TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,631
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Apr 4, 2023 12:05:28 GMT -5
April 4, 1993.
WrestleMania IX took place 30 years ago today on a beautifully warm afternoon in Las Vegas. It is for sure one of the most polarizing WrestleManias of all-time. I rented this VHS regularly back in the days and it is actually the first WrestleMania I ever saw. Even with a pretty weak card, I can't help but have a ton of nostalgia for this show. The outdoor venue made it so unique along with the whole Roman Colosseum theme with everybody wearing togas. Not the best show ever, but nobody can deny that it is one of the most memorable.
Any memories from this event? Here are some of my takeaways...
Tatanka/Shawn Michaels is solid, but the DQ finish is a terrible way to kickoff the biggest show of the year. The beat down Luna gave to Sherri after the match was brutal especially that first clothesline.
Steiners/Headshrinkers is easily the best match on the card and one of my favorites tag team matches ever. Some crazy spots throughout. I still have no idea how they pulled off that belly-to-belly spot with Rick being on their shoulders.
Doink/Crush was a pretty quiet affair despite it being a pretty heated grudge match. Crush dominated for the most part, but the swerve ending was classic and that mime routine is probably the signature moment for the Doink character.
Razor/Backlund might be one of the most pointless WrestleMania matches ever. I know Backlund was a big name in his day, but nobody cared about his babyface comeback run and Razor deserved something more significant.
Money Inc./Mega Maniacs was alright. The crowd was hot for it despite this being another match with a flukey finish.
Lex Luger/Mr. Perfect was also just okay. These two did not seem to have great chemistry. Luger's entrance is easily the best part of the match.
Undertaker/Giant Gonzalez is bad, but on that "so good it's bad" level.
Hogan saving the day at the end was amazing as a kid, but knowing what really happened backstage definitely changed my opinion as an adult. Made the champion you had been building up for six months as well as your new monster heel look like a couple of chumps.
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Post by Codyverse: Tag Team Champion on Apr 4, 2023 12:11:18 GMT -5
I used to watch this tape at least once or twice a month as a kid. I always loved the outdoor venue and aesthetic of the show.
I did always find it weird they did a DQ finish for the Taker match. Pretty much 0 reason to protect Gonzalez there when Taker was already becoming a cash cow.
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,631
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Apr 4, 2023 13:18:29 GMT -5
I used to watch this tape at least once or twice a month as a kid. I always loved the outdoor venue and aesthetic of the show. I did always find it weird they did a DQ finish for the Taker match. Pretty much 0 reason to protect Gonzalez there when Taker was already becoming a cash cow. There should never be a WrestleMania with two DQs and one countout on the card. Even most of the other matches with more definitive conclusions had something screwy at the end. The second Doink shenanigans. Perfect having his feet on the ropes. Fuji throwing salt in Bret's eyes. The only two matches that had clean finishes were Steiners/Headshrinkers (again, the best match on the show) and Razor/Backlund (also again, the most pointless match on the show). Too much "gaga" as Pat Patterson would say. |
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Post by Codyverse: Tag Team Champion on Apr 4, 2023 13:27:14 GMT -5
I used to watch this tape at least once or twice a month as a kid. I always loved the outdoor venue and aesthetic of the show. I did always find it weird they did a DQ finish for the Taker match. Pretty much 0 reason to protect Gonzalez there when Taker was already becoming a cash cow. There should never be a WrestleMania with two DQs and one countout on the card. Even most of the other matches with more definitive conclusions had something screwy at the end. The second Doink shenanigans. Perfect having his feet on the ropes. Fuji throwing salt in Bret's eyes. The only two matches that had clean finishes were Steiners/Headshrinkers (again, the best match on the show) and Razor/Backlund (also again, the most pointless match on the show). Too much "gaga" as Pat Patterson would say. Very true. That’s way too much Gaga |
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ClassicFan2
Main Eventer
Joined on: Oct 22, 2010 15:25:00 GMT -5
Posts: 3,260
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Post by ClassicFan2 on Apr 4, 2023 14:48:48 GMT -5
loved wm9 it is one of my favs. my life was good at the time and i loved wrestling still. the outdoor aspect and roman theme was awesome and different even some of the matches didnt turn out great i was SOOO pumped for them i still rewatch them today the matches: didnt want either perfect or luger to lose and was hopin for a double something or oher ending on that one. taker/gonzales was fun for me and i wanted to see that match so bad before hand. i love giants  wish hogan/beefer won the tag belts wish tatanka won the IC belt wish hulk did NOT run in and win the belt from yoko, but it was still exciting at the time wish bigelow/kamala happened as i wanted to see that match. rather they took off razor/backlund instead |
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Post by JokerFC on Apr 4, 2023 15:27:33 GMT -5
As a 13 year old I loved Hogan winning the belt...so did the crowd. Now? Not so much 😕
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Post by The Brain on Apr 4, 2023 15:46:19 GMT -5
The outdoor roman theme looked awesome Best matches easily were the IC(despite the finish) and Steiners/Headshrinkers Bobby/JR/Mach were great in the booth. Shame their run together was brief As far as Hogan winning the belt?  ...Terrible booking that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth Oh yeah...Doink>David Copperfield |
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,631
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Apr 4, 2023 17:19:41 GMT -5
The outdoor roman theme looked awesome Best matches easily were the IC(despite the finish) and Steiners/Headshrinkers Bobby/JR/Mach were great in the booth. Shame their run together was brief As far as Hogan winning the belt? ...Terrible booking that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth Oh yeah...Doink>David Copperfield We used to rent the same tape of this event over and over from our local video store. They always included some bonus backstage footage for Coliseum Video and there was this funny skit where Gene Okerlund tracked down Doink in a trailer after his match. Gene accused him of cheating and was trying to prove that there were two Doinks. The real Doink (Matt Borne) denied it all saying he had no idea what he was talking about and slammed the door in his face. Gene was figuring out his next move when the other Doink tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to move out of the way. He obliged as the second Doink went into the same trailer. Then you see Gene's face as he realized what had just happened and the segment ends with him pounding on the door trying to get in. I also remember at the end of the show there was footage of Kamala giving an elephant a bath with a caption explaining that his match with Bam Bam Bigelow had been removed from the card. That has always stuck with me for some reason. 🐘 |
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Post by The Brain on Apr 4, 2023 17:29:37 GMT -5
The outdoor roman theme looked awesome Best matches easily were the IC(despite the finish) and Steiners/Headshrinkers Bobby/JR/Mach were great in the booth. Shame their run together was brief As far as Hogan winning the belt? ...Terrible booking that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth Oh yeah...Doink>David Copperfield We used to rent the same tape of this event over and over from our local video store. They always included some bonus backstage footage for Coliseum Video and there was this funny skit where Gene Okerlund tracked down Doink in a trailer after his match. Gene accused him of cheating and was trying to prove that there were two Doinks. The real Doink (Matt Borne) denied it all saying he had no idea what he was talking about and slammed the door in his face. Gene was figuring out his next move when the other Doink tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to move out of the way. He obliged as the second Doink went into the same trailer. Then you see Gene's face as he realized what had just happened and the segment ends with him pounding on the door trying to get in. I also remember at the end of the show there was footage of Kamala giving an elephant a bath with a caption explaining that his match with Bam Bam Bigelow had been removed from the card. That has always stuck with me for some reason. 🐘 Yep that Doink segment was right before the Taker/Gonzalez match.Always loved the extra stuff on those old Coliseum tapes Dont forget Luna attacking Sherri in the first aid area |
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,631
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Apr 4, 2023 18:20:34 GMT -5
We used to rent the same tape of this event over and over from our local video store. They always included some bonus backstage footage for Coliseum Video and there was this funny skit where Gene Okerlund tracked down Doink in a trailer after his match. Gene accused him of cheating and was trying to prove that there were two Doinks. The real Doink (Matt Borne) denied it all saying he had no idea what he was talking about and slammed the door in his face. Gene was figuring out his next move when the other Doink tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to move out of the way. He obliged as the second Doink went into the same trailer. Then you see Gene's face as he realized what had just happened and the segment ends with him pounding on the door trying to get in. I also remember at the end of the show there was footage of Kamala giving an elephant a bath with a caption explaining that his match with Bam Bam Bigelow had been removed from the card. That has always stuck with me for some reason. 🐘 Yep that Doink segment was right before the Taker/Gonzalez match.Always loved the extra stuff on those old Coliseum tapes Dont forget Luna attacking Sherri in the first aid area Can't forget that! I remember one of the paramedics or security people trying to restrain her as Luna just turns around and whacks him in the head super hard. Then the guy just says screw this and leaves. 😂 |
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Post by MKSavage on Apr 4, 2023 19:01:48 GMT -5
April 4, 1993. WrestleMania IX took place 30 years ago today on a beautifully warm afternoon in Las Vegas. It is for sure one of the most polarizing WrestleManias of all-time. I rented this VHS regularly back in the days and it is actually the first WrestleMania I ever saw. Even with a pretty weak card, I can't help but have a ton of nostalgia for this show. The outdoor venue made it so unique along with the whole Roman Colosseum theme with everybody wearing togas. Not the best show ever, but nobody can deny that it is one of the most memorable. Any memories from this event? Here are some of my takeaways... Tatanka/Shawn Michaels is solid, but the DQ finish is a terrible way to kickoff the biggest show of the year. The beat down Luna gave to Sherri after the match was brutal especially that first clothesline. Steiners/Headshrinkers is easily the best match on the card and one of my favorites tag team matches ever. Some crazy spots throughout. I still have no idea how they pulled off that belly-to-belly spot with Rick being on their shoulders. Doink/Crush was a pretty quiet affair despite it being a pretty heated grudge match. Crush dominated for the most part, but the swerve ending was classic and that mime routine is probably the signature moment for the Doink character. Razor/Backlund might be one of the most pointless WrestleMania matches ever. I know Backlund was a big name in his day, but nobody cared about his babyface comeback run and Razor deserved something more significant. Money Inc./Mega Maniacs was alright. The crowd was hot for it despite this being another match with a flukey finish. Lex Luger/Mr. Perfect was also just okay. These two did not seem to have great chemistry. Luger's entrance is easily the best part of the match.
Undertaker/Giant Gonzalez is bad, but on that "so good it's bad" level. Hogan saving the day at the end was amazing as a kid, but knowing what really happened backstage definitely changed my opinion as an adult. Made the champion you had been building up for six months as well as your new monster heel look like a couple of chumps. Funny thing about this, Luger has talked about it in shoot interviews, he said that they had the match planned out but once they got into the ring, Curt looked at him and said he forgot/couldn't remember what they were supposed to do, so they just winged it. That could be the reason the match looked off. Also, it should have been Razor vs. Macho at WM9. They had a big feud at the end of 1992, but they never finished it. The outdoor roman theme looked awesome Best matches easily were the IC(despite the finish) and Steiners/Headshrinkers Bobby/JR/Mach were great in the booth. Shame their run together was brief As far as Hogan winning the belt? ...Terrible booking that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth Oh yeah...Doink>David Copperfield We used to rent the same tape of this event over and over from our local video store. They always included some bonus backstage footage for Coliseum Video and there was this funny skit where Gene Okerlund tracked down Doink in a trailer after his match. Gene accused him of cheating and was trying to prove that there were two Doinks. The real Doink (Matt Borne) denied it all saying he had no idea what he was talking about and slammed the door in his face. Gene was figuring out his next move when the other Doink tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to move out of the way. He obliged as the second Doink went into the same trailer. Then you see Gene's face as he realized what had just happened and the segment ends with him pounding on the door trying to get in.I also remember at the end of the show there was footage of Kamala giving an elephant a bath with a caption explaining that his match with Bam Bam Bigelow had been removed from the card. That has always stuck with me for some reason. 🐘 Really? I don't remember this, was this on the actual PPV or just the VHS release afterwards? |
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,631
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Apr 4, 2023 22:08:57 GMT -5
April 4, 1993. WrestleMania IX took place 30 years ago today on a beautifully warm afternoon in Las Vegas. It is for sure one of the most polarizing WrestleManias of all-time. I rented this VHS regularly back in the days and it is actually the first WrestleMania I ever saw. Even with a pretty weak card, I can't help but have a ton of nostalgia for this show. The outdoor venue made it so unique along with the whole Roman Colosseum theme with everybody wearing togas. Not the best show ever, but nobody can deny that it is one of the most memorable. Any memories from this event? Here are some of my takeaways... Tatanka/Shawn Michaels is solid, but the DQ finish is a terrible way to kickoff the biggest show of the year. The beat down Luna gave to Sherri after the match was brutal especially that first clothesline. Steiners/Headshrinkers is easily the best match on the card and one of my favorites tag team matches ever. Some crazy spots throughout. I still have no idea how they pulled off that belly-to-belly spot with Rick being on their shoulders. Doink/Crush was a pretty quiet affair despite it being a pretty heated grudge match. Crush dominated for the most part, but the swerve ending was classic and that mime routine is probably the signature moment for the Doink character. Razor/Backlund might be one of the most pointless WrestleMania matches ever. I know Backlund was a big name in his day, but nobody cared about his babyface comeback run and Razor deserved something more significant. Money Inc./Mega Maniacs was alright. The crowd was hot for it despite this being another match with a flukey finish. Lex Luger/Mr. Perfect was also just okay. These two did not seem to have great chemistry. Luger's entrance is easily the best part of the match.
Undertaker/Giant Gonzalez is bad, but on that "so good it's bad" level. Hogan saving the day at the end was amazing as a kid, but knowing what really happened backstage definitely changed my opinion as an adult. Made the champion you had been building up for six months as well as your new monster heel look like a couple of chumps. Funny thing about this, Luger has talked about it in shoot interviews, he said that they had the match planned out but once they got into the ring, Curt looked at him and said he forgot/couldn't remember what they were supposed to do, so they just winged it. That could be the reason the match looked off. Also, it should have been Razor vs. Macho at WM9. They had a big feud at the end of 1992, but they never finished it. We used to rent the same tape of this event over and over from our local video store. They always included some bonus backstage footage for Coliseum Video and there was this funny skit where Gene Okerlund tracked down Doink in a trailer after his match. Gene accused him of cheating and was trying to prove that there were two Doinks. The real Doink (Matt Borne) denied it all saying he had no idea what he was talking about and slammed the door in his face. Gene was figuring out his next move when the other Doink tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to move out of the way. He obliged as the second Doink went into the same trailer. Then you see Gene's face as he realized what had just happened and the segment ends with him pounding on the door trying to get in.I also remember at the end of the show there was footage of Kamala giving an elephant a bath with a caption explaining that his match with Bam Bam Bigelow had been removed from the card. That has always stuck with me for some reason. 🐘 Really? I don't remember this, was this on the actual PPV or just the VHS release afterwards? I'm pretty sure it was only on the VHS release. They used to always promote "exclusive" Coliseum Video footage and this was definitely one of those behind-the-scenes skits for WrestleMania IX that made the tape. |
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Post by The Brain on Apr 4, 2023 22:43:52 GMT -5
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Post by hbkjason on Apr 4, 2023 23:53:09 GMT -5
Not one of my favorite WrestleManias, but it does have its moments. I was all in on Bret Hart at this time so I was not happy with the way things went down in the title match. However, at the time I was so mad that Yokozuna had cheated to beat Bret Hart, I was like "hell yeah" when Hulk came down and took the title from him and I wasn't even a Hogan guy as a kid.
Also, as a kid I hated the VHS release of this. Here in the UK, WrestleMania 1 to 8 all had the same style purple with white lightning packaging and with WrestleMania 9 they changed it and it really triggered my OCD lol.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Apr 5, 2023 0:08:02 GMT -5
If only Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake won the WWF Tag Titles that night.... what a great Wrestlemania that would be!
Hell, if they wanted Yoko to win over Bret, they could have put that match on in the middle of the card, and had Hogan/Beefcake vs. Money Inc. as the main event with Hogan and Beefcake winning the belts.
I would have much preferred that overall.
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ClassicFan2
Main Eventer
Joined on: Oct 22, 2010 15:25:00 GMT -5
Posts: 3,260
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Post by ClassicFan2 on Apr 5, 2023 6:06:53 GMT -5
If only Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake won the WWF Tag Titles that night.... what a great Wrestlemania that would be! Hell, if they wanted Yoko to win over Bret, they could have put that match on in the middle of the card, and had Hogan/Beefcake vs. Money Inc. as the main event with Hogan and Beefcake winning the belts. I would have much preferred that overall. same here! with hulk flexing at the end and sending the crowd home happy! |
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ClassicFan2
Main Eventer
Joined on: Oct 22, 2010 15:25:00 GMT -5
Posts: 3,260
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Post by ClassicFan2 on Apr 5, 2023 6:11:50 GMT -5
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,631
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Apr 5, 2023 7:17:51 GMT -5
Now I feel like I have to ask if you can also find the Coliseum Video exclusive from the end of the show with Kamala bathing that elephant. 🤣 |
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fabulous1971
Mid-Carder
Insert Price is Right losing horn here. :)
Joined on: Apr 1, 2022 12:29:07 GMT -5
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Post by fabulous1971 on Apr 5, 2023 9:47:44 GMT -5
Whew boy I was at this one. The tag title match went on SO damn long and the pop was only because it was over. For a second when Jimmy Hart reversed his jacket I thought he was going it was going to have Money Inc. on it and he was going to double cross Hogan and Beefcake.
The two Doinks were fun and I thought a good twist.
Perfect and Lex should have been so much better and it would have been if Perfect didn't forget everything.
Shawn and Luna was very cool to see and I thought they would have made that permanent. Everyone was surprised that Tatanka didn't win the belt.
During Razor and Backlund everyone went to the washroom. I myself got a pretzel.
Everyone had no idea what was going on with Taker and Gonzalez, it fell very flat.
But man when Hogan won there was a nice pop for that because it was so surprising. The Hart/Yoko match wasn't anything to write home about but when Yoko "won" the section I was in were very surprised.
The outdoor venue looked impressive on TV but if I remember correctly the outside looked like it was something you'd see at a county fair and there was only one merch stand, again, from what I remember.
The weather wasn't very hot, maybe around 80ish but by the time the main event went on it got chilly.
I'm not upset that I was there but it could have been so much better. I did win $300 on a slot machine so that paid for my tickets and some of my trip. LOL
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Post by PJ on Apr 5, 2023 12:31:27 GMT -5
The only thing about that WM was the Steiners vs Headshrinkers. (In my “Top 3” All-Time Favorite matches)
Heenan on the camel and the ending.
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...Terrible booking that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth
