Diamonddust 0 Report post Posted February 19, 2009 Re: Jeff Jarrett's new theme music: LO-fucking-L. "There's all the superstars...and then there's-MEEEEEE!" I could not stop laughing at that audio clip and had to rewind it three times, then I got to hear it again when Vader ran away. Great stuff. cabbageboy pretty much summed up exactly how I felt about Raw as it is the clear cut prototype of a Russo show. I'm shocked they even had one competitive match (Dude/Gunn) that ended clean. However, because watching this show in it's current state is all about reliving the angles I loved in high school, this was a pretty great nostalgic trip. The Outlaws are now wearing their South Park shirts (which is when I became fans of them), the Mero / Brandi thing (which got the second biggest laugh out of me after "MEEEEEEEEEEEE", Mero calling Brandi someone who's doing an awful gimmick for money followed by JR saying "He's a baaaaaaaaaad man"), Austin proclaiming his intent to go after the world title, etc. Compare this to the Nitro episode which has wrestling matches, but they're Konnan vs. Ray Traylor and Barbarian vs. McMichael. I actually decided to stop watching Nitro at that point and watch it later. Other Raw highlights: - Hawk doing the "N64 Knockout" sell where he raises his head, trembles a bit, then collapses back down to the mat. You don't see that enough! Michael Cole (in his Raw announcing debut) also seems to think Kane gave Hawk two Tombstones when it was just a regular piledriver and one Tombstone. - Taka gets a Memphis Funeral (two piledrivers and a spike piledriver is the sort of thing I assume killed a person in Memphis). - Sable's Idaho potato sack as a "2" written in front of the 50lbs marking. This amused me. Memphis Funeral would be an awesome name for a finisher of that caliber. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 I don't mind that they have to bleep ass now (they've been doing it for years in Canada anyway), but bleeping the "ass" in "jackass" - which isn't even a swear, it's an animal - is pretty annoying. Props to the audio department on Jarrett's theme as there doesn't seem to be a noticeable gap from "WWF" being cut out of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 Vince, The Rock thinks you should fire him. Stay out of this, you stay out of this. The final segment makes no sense, but Austin, Vince and The Rock are hilarious Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 The hilarious aspect of that finale is that The Rock got the IC belt in the lamest way ever and he held it until Summerslam 98! He mostly screwed Shamrock at every turn during that run, including the revisiting of Bret/Lawler at WM XIV. In that case it was more tolerable though since Shamrock was a goof who did that sort of thing to himself all the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 I think Rock's IC title reign was supposed to be the Attitude-era version of The Honky Tonk Man, even calling himself "The greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time" in this episode. I don't even think he got a clean win over Faarooq! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MillenniumMan831 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 My favorite IC Rock moment: D-Lo - "Squeeze my hand Rock" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boner Kawanger 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 Was that when Faarooq laid him out with a piledriver? Another great "Rock as IC Champ on a stretcher" moment is him raising his arm as he's carried away from the Shamrock beatdown at WrestleMania XIV. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MillenniumMan831 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 That was it. Even though it's been since 99ish since I've seen it, I love the overdramatic sell job the Nation gives to the whole angle even though Farooq clearly missed the mark (a chair) on the piledriver. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 Come to think of it, Rock had the IC belt handed to him by Vince in Dec. 1997 and then in Nov. 1998 had the world title handed to him in a Montreal screwjob type deal. In retrospect the whole Austin/Rock 1997 mini feud set up the Corporation quite nicely. Before then Vince was relying on madmen like Mankind, Kane, and even UT to some degree to take out Austin. But those guys weren't really corporate. The Rock was everything that Vince wanted in a champ. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jericho4life 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 I think Michael Cole's commentary on this 12/8 RAW was the pinnacle of his effectiveness. I actually didn't mind him at all - compared to today with this high pitched over emotional commentary makes me want to put the thing on mute. Btw, great pan to the crowd and you've got some 14 year old kid wearing a Chyna Syndrome t-shirt and acting like it was the best thing in the world. Cracked me up (plant or not). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted February 23, 2009 Hey this is the one episode of RAW that emanated from Portland. 'Course this was when my parents wouldn't let me go to wrestling on school nights. Damn them! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Enigma 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2009 By the time Vince mentioned Undertaker was a guest at the Grand Ol Opry or some show on The Nashville Network (ha!), I thought he was telling another joke. I guess that was serious though. Picturing Taker and Paul Bearer on The Nashville Network is hilarious. It was 100% real. They were on a TNN talk show called "Crook & Chase". It was essentially a TNN version of Regis & Kathie Lee. I remember my Dad calling me into his bedroom and asked me who they were, since he watched TNN every night before going to sleep. They also had Sting on a few months before Undertaker & Paul Bearer appeared. Paul Bearer had a picture of him and Taker with some people at the afformentioned taping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DokDoyle 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2009 By the time Vince mentioned Undertaker was a guest at the Grand Ol Opry or some show on The Nashville Network (ha!), I thought he was telling another joke. I guess that was serious though. Picturing Taker and Paul Bearer on The Nashville Network is hilarious. It was 100% real. They were on a TNN talk show called "Crook & Chase". It was essentially a TNN version of Regis & Kathie Lee. I remember my Dad calling me into his bedroom and asked me who they were, since he watched TNN every night before going to sleep. They also had Sting on a few months before Undertaker & Paul Bearer appeared. Paul Bearer had a picture of him and Taker with some people at the afformentioned taping. The other people in that picture are The Bellamy Brothers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bellamy_Brothers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boner Kawanger 0 Report post Posted February 28, 2009 Fuck The Bellamy Brothers; who the fuck did they ever beat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MillenniumMan831 0 Report post Posted March 1, 2009 Certainly not the Beverly Brothers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted March 1, 2009 The ending to that Nitro is awesome. Sting was the best in 1997 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Wood Caulfield 0 Report post Posted March 2, 2009 Yeah, that's always been one of my favourite Sting moments. Watching it 12 years ago, I had no idea that was really Sting disguised as the mannequin. I never saw it coming. When Hogan took off the Sting mask and Sting came to life, I marked out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2009 This Nitro was actually pretty fun with a great tag between Rey/Juvy and Psychosis/La Parka. The last hour was really underwhelming with Bret's introduction and NWO run-in #2432. The next one is the infamous NWO Nitro show, so that should be a fun trainwreck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2009 Raw is pretty great! Lots of historic things going on there. Jim Ross comes up with the New Age Outlaws name, Vince compares WWE to King of the Hill (a notion I wanted to make fun of, but I guess Austin does drive a pick-up truck and drink beer), Owen cuts an awesome profanity laced promo, and observant viewers will notice the debut of the scratch logo watermark. Unless that happened last week and I wasn't being observant. But Sultan vs. Tom Brandi? Yikes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garfieldsnose 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2009 and observant viewers will notice the debut of the scratch logo watermark. That was the very first thing I noticed. It sucks they have such a thick black outline of it to hide the WWF logo, but damn is that shit huge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Diamonddust 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2009 This Nitro was actually pretty fun with a great tag between Rey/Juvy and Psychosis/La Parka. The last hour was really underwhelming with Bret's introduction and NWO run-in #2432. The next one is the infamous NWO Nitro show, so that should be a fun trainwreck. I was wondering when that was coming up. Trainwreck is an understatement. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Enigma 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2009 I can't wait to see it. I was at that trainwreck live at the arena and never saw a tape of it because I have been so bitter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2009 Good timing on a "FEAR BENOIT" sign being shown at almost the same time Tony commenting that Raven's absence is mysterious since he's scheduled to wrestle Benoit was muted out. You know it's a 3 hour Nitro when you have a Vincent match. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2009 "NASH WAS OZ" - greatest nWo sign ever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jericho4life 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2009 Starting RAW now, so they really just kind of gave that #1 contendership to Undertaker didn't they? The build was to Owen from the last RAW but that changed quick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2009 Owen "doesn't care about a piece of leather with some tin on it", this issue with Shawn Michaels is real life, McMahon! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jericho4life 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2009 Owen "doesn't care about a piece of leather with some tin on it", this issue with Shawn Michaels is real life, McMahon! Yup there it is - I thought maybe I missed an episode or something in between. Great rant by Owen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Diamonddust 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2009 Owen "doesn't care about a piece of leather with some tin on it", this issue with Shawn Michaels is real life, McMahon! I had forgotten why they didn't do Owen vs. Shawn since, up until that point, it was the logical way to go at the Royal Rumble. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2009 I know there is a title match between the two coming up on Raw despite Owen's promo. If I'm remembering right (and I think one of the best parts of 24/7 is when I don't and I'm surprised), it ends in shcmoz like fashion. This got the high school kids thinking Austin/Michaels was off of Mania (replaced by Austin/Tyson) and Owen/HBK was the title match. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigelow34 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2009 The WM switch was definitely a rumor that started swirling. I remember it being reported on the local newspaper info line I would call for news. Sushi-X may have tossed it out there too. Seemed plausible the night after the Rumble with the Tyson/Austin throwdown. What does everyone think? Would that show have been as meaningful or important if they went the alternate route and Tyson was able to wrestle and take on Austin? Or did they get enough mainstream coverage with Tyson just being involved, allowing them to have a mega moment for Austin's first title win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
