Vital Moments in Professional Wrestling

[Mr. TM]

Professional Wrestling has a very lush and long history behind it. We get a great vantage point in time to look back at it through the modern eyes and are able to judge events that have unfolded and perhaps are still unfolding. Professional Wrestling also has different types of story lines involved in its history. Is the history of Professional Wrestling one that involves pure story lines? Is it one that involves the mixing of keyfabe as real life? Is the history paralleled with real life events, both concerning the entertainment form as well as society in general.

What I am asking from all of you is the history of Professional Wrestling through snap shots of time for events that you think define Professional Wrestling. There are literally hundreds of events that you can think of as moments that define the form of entertainment we all love. I am sure many of you believe the same choices as others out there, so help each other expand on these ideas.

The moment I have chosen for my snapshot in history is March 26th, 2001. It takes place on a Monday where both WWF Raw and WCW Nitro are being shown. After years of bashing head to head with each other in ratings, it seems that the WCW finally lost ground, giving the WWF the ratings victory. That day in itself is a major moment. With the decline of the WCW, as well as the political nature behind its fall, the WWF and Vince McMahon was given the opportunity to purchase the WCW.

This story line is of course part keyfabe and part real life. Vince McMahon did buy the WCW, but what unfolded on the screen was mixed with keyfabe. Life from Nitro another McMahon appeared in front of the camera. It was Shane McMahon telling his father that the name McMahon was on the contract to buy WCW, but it was not Vince's, it was Shane's.

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This is by far one of the most important moments in Wrestling history. WCW was officially added to the WWF. But the storyline that followed is also important, as all the WCW wrestlers who the WWF signed were now entering a new stage. What followed was the blown Invasion storyline, but gave the WWE their future champions in Rey Mysterio and Booker T.

So what are your snap shots in Professional Wrestling history? Are they pure storyling? Are they a mix of key fabe and real life? Or are they pure history paralleled with the happenings of Professional Wrestling.

 

[jmt225]

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Austin pushing Tyson. I honestly believe that was the moment where it all took off for the WWF. I mean, seriously, after that occurred.... it actually felt like wrestling was cool. Everyone was talking about it. At school, on tv… everyone. To me, it's the biggest moment in WWE's history.

However, Scott Hall showing up on Nitro is where it all started. Without him and Nash and the Hogan heel turn that came later... wrestling doesn't have that boom period, and it's impossible to tell where professional wrestling would be today. Without the nWo, the WWF never gets its "Attitude", and if WCW never gets the nWo and the WWF never finds its "Attitude"... is either company still in business today?

But one argument I'll take against these two though is Piper kicking Cyndi Lauper. I honestly believe that moment, more then anything else, is why Wrestlemania turned out to be such a huge success.

So yeah.... those three moments take it all for me.

 

[FromTheSouth]

I think that the moment Austin won King of the Ring changed wrestling forever. King of the ring used to mean the beginning of a mega push. Austin's promo after he won set the tone for what would become the Attitude era.

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You could hear some of the fans change their opinion of him mnid-promo. He got booed when he told Jake to get out of his ring. But when he said Austin 3:16....you could hear some cheers. It changed the type of wrestler people wanted. Squeaky clean good guys were no longer in demand. This change had started with HBK, Hart, and others getting their due, however, Austin is the one that blurred the lines.

This moment began the Attitude era. No longer were right and wrong the most important values for a superstar, but it was wins and titles. Now, the attitude of stopping at nothing to win gold was cheered, when for the entire history of wrestling, to that point, people like Ric Flair enjoyed their boos.

Faces today would be heels one day before Austin won. Without this win, HHH would never has gotten his moon pushes, as he never would have been face, and would have gotten stale as a heel for 15 years.

The entire business changed that day. For better or worse, Austin made today's stars on that day, when he decided that desire and attitude were what the people wanted. No one else could have delivered that promo nearly as well. It sums up the entire Stone Cold era, and the entirety of the future of the business.

 

[HansChristianFrankenstein]

Definitely the "Bret Hart Screw Job". That incident gave birth to the Mr. McMahon character which has been one of the most successful of all-time. People can say Austin made the "Attitude" era but without Vince as his rival, it wouldn't have been nearly as big as it was. It also made WWE more realistic. After that, Vince couldn't just go back to being the announcer calling matches between plumbers and clowns, changes had to be made and they were certainly for the better.

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[Shadowmancer]

Anything other than the match between Georg Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch is nothing. Without that match pro Wrestling as we know it today would not exist. It was this match that defined Pro Wrestling for the next 100 years. While not exclusively pretty damned close to it. Hogan is insignificant compared to this match. Without the match we wouldn't care about Terry Bollea now. Thesz wouldn't even rate a mention. This best two of three matches is perhaps the most vital part of Pro Wrestling history. More important than Bruno, more important than Thesz, more important than Hogan, more important than Austin and far and away more important than Vince McMahon.

I can see people coming in a disagreeing with me. but that match is more important/vital to pro wrestling full stop than anything that is brought up in this thread.

 

[ztwhite]

Anything other than the match between Georg Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch is nothing. Without that match pro Wrestling as we know it today would not exist. It was this match that defined Pro Wrestling for the next 100 years. While not exclusively pretty damned close to it. Hogan is insignificant compared to this match. Without the match we wouldn't care about Terry Bollea now. Thesz wouldn't even rate a mention. This best two of three matches is perhaps the most vital part of Pro Wrestling history. More important than Bruno, more important than Thesz, more important than Hogan, more important than Austin and far and away more important than Vince McMahon.

I can see people coming in a disagreeing with me. but that match is more important/vital to pro wrestling full stop than anything that is brought up in this thread.

THANK YOU SHADOWMANCER !!!!!!!!!!

It's amazing how all these "kids" believe wrestling started in the 90's. None of them seem to understand that Stone Cold and Bret Hart did not make wrestling flourish.

The wrestling industry was dead following World War II and had basically been turned into a carnival sideshow. The moment that changed the wrestling industry forever didn't even include a wrestler - it involved a television.

The invention of television allowed people to see wrestling, not just listen to it on the radio. The programming was cheap and easy to produce and hours after hours of it were shown all across the country.

Territories were reborn and Madison Square Garden was sold out... again. Men like Hackenschmidt, Gotch and Thesz paved the way for men like Hogan, Austin and Hart.

 

[jrcongine]

wow there are so many vital parts of wrestling its like which one do you pick. You could say vince taking the buisness over from his father, wrestlemania 1, shane on nitro, nwo, the creation of nitro. But i'm going to go with one less talked of than then ones listed above but equally pivatol in the progress of wresling. I pick the start of ECW. It ushered in a new idea of guys didn't need over the top gimmicks, but more emphasis of wrestling, brought in luchadores and gave countless stars and ideas for the big boys of wcw and wwf

 

[SavageTaker]

I was going to mention something else but then Shadow mentioned the match between George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch, and I agree with him. If it wasn't for those 2 then wrestling probably wouldn't it be what it is today. Like, Shadow said, without this match there wouldn't be a Hulk Hogan, a Stone Cold Steve Austin, a John Cena, and other people in pro-wrestling that we know. Those guys would be doing something else right now.

Both encounters between George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch might have been very controversial but they still defined pro wrestling. They drew nearly 30,000 fans and a gate of $87,000, both where a record back then if I am correct and it was something that was unheard of. Those records remained for over half a century.

 

[Drue]

Vital moments in Professional Wrestling......

August 27, 1994
Shane Douglas throws down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt and splits Eastern Championship Wrestling from the NWA, beginning the series of events that would bring forth Extreme Championship Wrestling.

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This night is responsible for WWF's Attitude Era and WCW's edgier product. Without this night, Extreme Championship Wrestling is never started. Without this night, we don't get the Raven/Dreamer fued. Without this night, we don't get the Beulah pregnacy/bisexual angle. Without this night, Stone Cold Steve Austin, nWo, DX, none of this happens. It truly changed the face of wrestling forever.

 

[Tastycles]

Anything other than the match between Georg Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch is nothing. Without that match pro Wrestling as we know it today would not exist. It was this match that defined Pro Wrestling for the next 100 years. While not exclusively pretty damned close to it. Hogan is insignificant compared to this match. Without the match we wouldn't care about Terry Bollea now. Thesz wouldn't even rate a mention. This best two of three matches is perhaps the most vital part of Pro Wrestling history. More important than Bruno, more important than Thesz, more important than Hogan, more important than Austin and far and away more important than Vince McMahon.

I can see people coming in a disagreeing with me. but that match is more important/vital to pro wrestling full stop than anything that is brought up in this thread.

I see where you are coming from, but I completely disagree. Yes, they had a wrestling match, but it was a shoot match. These two did no more for pro wrestling than the wrestlers at the 1896 Olympics.

The real important character in the early days is Ed "The Strangler" Lewis. He was the first guy to do worked storylines and matches on a regular basis, and taught Lou Thesz everything he knew. From there on out, the progression is obvious.

You have guys like Curious Georgeadding the flair around the performance, then through Thesz and Sammartino you have the regional championships, then onto the WWF vs AWA vs NWA war and into the 1990s via Hulkamania and then onto Monday Night Wars and then ultimately the attitude era and now.

The most important events in my eyes are twofold. The first is Vince McMahon exploiting MTV to make the Rock and Wrestling connection, without that, you wouldn't ever have had the mainstream popularity that we enjoy now.

The other is WCW's somewhat bizarre decision to make Bischoff president. When you take this at face value, it is akin to Todd Grisham taking over the WWE today, weird to say the least. However, Bischoff brought in the adult product, and also started the Monday Night Wars, and wrestling progressed from there.

 

[supersayian]

its hard to say there are to many moments to think of. but i would say Vince creating WM was the biggest. this event outdrew everything else the other companys did. AWA, NWA, WCW, ECW, they all had their T.V. time. but for Vince to create something this big was legendary. because you were always guareenteed to get something special each time. Vince changed wrestling forever with his greatest creation ever and more then likely in all of wrestling.

 

[HartAttack]

I would say the debut of Hulk Hogan. The WWF had it's icons before him, but he really put professional wrestling on the map. I don't remember when Hulk Hogan's debut coincided with the start of Wrestlemania. (Like the above poster said)

But, I think you could make the argument that maybe without Hulk Hogan, there is no Wrestlemania.