HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Royal Rumble 1990

- The HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Royal Rumble 1990. I haven’t seen this since like 1997, and I can’t remember a damn thing about it. Let’s see how it is. 

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Survivor Series 1989

- The HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Survivor Series 1989. As promised, here it is! I haven’t seen this one since 1994, and I can’t remember much other than Zeus beating Hulk Hogan like a dog. Lets see what else there is…

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF SummerSlam 1989

- The HITMAN383 Rant for WWF SummerSlam 1989. I’ve never actually seen the card, myself, so this ought to be interesting. 

- Well, Rantasia shut down. Too bad, but I’ll get on with my life. (That should place us in 2001 or 2002)

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleMania V

- The HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleMania V! This is one of the biggest shows of the eighties, as the Mega-Powers angle came to an end with a huge Hogan/Savage main event (where the Mega-Powers …. EXPLODE!). At the time, people disliked this card, but over the course of a few years, it has taken the “Citizen Kane” route, as people now appreciate it more. (And now it’s sort of went back the other way, where people don’t particularly care for this show much)

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- Also, the NWA wanted to screw up the WWF’s buyrate on this one buy running the Clash of the Champions VI over on TBS. It featured the famous Flair/Steamboat 2/3 falls match, but this shows buyrate didn’t get hurt at all. In fact, it’s one of the biggest wrestling PPV buyrates EVER.

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Royal Rumble 1989

- The HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Royal Rumble 1989. I was going to do the latest ECW DVD “The Best of Cactus Jack,” but that one will just have to wait a while, because 80s WWF COMES FIRST, damn it!

- Trivia buffs: This is the first Royal Rumble on PPV. There was one on TV the year before, but this is the first BIG one.

- Oh, by the way, I’m totally digging the nWo angle in the WWF right now! (That puts us in early 2002)

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Survivor Series 1988

- The HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Survivor Series 1988. When you think of “Survivor Series” today, it’s just another PPV. Some matches, some people getting run down by cars, some folks getting thrown off cranes … you know, the usual. But back in the day, the Survivor Series saw none of that … they saw those elimination tag matches LOOOOONG Elimination tag matches. So lets head back to the 2nd Survivor Series … The 1988 WWF Survivor Series! (This is the Coliseum Video version… clipping, wonky match orders and all)

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleFest '88

- The HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleFest 1988. This was a post WrestleMania IV card, which I think was taped specifically for home video and not PPV or anything. Anyway, we’ll see if it sucks or not. 

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleMania IV

- The HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleMania IV. I’ve had this one requested a number of times, but would YOU be in a rush to watch it? Either way, here it comes.

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- Oh, and to do my part in the deal with Scott Keith’s publisher, here’s my review for “The Buzz on Wrestling.” I got the press release copy, and it is definitely a good book. I feel Scott missed some opportunities to go into further detail about some events, but it’s still a solid read. *** ¾.  (Okay, so that means this was written in 2001)

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- An even better book is “WrestleMania, the Insider’s Story.” Check that one out, it’s pretty cool. **** ¼.

HITMAN383 Re-Rant for WWF WrestleMania III

- The HITMAN383 Re-Rant for WWF WrestleMania III. Yes, a rant is already up for this one, but I feel like watching it again, and since the rant is somewhat old, might as well go again, right? 

- In fact, a series of “re-rants” are coming (not necessarily one after the other), on shows I feel like seeing again and/or the rant up isn’t up to par. Any suggestions should be sent to me. (One thing about the pre-YouTube days is that I was constantly at the mercy of local video stores for the most part, and I’d often be stuck without new content for months until making family road trips to New York or Canada and scouring video stores near gas stations we’d stop at along the way – hence, re-rants. This was done in the summer of 2002)

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleMania III

- Okay guys, quite possibly the biggest wrestling event EVER is my next review ... WrestleMania III. This is THE event of the 80's folks.

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleMania 2

- Back on the WrestleMania track with the 2nd installment, WrestleMania II, in 1986. I remember a great Bulldog's/Dream Team tag match here, so lets see what we have, huh? (This was written in 2000, for reference)

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF Wrestling Classic

- The HITMAN383 Rant for the WWF Wrestling Classic. This was the first ever wrestling PPV (from November 1985), and was basically a 16-man tournament that didn’t really have any other point than to put SOMETHING out there. Still, it’s pretty historic so why not? 

HITMAN383 Rant for WWF WrestleMania I

Those who have been following me for years and years likely remember that I used to post wrestling reviews on an Angelfire site called ‘HITMAN383’s Rant Center’ back in the late 1990s and early 2000s – mostly to entertain by school pals. When I started up BUExperience, I thought about copying and pasting some of those reviews, but ten years had passed since the last one I did (fall 2002), and so much had changed (both in terms of the world of wrestling, and for me personally) that it almost felt like reading someone else’s work entirely. It was raggedy, to say the least.

Now that we’re over a year into this new project, I thought it would be fun to put up some of the old stuff, unedited, warts and all. I warn you: these were done when I was still in high school – they are not what I consider my best work. But, in many ways, it was more ‘balls to the wall’ fun than some of my newer stuff.

To spice things up, I will also be going along and adding thoughts to the review. These thoughts can be found edited into the review in italicized bold.

Let’s get started!

WCW Bash at the Beach 1999

From Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Great American Bash 1999

From Baltimore, Maryland; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Spring Stampede 1999

From Tacoma, Washington; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW SuperBrawl IX

From Oakland, California; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Starrcade 1998

From Washington, D.C; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Road Wild 1998

From Sturgis, South Dakota; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Bash at the Beach 1998

From San Diego, California; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: WWF's Most Unusual Matches (1985)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: WWF's Most Unusual Matches (1985)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Jesse Ventura. The cover of the tape features a battle royal.

WCW Great American Bash 1998

From Baltimore, Maryland; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: The Best of the WWF: Volume I (1985)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: The Best of the WWF: Volume I (1985)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Vince McMahon. The cover of the tape features Jimmy Snuka, and promises Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, and Cyndi Lauper!

WCW Slamboree 1998

From Worchester, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Spring Stampede 1998

From Denver, Colorado; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Uncensored 1998

From Mobile, Alabama; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW SuperBrawl VIII

From San Francisco, California; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Souled Out 1998

From Dayton, Ohio; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW World War 3 1997

From Auburn Hills, Michigan; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Road Wild 1997

After a less than stellar outing with Hog Wild the year before, WCW returned to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 1997 with another (slightly altered for legal reasons) biker-themed outdoor pay per view event.

From Sturgis, South Dakota; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Great American Bash 1997

From Moline, Illinois; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Slamboree 1997

From Charlotte, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Spring Stampede 1997

From Tupelo, Mississippi; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Hulkamania (1985)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Hulkamania (1985)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Vince McMahon. The cover of the tape features Hulk Hogan (duh), and promises exclusive interviews!

WCW Uncensored 1997

From Charleston, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW SuperBrawl VII

From San Francisco, California; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Souled Out 1997

With WCW handily winning the war against the WWF in early 1997, and looking to expand their pay per view lineup to include a regular January event, WCW did something interesting in creating a concept show with Souled Out. The idea was that the show was being promoted by the nWo (the hottest angle in wrestling at the time) as a non-WCW sanctioned event, and would feature nWo commentators, nWo set design, nWo referees, nWo ring announcers, and all the matches would feature WCW guys challenging them under their rules.

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff and Ted DiBiase.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: US Rampage ‘91 (1991)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: US Rampage ‘91 (1991)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Sean Mooney (on a golf course), with Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan along for the ride. The cover of the tape features Davey Boy Smith and the Texas Tornado, and promises the WWF ‘gone wild.’

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Inside the WWF (1994)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Inside the WWF (1994)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Gorilla Monsoon. The cover of the tape features Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow, and promises a steel cage match between Bret Hart and Yokozuna, plus a look behind the scenes at the WWF in 1994. Awesome! I didn’t know they made a sequel to Apocalypse Now!

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Mega Matches (1995)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Mega Matches (1995)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Gorilla Monsoon and Stan Lane. The cover of the tape feature Tatanka dropping an elbow on Lex Luger, and promises exclusive matches shot for this release.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: WrestleFest ‘93 (1993)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: WrestleFest ‘93 (1993)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan on a road trip, as they encounter car trouble. The cover of the tape features the Big Bossman, and promises car maintenance tips from Heenan – which alone sounds like it’ll be worth a purchase for.

WWE Hell in a Cell (October 2013)

So, I attended WWE Hell in a Cell tonight in Miami, and thought I would do a quickie BUExperience on the show. This won’t be a full review, but just based on some notes I took from the arena, and any additional thoughts from memory. Match times are via Wikipedia.

From Miami, Florida; Your Host is me, ‘cause I ain’t talkin' about TV.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Grudges, Gripes, and Grunts (1993)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Grudges, Gripes, and Grunts (1993)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Randy Savage. The cover of the tape features a bunch of guys in chinlocks, and promises the most ‘gruesome grudge matches of all time.’

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Bashed in the USA (1993)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Bashed in the USA (1993)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Mr. Perfect. The cover of the tape features the Perfect blasting Razor Ramon with a chair, and promises a profile on Shawn Michaels, as well as stamp collecting. Okay.

WWE DVD Collection: The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions (2012)

WWE DVD Collection: The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions (2012)

This is a three disc set released by the WWE in 2012, on both DVD and BluRay (with the BluRay featuring three bonus matches not available on DVD). The set is currently available on Netflix.

You host for this set is Dusty Rhodes, fittingly enough.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXXV (August 1997)

Original Airdate: August 21, 1997

From Nashville, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXXIV (January 1997)

Original Airdate: January 21, 1997

From Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXXIII (August 1996)

Original Airdate: August 15, 1996

From Denver, Colorado; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXXII (January 1996)

Original Airdate: January 23, 1996

From Las Vegas, Nevada; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXXI (August 1995)

Original Airdate: August 6, 1995

From Daytona Beach, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXX (January 1995)

Original Airdate: January 25, 1995

From Las Vegas, Nevada; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXIX (November 1994)

Original Airdate: November 16, 1994

From Jacksonville, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXVIII (August 1994)

Original Airdate: August 24, 1994

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan –  with this show having the distinction of being the first Clash I saw live, as nine year old Ben heard Hulk Hogan was wrestling for ‘that other wrestling show’ and decided to see what all the fuss was about.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXVII (June 1994)

Original Airdate: June 23, 1994

From Charleston, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Jesse Ventura.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXVI (January 1994)

Original Airdate: January 27, 1994

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan – making his WCW debut.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXV (November 1993)

Original Airdate: November 10, 1993

From St. Petersburg, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXIV (August 1993)

Original Airdate: August 18, 1993

From Daytona Beach, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXIII (June 1993)

Original Airdate: June 17, 1993

From Norfolk, Virginia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXII (January 1993)

Original Airdate: January 13, 1993

From Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura.

WCW Clash of the Champions XXI (November 1992)

Original Airdate: November 18, 1992

From Macon, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura in front of a heavily papered crowd.

WCW Clash of the Champions XX: 20 Years of Wrestling on TBS (September 1992)

Original Airdate: September 2, 1992

From Atlanta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura.

WCW Clash of the Champions XIX (June 1992)

Original Airdate: June 22, 1992

From Charleston, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura.

WCW Clash of the Champions XVIII (January 1992)

Original Airdate: January 21, 1992

From Topeka, Kansas; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone. Jesse Ventura (the greatest color commentator of all time, and perhaps the greatest period) also makes his surprise debut during the broadcast as the latest addition to WCW’s broadcast team.

WCW Clash of the Champions XVII (November 1991)

Original Airdate: November 19, 1991

From Savannah, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone.

WCW Clash of the Champions XVI: Fall Brawl (September 1991)

Original Airdate: September 5, 1991

From Augusta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone.

WCW Clash of the Champions XV: Knocksville USA (June 1991)

Original Airdate: June 12, 1991

From Knoxville, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone.

WCW Clash of the Champions XIV: Dixie Dynamite (January 1991)

Original Airdate: January 30, 1991

From Gainesville, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes – making his return to WCW after a couple of years in the WWF, and taking over as head booker of the promotion.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions XIII: Thanksgiving Thunder (November 1990)

Original Airdate: November 20, 1990

From Jacksonville, Florida; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Paul E. Dangerously.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions XII: Mountain Madness/Fall Brawl '90 (September 1990)

Original Airdate: September 5, 1990

From Asheville, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush (June 1990)

Original Airdate: June 13, 1990

From Charleston, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shootout (February 1990)

Original Airdate: February 6, 1990

From Corpus Christi, Texas; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions IX: New York Knockout (November 1989)

Original Airdate: November 15, 1989

From Troy, New York; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Gordon Solie.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions VIII: Fall Brawl (September 1989)

Original Airdate: September 12, 1989

From Columbia, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions VII: Guts and Glory (June 1989)

Original Airdate: June 14, 1989

From Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun (April 1989)

Original Airdate: April 2, 1989

With the sixth Clash, WCW once again aimed to counterprogram the WWF’s WrestleMania pay per view, this time offering an anticipated re-match between NWA World Champion Ricky Steamboat, and the man he defeated for the title: Ric Flair – though Clash VI was less successful in taking a chunk out of the WWF’s WrestleMania revenue than the year before.

From New Orleans, Louisiana; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Michael Hayes.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions V: St. Valentine's Massacre (February 1989)

Original Airdate: February 15, 1989

From Cleveland, Ohio; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Magnum TA.

NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions IV: Season's Beatings (December 1988)

Original Airdate: December 7, 1988

From Chattanooga, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle, along with Tony Schiavone and Lex Luger offering analysis between matches.

NWA (JCP) Clash of the Champions III: Fall Brawl (September 1988)

Original Airdate: September 7, 1988

From Albany, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.

NWA (JCP) Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem (June 1988)

Original Airdate: June 8, 1988

From Miami, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bob Caudle.

NWA (JCP) Clash of the Champions (March 1988)

Original Airdate: March 27, 1988

After their first attempts at expanding into the lucrative pay per view market were brilliantly countered by the WWF’s counterprogramming in late 1987 and early 1988, the NWA decided to fire back. With the WWF holding WrestleMania IV on pay per view, the NWA created a new program to air the same day (called ‘Clash of the Champions’), promising two hours of pay per view caliber wrestling for free on TBS. Though the WWF was still a hot ticket, fan apathy towards WrestleMania IV gave the NWA a boost, and the Clash was successful – enough so that it was renewed, and became a regular special until 1997.

From Greensboro, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone.

WCW Fall Brawl 1995

Fall Brawl 1995 is notable for being the first major WCW show of the Monday Night Wars. Once again headlined by their popular WarGames match concept, the ’95 edition was sold on a blowoff to the feud between Hulk Hogan and the Dungeon of Doom.

From Asheville, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Fall Brawl 1994

Fall Brawl 1994 was an interesting lineup. While WCW had received a substantial bump in ratings and exposure with Hulk Hogan’s signing and title win, the Hulkster wasn’t booked for Fall Brawl – the show instead headlined by a WarGames match between Dustin Rhodes’ Team and the Stud Stable. That led to zero interest from fans like me who had started watching solely because of Hogan’s participation, though WCW spent most of the night dedicated to hyping the Hulkster’s appearance at the next pay per view – which did intrigue me enough to beg my parents to order.

From Roanoke, Virginia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.  

Read All About It

Fiction.

A Nostalgic Guide to

Growing up with the WWF 

Available Now!

Also Available in Paperback (for those who don't have many leather-bound books in apartments that smell of rich mahogany)!

 

WWF King of the Ring 1999

King of the Ring 1999 was a return to form for the tournament, as the WWF held the full eight man bracket on pay per view for the first time since 1995, and headlined with Steve Austin battling Vince McMahon for control of the WWF in a ladder match that would trigger the infamous ‘who moved the briefcase?’ debate.

Unfortunately, my friends and I never got the chance to see it. In the weeks leading up to the show, we started seeing flyers posted all around the hallways at school, advertising that a local coffee shop would be airing the show. Since we were a bunch of middle schoolers, the prospect of seeing the show for free (sidestepping the usual begging that went with getting your parents to order one of these frequent and increasingly expensive pay per views) sounded great – but when our group of wrestling geeks showed up the afternoon of the show, we found out it was a prank. That would have made for a good wrestling angle too, but much like Steve Austin in the main event, ‘who posted the fake signs?’ was never solved.

From Greensboro, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.  

WWF Survivor Series 2000

After spending most of 2000 on the shelf recovering from real-life neck surgery, Survivor Series 2000 saw the return of Steve Austin to the WWF main event scene to target the man who took kayfabe responsibility for his absence (in an angle involving Austin getting hit with a car a year earlier), Triple H.

From Tampa, Florida; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.  

WWF SummerSlam 2000

Coming into SummerSlam 2000 the WWF was on a hot streak, both critically and commercially, with the Attitude Era shifting away from ‘Crash-TV’ booking and putting more focus on a physical, in-ring oriented product.

From Raleigh, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

WWF SummerSlam 1999

By the summer of 1999, with WCW becoming less relevant with each passing week, the WWF’s ‘Attitude’ was starting to become unfocused and nonsensical. With head writer Vince Russo becoming progressively overwhelmed with his workload, the direction of the product – while still wildly successful – started becoming almost impossible to follow, and increasingly clichéd. Much like most relationships, all the things we loved about Attitude to begin with were starting to grow repetitive, frustrating, and tiresome.

From Minneapolis, Minnesota; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.  

WWF SummerSlam 1998

The summer of 1998 was such a great time to be a WWF fan – and a wrestling fan in general. With the Attitude Era in full swing (but not yet becoming the stale, cliché filled program it would later), the WWF had recently managed to overtake WCW in the ratings war, and both promotions were fiercely fighting for viewership and pay per view buys. With wrestling the hottest it had been since the 1980s, and getting mainstream attention for the first time in my fandom, SummerSlam because a highly anticipated show – and the WWF delivered, putting on one of the most well remembered editions of their summer spectacular.

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.  

WWF SummerSlam 1997

With the Attitude Era getting off the ground, but still well behind WCW in the rating wars, the WWF pushed its annual SummerSlam spectacular hard – filling the show with gimmick blowoff matches centering on the Hart Foundation angle. While not breaking any records, the show drew well, actually managing to outdraw that years WrestleMania – though that feat had more to do with the underwhelming nature of WrestleMania 13 than the strength of the promotion.

From East Rutherford, New Jersey; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler.  

WWF SummerSlam 1996

With rival WCW unveiling a game changing twist in the young nWo angle only a few weeks before SummerSlam, the WWF was rapidly plummeting in the Monday Night War ratings, and for the first time, became the #2 wrestling promotion in America. If ‘Feel the Heat’ was ever an appropriate tagline for SummerSlam, it was certainly in 1996 – fan interest in the card so low that it still ranks as the least commercially successful SummerSlam show.

From Cleveland, Ohio; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Mr. Perfect. Hilarious moment during the opening spiel, as some fan in the front row tries to get Perfect’s autograph (while he’s introducing the damn show), so Perfect shoots him an ‘are you fucking kidding me?!’ look these words can’t do justice.

WWF King of the Ring 2000

King of the Ring 2000 was held with two main goals in mind: elevate Kurt Angle to main event player (the WWF’s next choice as World Champion), and get that same title on The Rock to drop to Angle. In addition, the tournament itself was the largest in history – though only the last three rounds were featured on pay per view.

From Boston Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

WWF SummerSlam 1995

For 1995, with business at the lowest point in the promotions history and rival WCW breathing down their necks with stars like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, the WWF’s direction veered wildly as they tried to steady the ship. With WWF Champion Diesel’s title reign nine months strong and still underperforming, they elevated midcard tag teamer Mabel to main event level, hoping to build intrigue in the vein of Hulk Hogan’s battles with big men like King Kong Bundy, Andre the Giant, or Earthquake.

Unfortunately, the fans did not respond (myself included, thinking that they were stretching it more than Mabel’s waistband with that feud – and I was only ten), and the show achieved one of the lowest buyrates in the promotions history to that point (and became the least commercially successful SummerSlam to that point).

From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler.

WWF SummerSlam 1994

There may be no better study in contrast than comparing the two headlining matches promoted for SummerSlam in 1994. On one hand, you had the Hart Brothers, who after feuding for the bulk of the year, were scheduled to face off in a steel cage for the WWF Title – the rematch from their all time classic showdown at WrestleMania the previous spring. On the other hand, you had the Undertaker battling… the Undertaker.

The show also marks Vince McMahon’s return to the helm of the WWF. Though he had never technically given up reigns, he had spent a good portion of the year in a courtroom while on trial for steroid distribution – charges he was acquitted of a month before SummerSlam. During that tense period, the day to day operations of the promotion were handled in large part by Pat Patterson, but with the trial over, McMahon was back in the drivers seat – all his attention on the WWF once more.

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. Randy Savage comes out to welcome the crowd to SummerSlam (his only on-camera participation at the event), making his last pay per view appearance for the WWF before bolting to WCW that fall – tired of being used as a broadcaster when he felt he still had something to offer between the ropes.

WWF SummerSlam 1990

With business down across the board in 1990, the WWF promoted it’s annual SummerSlam spectacular as a double main event – featuring WWF Champion The Ultimate Warrior battling Rick Rude in a cage, and (in the real selling point) Hulk Hogan making his return to battle Earthquake, after selling an injury from the natural disaster to take time off/build anticipation.

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper – doing a hilariously insane, pop-culture laden job on commentary.

WWF SummerSlam 1989

After the success of the first SummerSlam in 1988, the WWF added it permanently to their pay per view lineup, and built the 1989 edition on a main event showdown between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, and the maniacal Zeus. Zeus being an actor-turned-wrestler for the sole purpose of this ridiculous angle that ‘spilled over from the movie set,’ the WWF wisely made it into a tag team match – with Hogan’s WrestleMania opponent Randy Savage backing Zeus up, and Brutus Beefcake with the Hulkster.

From East Rutherford, New Jersey; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura.

WWF SummerSlam 1993

As the summer of 1993 rolled around, the WWF found itself in need of a hero. With Hulk Hogan leaving the promotion after losing the WWF Title to Yokozuna at the King of the Ring, Vince McMahon needed a new, All-American challenger for the kids to cheer against his foreign heel champion. While the kids (and their parents) were already cheering for former WWF Champion Bret Hart in an increasingly vocal manner, the WWF decided to turn Lex Luger face by having him bodyslam the mammoth Yokozuna during a bodyslam challenge on July 4. After the hasty face turn and announced SummerSlam main event between the two, the WWF sent Lex Luger from coast to coast in a patriotic tour bus (dubbed the ‘Lex Express’) to drum up support on his way to battling Yokozuna for the title at SummerSlam.

From Auburn Hills, Michigan; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan.

WWF SummerSlam 1992

With the World Wrestling Federation becoming increasingly popular in Europe during the early 1990s, the WWF decided to take their annual summer spectacular abroad for the first time – all the way to Wembley Stadium in London. Originally, SummerSlam was set to take place in Washington DC, but after the success of UK Rampage in April, the WWF hastily rebooked the show for London – a gutsy move when they had a large stadium to fill.

It ended up becoming a tremendous success (drawing some 80,000 fans), and making for a great live atmosphere. As I kid, I once met John Tenta (Earthquake, who performed on the card), and (after hearing a silly internet rumor that the crowd was actually much smaller), asked him ‘how’ they made the place look so big. He assured me that it ‘really was,’ and it really was! In a first, due to the time difference the event took place in August 29, but didn’t air until two days later in the United States – a trick they would never be able to pull off in today’s iPhone world, but which worked wonderfully in 1992.

The biggest change other than venue (though, it was a direct result of it) was from the original booking that had Shawn Michaels capturing the Intercontinental Title from Bret Hart in the WWF’s first ladder match (one they rehearsed for at TV tapings over the summer) – the change delaying Shawn’s title for a couple of months, as ‘British Bulldog’ Davey Boy Smith challenging brother-in-law Hart for the title was deemed a better draw.

From London, England; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan.

WWF SummerSlam 1991

As a kid, SummerSlam ’91 was one of my favorite shows. Though I didn’t follow wrestling yet at the time it originally aired, I found it at a local video store one afternoon after school, and it quickly becoming a regular in my rental rotation. While the show came during a period when the WWF was trying to navigate the waters of the post-Golden Age boom in business, and was significantly less commercially successful than the three previous SummerSlams, it has often been a critical favorite.

The show also marked Ric Flair’s long awaited entry into the WWF, after having a legendary falling out with WCW. While he wasn’t advertised and didn’t appear on the show in person, the reigning NWA World Champion made a splash at SummerSlam by immediately targeting WWF Champion Hulk Hogan for a showdown, bringing the NWA title belt with him, and declaring himself the ‘real world champion.’ Unfortunately for fans, Flair’s use of the NWA Title on WWF programming led to disputes and lawsuits, and never to the anticipated dream match with Hogan.

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon, Roddy Piper, and Bobby Heenan.

WWF Royal Rumble 2001

By the time 2001 rolled around, the WWF was the indisputable king of the wrestling mountain. With the Monday Night Wars winding down, and WCW on death watch, the WWF began their build to WrestleMania X-7 without having to look over their shoulder for the first time in the shows history.
 
From New Orleans, Louisiana; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

WWF Survivor Series 1999

Survivor Series 1999 came during an interesting period for the WWF, as head writer Vince Russo (one of the people most credited for helping the WWF create the Attitude Era, and in turn, become the number one wrestling promotion in North America again) had left for rival WCW the month before, and with top drawing star Steve Austin on the shelf with a severe neck injury, many of us around the lunch room table (and many professional sources) saw it as the death knell for the WWF – with predictions flying that their days were numbered.

From Detroit, Michigan; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

WWF SummerSlam 1988

For the summer of 1988 the WWF’s business was red-hot, and they introduced a new event to their lineup to capitalize on the increasingly lucrative pay per view market: SummerSlam. Designed as a mid-season blowoff show (taking place five months after their flagship WrestleMania card, it was the perfect place to blowoff lingering feuds, and start developing angles for the next WrestleMania), SummerSlam has become one of their most popular, and enduring concepts. While the idea of a summer blowoff show was not new (the WWF had previously run big summer cards like The Big Event in 1986, or the Shea Stadium shows in the 70s, and the NWA held their Great American Bash cards annually in July since 1985), but this was the first attempt to take it to pay per view – and the most successful.

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Billy Graham.

WCW Fall Brawl 1993

After dropping the ‘WrestleWar’ show concept for the pay per view lineup in 1993, WCW created Fall Brawl as a new, permanent home for the popular WarGames match. The first show was built on another confrontation between Sting/Davey Boy Smith and The Masters of the Powerbomb – this time with their pals in tow for the ultimate blowoff.

Unfortunately, Sting and Davey’s pal Hawk fell out before the show, so they promised a mystery partner. At the Clash of the Champions the month before, they unveiled partner The Shockmaster (the WWF’s Typhoon, dressed as an overweight Stormtrooper with a bedazzled helmet), though his debut failed to make the splash WCW was hoping for when he literally fell on his face. In fact, the debut has become so legendarily embarrassing that, even twenty years later, people still use ‘Shockmaster’ as a verb for whenever a wrestler trips, or looks foolish.

From Houston, Texas; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura. Tony immediately makes a ludicrous claim that they are ‘jam packed to the rafters’ when there are rows (hell, sections) of empty seats visible, and over half the crowd papered.

WCW Bash at the Beach 1994

For 1994 WCW took its slightly altered ‘Beach Blast’ concept (changing the name to the more familiar ‘Bash at the Beach’) and did something they rarely did during the promotions run: pull something off better than the WWF did. After signing Hulk Hogan to a big money contract, WCW immediately gave fans the dream match they were waiting for (and the one the WWF failed to deliver in 1992), pitting Hogan against WCW Champion Ric Flair in a pay per view main event – going as far as billing Hogan as a former ‘five time WWF Champion’ to truly capitalize on the situation. The show was marketed on the strength of that main event alone, and people tuned in: drawing WCW’s biggest numbers ever (to that point), and more importantly, outdrawing the WWF’s King of the Ring from the month before.

While Hulk Hogan’s involvement in WCW would directly lead to the highest of highs (the nWo) and the lowest of lows (bankruptcy), they made a big mainstream splash, and were off to a great start before the mismanaging began. Personally, the signing of Hulk Hogan was a pivotal moment in my becoming a WCW fan. I had barely heard of WCW before (I would occasionally see it on if flipping past Saturday Night, but never actually got into it), but when I heard of Hogan’s arrival, it immediately became must-see TV for me.

From Orlando, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Jesse Ventura.

WCW Beach Blast 1993

With the Great American Bash on hiatus, WCW brought back the Beach Blast concept for the month of July. The show focused on a showdown between Sting/Davey Boy Smith and Vader/Sid, which WCW promoted by making an infamous ‘mini-movie’ in which both teams have an altercation on a beach… along with a devious midget who blows up Sting and Davey Boy’s boat. While the feud had potential, turning it into a joke with a goofy mini-movie involving midget hijinks didn’t do them any favors, and the show failed to draw.

From Biloxi, Mississippi; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff and Missy Hyatt (and her tits), with Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura (both dressed like Jules and Vincent at the end of Pulp Fiction) on commentary – all in front of a heavily papered crowd.

ECW One Night Stand (June 2005)

By the summer of 2005, with the WWE having won the rating wars, and the wounds healing, the nostalgia was starting to creep in. Now that the WWE owned ‘everything,’ Hall of Fame ceremonies started taking place. Classic clips were again played. A live episode of RAW rewound to 1993. And countless DVDs have been released acknowledging the history of wrestling.

One of the most well received of these nostalgia trips was ECW One Night Stand. Before the WWE ‘revived’ the ECW brand with WWE stars the next year, they held what was supposed to be a one-time only tribute/reunion show for ECW fans – using old ECW talent, ECW booking, and running it in an ECW venue.

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Joey Styles and Mick Foley. Throughout the evening, we get a series of great video packages highlighting some of the more memorable moments from the original ECW.

WWE WrestleMania XX

2004’s WrestleMania XX was the last WrestleMania I saw live – in fact, the last WrestleMania I’ve seen in full, period. Though I had checked out as a fan a few years before, I still ordered WrestleMania because ‘it’s tradition!’ and the promise of an anniversary show drew me in one last time.

My memories of the show are of watching it with my then girlfriend (not a wrestling fan in the least), and it running so long she asked me to drive her home in the middle of it. Not that I minded, as at over four and a half hours it became a chore to sit thorough at points, and the drive provided a much needed break.

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and Tazz. The Harlem Boys Choir sings ‘America the Beautiful’ to kick things off.

WCW Beach Blast 1992

For 1992, WCW introduced a new event to their pay per view calendar: Beach Blast. The show was the first pay per view to take place under Bill Watts’ run as head booker (previous pay per view WrestleWar still involved a lot of transition from Kip Frey) – the promotion for the event confusing: two major champions (World Champion Sting and United States Champion Rick Rude) booked in marquee matches made non-title, and a mildly anticipated (outside of Japan) main event between the Steiner Brothers and the Miracle Violence Connection for the tag titles.

With Watts now firmly in control, the focus of the promotion was shifted back to 1970s-style mat wrestling – off the top rope moves were quickly made illegal, and the floor mats around the ring removed to discourage crazy bumps. These ideas were not embraced by the roster, the fans, or really anyone outside of the misguided Watts – but it certainly succeeded in making the product wildly different than the WWF’s.

From Mobile, Alabama; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff, with Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura on commentary. Schiavone and Bischoff interview Bill Watts before we get started, allowing him to make a fool of himself by saying ‘rules’ about three hundred times in two minutes, and make a point that WCW has many more rules than their competitors.

WWF UK Rampage (April 1993)

To avoid the post-WrestleMania downturn, the WWF once again headed to the hot Europe market in the spring of 1993 – and along with a tour, held another UK-exclusive pay per view.

From Sheffield, England; Your Host is Lord Alfred Hayes, with Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan on commentary.

WWE WrestleMania XIX

WrestleMania XIX is interesting for a number of historical reasons: it’s the first promoted after the World Wrestling Federation ‘got the F out’ and became the WWE, the first under the flawed Brand Extension, and also the least commercially successful WrestleMania of the decade. It (along with WrestleMania XX the next year) also served as something of a swan song for many of the eras biggest stars – the Cena/Orton/Batista era set to begin.

This is another one I ordered purely because ‘it’s tradition!’ – not at all following the product at this point – and I remember being fairly unimpressed with it.

From Seattle, Washington; Your Hosts are Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and Tazz. Ashanti sings ‘America the Beautiful’ to kick things off.

WWF WrestleMania X8

WrestleMania X8 was an interesting one for me, as I had completely checked out as a fan over the summer of 2001, and pretty much ordered it strictly out of tradition – which dated back to my first pay per view ‘Mania in 1995. I remember being quite disappointed with the show at the time – one notable exception – though I’m excited to rewatch with over ten years of perspective.

For the WWF, this was the first WrestleMania truly promoted after the end of the Monday Night Wars (you can’t count X-7, as they had only bought WCW, like, the week before), and also the last promoted under the ‘WWF’ banner – which they would change later that spring. Despite having won the war, much of the reason I remember being let down by this show in 2002 was lack of any truly great cross promotional showdowns – again with one very notable exception. This was also the first WrestleMania to truly start the now overdone strategy of selling the show on the brand name over the card – a lot of the promotion focusing less on matches or feuds, and more on the fact that those matches would be taking place at WrestleMania.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler – a group of my friends among the near seventy thousand fans at SkyDome.

WWF Battle Royal at Albert Hall (October 1991)

After the success of UK Rampage earlier that year, the WWF returned to the UK that fall for another exclusive pay per view, this time from the world famous Royal Albert Hall.

From London England; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan.

WWF UK Rampage (April 1991)

After previous televised on non-televised appearances in the UK since 1989, UK Rampage became the WWF’s first attempt at a UK only pay per view – essentially a glorified house show that kicked off their post-WrestleMania VII European tour.

From London England; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper.

WWF at London Arena (October 1989)

In the fall of 1989, the WWF began what would be a long a profitable venture – UK only shows. Though these would later become bigger, more official spring pay per views scheduled to avoid post-WrestleMania downturns at home, their first appearance in London was scheduled for October (and a brief European tour to follow), and the WWF broadcast the glorified house show on SKY ONE – in front of a sold out house at the London Arena.

From London England; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes. Schiavone fits right in, as the production values are less WWF late 80s, more WCW early 90s.

ECW Heatwave (August 1998)

For 1998, with their popularity and exposure rising, ECW brought the annual Heatwave event to pay per view – and, for the first time, the event was held outside of their Philadelphia home base ECW Arena, moved to a much larger venue in Ohio.

From Dayton, Ohio; Your Hosts are Joey Styles, Shane Douglas, and Francine’s tits.

WWF WrestleMania X-7

WrestleMania X-7 came during a very interesting time for the WWF, as they had finally outgunned and sunk rival WCW (outright buying it in the process), and effectively ended the Monday Night Wars. With all this taking place just weeks before WrestleMania, and over 60,000 fans set to pack the AstroDome in Houston for the pay per view, anticipation was high – X-7 becoming the most commercially successful WrestleMania to that point.

Though they didn’t know it at the time, WrestleMania X-7 also came to be known as the finale of the Attitude Era. With WCW finished, the business as a whole started to decline, and the WWF’s product began gradually shifting away from the racy Attitude towards the modern product – this WrestleMania the last true supercard of the era.

With the end of the era also came the end of my wrestling obsession. While many outside factors played in (when you’re sixteen, cars and girls start trumping wrestling), the mishandling of the forthcoming ‘Invasion’ angle left such a bad taste in my mouth, I lost interest in the product over the course of the year – only casually following  from then on.

From Houston, Texas; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Paul Heyman – in front of a massive crowd. Throughout the year, observers openly doubted whether or not they would be able to pack the AstroDome (many anticipating a repeat of ten years prior), and seeing it full was a huge validation after living through the downturn of mid-90s. This is also the debut of the gigantic entrance sets – which I loved at the time, but have grown thoroughly sick of since.

ECW Hardcore Heaven (August 1997)

After the success of Barely Legal in April, ECW returned to pay per view in the summer of 1997, bringing their annual Hardcore Heaven live event into the pay per view market – the buildup focusing on an cross-promotional match between ECW mainstay Tommy Dreamer and the WWF’s Jerry Lawler.

From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Your Host is Joey Styles.

WWF WrestleMania 2000

Going into WrestleMania 2000 (which is going to create a real problem in the year 3984),  the WWF was resurgent with a new kind of Attitude. With head writer Vince Russo (credited for many of the ideas that buoyed the Attitude Era, and helped the WWF overtake the competition) jumping ship to WCW, and foremost superstar Steve Austin out for nearly a year with an injury, many observers believed it to be a sign of the end for the WWF. Instead, the product improved significantly without Russo – more cohesive, logical angles presented, and more focus put on showcasing the in-ring talents of the promotions significant roster.

Even without Austin, the expanded roster led them to extend the show to over three and a half hours for the first time since settling on a three hour format in the early 1990s, as well as packing the card with multi-man matches – not a single one-on-one match offered other than a ‘catfight’ on the undercard.

The WWF also offered a flawed ‘WrestleMania All-Day-Long’ pre-show (on pay per view, for an extra fifteen dollars) that started at noon, and featured eight hours of WrestleMania history. While fun in theory, sitting through eight straight hours of wrestling, before a four hour show was just too much – leaving me (and pretty much anyone who sat through it) quite burned out by the time the actual show came on the air.

From Anaheim, California; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. Lilian Garcia sings the Star Spangled Banner to kick things off.

WWF WrestleMania XV

With 1998 focused on Steve Austin’s epic feud with Mr. McMahon, WrestleMania XV was focused on a blowoff between Austin and McMahon’s ‘Corporate Champion’ The Rock. Though the show was highly anticipated and commercially successful (including very much so by me – at fourteen years old, and a smartened up mark for Attitude), it has since become known as a prime example of the excesses and mistakes of Vince Russo’s erratic writing style that dominated the Attitude Era.

Still, for all its flaws, the WWF sold the show on the well built foundation of a strong main event. After Steve Austin had won the WWF Title at WrestleMania XIV, his main rival became Mr. McMahon – who spent the entire year trying to get the title off of him (with varying degrees of success), and onto a champion in line with his more conservative views. He finally managed to do so at Survivor Series, and now Austin was gunning for revenge – and the title. It was simple, well booked angles like these that helped fans relate to Attitude, and kept them tuning in – even when surrounded by nonsensical goofiness.

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler. Boyz II Men sing America the Beautiful to kick things off.

WWF WrestleMania XIV

If WrestleMania 13 set the stage for the Attitude Era, WrestleMania XIV is where the curtain rose. In the months after Survivor Series, the WWF became like a phoenix rising from the ashes of Montreal – Steve Austin set to finally ascend to the WWF Title at WrestleMania. With more and more fans getting behind Austin and his Attitude, anticipation was high – and it became the most commercially successful WrestleMania since the 1980s.

The show also marked a changing of the guard, as an injured Shawn Michaels wrestled what many believed to be his last match (and what would be his last until 2002) to pass the title and torch to Austin. Over the course of less than six months, two of the biggest stars of the 1990s (Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels) were gone from the WWF, and still untested stars like Steve Austin, the Rock, and Triple H left to carry the promotion.

For me, it was a terrible time. Seeing Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels (two of the guys most responsible for my fandom) pushed aside so unceremoniously in such short order left a bad taste in my mouth, and I turned the TV off before the show was even over – having no interest in seeing Steve Austin win the WWF Title. While I would later get on board with Attitude, it would take the brilliant Steve Austin/Vince McMahon saga – the overarching storyline the WWF finally needed to counter WCW’s nWo angle – to do it.

From Boston, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

WWF WrestleMania 13

If Vince McMahon has nightmares, I bet a lot of them still revolve around booking WrestleMania 13. Between the multiple booking changes, shrinking profits, and stiff competition from WCW (now in the thick of the nWo angle), this became one of the most ill-fated WrestleManias before it even went on the air.

The original booking saw WWF Champion Shawn Michaels facing off with Bret Hart in an anticipated rematch from the year before. However, a month before the show, Shawn forfeited the WWF Title (citing a knee injury – and triggering a series of events that would lead to Bret Hart leaving the WWF in the fall, and then years of real life animosity with Michaels), and WWF quickly scrambled to rebook the card – passing the title to Sid. What they ended up with was one of the dullest WrestleMania cards presented (the promotion and atmosphere comparable to an In Your House show), with very little in the way of intrigue – the only real exception being the epic feud between Hart and Steve Austin – the two set to clash on the undercard.

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler.

WWF WrestleMania XII

With a thin roster going into 1996, the WWF tried something different for WrestleMania XII: selling the event on a card filling sixty-minute Iron Man match between Shawn Michaels and WWF Champion Bret Hart, and leaving the celebrities behind – one of the first WrestleManias not to feature any celebrity involvement whatsoever, despite taking place in Southern California. Instead, the show was sold entirely on Shawn Michaels’ efforts  to realize his ‘boyhood dream’ of winning the WWF Title – with no other title matches booked on the card.

Watching live as an eleven year old mark, the buildup absolutely worked. Like the WWF, I didn’t care much about the rest of the card, but I remember being absolutely pumped at the notion that my two favorite wrestlers were going to battle for an hour, and my buddy and I were pulling hard for Shawn Michaels – one of the very few times I wasn’t fully behind Bret Hart in a match.

From Anaheim, California; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler.

WWF WrestleMania XI

Facing stiff competition from a now Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage led WCW, and shrinking profits across the board, the WWF changed directions in late 1994 – taking the title off of Bret Hart, and putting it on the still unseasoned (but popular) Diesel. With the move back to a ‘big man’ champion, the WWF hoped to recapture the glory of Hulkamania, but in the process, neutered everything the fans loved so much about Diesel to begin with – turning him into a bouncing babyface, rather than an unstoppable monster.

Not sure how the untested Diesel would draw against an equally untested Shawn Michaels as the main event for the biggest show of the year, McMahon went back to the basics that made the WWF a mainstream phenomenon during the Golden Era, and packed the show with celebrities – even having NFL great Lawrence Taylor scheduled to step into the ring and main event. While Taylor’s involvement did give the WWF a short term boost, unlike Rock ‘n’ Wrestling, it didn’t do much for the flailing promotion in the long run, and the WWF continued to struggle to compete with a reinvigorated WCW.

From Hartford, Connecticut; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. Kathy Huey sings America the Beautiful to kick things off.

WWF WrestleMania X

Timing is everything. After a few stutter-steps, I finally got into the sport of wrestling in early 1994 – just in time for the march to WrestleMania X. Over my youth, it became my absolute favorite show – initially for sentimental reasons, and later for an appreciation of the match quality, and the masterful storytelling featured.

While WrestleMania X wasn’t considered a commercial success, it was critically lauded from the moment it went off the air – and continues to be today. With Hulk Hogan no longer a part of the WWF, the first WrestleMania without the Hulkster was both a nod to the history of the show, and an ushering in of a new era for the promotion. The actual buildup of the main event focused on a mini ‘tournament’ for the WWF Title, as Yokozuna (nine months into his reign of terror as WWF Champion) would have to defend the title against Royal Rumble co-winners Bret Hart and Lex Luger.

For Luger, it was his last shot at the title he had failed to win at SummerSlam. For Hart, a shot at redemption after losing the title to Yokozuna one year earlier – the stage set for WrestleManias anniversary return home to Madison Square Garden.

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. Little Richard sings America the Beautiful to kick things off.

WWF WrestleMania IX

Going into WrestleMania IX, the WWF’s direction was veering wildly. While the main event scene of 1992 had been dominated by Ric Flair, Randy Savage, and the Ultimate Warrior, by 1993, Flair was back in WCW, Warrior had bailed on the promotion, and Randy Savage was (perplexingly) regulated to broadcast duty.

Fearing that his main event of Bret Hart and Yokozuna clashing for the WWF Title wasn’t enough of a draw (both were still relatively untested – Hart only recently elevated to main event position, and Yoko a mere six months into his run), Vince McMahon called upon his most historically reliable draw – Hulk Hogan – to save the day. While he wasn’t technically booked in the main event, his return (Hogan had stepped away from the WWF after WrestleMania VIII) was heavily promoted – teaming with pal Brutus Beefcake to take on WWF Tag Team Champions Money Inc.

From Las Vegas, Nevada (outdoors at Caesars Palace – one of the greatest wrestling sets ever designed); Your Hosts are Jim Ross, Randy Savage, and Bobby Heenan – in Ross’ WWF debut.

WWF WrestleMania VIII

WrestleMania VIII will forever be remembered as one of the WWF’s biggest missed opportunities. Over the summer of 1991, longtime NWA/WCW Champion Ric Flair joined the WWF after a falling out with the rival promotions management, and a showdown with Hulk Hogan seemed inevitable – Flair calling Hogan out from his first appearance. With Flair winning the WWF Title at the Royal Rumble, it looked like wrestling fans were finally going to see the big dream match in the most proper setting – the WWF even advertising it – but in the final stretch of promotion, they suddenly changed gears: programming Hogan against former pal Sid, and having Flair change his tune to calling out Randy Savage instead of Hulk Hogan.

While the WWF has since officially citied the reason for the change as ‘unimpressive business’ for the Hogan/Flair house show matches they ran during the buildup, it had much more to do with the looming government steroid trials – Hulk Hogan ducking for cover under the guise of ‘retirement’ after WrestleMania. WCW would later take advantage of the folly when Hogan debuted for them two years later – immediately programming him against Ric Flair, and drawing their biggest numbers to that point.

WrestleMania VIII was also almost the first WrestleMania one I saw. While I would get into the sport once and for all in early 1994, around the spring of 1992 I did occasionally catch WWF weekend programming, and remember being excited for the big show they were promoting. A family friend was a big fan, and planned to order the show – kindly inviting me over to watch – but I hadn’t been properly bitten by the wrestling bug yet, and seven year old me decided to stay home and play.

From Indianapolis, Indiana; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan. Reba McEntire sings the Star Spangled Banner to kick things off.

WWF WrestleMania VII

In the days before WrestleMania was guaranteed to sell out massive stadiums every year, the success of the show still heavily relied on the product itself – as well as the state of the wrestling business. With the Golden Age dead, and wrestling in an undeniable slump during the early 1990s, Vince McMahon made the grievous error of deciding to run his flagship show at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – coolly estimating 100,000 people would turn out for the event.

After a year of business declining, hoping to ensure success, McMahon put his most bankable star (Hulk Hogan) in the main event, and ran a hot (though still controversial) angle where American hero Sgt. Slaughter turned heel, becoming an Iraqi sympathizer during the first Gulf War. Unfortunately, days before the show, tens of thousands of tickets remained unsold (the building was booked over a year in advance – promotion beginning as far back at WrestleMania VI – but only some 15,000 actual seats had sold), so, citing ‘security concerns’, the WWF moved WrestleMania to the smaller Sports Arena.

From Los Angeles, California; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan (with Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek, and Marla Maples as WrestleMania ‘guest hosts’ – doing various backstage duties). Willie Nelson sings America the Beautiful to kick things off.

WWF WrestleMania VI

WrestleMania VI saw the WWF take their flagship show in a slightly different direction. After holding the last two editions in the slightly depressing Trump Plaza in Atlantic City for a crowd of casually interested fans (as part of a cross promotional deal with Donald Trump) the WWF decided to take their show on the road again – this time crossing the border for the first time for WrestleMania – holding the event in Toronto’s magnificent SkyDome.

With over sixty thousand seats to fill in an era before WrestleMania was guaranteed to sell out big stadiums on name value alone (a lesson they would learn the hard way the next year), the WWF promoted one of the biggest dream matches of the era – a rare face/face confrontation between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Intercontinental Champion the Ultimate Warrior – with Hogan set to pass the torch to the man Vince McMahon believed capable of carrying the WWF into the 1990s. In an effort to guarantee maximum attendance, McMahon shrewdly cut closed circuit outlets in the Toronto area out of airing WrestleMania, forcing local fans to either buy a ticket, or wait for home video.

While the event is considered one of the biggest of the Golden Era, it also has become known as the effective conclusion of it, as Warrior’s title win (much like Sting’s over long time NWA Champion Ric Flair later the same year) ended up failing to meet anyone’s expectations, and business went into decline for years until the Attitude Era.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura (in his last WWF pay per view appearance in this role). Robert Goulet sings O Canada to kick things off.

WCW Great American Bash 1995

After a two year hiatus, WCW brought the Great American Bash back as part of its beefed up pay per view lineup for 1995, the main event set up at the previous months Slamboree, where Ric Flair attacked Randy Savage’s father Angelo (at ringside as part of the ‘Legends Reunion’), reigniting their feud for a WCW audience – the blowoff appropriately scheduled to take place on Fathers Day.

From Dayton, Ohio; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Great American Bash 1992

In early 1991, WCW began distancing itself from the NWA – becoming an independent national promotion (as opposed to an NWA ‘territory’) – and in turn, absorbing all of the NWA’s main titles into their new lineages. By mid-1992, the NWA – reeling without their main territory – began desperately working to reestablish itself, starting with reinstating their own world tag titles. In a bit of cross promotion (see: leeching off of WCW), the NWA titles would be decided through a tournament on WCW programming, the last three rounds scheduled for the Great American Bash – with a tournament to establish a new NWA World Champion (the title – which had been unified with the WCW Title for most of 1991 – vacant since Ric Flair’s WWF jump the year before) scheduled for the next month.

The Bash came during the very thick of Bill Watts’ (often misguided) 1992 run booking WCW. Among many, many other things, Watts was strongly against promoting the NWA, and though this show was sold almost entirely on seeing new NWA tag champions crowned (only one other match was promoted – Sting’s WCW Title defense against Vader), Watts planned to bury the titles (and the NWA) – which he would do for the entirety of his run.

From Albany, New York; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Magnum TA, with Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura on commentary – in front of a small, heavily papered crowd.

WCW Great American Bash 1991

After the failed start of the Sting-era to carry the promotion into the 1990s a year earlier, WCW decided to give it another try with their second choice – headlining the Great American Bash with Lex Luger’s long awaited clean victory over longtime rival Ric Flair to win the World Title.

Unfortunately for WCW, world champion Ric Flair (the most reliable draw in the promotion) was in the middle of heated contract negotiations with Turner executive Jim Herd – with whom Flair had a notoriously contentious relationship. Herd’s strategy of lowballing (as well as his feeling that Flair was past his prime, and needed to be put out to pasture jobbing for guys in the midcard) led to Ric balking, and walking out on the promotion – the physical title belt in tow.

What resulted is one of the most legendarily bad shows of all time. With Flair’s bailing two weeks before the card killing the main event (and Luger’s planned torch-passing world title win moment), WCW was left quickly scrambling to elevate non-contender Barry Windham to main event level for Luger to win the vacant title from – all while they trying to lure Flair back. The fans didn’t buy it one bit, however, and the Bash turned into a sit-in – the crowd firmly behind Flair in the dispute, and chanting for him through the entire show in protest.

From Baltimore, Maryland; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone – both of whom waste no time in burying Ric Flair.

NWA (WCW) Great American Bash 1990

The start of the 1990s was met with a great atmosphere of change in the wrestling world. After a few stutter steps in the spring, the Great American Bash was supposed to be the ushering in of a new era for WCW – where perennial World Champion Ric Flair (who had essentially held the title since 1983) would put over younger superstar Sting once and for all, setting him on a path to carry the promotion into the 1990s, before riding into the sunset (the midcard).

Much like the WWF’s similarly themed WrestleMania VI a few months prior – which featured their perennial champion Hulk Hogan putting over their face painted superhero the Ultimate Warrior in grand fashion – WCW hoped a bold change in direction away from the ways of old would improve business (particularly among kids – the area WCW most lagged behind the WWF), as well as reduce the influence of Ric Flair, who some in management perceived to be aging and out of touch. But, as Vince McMahon was already learning with his new world champion, sometimes things don’t quite go as planned.

From Baltimore, Maryland; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.

NWA (WCW) Great American Bash 1989

At WrestleWar, Ric Flair regained the NWA World Title in a legendary match with Ricky Steamboat – only to be attacked after the bout by ringside judge Terry Funk, when Flair denied him a title shot. Funk’s attack on Flair (which included a piledriver onto a table) put the champion on the shelf and rocketed Funk into a main eventer again, leading to a showdown at the Great American Bash – Flair’s return to face Funk, the title on the line.

Though not producing box office receipts to match the Hulkamania fueled WWF, WCW was in the midst of a creative renaissance – producing intriguing angles and satisfying pay per views – with many considering the 1989 Bash the climax of their potential, frequently coming up in discussions of ‘best shows of all time.’

From Baltimore, Maryland; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.

NWA (JCP) Great American Bash 1988

Now in on the pay per view game, the NWA took the Great American Bash off tour for 1988 (though house shows were still marketed as ‘Bash tour stops’ throughout the summer), and held a single event to air on pay per view – the show built and sold on NWA Champion Ric Flair facing off with up-and-coming superstar Lex Luger, recently ousted from Flair’s Horsemen stable, and looking for revenge.

The show came during a period of transition for the promotion, as Jim Crockett’s failure to compete with the WWF on a national level, as well as his excesses rapidly catching up to him, forced him to sell the promotion to Ted Turner only a few month later – the Bash something of a Hail Mary to try and salvage things.

From Baltimore, Maryland; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone.

NWA (JCP) Great American Bash Tour 1987

For 1987, the NWA once again took the Great American Bash on tour for the month of July, introducing one of their best remembered match concepts along the way: WarGames. The tour was a tremendous success, and Jim Crockett released another two hour compilation of highlights for the home video market.

My local video store carried very few NWA/WCW tapes in the mid-90s (when I started watching wrestling, and looking back), but this Bash Tour tape was one of the few available, and the promise of WarGames had me eagerly renting it.

Your Host is Tony Schiavone.

NWA (JCP) Great American Bash Tour 1986

After the success of Starrcade, the NWA introduced a second supercard to their lineup for the summer of 1985: The Great American Bash. The first show drew well, packing some thirty thousand into Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, so for 1986, they took the concept ‘on tour’ – with events across  Jim Crockett’s territory billed as the ‘Great American Bash’ throughout the month of July.

Because there were over a dozen local ‘Bashes’ that year, the NWA released a compilation of the event on home video, promising highlights from the tour – mostly focusing on two separate stops in North Carolina, one of which saw Dusty Rhodes finally win the NWA World Title from nemesis Ric Flair.

Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and David Crockett.

WCW Slamboree 1994

The spring of 1994 marked an interesting time for WCW – rumors heavily swirling that Hulk Hogan would be joining the promotion any day, and fans abuzz. Slamboree marked WCW’s last pay per view effort before Hogan officially signed his big money contract the next month (and was pushed to an immediate WCW Title win at the next pay per view), but that didn’t stop them from playing up on the rumors – promising a ‘six foot seven, blond, former World Champion’ mystery challenger to Ric Flair’s WCW World Title.

At the time, WCW also had something of a working relationship with still up-and-coming ECW (loaning talent like Cactus Jack and Terry Funk, who were instrumental in the promotions early success), and with Slamboree held in Philadelphia (home base of ECW) the small crowd was filled with their vocal, bloodthirsty fan base.

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan.

WCW Slamboree 1993

For 1993, WCW introduced a new event for the month of May (a slot previously filled by a revolving door of pay per views) with Slamboree. The first show was billed as ‘A Legends Reunion,’ and promised a night focusing on the stars of yesterday (including an induction ceremony for the new WCW Hall of Fame), as well as a main event showdown between WCW Champion Vader and Davey Boy Smith – fresh out of the WWF’s midcard, and into WCW’s main event – an expensive move WCW was hoping to justify.

From Atlanta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko. They start by bringing all the Legends out into the ring (for a reunion!) – including Stu Hart and the Fabulous Moolah, both of whom it is downright bizarre seeing in a WCW ring.

WWF WrestleMania V

WrestleMania IV ended with Hulk Hogan dramatically hoisting new WWF Champion Randy Savage’s arm up in victory – saving him from the devious plans of Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant, and forming an alliance known as the ‘Mega Powers.’ Over the course of the year, the Mega Powers dominated in feuds with DiBiase, Andre, the Twin Towers, and others – but tensions between Hogan and Savage became flared when Savage became increasingly jealous of the Hulkster’s budding friendship with his girlfriend/valet Miss Elizabeth.

Things reached a boiling point on the WWF’s primetime ‘Main Event’ NBC special, when Elizabeth took a bump during a Mega Powers tag match, and Hogan running to her assistance finally sent Savage over the deep end – whacking Hulk with the title belt at the medical station, and launching into a brilliantly paranoid, jealously laden promo. While WrestleMania IV didn’t have a clear main event to sell the show on, WrestleMania V was built and sold on the anticipated showdown between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage – billed as where the ‘Mega Powers Explode.’

From Atlantic City, New Jersey (once again at Trump Plaza); Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura. Rockin’ Robin sings America the Beautiful to kick things off.

WWF WrestleMania IV

Following WrestleMania III is a tough act. In fact, a challenge the WWF wasn’t really up to going into the fourth edition (they were still wildly popular, though they didn’t have a main event as marketable as the year before), so they went with something completely out of left field. A month before the show, at the WWF’s record smashing NBC primetime ‘Main Event’ telecast, Hulk Hogan lost the WWF Title to Andre the Giant after Ted DiBiase (who wanted to purchase the title belt) engineered one of the more famously devious plots in WWF history – using the official referee’s twin brother to get the title off of Hogan. Kayfabe WWF President Jack Tunney wouldn’t stand for it, however, and set up a fourteen-man single elimination tournament for the now vacant title at WrestleMania – with Hogan and Andre getting a bye past the first round to face each other in the quarter-finals, and the big angle being that DiBiase will do anything to cheat his way to the title.

As a diehard fan during my childhood, I made it a point to see all the WrestleMania’s that happened before my interest in wrestling (so, basically, I-IX), but WrestleMania IV took me the longest to get around to – our local video store not stocking it. I did eventually find it in another video store a year or so later, and was impressed by the fact that it was on two VHS tapes, inside of a giant box advertising sixteen matches – still the most of any WrestleMania to date.

Meanwhile, for the first time, the WWF was facing competition on the night of its flagship show. After Vince McMahon’s counterprogramming surrounding Starrcade/Survivor Series ’87 and Bunkhouse Stampede/Royal Rumble ’88, Jim Crockett and the NWA fired back – creating Clash of the Champions as a television special, set to air head to head with WrestleMania. While WrestleMania was still hugely successful, the weak card and the NWA’s promise of a pay per view caliber event on free TV at the same time certainly made a dent – though it would be one of Crockett’s last.

From Atlantic City, New Jersey (at Trump Plaza, as part of a cross promotional move with Donald Trump, which led to an arena filled with casually interested tourists); Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura. Gladys Knight sings America the Beautiful to kick things off.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Wrestling’s Bloopers, Bleeps, and Bodyslams (1985)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Wrestling’s Bloopers, Bleeps, and Bodyslams (1985)

This is notable for being the WWF’s first ever Coliseum Video release, and is a compilation hosted by Gorilla Monsoon. The cover of the tape features Lou Albano whacking one of the Samoan’s with a chair, and promises the best of the ‘worlds most entertaining sport.’

WWF WrestleMania III

WrestleMania III, the absolute pinnacle of the 1980s Golden Age of wrestling, was built and sold less on celebrity involvement, or novelties the way the first two editions were – instead focusing on the truly epic showdown between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and former pal Andre the Giant. To say that the match was ‘highly anticipated’ would be a grand understatement, as it was a dream match the likes of which the WWF had never promoted (though they had run Hogan/Andre before, pre-Hulkamania), and drew an unprecedented 93,000 to the Pontiac Silverdome in suburban Detroit to witness it live.

While that attendance figure has been heavily disputed by sources outside of the WWF over the years, the facts are that the Silverdome did hold a legitimate 81,000 for the Super Bowl five years earlier (which had the ‘disadvantage’ of a field, which can/did act as floor seats for a wrestling card), and some 90,000 to see Pope John Paul II not long before WrestleMania. While it is possible that the attendance was slightly inflated, I strongly believe that some 90,000 were on hand – with millions more watching on closed circuit and pay per view across the country.

From Pontiac Michigan; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura. Aretha Franklin sings America the Beautiful to kick things off – introduced by a choked up Vince McMahon.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: MORE Saturday Night’s Main Event (1989)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: MORE Saturday Night’s Main Event (1989)

Coliseum Video compilation of the best from the WWF’s popular Saturday Night’s Main Event specials. The cover of the tape features The Rockers, and promises MORE of the best from SNME.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Saturday Night’s Main Event – The Greatest Hits (1988)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Saturday Night’s Main Event – The Greatest Hits (1988)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Gene Okerlund. The cover of the tape features Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Elizabeth – promising the best of the WWF’s popular late-night NBC special, Saturday Night’s Main Event.

ECW Heatwave (July 1996)

For 1996, ECW turned Heatwave (released the year before as a home video compilation of matches and angles over the summer of 1995) into a proper show for the iPPV market – following up on the events at Hardcore Heaven.

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Host is Joey Styles.

ECW Hardcore Heaven (June 1996)

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ECW Heatwave 1995

In the days before a pay per view deal, ECW put on a lot of non-televised shows at the ECW Arena – some shot for release on home video. Heatwave ’95 was a compilation video, covering an assortment of stuff from the summer of 1995.

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Host is Joey Styles. ECW Commissioner Tod Gordon and anti-hardcore referee Bill Alfonso brawl before things get underway.

ECW Hardcore Heaven (July 1995)

The summer of 1995 was an interesting time for wrestling fans – with the WWF and WCW at some of their weakest points creatively. There seemed to be an unsaid desire for not only something different in the ‘big two’ – but something different period. Not coincidentally, around this time, ECW (which had been a fairly quiet regional promotion since starting a few years earlier) started getting more and more attention – from the wrestling magazines, to TV.

Before a pay per view deal, and before even an Internet pay per view set up, ECW used to hold sporadic supercards at their home base (the ECW Arena in Philadelphia) to advance and blowoff angles they developed either on their local TV programming, or at arena shows – taped to later sell on home video. Hardcore Heaven 1995 – right in the middle of the summer – came just as Vince McMahon started to take notice of the up and coming regional promotion, after holding King of the Ring in Philadelphia the month before, and having the crowd filled with ECW’s vocal fan base. Both he and Eric Bischoff would soon start raiding their talent roster extensively, but with the fan base growing, and more eyes on the promotion than ever, ECW didn’t have any plans on slowing or toning down – instead, promising another night of blood filled mayhem.

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Host is Joey Styles.

WWF WrestleMania 2

After the massive success of the first WrestleMania, the WWF had the heavy task of having to follow their own act. WrestleMania 2 was promised as an even bigger, even more star studded event (with so many celebrities and pseudo-celebrities on hand, they were hard to keep track of) – this time broadcasting live from three locations in three time zones, as well as airing on closed circuit.

While the event was a terrific success, the decision to run three venues has been universally derided, though it was certainly ambitious – competing with the NWA (Starrcade ’85 had aired live from two venues), trying to jump the bar set with the first WrestleMania, and the idea that the WWF (now a national wrestling promotion) would take its flagship show literally across the country – with live matches from New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

From Uniondale, New York - Chicago, Illinois - and Los Angles California; Ray Charles sings America the Beautiful in New York to kick things off.

Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Susan St. James in New York; Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund, and Cathy Lee Crosby in Chicago; and Lord Alfred Hayes, Jesse Ventura, and Elvira in LA. St. James, Crosby, and Elvira are all celebrity guest commentators with little/no knowledge of the product (think Art Donovan) other than that it’s giving them paid exposure, so they play along.

ECW Living Dangerously (March 1998)

With ECW’s popularity growing rapidly by the end of 1997, and a shaky pay per view deal in place for the next year, ECW introduced a new event for the spring of 1998: Living Dangerously – their fourth true pay per view effort. The event was more-or-less another of the standard sporadic ECW supercards that the promotion used to hold in the ECW Arena for their local fan base, with this one used mostly to push the Shane Douglas v Al Snow feud for the next pay per view – though it ended up becoming etched in the minds of ECW fans for something else entirely.

From Asbury Park, New Jersey; Your Host is Joey Styles.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: SlamFest (1995)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: SlamFest (1995)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Ted DiBiase. The cover of the tape features Bret Hart battling Owen Hart at WrestleMania X, and promises exclusive strategy tips for the latest videogames from Acclaim!

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Wham, Bam, Bodyslam (1995)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Wham, Bam, Bodyslam (1995)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Ted DiBiase – talking on a 90s cell phone. He really is the Million Dollar Man! The cover of the tape features Bull Nakano and Alundra Blayze, and promises action that can only be seen exclusively on Coliseum Home Video.

Heroes of Wrestling (October 1999)

In 1999, pro-wrestling was the hottest it had been since the peak of the Golden Age of the 1980s – if not more. To capitalize on the success, a series of ‘legends reunion’ pay per views (an idea even WCW had scrapped by 1996) were promoted, the first of which was to be Heroes of Wrestling.

Unfortunately for promoter Bill Stone, the show itself ended up becoming a legendary train wreck – panned by many in the industry and fans alike as the ‘worst pay per view of all time.’ Not that it looked like a classic on paper (the event did so few buys that they weren’t financially able to make it to the next show), but the shitstorm that transpired would have probably kept them from trying again, even if it were profitable. 

From St. Bay Louis, Mississippi – in the ballroom of a casino. The atmosphere/production values are right out of the ECW Arena, though the gritty look is out of place with this crowd/card.

Your Hosts are Randy Rosenbloom and Dutch Mantel – the heavily advertised Gordon Solie (because his involvement legitimized the show to many old school fans) not appearing.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Global Warfare (1993)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Global Warfare (1993)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Jimmy Hart. The cover of the tape features Crush, and promises WWF action from around the globe – much like the ‘World Tour’ video series that preceded it.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Invasion 1992 (1992)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Invasion 1992 (1992)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Sean Mooney, with a Star Trek theme. The cover of the tape features Ric Flair, and promises a profile on him.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: 2nd Annual Battle of the SuperStars (1991)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: 2^nd Annual Battle of the SuperStars (1991)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Sean Mooney as George C. Scott in Patton – down to a shot for shot recreation of the opening scene. The cover of the tape features Roddy Piper, and advertises a profile on Jim Duggan – promising to delve into his childhood, and find out what makes Jim Duggan tick. No wonder I never saw this one on the shelves as a kid – didn’t really browse the horror section.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Hottest Matches (1990)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Hottest Matches (1990)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Sean Mooney in a set meant to resemble hell – with the temperature getting hotter as the tape progresses, and Mooney more disheveled. The cover of the tape features Jake Roberts, and promises a profile on him – as well as ‘Superstar Workouts,’ hosted by George Zahorian.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Mega Matches (1991)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Mega Matches (1991)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Sean Mooney. The cover of the tape features Randy Savage, and promises a profile on him.

WWF WrestleMania (March 1985)

In early 1985, the WWF becoming alarmingly popular with Hulk Hogan and their cross promotion with MTV, introduced an event that has become known as not only the flagship show for the promotion – but all of wrestling. With the first WrestleMania, the WWF (popular, but still considered a ‘fad’ by many in the business – most notably Jim Crockett and the NWA), needed something to put them over the top, and cement their position as the premiere wrestling promotion in North America. What they came up with was WrestleMania – an extravaganza that could rival the NWA’s Starrcade supercard, and that would air on closed circuit in theaters and arenas across the country to bring Rock ‘n’ Wrestling and Hulkamania to fans everywhere.

Hulkamania, combined with the celebrity involvement of Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper, made WrestleMania a must-see for serious and casual fans alike – not only in the WWF’s Northeast ‘territory,’ but across the country – with crowds packing closed circuit locations en masse. It became a huge success, not only as an event, but in catapulting the WWF to the top of the mountain.

All eyes were on New York that faithful day in March – turning into the ultimate ‘put up or shut up’ show for McMahon and Co – as failure with WrestleMania would not only dash the WWF’s hopes of expanding, but also put the entire future of the company in jeopardy.  

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura – with Gene Okerlund ‘singing’ the National Anthem to kick things off.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: World Tour ‘91 (1991)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: World Tour ‘91 (1991)

Coliseum Video compilation, hosted by Lord Alfred Hayes. The cover of the tape features The Undertaker being creepy, and promises WWF action from around the globe.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: US Rampage ’92 (1992)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: US Rampage ’92 (1992)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Sean Mooney, dressed as a cowboy. The cover of the tape features The Ultimate Warrior, and promises WWF Superstars getting OUT OF CONTROL!!

WWF UK Rampage '92 (April 1992)

UK Rampage (not to be confused with several Coliseum Videos of similar names) was a UK only pay per view, held as the finale of the WWF’s post WrestleMania European tour. Booking wise, it was basically a glorified house show, put on for the increasingly popular European market.

The market in England was so strong, in fact, that the WWF would return four months later to hold SummerSlam at Wembley Stadium, drawing over 80,000 people – one of the largest crowds ever for a WWE/F event (including recent stadium WrestleManias). At this point, though, SummerSlam was still scheduled to be held States-side (Washington D.C., to be exact), and there’s even a bit during the show that offers a lucky family of four a trip to D.C. for SummerSlam (along with a rental car, and hotel accommodations). Unfortunately for that family, they’d be across the pond while SummerSlam was taking place within driving distance of their home.

From Sheffield, England; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: WrestleFest ’92 (1992)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: WrestleFest ’92 (1992)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan, on a tennis court. The cover of the tape features Randy Savage, and promises a profile on Bret Hart – plus a feature on how to plan a successful party! Considering this is early 90s WWF, expect coke. Lots and lots of coke.

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: WrestleFest ’91 (1991)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: WrestleFest ’91 (1991)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by a 'recently retired' Randy Savage. The cover of the tape features the ‘Texas Tornado’ Kerry Von Erich, and promises a new feature on how the WWF’s managers see the action from ringside.

ECW November to Remember 1998

By the end of 1998, ECW had firmly established itself as not only the #1 Indy promotion in the United States, but as (somewhat) real competition to the WWF and WCW. Unfortunately, the big two clued in (particularly the resurgent WWF), and with the rise of the Attitude Era bringing ECW’s hardcore, wild style to the mainstream (and with better production values, workers, availability), ECW started to drown in its own excesses. With every day that passed, the promotion was becoming less and less like that cool indie band that only you and your buddies knew about, and more of a polished product to secure TV and merchandise deals.

From New Orleans, Louisiana; Your Host is Joey Styles. Terry Funk comes out right away, and bitches out long time friend Tommy Dreamer – in what would become a theme for the evening.

ECW November to Remember 1997

For 1997, November to Remember finally made it to pay per view. Though Barely Legal stole a bit of its thunder, ECW was riding high on a wave of popularity, and anticipation for the show was strong – from casual fans, to ECW’s hardcore mainstays alike.

From Monaca, Pennsylvania; Your Host is Joey Styles – as ECW holds its flagship show away from the ECW Arena for the first time, in front of a record crowd.

ECW November to Remember 1996

By late 1996, awareness of regional promotion ECW was expanding rapidly, to the point where both the WWF and WCW (the two biggest promotions in North America) had worked cross promotional deals, and started openly raiding their talent pool for guys like Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, Mick Foley, and Steve Austin.

ECW’s popularity was expanding so much so (based on strong word of mouth, and their exciting, gritty television programming), that they were angling to move their internet-pay per views onto proper cable. Though concerns about the violent and profane nature of the product would delay their ambitions for a few more months, by the time flagship show November to Remember had rolled around in ‘96, wrestling fans everywhere were starting to get behind the ‘little Indy that could.’

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Host is Joey Styles. Taz comes out right away to cut a promo on Sabu and Paul Heyman. This was in the midst of a long feud with Sabu, that was supposed to be paid off here - but which Heyman wanted to save for ECW's pay per view debut. It was an intense, well worked feud (going as far as having Taz 'unofficially' on WWF programming to promote it), but ended up having one of the absolute most disappointing blowoffs of all time when ECW did finally get onto pay per view for Barely Legal, and couldn’t live up to the hype.

ECW November to Remember 1995

November to Remember was ECW’s flagship show – their punk-rock version of WrestleMania – beginning (like most flagship shows) when the promotion was barely on its feet in 1993, and still known as ‘Eastern’ Championship Wrestling. The 1993 and 1994 shows were non-pay per view productions, run for ECW’s local fan base, and taped for their television programming, as well as release on home video.

By 1995, with the promotion starting to gain some serious credibility (and notoriety) as an ‘extreme’ alternative to the WWF and WCW’s very polished products, November to Remember was offered as ECW’s first internet pay per view (ECW wouldn’t secure a true pay per view deal until 1997 – and even then, just barely), bringing the annual supercard one step closer to legitimacy.  

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Host is Joey Styles.

WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XXI (May 1989)

Original Airdate: May 27, 1989

From Des Moines, Iowa; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.

WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XX (March 1989)

Original Airdate: March 11, 1989

This one is coming off of The Main Event special on NBC that saw the breakup of the Mega Powers a few weeks before, and the theme is that Miss Elizabeth will make her decision as to whose corner she will be in for the main event of WrestleMania V.

From Hershey, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.

WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XI (May 1987)

Original Airdate: May 2, 1987

From Notre Dame, Indiana; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.

WWF Saturday Night's Main Event IX (January 1987)

Original Airdate: January 3, 1987

From Hartford, Connecticut; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.

WWF Saturday Night's Main Event VI (May 1986)

Original Airdate: May 3, 1986

From Providence, Rhode Island; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan.

WWF Saturday Night's Main Event V (March 1986)

Original Airdate: March 1, 1986

With WrestleMania 2 around the corner, this edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event was used to set up the main event, as well as promote the card.

From Phoenix, Arizona; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.

WWF The Big Event (August 1986)

With the WWF becoming increasingly popular in the mid-80s, the need for a summer blowoff show to wrap up all the post WrestleMania angles, and wipe the slate clean to build new angles for the next WrestleMania became increasingly necessary. The concept of an end of summer WWF supercard wasn’t new (similar cards had been run at Shea Stadium in 1972, 1976, and 1980), and would eventually, in 1988, lead to the introduction of SummerSlam. In 1986, the WWF produced The Big Event – sold on the anticipated showdown between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and former best friend Paul Orndorff.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon, Ernie Ladd, and Johnny Valiant. As a testament to the WWF’s popularity at this point, late August evenings in Toronto tend to get quite cool, but they still managed to set an attendance record for pro-wrestling, drawing over 60,000 fans to the outdoor stadium.