This month in pro-wrestling history 5, 10, 15, 20 & 25 years ago

[tiger_rick]

November 2009

• WWE toured the UK and areas of Europe with a double crew of Raw and Smackdown/ECW. As good a reason as any for a strong brand split.
• Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston had a mini-program including Kingston pinning Orton at Survivor Series. For two weeks, Kofi looked like a mega-star. Ahem.
• Raw guest host Ricky Hatton beat Chavo Guerrero on the Raw from Sheffield.
• Vince McMahon & Raw guest host Jesse Ventura re-united on commentary to call an 8 man Battle Royal on Raw.
• Other Raw guest hosts included Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne and Roddy Piper.
• Vance Archer and the tag team of Caylen Croft & Trent Barretta debuted on ECW TV.
• Jay Lethal lost to Jim Neidhart on TNA Impact.

 

November 2004

• WWE Survivor Series was memorable only for that Heidenrich/Snitsky promo.
• WWE released Test, Albert, Billy Gunn, Rodney Mack, Chuck Palumbo, Nidia and Jazz.
• Maria Kanellis debuted as Raw’s backstage interviewer.
• Tough Enough contestant Daniel Puder almost tapped out Kurt Angle in a shoot match on Smackdown. That should have made a star. Instead it marked his card.
• John Cena won the US Title back as he squashed Carlito on Smackdown.
• On Raw, the tag titles changed hands twice as Benoit & Edge dropped them to Conway & Grenier who lost them to Willie Regal & Eugene (in a triple threat elimination match also  featuring Rhyno & Tajiri).

 

November 1999

• Legendary trainer Hiro Matsuda, who broke in Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Scott Hall and Great Muta amongst others, died aged 62 of colon cancer.
• The Big Show won the WWF Title at Survivor Series beating champ Triple H and The Rock in a triple threat. Big Show was a sub for Steve Austin who was taken out of the match after being “run over”. Austin was advertised for the PPV even though the extent of his neck injury was well known and he’d miss almost a year recovering from surgery.
• Olympic Gold medallist Kurt Angle made his TV debut on the show (against Shawn Stasiak). Dunno if he turned out to be any good.
• The WWF tag titles also changed hands twice during this month. Mankind and Al Snow beat the Hollys before losing them to the New Age Outlaws.
• WCW, now being booked by Vinny Ru, held a massive title tournament throught out the month culminating with Bret Hart beating Chris Benoit at Mayhem.
• Bret previously dropped the US Title to Scott Hall in a four way ladder match with Goldberg and Sid. Hall also got awarded the TV Title at the Mayhem PPV after Rick Steiner had to forfeit but he threw it in the bin a week later. Fortunately Hacksaw Duggan found it in a different bin three months later and started defending it.
• Hulk Hogan didn’t appear for WCW all month. Ric Flair only had one match on a house show.
• WCW debuted the appalling Oklahoma character (Ed Ferrera mocking Jim Ross) and Dr. Death Steve Williams returned to the promotion alongside him.
• Juventud Guerrera won the IWGP Junior heavyweight title from Jushin Liger on Nitro but got injured before he could drop it back (in December) so Psychosis subbed.
• ECW pulled three 3000+ crowds for the November To Remember PPV in Buffalo and ECW on TNN TV Tapings in New York and Illinois.
• Taz put over TV Champion RVD at the PPV where the crowd gave him hell for leaving for the WWF.

 

November 1994

• Art Barr died aged 28. His career had just taken off with his heel tag team with Eddie Guerrero getting over huge in AAA.
• AAA presented the “When World’s Collide” PPV along with WCW which became a must have amongst UK tape traders particularly for the Barr & Guerrero vs. El Hijo Del Santo & Octagon “Hair vs. Mask” match.
• (ECW threatened to sue WCW for using their trademarked name “When World’s Collide” but settled for signing Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton on an emergency loan deal.)
• Also in ECW, Chris Benoit broke Sabu’s neck at November To Remember with a botched throw/suplex/back body drop. In the early days of internet popularity, this must have been the most downloaded wrestling clip!
• Bob Backlund won the WWF Title at Survivor Series beating Bret Hart in a massive snoozer when Owen Hart convinced Helen Hart to throw in the towel.
• Backlund lost the WWF Title three days later to Diesel who squashed him in nine seconds at MSG.
• Bull Nakano beat Alundra Blayze to win the women’s title on a card at the Tokyo Dome in front of 45,000. Footage aired on the Survivor Series PPV.
• Chuck Norris was guest enforcer for the Undertaker-Yokozuna match on the PPV. Waste of everyone’s time.
• Aldo Montoya debuted on WWF TV. Vignettes started airing to hype the debut of Henry Godwinn. These truly were the days of our lives.
• WCW taped TV on November 1^st that aired on January 28^th!
• Buff Bagwell & The Patriot won the tag titles from Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma at Clash 29.
• Hulk Hogan, Sting & Evad Sullivan beat The Butcher (Brutus Beefcake), Kevin Sullivan & Avalanche (Earthquake) in the main event. Post-match The Butcher put Hogan in the sleeper for ages setting up the worst Starrcade main event imaginable.
• Blacktop Bully (Demolition Smash) debuted in WCW in late November.
• Hiroshi Hase & Muta won the IWGP tag titles from Kensuke Sasaki & Road Warrior Hawk.

 

November 1989

• Tully Blanchard was fired by the WWF for failing a drugs test. He and Arn Anderson were on their way back to WCW anyway.
• WWF Survivor Series was unmemorable. Earthquake made his TV debut. Hogan didn’t pin Zeus. Bobby Heenan subbed for Tully Blanchard.
• Buzz Sawyer returned to WCW at a TV Taping. Gary Hart debuted as his manager.
• The Steiners won the NWA Tag Titles on the same show from the Freebirds.
• Ric Flair beat terry Funk in a brilliant “I quit” match at Clash 9.
• The UWF drew 60,000 at the Tokyo dome with an Akira Maeda/Willy Wilhelm main event.

[bbabba]

 

 

November 1999

• Legendary trainer Hiro Matsuda, who broke in Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Scott Hall and Great Muta amongst others, died aged 62 of colon cancer.
• The Big Show won the WWF Title at Survivor Series beating champ Triple H and The Rock in a triple threat. Big Show was a sub for Steve Austin who was taken out of the match after being “run over”. Austin was advertised for the PPV even though the extent of his neck injury was well known and he’d miss almost a year recovering from surgery.
• Olympic Gold medallist Kurt Angle made his TV debut on the show (against Shawn Stasiak). Dunno if he turned out to be any good.
• The WWF tag titles also changed hands twice during this month. Mankind and Al Snow beat the Hollys before losing them to the New Age Outlaws.
• WCW, now being booked by Vinny Ru, held a massive title tournament throught out the month culminating with Bret Hart beating Chris Benoit at Mayhem.
• Bret previously dropped the US Title to Scott Hall in a four way ladder match with Goldberg and Sid. Hall also got awarded the TV Title at the Mayhem PPV after Rick Steiner had to forfeit but he threw it in the bin a week later. Fortunately Hacksaw Duggan found it in a different bin three months later and started defending it.
• Hulk Hogan didn’t appear for WCW all month. Ric Flair only had one match on a house show.
• WCW debuted the appalling Oklahoma character (Ed Ferrera mocking Jim Ross) and Dr. Death Steve Williams returned to the promotion alongside him.
• Juventud Guerrera won the IWGP Junior heavyweight title from Jushin Liger on Nitro but got injured before he could drop it back (in December) so Psychosis subbed.
• ECW pulled three 3000+ crowds for the November To Remember PPV in Buffalo and ECW on TNN TV Tapings in New York and Illinois.
• Taz put over TV Champion RVD at the PPV where the crowd gave him hell for leaving for the WWF.

 

 

 

Easy to bash Russo I know, but I'm pretty sure that this was around the time where, even as a 10 year old kid who only followed WCW through its magazine, I began to notice what a mess the company was becoming. 

 

Great post as always by the way, I do enjoy reading these

[Onyx2]

November 1989

Tully Blanchard was fired by the WWF for failing a drugs test. He and Arn Anderson were on their way back to WCW anyway.

WWF Survivor Series was unmemorable. Earthquake made his TV debut. Hogan didn’t pin Zeus. Bobby Heenan subbed for Tully Blanchard.

I love this SS,I've got very fond memories of the Sky One broadcast. I was astonished that Tully didn't show up, what with Jesse's great cover story "there's been pushing and shoving in the Heenan family locker room" really hyping it up. As a young Warrior fan it was great to see Bobby get blasted, though a touch mean to sickle clothesline him as he made his way back down the entrance.

 

Great way to protect the Zeus / Hogan feud, with Zeus destroying Hogan and being DQed, while you still get Hulk doing his shtick plus Hogan Happy Hour. It always seemed odd to me that the Hulkamaniacs v Million $ Team was slap bang in the middle of the card. Did Hogan have his tea in the oven or were they scrambling over the Blanchard situation?

[tiger_rick]

Great way to protect the Zeus / Hogan feud, with Zeus destroying Hogan and being DQed, while you still get Hulk doing his shtick plus Hogan Happy Hour. It always seemed odd to me that the Hulkamaniacs v Million $ Team was slap bang in the middle of the card. Did Hogan have his tea in the oven or were they scrambling over the Blanchard situation?

They sacked Blanchard after the first TV taping of the month. Haku subbed for him on house shows. I've always thought they were trying at this point to make the Warrior seem as big a star as Hogan ready for WM6.

[Onyx2]

 

It always seemed odd to me that the Hulkamaniacs v Million $ Team was slap bang in the middle of the card.

I've always thought they were trying at this point to make the Warrior seem as big a star as Hogan ready for WM6.

 

That does make sense.

 

I'd forgotten that Kofi v Orton thing. That was fun while it lasted.

[tiger_rick]

One I forgot and have just remembered. Raw - November 29th 1999 - The wedding of Test & Stephanie McMahon. Brilliant segment, Steph's tears, Vince's rage, Triple H looking like an absolutley massive cunt and the hokiest skit in the history of anything. Fabulous.

[Flangedango]

November 2004 takes me back to the Survivor Series Raw Four-on-four elimination match. Really good stiff match and I don't think I've ever heard so much profanity in a single match before or since. Every other word was 'Fuck' 'Fucking' or 'Prick'. I guess business was starting to flounder by that time and they were going for a more 'gritty 'and 'real' feel to it to try and get it back up to what it was.

 

Good times.

[The King Of Swing]

One I forgot and have just remembered. Raw - November 29th 1999 - The wedding of Test & Stephanie McMahon. Brilliant segment, Steph's tears, Vince's rage, Triple H looking like an absolutley massive cunt and the hokiest skit in the history of anything. Fabulous.

 

Which then led to the wonderful McMahon-Helmsley era. Things really started to pick up around then leading into to an amazing 2000.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

This thread has prompted me to go back and watch old Survivor Series', good stuff. I had to scan read stuff so the shows don't get spoiled. Boy, I'm really looking forward to the Austin vs Rock vs HHH match from the '99 series.

 

It really would have been a huge, amazing match. The three biggest stars of the era. It'd be like Hogan vs. Savage vs. Warrior, or Cena vs. Orton vs. Punk (the latter being less appealing, but still fairly cool).