WWE Vault Appreciation Thread

[BomberPat]

16 hours ago, SaitoRyo said:

It really is just the best channel going right now. Love shit like this. 

 

It took me ages to figure out who anyone in the first match was, then the big one absolutely ate shit on a dive to the floor and I realised it was PCO.

[FLips]

Unironically a big fan of one of those HHH vs Steiner matches, whichever is the one where all Steiner does is suplexes and Triple H's back looks absolutely fucked by the end of it. Something about HHH's reign of terror at the time combined with him constantly going long when he had no right to resulting in a 2 hour long suplex-thon cracks me up.

[wandshogun09]

On 2/3/2025 at 4:50 PM, SaitoRyo said:

It really is just the best channel going right now. Love shit like this. 

 

God that Dr Death vs Scorpio match was shite. And I say that as a big fan of both. Doc by 98 was just knackered though, wasn’t he? It’s not like I’d have had high expectations for this anyway but he looked awful. Even by Attitude Era standards where ‘workrate’ wasn’t the be all-end all, he looks so out of place.

And to think there are people out there who believe he was gonna be put in with Austin in main events if he won the Brawl For All!

[BigJag]

It's the anniversary of this huge piece of WWF history. 

WWE Vault just keeps delivering.

This was the first time that I've watched the whole thing. I've only ever seen it in highlight form previously. It looks like absolute chaos. The crowd are completely into it and I don't think Hogan was ever physically bigger! I was expecting a ref bump during the match., for a ref switch. Not Dave Hebner wandering down and confronting Earl. I think I've got them the right way around. The whole thing seemed very rushed and the timekeeper looked to be very confused. he had to be hurried and directed by Mean Gene, when handing the belt over. The surrendering of the belt by Andre to Dibiase was also done quickly and then Hogan chased the heels out of the ring. He then turns around to see the Hebner's playing the mirror game and the penny drops. Earl ejects Dave. Then Hogan launches Earl at Dibiase and Virgil. Crowd hasn't sat down and are going absolutely nuts. I'm going to have to watch it a few more times to take it all in.

This is probably a question for the WCW ratings thread. However. Did we get this show on TV/Sat/Cable in the UK? I'm guessing that we didn't.

Edited February 6, 2025 by BigJag

[tiger_rick]

13 hours ago, BigJag said:

It's the anniversary of this huge piece of WWF history.

I watched this a little while ago, I think when Top Rope Nation did their review of the show. It's an incredible piece of business. Having an actual twin ref in your back pocket and coming up with this angle is both fortuitous and genius.

The best story the company ever told is Hogan/Savage and that's not debatable. The argument for second between Hogan/Andre, Savage/Warrior, Bret/Austin (or USA/Canada) and Shawn/Taker into Taker/Kane is a great one. I think the magnitude of Hogan/Andre, the creativity, the selling of the angles and the business makes it clear of the others.

[JNLister]

14 hours ago, BigJag said:

 

This is probably a question for the WCW ratings thread. However. Did we get this show on TV/Sat/Cable in the UK? I'm guessing that we didn't.

Yep, all the SNME and The Main Event Shows were on Sky a few days later.

[BomberPat]

15 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

God that Dr Death vs Scorpio match was shite. And I say that as a big fan of both. Doc by 98 was just knackered though, wasn’t he? It’s not like I’d have had high expectations for this anyway but he looked awful. Even by Attitude Era standards where ‘workrate’ wasn’t the be all-end all, he looks so out of place.

And to think there are people out there who believe he was gonna be put in with Austin in main events if he won the Brawl For All!

There were multiple points where Doc just doesn't know what to do, is kind of sad to watch. I can't remember exactly what it was, but he moves Scorpio into the corner at one point, runs over to him...and then just doesn't do anything, and moves him again. It's all very disconnected and weird.

Even if Dr Death were at his absolute best in '98, he was never going to have a meaningful run against Austin, was he? Steve Austin in 1998 isn't going to be taking any of Doc's offence - he's not taking big lariats, backdrop suplexes and powerbombs with the state of his neck, and I don't see him getting lifted up in a gorilla press either. Though with the Brawl For All, I still think that doing nothing with Bart Gunn was a mistake - he was never going to draw money, but could they not at least have had him work one RAW main event with Austin? Or use him as an enforcer or even a job guy for the Corporation? There had to be something there.

4 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

I watched this a little while ago, I think when Top Rope Nation did their review of the show. It's an incredible piece of business. Having an actual twin ref in your back pocket and coming up with this angle is both fortuitous and genius.

While I was still working as a ref, a wrestler found out that I had a twin brother and was desperate to do the Hebner twins angle with us. I pointed out that we're not identical twins, he's two inches taller than me with long blonde hair, and they were still tempted to go with it because that would be even funnier.

[SaitoRyo]

We are so back. 

 

[NeverYield]

Jimmy Wang Yang  there's a name I haven't heard in years, what a legend. 

 

[Browser Brady]

Were the Jung Dragons good ?

 

[Chili]

53 minutes ago, SaitoRyo said:

We are so back. 

 

Whoever runs that page is an absolute fucking mark and fair play. To answer @Browser Brady yeah The Dragons were great fun, Kaz Hayashi is the one holding it all together because Jamie Noble is still brand new and Jimmy Wang Yang (it's ya boy) can be a bit botchy and he was like 19 years old at the time. Super fun matches with Three Count though obviously. Pretty much dragged the Cruiserweight division kicking and screaming back from the swamp of Oklahoma, Madusa and Prince Iaukea holding it.

Jimmy Yang comes across proper class on that little interview. 

Edited February 7, 2025 by Chili

[SaitoRyo]

48 minutes ago, Chili said:

Whoever runs that page is an absolute fucking mark and fair play. To answer @Browser Brady yeah The Dragons were great fun, Kaz Hayashi is the one holding it all together because Jamie Noble is still brand new and Jimmy Wang Yang (it's ya boy) can be a bit botchy and he was like 19 years old at the time. Super fun matches with Three Count though obviously. Pretty much dragged the Cruiserweight division kicking and screaming back from the swamp of Oklahoma, Madusa and Prince Iaukea holding it.

Jimmy Yang comes across proper class on that little interview. 

There's a bunch of TVs and PPVs from the last 18 months of WCW where the only ones really giving a shit are the young guys like 3 Count, The Dragons, Natural Born Thrillers, Chavo Guerrero etc. You can forgive a lot of the greenness/sloppiness when you see the enthusiasm. 

[Merzbow]

Yeah WCW had a great cruiserweight resurgence around that time, very different to the initial boom with Dean and Rey etc but one filled with youth, it was almost backyard-ish in ways but that actually helped it feel fresh for 2000/2001.

Like a proto X-Division.

Edited February 8, 2025 by Merzbow

[simonworden]

There was definitely potential for them to tap into that mix of skating, nu metal, backyard wrestling etc that was cool and MTV around 01 had things continued. It would've been a bit more spot fest than the previous boom but with those guys, a young AJ, Kid Kash and potentially any new cheap hires that started in ROH in 02 it could've been a draw against the WWF who had basically trashed their Light Heavyweight Division again.

[Chili]

Nope!