WWF New Generation Thread III

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1567531584298930179

"By all accounts"

I stared at this tweet for a hard minute. Let's just go with I disagree with his thesis.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I want to say we should be banned from sharing that guy’s tweets but I feel like I am the worst offender!

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

In hindsight someone really should have just told Vince in response to that ice breaker “my hobby is winning wrestling matches”, Vince can’t turn down a man’s hobby.

tbf though that is probably what Alex Porteau told Vince and look how that turned out.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1568681365264289795

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/bret-hart-calgary-walk-of-fame-induction-wwe-wrestling-1.6580076?fbclid=IwAR1VLcP1KxHvuY_L-8cFLaY81iKP3-e8qY4M9QV_GMLzZcZ9uDz8vQTcfCk

Has @cobainwasmurdered ever had more pride in his country?

 

[BUTT]

Just thought about this promo for some reason. It's one of the only times I remember WWF referencing a house show result that wasn't a title change - Bulldog beating Bret at the November '95 Meadowlands event - outside of localized house show promos. Unless of course this only aired on Fox 5 New York, which I doubt but that's where I watched it and this VHS rip is taken from there too.

 

[strummer]

Pretty sure that interview aired on Action Zone as well.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1570143892926001152

Gorilla Monsoon getting in a flurry of offense against Vader before he got mauled is low key one of my favorite moments of the New Generation era.

 

[alkeiper]

Gorilla got fat quick. But you’ve got a guy in his youth who is at least 6’3”, weighs 325 pounds and he’s an athlete. How the heck do you move this guy?!

 

[alkeiper]

Came across this article and I think at least @BruiserBrody would like it. Super heavyweights in amateur wrestling.

Before Coon-Snyder, big weight differences among big men

intermatwrestle.com

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

If '80s/'90s wrestling was like modern wrestling, we definitely would have gotten fifty something Gorilla whooping on a mid card heel at some PPV.

 

[Fall of Epic]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1570143892926001152

Gorilla Monsoon getting in a flurry of offense against Vader before he got mauled is low key one of my favorite moments of the New Generation era.

Vader mauling Gorilla legit frightened me as a kid. I think this might have been the first time I saw a non-wrestler assaulted on TV (managers don't count).

Vince getting in Vader's face afterwards and King calming him down is hilarious.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1570220935487148033

Worldwide's Random Match Generator would be proud.

I wonder why they threw so many random pairings out on these tours? Limited roster?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

That was the tour that had a 12 minute Triple H Vs Bushwhacker Butch match (while Bushwhacker Luke fought Aldo Montoya. Who played the heel in that one!?).

Yeah, looking at Cawthon's though, it looks like WWF was running a split crew that weekend. The WWF roster in May of '96 wasn't exactly super loaded even at full strength so when you split it in half...woof.

US cards that weekend don't look that *much* better outside of the top two matches.
WWF @ Hamilton, Ontario - Copps Coliseum - May 10, 1996 (11,515)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz
Bob Holly pinned Sexton Hardcastle (Edge)
The Smoking Gunns defeated Samu & the Tahitian Warrior
Marc Mero pinned the Brooklyn Brawler
Jerry Lawler pinned Razor Ramon after using an illegal object; Mr. Perfect was the guest referee
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Mankind defeated Jake Roberts with the Mandible Claw
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader

Jerry Lawler Vs a week and a half from leaving Razor Ramon had to have been a master class in how little you can get away with doing.

Also GD. That really drives home how much Canada loves their WWF. 11.5k for that card!?

 

[alkeiper]

The Kuwaiti crew ran the same venue five days in a row. Either run Bushwhackers/Rockers five times or change things up a bit. And at least Yoko and Ahmed had worked the same team at Wrestlemania.

 

[Valeyard]

Card is garbage but Warrior/Vader on top, on paper, is no joke.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Did we ever end up getting a Warrior/Vader match on TV? I'd be curious to see if Big Leon could get anything interesting out of '96 Warrior.

Was Warrior injured during that run? Thinking about it, all of his matches in '96 were either squashes or overstuffed with stalling.

 

[Valeyard]

I don't think so. The Potato War of 1996 would still get some attention if they did, I'm sure. I really wanted that match too. I know they would've been nothing special at best and awful at the worst, but I wish Warrior could've worked with so many other people during that run.

Warrior/Mankind would've been awesome.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

He didn't work with more than a handful of people during that run, yeah? Even considering he was only there for four months. Triple H, Isaac Yankem on RAW after WM, Goldust, Lawler, and Owen Hart. Maybe a few other random guys in house show tags.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1570519448091783168

 

[BruiserBrody]

It's a shame that Ahmed's kidney killed the Shawn vs Johnson match that battle royal was meant to lead to (IIRC). Shawn's meltdown may have peaked trying to work with a stiff and botchy musclehead.

 

[Valeyard]

I really liked that few weeks of TV they ran. Shawn/Billy, Ahmed/Bart, then ShawMed/Gunns and the battle royal. It was refreshing. Ahmed/Shawn could've been either a masterpiece in carryjobs from Shawn or Ahmed would've broke Shawn's skull with the fury of ten thousand Syracuse marines.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Harvey Whippleman in 1992 would say "The man I discovered in deepest, darkest Africa...Kamala!"
This was Kamala's 3rd run in the WWF!!
I know...I know... heels lie.

We know the booking in late 92 got all blown up from Nailz leaving, which meant Undertaker needed a new direction, so Kamala was left out in the cold, but I could see a scenario where Kamala stays heel, and Brutus Beefcake returns at the Royal Rumble to try and spark some bonus interest in his comeback. Then we get El Gigante attacking Beefcake instead of Taker, which gives Hogan a opening to return anyway and he and Beefer get to face down a legit Giant and Kamala, who drew big with Hogan in 86/87.
I didn't break down where this leaves Money Inc and Taker for Mania, but was just dreaming up a different scenario. Blame Greetings From Allentown for their week by week breakdown of WWF 1992 filling my head.

 

[strummer]

So this is how it went down, right?

Post Mania 8 Warrior was supposed to feud with Sid but Sid bailed and Warrior was moved to Shango. Taker was supposed to feud with Shango post Mania but with him being moved to Warrior they had to scramble and bring in Kamala for Taker.

 

[BruiserBrody]

So this is how it went down, right?

Post Mania 8 Warrior was supposed to feud with Sid but Sid bailed and Warrior was moved to Shango. Taker was supposed to feud with Shango post Mania but with him being moved to Warrior they had to scramble and bring in Kamala for Taker.

Taker feuded with Berzerker post WM 8. We commented in the WM thread that perhaps Davey was going to job to Berzerker at Mania and that is why he was less than thrilled to go out and have a quick match for the pay day once the card went long. Just speculating.

--

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1571041384907575300

The southern brawler all star lumberjacks for the heels make me think we should have gotten a lot more quality bouts than we did with the roster.

 

[Valeyard]

I would've accepted Owen winning at Summerslam. Then you either can have him drop it to Bret at Wrestlemania or have him put Diesel over in what would be a very satisfactory squash. Owen could've been a very fun heel on top, though, trying to out-do Bret's "takes on all comers" thing.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

If the monthly PPV era started a year earlier then I think Bret and Owen would have hot potatoed the World Title back and forth.

In retrospect, maybe Owen should have been the transitional champion instead of Backlund?

 

[Valeyard]

Owen wins at Summerslam by being a piece of shit, avoids Bret and has good matches with the top faces until fall when Diesel crushes him. Instantly you have Diesel with a credible heel challenger at the ready, Bret being pissed he didn't get to kill Owen for the title, and the Bret/Diesel match with Owen interference leading to the Bret/Owen rematch at Wrestlemania that should've been.

Backlund starts a feud with, like, Duke Drose over how he's a plebian or something.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1571209342715584521

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Owen wins at Summerslam by being a piece of shit, avoids Bret and has good matches with the top faces until fall when Diesel crushes him. Instantly you have Diesel with a credible heel challenger at the ready, Bret being pissed he didn't get to kill Owen for the title, and the Bret/Diesel match with Owen interference leading to the Bret/Owen rematch at Wrestlemania that should've been.

Backlund starts a feud with, like, Duke Drose over how he's a plebian or something.

You also could've started the Owen Hart/Yoko team earlier too with Owen using Yoko as his Diesel. Winning matches by cheating or accepting "open challenges" from jobbers/low card guys only for Yoko to squash 'em and then Owen pins them/puts them in the Sharpshooter to win. Then you'd get Owen gloating about how he's just as good as Bret at taking on all comers, better because he wins his matches faster like the best Hart Family Member should. Like his dad, Stu Hart, taught them in the Dungeon and just rub in that he's "Daddy's Boy"/Stu's more proud of him as WWF Champion vs. Bret, etc.