Incident w/ the Most Negative Impact on Wrestling

[TMC1982 0]

In terms of the negative perception in the eyes of the media in other words. For example:

*Benoit - By this point, I don't think that I have to go any further than just referencing the man's last name. You don't have to be a major wrestling fan, and you're aware of murder-suicide incident in 2007.

 

*Over the Edge '99

 

*Vince McMahon being indited on steroid distribution in 1992. Since WWF/E was and is to this day, the biggest promotion in America if not the world, this gave the media enough ammunition to stereotype pro wrestlers nothing more than a bunch of muscle bound freaks (not accounting for the technical and overall athletic aspect of the sport).

 

*WCW and ECW going out of business in 2001. Pro wrestling is always the most interesting when everybody is in competition with one another. This instantly gives the promotions a bigger incentive to work harder and be better than the other guy. But with WWF/E as the only viable option, it's very easy to get lazy and bored with the product.

 

*David Arquette wins the World Title. I'll give David Arquette credit when he was reluctant to go through with that angle (which Vince Russo pushed him into doing). But WCW was so desperate for mainstream media attention, that they decided to give their top belt to an actor. All that this served as make WCW an even bigger laughing stock. By the year 2000, the credibility of the belt was already getting more and more devalued (the "Fingerpoke of Doom" is a perfect example), and this all but killed it off for good.

 

*WCW breaks away from the NWA. For all intensive purposes, the "old NWA" died soon after WCW officially broke away in 1993. The National Wrestling Alliance name was all but a generic, umbrella kind of body anyway in the aftermath of Turner Broadcasting taking over Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988. Since Jim Crockett Promotions was so entrenched with the NWA (I'm pretty sure that a lot of people thought that what became World Championship Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance were the exact same entity) by the late '80s, the NWA's lineage immediately carried over to WCW. Shane Douglas throwing down the NWA belt (and igniting the birth of Extreme Championship Wrestling) didn't help the NWA credibility and relevancy-wise in the post-WCW era.

 

*The Mass Transit Incident. It perhaps gave people the impression that pro wrestlers were senseless, barbaric savages (not the Macho Man) and that ECW was a shoot organization. ECW couldn't get on pay-per-view for quite some time due to this incident.

 

*The trials and tribulations of World Championship Wrestling (1988-2001). This to me, serves as a blueprint of how not to run a major wrestling promotion.

 

*The Attitude Era. Some of the more racy, outrageous stuff in all honestly, makes me embarrassed to be a wrestling fan. And WWF/E were risking in the long term, advertisers pulling out because they were getting to out of control (although, I kind of see the Attitude Era as a more streamlined, "PG-13" version of ECW).

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

What are you, out of your mind? To the mainstream media, Benoit's heinous acts are equally bad as David Arquette's title win, or the bankruptcy of ECW?

 

Also, how in the world was the Attitude Era a negative point for wrestling as a whole? A few advertisers lost, but an era when wrestling reached previously unimaginable heights, and became arguably as mainstream as the Rock N'Wrestling era - this is bad for business? If we're looking at it from a mark perspective, in the late spring and summer of '98, all of the Big Three were putting out their best product. This is bad how?

 

In this order: Benoit, steroid trials, Over The Edge, Mass Transit. I can't even think of anything else that really even hurt a little to the general public.

[Diamonddust 0]

What are you, out of your mind? To the mainstream media, Benoit's heinous acts are equally bad as David Arquette's title win, or the bankruptcy of ECW?

 

Also, how in the world was the Attitude Era a negative point for wrestling as a whole? A few advertisers lost, but an era when wrestling reached previously unimaginable heights, and became arguably as mainstream as the Rock N'Wrestling era - this is bad for business? If we're looking at it from a mark perspective, in the late spring and summer of '98, all of the Big Three were putting out their best product. This is bad how?

 

In this order: Benoit, steroid trials, Over The Edge, Mass Transit. I can't even think of anything else that really even hurt a little to the general public.

 

I would probably put Over the Edge before the steroid trials, but yeah... there is a huge gap between these four events and anything else.

[TMC1982 0]

What are you, out of your mind? To the mainstream media, Benoit's heinous acts are equally bad as David Arquette's title win, or the bankruptcy of ECW?

 

Also, how in the world was the Attitude Era a negative point for wrestling as a whole? A few advertisers lost, but an era when wrestling reached previously unimaginable heights, and became arguably as mainstream as the Rock N'Wrestling era - this is bad for business? If we're looking at it from a mark perspective, in the late spring and summer of '98, all of the Big Three were putting out their best product. This is bad how?

 

In this order: Benoit, steroid trials, Over The Edge, Mass Transit. I can't even think of anything else that really even hurt a little to the general public.

 

Get a grip! I'm not necessarily thinking strickly on the mainstream media, but rather in general or as a whole.

[Diamonddust 0]

What are you, out of your mind? To the mainstream media, Benoit's heinous acts are equally bad as David Arquette's title win, or the bankruptcy of ECW?

 

Also, how in the world was the Attitude Era a negative point for wrestling as a whole? A few advertisers lost, but an era when wrestling reached previously unimaginable heights, and became arguably as mainstream as the Rock N'Wrestling era - this is bad for business? If we're looking at it from a mark perspective, in the late spring and summer of '98, all of the Big Three were putting out their best product. This is bad how?

 

In this order: Benoit, steroid trials, Over The Edge, Mass Transit. I can't even think of anything else that really even hurt a little to the general public.

 

Get a grip! I'm not necessarily thinking strickly on the mainstream media, but rather in general or as a whole.

 

As a whole, those four incidents were the most damaging.

 

As a whole, most people don't give a rats ass about wrestling... but the Benoit situation, Owen Hart getting killed, and the steroid trials were all huge black eyes. Mass Transit was as well, but since it was done in ECW... the impact wasn't as big as the other three.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

What about David Schulz slapping John Stossel?

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

Wwe continuing the show after Owen had died was the HUGE black eye from that incident. I still think this is bigger than Benoit, because every profession has it's crazies.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Benoit has to be the worst of all. I remember everyone who knew I was a wrestling fan asking me about that one, and I would just have to shake my head. I remember a few people who mentioned the Owen incident, but that was basically just a horrible freak accident, like you can have in any sport or entertainment event.

 

The Mass Transit thing shouldn't be on the list, since I don't remember that really being reported outside of the wrestling "press."

 

Also, by the time WCW broke away from the NWA, the NWA name had virtually no name value at all. It really wasn't that big of a deal in the long run.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

Owen Hart was just a tragic accident, however Vince deciding the show must go on was ridiculous. When planes crash at air shows, the shows stop. I believe when Detroit Red Wing Jiri Fischer collapsed on the bench and needed CPR ringt in front of the players and then rushed to the hospital not knowing if he was going to survive the game was called.

 

On the other hand Rae Carruth of the Carolina Panthers in the NFL had his pregnant girlfriend killed (and might have even did it himself) because she wouldn't abort the baby. The NFL was never really piled on as far as I can remember.

[TMC1982 0]

What about David Schulz slapping John Stossel?

 

Also Hulk Hogan choking out Richard Belzer.

[Mos_Def 0]

Wwe continuing the show after Owen had died was the HUGE black eye from that incident. I still think this is bigger than Benoit, because every profession has it's crazies.

 

You think them continuing the show was bigger than one of the biggest stars in the industry murdering his whole family?

 

I thought the PPV continuing thing was really overblown. People were just pissed at Vince, and kind of latched on to this story to persecute him a little. I guess over anger out of letting such a great guy die on his watch.

 

I mean, there have been plenty of examples of shows continuing in the face of a major in-show accident. Its a tough, judgment call. Its not as cut and dried as people make it out.

[MrRant 0]

Owen Hart was just a tragic accident, however Vince deciding the show must go on was ridiculous. When planes crash at air shows, the shows stop. I believe when Detroit Red Wing Jiri Fischer collapsed on the bench and needed CPR ringt in front of the players and then rushed to the hospital not knowing if he was going to survive the game was called.

 

On the other hand Rae Carruth of the Carolina Panthers in the NFL had his pregnant girlfriend killed (and might have even did it himself) because she wouldn't abort the baby. The NFL was never really piled on as far as I can remember.

 

Up here at the Tacoma dome there was an incident at the monster truck rally where some metal came off a truck and killed a kid and they kept going. And had shows the rest of the weekend.

[TMC1982 0]

Wwe continuing the show after Owen had died was the HUGE black eye from that incident. I still think this is bigger than Benoit, because every profession has it's crazies.

 

You think them continuing the show was bigger than one of the biggest stars in the industry murdering his whole family?

 

I thought the PPV continuing thing was really overblown. People were just pissed at Vince, and kind of latched on to this story to persecute him a little. I guess over anger out of letting such a great guy die on his watch.

 

I mean, there have been plenty of examples of shows continuing in the face of a major in-show accident. Its a tough, judgment call. Its not as cut and dried as people make it out.

 

I thought that it was just as if even more of a case of poor taste to have the Undertaker in the main event and win the World Title at Over the Edge '99.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Though I ultimately disagree with Vince's decision to continue the show, I've always kind of given him a pass; he was in such a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" position.

[Dr Funkenstein PhD 0]

Yeah, but after what's done is done they still had the nerve to say shit like "Owen would have wanted the show to go on" The show going on does not bother me as much as ridiculous shit like that did.

[King Cucaracha 0]

The cynic in me says they wouldn't have continued if they didn't have a main-event title switch planned, but yeah, I don't know as you can really criticise Vince too hard, since no-one actually knows what it's like to be in that position.

[Ed Wood Caulfield 0]

I wonder why they didn't just have Austin retain the WWF Championship at Over The Edge 1999. Give the fans something to smile about.

[Enigma 0]

Yeah, but after what's done is done they still had the nerve to say shit like "Owen would have wanted the show to go on" The show going on does not bother me as much as ridiculous shit like that did.

 

Yes, because you knew Owen Hart much better than they did.

[BruteSquad_BRODY 0]

I wonder why they didn't just have Austin retain the WWF Championship at Over The Edge 1999. Give the fans something to smile about.

 

There was some stupid RAW related stip that prevented this.

 

Taker was suppose to embalm Austin or something if he lost. Somebody will remember the real deal.