When was the first time wrestling broke your heart?

[King Pitcos]

Benoit.

Reported.

[Chris B]

Just as a transitional champion to get it to Diesel, more than likely.

 

Yeah, Meltzer covered this a little while ago. Essentially, him getting another title reign was a little bit of a favour to him, rather than it being so short being a punishment.

[NEWM]

There's two for me:

 

I didn't get Sky until 1997, so I used to get the PPVs taped and tapes with batches of telly on just whenever my uncle could be arsed to put ones together for me. One tape had a really well split set of stuff which covered all the big segments to do with Papa Shango cursing the Warrior. Even though he looked a bit like a slightly muscly auntie instead of the Ultimate Warrior now, I was only 8 so he was still my main man until Bret won the belt, when glory hunter me switched to the Hitman. Anyway, I remember being well, well worried about this curse after Shango's promo in the flames and stuff, and I felt alarmed and when he fell off the apron after the Knobbs match on Superstars (in which he'd had enough on his plate with both Nasties and Jimmy Hart) holding his gut. When they showed the video of him spewing, I learned the words "Intensive Care" for the first time, as my Dad told me he was in that being monitored, just to wind me up. We still laugh about that one now actually. Anyway, I was totally on the hook when Warrior came out to do an interview in his outside coat and he bled black!

 

 

WARRIORS!!!!.....wwwwheeeyuhhhhhsss

 

He couldn't even get the second plea for help from the Warriors out, he was that fucked. My Dad telling me he died shortly after this was filmed certainly didn't help. When Summerslam came around and he blatantly wasn't dead, I resolved that my Dad must have been misinformed. Later on, our video shop got that second Ultimate Warrior video in, and that had a Shango/Warrior match on which we both took to be the conclusive blow off to everything. Even so, when I first saw it, I was sure he was finished after that promo.

 

The other is an obvious one, but Hogan at the end of Wrestlemania 9. You fucking cunt. Fuck off. (Except in January when I saw you and you're clearly the biggest fucking deal in wrestling ever). Devastated doesn't even cut it. I remember LOADS of my friends were still into wrestling for that show (leading to the eternal question that lingers to this day of "Do they still do ones like the roman one that was outside??") and there was a big divide between us based on who deserved to be the Champion. That WWF Magazine with Undertaker on the cover stirred the pot too, which made it really confusing when we never got our Bret/Hogan match. I wish Hogan would have been more game for that in 93, they could have assembled a classic IMO. Summerslam would have drawn the best possible number from the rapidly dwindling audience.

 

To a lesser extent because they rehabbed the character almost immediately in the Rumble later on, but Owen kicking Bret's leg out of his leg was a proper fuck on. This thread is showing a bit of a trend it seems - as a kid the Hitman was phenomenal at creating that emotional connection with you. No wonder his heel turn clicked so well with the steadily increasing teen audience in 97 - they had seen it all with his good guy stuff. His trials and tribulations really put you through the wringer back then.

[neil's bitch]

For me has to be the Invasion main event, I just didn't see it coming at all. I was shocked, and instantly hated Steve Austin at the time. It's strange what happens over the years, now I would of seen it a mile off, but at the time I didn't suspect a thing!

 

I'll add into this when Nash power-bombed Sting to give Macho the title at spring stampede, as Sting is my favorite wrestler of all time. At the time ('98 was it?) I was about 10, so this was a world ending moment for me, especially after the previous year of him kicking ass and then beating Hogan as well. What made it worse was we didn't get the PPV's, so i found out a week later. It was like I'd found out somebody had died, but didn't even know he was sick, as I presumed Sting was unstoppable.

[King Pitcos]

This thread is showing a bit of a trend it seems - as a kid the Hitman was phenomenal at creating that emotional connection with you. No wonder his heel turn clicked so well with the steadily increasing teen audience in 97 - they had seen it all with his good guy stuff. His trials and tribulations really put you through the wringer back then.

For me it was the opposite in the early and mid nineties, couldn't stand the fucker. The only time I liked him was during his 1992 feud with Shawn Michaels, because he was the lesser of two evils. I hated that he beat Piper at WrestleMania though. And the match that solidified me hating Bret Hart was when he beat Mr Perfect at King of the Ring. I wanted Hennig to go all the way there, much like I did with Crash Holly seven years later (although at sixteen, I knew that wasn't happening). Perfect's shoulder wasn't even on the mat for the three count. Bret Hart was a possum-playing cunt. I don't know why I hated him and never took to him at all, he must have just been a massive letdown after the Hogan era. And I reckon I only became such a big fan of Michaels in '95 because he was hugely exciting in comparison to Bret.

[King Coconut]

The very same match as the OP also moved me greatly. I vividly remember noticing the 'fuck' as a child and it just made everything worse. It still hurts even writing about it...

[Egg Shen]

.

[air_raid]

The Bret heel turn resonated with me, because as a fan of his since - well, 'Mania VI - I went through him being shafted by Shawn at It's Time, then cheated out of the Rumble by Austin, then having the ignominy of a one day title reign again because of that fuckrat Steve Austin, who just KEPT GETTING IN THE WAY OF MY HERO BEING CHAMPION AGAIN, so when he turned heel I sat there thinking "he's right. I agree with every word he is saying." I thought, I will still cheer for you Bret, against that dirty Stone Cold who keeps attacking you from behind like a coward, against the Undertaker (even though he is cool), against this wally in the stars and stripes mask and especially against his homosexual nemesis Shawn Michaels.

 

Well, that's what I thought at 15 anyway.

 

Earthquake was a right horrible prick

 

Even as a kid, I could not understand what would cause even the suddenly evil and sadistic Jake the Snake to even consider teaming up with the fat cunt that killed his beloved pet, as originally announced for Survivors 91.

 

The other is an obvious one, but Hogan at the end of Wrestlemania 9. You fucking cunt. Fuck off. (Except in January when I saw you and you're clearly the biggest fucking deal in wrestling ever). Devastated doesn't even cut it.

 

Yes, 100%. I had seen it all out of Hogan, Bret had been a refreshing change on top. Seeing him get pinned by salt in the eyes was poor enough after some of the beatings he'd taken in previous matches and survived (I still think Michaels is going to pin him after the side suplex at Survivors 92 every time I watch it), but then for that red and yellow walrus-faced bastard to steal Bret's belt without the courtesy of even taking it from him.... why, I oughta...

 

To a lesser extent because they rehabbed the character almost immediately in the Rumble later on, but Owen kicking Bret's leg out of his leg was a proper fuck on.

 

I was devastated. Going into that match I thought "well, if they're going with Luger, it would be nice for Bret to win the tag belts with Owen. Not many people get to win them three times. Maybe Bret is winding down, this would be a shot in the arm for his little brother." I think I might have had an angry shout from downstairs at my loud exclamation of "You BASTARD" when Owen did that.

 

And yes, despite my Bret bias and (even then) mild discomfort when homosexual Shawn Michaels came out dancing in his assless chaps, I spent a good few days of November '95 slightly upset and worried that wrestling Owen had killed him. With no internet to find out, it was a tense few days waiting for WWF Mania on saturday morning for Todd to even tell me if Shawn was still alive, ridiculous as that sounds now.

[ShortOrderCook]

Firstly - I seriously envy all you cunts who have this fun, banterly or loving relationships of watching the wrestling with your fathers.

 

Secondly - How the hell did WM9 not just jump straight out to me for this. God how hated i Hogan and his gammy eye. Even as a youngster I kinda knew it was all a big play but still had the sense that some guys were actually the best at what they do, even if it wasn't actually winning a wrestling match. I'm not sure I've explained that too well. I may well have been a smark kid, I loved Macho, I loved Bret but then I liked Yoko too and early Diesel and plenty of others. I never liked Hogan, not until I was much older. It was clear as day this was a massive injustice. Hogan was the ultimate prick. It depressed me deeply, so much so that it was the first (and only really) time I didn't want wrestling anymore. That was fucking painful and I remember feeling 'He 's never going to go away is he!?!' which still seems to be true but I'm glad of it now.

 

Thirdly - My other one is another Bret one and the opposite of King above. King of the Ring '93. I can vividly remember watching this the whole way through in my front room on tape, having got it from Woolworths. Only, I've only recollection of watching the actual tourney portion of the show. Maybe because the rest was so shit or because the tournament was so good and I was so invested in it. I don't remember actually watching the Hogan and Michaels matches with my actual eyes at all. Anyway, this PPV brought me right back to super fandom. I had tagged along on some Cubs trip my brother was on with my mate when the show was approaching on had just happened, I forget which. Some of the older lads were discussing Hogan leaving after this and Bret potentially winning the tournament. I remember enquiring what happens when you win King of the Ring, nobody seemed to know but somebody made up that you get a shot at the WWF title, which seemed believable, otherwise (what was the point?) and seemed like an obvious set up for Hogan - Bret. Either way i realised it was good to win it and that Hogan might be fucking off so I was well into it and well behind Bret and felt winning here could make up for what happened to him at WrestleMania.

 

I knew he could do it, but shit he's got Razor Ramon first. He has to wrestle two more later to win it. This show and these matches Bret had are the other matches that made me adore Bret as well as those mentioned earlier. God I loved them all. I really liked Razor after this match too, maybe because it was so good I guess. But I loved Brets style. His reversals and sneaky small packages were some of the coolest things to my young eyes. There's a spot in where he gets out of a backslide by moving over to the turnbuckle walking up it like against Roddy in the sleeper at WM8 to get out of it and quickly slips it into a small package. I thougt it was brilliant and I thought he had him. So he gets through but now he's got fucking Perfect! Fuck sake, this isn't fair. Was a bit torn here as I wanted these two in the final but I was sticking with Bret. Adored the match again and joy was brought to my heart that they seemed a bit respecty matey following it and rightly so.

 

He's had two gruelling matches and he's through to the final. But so is Bam Bam, who's fresh as a big bald daisy having received a bye. MORE INJUSTICE! But fuck that, Brets still got this. He's the man! C'mon Bret. This match was a complete emotional rollercoaster, I'd never hated Bam Bam but started to here. The never ending torture rack had me absolutely shitting myself, Bret looked so done. Then Luna got involved and if I didn't hate Bam Bam (I liked his name I think) I sure as shit hated Luna because God was she scary. And ugly. Scary ugly. And fuck that bitch had just cost Bret the match and the whole night! This isn't fair! Not like this, not after everything he's been through! But, no! It gets restarted! And Bret goes on to win with a sweet victory roll when he finds himself on top of Bams shoulders! Holy shit what a win! Little ShortOrder was overjoyed, because boy did he deserve it! This made up for Mania for me big time. I was very happy, watching his coronation I was beaming. Then it happened. Jerry Lawler pops up out of nowhere and whacks him. He lays into Bret with what felt like a seriously brutal attack to me then. No! NO! How can you do this. Fuck off! You didn't win it, you just call yourself a king! You're not a real king like Bret! He won that honor. And then the show ends like that. Fuuuuck! I was distraught. There definitely was tears here, it was worse then when Johnny number5 got done over by those thugs. Much worse.

 

That whole show and Brets matches, particularly the final took me all over the place emotionally speaking and the ending just tore me up. They don't make them like that anymore. WWF magazine didn't help when they questioned if Bret was finished some time after.

[NEWM]

Shawn was fucking brilliant too though. I felt guilty liking him in 94 when he was teaming with Big D, and it all felt right when he turned in 95. The babyface side of the WWF at that was probably one of my favourite groups ever. Shawn, Bret, Diesel, Razor, Taker, Bam Bam, all superb and hard-to-beat goodies. Poor old Nash was desperately shy of decent heels for his run.

 

I remember the turning point for me and Bret was Rumble 97. WWE got EXACTLY what they wanted from me that night - Bret had never been such a fucking whiner before, and so what if Austin had been a bit cagey here or there? The Raw where Bret threatened to quit and Austin was just 'yeah? So fuck. Who cares anyway, I'm going to Wrestlemania' only furthered turning me over to Austin's team.

[ShortOrderCook]

Fuck off NEWM. Why shouldn't he whine! He won that Rumble. He eliminated Austin! He was SCREWED! Fucking inept refs! I was completely behind Bret there and I liked Austin. His pissed off hissy fit following the Rumble was utterly convincing to me. I still love that. Bret was so into that moment. It was real. You can so easily watch that and believe its real and how much it meant to him. Even if he was being a bit whiney, making idle threats on the next nights Raw I got why he was doing it and was right behind him. This can't stand!

[PowerButchi]

Am I the only person who was ecstatically happy when Hulk saved the day at WM9 then? I was made up. Screw Bret, HERE COMES THE CALVARY!

[NEWM]

Bret doesn't whine, he gets on with the job. HE'S THE ONE THAT'S CHANGED, and if he can't handle it any more than that's just tough shit. He didn't whinge in 93 or 94, but suddenly he's jealous and getting older and Austin and Michaels are playing dirty and he doesn't like it?! Man up or go bollocks!

 

Fuck me, what an angle. Best wall-to-wall build up and execution WWE ever did, was Bret/Austin.the ratings never showed it but that's the story that first gave WCW something to think about.

 

I want to go and watch about 14 hours of footage from around this time now.

 

 

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Am I the only person who was ecstatically happy when Hulk saved the day at WM9 then? I was made up. Screw Bret, HERE COMES THE CALVARY!

Seemed like the perfecting ending to me. The all American hero returns to sort the big Jap out. Hogan's return was what was selling the PPV anyway.

[Bus Surfer]

I was happy as shit to see Hogan walk out and save the day, too. I only ever wanted Hogan as champ. That's how it was supposed to be.

I always remember thinking how very half hearted and insincere Bret's "Yeah Hulk, go sort him out" bit was as well. Even as a child I could tell he wasn't happy. Fuck it though, Hulkamania ruled all.