garynysmon

Anyone in chat tonight?

I seriously couldn't care less about Wrestlemania this year and I have no idea why. Every year I seem to have been sucked into the product by now but for some reason, its creeped up on me and I'm debating if I'll even bother at all. Suppose I'm alone in that regard.

Bloody hell, that's even worse than Hercules' "Its my last match, I don't give a shit" debacle at MSG. Poor Sid.

 

The US fans don't have to subscribe to at least a £40 a month sports package just to watch Raw either. 

 

More fool them if they pay £40 just to watch Raw to be honest. its a big outlay every month but its not really a bad package when you consider how much Football, Cricket, Rugby League etc you get.

As long as he doesn't start chewing tobacco like in the shoot interview that lasted hours!

The Xbox 360 version has been working fine for me but I find the WWE Network to be much more demanding on data than other video streaming apps.

I can usually watch a live footy game on the Xbox Sky Go app or iPlayer and surf the web at the same time on the iPad, but the Network has to be the only thing running in the house for me or it buffers to high heaven. Its especially odd as I'm mostly watching 1996 stuff which is obviously Standard Definition.

I've been wondering if giving WWF Superstars in 1996 is worth a go too as from watching Raw, it does seem like a lot of the angles are exclusive to Superstars. I suppose that's understandable as Raw is just an hour long, and half of it is filled with the cringeworthy Billionaire Ted skits. I'm amazed WCW didn't sue for some of them as its so libelous at times.

Ian, were those skits on Superstars too?

Yeah, you're absolutely right. 1996 is much more risque than how I remember at the time as a 12 year old.

Late 91 until Wrestlemania 8. His fantastic heel run.

Following on from Ian's comments on 1997, I'm working my way through 96 on the network at the moment and some of the homophobic snipes surrounding Goldust's run are quite shocking. Its not like its the 1970's, we're talking about the mid 90's here. Not sure what the WWF was thinking really.

A lad with a massive 'Gaydust' sign at 1996's Rumble and no-one doing anything about it and another 'faggot' chant during the same show. A few weeks later he tells Piper he wants to "Blow on his Bagpipe", snogging Ahmed Johnson when he was knocked out and trying to ravish Paul Bearer at ringside.

Goldust's character was basically a menaced, gay, sexual deviant but to be fair he had red hot heat.

Its amazing his character made such an about turn later on really.  

 

Mind you, that's what's so fun about watching 1996-98 WWF, the show was nowhere near as sterilized and polished as it is now. There's been a few episodes where they've spliced in dodgy and poor quality camcorder footage from house shows to advance story lines, and another of Davey Boy Smith in tight shorts attacking HBK on a Kuwaiti beach (I'm not making this up). Kevin Dunn would have a fit nowadays. 

 

Edit: Its also quite surreal hearing Vince McMahon telling off Lawler on commentary for not concentrating on the in-ring action when that's exactly what he wants his commentators to do these days.

 

I'm sounding more and more like my dad every day, but she'd be a pretty girl if she didn't ruin herself with those tattoos.

What's the general consensus on Roddy Piper's podcasts? In some regards its quite interesting as he's such a legend in the business, but I found his Russo podcasts to be impossible to listen to. His Jim Ross one was allright, but he hadn't done his homework at all. I'm hesitant to bother with any more of his unless there's someone really good on.

Since getting the network I've taken much more of an interest in the current product than any time since around 2010. The build-up to Shawn Michaels v Undertaker part two was the last time I'd taken a genuine interest in what was going on, and never missed an episode of Raw. I even quite liked the guest hosts when it was someone like Jesse Ventura.

I can't see myself watching an episode of Raw in its entirety for the forseeable future, but will carry on what i'm doing now which is sky+ Raw and then go back to it if something sounds good or there's someone like the nWo, Piper, Hogan etc on the show.

The thing is, with having easy access to the PPV's, it at least gives me a reason to keep up to date with storylines and I find myself reading a lot more column pieces on the current roster then used to be the case. 

I remember that the Pillman/Austin gun angle came later in the year and the Goldust storyline was pretty risque for its time I suppose, so maybe the seeds of the attitude era were planted earlier than 1997 as most people assume was the case.

Have started watching 1996 WWF Raws and PPV's on the network (decided to skip 1995 as I remember it being shit, might to back to it at some point though). It seems almost surreal that there were middle fingers in the WWF as early as January '96 though. They'd never do that nowadays would they?

 

X-Pac was definately positioned as the new leader of DX the night after Wrestlemania 14 in 1998. Triple H was a definate second.

 

Until X-pac said in that opening promo that he was in the WWF to 'rip ass', a prophecy which came true a few years later....

Anyone in for Smackdown at 1am?

Doesn't look like a bad crowd anyway

 

Road Dogg's a good one to talk. Look at the state of him, never a good wrestler (although decent enough act) and a terrible body. Don't tell me he'd have made it to the WWF without a famous dad.

I agree to a degree as I'd only watched the Warrior documentary for the first time the night before, so a lot of it did seem recycled. Still well-produced though and exactly the type of stuff they should be knocking out.

It doesn't perform half as well as Sky Go but I can live with it at the moment. I can't help thinking that Wrestlemania could be a disaster though as you'd have to think that a massive percentage of those 1m subscribers will be accessing the network at the same time.

I think that's on one the first episodes, possibly the very first one.

What I love the most about TNT, and 1984/85 as a whole I suppose, is how the company was still finding its feet to some degree. You can see the the wheels in motion for the slick product associated with the golden era in the 80's, but some teething problems along the way. A few dodgy and sometimes politically incorrect segments as well as some great ones like Gene Okerlund walking round Manhattan with Adrian Adonis, going to Dick Murdoch's ranch in Texas, Dr D the wifebeater and Fuji Vice.

Lying twat, I paid £15 for a photo with Big Sexy at a 1PW show a few years back.

 

I'd start from the first one to be honest with you. I bought the whole 1984 + 85 set on DVD from a trader a few years ago and loved them all. But as I said, any involving Piper and a pre-turn Captain Lou (so 1984 episodes) are a treat.