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What is the greatest *worked* moment in televised wrestling history?


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The disintegration of the Lawler/Dundee team as Dundee flips out an turns on, well, just about everyone in sight has to be one of my favourite bits of Memphis TV.

See also Funk's one man invasion of the set in '81. Funk really makes you teeter on the edge of having sympathy with him... he's the kid at school who beat people up because they had to go home to parents or older siblings who beat THEM up, or the aggressive drunk at the bar you realize hates themselves so much more than anyone else ever could because they've fucked it all up and they'll never get it back.

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Two more I wanted to mention are:

1. Raven vs Tommy Dreamer ECW that led to the angle where Jerry Lawler showed up in ECW. I don't like Raven or Dreamer and I'm pretty indifferent to ECW as a whole, but they knocked it out of the park with that angle.

2. The "I'd like to Talk to Tom" angle from Continental that had me going completely as a 31 year old watching it for the first time 27 years after it happened.

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While I'm thinking more in the direction of truly great angles, increasingly my answer to this could be "any one of about a dozen Arn Anderson promos". The amazing thing about the original Horsemen in hindsight is how well they each portrayed a very specific type of 80s d-bag. Flair is the Warren Beatty leader who gets all the women, J.J's the designated driver who still quietly gets hammered, Tully is the dude who runs his mouth off and picks a fight on the porch, and Ole's the fifth year senior who's too old to be hanging with these guys and yet has somehow managed to move himself into Flair's rec room. But with Arn, you have the methodical thinker who plays too much golf and knows how to dispose of the body when one of these creeps accidentally kills a stripper.

 

"They put the flag on the cowboy" often comes up in these conversations. Just rewatched it and aside from some lousy strikes from the Russians, it's essentially a perfect 8-10 minute TV segment performed before a live crowd. Eddie Gilbert was awesome, especially in the beginning when explaining how he was a "true American" who had become jaded by money.

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I wouldn't put it at number one, but I do want to mention Jericho beating Triple H for the WWF title in the opening segment of Raw, before it was quickly overturned.

 

Mankind beating the Rock for the title, and the moment in that match when Austin's music hits stands out too.

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As a kid when I actively suspended my disbelief, nothing shocked me more than the original Midnight Express and Paul E. Dangerously attacking Jim Cornette's Midnight Express live on TBS. The build up was great as well with Cornette receiving the mysterious phone call moments before.

 

Also, Hall walking into the ring on Nitro and Nash showing up a few weeks later. The 123 Kid beating Razor Ramone on Raw immediately comes to mind as well.

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Every Foley promo from ECW.

 

Dibiase-Murdoch-Flair from Mid South

 

Terry Gordy slamming the cage door on Kerry von Erich.

 

Every vignette Raven did while in ECW while feuding with either Sandman, Dreamer, or Terry Funk.

 

Choshu being attacked before the tag match in 86.

 

Hansen's debut in AJPW.

 

Michael Hayes's promo on Edge where he just rips Edge a new asshole and rants on everything wrong with todays generation.

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Is there any one moment from 84-85 which really encapsulates the beginning of the Hulkamania era, the same way that Hogan's heel turn is the moment that kicks off the nWo regime or Austin/Tyson's confrontation jump-started the Attitude Era? The obvious contenders are Hulk pinning Sheiky and the first two MTV specials, but none of the above seem even as much of a singular "this will change the business forever" moment as the Horsemen breaking Dusty's leg, let alone Andre ripping off Hogan's crucifix in terms of permanent game-changers.

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Every Foley promo from ECW.

 

Dibiase-Murdoch-Flair from Mid South

 

Terry Gordy slamming the cage door on Kerry von Erich.

 

Every vignette Raven did while in ECW while feuding with either Sandman, Dreamer, or Terry Funk.

 

Choshu being attacked before the tag match in 86.

 

Hansen's debut in AJPW.

 

Michael Hayes's promo on Edge where he just rips Edge a new asshole and rants on everything wrong with todays generation.

Where is that one?

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Hogan had a few spots on WWF TV beforehand, partnering up with Bob Backlund against the Samoans, and hyping the MSG match. Nothing as defining as that MSG match.

 

The card itself is also notable for (I think) being Piper and Orndorff's debut. They, especially Piper, were as defining to the early success of Hogan as anything else was. So it was a special show.

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Every Foley promo from ECW.

 

Dibiase-Murdoch-Flair from Mid South

 

Terry Gordy slamming the cage door on Kerry von Erich.

 

Every vignette Raven did while in ECW while feuding with either Sandman, Dreamer, or Terry Funk.

 

Choshu being attacked before the tag match in 86.

 

Hansen's debut in AJPW.

 

Michael Hayes's promo on Edge where he just rips Edge a new asshole and rants on everything wrong with todays generation.

 

Where is that one?
it was during Edge's feud with FLair. So, sometime in NOv 05 to Jan 06
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Is there any one moment from 84-85 which really encapsulates the beginning of the Hulkamania era, the same way that Hogan's heel turn is the moment that kicks off the nWo regime or Austin/Tyson's confrontation jump-started the Attitude Era? The obvious contenders are Hulk pinning Sheiky and the first two MTV specials, but none of the above seem even as much of a singular "this will change the business forever" moment as the Horsemen breaking Dusty's leg, let alone Andre ripping off Hogan's crucifix in terms of permanent game-changers.

Probably Albano's turn and Piper going nuts during the Lauper presentation.

 

Speaking of Piper, the Snuka coconut Pit has to rank up there.

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