FourFifty
10-18-2007, 02:47 AM
The other day I was at work and I made it a point to avoid work. My mind wandered and I came up with what I believe to be the 10 most important moments in televised wrestling history. You might agree with this, and you might not. I just thought I’d take a moment to type it out and share with you my views on the 10 most important moments in televised wrestling history.
Oh, and by no means are they in any order. It’s impossible to figure out which one is number one because some moments had an instant impact, while others had a lasting impact.
The Birth of Austin 3:16
First and foremost if I have to explain this one then you’re at the wrong message boards. Steve Austin almost single handedly caused a huge swell in wrestling’s popularity, causing the last great boom period. Now I’m sure the writers, the bookers, the promoters, and the other wrestlers were also a huge part of this the attitude era but it couldn’t have been created if it wasn’t for Austin 3:16 saying I just whipped your ass.
Austin’s feuds with Vince McMahon, The Rock, Triple H, HBK, Mick Foley, and others solidified an era. To this day the rattlesnake persona is the quintessential badass of pro wrestling.
Hulk Hogan beating Andre The Giant at WrestleMania 3
Hulkamania was steadily jogging at this point in time, not quite running wild. It could have been a foot note that we’d have forgotten about like Chyna holding the IC title, Eugene’s three second long heel turn, or Paul Roma in the Four Horsemen. But then fuel was thrown on the fire. When The Irresistible Force picked up The Immoveable Object everyone took notice. Hulkamania was something before WrestleMania 3, but this made Hulkamania, the biggest thing to come down wrestling’s pike, a draw to millions of fans 20 years later.
Hulk Hogan’s heel Turn
What happens when you take the industry’s top face for the past decade and have him turn his back on the fans? A thing of pure genius. Millions of Hulkamaniacs were stabbed in the back. This was the beginning of the biggest thing WCW ever saw. The formation of the n.W.o was stellar.
Yea, in the end the n.W.o got too big for its own good, and then it seemed everyone had their own faction of the n.W.o. Hollywood, Wolfpac, Latino, Japan, Senior Citizen, ob/gyn… Many people could argue that the n.W.o did more harm for WCW than good, but much like Austin in the WWE, the n.W.o made WCW’s boom period big.
The First Monday Nitro
This was the scene where Daffy Duck looks at Bugs Bunny and says “This Means War!” WCW directly competing with the World Wrestling Federation was nothing more than a slap in the face with an empty glove.
Having Lex Luger come back to WCW for the occasion was a huge brick in that glove. In my mind this was the start of the Monday Night Wars. Dozens of wrestlers throughout the years went from one promotion to another. Everyone wanted to keep quiet about when a big name was going to show up at the rival’s show.
The First Monday Night Raw
For close to 15 years every Monday the brain child of Vince McMahon has been shown on tv. This all began with one single Monday Night Raw. One hour which planted the seeds that changed wrestling’s history. Through the hills and the valleys all wrestling fans can count on is that for better or worse we’ll have wrestling on Monday nights.
Andy Kaufman vs. Jerry Lawler
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest work shoot the industry has ever seen. In an attempt to blur the lines between kayfabe and reality, the Intergender Champion of the World got hospitalized by the King of Memphis. This was a great moment in wrestling history. The bitch slap on David Letterman was classic. I think that every single work shoot owes any success to Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler for helping to blur the lies of fantasy and reality.
Shane Douglass throws down the NWA title
But let’s stop talking about works, and talk about shoots. In a move that shocked the wrestling world shortly after winning the NWA title Shane Douglass turned his back on the NWA. I consider this promo the most important promo in modern wrestling history because this opened the gates for ECW.
While it was short lived ECW was revolutionary.
ECW brought in the first generation of internet wrestling fans, it redefined hardcore for mainstream audiences, it helped groom wrestlers who went on to achieve stardom, and it showed the wrestling world that the underdog can have a hell of a bite.
The problems that led to its downfall weren’t creative, but fiscal.
Mankind wins the WWF title.
Nothing about the actual title run that Mick Foley had was great. His matches weren’t five star, his promos were goofy, he never picked up or handed off the torch. What exactly made this noteworthy, let alone getting a spot in the top 10 moments?
Larry Zybisco.
This is a case where the messenger will be shot.
Before Monday Night Raw went live every week the WCW announcers would tell you what happened on Raw. Monday Nitro started an hour before Raw so they had that time to either hook you into Nitro or turn you off from Raw.
Larry Zybisco publicly congregated Mick Foley on his title win. He made a sarcastic comment about how Mick Foley puts asses in seats. Well it did Larry.
That week WWF finally regained control of the ratings war.
The First WrestleMania
You can’t talk about wrestling without talking about WrestleMania. This proved that not only will people watch wrestling, but they’ll even PAY for it!
Now why won’t I talk about the first Starcade? Starcade aired before the first WrestleMania. The biggest difference is Starcade was a wrestling card. WrestleMania was a spectacle. Starcade appealed to wrestling fans. WrestleMania appealed to more than just wrestling fans.
The Montreal Screwjob
10 years later and the fan boys are still up in arms over this one.
Each side knows that happened, and each side has their own story to tell. The Hart fans will tell you that Vince promised Bret that he could hand over the title the next night. The Kliq fans say Bret was a greedy bastard who got what he had coming to him.
Even other wrestlers have their point of view on it. Mick Foley didn’t show up to work that Monday out of protest, and The Big Show just plainly said Bret screwed Bret.
10 years later HBK is still hated in parts of Canada, and 10 years later, what’s more than this, Bret is still bitching about it.
Honorable Mentions
The First SmackDown
Often seen as WWE’s b-show today, we’ve had some awesome memories on Thursday nights. SmackDown was needed for WWE’s brand split, which helped make room for more wrestlers.
The Last Nitro
This truly marked the end of an era. No, this wasn’t putting a nail in any coffin. More like going to WCW’s wake.
HBK vs. Razor Ramon, ladder match
There were ladder matches before this one, but this was the first successful one. It paved the way for every wrestler who has ever gotten on a ladder.
Bash at the Beach, 2001
IF WCW wasn’t on life support that would have been the best work in WCW’s history.
For all the works, shoots, bumps, mistakes, and whatnot we've seen I'm sure there are some events I can't recall. However, these in mind next time you watch wrestling, because you might be watching history in the making.
Oh, and by no means are they in any order. It’s impossible to figure out which one is number one because some moments had an instant impact, while others had a lasting impact.
The Birth of Austin 3:16
First and foremost if I have to explain this one then you’re at the wrong message boards. Steve Austin almost single handedly caused a huge swell in wrestling’s popularity, causing the last great boom period. Now I’m sure the writers, the bookers, the promoters, and the other wrestlers were also a huge part of this the attitude era but it couldn’t have been created if it wasn’t for Austin 3:16 saying I just whipped your ass.
Austin’s feuds with Vince McMahon, The Rock, Triple H, HBK, Mick Foley, and others solidified an era. To this day the rattlesnake persona is the quintessential badass of pro wrestling.
Hulk Hogan beating Andre The Giant at WrestleMania 3
Hulkamania was steadily jogging at this point in time, not quite running wild. It could have been a foot note that we’d have forgotten about like Chyna holding the IC title, Eugene’s three second long heel turn, or Paul Roma in the Four Horsemen. But then fuel was thrown on the fire. When The Irresistible Force picked up The Immoveable Object everyone took notice. Hulkamania was something before WrestleMania 3, but this made Hulkamania, the biggest thing to come down wrestling’s pike, a draw to millions of fans 20 years later.
Hulk Hogan’s heel Turn
What happens when you take the industry’s top face for the past decade and have him turn his back on the fans? A thing of pure genius. Millions of Hulkamaniacs were stabbed in the back. This was the beginning of the biggest thing WCW ever saw. The formation of the n.W.o was stellar.
Yea, in the end the n.W.o got too big for its own good, and then it seemed everyone had their own faction of the n.W.o. Hollywood, Wolfpac, Latino, Japan, Senior Citizen, ob/gyn… Many people could argue that the n.W.o did more harm for WCW than good, but much like Austin in the WWE, the n.W.o made WCW’s boom period big.
The First Monday Nitro
This was the scene where Daffy Duck looks at Bugs Bunny and says “This Means War!” WCW directly competing with the World Wrestling Federation was nothing more than a slap in the face with an empty glove.
Having Lex Luger come back to WCW for the occasion was a huge brick in that glove. In my mind this was the start of the Monday Night Wars. Dozens of wrestlers throughout the years went from one promotion to another. Everyone wanted to keep quiet about when a big name was going to show up at the rival’s show.
The First Monday Night Raw
For close to 15 years every Monday the brain child of Vince McMahon has been shown on tv. This all began with one single Monday Night Raw. One hour which planted the seeds that changed wrestling’s history. Through the hills and the valleys all wrestling fans can count on is that for better or worse we’ll have wrestling on Monday nights.
Andy Kaufman vs. Jerry Lawler
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest work shoot the industry has ever seen. In an attempt to blur the lines between kayfabe and reality, the Intergender Champion of the World got hospitalized by the King of Memphis. This was a great moment in wrestling history. The bitch slap on David Letterman was classic. I think that every single work shoot owes any success to Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler for helping to blur the lies of fantasy and reality.
Shane Douglass throws down the NWA title
But let’s stop talking about works, and talk about shoots. In a move that shocked the wrestling world shortly after winning the NWA title Shane Douglass turned his back on the NWA. I consider this promo the most important promo in modern wrestling history because this opened the gates for ECW.
While it was short lived ECW was revolutionary.
ECW brought in the first generation of internet wrestling fans, it redefined hardcore for mainstream audiences, it helped groom wrestlers who went on to achieve stardom, and it showed the wrestling world that the underdog can have a hell of a bite.
The problems that led to its downfall weren’t creative, but fiscal.
Mankind wins the WWF title.
Nothing about the actual title run that Mick Foley had was great. His matches weren’t five star, his promos were goofy, he never picked up or handed off the torch. What exactly made this noteworthy, let alone getting a spot in the top 10 moments?
Larry Zybisco.
This is a case where the messenger will be shot.
Before Monday Night Raw went live every week the WCW announcers would tell you what happened on Raw. Monday Nitro started an hour before Raw so they had that time to either hook you into Nitro or turn you off from Raw.
Larry Zybisco publicly congregated Mick Foley on his title win. He made a sarcastic comment about how Mick Foley puts asses in seats. Well it did Larry.
That week WWF finally regained control of the ratings war.
The First WrestleMania
You can’t talk about wrestling without talking about WrestleMania. This proved that not only will people watch wrestling, but they’ll even PAY for it!
Now why won’t I talk about the first Starcade? Starcade aired before the first WrestleMania. The biggest difference is Starcade was a wrestling card. WrestleMania was a spectacle. Starcade appealed to wrestling fans. WrestleMania appealed to more than just wrestling fans.
The Montreal Screwjob
10 years later and the fan boys are still up in arms over this one.
Each side knows that happened, and each side has their own story to tell. The Hart fans will tell you that Vince promised Bret that he could hand over the title the next night. The Kliq fans say Bret was a greedy bastard who got what he had coming to him.
Even other wrestlers have their point of view on it. Mick Foley didn’t show up to work that Monday out of protest, and The Big Show just plainly said Bret screwed Bret.
10 years later HBK is still hated in parts of Canada, and 10 years later, what’s more than this, Bret is still bitching about it.
Honorable Mentions
The First SmackDown
Often seen as WWE’s b-show today, we’ve had some awesome memories on Thursday nights. SmackDown was needed for WWE’s brand split, which helped make room for more wrestlers.
The Last Nitro
This truly marked the end of an era. No, this wasn’t putting a nail in any coffin. More like going to WCW’s wake.
HBK vs. Razor Ramon, ladder match
There were ladder matches before this one, but this was the first successful one. It paved the way for every wrestler who has ever gotten on a ladder.
Bash at the Beach, 2001
IF WCW wasn’t on life support that would have been the best work in WCW’s history.
For all the works, shoots, bumps, mistakes, and whatnot we've seen I'm sure there are some events I can't recall. However, these in mind next time you watch wrestling, because you might be watching history in the making.