WWF New Generation Thread III

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I'm not sure if my timelines are straight but I think this was the time where Road Dogg thought he was going to go to WCW with Jeff Jarrett but it turned out WCW didn't have the room.

That whole "Real Double J" storyline seems like it was created out of spite not because it was well thought out on any level. Why bring up an abandoned storyline from over a year before?

 

[Valeyard]

Jarrett came back in early 96 for the Ahmed feud and then vanished again. I think there was contract issues that led to both times of inactivity. I don't think Road Dogg showed up again until way later, long enough for me to forget all about him.

I just don't get it and never have. If it was to finish any storyline, it was pointless. If it was to bury Jarrett, why did Road Dogg get any kind of push, because he was on TV a lot before spring 97? If it was to get Road Dogg over as a face, why make it based on something that people hated?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

It didn't make any damn sense. We were supposed to think country music was weird and annoying from '93 to '95 and now it's cool cause the annoying and weird guy's lackey was all behind it? There's no sense in unraveling WWF's thought process because there was none besides "Screw Jeff Jarrett. We'll show that jerk."

 

[Valeyard]

And then Rockabilly was supposed to be a heel.

 

[JHawk]

The break up and feud was supposed to happen July 1995 at the In Your House PPV but Jarrett and Roadie both walked out of the building before they shot the breakup angle.

Not sure why it mattered after that night TBH

 

[strummer]

The WWF magazine listed a Jarrett v Roadie match for Summerslam 95 so they were going to do the match right away

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

And then Rockabilly was supposed to be a heel.

How could the fans boo anyone with the GOAT theme?

 

[Fall of Epic]

They did an angle week before the Rockabilly reveal where Billy Gunn was a hired gun for Honky and they wound up having a spat. I imagine they had someone else lined up for the role (Disco Inferno?) before having to backtrack to Billym

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1709620033188417771

Glad something good came out of the 1994-95 MLB strike.

 

[Valeyard]

Dude him kicking imaginary sand at refs was great.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1708512100954587321

IIRC I saw his early promos as heel stuff. Probably the voice and scary black man stuff

 

[Valeyard]

Hayes and Pettengill put him over a lot befoe he debuted on Action Zone, I remember, especially Hayes. "He is as BIG AS A HOOUSEEE!!" still sticks with me.

I remember I didn't expect him to debut as a straight top guy right away but showing up and slamming Yokozuna pretty effortlessly is one of the best debuts they'd ever done for a brand new guy.

 

[Fall of Epic]

Ahmed was primed to be a top guy. Too bad the injuries kept mounting up. Even if he stayed healthy, from the shoots I've seen, he had a big primadonna attitude so he probably would have been squeezed out regardless. It was hard to circumvent that behavior back then.

 

[Valeyard]

When he debuted I just didn't think he was set to be a top guy based on the vignettes. I think that's equal parts not trusting the WWF pushing minorities and over a year of New Generation gimmicks making everyone shit before they showed up.

I was psyched when he finally showed up. He was awesome. What's weird is that he spent over half his career tethered to Faarooq even when both guys weren't on TV.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1711020413164073310

He was stalking a bacon double cheeseburger maybe.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1711778626801119489

Burn it with acid @Valeyard .

 

[Valeyard]

One of the oft-forgotten moments of change is when, on Raw, Cactus and Chainsaw chased the Outlaws out of the building and they were in the parking lot. Michael Cole is running to the car trying to get a word with them and they goof on him with Road Dogg yelling "YOU LOOK LIKE PETTENGIL!" in a mocking tone. Then Chainsaw attacks the car and sparks everywhere and they speed off. One of Todd's best moments doesn't even involve him.

 

[BruiserBrody]

They should have had him in a 90s centric outfit. The Tux doesn't really fit his usual vibe

 

[Valeyard]

Like Todd, it's probably Sean Mooney spare parts.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1711773590641664308

Not the most inspiring debut for a team already 6 years past their peak

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

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[Valeyard]

I wanted to go on the Wrestle Vessel so bad.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

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Ya know I thought Bret was a pretty good WWF World Champion.

(Not this first run but definitely later on)

 

[Valeyard]

Man his first run was the best one.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

It’s a World Title run filled with matches that feel like Coliseum Exclusives.

 

[Valeyard]

Where he defended against literally everyone all the time in a bunch of good-great matches that didn't need to exist. It was more about the matches than any kind of prestige because the roster wasn't that roster. It's the kind of reign that would be huge now, too.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Alternative universe is it Warrior vs Yoko at 9?

Where he defended against literally everyone all the time in a bunch of good-great matches that didn't need to exist. It was more about the matches than any kind of prestige because the roster wasn't that roster. It's the kind of reign that would be huge now, too.

Are you thinking his second run where he worked face Backlund, Kid, Virgil?

What were his first run TV matches? SNME vs Shango, Shawn at SSeries, Razor at Rumble....

Fake edit - He works Martel and Shango a bunch in Nov before givibg Flair rematches. I wonder if those other matches were already announced and turned into title matches?

Dec is all Flair minus a TV dark match w/ Razor

Jan is all Flair. Razor at Rumble, rando match w/ Owen vs Money Inc, TV dark match vs Bigelow and closes the month with Yoko

Feb is Flair, Bigelow and a blend of Luger at the end. And a rando vs Martel.

March is rando dark TV w/ Fatu, a few Bigelow shots and everything else is Perfect and Bret vs Razor and Luger and one Yoko match

 

[alfdogg]

This match aired the same day as Bret’s title win

https://x.com/ovppodcast/status/1315845966117785600

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Bret’s first World Title run was the precursor to the midcard World Champion of the ‘00s/2010s. First four months of his title run, he was taking a backseat to Flair, Macho Man and Mr. Perfect and last month or two, to Hogan, Money Inc and Yokozuna.

The ads for WrestleMania IX were THE RETURN OF HULK HOGAN (and also Bret Hart defends the World Title against the undefeated 500 pound Yokozuna)

 

[Valeyard]

I never really saw it that way. He was the most defending champion after years of there just not being much in the way of minor defenses. Savage, Flair, and Perfect never had main event singles matches during that time. By this logic the audible to Hogan is a good idea. And nah he was NEVER behind Money Inc in any scenario, that's silly.

The roster wasn't strong enough for the kind of run he was intended to have. In 1994 it was a lot more catered to his strengths, but by then he was a bigger star so it didn't hit the same.