alexxx
Superstar
Joined on: Dec 27, 2008 15:54:38 GMT -5
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Post by alexxx on May 29, 2017 0:33:42 GMT -5
The feud began to heat up at that years Survivor Series in a ten man tag team elimination match. At this time, Demolition were considered the heels as they were aligned with Mr. Fuji. During the match, Mr. Fuji decided that he thought his team could not beat the Powers of Pain and he pulled the rope causing Smash to fall through the ropes outside of the ring. Smash ended up getting counted out, eliminating Demolition from the match. Ax confronted Mr. Fuji about it, and as he turned his back to check on his teammate Smash Mr. Fuji took this opportunity to strike Ax with his cane on the back. If Demolition wasn’t already done with Mr. Fuji for pulling the ropes and causing their elimination, the strike with the can certainly did. Demolition took out Mr. Fuji and left him lying on the outside of the ring before returning backstage. Moments later, the Powers of Pain went over and checked on Mr. Fuji the heel babyface switch was complete.
So why did both teams do a switch from face to heel? and what was the deal with Mr Fuji joining powers of pain? were there earlier signs of Mr Fuji and Demolition not getting along?
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on May 29, 2017 0:49:42 GMT -5
I remember hearing the whole point of that was to make Mr. Fuji a baby face. But it backfired big time of course!
I also heard that since Demolition were getting cheered so much before hand, that they went with turning them face.
Out of both those options, the second seems to be more of the truth than the first.
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Post by PJ on May 29, 2017 5:10:13 GMT -5
Yeah from what I remember about the time period the second choice hbkbigdaddycool posted makes the most sense.
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Post by BrIaNMeRcY on May 29, 2017 13:55:49 GMT -5
I remember hearing the whole point of that was to make Mr. Fuji a baby face. But it backfired big time of course! I also heard that since Demolition were getting cheered so much before hand, that they went with turning them face. Out of both those options, the second seems to be more of the truth than the first. The second option is the sole reason. Demolition's popularity was increasing and making them as faces reflected what we saw on-screen. I read an account from somebody who attended the 1988 Survivor Series. The person stated it left the fans feeling confused initially. The late Mr. Fuji was meant to portrayed as a heel, not as a face. The inclusion of Mr. Fuji at WrestleMania V was designed so it can keep the Powers of Pain looking strong while keeping the titles on Demolition. |
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Post by The Brain on May 29, 2017 14:28:57 GMT -5
I remember hearing the whole point of that was to make Mr. Fuji a baby face. But it backfired big time of course! I also heard that since Demolition were getting cheered so much before hand, that they went with turning them face. Out of both those options, the second seems to be more of the truth than the first. Even though I heard the Fuji face story a lot in the day, I always believed the Demolition face turn story more. They were getting cheered a ton after they won the belts at WM 4. |
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Deleted
Joined on: Nov 30, 2024 2:48:53 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2017 9:36:45 GMT -5
Demolition was super over. I'll never forget that pop from Mania 6!
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Greensborohill
Main Eventer
CHAMPION
Joined on: Jan 14, 2007 14:44:44 GMT -5
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Post by Greensborohill on Jun 1, 2017 15:38:36 GMT -5
The Fuji face story doesn't make sense given how it went down. He accidentally pulled the ropes, then he and Ax have a yelling match (no big deal), then it's Fuji who strikes Ax with the cane (a heel move). But yeah, the switch was b/c they were getting over as faces similar to the Road Warriors.
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JimRiga
Superstar
Joined on: Feb 15, 2017 16:46:49 GMT -5
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Post by JimRiga on Jun 3, 2017 3:44:51 GMT -5
When stupid young me first watched this, I thought Fuji accidentally got his timing wrong and then Ax, being a heel, was being unreasonably cross about it rather than accepting the mistake, but when Fuji hit him with the cane, I took that not as a (Japanese) heel style 'Pearl Harbour' attack, but was standing up to the bigger guy thus turning face. Then for two of them to gang up on what I thought was a defenceless non-wrestler (at this point, I had no knowledge of Fuji's prior wrestling career) seemed like a typical heel thing to do and I felt sympathy for Fuji.
For the face team (the Powers of Pain) to then go dust him down and put him in their corner for their continued match against the heel Conquistadors suggested the turn was definitely happening and I felt this was cemented when they hoisted him on their shoulders with their arms out posing for the crowd in a face like manor.
When Demolition came back out and chased them off, while this did seem a bit unusual as the faces got the last word back then, they did nothing to show a face turn as they just stared Fuji down with their hands on their hips with no playing to the crowd at all.
So, that was how I saw it back then & I can see why there was confusion. I was actually surprised a few years later when I read about the double turn with no mention of the confusion, as I hadn't the slightest idea that Demolition and the Powers of Pain had turned. I simply thought it was a Fuji face turn.
Can we blame the execution of this? Or was I too dumb to see what was happening in front of me. To be fair, despite having the WWE Network, I haven't revisited this match yet as I had it on video and watched it to death in the early '90's!
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Post by JokerFC on Jun 7, 2017 10:13:38 GMT -5
Its simple enough.....Demolition were "over like rover" as Scott Hall would say.
The Powers Of Pain were brought in to feud with Demolition after Vince failed to sign Hawk & Animal. They took Hawk & Animals place in that storyline exactly.... where they were the guys who would finally stand up to the bullys of Demolition who were running over the WWF tag scene and dethrone them @ WM5.
However......Warlord & Barb weren't Hawk & Animal in terms of charisma or anything else. They had no entrance music and failed to get over big as faces. Meanwhile Demolition had heard plenty of cheers from the time they cheated to beat Strike Force @ WM4.....and they just kept increasing. The theme tune was a huge part of that.
so come Survivors Series 88? Vinnie decided to pull the plug on the POP being his new babyface supremos & do a switch. It paid off HUGE. Demolition would become the most popular act outside of Hogan & Warrior and sometimes only Hogan would get a louder pop than them.
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