Liam O'Rourke Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 (edited) 20 minutes ago, garynysmon said: Just to hazard a guess, did the Booker T interaction take place just before a commercial break in order to keep people tuned in? Correct, and at the top of the hour. An all-time lame decision. Edited May 5, 2020 by Liam O'Rourke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 At the time it was a ...wait what? Moment. Can see it being one people messaged people on msn etc to say you have to watch this, wonder if it worked rating wise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted May 5, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 5, 2020 31 minutes ago, Louch said: At the time it was a ...wait what? Moment. Can see it being one people messaged people on msn etc to say you have to watch this, wonder if it worked rating wise yeah, watching live I imagine it must have been an attempt to basically get everyone to text their mates to tune in, giving them the break to catch up. And an excuse for Booker T to do a "tell me I did not just see that". Whether it diluted Bischoff's debut as a "surprise", or whether in fact the debut needed to be a surprise is perhaps a broader conversation. Maybe the weirder thing was bringing in Bischoff as subordinate to Vince rather than opposed to him in the first place. I distinctly remember seeing the photo on WWE.com the next morning of Vince raising Bischoff's arm and thinking "fucking hell, I need to watch this one when I get home". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pogue Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Think it's pretty easy to knock it in hindsight but as I alluded to in a previous post, it was Eric Bischoff, not someone who was coming in to have a main event programme with anyone Fair enough he could've been a manager for someone in that position but even so, there's no really exciting way to debut someone in that way, doubt there's many people raving about Heyman giving Punk a lift 8 years later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonworden Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 15 hours ago, King Pitcos said: The original plan was for WCW to take one of the shows, or to get a new slot for it, but the networks told them to get fucked. In his first few WWF appearances, Booker T was a babyface and was meant to be the top guy in the WCW relaunch. But when networks said no, and fans reacted poorly to the WCW matches they tried out on TV, the idea to make it its own thing was dead in the water and they turned it into a heel faction instead. That reaction to the Buff/ Booker match has been debated a few times I think with people saying they purposely chose a less WCW area to hold it and do the match right at the end of the night so the fans are full of WWF goodness and don't need anymore was basically sabotage. I do wonder what would have happened in the arena if they had either waited or run the WCW segment at the start of the show. The ratings were pretty shocking though too I think. 10 hours ago, Liam O'Rourke said: Correct, and at the top of the hour. An all-time lame decision.  10 hours ago, Pogue said: Yeah it was, can't blame them for the way they did it, it's not like they showed him backstage then had him do a run in on the main event, the crowd was at fever pitch when Vince came out to introduce him a few minutes later I always thought about how they ruined it but I guess it did exactly that and made it almost a bigger announcement giving people a reason to stay tuned. I always thought in the end Bischoff wouldn't have added to the Invasion storyline over the long haul without some more name wrestlers but by being brought in after it just makes Vince and him look like bigger arseholes for not actually giving too shits about history or anything as long as it makes them both money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP RULZ Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Could of it of worked better if they just left it as "Tell me I didnt Just see that" and not shown who Booker was referring to and went to commercial break. Still could get people messaging each other to turn over knowing its coming next and Bookers reaction making it known it's going to be quite a surprise and allows the 1st time we see him to be when he is introduced and you get that shocked reaction from the audience. It worked anyway so didnt seem to impact the reaction at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted May 6, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 6, 2020 Once you've decided to bring in Eric Bschoff, have him hug Vince McMahon and be A.N. Other authority character, you've already pissed away any money. So the introduction is irrelevant whether it's before or after the ad break, whether it's on TV or PPV, advertised or a surprise. Any money in Bischoff is in him coming in to oppose Vince after their years of legit heat. That's not easy because they'd just done, and tanked, the invasion, they'd just done, and aborted, the nWo, and they'd already had Flair come in and face Vince. It's the addendum to the Invasion. The disjointed nature of it, not being able to bring in the big names, then bringing in them all anyway on a delay without any of it feeling as big or doing the business you'd imagine after that first PPV. It's all a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted May 6, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 6, 2020 (edited) My mate just sent me this, what I'm sure is a poster from one of Orig Williams' old "Tribute to the WWF" shows that used to be held almost nightly across the north Wales coast (and everywhere else) over the summer. I watched way more of these than I'd happily admit.  Edited May 6, 2020 by garynysmon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobra_gordo Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Dwayne "The Blackpool Rock" Johnson on the left there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted May 6, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 6, 2020 WWE couldnt even get the Nexus right, so asking them to book the Invasion is asking a bit much. I'm still stunned by that angle. It was so over and then one night they just went "nah." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Dead Mike Posted May 6, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 6, 2020 That fake Rock on the poster above is tremendous. Look at his fucking hair! That's either photoshopped or he's using that spray on stuff that Graham Gooch used to shill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 It looks like something straight out of Phoenix Nights, Brian Potter's booked t' wrestling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted May 6, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 6, 2020 (edited) Fair play to Bret Rico, he's versatile if nothing else if he can portray four different men and a woman. Edited May 6, 2020 by garynysmon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshC Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 55 minutes ago, Merzbow said: It looks like something straight out of Phoenix Nights, Brian Potter's booked t' wrestling. "What about Ray Von?!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBacon Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 8 minutes ago, AshC said: "What about Ray Von?!" Ray Von Dudley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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