PeteF3
-
Posts
10285 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Everything posted by PeteF3
-
Dawn Marie gets heat by NOT EVEN WEARING A BIKINI to a bikini contest. The horror! Credible is about to cane Francine "again" and I can't say I'm upset that the first instance of this was skipped on the Yearbook. Styles says what's going to happen before it does, which of course gives away that it won't happen and that someone will save--in this case, Sabu. This angle gets a good amount of heat but feels very more-of-the-same.
-
This will make you long for the class and sophistication of the Col. DeBeers-Derrick Dukes feud. Larry Nelson despite his wild habits had the ability to make anything sound folksy and harmless.
-
The Owen Hart mention was jaw-dropping, because it was jaw-dropping on its surface while also not exactly making sense in the context of the promo. I guess it was a point about family togetherness--I would have picked another wrestling family besides the Harts, in that case.
-
Cornette looks like he's dropped weight and is closer physically to his Memphis/Mid-South days than he has been in years. The prospect of moving back home and booking and coaching without all the stress of singlehandedly running a promotion had to have done wonders for his stress levels. Al Snow vs. Droz isn't the most overwhelming announcement of the first WWF talent to work OVW, but baby steps, I guess. I look forward to seeing what OVW has to offer, hopefully more Power Pro-level stuff but far less seat-of-your-pants and more planned out.
-
Tony Anthony can still bring the goods on the mic. It's a little WCW-esque but at least the babyfaces are treating this as a heinous act and aren't making sarcastic remarks about the heels trying decaf. Rapidfire promos involving 3 or 4 teammates going one after the other will never, ever get old. Not a bad go-home angle for a house show that night in all honesty.
-
I'm pretty sure these rumors were steeped in fact--this Doug Gilbert angle had a lot of shoot elements to it, with Lawler at one point looking into bolting and running yet another opposition group because he didn't want Doug back. It appears that his concerns will turn out to be well-founded. For maybe the first time since his leg injury, Lawler is starting to feel marginalized in his own promotion. He doesn't seem to be working a major program and the Memphis Mafia/BSK stuff is the most compelling thing going on in Power Pro.
-
Carl Oulette is taken out with a baseball bat at an arena show, as he's booked for a tour of All-Japan. I'd buy a ticket to see the Memphis Mafia against the BSK in some WarGames-esque gimmick match. All the Mafia members cut rapidfire promos one after the other and this totally rules.
-
For posterity: Dave reported that Bischoff wanted *all* the luchadores to unmask, and this was supposed to kickstart that. The camera was even originally supposed to show all their faces, but the dreaded plans changed.
-
Not quite as heated as the previous week but a bit better of a TV main event, and it shows how far Rock and even Triple H have come that the WWF can put on a compelling, presumably eyeball-drawing main event with absolutely no involvement from Austin or McMahon. Between this and the upcoming stip barring Vince from television, *somebody* was still thinking forward at this point. Compare and contrast with the height of the NWO which had no end in sight.
-
A rare Russo SWERVE that works--if he saw some future star power in the Hardyz, then good on him. I'm sure a number of WWF brass wouldn't have given them the time of day except as enhancement talent. GTV then takes us to Droz and Albert dressing up like hos per a prior match stipulation, with Albert being horrified that Droz is really getting into the role.
-
Rock isn't exactly being a star with his treatment of Michael Cole but his constant "Keep your head still" asides are pretty funny. Triple H has announced his intentions of being WWF champion so I guess the SummerSlam-and-beyond plans are in place.
-
A fake Sting. In fairness this one--whether it's Jeff Farmer or not--looks a little more convincing than some of the fake Stings of 1997 and '98, but why not just go for the trifecta and get a woman's shoe and some coffee in on this finish, as long as we're recycling old beaten-to-death ideas? Savage gets his women back but throws George around and threatens to slap Torrie Wilson (who seems to be trying to stifle laughter) in a very uncomfortable scene. Reading Bob "RAW IS PORN" Ryder trying to do his best Bruce Prichard and hemming and hawing about how WCW maaaaybe went a little far and could have gotten the message across with just a raised backhand was the height of...well, I wouldn't call it entertaining, but it did well to further expose Ryder for what he is.
-
Goldberg successfully headbutts a Pacific Islander, thus proving himself as truly the toughest wrestler alive. This ad was everywhere in 1999, along with Austin and D'Lo for 1-800-COLLECT.
-
I wonder if this was a rib on Doug Dillenger. I mean, that's not a compelling reason to put it on TV, but he got the blame for a rash of locker room thefts around this time including most of Bret Hart's leather jackets.
-
Under the worst circumstances possible, amidst a sea of crap, WCW is forcibly dragged into putting on compelling television. Bret's "...and it sucks" line is one of the biggest gut punches ever delivered in a speech on a wrestling program (I refuse to call this a "promo"). Bret leaves his future up in the air and I have no doubt that he really doesn't know what he's going to do next at this point. This was captivating and tremendously difficult to watch at the same time, especially since we know that even from this low point, Bret's life is going to get worse before it gets better.
-
Let's PAN OVER AND ZOOM IN on the word "Closet" to the point where Stevie Wonder can see what WCW is trying to get across.
-
"YOU SEE, MY FATHER TOLD ME ONE TIME--THAT SUFFERING BUILDS CHARACTER." Sid's father, ladies and gentlemen. This is also the infamous-at-the-time "YOU CAN'T MESS WITH THIS MIND'S MAN...THIS MAN'S MIND, EXCUSE ME" promo that replaced "We're live buddy" in the pecking order of Sid promo screw-ups, only for it to be replaced itself later in the year. Sid is bad, Savage is worse, and Nash is unbearable. His indifferent too-cool-for-school act is semi-tolerable as a cool heel, but it's impossible to swallow when he's a babyface. If he doesn't care or act concerned about anything that's going on, why should the viewer? These segments are making the makeup and drag angles look like 1983 Mid-South. There are like 37 different points in 1999 where it appears that WCW is dead in the water but these last 2 weeks seem like another bullet point. The Georgia Dome is very ominously blacked out and this company seems to have deteriorated badly from even the worst point in 1998.
-
Maybe this is one of those Pancrase-style "drag it out a little bit" shoot fights that are worked for length? I dunno. It didn't look like worked shootstyle at all but there are openings when it looks like Ogawa could have ended the match and almost consciously chose not to. In any case, from a perception standpoint he solidifies his reputation as a genuine badass in Japan.
-
On the previous tour Takayama had scored a pin over Akira Taue, to give Team No Fear a shocking upset win over the Holy Demon Army. Their roll continues here as they just brutalize Kobashi--the out-of-the-box-for-AJPW booking continues. First we get a Choshu-esque upset for Takayama, and now we get a 9-minute sportz-entertainment-styled match with the oddball but successful decision to have Kobashi work FIP. He has an out, with his nose guard, but comes off as overmatched. Particularly since No Fear aren't concerning themselves with conforming to the usual sporting AJPW style. Shiga is put into the unlikely role of team savior and that doesn't end well. Fun match precisely because it's more of an NJPW-style tag than AJPW. -
Good stuff--maybe not preferable to 1-on-1 matches between these guys, but a good fun 3-way with good execution all around that doesn't overstay its welcome.
-
I think we've actually bottomed out from the helicopter limo attack. This is so unbelievably awful and incompetently put together.
-
Knowing now what Nitro was offering for its main event...this monster rating gets more and more explainable. The match is perfectly fine--more heated and quicker-paced than SummerSlam '98, in fact. Isn't it nice to get an actual feelgood moment on wrestling TV once in awhile?
-
GTV is now starting to actually advance storylines. At KOTR it revealed that Shane was faking an injury in an attempt to get Steve Blackman swapped into the main event, now we see indications that Test and Stephanie might be more than just friends.
-
Is this the first guy with the gimmick of "likes to have fun"?
-
This might be the most insecure booking in the history of wrestling. Torrie giddily skipping along now that she's Nash's property for 72 hours is probably the worst part.