WWE vs. WCW (2000) (vs. anyone else?)

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

I really liked WCW in 2001. They pushed the cruiserweight division and started getting old school and back to their original fanbase. Their last thunder, IMO, was the best show of the year.

 

Russo fucking sucked though. I liked the fact that they were going to do a 're-start' and the feel at that time was like something good was going to happen, but it didn't. Russo had a turn and run-in in seemingly every match and they got rid of Sat. Night - which at that time was the best fuckin program on TV as they showed Indy guys and cruisers goin at it.

[Guest ViciousFish]

I used to watch WCW for the first 10 minutes or so to catch the opening match that was always cruisers, and then flip back and forth to catch the other cruiser match. Thats what they had going for them. They had alot of cruisers and they used them fairly well. But their other stuff was god awful.

 

I figure WWE is about the same as WCW. They don't use cruisers well but their other stuff isn't quite as god awful as WCW's

[HurriShane 0]

At least WCW in 2000 realized that Hogan was to quote Vinny Ru "a worthless piece of shit" and got rid of him. Vinny Mac has yet to learn that lesson.

[Guest Retro Rob]

I wouldn't consider Hogan worthless. With Edge gone, SmackDown! needs another big face that can pop the live crowd. Think about it, if a show utterly sucks and drains the energy out of the crowd, an appearance from Hogan would be enough to lift the show in an average fan's mind.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

And that makes sense... but not for the main event... which is where they put Hogan. Hogan should be a midcard act taking up as little time as possible.

[Guest D'Lo White]

The WWE is not nearly as bad as it was at this time last year.

 

I believe Hogan was champ and feuding with the Undertaker.

 

The Raw main event for like a month straight was NWO vs Austin and Bradshaw.

 

My most vivid memory of Smackdown was Mark Henry bending some stupid bar or pan every week with Test acting like an idiot watching him.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

The WWE hasn't improved at all. Same shit, different stick.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

WCW was at its worst from Spring Stampede (although that PPV was great) 1999 until Bill Busch got canned in March 2000.

 

Specifically Nash's reign of terror in the summer of 1999 was horrible. They also lost all of their good talent, with the exception of Booker T, in this time as they got fed up and left the promotion. The company had to be completely rebuilt with new wrestlers once Russo took over again in April 2000. He was not the answer, but the company had one foot in the grave already.

 

Quality-wise the AWA & ECW have had some horrible years, but they never really had the talent anyways. Hennig was the AWA's last shot and once he left in 1988 it was all over.

 

I also agree that the first half of 2002 was worse than now in the WWF. I still like Smackdown, even without the **** matches every week and RAW was watchable when Rock was around.

 

WCW 1999 is my pick. There was still good stuff in that year, but no major promotion has ever had so many bad things overwhelm the good. The year began with the Fingerpoke of Doom, and ended with the Fall of Bret Hart which would start a chain reaction that would lead to the defection of the Radicalz in early 2000. Potential squeaked through in the form of the Owen Hart Memorial & Spring Stampede, which made things even more depressing.

 

Some other 'highlights' included...

 

Dennis Rodman

Junkyard Invitational

Superbrawl (NWO win every match except for the opener)

Jericho is stomped on and leaves

Ditto Raven

Bischoff fired

Saturn in a dress

Piper/Bagwell Boxing Match

Nash/Savage feud

Who drove the Hummer?

Revolution is a spark of life, then all job clean to slugs at Fall Brawl

Sting turns heel

Hogan returns to Red & Yellow

Nash retires for 3 weeks

Rey loses his mask, and his credibility

Eddy Guerrero is forced to join the Filthy Animals after missing the first half of the year due to injury, and becomes a non-entity

Pepe vs. The Wood Chipper

Dogs attack Sting at Slamboree

No Limit Soldiers

and many other things I hope we all forget...

[Guest Retro Rob]

And that makes sense... but not for the main event... which is where they put Hogan. Hogan should be a midcard act taking up as little time as possible.

Well he is feuding with Sean O'Haire...

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Dude, Mr. America was a main event segment. Vince vs. Hogan was a main event segment.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

Wow...RRR and I agree on something...

 

We both liked WCW in 2001.

[Guest Retro Rob]

Dude, Mr. America was a main event segment. Vince vs. Hogan was a main event segment.

Well his "debut" was, but I highly doubt we will see Mr. America in the main event segment on SmackDown! against Sean O'Haire next week. That spot is being reserved for Big Show-Brock Lesnar.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

I didn't think they would have McMahon/Hogan interviews as the main event either...

 

I didn't think they would give Al Wilson so much fucking time...

 

But they did, cause, well, they're morons.

[Guest JDMattitudeV1]

Some other 'highlights' included...

 

Dennis Rodman

Junkyard Invitational

Superbrawl (NWO win every match except for the opener)

Jericho is stomped on and leaves

Ditto Raven

Bischoff fired

Saturn in a dress

Piper/Bagwell Boxing Match

Nash/Savage feud

Who drove the Hummer?

Revolution is a spark of life, then all job clean to slugs at Fall Brawl

Sting turns heel

Hogan returns to Red & Yellow

Nash retires for 3 weeks

Rey loses his mask, and his credibility

Eddy Guerrero is forced to join the Filthy Animals after missing the first half of the year due to injury, and becomes a non-entity

Pepe vs. The Wood Chipper

Dogs attack Sting at Slamboree

No Limit Soldiers

and many other things I hope we all forget...

I think that in the last couple of years the WWE have built up an impressive "highlight" list of their own.

 

Al Wilson

Necrophilia

Wrestlemania X9 (matches were good but the kliq win all their matches despite common sense saying otherwise.)

Jericho picks up dog poo, is pedigreed and sent back to the midcard.

Raven is stomped on and fired.

Heymen demoted.

The Gay wedding

Hogan-Vince as WM top draw.

HHH/Steiner feud.

Is Flair with the nWo?

Cruiserweight division is a spark of life, is forced to work "WWE style" and jobbed to the hosses

KOTR 2002

Big Show turns heel and wins WWE title

Hogan returns and wins title

Rey loses to Albert, and his credibility

Eddy Guerrero is forced into a stereotypical comedy gimmick

Moppy vs. The Wood Chipper

Hulk Hogan is "dragged" around the arena by Taker’s Motor Cycle

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

It just occured to me that in WCW 2000 Chris Benoit won the WCW title.

 

In WWE 2003...he didn't make the last ppv.

[Guest JMFabiano524]

It just occured to me that in WCW 2000 Chris Benoit won the WCW title.

 

In WWE 2003...he didn't make the last ppv.

Agreed (though part of me wonders if this was a mercy title from Sullivan to keep Benoit from jumping?). That and the list 2 posts above. It's stuff like this that makes me hold to my original opinion. Yes, there are people who put on good matches, but for what? You know it's not going to last for long, or someone's going to say they can't work, etc.

 

Is it just me, or does what WWE has become actually SADDEN anyone else? I once did enjoy it, of course. Had for 16 years, so of course it's a letdown to want out so bad now. But still, now it's like seeing senility take its effect. Now they just want to book for themselves or the trend hoppers who only liked the WWF cause it was "in" during 1998. (I call the latter the "Power Ranger Syndrome," in that we all agree the PR craze is dead, yet they still insist on producing new series of it in the US!) Can you blame me for hoping they just go away for good, so I can have my pleasant memories? (And so the good workers can go to TNA and make it the "force" it deserves to be)

 

Reading Brandon's shoot interview reviews as I do, I identify with people like Bret, Ted, and Bobby, who have basically said that "it's over" as far as the true entertainment value of wrestling is concerned. That the politics, egos, giving in to late '90s fads, etc. has ruined it, and that real entertainment value and good work is no longer valued. There are some promotions who still have a sense of tradition, but obviously they are not as easy to have regular access to. I probably sound like a prude, but I guess wrestling is falling into the rest of my nature. With regards to television, music, and other things, I do tend to like the classics/childhood memories a lot more, and find much of the stuff today is crap. (I mean shit, for example, most of my TV watching is limited to TV Land; Game Show Network, which is slipping too BTW as far as honoring the classics; PBS for Britcoms; and my tape collection)

 

Rant over, need some sleep!

[Guest cabbageboy]

ECW in 2000 still produced some very entertaining wrestling, but I can't remember much about the fed after TNN cancelled their deal. Still that year did have RVD debuting the Van Terminator, Steve Corino blading like a madman, and an amazingly great Mikey/Tajiri vs. the FBI match. So it wasn't a total loss.