So I'm Watching Best of Raw

[klunderbunker]

And it occurs to me, the WWE has spent over ten years criticizing WCW for the Fingerpoke of Doom where they had a big match promised and then they had a big swerve and no real match.

Flash back to April 98 when WWF finally won the ratings war. How did they do it? They promised Vince vs. Austin and then as soon as the bell rings Dude Love comes out and the match never happens.

Gotta love selective memory.

 

[a0161613]

The thing with the FoD is that it was a match, with a pinfall decision and did nothing but deliver a kick-in-the-teeth swerve.

The Stone Cold/Vince/Dude angle was specifically done to further both the Vince feud and the subsequent feud with Dude and Austin (at Over the Edge?). The feud with Austin and Vince was what pushed WWF level with WCW. This angle just put them over the top.

Besides Vince at that time knew the relevance and importance of his run ins with Austin And how much business it could do when it actually happened. No way were they going to give it away on Raw.

So yes, the buildup was identical, but the actual destiny of the industry was shaped by the two very different paths that the companies decided to take.

WCW screwed their fans.
Looking back, WWF really didn't.

 

[a0161613]

Besides, wrestling is all about selective memories; history is always told by the winners.

 

[Shocky]

The FPoD is the most wrongly criticized thing. The whole point was to restart the NWO, and have Goldberg chasing them down as opposed to the Stinger. It would have worked wonders had not everyone gt injured along the way afterwards.