The Old School questions thread

[Aero 0]

What was the kayfabe reason of why HBK forfeited his half of the Tag Titles with Austin in 1997?

[MDH257 0]

They basically went with the real story. They announced on tv that Shawn had walked out on the company and the tag titles were being held up. A tournament would be held and the winners would face Austin & the partner of his choice to decide the new champions.

[Si82 0]

This may sound odd but I was wondering if anyone knew what "Evart Enterprises" was? I've noticed the name at the end of WWF from the 90's and was wondering what the deal was.

[BUTT 0]

A video production house. I'm guessing it was affiliated with Coliseum Video and not Titan Sports.

[Si82 0]

A video production house.  I'm guessing it was affiliated with Coliseum Video and not Titan Sports.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks man.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Though many people assume Coliseum Video is a... word isn't coming to me right now, but a company that is really the same company as the parent company but has a different name and structure for tax purposes... blanket? Anyway, I saw a few years back something about a Coliseum Video Wayne Gretzky release, so I guess they did other things. Weird, eh?

[Si82 0]

After watching Royal Rumble '95 the other day I was just wondering something. Why was Bam Bam Bigelow the guy chosen to face Lawrence Taylor at Wrestlemania XI? I mean, Bam Bam had pretty much been a midcarder in the WWF and then he becomes the centre of attention in the lead up to the biggest show of the year.

 

Also, how big a deal was it to have L.T. involved in the event?

[Guest drdrainoscott]

After watching Royal Rumble '95 the other day I was just wondering something. Why was Bam Bam Bigelow the guy chosen to face Lawrence Taylor at Wrestlemania XI? I mean, Bam Bam had pretty much been a midcarder in the WWF and then he becomes the centre of attention in the lead up to the biggest show of the year.

 

I think I read something that his contract stated that he was to be involved in a certain number of main events or something, though I could just totally be making that up. If you think about it though, who would you have put in that role instead? Michaels had his storyline with Diesel and Sid, Bret and Lawler were paired up and I don't think Yoko would have worked out that well...I'd say it would come down to either Owen or Bam Bam, so at least WWF was trying to push someone new. The clique quickly put a stop to his push though, that's why it ended so quickly.

 

Also, how big a deal was it to have L.T. involved in the event?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well that was the major draw of the show and it did get coverage on ESPN and Sports Illustrated and things like that...

[Si82 0]

Also, how big a deal was it to have L.T. involved in the event?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well that was the major draw of the show and it did get coverage on ESPN and Sports Illustrated and things like that...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know he got a lot of coverage but being a Brit I don't really know who Larence Taylor is other than him being a football player. So, I was wondering if it was really such a big deal or just the WWF making it out that way.

[Guest drdrainoscott]

LT is one of the greatest linebackers of all time. He definitly is a big deal in US sports.

[MDH257 0]

Why was Bam Bam Bigelow the guy chosen to face Lawrence Taylor at Wrestlemania XI?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I think Bigelow was the highest name guy they were willing to have job to LT.

 

In exchange, Bigelow was promised a bigger push when he turned face. But I think teaming with Deasel at KOTR was as big as it got.

[Betty Houle 0]

Why was Bam Bam Bigelow the guy chosen to face Lawrence Taylor at Wrestlemania XI?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I think Bigelow was the highest name guy they were willing to have job to LT.

 

In exchange, Bigelow was promised a bigger push when he turned face. But I think teaming with Deasel at KOTR was as big as it got.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm sure he got a crapload of money for it though!

[bob_barron 0]

Was Austin v. Taker at Summerslam an anything goes no dq kind of match, or was it a regular one on one match?

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Summerslam 98?

 

It was a one fall, regular match.

[Aero 0]

Was the incident with Vader on the Kuwait talk show from April 97 actually legit?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Was the incident with Vader on the Kuwait talk show from April 97 actually legit?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sort of. The producers of the show told Vader to ham it up when the host would ask him if wrestling is fake, but I don't think the host was let on it. If he was, then his lawsuit was just an attempt at making a quick dinar.

[Guest fanofcoils]

How did Undertaker turn heel in 1998?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

He started showing signs of aligning himself with Kane during the lead up to his Summerslam match with Austin, and turned full blown heel when he and Kane agreed to go after Austin at the behest of Vince McMahon to set up the main event of Breakdown.

[brighty 0]

Was Austin v. Taker at Summerslam an anything goes no dq kind of match, or was it a regular one on one match?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

i'm not sure about this - but it may have been one of those situations where they built it as a regular match, but the stipulation was changed to no DQ on the night of the show. this happened a LOT with Austin as the champ, and was explained by vince trying to screw with him.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Couple of Survior Series 90 questions.

 

1. What was the with of the 'Ultimate Survival' Match at the end? The heel side was DiBiase and Slick's four guys, none of whom had any reason to face Hogan or Warrior or even Santana, except Martel for his never ending feud. DiBiase wasn't anywhere near the top of the card and Slick's guys were jobbers, it did no good to anyone. I guess it gave a chance to put Hogan and Warrior on top to close the show, but surely they could have come up with a better match at the end?

 

2. What was Vince trying to achieve with The Gobbledy Gooker? Was it always going to be that in the egg? Was it supposed to be more than a one-off appearance?

 

3. Was Slaughter already pencilled in to be champion before this, because he looked anything but championship material, got hardly any heat, beat up three jobbers and got DQed.

[Aero 0]

1. What was the with of the 'Ultimate Survival' Match at the end? The heel side was DiBiase and Slick's four guys, none of whom had any reason to face Hogan or Warrior or even Santana, except Martel for his never ending feud. DiBiase wasn't anywhere near the top of the card and Slick's guys were jobbers, it did no good to anyone. I guess it gave a chance to put Hogan and Warrior on top to close the show, but surely they could have come up with a better match at the end?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I don't know about the other two, but I'll try and answer this one. First, the only factor in determining which team the survivor(s) went to for the final match was whether they were face or heel, obviously. As you said, it might as well have been a way for Hogan and Warrior to close the show on top. It was DiBiase and crew on the other side because Hogan and Warrior already had to face their rivals (Earthquake, Perfect) in earlier matches and win to advance to the finals. And, obviously, they tried to make it seem like Hogan & Warrior (& Santana) wouldn't have a chance of winning with it being 3-on-5. The match as a whole didn't really mean anything, and all it did was show that Hogan & Warrior are still friends (in storyline terms) and are better than anyone else.

[Betty Houle 0]

Couple of Survior Series 90 questions.

 

3. Was Slaughter already pencilled in to be champion before this,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Where the heck did you hear this?

[brighty 0]

Couple of Survior Series 90 questions.

 

3. Was Slaughter already pencilled in to be champion before this,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Where the heck did you hear this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

he won the title 2 months later, he beat Ultimate Warrior at the 91 Rumble.

[CanadianChris 0]

He started showing signs of aligning himself with Kane during the lead up to his Summerslam match with Austin, and turned full blown heel when he and Kane agreed to go after Austin at the behest of Vince McMahon to set up the main event of Breakdown.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wouldn't say he was ever a full-blown heel in that stretch. He didn't do anything really heelish, besides go up against Austin. If it was a heel turn, it was one of the shortest ones ever, because he turned back three weeks later.

[Si82 0]

Why did the Hart/Austin match go on last at the In Your House: Revenge of the Taker PPV in April '97?

 

I mean, the event had been built around the match between Undertaker and Mankind with the fireball angle and then the match wasn't the main event despite it being the focus of the opening video package.

[Aero 0]

During the PPV, Bulldog & Owen jumped Austin when he went into the bathroom, which was seen in the background while Marc Mero was shilling merchandise or something. Later, Gorilla Monsoon was updating everyone on Austin's condition, and he said that his match with Bret would still happen, but to give Austin time to recover, he would put Taker-Mankind first.

 

Edit: If you were looking for the reason in real life rather than kayfabe, like above, I'd take a guess that they maybe thought the Austin-Harts was the hotter feud.

[Si82 0]

During the PPV, Bulldog & Owen jumped Austin when he went into the bathroom, which was seen in the background while Marc Mero was shilling merchandise or something. Later, Gorilla Monsoon was updating everyone on Austin's condition, and he said that his match with Bret would still happen, but to give Austin time to recover, he would put Taker-Mankind first.

 

Edit: If you were looking for the reason in real life rather than kayfabe, like above, I'd take a guess that they maybe thought the Austin-Harts was the hotter feud.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was looking for the real life reason. I knew the kayfabe one becuase I watched the show yesterday. It just seemed odd that the Undertaker/Mankind match was made out to be the main attraction of the show only for not to be the main event.

[Guest Arnold_OldSchool]

Summer 93:

 

 

Last night, on CBC Newsworld's "Petrie In Prime" talk show, Anne Petrie's

guest was Bret Hart. There was some good discussion with Bret and I'll

present some summaries, some quotes and some reasonably precise

paraphrasing in the following bullets (quotes will be in quotes,

and parahrasing won't be - at least I'll try to for that). For those

that don't know, "Petrie in Prime" is sort of like "Larry King Live"

on CNN, with discussion and callers.

- Stu Hart is 78. When Bret visits home, like he did this week,

he still worries about Stu roaming the halls and being in the mood

to wrestle. Stu still challenges his sons to matches and Bret says

he pretty much has to be tricked to go into The Basement with Stu.

- He credited Stampede Wrestling with everything he learned.

Because foreign wrestlers had trouble getting work permits for

the US, a lot of them would work in Calgary and Bret was lucky

enough to be exposed to all of this. He said his father Stu,

Mr. (Hiro) Hito, and Mr. (Kazuo) Sakurada taught him much of

what he knows. For the record, Hito & Sakurada were working

in Calgary in the very late 70s when Bret broke into the business.

- He was a little cagey about his age, saying that he'd been wrestling

about 14-15 years. Anne said, "But you're only 22!" He started

wrestling when he was 21, getting into it late in life because he

really didn't want to be a wrestler. He wanted to make movies

and compared putting together great matches with making movies.

- Anne: "To what extent are the matches 'arranged'?"

Bret: "No one has any control over my matches. When someone

watches me wrestle, that's my creation."

"No one tells me what to do."

"People are quick to call wrestling 'fake'; but the fact is

that wrestlers don't get credit for being great athletes

(and we are) and for being great actors (and we are)."

Anne: You always play possum and get beaten up before coming back

and winning. Is that not arranged? Take the match against

Papa Shango. "Does anyone tell him to lose?"

Bret: "He doesn't have to do anything, I think."

- Bret: "...Yokozuna, affectionately called the big, fat slob by me."

- They talked about the ending of WrestleMania IX (Fuji throws salt

in Hart's face. Everybody sees it, but nobody cares.)

Anne: "And you're telling me that wasn't set up beforehand?"

Bret: "Not with me, it wasn't."

"I've always been a little bitter about it. I lost a million

dollar job that day."

Anne: "And you couldn't complain?"

Bret: "I got the number one seed in the King of The Ring tournament.

That was my little pat on the back."

"Hulk Hogan became champion 30 seconds later."

Anne: Yeah, he jumped into the ring right after.

Bret: "God knows why. I never understood that part."

"I was robbed. I was railroaded big time."

- Question from caller: What happened to Ultimate Warrior, Zeus,

Dynamite Kid? Who are the Doinks?

Bret: "You can't really call Zeus a wrestler. He was just a big

actor."

"Dynamite Kid is living in England."

UW? "Maybe he had money problems, or maybe he had trouble

passing his drug testing. But I don't know that to be the

case. I'm not pointing the finger."

Don't know about the Doinks. "They're just two clowns,

literally."

- Bret resents guys that are more performance and less wrestling.

Anne mentioned the Doinks and Bret agreed that that was an example.

He says he's the the best wrestler of all time, or of right now.

Bret: "I don't know anybody who can lace my boots up."

"If I had to rate the wrestlers, I rate Mr. Perfect really

high. I rate Shawn Michaels really high. They're not the

same thing over and over. They're artists."

"Ric Flair - I don't know if anyone remembers him - was really

overrated. He was a piece of cake."

He complained that he, as the King of The Ring, didn't get the title

shot even though it seemed obvious that the tournament would prove

that he was the number one contender. Lex Luger did get the shot

and Bret used the word "scandal" to describe it and used the word

"bitter" to describe himself again.

Bret: "I respect Lex Luger and everything, but..."

- He talked about breaking his nose in a match against the Dynamite

Kid. He smacked the Kid's head against a table and Kid bounced

back and hit Bret in the nose with the back of his head.

- Question from caller: Did you threaten to walk unless you got the

WWF Title? I read this in the Toronto Sun.

Bret: "No. I saw that story too. It was bogus.

That colum[bret stops in mid-thought. Seemed like he was

going to criticize Sun columnist Frank Zicarelli and then

thought better of it.]"

- Question from caller: Why did you and Anvil break up?

Bret: "We never really did. We just kind of split off with the

idea that we'd get together again some time."

"Neidhart won a big lawsuit and doesn't need to do it as

much as I do."

- Bret said he worked 243 shows in 1992, 30 of them double-shots.

- Bret is married and has a wife and four kids.

- Question from caller: How can I go about becoming a pro-wrestler?

Anne: "You get adopted by big Stu."

Bret: "See if my dad has any daughters left."

Bret was skeptical about wrestling schools.

Bret: Things have changed and there aren't many good small

promotions any more. There's the WWF and then some minor

league promotions. The guys coming up today aren't nearly

as skilled as the guys 10 years ago.

- Question from caller: "How do you feel about wrestlers criss-crossing

between the WCW and the WWF? I heard you say earlier about Ric Flair

being [bret interrupts]"

Bret: "Wrestlers have to make a living and there aren't a lot of

places to go. Once you're out of the WWF you're gonna go to WCW

or vice-versa. I only wish that there was most than just the

two."

- On the question of salary, Bret said he gets paid more if he's in

the main event, if he wins, and by crowd attendance.

- Bret closed the show saying that he wished he got more recognition

as being Canadian. He thinks its great that he's the best in the

business and that he's Canadian and wishes that that was pointed

out because he's proud to be Canadian.

Overall, Bret came off as a very likeable guy who works hard and respects

his profession. Anne Petrie had a very good understanding of things

and helped things flow in interesting directions.

[Guest Fook]

Ric Flair - I don't know if anyone remembers him - was really

overrated. He was a piece of cake.

 

Some things just never change.

 

I rate Shawn Michaels really high.

 

And some things obviously do.

[cawthon777 0]

He started showing signs of aligning himself with Kane during the lead up to his Summerslam match with Austin, and turned full blown heel when he and Kane agreed to go after Austin at the behest of Vince McMahon to set up the main event of Breakdown.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'd say the turn was at Judgment Day 98 when Paul Bearer returned and helped Taker against Kane.