WWE Netflix/Peacock/ESPN Discussion Thread

[dubcity]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

Watching Summerslam '89.

Opening match is Brainbusters vs Hart Foundation. Have no memory of Tully and Arn being tag champions. So many WCW/NWA guys came in and were pushed at the same time here.

Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura on commentary. 3 years later this exact team would be calling WCW PPVs. Schiavone is great, and honestly he should have stayed in WWF longer.

First WWF PPV for Dusty Rhodes. It's crazy how cartoony his character was in WWF compared to WCW/NWA. His in-ring was the same, still over, but his promos were just so over the top and extra camp. Theme song was a banger tho.

Rougaeus brothers come out with Rick Martel to "All American Boys," with Jimmy Hart AND Slick. Had to be a sale at Gimmicks-R-Us.

Bossman and Akeem coming out to Slick's "Jive Soul Bro" is lowkey badass. Mr. Perfect went forever having no entrance music, which feels dumb, but at least they didn't give him the Red Rooster gimmick.

Backstage segment with Mean Gene, Macho Man, Sherri and Zeus, all standing over a cauldron like it's a middle school haunted house or something.

Crowd was hot for everything. Especially the Zeus/Hogan tag main event. I feel like people don't realize how decent No Holds Barred actually did at the box office. That film made twice as much as Suburban Commando, and was competitive with Road House in the weeks they went head to head. There were even people who bought tickets to see No Holds Barred when the other options were the opening weekend of Batman, Indiana Jones, and the Ghostbusters sequel. And it did not get anywhere near as wide of a release as those did.

[Mercury112491]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

How has no one ever got the rights to put Zeus in a video game? That’s what I need from 2k23. Showcase: No Holds Barred. Let me play through all those matches and let me unlock all those shady fight club type rings as well as the bad *** studio from the end. I NEED THIS [emoji23]


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[ProfessaPackMan]

WWE Network Discussion Thread

Went back to 97, watching some Shawn Michaels clips and his entrance at Survivor Series that year is just pure comedy lol

The Heat he got in Canada was something else.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

So I've gone back to re-watch everything since the 2016 brand extension since I missed a lot of stuff starting probably after WM 33 as I stopped watching consistently after that point.

Anyway while watching, I was reminded just how over Enzo & Big Cass were as a tag team. How in the hell did Vince not put the tag titles on them at any point? They didn't even win the titles in NXT. The reactions those dudes were getting were like the New Age Outlaws in their prime. WWE really dropped the ball on never putting the titles on them and of course the split after Mania and Cass' heel turn just for neither of them to do anything of note afterward.

[dubcity]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

So I've gone back to re-watch everything since the 2016 brand extension since I missed a lot of stuff starting probably after WM 33 as I stopped watching consistently after that point.



Anyway while watching, I was reminded just how over Enzo & Big Cass were as a tag team. How in the hell did Vince not put the tag titles on them at any point? They didn't even win the titles in NXT. The reactions those dudes were getting were like the New Age Outlaws in their prime. WWE really dropped the ball on never putting the titles on them and of course the split after Mania and Cass' heel turn just for neither of them to do anything of note afterward.

Should have pushed them as a tag team, or made Enzo a manager and had Cass as a single. But Vince hated tag teams AND managers, so there ya go.

[Mercury112491]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

So I've gone back to re-watch everything since the 2016 brand extension since I missed a lot of stuff starting probably after WM 33 as I stopped watching consistently after that point.



Anyway while watching, I was reminded just how over Enzo & Big Cass were as a tag team. How in the hell did Vince not put the tag titles on them at any point? They didn't even win the titles in NXT. The reactions those dudes were getting were like the New Age Outlaws in their prime. WWE really dropped the ball on never putting the titles on them and of course the split after Mania and Cass' heel turn just for neither of them to do anything of note afterward.

I think they 100% were going to put the titles on them. But then Enzo got hurt rag dolling off the bottom rope and kinda derailed their push.


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[J_Posse]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

People forget that Enzo was being showcased as the top guy in the cruiserweight division, but him being disliked backstage and the serious accusation that was levied at him ended his run in WWE.

Cass similarly found himself in hot water - taking liberties with the "little" Daniel Bryan when expressly told not to - which got him canned too. Those two were as hot as fish grease at one time, but they both needed to mature more. They let getting to the main roster get to their heads a bit, IMO.

Official HQ of Bills Backer/Spurs Nation

[dubcity]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

That segment with Enzo in the middle of the ring roasting all the cruiserweights that were standing on the apron was classic. Probably one of my favorite WWE segments from the past 10 years or so.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

I think they 100% were going to put the titles on them. But then Enzo got hurt rag dolling off the bottom rope and kinda derailed their push.


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Yeah I remember that. Even when he came back though they were still red hot and they just did nothing with them. One of the many things Vince was always terrible at. Someone gets hurt in a business that you're infinitely more likely to get hurt in than any other profession on Earth and Vince basically treats you like the scum of the Earth moving forward.

People forget that Enzo was being showcased as the top guy in the cruiserweight division, but him being disliked backstage and the serious accusation that was levied at him ended his run in WWE.

Cass similarly found himself in hot water - taking liberties with the "little" Daniel Bryan when expressly told not to - which got him canned too. Those two were as hot as fish grease at one time, but they both needed to mature more. They let getting to the main roster get to their heads a bit, IMO.

Official HQ of Bills Backer/Spurs Nation

Oh no I didn't forget about it. It's one of the direct reasons Neville left WWE for AEW. I just think it was yet another case of WWE breaking a team up too soon again, especially one that was as over as Enzo and Cass together were. They were never going to reach those heights apart. But Vince has always hated tag team wrestling anyway.

That segment with Enzo in the middle of the ring roasting all the cruiserweights that were standing on the apron was classic. Probably one of my favorite WWE segments from the past 10 years or so.

That was classic lol

[dubcity]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

Watching the Best of Raw DVD set. I'm assuming it's on Peacock, but good luck finding it with their search function and UI.

I'm fully convinced that 1997 is the best year they had. At least for weekly TV and PPVs. They had:

ECW invades Raw
The rise of Austin, Austin stuns Vince
The beginning of DX
Canada vs USA/Canadian Stampede PPV
The Rock becomes The Rock
HBK in his prime
Bret Hart in his prime
1st Hell in a Cell match
Kane debuts
Undertaker vs Mankind feud continues
Montreal Screwjob
New Age Outlaws form
Sable
Vader
Jim Cornette
Brian Pillman
Nation of Domination
Owen Hart

OK I just listed names at the end there, but damn that was a classic year to me. Not saying it had the best WM show, or the product was a successful as it would become in the years afterward, but you had a ton of great talent working at the same time, and things were picking up.

[Majingir]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

Watching the Best of Raw DVD set. I'm assuming it's on Peacock, but good luck finding it with their search function and UI.

I'm fully convinced that 1997 is the best year they had. At least for weekly TV and PPVs. They had:

ECW invades Raw
The rise of Austin, Austin stuns Vince
The beginning of DX
Canada vs USA/Canadian Stampede PPV
The Rock becomes The Rock
HBK in his prime
Bret Hart in his prime
1st Hell in a Cell match
Kane debuts
Undertaker vs Mankind feud continues
Montreal Screwjob
New Age Outlaws form
Sable
Vader
Jim Cornette
Brian Pillman
Nation of Domination
Owen Hart

OK I just listed names at the end there, but damn that was a classic year to me. Not saying it had the best WM show, or the product was a successful as it would become in the years afterward, but you had a ton of great talent working at the same time, and things were picking up.

I've gone back and forth on the best year, but I'd go with 98 as probably their best.

2000 was the best for depth, but 98, specifically post WM was crazy. Even 99 was great but took a hit going into the summer and Austin was slowing down/nearing his surgery.

[dubcity]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

I've gone back and forth on the best year, but I'd go with 98 as probably their best.

2000 was the best for depth, but 98, specifically post WM was crazy. Even 99 was great but took a hit going into the summer and Austin was slowing down/nearing his surgery.

Yeah, Austin getting hurt is the biggest what-if. I watched a Raw match from the week leading up to Summerslam97 where he got hurt by Owen, and it's crazy how ripped and in shape he was. He was never the same, even though his run was an all-timer.

[Majingir]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

Yeah, Austin getting hurt is the biggest what-if. I watched a Raw match from the week leading up to Summerslam97 where he got hurt by Owen, and it's crazy how ripped and in shape he was. He was never the same, even though his run was an all-timer.

At the same time, you never know if he'd be better or worse if he never got injured. Not being able to do as much in the ring meant he had to be that much better mic/character wise.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

Watching the Best of Raw DVD set. I'm assuming it's on Peacock, but good luck finding it with their search function and UI.

I'm fully convinced that 1997 is the best year they had. At least for weekly TV and PPVs. They had:

ECW invades Raw
The rise of Austin, Austin stuns Vince
The beginning of DX
Canada vs USA/Canadian Stampede PPV
The Rock becomes The Rock
HBK in his prime
Bret Hart in his prime
1st Hell in a Cell match
Kane debuts
Undertaker vs Mankind feud continues
Montreal Screwjob
New Age Outlaws form
Sable
Vader
Jim Cornette
Brian Pillman
Nation of Domination
Owen Hart

OK I just listed names at the end there, but damn that was a classic year to me. Not saying it had the best WM show, or the product was a successful as it would become in the years afterward, but you had a ton of great talent working at the same time, and things were picking up.

I don't know about "best" but most significant? Most pivotal? Not sure the exact term for it because as you listed a **** ton happened that year that spawned the Attitude Era. 2000 was a really great year for the company. With Triple H doing his best heel work of his career. The Rock being scorching hot. The Debut of Angle, Benoit, Saturn, Malenko and Eddie. Too Cool & Rikishi, Foley bringing back Cactus Jack against Triple H. Kane's face run. Jericho coming into his own.

'98 could also be up there for best years there. The DX/Nation feud. Austin vs McMahon and the first time Kane and Undertaker made up the Brothers of Destruction. Foley/Kane Hell in a Cell. The Foley/Vince story ending with Vince screwing over Mick at Survivor Series.The Rock taking over the Nation from Farooq and then The Rock's mini baby face run after the Nation before becoming the Corporate Champion. Shawn turning on DX when we all thought we were going to see him back with the group he helped create.

[Majingir]

Re: WWE Network Discussion Thread

Somewhat network related.

If a deal isn't reached next week, WWE on Hulu content will be done.

I wonder where they'll go from there.

They don't really need Hulu anymore. If they could get a deal with Netflix, Prime Video or someone else, that'll be much better. I wonder if Peacock would bother given that they do have Raw and SD, but I think it's a 30 day wait before they can put the new episodes up?

Or given their presence on YouTube, does YouTube TV get in on this?