Worked Angles...

[RonL21 0]

-When I first thought of this topic...I immediately reflected back to 1994/5 on Raw when Owen and Shawn Michaels were in the Main Event and Owen hit Shawn with the Enziguri and then Shawn collapsed...I was like 8/9 years old damn near in tears when this happened...I only found out last year that this was a work...Damn good job...

 

-The second one I think some of you should remember...I say..mabye 93/4 on Raw the smoking gunns had just lost at a PPV the night before and they were at odds with one another and they Main Evented Raw..Well If my memory is correct, Bart Gunn hit Billy Gunn with the stun gun and he laid there motionless which was later confirmed to be a "broken neck"..I mean his wife and everything came in the ring..I was damn near in tears again...OVER BILLY GUNN...Now that I'm a little more schooled I assume this was a work...

 

-The third is just unbelievable now...I remember watching Superstars on a Saturday afternoon back in 92 I think...Papa Shango had the Ultimate Warrior throwing up green shit...That shit seriously scared me to the point where I didnt watch the WWF for like 3/4 months...I always watched a little WCW and mostly WWF but Boy for about 3 months 6:05 on Saturday Nights was where it was at for me...

 

I was a kid back then and I grew up watching the stuff But I look back and can't believe how into it I really was..I was a Member of the WWF Fan club and everything...Boy I'm glad I grew out of that..Anywayz..What are some the works that had you fooled..They can be from Your Mark Days to the present time(not many I can think of from recently though)

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Nailz beating the crap out of the Big Boss Man. I mean, it was just a brutal beating, and then Nailz goes back out through the crowd and everyone is staying away from him, too scared to even boo him. Well, that's what I thought as a kid, anyway.

[Black Lushus 0]

I fell for the "Savage crushes Steamboat's throat" storyline back in 87. Of course, I wasn't quite 12 then.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

As a 13 year old mark, coupled with JR's selling of it, I sincerly thought Funk and Foley were pretty well dead from the Dumpster Ride by the Outlaws.

[CanadianChris 0]

I fell for the "Savage crushes Steamboat's throat" storyline back in 87. Of course, I wasn't quite 12 then.

Same here. Steamboat's overselling pushed it right over the top.

[yankovic fan 0]

I fell for the whole Papa Shango curse thing myself, explaining to my dad "How can you fake black ooze coming out of someone's face!?"

 

Also when Berzerker tried stabbing Undertaker in the middle of the ring, I again justified it with "It's got to be real? Why would they destroy a ring like that? Do you know how much them things must cost? A hundred thousand dollars, easily!" Damn being a silly kid.

 

I also went hook, line and sinker on the Owen/Shawn incident mentioned previously. Hell in that instance, my anti-wrestling parents were even like "oh shit."

 

Speaking of moments like this - the Bash at the Beach incident between Hogan and Russo... I seen it when it happened @ a friend's house, again hook, line, and sinker. I was watching the replay at my house a week later, and the father was still up and he was teetering on that one with his "I know everything attitude."

 

I usually judged how well an angle was being played out by forcing my parents to watch it. If I got the "oh this is bullshit" then I knew average joe blow wouldn't buy into it. As anti wrestling as he was, Dad loved the Austin/McMahon feud.

 

Years later I caught him watching Raw whenever Eugene was wrestling.

 

I avoided asking if he was relating to the character since we kinda share dna.

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

As a young mark at the time I remember feeling a real sense of dread when Elizabeth ran down to the ring during the Macho/Jake cobra angle. Then again I am scared shitless of snakes so...

[RonL21 0]

As far I as my initial post goes...I know some of you wrestling encyclopedias can get me dates or orignal air times for those incidents...As far as the Owen/Shawn incident, what did it for me was Owen's reaction. That was the first time I saw a wrestler concerned about his opponent in the ring..That was gold selling right there...Take that into account..If you look at his match with Stone Cold at SummersSlam when Owen broke Austin's Neck..For a split second he has the exact same reaction even though that was legit...RIP Owen Hart

[RonL21 0]

Nailz beating the crap out of the Big Boss Man. I mean, it was just a brutal beating, and then Nailz goes back out through the crowd and everyone is staying away from him, too scared to even boo him. Well, that's what I thought as a kid, anyway.

I remember that...that was back when all the good shit happened on Superstars. The last meaning full thing that happned on Superstars was Austin Pillmanizing Brian Pillman's ankle which I fell for as well..I was starting to like to Stone Cold but even I was like "damn that's not necessary"...I remember when the Undertaker first appeared..I remember kids crying and shit in the crowed...He absoultely scared the shit outta me..I was 5/6 years old..I mean damn Hogan was God and the Undertaker had him in the casket and ripped his cross off..I remember when the Undertaker use to fight jobbers...You guys remember how he use to do the Tombstone...That shit was serious then What did it for me was when he'd put jobbers in body bags after their matches..I dont remember him doing that to the Superstars I could be wrong though...

[Jericholic82 0]

-When I first thought of this topic...I immediately reflected back to 1994/5 on Raw when Owen and Shawn Michaels were in the Main Event and Owen hit Shawn with the Enziguri and then Shawn collapsed...I was like 8/9 years old damn near in tears when this happened...I only found out last year that this was a work...Damn good job...

 

-The second one I think some of you should remember...I say..mabye 93/4 on Raw the smoking gunns had just lost at a PPV the night before and they were at odds with one another and they Main Evented Raw..Well If my memory is correct, Bart Gunn hit Billy Gunn with the stun gun and he laid there motionless which was later confirmed to be a "broken neck"..I mean his wife and everything came in the ring..I was damn near in tears again...OVER BILLY GUNN...Now that I'm a little more schooled I assume this was a work...

 

-The third is just unbelievable now...I remember watching Superstars on a Saturday afternoon back in 92 I think...Papa Shango had the Ultimate Warrior throwing up green shit...That shit seriously scared me to the point where I didnt watch the WWF for like 3/4 months...I always watched a little WCW and mostly WWF but Boy for about 3 months 6:05 on Saturday Nights was where it was at for me...

 

I was a kid back then and I grew up watching the stuff But I look back and can't believe how into it I really was..I was a Member of the WWF Fan club and everything...Boy I'm glad I grew out of that..Anywayz..What are some the works that had you fooled..They can be from Your Mark Days to the present time(not many I can think of from recently though)

 

the gunns thing happened on a december 96 raw, yea I bought it too, just as I seriously thought Shawn would have to retire after the collapse, and was geniuely scared for him when he came back.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Speaking of the Undertaker...I remember when he locked the Ultimate Warrior in a coffin on the set of "The Funeral Parlor" and freaking out, because of all the refs and stuff trying to bust Warrior out of there. My sister and I thought Warrior was going to suffocate in there.

[LooseCannon25 0]

I fell for the "Savage crushes Steamboat's throat" storyline back in 87. Of course, I wasn't quite 12 then.

 

I totally fell for this angle too. I was 9 at the time and thought Steamboat was gonna suffocate to death because he couldn't breathe.

 

 

I also fell for the whole Hogan vs. Bundy angle on Saturday Night's MAin Event before WM II. When they took Hogan out on the stretcher I almost cried.

[Black Lushus 0]

I also fell for the whole Hogan vs. Bundy angle on Saturday Night's MAin Event before WM II. When they took Hogan out on the stretcher I almost cried.

 

haha me too! well, I didn't almost cry, but I thought it was totally real!

[Just John 0]

What was the deal with Hogan/Russo? I've heard varying accounts of the incident and I have it on tape, but I can't figure it out. Was this confirmed as a 100% work?

[Gary Floyd 0]

When I started watching wredtling, I was a mark, so I was fooled by the Kurosawa "breaking" Hawks arm angle and the "Enzugiri of Death."

 

The "Enzugiri of Death" moment is one of the best works ever.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

What was the deal with Hogan/Russo? I've heard varying accounts of the incident and I have it on tape, but I can't figure it out. Was this confirmed as a 100% work?

It started out as a work but became a shoot when Russo cut his promo against Hogan.

 

It was one of those angles Russo loves to run that only the fans on the internet understand and the other 99% of fans don't understand what's going on and are just confused.

 

The idea was to play off of Hogan having creative control. It was played up leading into the PPV that Hogan was unwilling to lose to Jarrett and had played his creative control card and was demanding to win the title. This was done strictly backstage and, maybe, online, so nobody watching on TV had any clue this was going on. The fake angle, as it was played out in front of people backstage, is that Hogan would beat Jarrett by DQ when Scott Steiner would interfere, I assume ‘against the script’. Somehow, Jarrett would end up defending the WCW Title against Booker T with Booker winning. Hogan would come back later in the year to face Booker.

 

The worked shoot part, which Hogan, Russo and Jarrett were the only ones in on, is that Jarrett would lay down for Hogan in their match. Hogan would ‘reluctantly’ pin him, win the WCW Title and then cut his promo against Russo and quit. Jarrett would then defend the WCW Title against Booker T later in the PPV, Booker would win, and when Hogan returned later in the year he would face Booker in a Champion vs. Champion match.

 

Where it became a total shoot, at least on Hogan, is when Russo cut his promo against Hogan and vowed Hogan would never be seen in WCW again. Hogan wound up filing a lawsuit against WCW/Turner which I believe is still ongoing.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

As a 13 year old mark, coupled with JR's selling of it, I sincerly thought Funk and Foley were pretty well dead from the Dumpster Ride by the Outlaws.

 

This was the buzz at high school the next day. Everyone - fans, non fans - were discussing it. It was the non/casual fans that pointed out the large amount of styrofoam that was in there to help the fall.

 

Off topic, but it kinda sucks that I don't get to have spirited wrestling discussions at work like I did at school in the 90s, although two weeks ago there was a random debate out of nowhere between two co-workers that there were multiple Undertakers.

 

At 10 years old, I didn't quite know what to make of Earthquake squashing a snake or Macho Man being bitten by one. As a point of reference, 1991 was when I started watching wrestling. I also got antsy watching Berzerker matches after the sword incident because for some reason I thought he was going to go rogue and use it for real. I have no idea why. I seem to recall him taking a swing at Mr. Perfect as well, but he hit the ring post. I thought Yokozuna was Japanese, if that counts as being worked by an angle. I bought into the Liz/Savage wedding, but that was one of the first angles I ever saw and really, how the hell would I know they were married for years?

[Rendclaw 0]

Terry Funk piledriving Ric Flair through a table.

 

Roddy Piper and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens absolutely destroying Jimmy Snuka.

 

The best part about Savage/Steamboat was Steamboat's interview two weeks or so after the fact, talking in a rasp.

[Man Who Sold The World 0]

When Crush solidified his heel turn by attacking Randy Savage on a RAW to setup their match at WrestleMania. I believe Crush press slammed Savage's face on the guardrail, and what bought me (and correct me if I am wrong I was young), Savage began spitting teeth out.

 

And, the Pillman/Austin "Gun" angle had me sold as well. Man I used to be a big Austin fan, he was such a true badass in the beginning.

[BruiserKC 0]

Ric Flair and the Horsemen beating the hell out of Dusty Rhodes outside the parking lot of Jim Crockett Promotions offices. My friends and I went nuts to see Ole and Arn Anderson tying Rhodes to his pick-up truck and then smashing his hand.

 

Michael Hayes dressed as Santa Claus sucker-punching Kevin Von Erich on Christmas night in Dallas' Reunion Arena. My brother was crying his eyes out...he couldn't believe Santa would to that.

 

When Greg Valentine beat Tito Santana to win the IC title...and then a couple of weeks later we had Santana doing a promo from his hospital bed. Classic.

[Guest Bigelow34]

I definitely had a tear in my eye when Quake squashed Hogan on the Brother Love Show. That video they did a few weeks later was very tough to watch as a 9 year old Hulkamaniac.

[Black Lushus 0]

The best part about Savage/Steamboat was Steamboat's interview two weeks or so after the fact, talking in a rasp.

you gotta love that kind of detail...I mean, it's the simplest of details, yet today's WWE writers and wrestlers would never think of doing that.

 

correct me if I'm wrong, but after Rey Mysterio lost the I Quit match...you know, the one where he got his knee smashed 100 times...wasn't he out there the next week hobbling around? I'm sorry, but realistically, he should be in a wheelchair or in a hospital bed or something. Details, details...

[garfieldsnose 0]

question...what was the story behind the enziguri of death from owen hart on hbk? i remember being scared as well, but Vince got up to see how he was, everything. Also, when HBK had to forfeit the IC title to Dean Douglas then they made the "Tell Me a Lie" video tribute, I seriously thought he was retiring. Sure, the beating was real, but they played it up like he was done for.

[Black Lushus 0]

All part of the show, the illusion of reality. I was actually very surprised they made it known that he had been jumped out in the real world...albeit they didn't tell us EVERYTHING. Back then, they normally would have kayfabed the hell out of that situation.

[alfdogg 0]

I do recall them exaggerating the number of Marines that were there.

[Jericholic82 0]

As a 13 year old mark, coupled with JR's selling of it, I sincerly thought Funk and Foley were pretty well dead from the Dumpster Ride by the Outlaws.

 

This was the buzz at high school the next day. Everyone - fans, non fans - were discussing it. It was the non/casual fans that pointed out the large amount of styrofoam that was in there to help the fall.

 

Off topic, but it kinda sucks that I don't get to have spirited wrestling discussions at work like I did at school in the 90s, although two weeks ago there was a random debate out of nowhere between two co-workers that there were multiple Undertakers.

 

At 10 years old, I didn't quite know what to make of Earthquake squashing a snake or Macho Man being bitten by one. As a point of reference, 1991 was when I started watching wrestling. I also got antsy watching Berzerker matches after the sword incident because for some reason I thought he was going to go rogue and use it for real. I have no idea why. I seem to recall him taking a swing at Mr. Perfect as well, but he hit the ring post. I thought Yokozuna was Japanese, if that counts as being worked by an angle. I bought into the Liz/Savage wedding, but that was one of the first angles I ever saw and really, how the hell would I know they were married for years?

 

yea but the whole cactus/funk being "dead" thing was ruined by the fact that at the end of the show both of them came running down to the ring to help Austin and Owen against dx and the outlaws with ivs attached and Funk wearing a hospital gown

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

As a 13 year old mark, coupled with JR's selling of it, I sincerly thought Funk and Foley were pretty well dead from the Dumpster Ride by the Outlaws.

 

This was the buzz at high school the next day. Everyone - fans, non fans - were discussing it. It was the non/casual fans that pointed out the large amount of styrofoam that was in there to help the fall.

 

Off topic, but it kinda sucks that I don't get to have spirited wrestling discussions at work like I did at school in the 90s, although two weeks ago there was a random debate out of nowhere between two co-workers that there were multiple Undertakers.

 

At 10 years old, I didn't quite know what to make of Earthquake squashing a snake or Macho Man being bitten by one. As a point of reference, 1991 was when I started watching wrestling. I also got antsy watching Berzerker matches after the sword incident because for some reason I thought he was going to go rogue and use it for real. I have no idea why. I seem to recall him taking a swing at Mr. Perfect as well, but he hit the ring post. I thought Yokozuna was Japanese, if that counts as being worked by an angle. I bought into the Liz/Savage wedding, but that was one of the first angles I ever saw and really, how the hell would I know they were married for years?

 

yea but the whole cactus/funk being "dead" thing was ruined by the fact that at the end of the show both of them came running down to the ring to help Austin and Owen against dx and the outlaws with ivs attached and Funk wearing a hospital gown

 

The first time I ever heard that was actually in Foley's book 2.5 years later. At the time, I didn't have cable, and as such, couldn't see Raw. Shotgun conveniently edited out the 90 minutes later.

[CanadianChris 0]

I do recall them exaggerating the number of Marines that were there.

You mean there weren't 572 of them?

[The Tino Standard 0]

Even though my dad was telling me it wasn't real, I was still scared shitless as a 6-year-old watching the Road Warriors taking one of their shoulder pad spikes and stabbing Dusty Rhodes in the eye repeatedly on Saturday Night. Blood everywhere.

 

I couldn't watch wrestling for a long time after that.

[Papacita 0]

The whole HBK collapse thing got me, and I think I'm the only person in the world who actually bought the "I lost my smile" speech...and teared up too.

 

Wasn't me, but I invited my friend over to watch Halloween Havoc 95, and he completely bought into Hogan knocking the Giant off the roof, which I teased him about for years.