. EVERYONE WAS OVER. Austin, The Rock, DX, The New Age Outlaws... all got bigger pops than anyone today. It gave the show an awesome atmosphere, like a party atmosphere. It was a fun place to be. It was FUN TO WATCH!
2000 was the year the work rate became god tier. At this point, guys were jumping ship from WCW left and right. WWF had Jericho, Guerrero, ******, Angle, Big Show... undercard for DAYS. Not to mention the Tag division had come into its own, with the big three of Edge and Christian, Hardys and the Dudleys. This might have been the best year overall during the Attitude Era when you factor in work rate. Despite a disappointing Mania, pretty much every other PPV that year was god tier. The Rumble was probably the best of all time, and the Hell in a Cell at No Way Out was incredible. Foley MADE Hunter. Rikishi, 2 Cool and that dance was over as FUCK. All this with Austin out for the entire year! Are you kidding me? We often talk about this... what would happen if Cena went out with a neck injury for an entire year? Who's there to pick up the slack today? In 2000, with the amount of talent on the roster, you almost forgot Austin was gone. I also have to mention Fully Loaded 2000, a PPV that came out of nowhere and was fucking INCREDIBLE from top to bottom. Seriously, watch it if you have the chance. Possibly the best PPV I've ever seen!
Then came 2001, and the March 26 2001 installment of Raw. I could feel it... it was over. It felt over. The Monday Night Wars had a winner, and with that ended the Attitude Era. However, there was one more show. The exclamation point at the end of the Era. The reason why WWF came out on top, all represented in one show.
A sold out fucking stadium. What a feeling. A fitting end to the greatest era in professional wrestling. So, what did I think of the show that really inspired me to watch the entire Attitude Era?
Well... it was pretty fucking good. I didn't expect the ENTIRE card to be great, and it wasn't. But 4 matches stood out that make this one of the best shows I've ever seen, and probably the best Mania of all time.
Angle/Benoit
TLC 2
Taker/HHH (non-canon)
Rock/Austin
Four fantastic matches, the best being Rock and Austin. The two biggest stars of the Attitude Era, duking it out on the biggest stage of them all. The storybook ending. And what a match it was. Austin pulling out the Ringmaster finisher? The Wrestlemania 13 spot with the sharp shooter and the blood and BAH GAWD THE CRIMSON MASK. I can appreciate all that thanks to this viewing! Shit was fucking incredible! These guys gave it their all.
Then, the heel turn happened. Austin beat the holy hell out of Rock with a chair, shook Mr. McMahon's hand and had a beer with him, effectively pissing on the entire Attitude Era, and what helped WWF win the Monday Night War. Yup, it's over. At that moment, the Attitude Era came to an end.
All in all, it was a very fun experience to go through all of wrestling in its glory days. I'm certain wrestling will never again be so popular, so mainstream. They managed to get a jump start on reality TV, I feel. It was just what audiences wanted in the late 90s. It couldn't have come at a better time.
At this point, I might as well watch the Invasion angle play out. I only caught the tail end of it as a kid, so I'm curious to see how they got their hands on what could have been the greatest wrestling angle of all time, and somehow managed to fuck it up. I think I'll watch up to Mania 18, which I feel was the end of the invasion, and the next night with the debut of Lesnar, the beginning of the pretty great "LETHAL AGGRESSION" era. I've always considered Rock/Hogan to be the greatest match of all time (I was there live, so maybe I'm biased), but I'd like to see how it holds up now that I've got the entire Attitude Era in my head.
tl;dr If you're bored and have lots of time on your hands, watch the entire Attitude Era. It's entertaining as FUCK.
I believe my quest began in early 2011. I was taking a semester off school and had fuck all to do. Coincidentally, finally, The Rock had come back to the WWE, which got me interested in the product again. This must have been... February 2011? Whenever it was, it tickled my nostalgia bone, so I started watching random wrestling youtube videos. Fuck, wrestling was awesome!
It was at this point that I realized I never watched Wrestlemania 17, which seems to be agreed upon as the greatest wrestling show of all time. At the very least, it had the best damn video packages of all time. Shit got me hyped as fuck! However, I couldn't just jump right into it. I wouldn't be able to appreciate the magnitude of it all... the storylines, the characters, the feuds, the evolution of the company! It was time. I was going to watch the entire Attitude Era in its entirety.
Growing up as a huge Wrestling fan... I was never able to watch as much as I would have liked. Despite my uncle being a wrestler and constantly telling stories at every family meeting, my mother never let me watch wrestling. She watched the news. Wrestling was a bad influence! It was no program for kids! Besides, I was 7-10 during the peak of the Attitude Era, so the program going from 9-11 PM was way passed my bedtime. It wasn't until late 2001/early 2002 that my parents finally eased up and let me order PPVs. Furthermore, I had a PVR, so I could FINALLY watch the last hour of programming as soon as I got home from school on Tuesdays!
This was no ideal way to watch wrestling, so this insane viewing session was 10 years in the making. I was going to go through with it. Every Raw, Smackdown and PPV from January 1997 to Wrestlemania 17. Bandwidth cap be damned! Megaupload died in the process, Vince raided the fuck out of Youtube during Linda's campaign, but my thirst for content never faltered!
It's hard to pinpoint the beginning of the Attitude Era. Was it the screwjob? Was it Austin winning the belt at Mania 14? Or maybe the debut of the Stone Cold Steve Austin character?
I decided the Screwjob was the appropriate starting point. It was when ratings started to turn around for WWF. It was the birth of the Mr. McMahon character. It was the birth of more realistic storytelling, effectively blurring the line between reality and fiction. The dinosaur was out (Bret), and the new blood (Austin, DX) was on top, ready to take this company in a radically different direction.
Maybe it would have been wise to start a tad earlier to fully appreciate the feud, but starting in January 1997 gave me a good feel for the Shawn vs. Bret rivalry. 97 was a fantastic year for WWF, even though the ratings didn't show it. It was truly the uprising of Steve Austin, and the Hart Foundation vs. America angle has become one of my favorites of ALL time, watching it in its entirety. All culminating in the Montreal Screwjob, possibly the most important moment in WWF, nay, WRESTLING history. You couldn't have written it better!
98 was the boom. If the Attitude Era hadn't started with the Screwjob, it most certainly did in 98 with Austin winning the belt and the Austin vs. McMahon rivalry, where WWF finally started winning the ratings war with WCW. And god damn it, it was COMPELLING TELEVISION. To be fair, the undercard and work rate at the time was pretty weak, but the story telling was top fucking notch. This is not nostalgia talking, as I had never seen any of these Raws until this viewing! Every time Austin was on the screen he had a fucking aura or something. Dude was unbelievably over, Cena can't compare at ALL.
99 was great too. The boom continued, starting with a BANG. Arguably my favorite Raw of all time... it certainly kept my butt in my seat. Mick Foley winning the WWF title on Raw, and Austin coming out to the biggest pop I've ever heard in my life. Speaking of big pops, the crowd was INSANE throughout the entire Attitude Era. EVERYONE WAS OVER. Austin, The Rock, DX, The New Age Outlaws... all got bigger pops than anyone today. It gave the show an awesome atmosphere, like a party atmosphere. It was a fun place to be. It was FUN TO WATCH!
2000 was the year the work rate became god tier. At this point, guys were jumping ship from WCW left and right. WWF had Jericho, Guerrero, ******, Angle, Big Show... undercard for DAYS. Not to mention the Tag division had come into its own, with the big three of Edge and Christian, Hardys and the Dudleys. This might have been the best year overall during the Attitude Era when you factor in work rate. Despite a disappointing Mania, pretty much every other PPV that year was god tier. The Rumble was probably the best of all time, and the Hell in a Cell at No Way Out was incredible. Foley MADE Hunter. Rikishi, 2 Cool and that dance was over as FUCK. All this with Austin out for the entire year! Are you kidding me? We often talk about this... what would happen if Cena went out with a neck injury for an entire year? Who's there to pick up the slack today? In 2000, with the amount of talent on the roster, you almost forgot Austin was gone. I also have to mention Fully Loaded 2000, a PPV that came out of nowhere and was fucking INCREDIBLE from top to bottom. Seriously, watch it if you have the chance. Possibly the best PPV I've ever seen!
Then came 2001, and the March 26 2001 installment of Raw. I could feel it... it was over. It felt over. The Monday Night Wars had a winner, and with that ended the Attitude Era. However, there was one more show. The exclamation point at the end of the Era. The reason why WWF came out on top, all represented in one show.
A sold out fucking stadium. What a feeling. A fitting end to the greatest era in professional wrestling. So, what did I think of the show that really inspired me to watch the entire Attitude Era?
Well... it was pretty fucking good. I didn't expect the ENTIRE card to be great, and it wasn't. But 4 matches stood out that make this one of the best shows I've ever seen, and probably the best Mania of all time.
Angle/Benoit
TLC 2
Taker/HHH (non-canon)
Rock/Austin
Four fantastic matches, the best being Rock and Austin. The two biggest stars of the Attitude Era, duking it out on the biggest stage of them all. The storybook ending. And what a match it was. Austin pulling out the Ringmaster finisher? The Wrestlemania 13 spot with the sharp shooter and the blood and BAH GAWD THE CRIMSON MASK. I can appreciate all that thanks to this viewing! Shit was fucking incredible! These guys gave it their all.
Then, the heel turn happened. Austin beat the holy hell out of Rock with a chair, shook Mr. McMahon's hand and had a beer with him, effectively pissing on the entire Attitude Era, and what helped WWF win the Monday Night War. Yup, it's over. At that moment, the Attitude Era came to an end.
All in all, it was a very fun experience to go through all of wrestling in its glory days. I'm certain wrestling will never again be so popular, so mainstream. They managed to get a jump start on reality TV, I feel. It was just what audiences wanted in the late 90s. It couldn't have come at a better time.
At this point, I might as well watch the Invasion angle play out. I only caught the tail end of it as a kid, so I'm curious to see how they got their hands on what could have been the greatest wrestling angle of all time, and somehow managed to fuck it up. I think I'll watch up to Mania 18, which I feel was the end of the invasion, and the next night with the debut of Lesnar, the beginning of the pretty great "LETHAL AGGRESSION" era. I've always considered Rock/Hogan to be the greatest match of all time (I was there live, so maybe I'm biased), but I'd like to see how it holds up now that I've got the entire Attitude Era in my head.
tl;dr If you're bored and have lots of time on your hands, watch the entire Attitude Era. It's entertaining as FUCK.
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
Congrats Anth0ny on a long road! Around how much were you watching a night? It's such a great ride to go on, but it's SO meaty. Great writeup. Glad to know with cohesive and regular viewings, it still holds up.
FallingEdge
Member
Same here. Anyway people from the states can participate in it? PM if need be.
amodelmerol
Member
Anth0ny deserves a medal. And an Achievement unlocked tag
British Monsoon
Member
Hey, watch this promo;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCLAJPhtE9c
Sure, it wasn't perfect, but that was pretty damn good. Now I'm hyped for a championship match between two guys I've never heard of before. Wish more dudes on the indies would get creative with their promos, rather than the tired 3-5 minutes of rambling in a locker room we usually get.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCLAJPhtE9c
Sure, it wasn't perfect, but that was pretty damn good. Now I'm hyped for a championship match between two guys I've never heard of before. Wish more dudes on the indies would get creative with their promos, rather than the tired 3-5 minutes of rambling in a locker room we usually get.
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
This is good, whoever put this together is really good. The promo itself is good as well, but it all melds really good. Really good stuff.
It varied, really. Some storylines of course were crazier than others, so I would find myself watching two or even three episodes consecutively in one sitting. I'd watch most PPVs in two sitting, sometimes one for the better ones (like the amazing 2000 PPVs). In those cases, I'd even watch the follow up Raw in the same sitting! Generally, I tried to watch one episode of Raw a night, even if it meant just leaving it on in the background while I studied or played games (and paying attention when something awesome/important happens).
It definitely gets addicting, even years after the fact and in many cases knowing/remembering the end result.
I also got a girlfriend since I started this viewing, so that drastically slowed down my progress lol
British Monsoon
Member
. Cheerleader Melissa finally gets a shot at revenge and the SHIMMER Championship against Sweet Saraya Knight in a steel cage!
. Athena has one of her biggest matches to day as she wrestles Ayako Hamada!
. Australian duo Madison Eagles & Jessie McKay return to SHIMMER and do battle!
. Mia Yim faces a HUGE challenge as she's set to compete against Awesome Kong!
. Ayumi Kurihara wrestles her last ever match in the US as she faces off against Mercedes Martinez for the very first time!
Plus, Kana, Serena Deeb, The Canadian Ninjas, Made in Sin, Tomoka Nakagawa, Christina von Eerie, Veda Scott, the SHIMMER debut of New Zealand wrestler Evie and a bunch more.
Should be a great show - hopefully Melissa gets her title back to end things on a high note. I'm also really looking forward to seeing Madison Eagles vs Jessie McKay, both are very impressive and it should be a great match. Kurihara vs Martinez should be excellent as well.
slightconfuse
Banned
STONE COLD NEW PODCAST JUST LAUNCHED
havent listened to it yet but it should be fun
http://podcastone.com/program?action=viewProgram&programID=436
havent listened to it yet but it should be fun
http://podcastone.com/program?action=viewProgram&programID=436