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The WWF B, C, and D shows.

BruiserBrody

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[quote author=BRODY link=topic=7317.msg606823#msg6
I think RAW's debut pretty much signaled the switch for good. We weren't getting Flair/Perfect HBK/Jannetty kind of matches on SStars even before the switch over. Hart's run as champ saw him working more title matches on SStars as well as the other shows, but that was more because of his fighting champion gimmick and not because Superstars was being revved up. The late 92/early 93 stuff they dumped on the network shows pretty well the drop off in importance when compared to RAW.

Doink injuring Bossman and Crush might be the biggest things to happen on Superstars in that period. The Doink/Crush blowoff takes place on SS as well as Crush is set to be injured by Yoko on the RAW following the match.
 

Valeyard

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It was still a big deal until maybe the end of 1994. I specifically remember a lot of the build of Bret and Owen, any and all things Dibiase, Diesel beating Razor for the title (and Heartbreak Hotel!). Stuff was certainly still going on. I remember a total decline when the LT angle started. It was all cable after that.
 

Tino Standard

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Superstars was the A show from its debut in the fall of 1986 until probably mid-93. Once Raw started, a lot more major angles started happening on Monday nights pretty quickly.
 

King Kamala

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It was still a big deal until maybe the end of 1994. I specifically remember a lot of the build of Bret and Owen, any and all things Dibiase, Diesel beating Razor for the title (and Heartbreak Hotel!). Stuff was certainly still going on. I remember a total decline when the LT angle started. It was all cable after that.
Backlund snapping in July ‘94 was last major angle I remember happening on Superstars.
 

BruiserBrody

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[quote author=BRODY link=topic=7317.msg606823#msg6
Damn. I knew Lord Alfred somehow lasted deep into the New Generation era but I had no clue his debut for WWF predated the Hulkamania era by a few months.
Vince obviously liked Alfred as he kept him around until 1995, but I wonder what the plans were for him? Seems like a random hire for a TV personality. Maybe it was a trial idea like Mad Dog Mangoff (Jerry Graham Jr), Angelo Mosca on commentary etc etc that worked out.

WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - December 26, 1983 (24,592, which included several thousand in Felt Forum)
Televised on the MSG Network and USA Network - included Gorilla Monsoon & Pat Patterson on commentary; featured Lord Alfred Hayes conducting backstage interviews throughout the night with Jimmy Snuka & Arnold Skaaland following their victory, new WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik & Freddie Blassie, and with Skaaland and former WWF World Champion Bob Backlund, with Backlund upset saying he felt he let the fans down (Hayes' debut):
 

King Kamala

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I think Lord Alfred was there to add a sense of distinguishedness to the shows.

I used to dread hearing him on color commentary but his commentary stylings are honestly a big guilty pleasure now. He sincerely puts over everything even the schlubbiest jobbers. Oldsters also says he was an awesome heel in the '70s. Maybe one day if I'm bored enough to make another effort to watch '70s wrestling, I'll give it a look (although if it hasn't happened eight months into a pandemic...)
 

Valeyard

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Judo Alfred Hayes in the UK is pretty fun, and his run in Florida is great. Lord Alfred calls Dusty Rhodes Sandy Streets.
 

Brocklock

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I think Lord Alfred was there to add a sense of distinguishedness to the shows.

I used to dread hearing him on color commentary but his commentary stylings are honestly a big guilty pleasure now. He sincerely puts over everything even the schlubbiest jobbers. Oldsters also says he was an awesome heel in the '70s. Maybe one day if I'm bored enough to make another effort to watch '70s wrestling, I'll give it a look (although if it hasn't happened eight months into a pandemic...)

Lord Al and Mean Gene calling House Shows is kind of entertaining. They don't really hide their boredom at calling a 13 minute Honky Tonk Man vs Hillbilly Jim match from 1990. And their banter is pretty funny at times.
 

Valeyard

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I feel embarrassed looking at that Jakked logo.
 

King Kamala

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Is there a more fitting, corny ass way for her to debut?

Also they did the same corny ass "babyface opens up giant package from Santa to discover his new sidekick" angle two years in a row. Doink unwrapping Dink in '93 and Todd unwrapping Stephanie Wiand in '94!

Stephanie Wiand was brought up on STWW recently and unfortunately Bruce had no interesting stories on her.
 

Valeyard

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It's way more plausible to package a midget than a female clone of Todd Pettingill.

Wiand left absolutely no lasting impression on me, however seeing her again, she was a hot Paula Poundstone.
 

Baby Shoes

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It’s strange because I watched as much WWF as I could as a kid but the presence of Barbarian/Seonne in the Headshrinkers is something I barely remember. Like, I think I was confused where Samu went and really only remember him being in the Survivor Series match. I do not remember him doing anything in that gimmick before or after. Just from him being announced in the match and seeing it on VHS after the fact.

Maybe the bulk of their appearances were on one of the syndicated shows I didn’t get.
 

HarleyQuinn

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I remember the Hardy Boyz having a lot of singles matches as jobbers but I don't remember them actually getting a chance to tag too often so let's go to 1996 WWF Superstars for a refresher! And for a bonus you get Marty Jannetty!

 

King Kamala

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Didn't know they teamed up as The Hardy Boys in WWF as early as '96 (although I vaguely recall they were the JINX TWINS on a few B/C/D shows). My earliest memory of them as a tag team in WWF is them getting squashed by Kane in Fall of '97.
 
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