AshC Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 In these days of being able to access wrestling news and content almost anywhere, the idea of a pro wrestling hotline seems pretty archaic. But as you know, these were big money makers back in the day. Here's an old (and pretty creepy) advert for the notorious WCW hotline, the numbers of which are no doubt subliminally ingrained in the minds of millions. Â Â Of course, once Gene Okerlund made the jump from the WWF, these became his baby, and Gene got a fair bit of flack for luring callers in with headlines that would sometimes prove a lot more sensational than the actual stories. Nevertheless, Gene was synonymous with the WCW hotline, right up until the point where WCW.com largely took over as the company's big news source. Â Obviously we didn't get so much programming over here in that era, but did anyone here call those famous digits of 1900-909-9900? Â Â And if so, what were your experiences? Did you get through to Sting? Â Â I can't recall if there was a UK option/equivalent. For the WWF however, there most certainly was, in the form of the much-pushed WWF Superstar Line. Â Now I remember calling this a couple of times. Once was to find the result out of the Bret/Undertaker match at SummerSlam 1997, which I can kind of understand, but I also remember cramming into a phonebox with a few other lads at school to listen to an LOD/DOA/Paul Ellering thing, circa 1998. Such wasted youth. :-/ Â How about the spin-offs? Did anyone dial up the Hulk Hotline?! This was the WCW-era incarnation.... Â Â My biggest shame with these has to be calling the Power Slam hotline after the Ric Flair heart attack angle in December 1998. I had been over there in the US on a family holiday when it happened, and proper bought it. 8-hour flight home, through the door at 6am and the first thing I did was call Fin Martin's answering machine to find out the condition of the Nature Boy. :-/ Â Anyway... wrestling hotline memories. How much did you blow listening to exclusive Los Boricuas interviews? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted March 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2014 Go down the bowling alley, phone Power Slam and the WWF hotline and dont put the 10 pence in the machine. As long as you didn't want to talk to anyone, you could fill your boots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted March 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2014 Go down the bowling alley, phone Power Slam and the WWF hotline and dont put the 10 pence in the machine. As long as you didn't want to talk to anyone, you could fill your boots. We had those phone boxes where you put the money in after the other person answered. And I wasn't clever enough to work this out! Fuck. Â Ash, might be worth mentioning it's picture heavy to avoid moaning from people with Nokia 3210's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SpursRiot2012 Posted March 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2014 Did you get this idea from Review-a-Wai? Â Yeah, Mean Gene's hotline number is unforgettable. Literally, I can't forget it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshC Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Did you get this idea from Review-a-Wai? Yeah that got me thinking about it. I quite liked the cricket hotline that's now in place of the WCW number haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dopper Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I do what I believe is a great impression of Fin Martin doing the introduction to his hotline in that strong Lancashire accent. Â I phoned it regularly in 1998/1999 before I had access to the internet and the one big story I remember most when he announced Russo & Ferrara had jumped from WWF to WCW. He explained that they were the chief writers during the golden 1997-99 era and them going to WCW will probably put them back on top in the Monday Night War. Â As a WWF fan, I was worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Wright Mark Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I was addicted to calling the WWF Superstars Line and the Power Slam hotline back in the summer of 98. It was the school summer holidays, and I had nothing to do. So I would phone up to get the latest scoops. I must have played that Branching Story game on the WWF hotline over ten times, and yet the prizes they said I could win never came  A month later, the phone bill arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SpursRiot2012 Posted March 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2014 Sorry to tangent but that reminds of the time as a kid I started calling 192 trying to get wrestlers home numbers (once I found out real names.) I got through to the Hart mansion once and spoke briefly to a bewildered Stu Hart before Helen Hart took the phone and informed me that it was the early hours in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Benno Posted March 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2014 Fuck me, I wish I'd known about the phone box thing. I'd have been all over that. As a kid In '96 or so I used ring the WWF Hotline from the public phonebox anytime I got a spare pound and listen to about a minute before I got cut off. Â What was the number? I swear I have 0891 299 888 etched in my brain but a quick google for that number brings up nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Astro Hollywood Posted March 7, 2014 Moderators Share Posted March 7, 2014 I do what I believe is a great impression of Fin Martin doing the introduction to his hotline in that strong Lancashire accent. Â "Greetings, mat-fans!" Â Always a disappointment when you'd call in and hear the sullen voice of Rob Butcher instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted March 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2014 I still remember the process on the Superstar line. You'd first get Michael Hayes going "hey, its Handsome Dok Hendrix - The Dok, that rocks the 4-1-1 - please have the bill payers permission before you call". And then Paul Bearer would pop up and go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted March 7, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted March 7, 2014 I learned maths by working out exactly how long you called WrestleCall before it would show up on the itemised bill. Â I also remember calling from a phonebox to find out who had won the Flair-Hogan Bash at the Beach match. I only got a minute's worth of call for my 50p, but apparently you could see my face drop. My mood soon changed from sadness to disappointment when I realised that Flair must have taken a dive, possibly in return for a bribe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 "Greetings, mat-fans!"  Only hotline I used to phone was Roland Rat's  "Greetings, rat fans!"  In my defence, Roland Rat was a bigger draw than any wrestler ever was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSM Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I remember calling the WWF Hotline just the once. I was desperate to know if Mankind had beaten Shawn Michaels at In Your House Mind Games for the WWF championship that I had to call the hotline. I had missed it on Sky, no-one at school watched/admitted to watching wrestling and Internet wasn't as spolierific as it is now. The hotline was my only option left. I do remember that I was bitterly disappointed when I heard Mankind didn't get the belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted March 7, 2014 Moderators Share Posted March 7, 2014 I still remember the process on the Superstar line. You'd first get Michael Hayes going "hey, its Handsome Dok Hendrix - The Dok, that rocks the 4-1-1 - please have the bill payers permission before you call". And then Paul Bearer would pop up and go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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