The Wrestling Thread: WWE WrestleMania 31 [NSFW]

[Return_of_the_STAR]

WWE WrestleMania tickets will go on sale on November 12 at 11 am from Ticketmaster. There is a presale at Ticketmaster starting November 8 (code: IZODVIP). The first four rows of ringside are going for $2,000, making it likely to be the most expensive pro wrestling ticket ever. Cheap seats are priced $35.

So unless you're going on your own (unlikely), you're looking at 4 grand for front row. Best have one hell of a main event.

Will be interesting to see if the usual wm front crowd can afford to get the seats. My assumption is that they are all minted so can afford it as they always seem to show up.

The cheap seats seem very good value but I wonder how many of them there are. The top rows must have awful views of an event like this.

[KK]

CM Punk was on Rovers Morning Glory on 100.7 FM this morning for an over the phone interview. The interview started off just fine until Rover asked CM Punk about the fan altercation a couple weeks ago on Raw. Once asked about it, Punk kept things short, but Rover kept pushing the issue more and more, and Punk basically grunted and hung up.

The interview lasted about 5 minutes, if that. Punk didn't seem to into it at all and then seemed to get fed up after being asked over and over about the Raw incident.

[1cmanny1]

Hearing things like this, and watching that documentary, he seems like a bit of a dick.

[Prototype]

Hearing things like this, and watching that documentary, he seems like a bit of a dick.

You'd seem like a dick too if 90% of the people you met in every day life were assholes.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

Hearing things like this, and watching that documentary, he seems like a bit of a dick.

You'd seem like a dick too if 90% of the people you met in every day life were assholes.

That's probably true.

[KK]

Well if he's anything like those two idiots who interviewed Lilian Garcia a few weeks ago...

[KK]

In a move that mirrors WCW Nitro, Eric Bischoff has decided that two different announce teams will call each hour of IMPACT WRESTLING. This began last night with Jeremy Borash and Todd Kenely calling Hour 1, and Mike Tenay and Taz announcing on the 2nd. Kenely has previously worked for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and BHE Celebrity Championship Wrestling.

Used to do the same thing on RAW IS WAR. King and Ross would call the WAR ZONE, and various combinations would call RAW.

[Dig Dug]

In a move that mirrors WCW Nitro, Eric Bischoff has decided that two different announce teams will call each hour of IMPACT WRESTLING. This began last night with Jeremy Borash and Todd Kenely calling Hour 1, and Mike Tenay and Taz announcing on the 2nd. Kenely has previously worked for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and BHE Celebrity Championship Wrestling.

Used to do the same thing on RAW IS WAR. King and Ross would call the WAR ZONE, and various combinations would call RAW.

Don't really mind this type of thing if it means better commentary.

[captain red dog]

Seems a bit odd to me, I have never been a fan of changing commentators mid-broadcast. I'm a big fan of having a defined voice of the product.

[KK]

Seems a bit odd to me, I have never been a fan of changing commentators mid-broadcast. I'm a big fan of having a defined voice of the product.

I think it helps differentiate the hours - especially in the case of a 3 hour show. There are other measures employed too, such as running the titles again at the top of the hour & setting off the pyro. In Nitro's case there was a timer that would count down to Hour 2 - sometimes they'd set off the pyro during a match, which was a bit wacky. You can change the on-screen graphics too. I'm not sure if they still do it, but certainly up until RAW 1000, the 2nd hour was called the Raw Zone, though never explicitly stated as such on TV by the commentators. It was on the graphics and was still in a few TV listings.

[Superking]

Just an aside I love how someone who has absolutely zero charisma can be nicknamed the Charismatic Enigma

[Drumstick]

Just listening to this week’s Review a Wai of the Nitro where Goldberg beats Hogan for the WCW title. I’m curious, what were everyone’s viewing habits during 96-99?

For myself, I was fortunate enough to have access to both shows as my parents had Sky. I’ve been a WWF fan since I was five when my folks bought me a few VHS tapes, including Wrestlemanias III & VI, and I caught the 1992 Survivor Series on TV. After that I watched most of the big pay-per-views and I didn’t really know what WCW was until I went into school one morning and one of my friends told me about the NWO angle. So I decided to check out Nitro and was immediately drawn in to this angle, so I kept watching until sometime in 1997. I remember watching the show where Luger won the title on Nitro, and being really disappointed when he dropped the title a week later at that month’s PPV. I think it was that point where I started to turn off and go back to the WWF (which I had carried on watching by recording them on VHS) as you had all the stars of the attitude era beginning to peak and even though the show was nowhere near its peak, I was tired of the NWO steamrolling WCW. A little while into 1998 I stopped taping Nitro (after Sting lost the title) and just stuck with Raw.

I don’t think I ever watched WCW ‘live’ again except weeks when Raw didn’t air due to Raw being so good.

Regards the actual review of this show, the whole Scott Putski segment.

“I would argue that I can’t even give Scott Putski the Scott Putski Award on this show. Luger made an appearance.”

[KK]

Was Nitro first, then RAW second. It then became Nitro, Thunder, RAW. I'd also catch Livewire/Shotgun/Superstars if I didn't watch/tape RAW for whatever reason. Thankfully Sky would put RAW on twice, though some weeks I did swap between the two shows.

WCW PPV events I'd buy from WCW Home Video. They then went out of business (I think Souled Out 99 was their last tape) & everything then started appearing in shops. I used to call some teletext wrestling premium phone service to find out the results of the PPVs, along with other bits of news. I can't remember what it was called, but it wasn't the WCW Hotline or anything.

Bravo then started moving Nitro about in 2000. I think it was on a Wednesday at one point.

[Drumstick]

As per the Review a Wai podcast, what are your top three Nitro moments?

[KK]

Goldberg vs. Hollywood Hogan
Ric Flair stripping to his boxers & later defeating Eric Bischoff to run WCW
Goldberg defeating The Giant in about 2 minutes.

Goldberg had actually picked up The Giant for the Jackhammer prior to this, but I didn't watch Road Wild 98 until Christmas Day.

All from 1998 too, funnily enough.

Other notable mentions have to go to Lex Luger winning the World Title from Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff joining the nWo & The Giant chokeslamming Eric Bischoff after Larry Zbyszko threw him into the ring.

[IronMaiden]

Didn't have Sky Sports so I used to watch Nitro when I could from around 97/98 (although I had to do it sneakily because my mum didn't like me watching wrestling ). Eventually all my friends started watching WWF so I watched Livewire and Smackdown when it started. I remember one of my friends used to say WWF was better than WCW because it was real and WCW was fake .

For PPVs a few of my friends had dodgy cable boxes so we either passed around a taped version the day after or if it was during the summer holidays we'd stay at a friends house and watch them. I still have a tape of Summerslam 2000 back in Scotland I think .

[KK]

Apparently WCW PPVs were on some German satellite channel if you had access to that.

[RatedRVD]

I managed to get tickets for the Comedy Special - William Regal: An Audience With A Wrestling Villain show in Birmingham.

I hope its better then Foleys stand up.

[Dante]

TNA Gut check next week; Christian York

[Cosmo]

I managed to get tickets for the Comedy Special - William Regal: An Audience With A Wrestling Villain show in Birmingham.

I hope its better then Foleys stand up.

Apparently it sold out really quick. I'm hoping my brother can get me in.