WWF New Generation Thread III

[Valeyard]

I don't blame Savage for not working as champ in 1992 just because no one was working. However it's just funny how anachronistic seeing that era of Savage with the belt is. Still looked more natural with it than Flair, though.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I think Vince and whoever else was in WWF creative was more to blame for the failings of any of the New Generation World Champs than the talent themselves.

Vince's "We got to create a hit dammit!" mentality just seems desperate and pathetic during lean times. Especially the cynical, smart aleck '90s. I still feel like the best way to prevent the bottom from falling out is just sticking the World Title with somebody good and reliable (preferably Bret but a few guys would've probably worked) for a year or two.

By the time, they finally did pick a stable long term champion in Diesel, they booked him horribly enough that it would've killed most men's careers.

 

[alkeiper]

I always found the mentality of "Savage is bombing, put the belt back on Flair" odd when the entire summer was Savage vs. Flair. The same mentality with Sting where he didn't do well as champion, but they put the belt back on the guy working against Sting in 90% of his matches.

 

[Valeyard]

It's especially weird since Flair wasn't really a draw for the WWF, was he? Like would any houses against Piper or Savage justify that move?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Flair was a draw in the more recent past than Savage. The Piper feud and the first Hogan loop drew well IIRC.

Honestly, if I had to pick anyone on the roster post WMVIII to build around, it’d be Naitch but it was inevitable that he was going to return to WCW as soon as he could once Jim Herd got fired so I get why WWF never really committed to him being top guy.

 

[Valeyard]

I wish he'd stuck around longer. He was having the time of his life and could've done some great stuff with a lot of people he'd have okay stuff with over the next five or six years.

 

[BruiserBrody]

I always found the mentality of "Savage is bombing, put the belt back on Flair" odd when the entire summer was Savage vs. Flair. The same mentality with Sting where he didn't do well as champion, but they put the belt back on the guy working against Sting in 90% of his matches.

To be fair, he won it in Sept and dropped it in Oct, so it was mostly done to transition to Bret...or Perfect...or Tito....

Savage's other options would have been to job it to Ramon who just debuted in August or strapping the rocket to HBK, who hadn't even gotten a IC belt yet.

I guess a heel Perfect subbing for Flair could have beaten Savage, leading to Perfect slowly turning face over a few weeks as Flair stewed in rage of his crony usurping him.

Or Macho holds it to the Rumble or Mania and Yoko steam rolls him there to "hurt" him enough to send to the announce booth part time.

 

[Tino Standard]

Even in October '92, it was known that Flair didn't love putting Bret over but he did it constantly so I don't see why he wouldn't do it on PPV. Late '92 Superstars definitely were building towards a Bret/Flair rematch. Before I get Brodesplained, I do know that Superstars in that era was meant to build house shows as much (if not more than) as PPVs.


Am I correct to assume though if Flair didn't give his notice then it probably would have been Bret Vs Flair at Royal Rumble '93? Even though he had been in the defacto main event the previous PPV, Razor Ramon being the top heel at RR93 felt very sudden.

Which brings to mind ANOTHER problem with Bret's first World Title run...every one that challenged him on PPV was also main eventing for the first time on their own.

Although waitadamnminute, now that I think of it...did Flair ever main event a WWF PPV as a singles wrestler? His only big PPV win was Royal Rumble '92, which is admittedly better than 10 PPV singles main event wins but still. What a weird era for Titan.

What’s really crazy is that despite getting shot up the card that quickly after debuting, Razor never got another world title shot on PPV for the rest of his run.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

To be fair, he won it in Sept and dropped it in Oct, so it was mostly done to transition to Bret...or Perfect...or Tito....

Or...

Direction of WWF in Fall of '92 was so friggin open ended. On the Arezzi shows from this time period, people are speculating if Flair Vs Backlund is potential direction for WrestleMania IX main event. Which is hilarious to think about considering Backlund was probably the lowest person on the totem pole at IX (not to mention Flair had been gone completely for two months)

 

[AA484]

The roster was actually not that bad around that time, but there was just no direction in the post-Hogan/steroids era of uncertainty:

Flair
Savage
Bulldog
Bret
Warrior
Razor
Taker
HBK
Tatanka
Papa Shango
Kamala
Martel
Virgil
Crush
Jannetty
Backlund
and can't forget MAX MOON

Tag team scene was super weak, though: Natural Disasters, Beverlys, Money Inc, Nasty Boys, Headshrinkers, Fake LOD... yuck

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

That main event is like the WWF version of BattleBowl.

Double Trouble is the pair of fat indie wrestlers that got a number of house show appearances in ‘92-‘93 as part of a lawsuit settlement. They worked as The Undertakers in IWCCW in the late ‘80s and were smart enough to trademark the name “The Undertakers”. However, they were dumb enough to not hold WWF by their feet and just agree to working a number of house shows, thinking it would lead to a shot on the main roster. It did not.


Sgt Slaughter Vs Iron Mike Sharpe seems like a match more suited for October ‘83 instead of October ‘92. AUGH!

 

[AA484]

Man, I thought Slaughter had retired by then.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I think he was written off TV in the Summer of ‘92 when Nailz beat the crap out of him.


Actually, I feel like by October ‘92, he was doing his first authority figure role? So random he is still filling out the undercard but he would do occasional random one shots on house shows even into the ‘00s.

 

[alkeiper]

Double Trouble were Tony and Val Puccio. Val briefly appeared in ECW, jobbing to Mikey Whipwreck and Hack Meyers as fans chanted "you fat f***."

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Checking History of WWE, it looks like Slaughter did NOT actually appear on that card. His last appearance was on the 9/14/92 Primetime Wrestling with the aforementioned Nails match. He was introduced as Jack Tunney's rules enforcer on the October 10th, 1992 Superstars.

His replacement on that house show loop?
WWF @ East Rutherford, NJ - Meadowlands - October 1, 1992 (6,700)
Tatanka pinned the Mountie
Jeff Jarrett pinned Iron Mike Sharpe with the DDT
Owen Hart & Koko B. Ware defeated Double Trouble when Ware got the pin with a missile dropkick
WWF IC Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated Shawn Michaels (w/ Sensational Sherri) via disqualification when Sherri got on the ring apron and the referee called for the bell
Terry Taylor pinned Jim Powers
Jim Duggan pinned Repo Man
The Undertaker, Ultimate Warrior, & Big Bossman defeated Nailz, Kamala, & Razor Ramon when Undertaker pinned Kamala with a chokeslam

My guy. Ha ha!

Jeff Jarrett Vs Iron Mike Sharpe is definitely in "Matches We Didn't Think Existed" thread territory.

 

[Fall of Epic]

Jarrett was in WWE when Mike was still an enhancement talent for them so I don't think that match would have been uncommon.

 

[AA484]

I just checked and it looked like he debuted as an official on the 10/10/92 episode of Superstars.

I also checked the 10/1/92 Meadowlands card and it looked like Jeff Jarrett(!) actually wrestled Mike Sharpe. I didn't even know JJ was in the WWF at the time. He also appeared on other cards at the time, specifically as a sub for Slaughter.

Last confirmed match for Slaughter is a six-man from 8/23 with Slaughter and LOD vs. the Nasties and the Mountie. The 9/14/92 match vs. Nailz was his last televised match.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

WWF's working relationship with USWA started in the Fall of '92. It looks like Double J worked a handful of house shows to fill out the roster (as a white meat undercard babyface) when half of the roster was working in Europe.

I know it would've flopped but I kind of would've liked to see Jeff Jarrett work more as a babyface in WWF and WCW. I think I'm the one person who liked his super brief run as a face in the Fall of '96. Those major wrestling promotions are no place for a SOUTHERN MAN to be cheered. SMDH.

 

[Valeyard]

Face Jarrett is really awesome. Watch him in the USWA or his TNA run in 2009-10, he's incredible and twice the worker. Just is more compelling a personality as heel, unfortunately. Jarrett walked so Randy Orton could run.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

 

[Valeyard]

Listen I think it's comforting he's become a 300 dad joke.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

 

[BruiserBrody]

Apparently a typo as it was 1995, but still funny:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1577461702525743104

 

[Fall of Epic]

Foley knows this 2nd hand? He wasn't with the company in '95.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Foley knows this 2nd hand? He wasn't with the company in '95.

Didn't listen but a follow up comment on this tweet says it was from 95.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Foley knows this 2nd hand? He wasn't with the company in '95.

Don’t the WrestleMania payoffs come out six months after the show? There were probably a lot of people who were on the roster in late ‘95 who were still there when Foley joined.

 

[Valeyard]

He does make a point to say he wasn't there and heard it second hand, each time he's told that story.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

 

[Valeyard]

Luger was a better worker when he had long hair. I feel like I can prove that, too.

 

[strummer]

Luger was so much better in the ring in NWA/WCW than WWF and I don't think it was just because of the people he was in the ring with. He seemed so.... uncomfortable in the WWF and seemed unsure when to sell or be super human.