Guest The Czech Republic Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 I took a look at the programs that WWE is airing now, and tried to see how far I could trace them back through network changes and timeslot switches. I did this all late last night so it might just be senseless rambling. In a way it's like tracing the lineage of sports franchises, with certain shows having a long heritage and some being expansion teams. Here goes. ---------- RAW: Currently first hour of Raw on TNN. Previously first hour of RAW IS WAR on TNN and USA until 9/11. Previously Monday Night RAW until expanded to two hours in 1997. Monday Night RAW was previously the first hour of Prime Time Wrestling, which ran until 1993. RAW Zone: Currently TNN's second hour of Raw. Previously WAR ZONE, the second hour of RAW IS WAR until 9/11. Was added to the listings as a new hour of programming when USA expanded Monday Night RAW into a two-hour show in 1997. SmackDown!: Currently on UPN. Added to the listings as two hours of new programming in August 1999 when UPN began broadcasting WWF programming. Sunday Night Heat: Currently on MTV. Previously on USA as part of its "Sunday Night Heat" lineup. Was added to the listings in 1998 as a new hour of programming. Velocity: Currently on TNN Saturday nights. This is a toughie: while it bears the Shotgun/Jakked/Metal format, its actual timeslot lineage is different. Velocity in debuted May 2002 as a new WWE program showcasing the SmackDown! brand. Previously, it was the first hour of Excess (simply entitled "Excess"), which was a two-hour recap show on TNN which debuted in August 2001. Excess was formed by shuffling the weekend morning shows to late-night slots. The first hour was LiveWire and the second Superstars (an old program guide proves this.) LiveWire ran on TNN and USA Saturday mornings from 1996 to August 2001, starting as an interactive show and becoming a recap show. Previously, LiveWire was WWF Mania on the USA Network, which showed original matches. Previous to being Mania, it was WWF All-American Wrestling, another simple one-hour show. Confidential: Currently on TNN Saturday nights right after Velocity. Confidential was formed from Excess Late Night, the subtitle for the second hour of Excess, at the same time Velocity was, in May 2002. Excess Late Night was the new name for WWF Superstars, which had been moved from Sunday mornings to Saturday nights. Superstars ran on TNN and USA on Sunday mornings, first showing original matches but later becoming a recap and fluff show, around 1997. Superstars was moved to USA out of syndication in 1996. Superstars ran in syndication also as "Superstars of Wrestling" in the 80s. The Bottom Line: Running in syndication. Began in its current form in May 2002 as part of the program rebranding as a recap show like Excess was before it. Previously it was Jakked, which ended as a SmackDown! brand show but pre-extension was the 4th level show. The name was changed to Jakked from Shotgun Saturday Night in 1999. Shotgun Saturday Night began in 1996 as a new entry into the syndication market and a new hour of WWF programming. After Burn: Also in syndication. Began in its current form in May 2002 as part of the program rebranding as a recap show like Excess was before it. Previously it was Metal, which showed the same matches as Jakked. The name was changed to Metal from Shotgun in 199 simultaneously with Jakked. Shotgun was a less adult form of Shotgun Saturday Night, but aired in markets on days other than Saturdays. They both entered the market in 1997. INACTIVE PROGRAMMING 11 Alive: Dubious achievement of the least successful show. Ran on Paxson-owned stations (now PAX) for four weeks in 1998. The same content from Shotgun Saturday Night was aired. Was cancelled. Action Zone: Began in 1993 on weekend mornings on USA. Created from the second hour of Prime Time Wrestling. The show was cancelled. Blastoff: Ran in 1996 on WGN's Superstation feed. The show was cancelled. Tuesday Night Titans: Ran in the 1980s on USA as a talk show. Was cancelled. --- Any shows that I've let out, please add. And if anyone could make a family tree-esque illustration of the WWF program lineage that would be awesome. Thanks for reading.
Guest MarvinisaLunatic Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 You missed Los SuperAstros - the spanish show..
Guest RicFlairGlory Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 WWF Superstars? Livewire? WWF Challenge? Sure, they're like '93-'96 or so (if I remember correctly)... maybe '97, I remember Superstars having the Austin "Its better to be pissed off than be pissed on, you got anything else to say JR? Then get out!" promo after Owen 3:16 said I just broke your neck....
Guest Downhome Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 You missed Los SuperAstros - the spanish show.. Speaking of that show, what actually airs on it?
Guest The Czech Republic Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 WWF Superstars? Livewire? WWF Challenge? Sure, they're like '93-'96 or so (if I remember correctly)... maybe '97, I remember Superstars having the Austin "Its better to be pissed off than be pissed on, you got anything else to say JR? Then get out!" promo after Owen 3:16 said I just broke your neck.... I forgot about Challenge! LiveWire and Superstars are included in the Excess/Velocidential part.
Guest TestKick Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 11 Alive? Looks like they even made a worse name than Jakked...
Guest Downhome Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 How about Shotgun Saturday night? My fondest memories of that is a match that left the ring, and then Taker Tombstoned someone on an escelator, and an apperance of Mosh/Thrasher in their "Nun" gimmick. :D
Guest RicFlairGlory Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 OK, I'm blind. Forgive me if I missed it because I just re-checked... But wasnt there a DIFFERENT Saturday Night Show? I remember Marty Janetty showing up for Shawn Michaels Challenge one night, but it wasnt Superstars, Mania, Shotgun, Metal, or Jakked... I doubt it was All-American Wrestling, but.. ahh! Saturday Night Main Event!! pleeease tell me I didnt miss you typing that or I'll kick myself!
Guest Eagan469 Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 You forgot: All-American Wrestling WWF Spotlight Canadian Challenge
Guest The Czech Republic Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 All-American is Velocity.
Guest D'Lo White Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 How about Shotgun Saturday night? My fondest memories of that is a match that left the ring, and then Taker Tombstoned someone on an escelator, and an apperance of Mosh/Thrasher in their "Nun" gimmick. :D To make the memory even fonder is that I think it was Triple H he tombstoned on the escelator. The only other thing I remember from that show is Fondle Me Elmo.
Guest Grenouille Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 Wasn't Shotgun known as WWF New York in some markets? Atleast that's what it is in the tapes I have from '97 I bought from some guy in NY.
Guest Eagan469 Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 Mania and All-American ran concurrently. All-American turned into Action Zone in late 1994. Mania ended in 1995.
Guest Will Scarlet Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 . But wasnt there a DIFFERENT Saturday Night Show? I remember Marty Janetty showing up for Shawn Michaels Challenge one night, but it wasnt Superstars, Mania, Shotgun, Metal, or Jakked.... I believe that was on Raw, if memory serves correctly. I could be be wrong though
Guest The Czech Republic Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 Mania and All-American ran concurrently. All-American turned into Action Zone in late 1994. Mania ended in 1995. I distinctly remember Mania become Livewire in 1996. Action Zone ended in 1995. I was wrong. This whole thing is pretty muddy.
Guest RicFlairGlory Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 Well I still remember a show called Saturday Night Main Event, and I remember Janetty making a return on that show....
Guest DJ Jeff Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 I remember watching Superstars when I first started watching wrestling. Livewire I hardly watched, and Jakked and Metal I watched seldom.
Guest JHawk Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 Going way back old school, there were WWF Championship Wrestling and WWF All-Star Wrestling, which were essentially precursors to Challenge and Superstars (although I've seen records where Championship Wrestling and Superstars were both running together for a couple of weeks in fall 1986. And somebody mentioned Wrestling Spotlight, which was syndicated from 1986-1994 or 1995 and would show matches from both Challenge and Superstars from the previous week.
Guest DJ Jeff Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 I also remember watching Shotgun when I started watching wrestling. Now, the question now is does the WWE have less or more shows then they used to? I think they have less now, which isn't that bad.
Guest Eagan469 Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 In early 1993 they had: Tuesday Night Titans Monday Night RAW All-American Wrestling WWF Spotlight WWF Mania WWF Challenge WWF Superstars WWF Canadian Challenge
Guest RicFlairGlory Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 I wish they had more, actually. The one hour shows should be where Brock Lesnar and John Cena and the like all actually refine their talent. THEN the established, OVER wrestlers should be the only ones to see the light of Smackdown and RAW. Then theres no need for canned heat.
Guest The Czech Republic Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 Saturday Night's Main Event was a big event like CotC that ran every month as a replacement for Saturday Night Live on NBC. And back during those Ebersol years, losing a week of SNL was a good thing.
Guest JHawk Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 In early 1993 they had: Tuesday Night Titans Monday Night RAW All-American Wrestling WWF Spotlight WWF Mania WWF Challenge WWF Superstars WWF Canadian Challenge Dude, Tuesday Night Titans was gone in 1985. Maybe 1986. Sometime after Prime Time started airing.
Guest Eagan469 Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 Saturday Night's Main Event was a big event like CotC that ran every month as a replacement for Saturday Night Live on NBC. And back during those Ebersol years, losing a week of SNL was a good thing. The Ebersol years were in 1981-1983 Saturday Night's Main Event started in 1986 or so, and ran only once every 3 months.
Guest DokDoyle Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 You forgot: All-American Wrestling WWF Spotlight Canadian Challenge Canadian Challenge and Cavalcade were just Canadian versions of Wrestling Challenge and Superstars.
Guest The Czech Republic Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 I could've sworn it was Ebersol when they called Weekend Update "Saturday Night News." Back on topic, TNT was not on during 1993. And there's also a mysterious show from not too long ago called "WWF Attitude." Ironically, I don't get it.
Guest Eagan469 Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 In early 1993 they had: Tuesday Night Titans Monday Night RAW All-American Wrestling WWF Spotlight WWF Mania WWF Challenge WWF Superstars WWF Canadian Challenge Dude, Tuesday Night Titans was gone in 1985. Maybe 1986. Sometime after Prime Time started airing. I meant Prime Time Wrestling
Guest The Czech Republic Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 Well Prime Time was replaced by Monday Night Raw and Action Zone. Why did I have to start this???
Guest RicFlairGlory Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 You forgot: All-American Wrestling WWF Spotlight Canadian Challenge Canadian Challenge and Cavalcade were just Canadian versions of Wrestling Challenge and Superstars. Funny, you wouldnt think that "Challenge" and "Canadian Challenge" would have anything to do with each other! B)
Guest Mosh For Jesus Posted August 19, 2002 Report Posted August 19, 2002 They must have thought Jakked and Shotgun were important cause WWF gave them action figure lines.
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