**WWE NETWORK THREAD** - Page 163 - Wrestling -- Two Plus Two Poker Forums

Austin's heel turn being a terrible idea and Austin still being absolutely fantastic as a heel are definitely things that can coexist, and IMO do. That heel run didn't fail for a lack of awesomeness on Austin's part.

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03-11-2018 , 08:41 PM

#4052

EddyB66

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 26,767

I was never a big Austin fan, but I have been going back and watching some of the footage of him. I guess I was just too busy to watch back then to appreciate his work.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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03-11-2018 , 11:16 PM

#4053

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

I've dialed up WrestleMania IV. I have no defense to make of this PPV, it's objectively awful, but I'm going to keep periodically watching it for the rest of my life due to nostalgia factor. Will skip Jake vs. Rude obviously. (The Brother Love show was WM V's Jake vs. Rude.) Young me was so damn stoked every time I could go rent the VHS and it was spread over two whole tapes.

I wonder WTF the story is on George "The Animal" Steele being announced as a participant in the opening battle royal and then just taking his shirt off and never going into the ring.

No seriously, I really want someone to know the answer re: George Steele.

I mean, presumably the answer is that he was hurt and couldn't take the over-the-top bump, but I'm surprised that I haven't ever run across any sort of confirmation of that.

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03-11-2018 , 11:38 PM

#4054

Poncharello

journeyman

Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 371

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

In two weeks, on the 30th Bruce Prichard will be doing this show on his podcast. I know you don’t listen, but I will send this in as a question in case they don’t go over it during their dive.

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03-12-2018 , 02:04 AM

#4055

AllBlackDan

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Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 6,329

My thought was him never going in the ring was just promoting his crazy man gimmick

Just a funny, in-character way for the Animal to go through the battle royal, I never thought much more deeply about it

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03-12-2018 , 05:10 AM

#4056

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

Whatever the case was, they never really clued Jesse and Gorilla in on what was going on. Jesse comments on why Steele hasn't ever gotten in the ring, Gorilla claims that Steele was already in and has been tossed out, Jesse correctly says he was never in, Gorilla says, "Well he was in the ring during introductions" (he wasn't), and then at some point Steele disappears from ringside.

Granted that it really isn't a big deal, but I've always found it so strange and I keep expecting to see someone mention it in an article/podcast/whatever. I would even force myself to take a Bruce Prichard answer at face value.

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03-13-2018 , 02:05 AM

#4057

AllBlackDan

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 6,329

You made me curious lol, found this on Steeles wiki

He participated in the*Wrestlemania IV*Battle Royal but was outside of the ring the whole time. According to Steele, he suffered a knee injury at a house show prior to the event, which was the reason he didn't get in the ring

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03-13-2018 , 06:45 AM

#4058

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

Ah, thanks. If it was sitting there on Wiki I probably should have been able to track that answer down myself. Strange that they didn't give Jesse and Gorilla the story so they could be ready with some sort of cover.

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03-13-2018 , 08:21 AM

#4059

master3004

Revisionist Historian

Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 56,419

Quote:

Originally Posted by .isolated

I pimped this a few months ago. Easily one of the GOAT interviews but isn't ever talked about. Starts at 2:00:

I wouldn't argue with this. I know that a lot of people look down on his heel run as kind of ruining the business a bit but the entertainment as a comedy character was off the charts.

Obligatory:

Holy **** that gif looks pretty scary. Dude picked up a lot of speed down the ramp.

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03-17-2018 , 04:29 PM

#4060

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

Demolition turned face in 1988 during their first run with the Tag Team Titles.

There have definitely been mid-reign heel turns at other points in WWF/WWE history (Savage in 1989, Demolition in 1990, CM Punk in 2012), but for the life of me I can't think of another example of a heel champion turning face in the middle of a title run and continuing on with a face title run. Are there any other examples of this?

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03-17-2018 , 04:31 PM

#4061

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

Meh I pressed post and then immediately thought of one, even if it's a liberal use of "in the middle of." Randy Orton in 2004 (after ~24 hours as heel champion).

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03-17-2018 , 06:52 PM

#4062

Poncharello

journeyman

Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 371

I have no idea if I am correct and I wouldn’t even know where to go to check this, but the first name that pooped in my head when you posed this question was Jerry Lawler in Memphis. He turned back and forth enough and held the big title there long enough that both may have lined up at some point

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03-17-2018 , 07:25 PM

#4063

.isolated

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 21,495

Do women count? #pc

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03-17-2018 , 07:32 PM

#4064

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

Ah yeah, I guess Charlotte recently?

Really it's hard to think too hard past 1999 about championship reigns since Val Venis won the IC Title and the entire concept of championship reigns was never the same.

Quote

03-17-2018 , 07:33 PM

#4065

MinusEV

Giftastic!

Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 12,209

Quote:

Originally Posted by .isolated

Do women count?

Sometimes they do:

Spoiler:

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03-17-2018 , 09:54 PM

#4066

OneOut

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Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 10,487

I feel like there's gotta be some early Ric Flair in there. Although, maybe it's just that he was heel in some territories and face in others?

Does his 1989 reign count, when he turned directly after winning the title via Funk attack?

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03-17-2018 , 09:57 PM

#4067

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

That's borderline. There was a babyface handshake with Steamboat too I think, but that would be post-pinfall, so I suppose that would allow for a fleeting moment of being a heel champ.

Flair is also a bit of an odd case in general because it seemed that much of the region just never really accepted him as a heel no matter how he was booked.

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03-18-2018 , 01:59 AM

#4068

El Kabong

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 10,049

Brock turned face as champion after Hell in a Cell in 2002. Stone Cold also turned face as champion when he turned on the Alliance during the Invasion angle.

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03-18-2018 , 01:15 PM

#4069

OneOut

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Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 10,487

When did Austin turn on the Alliance? I remember a really strange angle at Survivor Series where the Alliance lost and they all had to leave WWE because Angle turned on them, but somehow Angle was made out to be the heel in that situation and nobody actually left.

Was also thinking about Brock, but thought he lost the belt the night Heyman turned on him. Thought it was either Survivor or the Rumble too.

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03-18-2018 , 01:20 PM

#4070

.isolated

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 21,495

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Brock turned face as champion after Hell in a Cell in 2002. Stone Cold also turned face as champion when he turned on the Alliance during the Invasion angle.

HiaC 2002 was where he squashed Taker as a heel. It's also where we got this iconic image:

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneOut

Was also thinking about Brock, but thought he lost the belt the night Heyman turned on him. Thought it was either Survivor or the Rumble too.

Heyman turned on him in the GOAT 5 minute match at Survivor Series 2002 where Show won the belt.

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03-19-2018 , 06:50 PM

#4071

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

They just threw a bunch of WCW Thunder up onto the Network.

Everyone open this video and queue it up to the 1:50:55 mark: http://network.wwe.com/video/v1886177883

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03-19-2018 , 06:57 PM

#4072

.isolated

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 21,495

lol @ the "Jerricho is my idol" sign in the crowd.

Horsemen music is so elite.
I've watched this promo so many times on YT. Probably the best segment to ever take place on Thunder.

edit: I notice this runs 2:15. They really had Thunder at 3 hours in 1998? jfc