Rewatching WCW

[RancidPunx]

I also remember thunder and lightning and thinking they were great…

Edited June 22, 2021 by RancidPunx

[RancidPunx]

15 minutes ago, Chili said:

Yes, I remember the Regal match too. 

Found it, great TV match. Barry Windham in 1992-93 is something awesome. 

 

Thanks for sharing.

Kinda off topic but there are a few 1989 WWF Widowmaker squashes on youtube. A guilty pleasure and worth checking out.

 

[air_raid]

9 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

You’d turn it on one Saturday and go ‘oh, Anvil’s in WCW now!’

Yes, one of my prevailing early memories of seeing “the minor leagues” on ITV was the Anvil that used to be in the WWF having a squash match, winning with the Million Dollar Dream and having Jesse Ventura who used to be in the WWF pretend it was called “The Anviliser”. Combined with the tiny Disney studio they were working every week, convincing me it was the only place they filmed, it looked closer to a little part time place former stars could still ply their trade instead of retiring rather than real competition.

Edited June 23, 2021 by air_raid

[Jazzy G]

That Regal/Windham match was I think the first time I remember seeing Steve Regal wrestle. I might have seen him on world of sport as a proper youngster, but have no recollection of it.

I also remember a Sting squash against a guy called Mercenary number 2 where Sting had a side headlock on for loads of the match. Jobber goes to send him into the ropes and he holds on, tries to give him a press slam and he keeps hold of it. I think the only time he releases it is for a whioe to the corner before a stinger splash and then the Scorpion Death lock. 

Ive probably said a million times before as well, but the Computer Contenders Challenge on Worldwide in early 93 had some cracking matches as well. Good little feud between Scorpio/Bagwell & the Hollywood Blondes to segue them from the Steamboat Douglas feud into the Horsemen feud. Vader Vs Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude Vs Dustin Rhodes after Kensuke Sasaki is withdrawn with a neck injury following Rude's recent trip to Japan. Some great memories. 

[Liam O'Rourke]

I love Jesse so much on these 93 Worldwide shows, his biting sarcasm is so enjoyable.

"Now isn't that remarkable. 2 Cold Scorpio has lost twice to the Blonds, yet he still gets a title shot. That's justice. That's WCW justice."

During Charlie Norris Vs. A masked jobber named 'The Mask' - "What a match up this oughta be. And what an original name for that wrestler, Tony Schiavone. The Mask. How on earth did he ever come up with that name."

Edited June 23, 2021 by Liam O'Rourke

[Tamura]

Are the ramblings of Shane Douglas any different from the "I could've been a contender" lines trotted out by practically every wrestler who thinks they should have been a bigger star than they really were? Everyone has their own idea about how successful they would have been had the booker or promoter decided to push them at a particular moment, and they are usually not much more than wishful thinking. Look at what Steve Austin says about the birth of Austin 3:16, there was no master plan behind it, a series of unconnected events all occurred and something caught on with the fans and the rest is history. Ditto the Four Horsemen. Ditto Mr Socko. As for the more specific subject of Shane Douglas in WCW in 2000, I very much doubt anyone had the ability to be a success in WCW at that point given how bad the company was.

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by Tamura

[Liam O'Rourke]

The thing with Douglas I think is that with most guys like that, you can spot the window when they could have been a top guy. You see the opening and you can envision them doing well. With Shane, I don't know where that window actually was.

[Project Nim]

On 6/22/2021 at 1:31 PM, Liam O'Rourke said:

Been rewatching WCW Worldwide in 1993, takes me right back. Forgot the odd period where Rick Rude had to wrestle in plain black tights and do none of his usual mannerisms since they were in Disney.

I remember watching Worldwide and missing the entrance screen graphic of a wrestler I’d never seen before who was suplexing a jobber around. In school on the Monday I was singing the praises of “Crispin Wa” 

[RancidPunx]

15 hours ago, Project Nim said:

I remember watching Worldwide and missing the entrance screen graphic of a wrestler I’d never seen before who was suplexing a jobber around. In school on the Monday I was singing the praises of “Crispin Wa” 

I read about him before i saw him and for years i was telling people that the best wrestler in the world was actually a guy called Chris Bennett…..

[RancidPunx]

15 hours ago, Liam O'Rourke said:

The thing with Douglas I think is that with most guys like that, you can spot the window when they could have been a top guy. You see the opening and you can envision them doing well. With Shane, I don't know where that window actually was.

Actually i think if Douglas had stayed in WCW in 1993, done his heel turn there, fueded with Flair then that was his best shot.

[RancidPunx]

5 minutes ago, RancidPunx said:

I read about him before i saw him and for years i was telling people that the best wrestler in the world was actually a guy called Chris Bennett…..

I first saw him wrestle on tv in may 96 and i genuinely wondered why the commentators were saying his name wrong …. 

[Liam O'Rourke]

1 hour ago, RancidPunx said:

Actually i think if Douglas had stayed in WCW in 1993, done his heel turn there, fueded with Flair then that was his best shot.

Possibly, that may have been the best chance he had, but is he better for that specific role than Windham, Austin or Pillman? And in fairness, it isn't like the charisma of 92 Douglas as a white meat babyface was so overwhelming that you would be convinced he needs to work with the returning Ric Flair.

[mim731]

Shane Douglas' career was about as successful as it was going to be. He was good, not great. He shone brightest in a company where limitations were protected, especially for main eventers. He was a good hand with some decent skills on the mic that did enough to provide him multiple runs as a decent midcarder everywhere else. I genuinely don't see how he could have been any more than he was.  

[tiger_rick]

Douglas, like Pillman albeit via different circumstances, strikes me who could have been successful in the WWF with a time machine. In much the same way as pre-car wreck Pillman could have been massive in the WWF in 1998 opposite Austin, I think 1994 Shane Douglas could have been too. That was before injuries had taken their toll and at a time when they would have taken some of the bits that worked in ECW rather than turning him into a caricature like they did in 1995. I'm not quite sure how long he would have been successful for but they were desperately looking for opponents for Austin at that time and someone he trusted who could cut a promo and get his working boots on would have at least headlined a couple of shows.

Having said that, if you had a time machine, you'd go get someone way better than Douglas!

[BomberPat]

I agree that he hit the ceiling his career warranted, and if anything out-performed that largely on ECW credibility and nostalgia alone. My only other thought is that, in another era, he could have transitioned into being a great full-time manager, but his twilight years coincided with WWE being the only game in town and not really being big on traditional managers. Even in the Attitude Era, if there was a spot for old-fashioned managers I think he'd have been a better fit in that role than as an active wrestler.