SCG Radio - The Monday Night War Timeline: 1997 Q1
 

Just to drop this here, the latest Squared Circle Gazette Radio is up, as we talk from January to March of 1997 in our Monday Night War Timeline. Accompanied as always by inside notes from the Wrestling Observer Newsletters of the time, the panel discusses all the key talking points such as the frantic state of the WWF Title, Thursday Raw Thursday, nWo Souled Out, the awesome story of Austin and Bret, Roddy Piper's tryouts, shoot promos galore, ECW on Raw, Sting finally reveals his true colours, facts and figures and much more. With all the backstory behind the decision-making at the time, this was another really fun show - check it out and let me know what you think!

http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean....arin1997Q1.mp3

I'm positive you did, but I assume you talked about Rock defeating Triple H on Thursday RAW Thursday for the IC belt in Feb. '97? I honestly wonder looking back, was that or Survivor Series '96 bigger for him long-term?

I still remember his pre official WWF debut when he jumped from USWA and was still called Flex Kavana for a time, lol.

We did indeed, although it was mentioned that it came against the backdrop of "Rocky Sucks". Quite an interesting point actually - Survivor Series came off as a complete success for where they wanted to go with him as a cheesy babyface, complete with chants. The IC Title was more accidentally beneficial - the quick rejection of him in this form above a certain level led to great things down the line.

At the time I was actually believing they were pushing him so hard he might win the Rumble.

Yeah, I mean on the one hand you have Rocky Maivia as the new guy at Survivor Series. He doesn't even have time to be flung from the frying pan into the fire -- it's his official debut at the 4th biggest event of the year at that point, behind of course, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and the Rumble. Everybody thinks SummerSlam is 2nd, but I kind of think since the "winner of RR match gets a title shot @ WM" stip became an annual thing that RR is #2 of them all. Anyway, back on-topic. So Maivia is the last guy standing in the 4-on-4 tag team elimination match, and he has to do the seemingly impossible and somehow get Crush and Goldust eliminated to win, and he does, and as he celebrates we hear Jim Ross putting him over as a real blue chipper with a bright future ahead of him in the WWF, or something very very similar.

On the other hand, you've got the IC title match with this guy Triple H, the Connecticut BlueBlood as he was called in those days, who had held the belt for so long, that Honky Tonk Man, who had commentary on the Thursday RAW Thursday match, even expected Triple H to decimate the cocky young kid from Miami, Florida. Surely Triple H would retain and maybe have even broken Honky's record, something that he didn't seem like he'd be too upset by. But yet again, Rock shows his resiliency, battling through hell and high water until finally Helmsley is pinned to the shock and dismay of Honky and the delight of the crowd.

I kind of think the one thing that could be argued that maybe kind of tarnished his first IC run was his father, Rocky Johnson showing up at WWF WrestleMania 13 either during or after his IC defense v, The Sultan. Fortunately for him it never happened again and the man who's name was later shortened in the ring to The Rock, and he wasn't bound to have his father always around and casting an ever growing shadoe for him to step out of.

I think for the reason I just pointed out, I'd say personally, Survivor Series 1996 was his more crucial success to his long-term WWF/WWE career.

Good show, as always.

I dunno why ddp gets a bad wrap. He was very very good in his prime. Had some great matches and the diamond cutter was the shit.

What circles does he get THAT MUCH flack in? He had a shit run in WWE but he was a mother fucker in wcw.

great podcast as usual btw

Exactly. He was someone, if entering the sport as a wrestler at a younger age, could've been one of the BIGGEST stars ever. I could see him easily going against, in his prime, ANYBODY in the WWE or WCW. He was very easy to match up again because of his selling, his finisher, his hot wife, his moveset, and his mic skills

It more when you hear that guys like Taker had a low opinion, or Flair burying him in his book, shit like that from people who he just rubbed the wrong way and perpetuated the idea he didn't know what he was doing and got there via the Bischoff connection, and you get fans online parroting it, but it should hold no real water at all.

Everyone overlooks that Bischoff didn't rate him that highly and kept holding him back, and Flair likes to point fingers but always seems to forget he himself was no stranger to politics. He just didn't like them when they didn't go his way.

As much as I respect taker, ddp vs sting on nitro for the title in 99 is better than most taker matches I've ever seen.

Oh and one last thing...

....BANG!

#virgin4lyfe