Fixing the WWF in 1995

[hb2k]

So for this week's podcast we are returning to our booking committee format for a discussion re-booking the WWF from January 1995, in order to try and make something more out of what was the nadir of company history in the eyes of many, and we're looking to get some feedback on what you think needed to be done to make this company succeed during a period where popularity fell, and house show and PPV numbers sank to all time lows.

On the premise that you can do whatever you want with the talent there and the talent incoming (but can't do anything outside the boundaries of what was possible in reality), how do you realign everything in 1995 to save the year from the depths it sunk to?

As always, we'll be reading the best feedback/ideas on the show and crediting you accordingly. So what would you have done?

EDIT - The show discussing Fixing The WWF in 1995 and taking your feedback, is now online and available to listen to at the following link: http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/6yfk8e/SCGRadio64-FixingTheWWFin1995.mp3

[The CyNick]

Biggest change they should have made in 95 is book Nash properly.

He won the title in impressive fashion, but then he looked weak against Bret because Bret was such a master politician.

[Big Vic]

Biggest change they should have made in 95 is book Nash properly.

He won the title in impressive fashion, but then he looked weak against Bret because Bret was such a master politician.Who said that Meltzer? You Meltzer sheep.

[The CyNick]

Who said that Meltzer? You Meltzer sheep.

You mad, Bro?

[hb2k]

I can see the crux of the direction of the entire company depending on what to do with Diesel in those first few months. Everything else will fall into place once you know where you're going with him.

[CSL]

they were fucked as soon as Nash won the belt in November '94 and they scrapped plans to change 1995 to 199Nash. Simple concept: December 1994 they turn everybody in the company heel and feed them one by one to Big Kev. That would last through until around about 199Nash3 (1997 by simpleton terms) when you then turn Big Kev heel after the blowoff match with Razor Ramon at KevMania III. Razor had an offer from WCW but he turned it down after the Nash vs. Nash feud sold out the Georgia Dome 37 weeks in a row during 199Nash2, breaking all kinds of annual turnover records. The other Nash being Steve Nash obviously, Kevin's long lost brother that the floundering Ringmaster became early that year. That feud was responsible for the birth of guaranteed contracts when Big Kev signed a 10 year, $300m extension in the spring.

Just as the new hot young babyface Rocky Nash has Kev beat in front of 170,000 people at KevMania IV, Hulk Hogan, who to this point has been floundering in the decimated wasteland that is WCW, shows up out of nowhere and shocks the entire wrestling world by turning heel and leg-dropping Rocky, thus forming the nWo (Nash World Order) in WWE. It's announced that Vince traded Jeff Jarrett to Ted Turner in return for WCW and we have nWo vs. WCW on USA Network whilst Vince creates a new brand named Thursday Night Hit The Weights, Get A Clue for all the remaining WWF guys.

By 199Nash7, Vince is a trillionaire, buys the NFL, renames it the XFL and KevMania VII featuring the nWo (Nash Pac, Hogan & Razor Ramon) vs. Bill Goldberg, Sting and Rocky Nash, Steve Nash (wrestler) vs. Steve Nash (basketball player) and a main event ft. Kevin Nash vs. Brett Favre for the WWF title does over 4 million buys on PPV.

Vince buys the World Wildlife Fund and renames it the World Wildlife Enterprise (or WWE)

WWF fixed.

[Simple Fan]

I'd say have the Rumbel go down the same and then at Mania have Diesel go over and him and Shawn shake hands after. Instead of Mable winning g King of the Ring I'd have Bam Bam win it and build to Diesel/Bam Bam at Summerslam and have Diesel go over. At Survivor Series Diesel go over Bret in the No DQ match with help from Shawn. I'd have Diesel be in the main event more as well, he was in the middle of the card defending the WWF Championship at some of the In Your House PPVs.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Biggest change they should have made in 95 is book Nash properly.

He won the title in impressive fashion, but then he looked weak against Bret because Bret was such a master politician.

Agree with you about Big D, but Bret needed to keep strong as well. Remember how strong Michaels looked in their match at Mania. And for the rest of the run they failed to push him with any real momentum.

[Bad News Gertner]

I'd have Diesel feud with a revamped Million Dollar Corporation.

Dibiase now strictly managing wants the World Title in his posession so he tries to buy Diesel. Diesel refuses and now has a whole wack of challengers. I'd have HBK go from.being his friend to joining Dibiase. You'd have the face Diesel who said fuck the money and was his own man against the jealous HBK who grew tired of being in Diesel's shadow and tool the money. I'd also have Sid, 1-2-3 Kid and Luger in the Million Dollar Corporation. With HBK, that's a heel group with a lot of star power that could provide fresh challengers.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Big D definitely needed to keep his edge as well. Vince turned him into such a kissing babies champion to the point it was mentioned in storylines. He lacked the fire that made the fans love him in the first place. How the hell can you make a 7 footer sympathetic?

[The Condor]

Having Nash win the belt at a house show was bad business. Backlund should have carried the belt into the Rumble--his heel shtick was out of this world incredible--and Nash should have went over there and begun the build to Wrestlemania against Michaels. That's starting the year off better.

[mike adamle]

Why did they have Backlund drop it at a house show anyways?

[Big Vic]

To promote that anything could happen in the WWE, even at a house show.

[The CyNick]

Agree with you about Big D, but Bret needed to keep strong as well. Remember how strong Michaels looked in their match at Mania. And for the rest of the run they failed to push him with any real momentum.

It was an odd time. It screamed of politicking on Bret's side. You have a new babyface champion, and the old top babyface won't put him over. Bret could have easily lost at the beginning of the year, especially if the plan was to get the belt back on Bret to do the deal with Shawn at 12.

I almost think the storyline would have worked better with HBK v Diesel 2 at 12, with HBK coming full circle winning the belt. I'm curious if Nash would have still left if they booked him better as champion.

The whole stuff with Mabel was embarrassing and really killed Diesel's momentum.

[The CyNick]

Having Nash win the belt at a house show was bad business. Backlund should have carried the belt into the Rumble--his heel shtick was out of this world incredible--and Nash should have went over there and begun the build to Wrestlemania against Michaels. That's starting the year off better.

Yeah I think having it done at a house show really cut D off at the knees before he could get going.

[Bad News Gertner]

Why did they have Backlund drop it at a house show anyways?

It happened at MSG and I'm guessing because business at Madison Square Garden had been shit and they were trying to boost attendance there.

[The CyNick]

It happened at MSG and I'm guessing because business at Madison Square Garden had been shit and they were trying to boost attendance there.

That was my assumption even though Ive never seen it confirmed by anyone credible.

[Emperor Smeat]

Don't make Diesel the main focal point of the year. Him winning the title wasn't a bad idea but should have been more as a transitional champ and not as someone holding the belt for almost an entire year.

Same goes for Mable winning the King of the Ring tournament. Either use that to build a future star like they did a year later or a better choice to take the belt off of Diesel.

[The CyNick]

I understood choosing Diesel. He was gaining momentum with the fans. They just didn't push him all the way.

If he had been given better guys to work with, it would have been better. Mabel won KOTR because he was a massive guy, and WWE still had that Hogan era mentality of putting the champ against giants.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

It was an odd time. It screamed of politicking on Bret's side. You have a new babyface champion, and the old top babyface won't put him over. Bret could have easily lost at the beginning of the year, especially if the plan was to get the belt back on Bret to do the deal with Shawn at 12.

I almost think the storyline would have worked better with HBK v Diesel 2 at 12, with HBK coming full circle winning the belt. I'm curious if Nash would have still left if they booked him better as champion.

The whole stuff with Mabel was embarrassing and really killed Diesel's momentum.

Oh for sure Bret politicked. But I don't begrudge Bret for protecting his character because I do believe protecting Bret was good for business. And wrestling politics are like anywhere else. I don't mind politicking because it's necessary and just a function of life, but it just depends if you like the direction of the politics or not.

Point being is that the run could have worked without him going over Bret (because it made sense in that they faced off again at Survivor Series in a no dq match to "settle the score"). It was the other stuff that killed him. I know it pisses Nash off to no end that he wasn't put over Bret because of the "one foot in one foot out approach", but it was still salvageable at that point. They booked him too long of matches. In his prime, Nash could move and he had some great looking power moves, but when he's facing guys like the British Bulldog, he needed to either be booked more aggressively in the match or he needed to be more assertive in the layout of his matches.

If Nash had a successful reign he could have gone over Bret at Survivor series and certainly one could assume the sky is the limit. What I would certainly change though, is not even book the first Bret Match, and have big D be steamrolling all comers, and put him over Bret at SS if it had worked. You just can't get a guy over a monster murderer and have him in long 30 minute main event WRESTLING matches. Diesel didn't get over because he was a wrestler, he got over because in Nash's words, he was an asskicker. Asskickers could still have fun 15 minute main event ppv matches if the action is fast and they don't have time to get bored by rest holds because you've booked a 7 foot 300 plus pounder to work a half an hour.

If you want to see how he should have been booked to wrestle a "competitive" match, look no further than that Bret Survivor Series match. Even though Nash lost, he looked like a god damned murderer. The selling he did was believable even given the size difference.

Vince really didn't have it at that point with his idea of what would get over in that time.

[The Condor]

I was waiting for someone to bring up KOTR 1995. How did Shawn not win it? Or even the guys not in the tourney like Luger, Bulldog, or a resurgent Backlund. Fucking Mantaur and Roadie were in it.

[Simple Fan]

Yeah I mentioned in my post that I would have liked to see Bam Bam win King of the Ring to set up the Summerslam match with Diesel. A number of guys are probably a better choice than Mable though.

[The Condor]

I love Sid as much as anybody, but his '95 run is the drizzling shits. A return to 1992 heel form for the headlining feud with Diesel in the spring/summer would have been 10 times better than the shit we ended up getting.

[hb2k]

I want to thank everybody for the contributions, we got to read many of them on the show, which is now available at the following link:

http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/6yfk8e/SCGRadio64-FixingTheWWFin1995.mp3

Join us as we attempt to Fix the WWF in 1995! Starting on January 1st, the panel goes through all the pitfalls that faced the company in arguably its worst ever year, and attempt to rebook the company for greater success, planning all the major shows and feuds. We talk about a struggle to find a champion, the lack of hot heels, bad gimmicks and worse decisions. A really fun show this week, check it out and let us know what you think!

[Stickman]

Basically they did fix it. Thats why they are around today.