The Wrestling Thread: WWE WrestleMania XL - 6/7 April 2024

[captain red dog]

It sounds like Raw was pretty poor last night. Riddle had a pretty terrible time in a simple backstage promo, forgetting his lines and just riding off on his scooter.

I've all but given up on WWE getting good again. It's purely a mass content production company. I wonder when the bubble will burst because surely it isn't sustainable in the long run for them to just produce endless crap.

[KK]

I can't remember if this is an all-time low, but the 19th March episode of SmackDown on BT managed a lousy 28,500 viewers (which includes delayed viewing over 7 days). Due to the clocks changing in the US, it was a rare instance of the start of SD running in to the main event of AEW Dynamite on ITV4. Prior episodes of SD on BT had 50,500 (19th Feb), 73,200 (12th Feb) and 67,700 (5th Feb).

[KK]

For those who missed out on Silver Vision's Tagged Classics range, WWF WrestleMania XIV, XV, 2000, X-Seven and X8 are back on DVD in the UK courtesy of Fremantle, in their original unedited form (aside from edits to the box art, such as removal of Mike Tyson). 14 and 2000 on sale from 5th April at WWEDVD.co.uk, HMV and ASDA. The others are available now.

[captain red dog]

That's tempting. I read they edited out Test getting stuck in the ring ropes legitimately during X7 or X8. I can't find anything on it though, and don't remember the incident myself.

[Slimgrady]

Pretty sure XIV was the last ‘Mania with the boxy logo, the scratch logo doesn’t look right just thrown on there.

[tomvek]

Tony Kahn getting out the cheque book again for another licensed track

Really enjoyed Dynamite this week. So many quality matches for TV and fun returns of Statlander and Trent in the main event. Cameos from the Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct 2 arcade machines were a bonus

I’m with Captain red dog on WWE, I’ve pretty much given up on their week to week shows. While AEW still makes a lot of mistakes, their show is a lot more enjoyable to watch than Raw or Smackdown. The last year and a bit, I usually just tune in for WWE PPV’s, Youtube vids and the odd NXT. To me it seems so short sighted to run your product into the ground the way they’re doing it. Eroding your fan base with so much bland content.

Also tempted by those Wrestlemania releases. Glad they're actually putting stuff like this out.

[captain red dog]

I really enjoyed the Inner Circle vs Pinnacle fight. MJF is an even greater heel when he gets his head put down the toilet! That is such a simple but unused trope. Totally babyfaced Jericho when the recent news about him funding Trump should be pure heel.

I'm almost certainly going to buy WM14 and WM18 on DVD now. WM14 was about a year or two after I dropped out in the 90s. I went back in the early 2000s and caught up on what I missed on VHS, but I have to admit I didn't pay much attention to WM14 as I've never really liked HBK.

WM18, that was like a home coming for me. I got massively into the attitude era and to see Rock vs Hogan was like a dream match. I think I was doing my GCSEs at the time. I remember that Mania fondly. I'm not a noob though. Although I missed Mania 14, I saw Mania 15, 16 and 17 as my cousins had Sky Sports and they recorded it for me.

Wrestling thread suggestion, I know we don't hold the sway we once did, but remember that takeover of the forum we had planned many years ago now, and it got borked because of some rogue members DDSing the forum? Can't we plan something like that for Mania weekend this year?

[Return_of_the_STAR]

Anyone find it a bit odd that they are throwing so many people into the hall of fame this year when they can’t have a proper ceremony? Seems a massive waste of some inductees.

I’m so out of love with wrestling at the moment, I keep trying to get back into it but I’m struggling.

Also what the hell is wrong with shane? Ever since he’s returned I’ve noticed a gradual decline in his promo ability, he’s shocking now, everyone said about how much he sweated on his return. His voice seems different to what he was like before he left the company as well.

[captain red dog]

Shane really needs to be just Mr Mcmahon as a modern replacement, but someone who can still actually take a bump. Not a fan of how he is currently used at all. The whole story with Braun is just utter garbage and makes me cringe.

I've just seen a bootleg of the last weeks relaunch of NWA Powerrrr and I bloody loved it. It helps with Nick Aldis being both British (I can't help but support a Brit) and a modern Ric Flair, but they have so much talent on the small roster they have. Pope, Trevor Murdoch, Fred Rosser (who was Darren Young). Hell, even Aron Stevens (Damien Sandow) they have done a good job in building up.

Again, like with Jericho, I'm not a fan of Billy Corgan, but NWA are at least doing a great job of a short weekly show, with great realistic storylines and in harmony with the history of wrestling.

Fanboy mode done. Let's now reminisce about May Young and her hand.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

Shane really needs to be just Mr Mcmahon as a modern replacement, but someone who can still actually take a bump. Not a fan of how he is currently used at all. The whole story with Braun is just utter garbage and makes me cringe.

I've just seen a bootleg of the last weeks relaunch of NWA Powerrrr and I bloody loved it. It helps with Nick Aldis being both British (I can't help but support a Brit) and a modern Ric Flair, but they have so much talent on the small roster they have. Pope, Trevor Murdoch, Fred Rosser (who was Darren Young). Hell, even Aron Stevens (Damien Sandow) they have done a good job in building up.

Again, like with Jericho, I'm not a fan of Billy Corgan, but NWA are at least doing a great job of a short weekly show, with great realistic storylines and in harmony with the history of wrestling.

Fanboy mode done. Let's now reminisce about May Young and her hand.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/news-ma ... hand-story

Vince still won’t explain to Henry why Mae gave birth to a hand

[Slimgrady]

So anybody see who’s the next guest on Austin’s Broken Skull sessions?!

[Return_of_the_STAR]

So anybody see who’s the next guest on Austin’s Broken Skull sessions?!

Yeah pretty amazing.

[Prototype]

NJPW Sakura Genesis spoiler:

will ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi to become the new IWGP heavyweight champion

[kerr9000]

For me my golden age for wrestling the stuff I enjoyed the most and I am crazy for is basically Wrestlemania 5 to 9 (and all the royal rumbles survivor series and summer slams during this time period), I just like so many people from back then Big BossMan, Demolition, The heart foundation, the rockers, etc

My silver age next best fave would be stuff from when it was focused on like Angle, Benoit, Eddie, Chavo, Tajiri ...... I am a massive fan of all of these guys, call me crazy but id love to see Tajiri and Chavo together as a team somewhere lying cheating and stealing there way to gold.

[Mafro]

New Japan’s booking over the past year has been pretty poor.

[coldspice]

I didn't mind 2020, but 2021 has been mind boggling at times. Putting Ospreay at the top of the company just decimates my interest in the product.

Guess I'm a full on DDT guy now.

[Prototype]

I didn't mind 2020, but 2021 has been mind boggling at times. Putting Ospreay at the top of the company just decimates my interest in the product.

Whilst I think Okada is better, Ospreay winning the title is hardly ridiculous is it? Maybe a bit out of left-field.

[Corazon de Leon]

Didn't realise Hogan was hosting Wrestlemania, that's...a choice.

[Cuttooth]

I thought they cut ties with him completely?

[KK]

They brought him back in 2018. They then wheel him out (not literally) to go through the whole 'well you know something Mean Gene, watcha gonna do when [show name] runs wild on you...' routine. Fills time, I suppose. Titus O'Neil is also hosting, though I dunno if they're doing it together or if they're doing a night each.

I've been watching the WWE Network recently and it's made for somewhat irritating viewing. Some of its their fault (since changing to Peacock in the US, there's suddenly an abundance of buffering. Coincidence? Hmmmm), some of it is probably their fault (seemingly random segments from episodes are just missing - such as Golga vs. Marc Mero on the August 3 1998 RAW IS WAR, which is then highlighted anyway on a later episode) but a lot of it seems to come down to music rights and WWE's unwillingness to pay royalties for it. It's so integral in some places it really ruins the whole experience (fan participation mostly, such as The Sandman, The Oddities, and Public Enemy). Other times, segments have just been binned off entirely (The Rock Concert - thankfully on a DVD release; the legendary but mostly forgotten duet between The Rock and Austin on the November 12, 2001 episode of RAW; The Alliance singing "Wind Beneath Our Ring" on the August 20, 2001 RAW IS WAR; the opening love-triangle segment between Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle on September 18, 2000 RAW IS WAR...though I can't quite remember what's been scrapped here).

There's also extremely dodgy sound levelling on some taped RAW IS WAR episodes (the announcers are fine, the promos in the ring are very, very quiet).

I'm still trying to hunt down the remaining Delta Music ECW DVD releases which have the original music intact (I have 10 of 18). The full list in case the WWE edits also annoy you as much as they do me:

Barley Legal - April 13, 1997
Hardcore Heaven - August 17, 1997
November to Remember - November 30, 1997
Living Dangerously - March 1, 1998
WrestlePalooza - May 3, 1998
Heatwave - August 2, 1998
November to Remember - November 1, 1998
Guilty as Charged - January 10, 1999
Living Dangerously - March 21, 1999
Hardcore Heaven - May 16, 1999
Heatwave - July 18, 1999
Anarchy Rulz - September 19, 1999
November to Remember 1999 - November 7, 1999
Guilty as Charged - January 9, 2000
Living Dangerously - March 12, 2000
Hardcore Heaven 2000 - May 14, 2000
Heatwave 2000 - July 16, 2000
Anarchy Rulz 2000 - October 1, 2000