Classic Wrestling Discussion: Part III & Wrestler Poll

[These Are The Days]

Taker and Kane together feuding with HHH, Jericho being anti-authoritarian, the explosion between Benoit and the Radicalz? Shane is back? Angle has snapped? Jesus Christ you guys weren't kidding. Somewhere there's a "more wood than a forest" joke to be had here. Amazingly, the only dull thing happening is Austin. Never thought I'd say that.

 

[These Are The Days]

YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!! EDGE AND CHRISTIAN ARE MY WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS AGAIN AND DID IT WITH ABOLUTE DUBIOUSNICITY!!!! THIS IS TOTALLY AWESOMNESS!!! RHYNO COMPLETELY SCREWED THE HARDYS OVER AND MY GOLDEN BOIIS HAVE THEIR GOLD AGAIN!

 

[BostonBob]

Are you going into this with an open mind or do you really not know the results of the shows ????

 

[These Are The Days]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[These Are The Days]

Are you going into this with an open mind or do you really not know the results of the shows ????

I have ZERO idea what is going to happen. I didn't see roughly 95% of the Attitude Era. I was like ages 9 through 13 and didn't have cable. If I was lucky, I was able to pull the crappy rabbit ears together to pick up UPN 44 to watch Smackdown sometimes. When the WWE network launched and had all the content ready to go, I committed myself watch the whole thing through. Started on the very first episode of Raw Is War in 1997 and have made it to the March 18th 2001 edition of Raw -1 week before the end of WCW

 

[These Are The Days]

Spike Dudley just screwed Edge and Christian and the Dudleys are champs again. Oh well. Embrace the chaos. This is great!

 

[BostonBob]

I have ZERO idea what is going to happen. I didn't see roughly 95% of the Attitude Era. I was like ages 9 through 13 and didn't have cable. If I was lucky, I was able to pull the crappy rabbit ears together to pick up UPN 44 to watch Smackdown sometimes. When the WWE network launched and had all the content ready to go, I committed myself watch the whole thing through. Started on the very first episode of Raw Is War in 1997 and have made it to the March 18th 2001 edition of Raw -1 week before the end of WCW

That's a cool way to do things. I am in the midst of watching the 1980-83 seasons of Georgia Championship Wrestling and even though I know when the major angles happen ( title changes, faces turning heel, etc ) a lot of the stuff that happens completely surprises me.

 

[CDJ]

Does like ~2008 TNA count as classic wrestling now because if so I just heard bischoff shoot on how Russo basically tried to end Samoa Joe’s career by refusing to put him on TV until Dixie Carter of all people used her brain and forced that tag team with Magnus

 

[These Are The Days]

Vince just bought WCW in my watch through. One of the few things I knew as coming. The war is over. Benoit just went babyface and GOAT Mania is coming and I don't have a clue what's gonna happen. This is awesome. I've got an hour or Raw left and the Smackdown before Mania to go


Although what dubious nonsense is gonna muck up Rock vs Austin? I just have no idea how they're gonna do this with full integrity. I smell a conspiracy or screw job. But maybe not? Maybe they just go at it and we get a 5 star match and that's why this is supposed to be GOAT Mania.

Idk. I've got a conspiracy of my own that there's always a double turn between 2 guys at all times in the WWF and it just may not happen all at once or even in the same feud

 

[These Are The Days]

Funny how things work out. Had no intention of seeing an old Mania as one is currently happening and I'm starting the "X7" gimmick battle royale and it never ceases to amaze me how many men Vince got to act like complete morons with shit gimmicks that never had a chance. This following TLC II not only shows how much the product had changed by 2001 but also that come 2022 I wouldn't be surprised to see these people in a regular match.


Edit: glad to see Sheik win it. I also forgot how great Bobby Heenan was on commentary.

Also edit: knew there was no way Trish barked like a dog for nothing. Cool to see her turn on Vince and Linda finally stop her catatonic state

 

[These Are The Days]

Just finished Mania X7. Yeah that was really good. Easily a 10/10 PPV. I get why it's called the best Mania. Yet somehow, I was expecting it to have somehow been even bigger... Not that it was possible. I knew something was fishy about Rock/Austin. Combining forces with Vince. That whole "I have a plan" line by Vince was the worst of omens. It crossed my mind this could happen. But am pleasantly surprised it did. This is good for Austin. I like it.

Conspiracy theory #2: So it's abundantly clear Benoit turned babyface, Austin just went heel. My hypothesis of one trading for another/double turn holds up. but this could just be a coincidence because it doesn't make any sense. One guy is midcard and the other main event. If it does happen, whoever replaces Austin as his babyface, that person is gonna need one hell of a change in character. A complete 180 just like Austin had Good Lord

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Just finished Mania X7. Yeah that was really good. Easily a 10/10 PPV. I get why it's called the best Mania. Yet somehow, I was expecting it to have somehow been even bigger... Not that it was possible. I knew something was fishy about Rock/Austin. Combining forces with Vince. That whole "I have a plan" line by Vince was the worst of omens. It crossed my mind this could happen. But am pleasantly surprised it did. This is good for Austin. I like it.

Conspiracy theory #2: So it's abundantly clear Benoit turned babyface, Austin just went heel. My hypothesis of one trading for another/double turn holds up. but this could just be a coincidence because it doesn't make any sense. One guy is midcard and the other main event. If it does happen, whoever replaces Austin as his babyface, that person is gonna need one hell of a change in character. A complete 180 just like Austin had Good Lord

Based on what you've liked and didnt like so far, you will truly enjoy the rest of 2001. Not to spoil anything but your last line in this post is very prescient

 

[Megahab]

Just finished Mania X7. Yeah that was really good. Easily a 10/10 PPV. I get why it's called the best Mania. Yet somehow, I was expecting it to have somehow been even bigger... Not that it was possible. I knew something was fishy about Rock/Austin. Combining forces with Vince. That whole "I have a plan" line by Vince was the worst of omens. It crossed my mind this could happen. But am pleasantly surprised it did. This is good for Austin. I like it.

Conspiracy theory #2: So it's abundantly clear Benoit turned babyface, Austin just went heel. My hypothesis of one trading for another/double turn holds up. but this could just be a coincidence because it doesn't make any sense. One guy is midcard and the other main event. If it does happen, whoever replaces Austin as his babyface, that person is gonna need one hell of a change in character. A complete 180 just like Austin had Good Lord

Every match was solid to amazing except the women's match and they kept that short. Even the seemingly meaningless 6 man tag was good.

Benoit vs. Angle is one of the best built matches ever that only took 6 days. It was simple. They wanted each other to tap. That's all it was. No spoilers but wait until you see what happens next.

Around July 2001 is when people say the decline of WWE started which they still haven't recovered from. I thought the same at the time but looking back, it's so much better than anything we've received in at least the last 5 or 10 years. 2001 was the strongest year in terms of match quality WWE ever had. Plus it gets fun seeing a lot of fresh matches once the invasion starts.

 

[Bondurant]

April 5, 1992

 

[Megahab]

April 5, 1992

So goddamn good.

 

[These Are The Days]

Austin aligning with McMahon doesn't make "a lot" of sense but it works the same way Daenerys Targaryen burned down Kings Landing. You got fire and blood for 8 seasons then and then she unleashed it and it was like "Surprised bro?" Now we we have a rattlesnake acting like one in this case.

It's a positive change for Austin's character after almost 4 years even if aligning with McMahon because he's obsessed with being champion is a weird way to do it. He was getting close to being stale. Coming out to the "disturbed" track made him feel different anyway and not necessarily in a good way after being gone for THAT long

 

[These Are The Days]

God I love Kurt Angle so much. It never gets old watching him rip on Boston when they'd go on to win like 12 combined championships later over the next 20 years. It makes me appreciate the cheap heat of the time that much more and him looking like that much more of an idiot for ripping on Boston at all.

This guy is amazing. Only Vince willingly embarrassed himself more

 

[These Are The Days]

Suddenly remembering the angle where Ric Flair owned half of the WWF. How was that possible if McMahon won all the shares back? Hmmm. Something to think about and look forward to

 

[These Are The Days]

2 random thoughts

1. The WWF's tendency to throw JR into feuds and get the shit kicked out of him is as frequent as it is baffling. I just don't get it

2. Vaguely recalling that I once caught a couple minutes of a show and Edge and Christian called themselves "The octopuses of the WWF/E" after becoming 8 time champions LMAO!!

 

[These Are The Days]

Had WWF in 2000 booked HHH and his gang of heavies like we're seeing with him an Austin, it would've been fine. But at the same time.... It's HHH with his heavies. I said Austin was running a little stale but that's because it had been 4 years and was still thoroughly entertained by him. Since I'd never wish HHH's quad injury on him, the invasion cannot happen fast enough to break up the monotonous nature of his storylines that have been exactly the same since spring 1999. This makes me all the more thankful that the Foley Era lasted as long as it did. The whole "complacent GM while Haitch does whatever the hell he wants" thing is almost as worn out as the play button on peacock



Edit: I forgot I have Evolution to look forward to. Maybe I can keep my chin up on that I may yet actually really enjoy that one

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Had WWF in 2000 booked HHH and his gang of heavies like we're seeing with him an Austin, it would've been fine. But at the same time.... It's HHH with his heavies. I said Austin was running a little stale but that's because it had been 4 years and was still thoroughly entertained by him. Since I'd never wish HHH's quad injury on him, the invasion cannot happen fast enough to break up the monotonous nature of his storylines that have been exactly the same since spring 1999. This makes me all the more thankful that the Foley Era lasted as long as it did. The whole "complacent GM while Haitch does whatever the hell he wants" thing is almost as worn out as the play button on peacock



Edit: I forgot I have Evolution to look forward to. Maybe I can keep my chin up on that I may yet actually really enjoy that one

HHH's work when he returns from his quad injury (Jan 2002) is very well done and probably my 2nd favorite run of his after the original intro of The Game and the Stephanie drugging in Vegas.

His return pop from this injury is one of the loudest and longest in history

 

[These Are The Days]

HHH's work when he returns from his quad injury (Jan 2002) is very well done and probably my 2nd favorite run of his after the original intro of The Game and the Stephanie drugging in Vegas.

His return pop from this injury is one of the loudest and longest in history

That return pop is one of my all-time favorite moments because of how organic it was. In a world where everything is a work or kayfabe, that didn't have to be. Regardless of how I feel about Paul Levasque's work as the HHH character in my Attitude Era watchthrough, or how I felt about him at the time when Youtube made that moment readily watchable any moment, it's a man coming back to what he loves more than life itself. You can't really feel anything else but joy, excitement and "Uh oh....... he's back"

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

That return pop is one of my all-time favorite moments because of how organic it was. In a world where everything is a work or kayfabe, that didn't have to be. Regardless of how I feel about Paul Levasque's work as the HHH character in my Attitude Era watchthrough, or how I felt about him at the time when Youtube made that moment readily watchable any moment, it's a man coming back to what he loves more than life itself. You can't really feel anything else but joy, excitement and "Uh oh....... he's back"

I'll also say the video packages they ran leading up to his return are extremely well done. Really makes him sympathetic and shows how much effort it took and probably the first time (outside of the Tough Enough speech) where you saw how much he lives the business

 

[Sheppy]

I have no real game plan for my draftees so far... hahahahha

 

[I Hart Conor Garland]

I have no real game plan for my draftees so far... hahahahha

Sir this is a wendy’s