WrestleMania Rewatch Thread 2024

[BruiserBrody]

And by one you mean that literally, Gulas?

I meant more in the grand scope of wrestling where the suddenly failing promoter either pushes themselves or another way past their prime talent as the modern stars flock to the places actually drawing money.
So I was just saying David would have been a likely option to try and push if the bottom was falling out.

The Between the Sheets I was listening to from early 88 was talking about payoffs from Don Owens being 40 dollars. Same era that WCCW was paying Terry Taylor 30 bucks a shot. Jarrett seemed to only stay in business as Jeff and Jerry were getting ownership payoffs and the rest of the roster was dumb enough to be happy to get paid in hot dogs, pot, pills and statutory rape opportunities

 

[snuffbox]

heh yeah the McMahons would never do that kind of stuff.

 

[snuffbox]

WM2 should have been Savage/Bruno anyway.

Agreed. Would've been a better match and built Savage up more. The years long Steele series didn't do any good for anyone.

Maybe Bruno didn't want to do a singles job at that point. He should've, and it should've been at WM2, but, you know.

 

[Valeyard]

You can have it both ways. Just get Savage and Bruno to do a sprint and have the angle of Steele kidnapping Liz happen at Wrestlemania instead, so Savage can chase and get counted out to blow off the Bruno feud and immediately start the Steele one.

 

[Brocklock]

In my fantasy booking for WM 2, I have a Savage/Tito blowoff for my big work rate match on the show and Bruno against Piper in a grudge match. I think they did Piper/Bruno at a Boston Garden show the month before.

 

[snuffbox]

Those are both better than what got booked at WM2.

 

[King Kamala]

Mr. T was so entirely unnecessary at WrestleMania 2.

And WWF brought him back after that. Then WCCW after that. Then inexplicably WCW almost a decade after WrestleMania I.

(And later appearances but those were nostalgia based and not on him being a badass who was tougher than most of the wrestlers)

If Mr. T only did WrestleMania I, he’d easily be in contention for GOAT usage of a celebrity in wrestling. He is still Top 10 but bringing him back way too much knocks him down to the second half of the list.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Mr. T was so entirely unnecessary at WrestleMania 2.

And WWF brought him back after that. Then WCCW after that. Then inexplicably WCW almost a decade after WrestleMania I.

(And later appearances but those were nostalgia based and not on him being a badass who was tougher than most of the wrestlers)

If Mr. T only did WrestleMania I, he’d easily be in contention for GOAT usage of a celebrity in wrestling. He is still Top 10 but bringing him back way too much knocks him down to the second half of the list.

I still want to know how Cyndi Lauper's last booking was a Puerto Rican house show.

 

[King Kamala]

I am guessing she wanted a paid vacation.

 

[Valeyard]

Mr. T could've done something but it didn't need to be Piper. Like be ringside for Hogan to counter Heenan, which makes sense for LA.

Piper should've gotten an Orndorff match, at least.

 

[King Kamala]

T would’ve been good for the battle royal since he is a beloved Chicagoan but I can’t imagine them using him without putting him over but Andre is also in the match and they wouldn’t use him without putting him over.

 

[Valeyard]

The only way I can think of is T helping Andre after getting tossed by Studd and Bundy, but that makes everyone look bad and I don't think Andre would go for it. You COULD run T and Andre (TNA lol) against Studd, Bundy, and Heenan and let Perry win the battle royal and give Muraco, Piper, or Funk the main event. You could just let him and Orton have a match to blow 1985 off in the midcard. Hell run T and Kirschner against Sheik and Volkoff in a flag tag match. I think T has value but nowhere worth a marquee match and definitely not a shitty boxing work that would suck with anyone but be worse because he can't hang like that.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Steele was doing a lot of TNT skits and was on SNME before Savage was even in the company. I think he was going to be in the mix regardless.
Vince gave zero shits about workrate. WM 3 was supposed to be Graham vs Savage before Billy fell apart and Steamboat was put in.

I've always felt that Vince truly always thought of WrestleMania as a true spectacle event. If there were great matches, that was a genuine bonus but even into the teens there were a lot of gimmicks to the matches: WrestleMania 9 has the venue, WrestleMania X has the Ladder Match + Winner of Yoko/Luger takes on Bret Hart for his WWF Title while Bret has to wrestle 2 matches himself, WrestleMania 11 has Bam Bam vs. Lawrence Taylor, WrestleMania 12 has the Iron Man Match, WrestleMania 13 has the Submission Match, WrestleMania 14 has the Dumpster Tag Match + Mike Tyson's involvement in SCSA vs HBK, etc.

 

[BruiserBrody]

The only way I can think of is T helping Andre after getting tossed by Studd and Bundy, but that makes everyone look bad and I don't think Andre would go for it. You COULD run T and Andre (TNA lol) against Studd, Bundy, and Heenan and let Perry win the battle royal and give Muraco, Piper, or Funk the main event. You could just let him and Orton have a match to blow 1985 off in the midcard. Hell run T and Kirschner against Sheik and Volkoff in a flag tag match. I think T has value but nowhere worth a marquee match and definitely not a shitty boxing work that would suck with anyone but be worse because he can't hang like that.

CLUBBA' LANG ain't no mid card geek teamin' wit fake Rambo! We boxin' foo!

I think it was a case of the WWF having a plan and not adjusting to the fact that T Mania was in year 3 and losing steam fast.
In 83 the man had a cartoon, a hit series, a hit movie and 84 saw him on everything from cereal boxes, the Chipmunks, junk toys of all varieties, stationary, coloring books, sprinklers for kids and on and on.
I have a Mr T wing in my basement.

 

[snuffbox]

By the time they booked Mr T in a shitty boxing match at Wrestlemania 2, the next Rocky sequel (4) was already more than 6 months old and heading towards VHS.

 

[King Kamala]

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30 years…we’re getting old.

 

[King Kamala]

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GETTT OUT OF MY OFFICE, HOWARD! I’M NOT GOING TO RETURN THOSE VIDEO TAPES! YOU’VE GOT PLENTY OF THEM GOD DAMMIT!

Hey what was that name you suggested? That’s good shit. NO YOU STILL CAN’T HAVE THOSE VIDEO TAPES BACK, HOWARD, YOU BALD PIECE OF CRAP!

 

[Valeyard]

I thought it was the Colossal Jostle

 

[Valeyard]

TK should be copyrighting these names.

 

[JHawk]

I thought it was the Colossal Jostle

They used Colossal Jostle for a King Kong Bundy-Andre the Giant match at MSG later in the year, but I've always heard Colossal Tussle as the original Mania name when the story has been told

 

[Valeyard]

At least Colossal Jostle rolls off the tongue. Colossal Tussle sounds like something that happens if you use the wrong laundry detergent.

 

[Hawk 34]

Always amusing how a word or a phrase will stick in Vince’s craw long enough he will find a place for it and bah gawd, he waited long enough to use Colossal Connection for Andre and Haku when Haku was hardly colossal.

 

[Valeyard]

I mean honestly how the fuck weren't Studd and Bundy the Colossal Connection?

 

[Tino Standard]

That’s an interesting what-if. There’s no way “Colossal Tussle” has any staying power as a brand for a big, annual event. Do they call it something else in ensuing years? Do they retcon the first one like the NFL did with the Super Bowl? (The first one was called the NFL-AFL World Championship when it was played.)

 

[Valeyard]

War To Settle The Score is an all time name they could've spun into that level of show.

 

[King Kamala]

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Sorry if I have already posted this.

 

[Valeyard]

So this is the make or break on them being good, then.

 

[King Kamala]

The Hardys eventually had good matches against each other. I wouldn’t say their Mania match was bad persay, it was just part of that weird ‘00s trend where the Backlash/Extreme Rules match was better.

 

[Valeyard]

Their best match was a pretaped gimmickbarf that is awesome but more of a match* than a match. I can't think of any worthwhile normal matches against each other they have ever had.

 

[King Kamala]

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Idk if I buy it bring THE match that saved WWF. It is the expertly done final rewrite of the rough draft that Bret Hart and Diesel wrote at Survivor Series ‘95 but that might be my NASH bias.