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This Day in Pro Wrestling History

Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

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I always Mandela Effect Undertaker and Jake attacking Macho Man as happening at SummerSlam '91 and not at some indeterminate time after the show. Probably cause it was on the SummerSlam '91 VHS as a Coliseum Home Exclusive.
 
Valeyard

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I remember that airing on Superstars but completely forgot the specifics until I saw Summerslam in full years later. Gene introducing them as Mr. and Mrs. Macho was burned into my head, though, and I've never forgiven Taker for his involvement.
 
Valeyard

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If they'd let Diesel turn on Shawn with the violence Sid did, he'd have been a megastar.
 
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

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Yeah, in retrospect, money was in Diesel as the big, nasty, snarling (but cool) heel and not a glad-handing superhero. He could've been a more naturally charismatic version of 2020s Roman Reigns.
 
Valeyard

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If he'd been the late 95-into 96 tweener, which was more or less the same murder machine he was in 1994 but allowed to cut promos as himself, it goes so much better. He has the charisma to make the dogshit matches he was stuck with passable but he wasn't allowed, really.

And man they should've turned Razon and had them feud instead of Bulldog.
 
BruiserBrody

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[quote author=BRODY link=topic=7317.msg606823#msg6
Valeyard said:
If he'd been the late 95-into 96 tweener, which was more or less the same murder machine he was in 1994 but allowed to cut promos as himself, it goes so much better. He has the charisma to make the dogshit matches he was stuck with passable but he wasn't allowed, really.

And man they should've turned Razon and had them feud instead of Bulldog.
Click to expand...
I think Razor was one of the few guys moving merch and they didn't want to ruin that.

Plus he had just come off a multi month, multi PPV feud with Razor when he turned and won the belt.
 
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

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https://www.facebook.com/100066533002030/posts/789863513241408
‘01-‘03 WWE really did feel like ‘99 and WCW with how many fan alienating fans happened in quick succession.

Name change never bothered me that much but sooooo many people still call it WWF. Name change has to be in Top 5 reasons casuals cite why they stopped watching in the early ‘00s. It doesn’t help that the product was absolute dog shit in May ‘02.
 
Valeyard

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The name change is shorthand, for at least. It's a super easy moment to pinpoint a huge downturn, literally down to being forced to blur or mute mentions of the better days. WWE is when it felt completely and totally bankrupt.
 
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

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I wonder if the name change would have been better or worse if it happened a year or two earlier when WWE was more popular.

At the very least, it probably would have gotten more mainstream media coverage. Pro wrestling was back on the cultural dung heap in ‘02.
 
Big Papa Paegan

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The name change would have been better received if two factors were different:
1. The actual name change
Pick a word other than "Entertainment." That was, is, and always will be a shitty name. "World Wrestling Entertainment" doesn't flow like "the World Wrestling Federation" did, and breaks the trend of the company's name sounding authoritative.

Enterprise. Empire. Eminence. Evolution.

All better ideas than "Entertainment."

2. Booking
As we've all said for over 20 years now, the product was in the doldrums at that point. There's plenty of reasons that could be argued as to why (lack of competition, Steph in charge of creative, panic after the post-InVasion decline), but it's undeniable that shows around the change from the WWF to WWE were worse than they were six months prior, let alone a year prior.
 
Valeyard

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That was so cool. I lost my mind at the time. Now, I just hate that Nash didn't know what an adjective was.
 
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

Cackling Co Pilot Kamala

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BruiserBrody said:
Eric forgot Verne's lesson to not run any angles in summer. The fans are all at Lake Minnetonka and not watching TV.

This will never work.
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*cheesebreath* uh, Brody, June 10th is still Spring.

Verne’s advice is actually good for an Upper Midwest based promotion. Uh wait why am I Midwestsplaining Brod!?
 
snuffbox

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It was good advice up to the advent of Saturday morning cartoons, some 60 years ago.
 
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Survivor Seriies 98 was 26 years ago today.

Still the best show Russo ever wrote
 
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That was a really fun ppv. No great matches but a bunch of memorable moments: Duane Gill, The Rock's nightstick interception, etc.
 
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