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UK Rampage 1991


The Reverend

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This is one show I havent seen, where was it held? The 91-93 period of WWF in the UK amazes me as some of it was really big matches then suddenly utter shite. Also 1993 has possibly the biggest number of dates the WWF/E did in the UK in one go till recent years

 

Yeah, 1993 was a big year for WWF shows. I think it having something to do with the domestic market being on its arse.

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I missed this tour as I only got into wrestling that spring (via the trading cards and my best mate) and didn't actually get cable until the summer. I went to the Birmingham show on the late 1991 tour and enjoyed it, but I remember seeing the lineups for the earlier tour somewhere -- possibly on an ad for this video -- and was jealous as fuck. I never got to see Hogan wrestle live. I can't remember why I didn't go to the Hulkamania tour in 1993, perhaps they didn't play Brum on that one?

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The start of WWF trying to make it in the UK was a few years before 1991 mate. The first WWF match aired on WOS in the late 80's featuring Hart Foundation vs British Bulldogs.

 

I don't really like the Rampage events. Was Hogan on them?

 

EDIT - I didn't attend although my best mate at the time did. I attended Battle Royal at the Royal Albert Hall though and he didn't so I think I won.

 

Well aware of that mate - in fact it was probably even more so them putting regular programming, plus PPV's on SKY and cable TV. My point was that at this point Wrestling was becoming huge business over here, after having a steady climb since about 1989 when the WWF magazine started issuing an exclusive 'UK Edition' each month, due to the fact that SKY was available in more homes and so became the in-thing with the kids. Shops started selling merchandise etc. and the big stars in the US were household names over here. In the 80's you would've been hard pressed to find many people who knew who the US stars were.

 

This is one show I havent seen, where was it held?

 

London Docklands Arena

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I missed this tour as I only got into wrestling that spring (via the trading cards and my best mate) and didn't actually get cable until the summer. I went to the Birmingham show on the late 1991 tour and enjoyed it, but I remember seeing the lineups for the earlier tour somewhere -- possibly on an ad for this video -- and was jealous as fuck. I never got to see Hogan wrestle live. I can't remember why I didn't go to the Hulkamania tour in 1993, perhaps they didn't play Brum on that one?

I will always be gutted that I never got to see Hogan wrestle live. 2 of my mates went to the Hulkamania tour in 1993 and I'm really not sure why I didn't go with them, I wish I had :(

 

Why was the 1989 "WWF Superstars" event in London (that was shown live on Sky) never given a VHS release?

Maybe because it was a TV taping for WWF Superstars and they didn't normally get a VHS release?

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I thought it was a decent enough show, if I remember correctly it was the only match that Hogan wrestled on that particular tour. The crowd was rabid - see the pop the Anvil got for proof of that - and there were some decent matches. I actually quite liked the Haku/Hammer match, solid if not "exciting."

 

Results for the interested (match order might be wrong) -

 

The Anvil pinned The Warlord

Ted DiBiase beat Kerry Von Erich by count out

The Rockers beat The Orient Express

Greg Valentine pinned Haku

Superfly Snuka pinned The Barbarian

Earthquake beat Jake The Snake by DQ

Davey Boy Snith pinned The Berzerker

Hulk Hogan pinned Sgt Slaughter

 

Of course, this was when they had two touring parties running simultanously, and either show you'd see packed with Superstars and it would feel really big deal. I probably carp on too much about the lack of star power these days, but the undercards of most house shows always look a bit "who cares?"

 

Here's what the other half of the roster were up to a couple of days later :

WWF @ Providence, RI - Civic Center - April 26, 1991 (6,000)

The Legion of Doom defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Nasty Boys via count-out

The Big Bossman pinned the Mountie

Bret Hart defeated WWF IC Champion Mr. Perfect via count-out

The Bushwhackers defeated Paul Roma & Hercules when Luke pinned Roma

Col. Mustafa pinned Jim Duggan

IRS defeated Tugboat

The Ultimate Warrior defeated the Undertaker via disqualification

 

Those were the days. If you told a small child - you'll see Ultimate Warrior, Undertaker, Bret, Mr Perfect, Legion of Doom, Hacksaw Duggan and Bossman, they'd have been stoked. Likewise the other roster featuring Hogan, Bulldog, Jake The Snake, Tornado and The Rockers, quality.

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Was Andre a big star over here? They always used to trot him out during the European shows. I remember him doing a run ... erm ... walk-in after the Battle Royal at the Royal Albert Hall wearing his best brown trousers and hawaiian shirt and the place went completely mental. It was a great moment.

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My point was that at this point Wrestling was becoming huge business over here, after having a steady climb since about 1989 when the WWF magazine started issuing an exclusive 'UK Edition' each month

Did it? The first issue of WWF magazine I ever got was in about August '91, with Bulldog on the cover, and that was full of American ads. In about '96 they used to put little UK inserts in, like the one where Gorilla Monsoon asked us to phone in if any BritWres companies were advertising Undertaker for shows. At some point they may have switched to UK advertisers as well, though I'm not sure of that. I don't recall actual exclusive UK editions of the magazine until WWE Magazine started doing a UK edition about six months ago, though.

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My point was that at this point Wrestling was becoming huge business over here, after having a steady climb since about 1989 when the WWF magazine started issuing an exclusive 'UK Edition' each month

Did it? The first issue of WWF magazine I ever got was in about August '91, with Bulldog on the cover, and that was full of American ads. In about '96 they used to put little UK inserts in, like the one where Gorilla Monsoon asked us to phone in if any BritWres companies were advertising Undertaker for shows. At some point they may have switched to UK advertisers as well, though I'm not sure of that. I don't recall actual exclusive UK editions of the magazine until WWE Magazine started doing a UK edition about six months ago, though.

 

IIRC I think it was the July 1989 issue which first started having a UK price on, and in the top right hand corner you always got a horizontal strap line with features contained in that issue, but from then until I think about feb 1990 the magazines sold in the UK used to have 'Special UK Edition' in the strapline. Other than that though they were the same.

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The Albert Hall ban was because of complaints by locals over noise from rowdy boxing fans after shows.

 

The 1989 London show was called Superstars of Wrestling for publicity, presumably because that was the main TV show on Sky, but it wasn't a TV taping. Two of the matches (Hart-Bravo, Duggan-Honky) were released on the WWF World Tour 89/90 tape. That tape also had two other matches (Rockers-Rougeaus, Hogan-Savage) that were taken from Paris but had happened on the London show as well (and were largely very similar.)

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Was Andre a big star over here? They always used to trot him out during the European shows. I remember him doing a run ... erm ... walk-in after the Battle Royal at the Royal Albert Hall wearing his best brown trousers and hawaiian shirt and the place went completely mental. It was a great moment.

 

Andre was a big star everywhere wasn't he? There's really not many wrestlers more famous than Andre. (Two by my count - Rock and Hogan.)

 

Outside of wrestling he is well known for his role in that movie - and within wrestling he's the guy who fought Hogan, stared in the cartoon and twatted Bobby Heenan.

 

Yeah, the Andre love was well appropriate and I'm well chuffed I saw him live, even if it was just him hobbling and swinging a walking stick.

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I can't think of UK Rampage without thinking of that brilliant opening to the WWF videos of that time.

 

"So if it's body slams, side suplexes and arm drags you're looking for..." Something like that. I can't remember it word-for-word.

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