Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread **Spoilers Possible**

[molson]

I wonder if anyone's even ever attempted to stream a live event for 1,000,000+ viewers at the same time. I'm sure none of MLB's games have done close to that online through the official service.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by molson

I wonder if anyone's even ever attempted to stream a live event for 1,000,000+ viewers at the same time. I'm sure none of MLB's games have done close to that online through the official service.

According to their Wikipedia page, they are hired by ESPN to host all of their online video/streaming. It also boasts that they are the sole company hired by CBS/Turner to do the streams for the NCAA Tournament. I'd think the NCAA Tourney has to do high numbers, but that is probably spread out over multiple streams. Not sure if that would matter from a technology standpoint though.

[jbergey22]

I have read about foreign markets being able to get it by using fake addresses and paypal. I wonder if this is messing up their original estimates causing this server overload.

In any case I dont understand why companies wouldnt want to have more bandwidth available rather than less so that customers you know getting the trial have a great experience. Some of these casual potential customers probably logged on yesterday, tried to get the trial, couldnt open an account and will never try again. Some of the others that actually were able to open an account are probably trying to watch an old PPV and cant get it to work and will give up immediately.

[molson]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I have read about foreign markets being able to get it by using fake addresses and paypal. I wonder if this is messing up their original estimates causing this server overload.

In any case I dont understand why companies wouldnt want to have more bandwidth available rather than less so that customers you know getting the trial have a great experience. Some of these casual potential customers probably logged on yesterday, tried to get the trial, couldnt open an account and will never try again. Some of the others that actually were able to open an account are probably trying to watch an old PPV and cant get it to work and will give up immediately.

Ya, I would love to know the strategy of this and how expectations are balanced against how much bandwidth to have. The WWE was certainly pissed that the MLB group yesterday, throwing them under the bus all over the media. Who knows what the WWE were willing to pay for or what was promised, but ya, this is always surprising when it happens. (even though we should expect it by now, it seems like any mass interest in anything leads to streaming problems). I just wonder if it's strictly a money thing, as in, are these companies too cautious in spending money for wasted bandwidth, or if there's some arrogance on the tech side about what they can do for X amount of money (when they're pitching plans to clients).

[SirFozzie]

we should arrange for a FOFC Wrestling fan night where we all watch a chosen PPV at the same time and post our thoughts/memories as it goes

Start with one of the Starrcades?

[molson]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

we should arrange for a FOFC Wrestling fan night where we all watch a chosen PPV at the same time and post our thoughts/memories as it goes

Start with one of the Starrcades?

Like a classic PPV book club, love it. We could try it live but it might be easier to have an "assignment" and a due date for discussion. We could take turns picking and have a "nothing in the last 10 years" rule or something.

[SirFozzie]

Ooooh.. if we do it, I have the absolute best ( I mean Worst) idea to start it with.



Featuring (with my notes in bold.)

The Road Warriors and Norman the Lunatic taking on Kevin Sullivan, Cactus Jack and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Ok, we need someone who can keep up with the Road Warriors, Kevin Sullivan, Cactus Jack and Bam Bam Bigelow in a brawl.. How about Norman The Lunatic? BRILLIANT!

Johnny Ace vs Mark Callous

I'm pretty sure Mark Callous is the only one still wrestling today... well if you count wrestling as appearing on Raw and stabbing people's hands with pens

The Samoan Swat Team vs Tommy Rich and Mike Rotunda

I hope like hell no one tried to headbutt a member of the SST, that's about as likely to work as powerbombing Kidman

Teddy Long vs Paul Ellering (Hair vs Hair)

Oh, with the Road Warriors and Doom out on the outside. Clusterfuck potential: Very High. Put me down for $10 on Teddy "Peanuthead" Long winning, playa.

The Midnight Express (Eaton/Lane) vs Tom Zenk and Brian Pillman

You may remember Brian Pillman as "Flyin Brian". You may NOT remember Tom Zenk as "Z-man"

The Rock and Roll Express vs The Freebirds in a "Corporate Punishment" match.

Otherwise known as a leather strap match. Because when you think of teams that would be improved by taking away 90% of their stooging and timewasting, or by neutering quick tags (or hot tags) and semi-aerial manuevers, it's the Freebirds and the Rock and Roll Express.

The Steiner Brothers (C) vs Doom -- WCW World Tag Title Match

Question, do Simmons and Reed get two appearance fees here?

Ric Flair (C) vs Lex Luger -- Steel Cage Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

Flair has Woman with him. (Ok, honest aside.. who named Woman that? I can just see someone watching Animal (the Muppet, not the Wrestler.. although I would love to see Animal the Wrestler as a muppet) yelling "Woman! WOMAN! WOMAN! and figure that's a great name for a female valet)

edit: Oh, I forgot: Also appearing in some capacity... Sting, the Four Horsemen, and Robocop.

Since I'm throwing it at you and there's still some VOD issues, lets say, we'll set a deadline of March 2nd, at which time the next recommendation will go up?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by molson

Like a classic PPV book club, love it. We could try it live but it might be easier to have an "assignment" and a due date for discussion. We could take turns picking and have a "nothing in the last 10 years" rule or something.

I would be up for this if the tech problems ever get worked out and i decide to purchase.

[dubb93]

They said it would be fixed by 6p today on twitter. I can watch VoD now, fast forward still breaks the feed. They need to fix fast forward and add the ability to save my progress. Hell...do one or the other...without either, this is hard to enjoy.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by dubb93

They said it would be fixed by 6p today on twitter. I can watch VoD now, fast forward still breaks the feed. They need to fix fast forward and add the ability to save my progress. Hell...do one or the other...without either, this is hard to enjoy.

Thanks for the update. What is that twitter feed?

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Thanks for the update. What is that twitter feed?

@WWENetwork

[RainMaker]

If you're Vince, do you just pull up to CM Punk's house with a truckload of cash and pray he shows up on Monday? I mean Chicago is going to eat Batista and Orton alive. They can't go into mania with a heel vs heel main event.

[stevew]

Is there any chance Hulk Hogan gets put in the main event? 30th anniversary and all.

[RainMaker]

I think there was talk of him teaming with Cena to take on the Wyatts. But I thought I read he just can't get cleared physically.

[dubb93]

I fired this up this morning not expecting much. Fast forwarded to the spot where I left off two nights ago on Starrcade 1983 and it immediately started playing. Zero buffering, zero freezes, was pretty flawless. When this works, it is absolutely amazing.

Now that this seems to be working, my goal is to watch the content in order in my spare time, excluding anything prior to Starrcade 1983. They keep adding new content like TV Shows and house shows, so who knows what I will end up watching as time by, but this will beat the hell out of re-runs on TV.

Up next it looks like a big WWF Madison Square Garden show headlined by Hulk Hogan vs. Big John Studd that aired on MSG Network, followed by Starrcade 1984 (Looks like Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes) which was about a month later by Jim Crockett Promotions. Will be interesting to see how the two products compared.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I think there was talk of him teaming with Cena to take on the Wyatts. But I thought I read he just can't get cleared physically.

Fantasy booking idea-
Put the belt on Hogan at WM. Have him have "medical issues" and cite some clause in the rules where he can have a proxy carry out his title defenses. Have him choose Daniel Bryan who defends the belt all summer to summer slam where you put Bryan over Hogan(who was milking the injury). Like a "hand of the king" storyline.

[IlliniCub]

For you guys that signed up for the network, I'm still on the trial and was wondering. With the 60 dollar commitment do they charge you 60 up front or 10 a month? The wording is 9.99 a month with 6 month commitment so wasn't sure.

[molson]

Originally Posted by IlliniCub

For you guys that signed up for the network, I'm still on the trial and was wondering. With the 60 dollar commitment do they charge you 60 up front or 10 a month? The wording is 9.99 a month with 6 month commitment so wasn't sure.

It's $9.99 charged each month.

[molson]

I figured the live stream portion of the network would be an afterthought for me, but I find myself checking in almost every time I sit down at the desktop. It's kind of fun to just see what random shit they have on there. As someone who watches 99% of his TV on DVR, it's kind of fun to revert back to that kind of mindset, just see what's on, maybe catch something I'd never think to look for on my own. I wish the UFC Fight Pass had this kind of thing, and this amount of content, but I suppose they have much less stuff to draw from.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by IlliniCub

For you guys that signed up for the network, I'm still on the trial and was wondering. With the 60 dollar commitment do they charge you 60 up front or 10 a month? The wording is 9.99 a month with 6 month commitment so wasn't sure.

I am not even positive that there is a $60 commitment. As I set mine up through paypal and if I decided I didnt want it anymore next month I could just stop payment on Paypal so I am not sure how they would collect after that. I didnt sign anything.

[dubb93]

So....Ken Patera doesn't like Rocky Johnson because he was apparently attacked and injured by a black man...and now he doesn't like black men. You'll never see that storyline again.

[molson]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I am not even positive that there is a $60 commitment. As I set mine up through paypal and if I decided I didnt want it anymore next month I could just stop payment on Paypal so I am not sure how they would collect after that. I didnt sign anything.

I read that someone asked people at the company this and they claimed they'd send outstanding balances to collections. Like a utility company would, even where there was no credit agreement (I'm sure there was a terms and conditions everyone agrees to that spells out the commitment). I'm sure there's still a way around that using paypal and fake addresses, and I doubt they'd actually bother with collections, so they'll probably just hope that the great majority of people stay for at last 6 months. If lots of people paid $10 for Mania and bailed, that would be a problem.

[molson]

Originally Posted by dubb93

So....Ken Patera doesn't like Rocky Johnson because he was apparently attacked and injured by a black man...and now he doesn't like black men. You'll never see that storyline again.

You could make quite the compilation of old timey wrestling racism. There's a youtube promo of a heel Hulk Hogan calling Tony Atlas a "brown clown."

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

You could make quite the compilation of old timey wrestling racism. There's a youtube promo of a heel Hulk Hogan calling Tony Atlas a "brown clown."

Just watched some classic Ernie Ladd promos a few days ago (YouTube, not WWEN) His rant about Wahoo McDaniel being "a whiskey drinker" that needed to go back to the reservation was great heat.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by molson

I read that someone asked people at the company this and they claimed they'd send outstanding balances to collections. Like a utility company would, even where there was no credit agreement (I'm sure there was a terms and conditions everyone agrees to that spells out the commitment). I'm sure there's still a way around that using paypal and fake addresses, and I doubt they'd actually bother with collections, so they'll probably just hope that the great majority of people stay for at last 6 months. If lots of people paid $10 for Mania and bailed, that would be a problem.

Interesting!

Again, this would seem ass backwards to me. Numerous options are out there in which you wouldnt have to use this collection process which is all but worthless.

CC only or Pay up front would seem the most logical.

Oh well! WWE at times seems like they are stuck in the 80s.

[RainMaker]

I thought the Network was supposed to have all the old Raws and Nitros going back to the 90s?

[Matthean]

It will be fun to see them add in stuff with Chris Benoit in it unless they are going to edit all of it out.

[RainMaker]

Benoit matches seem to be in. I don't know why they've made such a big deal about it in the past. The murders had nothing to do with wrestling.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I thought the Network was supposed to have all the old Raws and Nitros going back to the 90s?

I read somewhere that old TV shows and events would be airing on the regular Network schedule and would then be available on demand after they air for the the first time. So far it looks like Nitro doesn't even have a section, and there about about 5 Raws available. New shows will hit the network after 30 days. They say this has to do with Network contracts, but my money would say it's a Hulu contract.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by molson

I read that someone asked people at the company this and they claimed they'd send outstanding balances to collections. Like a utility company would, even where there was no credit agreement (I'm sure there was a terms and conditions everyone agrees to that spells out the commitment). I'm sure there's still a way around that using paypal and fake addresses, and I doubt they'd actually bother with collections, so they'll probably just hope that the great majority of people stay for at last 6 months. If lots of people paid $10 for Mania and bailed, that would be a problem.

Something interesting I noticed was it said 6-month commitments when you sign up. Basically when your 6-months is up, you are agreeing to another 6 months from what it read to me.

They'd be nuts to go the collections route unless there is huge dropoff after Wrestlemania and they get desperate. Too much bad publicity and too little money to go after. They'd be better off just trying to keep people happy at $10 a month or trying to get people to re-signup (they have their info).

The whole 6-month commitment seemed weird to me in the first place. There is a reason Netflix and premium channels don't do that. Just get the person to sign up and keep them happy.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by dubb93

I read somewhere that old TV shows and events would be airing on the regular Network schedule and would then be available on demand after they air for the the first time. So far it looks like Nitro doesn't even have a section, and there about about 5 Raws available. New shows will hit the network after 30 days. They say this has to do with Network contracts, but my money would say it's a Hulu contract.

Weird. I mean there are over 1000 Raw episodes. Hundreds of Nitro, Smackdown, Thunder, Heat, and so on. It could take years to get them up if they waited to play them on the regular schedule.

[BigDPW]

I am also up and running and streaming on demand now with no issues on my PC (previously is wouldn't load or allow FFWD or REW). Now just have to check and see if the Xbox will work...

[SirFozzie]

If you're not watching NXT Arrival on WWE, you're missing a great match between Sami Zayn and Cesaro

A bit Puro/indietastic at the end (Sami Zayn kicks out of the Backdrop Lift into the European Uppercut at 1? Especially after 20+ minutes?) but a great match

[twothree]

I wasn't expecting Too Cool to show up. LOL. I agree it was a really good opening match on NXT Arrival between Zayn and Cesaro.

[CU Tiger]

Started to post this in the viewer's club thread but thought it fit better here.

I used to be a HUGE wrestling fan when I was a kid. NWA used to come to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill once a month and a friends mom worked for the (then) College (now university) so as young as 8 or 9 we would get jobs selling tickets before hand or programs and get to watch the shows for free...I didnt have much family structure at this point and they were the Cleaver's of TV lore...I very fondly remember those times.

Anyway a couple years later the first time one of my parents tried to come into my life...my dad took me to Atlanta to a huge "PPV" if such a thing existed at that time... basically he had done well regretted not being in my life and throghout much of my late childhood and early teens would swoop in on random occasions for some awkward attempt at a bonding moment this was one of those times....anyway all I remember was the event was at the Omni in Atlanta...and we stayed in a Holiday inn near the airport and it looked like the planes would hit our room...we had to be 30 stories up...

Anyway this card...this was around the time of the "Super Powers" alliance when Nikita Kohloff took a run as a baby face and he and Dusty Rhodes were a team...anyway the main event was (IIRC) the road warriors and the super powers along with Paul E against the 4 horsemen and their silver haired manager (whose name escapes me) in some weird ass double ring with both encased in a single cage. The match was won by the 4 horsemen manager getting his arm broke and I am pretty sure it was legit.

I some how got separated from my chaparone and just like I was back in that little college gym wandered down to not a couple rows away where I just found a seat and watched...

I remember the main event and I remember the "Free Birds" putting on a "concert" that consisted of rip offs of thin lizzy, lynyrd skynyrd, and rush...then they wrestled the rock and roll express I believe...and the tall weird free bird (Gordy maybe???) wrestled I think Dr Death Steve Williams...


I may be mushing a bunch of memories together I dont know...

Anyway this was a crazy as cool night for me...the show was fantastic and somehow I got separated from my "chaperone"...aftr the show was over I stood around until the workers were tearing the stage down...finally it dawned on someone that this kid is here without an adult I then remember a cop car telling the cop the airport holiday inn story going back there (this was waaay before cell phones) and eventually getting reconnected with my chaperrone...

All that said I would pay for a 6 month subscription just to watch that show again, only I have no idea the name of it and some searching is coming up nothing..

Can anyone (Jon I am counting on you here ) help, and tell me what show I want to watch?

[SirFozzie]

NXT Women can work too.

[twothree]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Can anyone (Jon I am counting on you here ) help, and tell me what show I want to watch?

I think that was the Great American Bash 87' on July 4th.

The Great American Bash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't think it is on the WWE Network, because I don't think it was an actual PPV. I could be wrong, though.

[bulletsponge]

what network is NXT on?

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by twothree

I think that was the Great American Bash 87' on July 4th.

The Great American Bash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't think it is on the WWE Network, because I don't think it was an actual PPV. I could be wrong, though.

That had to be it...the rest of the card doenst ring much of a bell though.
timing is right because I remember wanting to catch a braves game but we couldnt and it would have been summer..


Thanks!

Now I am on a mission if anyone knows where I might watch this piece of history Id be greatful.

[JonInMiddleGA]

That manager was J.J. Dillon.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

what network is NXT on?

Up till today? Hulu.

From now on? WWE Network

And the Ladder match was a well laid out match. A distant third to the women's match and #1 of couse is Zayn/Cesaro.. but that's not that bad. In fact, someone on another forum said it best "There were years that would have been on the list for Match of the Year, and it's only the fifth best match THIS WEEK."

[dubb93]

Watching WWF MSG Events in late 1984 / Early 1985 and Wrestlemania, there was something about Brutus Beefcake that I have to feel he never hit his true potential. He basically jumps off the screen as a guy with potential to do pretty much anything he wants in the business. This was before he would become the Barber and he's being managed by Luscious Johnny Valiant.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Watching WWF MSG Events in late 1984 / Early 1985 and Wrestlemania, there was something about Brutus Beefcake that I have to feel he never hit his true potential. He basically jumps off the screen as a guy with potential to do pretty much anything he wants in the business. This was before he would become the Barber and he's being managed by Luscious Johnny Valiant.

The argument against him was his in ring talent was bland according to what I have read. He was one of Hulk's pals and many think they only reason he was even pushed was because of that. Personally, I felt he had a lot of charisma and did well for that era of wrestling. The thing I really enjoy about watching some of them 80s wrestlers is there use of in ring psychology. The wrestlers would sell a bad knee and their opponent would work that knee over to try and win the match.

[dfisher]

Rumor has it that all Saturday Night's Main Event and Clash of the Champions are scheduled to go up soon. They are waiting until after the free trial period to put up everything.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by dfisher

Rumor has it that all Saturday Night's Main Event and Clash of the Champions are scheduled to go up soon. They are waiting until after the free trial period to put up everything.

Wonder if that will include "The Main Event" spin-off as well?

EDIT: I think I'm going to freeze my viewing in 1985 just incase these rumors are true. The sites I looked at seem to be reporting this as fact, rather than a rumor. I'd hate to blow past the time when these events were really relevant.

[molson]

Meltzer got into some of the network problems, kind of interesting:

"Essentially, the technical reason some things did and didn’t work, or didn’t work on different devices was because for both video-on-demand and live streams, WWE and MLBAM are using a content distribution network of a number of caching services in various locations around the country. These servers bring content geographically closer to a user requesting it. But they only serve what is expected to be the most popular content. That’s why the live stream has few problems, but some video-on-demand material that they didn’t expect there would be much interest in, such as WCW and ECW PPVs, have had more problems. When a user requests content not part of the local cache, the cache has to request it, taking time and server resources.

What happened the first two days is too many users requested too much different content, and they don’t have either the storage or bandwidth to retrieve it and serve it quickly enough.

The crashing of the ability to order it was because they were preparing for fewer orders than they received, which in a sense, is a good problem. That problem could occur again during WrestleMania week, so it would be encouraged that if you are ordering for WrestleMania, to order a week out when demand on the servers would be low."

My roku WWE app is now letting me resume watching from when I stopped previously - I'm not sure if it was doing that right off the bat. And I've noticed that SOME shows have match chapter headings making it easy to jump around. So that will probably show up in more and more shows as we go on. It's a work in progress. It's kind of surprising the WWE didn't see the demand in the old WCW/ECW stuff - they produce so much of that stuff in DVD form. Hopefully that encourages them to put more of the older obscure territory stuff.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

If you're not watching NXT Arrival on WWE, you're missing a great match between Sami Zayn and Cesaro

A bit Puro/indietastic at the end (Sami Zayn kicks out of the Backdrop Lift into the European Uppercut at 1? Especially after 20+ minutes?) but a great match

Zayn/Cesaro 1-3 weren't bad either, and built up why that kick out at 1 had to happen.

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

NXT Women can work too.

At least until they get called up to Raw to participate in dance contests or serve as Sideshow Wrestler's Girlfriend.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Mentioned the Zayn/Cesaro barnburner to my son and that led to a discussion about how, on the one hand it's kinda like "OMG new WWE talent that can work? OMG" ... and on the other hand it's like "Double C vs El Generico, gee, what a shock THAT was a good match"

[SirFozzie]

File this photo under o. for "OW."

[dave731]

Loving the network...I don't even watch today's wrestling but did the free trial and I am likely in for at least the 6 months. I will probably start watching the current product as a result but I am loving the old school ppv's and some of the original programming. I also watched that first fight on NXT and loved it although I have no idea who either guy was. I think WWE has a winner here...$9.99 a month is worth it.