The Old School questions thread

[canadafour 0]

I think the best year for wrestling was 1997. Does anybody else agree with me or disagree??????

[The Buzz 0]

I guess it was the best year for Sting and Austin as they were the top two merchandise sellers that year.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Why did the WWF change the time between participants in the 95 Royal Rumble? Faster = more action? More time for a decent, but not stellar undercard?

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I think the best year for wrestling was 1997. Does anybody else agree with me or disagree??????

 

So many variables to that, and this topic pops up every now and then. For an answer, you'd have to define best a little more deeply.

[CanadianChris 0]

I think the best year for wrestling was 1997. Does anybody else agree with me or disagree??????

1989 would give it a strong challenge.

[CanadianChris 0]

Why did the WWF change the time between participants in the 95 Royal Rumble? Faster = more action? More time for a decent, but not stellar undercard?

That's probably it -- they gave a ton of time to the three title matches on that show. All of them went at least 15 minutes, and Bret and Diesel went about half an hour. Also, if they'd booked Shawn and Davey Boy to start and finish the Rumble all along, they probably had to shorten it so Davey Boy wouldn't keel over at the 50-minute mark.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I think the best year for wrestling was 1997. Does anybody else agree with me or disagree??????

1989 would give it a strong challenge.

Tough to overlook 98, also.

[CanadianChris 0]

I think the best year for wrestling was 1997. Does anybody else agree with me or disagree??????

1989 would give it a strong challenge.

Tough to overlook 98, also.

I don't know...the crap was really starting to overtake the good stuff in WCW by then.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Fair, but I'd say the consistent excellence of ECW and WWF at that point were enough to prop it up.

[Drury37 0]

I always feel like 1992 was one of the best years in wrestling history.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Why did the WWF change the time between participants in the 95 Royal Rumble? Faster = more action? More time for a decent, but not stellar undercard?

That's probably it -- they gave a ton of time to the three title matches on that show. All of them went at least 15 minutes, and Bret and Diesel went about half an hour. Also, if they'd booked Shawn and Davey Boy to start and finish the Rumble all along, they probably had to shorten it so Davey Boy wouldn't keel over at the 50-minute mark.

 

And the fact there were so many jobbers and no-hopers in the list of entrants, perhaps? It seemed like they just wanted to get to the ending ASAP that year and that they weren't that concerned with the rest of the Rumble. Hence there being maybe four guys with even a remote chance of winning and the likes of Well Dunn and Mantaur in the running.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Yeah, it was definitely due to a lack of credible wrestlers that year. I remember watching that one with a friend, and being like "where are all the good wrestlers?", then realizing HBK and Bulldog were basically it that year.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

The lineup for the RR95 match was so bad, I actually did think Bundy/Mabel had a crack at winning it.

[King Kamala 0]

I think the best year for wrestling was 1997. Does anybody else agree with me or disagree??????

1989 would give it a strong challenge.

 

 

Eh. Personally, I thought WWF kind of sucked that year outside of the beginning of the Megapowers EXPLODE! storyline.

 

 

I may be the only guy who really thinks '96 was a great year.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Austin vs. Goldberg. Were there any talks about that match happening? I have no doubt that it would've been the main event for that card and it would draw buyrates, but was there really EVER any serious talk about that match happening?

 

I'm sure there was talk of it, but it probably got nixed because Austin wasn't comfortable getting back in the ring to wrestle an unsafe worker.

[Boxer 0]

Can someone explain to me how the WCW/ECW wrestlers were allowed back into the WWF after they beat them at the Survivor Series?

 

All I can remember is that the Alliance wrestlers who held gold were exempt, along with Test winning the battle royal and Booker T interfering in the Undisputed Title match all got their jobs back or retained them. Also, I believe Tazz defected when he choked out Heyman on Smackdown.

 

So in storyline, how did guys like Helms, Storm, Palumbo, DDP, Kanyon, Tommy Dreamer, Mike Awesome, etc..... get reinstated in the WWF?

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

I don't remember, seemed like they were just phased in.

 

I do remember, however, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship magically became the WWF Cruiserweight Championship and the WWF Lightheavyweight Championship being dropped without a "unification" match.

 

Speaking of unifications, why in 2002 did all the midcard belts start being merged into eachother? IC swallowed the Hardcore, then the European, until it was merged with the World Heavyweight.

[JST 0]

So in storyline, how did guys like Helms, Storm, Palumbo, DDP, Kanyon, Tommy Dreamer, Mike Awesome, etc..... get reinstated in the WWF?

 

Helms: Wasn't he Cruiserweight champ by then? The belt went from WCW to WWF because the Light Heavyweight Title was a joke by then.

Storm: Won his job back by beating The Rock via countout on Raw.

Palumbo: Had already defected to WWF, forming the tag team with Billy Gunn.

the rest: Threatened creative with a lethal dose of continuity in order to get their jobs back.

 

[Vern Gagne 0]

Explain the re-do of the Savage/Flair title match.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The "Kiss My Ass" club started with William Regal as a way to earn his job back.

 

Speaking of unifications, why in 2002 did all the midcard belts start being merged into eachother? IC swallowed the Hardcore, then the European, until it was merged with the World Heavyweight.

 

I think it was to get rid of the deadweight belts, and add some prestige to the new World Heavyweight Championship at the same time.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

The idea was to only have one world title on each show, until they quickly realized that the midcard guys needed more to do than argue over who spilled coffee on who, or who was getting a Japanese hairspray endorsement deal or whatever.

[Guest jotumare]

great thread.

I have a couple of questions....

 

- What was the original plan for Flair and the NWA belt before Ric decided to go to the WWF

 

- Did Undertaker ever beat Bret Hart in a singles match?? (tv/ppv wize)

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Taker pinned Hart at MSG which was televised on the MSG netword in early 1992 between Hart's IC Title reigns.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

great thread.

I have a couple of questions....

 

- What was the original plan for Flair and the NWA belt before Ric decided to go to the WWF

 

Pretty sure Jim Herd planned on fazing Flair out of the main event scene. Depending on who you ask, he was supposed to job to Luger at GAB '91, or someone else. Herd also wanted him to have a character makeover of some kind.

[CanadianChris 0]

Explain the re-do of the Savage/Flair title match.

Vince hated the match and ordered them to go out and redo it the way he wanted it done. Whose fault it was depends on who you ask.

[Epic Reine 0]

What was up with The Giant smoking cigarettes during his matches in 1998?

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Because he was the Big Nasty! And smoking is dastardly nasty.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

And here I thought it was a way to lure The Sandman into WCW.

[Boxer 0]

Is there any truth to the rumour that Triple H wanted to face Hogan after HBK wasn't in "shape" to wrestle him at Wrestlemania X-7? After both Hogan and HBK failed, then we had the two week insta-feud with Taker?

[King Kamala 0]

Wasn't it to show that he didn't really care about his health or something stupid like that? And that'd somehow get him over as a heel.

 

 

Amusingly enough, he was teamed up with alcoholic Scott Hall at the time. I think they should have signed Yokozuna and made them a trio. An alcoholic, a chain smoker and a morbidly obese guy on the same team. That's money!