Paid Members Supremo Posted June 21 Paid Members Posted June 21 (edited) I’m starting to annoy myself moaning about current WWE and AEW, so a thread to discuss what everyone considers the peaks of their pro-wrestling fandom. As good as it ever got. Those perfect moments that’ll never be beaten. The reasons you watch week in and week out. Bryan Danielson’s AEW Debut “OoooooHHhhMyGAWD” ”ForTheLoveOfGAWDit‘sBryanDanielson!” ”What an ovation, listen to this place!” “The rafters are shaking…for the arrival of Bryan Danielson!” Yes, Jim! Probably Jim Ross’ last truly great call. The most perfect, dream ending to what is probably still AEW’s best show. The best wrestler of all time. My favourite wrestler of all time. A man so good and so likeable that he managed to organically get over against all the odds, in the most stale, counter-productive WWE ever was. The idea of him? Now in this company?! OoooooHHhhMyGAWD, indeed! Positively wild to think the same company had Punk’s return, Danielson’s debut and Hangman’s coronation in the space of weeks. AEW was on fire! Dynamite would be beating Raw in the ratings in a matter of weeks! WWE would be dead within twelve months! Everything was going to be totally great, forever! *Adam Cole was also there, allegedly. “Sami Zayn made his choice…and he’s gonna pay.” Turns out WWE wasn’t dead twelve months later. They were actually in the midst of one of the best, most successful storylines of all time, culminating with this, the best angle they ever shot. ”You had to be there,” doesn’t do it justice. It’s far bigger than that. You had to experience the two decades of dross that came before it. How cold, lifeless and shit WWE had been for years and years. How only a few short months earlier the highlight of Raw would be Mike Bennett acting out Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon’s cuckhold fantasies. How even The Bloodline Saga itself was actually absolute dog shit for the first year or so, with Roman and The Usos mumbling backstage and endlessly feuding on and off with Brock Lesnar. Only when you’ve endured all of that can you truly appreciate how fucking great this was. How Sami turned it all around. A proper storyline. With interesting, engaging characters. A genuine hook. This poor, lost soul accidentally getting mixed up in a murder cult, having to muster the courage to do what’s right and escape. All whilst he spends nearly every segment trying to make everyone corpse. This was the very best. It’s no wonder they’re still milking it all these years later. Just a shame they never understood what made it great in the first place. Only us Ride Or Die fans know. Stone Cold helps The Rock win the Title - Backlash 2000 This thread almost accidentally becoming a, “wasn’t Jim Ross great?” thread. ”I don’t where Stone Cold was, but THANK GAWD HE GOT HERE! And didn’t the Rattlesnake KICK SOME ASS! STONE COLD KICKED CORPORATE ASS!” If Wrestlemania 17 is considered the end of the Attitude Era, this is probably the peak. Pure eurphoria. Absolute magic. I get goosebumps even now. Almost made suffering through Wrestlemania 2000 worth it. It was all downhill from here, for everyone involved. Triple H arguably never had a better night (it being no coincidence this was one of the about seven times he properly showed arse). It’s probably the loudest reaction of The Rock’s career (and that’s saying something). And by the time Stone Cold finally came back properly he was titting about with Steve Blackman and Rikishi, before the dead-on-arrival heel turn. He never reached these heights again. Interesting to watch this with twenty twenty six eyes. Watch that haunting bit where Steve can’t get back to his feet after jumping down to jaw jack in Vince’s face. Genuinely uncomfortable. Man should not have been out there. I hope he got a big pay day. But yeah. Watching this live, as a fifteen year old? Perfection. I think I went into school on zero sleep. No regrets. To this day, probably the best thing Channel 4 ever aired. The second being Big Brother 5, during Marco’s eviction, when he slipped and gave his own mum a sliding tackle, obviously. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston save The World! It was the best of times (getting to work from home), it was the worst of times (literally everything else). The whole world had shut down and gone to shit, the leaders of the free world during these unprecedented times were Donald Trump and Boris Johnson and my mental health couldn’t have been deeper in the bin. But for two hours every Wednesday, everything was okay. After decades of pro-wrestling claiming it, “put smiles on faces,” and offered a distraction for people going through hard times, this was the one time where it truly did. This show saved my sanity. Jon Moxley as AEW Champion played a huge part in that. The magic he and Kingston created with that promo in an empty building in late 2020 (“COS-A-DIS!”) will stay with me forever. So it was incredibly fitting that it was Mox and Kingston whose entrance all but announced that fans were back, the world was healing, and everything was going to be okay. I know it was half way through the show, but I don’t care. That moment when Moxley kicks the doors open? That’s the return of crowds. That’s The Wizard of Oz when it switches from Black and White to Colour. That’s the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve never felt a more visceral, joyous reaction to anything like I feel watching Mox’s head fall off. The way he gets lost, nearly runs a kid over, wildly, uncontrollably chucks a chair, and then loses the Young Bucks’ shoes he’s supposed to be carrying. All whilst Eddie Kingston laughs his arse off, he himself finally getting the flowers he deserved, in front of a capacity crowd that confirmed how loved he was. This is the greatest moment in the history of the business. Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley saving the entire world. Jobbing out Covid-19. Free at last, Free at last, great God-all-mighty, we are free at last! I was going to conclude by saying I take back any complaints I ever had about Jon Moxley, and this moment alone earns him a free pass for the rest of his career. But then watching this? Seeing these two together? Makes me more annoyed than ever to think Moxley’s wasting time in the Tweener Vortex and Kingston’s not even on TV! Cope and Christian defending against The fucking Dogs?! Give me Cope and Christian vs. Moxley and Kingston, Tony! So yeah. Hit me with the peaks of your fandom. Or else Mox might throw a chair at you. Edited June 21 by Supremo Quote
Chili Posted June 21 Posted June 21 (edited) Pretty much most I'd pick there so fuck this, just gonna sit back and enjoy the thread. Additional, just watched that Mox/Kingston entrance @Supremoposted and I can literally remember sitting there, watching it and just being so happy that I was REALLY enjoying watching wrestling again after sacking off the then current product until AEW came along to just give me something new and different as someone who also didn't really watch Indies or aware of a lot of the new faces I was seeing. An underrated bit I love is Mox sliding in the ring and flipping the birds on one knee just as the "wild thing, I think I love you" bit kicks in. Wonderfully timed, no two people in modern wrestling have ever looked as mental and out of their minds buzzing on adrenaline than them in that moment for me. The coolest Jon Moxley ever and will ever look. *Puts on the Hangman/Dark Order "What is it that makes a cowboy?' vignette and smiles forlornly* Edited June 21 by Chili Quote
Paid Members Kamran Posted June 21 Paid Members Posted June 21 As a Bret fan, I really enjoyed the USA/Canada feud, especially with them hosting shows on either side of the border, leading to some great fan reactions. Canadian Stampede took place on my Birthday and it's easily one of my favouite PPVs of all time, topped off by that fantastic main event. Quote
Paid Members Supremo Posted June 21 Author Paid Members Posted June 21 (edited) Scientists need to be drafted in to explain how a man wearing a singlet and trunks can look as cool as Bret Hart did during the staredown at Canadian Stampede. Even the way he tucks his thumbs into his kecks! What a look! Has any wrestler ever pulled off a strappy singlet as well as our boy Bret? Makes no sense at all how he manages to make what is essentially jobber gear look this good. Edited June 21 by Supremo Quote
Fog Dude Posted June 21 Posted June 21 2 hours ago, Supremo said: Stone Cold helps The Rock win the Title - Backlash 2000 In that thumbnail, the Stooges look virtually indistinguishable from how they did on the N64. I'm jealous that aside from that one, you managed to find three things out of four to nominate from this decade. First things that spring to mind here are Foley's promo on Raw transforming himself from Mankind back into Cactus Jack ahead of the street fight at The Rumble (which again, involved HHH looking genuinely fearful for once), the night Eddie Guerrero won the proper world title, and just the atmosphere the crowd made after actually building up factional warfare well between The Shield and The Wyatts (before both groups went titsup) but resisting the temptation to put them in a gimmick match. So yeah, nothing from the past dozen years basically. Quote
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted June 22 Paid Members Posted June 22 Love this thread. Nice to be positive considering how shitty wrestling is to follow. The 1992 Royal Rumble is just a perfect match on a great show. It's another of those matches I just knew was great the first time I saw it and despite not really knowing Ric Flair much aside from his Galoob figure, I adored him and his performance on that show. @Liam O'Rourke and Kyle on SCG had a great discussion about the show being a real bookend to that boom period and I hadn't thought of it that way but it makes so much sense. It's definitely a big last hurrah after the decline through 1991. Can't imagine anyone hasn't seen it but it's on YT. I often just put it on to listen to because it's got the most perfect commentary in wrestling history too. The Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin/USA feud in 1997 is the most perfectly imperfect angle ever done. It's got so many great matches and angles and particularly promos, including Bret Hart becoming a 10/10 promo guy for about 6 months, it's got historically significant moments, it's got tons and tons of curiosities, like Bret v Vince almost seeming like a storyline direction months and months before life imitated art, and it weaves in Sid, Michaels, Taker, Shamrock, LOD, etc and carries the entire WWF top line through the greatest year in their history, and the foundation for their rocket launch in 1998. I put together a playlist on YT if anyone fancies revisiting it https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyU0VrNtabBJC8D_zTNBAFhR2Kiy5qpuN&si=V9a7JyuXbzqOgO3S This is the highlight though. Bret's promo the night after WrestleMania 13 is the best promo there is, was or ever will be. It's just magnificent. A modern one. Despite everything that followed, despite him showing he's the most thin-skinned man alive before going back to that place that made him sick to show he's a massive hypocrite, CM Punk had a fantastic first year in AEW and his debut was just fucking magnificent. His promo doesn't age well but the rest is timeless. I think it's the biggest pop in televised wrestling history. There isn't a bigger on. Whatever anyone thinks of the bloke, those people in Chicago at the first Rampage reacted like he was god. Apologies if I've posted all three of these, in this order, in a similar thread in the past. It certainly feels familiar, but for a good reason. They're all great! Quote
Paid Members Supremo Posted June 22 Author Paid Members Posted June 22 Watching it weekly in 1997, as a kid who’d yet to discover the internet or Powerslam magazine, I’m not sure I ever cottoned on that Vince was the owner. From what was being presented onscreen, I probably just thought Bret was disproportionately angry at the commentator. Come on Bret, he is annoying, but shoving him down or ripping his shirt off is a bit much! It’s the bizarre duality of WWF/WWE. For the majority of things, they bash you over the head with stuff, repeating and over-explaining to the point of parody, and then other times it’s a cheeky nudge-nudge-wink-wink over something you’re just expected to know. Did everyone else just automatically know that Vince was the owner back? Was it just me who was baffled? When was he first officially referred to as the owner? After Montreal? Quote
Chili Posted June 22 Posted June 22 I didn't know he was the owner until the "Bret Screwed Bret" stuff and for some reason it didn't really blow my mind as some sort of shock, but not because I was smarky, I just kind of rolled with the information. Quote
Paid Members Lorne Malvo Posted June 22 Paid Members Posted June 22 I don't think being in person for Danielson beating Swerve will ever be topped for me. You know how people say Mania 17 was the peak of wrestling and ever since the WWE has been in decline? That's Danielson/Swerve and AEW for me. Quote
davertfnewman Posted June 22 Posted June 22 I think it's got to be 1997 for me as well, probably with the SummerSlam and Bret's final world title victory as the zenith. All downhill from there with a spiteful and unnecessary change in the weather leading to his exit. Quote
DavidB6937 Posted June 22 Posted June 22 What I love about this - and most of mine have been taken - is how many different peaks you can get. From over time to different companies etc. It totally explains why so many of us are still watching after multiple decades. Because there's always just enough to keep you in there or to bring you back. Quote
abucalves Posted June 22 Posted June 22 A very recent one but All In last year. Watched it on my phone with my kids and wife sleeping in the same room, shot up when he came out to his old music, the Avengers ending, opening the suitcase and crying. It's so nuts how average the reign ended up being Quote
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted June 22 Paid Members Posted June 22 6 hours ago, Lorne Malvo said: I don't think being in person for Danielson beating Swerve will ever be topped for me. You know how people say Mania 17 was the peak of wrestling and ever since the WWE has been in decline? That's Danielson/Swerve and AEW for me. I was going to say this as well. It was such a good show. Lost my mind for Sting, as I always do, but that main event was out of this world, especially the pop at the end. I think a close second was the Rev Pro/New Japan show at Alty ice arena when we got MiSu Vs Ishii in the main event, and WALTER trotted out to confront the winner, or the stunned reaction when Zack Sabre Junior beat Okada clean. Quote
The King of Old School Posted June 23 Posted June 23 18 hours ago, tiger_rick said: A modern one. Despite everything that followed, despite him showing he's the most thin-skinned man alive before going back to that place that made him sick to show he's a massive hypocrite, CM Punk had a fantastic first year in AEW and his debut was just fucking magnificent. His promo doesn't age well but the rest is timeless. I think it's the biggest pop in televised wrestling history. There isn't a bigger on. Whatever anyone thinks of the bloke, those people in Chicago at the first Rampage reacted like he was god. Weirdly despite that episode being called "the first dance" it was actually the second episode of Rampage. The first episode opened up with Omega losing the TNA title to Christian. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.