Wrestlemania 39

[air_raid]

On 3/5/2023 at 5:08 AM, Version1.0 said:

Going to have to get a few multi-person matches included otherwise only 35 wrestlers are on Mania over 2 nights.

 

On 3/5/2023 at 1:37 PM, The King of Old School said:

Why? Not everyone should be on the card.

 

On 3/5/2023 at 10:09 PM, Vamp said:

They try and get everyone on the card so that they all get the WrestleMania payday I believe. Been that way since WrestleMania 19 or 20 I think? Wrestlers complained about not getting on the card 

They'll just chuck a battle royal on there and some multi tags or something. 

I don't mind it to be honest. Feels right to have a battle royal on your biggest card of the year. 

 

On 3/6/2023 at 7:59 AM, Statto said:

FWIW, there was a story/rumour last week that Triple H was in favour of not shoehorning everyone onto the card just for the sake of it.

The battle royal got bumped to "Wrestlemania Smackdown" on the Friday night last year (possibly the year before too?) I assume they just coughed up a bonus for everyone anyway.

The weird thing is that plenty of people who hate modern Manias where they last a week because every fucker gets a match, and who pine for days of "elite card" Manias, also loved Manias V-VII which had a match for every-bloody-one and such elite meetings as Tito Santana vs The Barbarian and the bad Demolition vs two Chinese lads. There's surely a reason but I can't put my finger on why.....

Yes, I excluded III because everyone should love it regardless, and IV because it was arse-numbingly boring and contested in front of a shit crowd, and you only like it because it came in a fancy box.

[The King of Old School]

9 minutes ago, air_raid said:

 

 

 

The weird thing is that plenty of people who hate modern Manias where they last a week because every fucker gets a match, and who pine for days of "elite card" Manias, also loved Manias V-VII which had a match for every-bloody-one and such elite meetings as Tito Santana vs The Barbarian and the bad Demolition vs two Chinese lads. There's surely a reason but I can't put my finger on why.....

Yes, I excluded III because everyone should love it regardless, and IV because it was arse-numbingly boring and contested in front of a shit crowd, and you only like it because it came in a fancy box.

I think it's different because Mania 5-7 still only lasted approx 3 hours each,

Before Mania went to a two night event the few prior were going approx and over 5 hours each.

Edited March 9 by The King of Old School

[air_raid]

17 hours ago, The King of Old School said:

I think it's different because Mania 5-7 still only lasted approx 3 hours each,

I think its nostalgia. Which is still no excuse. Excusing the video edits (Mania VI went approx 3 hr 20 when it aired), as an example, Mania 16 was a show smack in the middle of "fucking hell, what a great time to be a fan" looking back, went about the same duration, and was still shite because too many people were on the card and nothing really got settled, playing out more like a long Raw. Flash forward 12 months and things were so tight they assembled the best WrestleMania of all time and were so strict with who got on (excusing the necessary light relief of the Gimmick Battle Royal) - there wasn't a match for a guy as talented as X-Pac.

Mad isn't it? X-Pac wasn't on Mania 17 but Mark Jindrak was on Mania 20.

[BomberPat]

In fairness, X-Pac worked Heat that night (I don't know if/how Wrestlemania bonuses panned out for wrestlers working Heat rather than the show itself), and that was right in the middle of X-Pac being the byword for "outstayed his welcome", no matter how good he was. It was around the time of "X-Pac heat", and Edge & Christian cutting promos to him about how, "1998 called, they're sick and tired of you". 

That's just nitpicking about your specific example, though - there also wasn't room on the card for Billy Gunn, the Holly Cousins, Kaientai, Haku, Rikishi, Dean Malenko, and so on and so on, and a few people who only got on the card as run-ins or seconds (Perry Saturn, Rhino, Spike Dudley, Lita, etc.), so the point still stands.
 

I think there's a lot to be said for a big "get everyone on the card" match or two, but the ends need to justify the means - make it mean something. The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal should be an opportunity to get people on the show, to throw in some mad cameos like the time Tatanka was randomly in, and to kickstart feuds or elevate someone that they want to push coming out of 'Mania. There's no reason it can't achieve all of those things at once.

[air_raid]

4 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal should be an opportunity to get people on the show, to throw in some mad cameos like the time Tatanka was randomly in, and to kickstart feuds or elevate someone that they want to push coming out of 'Mania. There's no reason it can't achieve all of those things at once.

To use examples from its history, giving Cesaro the win in the manner it did was pretty cool. The one Corbin won wasn't.

[Fog Dude]

On 3/10/2023 at 10:14 AM, BomberPat said:

In fairness, X-Pac worked Heat that night (I don't know if/how Wrestlemania bonuses panned out for wrestlers working Heat rather than the show itself), and that was right in the middle of X-Pac being the byword for "outstayed his welcome", no matter how good he was. It was around the time of "X-Pac heat", and Edge & Christian cutting promos to him about how, "1998 called, they're sick and tired of you". 

Didn't they say that to Billy Gunn (possibly with 1999 as the year instead) the night after Edge won King of the Ring? Or had they used the same line on X-Pac a few months earlier and hoped everyone would just forget about it? Because if so, I certainly did.

Mind you, if anything, that reinforces the point to were making to Raidy. He was such an afterthought by the spring of 2001 that E&C wouldn't have even bothered directing a promo at him. I can't imagine appearing on Sunday Night Heat counted as being on the Mania card when it came to payouts though.

Edited March 11 by Fog Dude

[Snitsky's back acne]

On 3/9/2023 at 2:22 PM, air_raid said:

 IV because it was arse-numbingly boring and contested in front of a shit crowd, and you only like it because it came in a fancy box.

That box was pure swag. Double wide baby!!

[Version1.0]

I've created a highlights simulation of WrestleMania 39 Night 1 on WWE 2K23. I tried to make it as accurate as possible. It took ages. If you could even watch in the background it would be appriciated as it's doing a lot worse than my other videos. Night 2 to follow.

Seth 'Freakin' Rollins vs Logan Paul
Gunter vs Sheamus vs Drew McIntyre
Damage CTRL Vs Becky Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus
Rey Mysterio vs Dominik Mysterio
Men's 4-Way Tag
Bianca Belair vs Asuka
Stone Cold vs LA Knight
The Usos vs Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

[Hannibal Scorch]

Andy Kaufman is being inducted into the Hall of Fame. This maybe the time for him to make his reappearance. Failing that, Tony Clifton to do the speech?

[CTXRussomark]

Great choice obviously, but awful timing considering Lawler would be the obvious choice to induct him.  Bit of a shame. 

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

I suppose the next best choice would be Jimmy Hart, really liking the HoF choices this year, apparently a much loved referee is getting an induction this year with banded names being the late Tim White, Brian Hildebrand and Joey Marella, Mike Chioda and ‘Lil Naitch’ Charles Robinson 

[gmoney]

1 hour ago, RIDDUM_N_STYLE said:

I suppose the next best choice would be Jimmy Hart, really liking the HoF choices this year, apparently a much loved referee is getting an induction this year with banded names being the late Tim White, Brian Hildebrand and Joey Marella, Mike Chioda and ‘Lil Naitch’ Charles Robinson 

Shane McMahon 

[FUM]

7 hours ago, CTXRussomark said:

Great choice obviously, but awful timing considering Lawler would be the obvious choice to induct him.  Bit of a shame. 

Believe Lawler is recovering well, this photo was going about last week and JR tweeted about doing some signings soon with him. Should be capable of a short couple of minutes slot at least to induct him I reckon.

 

[BomberPat]

I assume the referee going in is Tim White, though I'm hoping for Tommy Young. Both well-deserved, but Young's the best to ever do it.

Assuming they wouldn't be inducting Kaufman if Lawler can't be there, unless they've got a celeb lined up to do it. Maybe King's health scare, and losing Jerry Jarrett so soon after that, made them think it's now or never to do this one, and that having an almost 80 year old Jimmy Hart as their back-up maybe isn't the best failsafe.