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Post by ztj_wwf on Sept 11, 2008 21:40:13 GMT -5
I was just watching the PTW episode on 24/7 from 1991 where Flair made his WWF debut, and they have a match with Sheik and Steamboat, but they are called Col. Mustfafa and the Dragon, not at one point did they aknoledge that the Dragon was Steamboat and Mustafa was Sheik, were they trying to pretend they weren't? Everyone obviously knew, you can't just change the name of top guys like Steamboat and Sheik, why did they do that? I understood that both guys characters were different but why change their name?
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Post by Jimmy on Sept 11, 2008 23:55:48 GMT -5
yup it was pretty goddamn stupid. the wwf was really weird about that sort of thing, and even reprimanded roddy piper once for noting that saba simba was tony atlas.
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Post by Calcifer Boheme on Sept 12, 2008 0:43:42 GMT -5
Well, Steamboat was occasionally mentioned by name at that point, sort of the way Kerry Von Erich was, or how they would mention Perfect's dad...
Mustafa was a whole different gimmick though, and they couldn't bring up the fact that it was him... though I agree it was very odd.
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Post by carly1988 on Sept 12, 2008 1:28:52 GMT -5
money and copyrights my friend, money and copyrights......They cant copyright the name Ricky Steamboat or Iron Sheik but they can copyright Col. Mustafa and The Dragon...Just like they cant copyright Matt Sydal but they can Evan Bourne
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nibs92
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Post by nibs92 on Sept 12, 2008 3:00:09 GMT -5
i think it was wwf policy at the time not to recognise anyone in their former guise or their achievements in other companies (or the fact that any other companies actually existed!!). that's why around about that time ric flair was called the real world champion by bobby heenan but no one explained why he was the RWC. that would mean they would have to acknowledge his NWA title reigns and the existence of the NWA
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Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai
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Post by Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai on Sept 12, 2008 7:14:41 GMT -5
i think it was wwf policy at the time not to recognise anyone in their former guise or their achievements in other companies You're right about that, although it wouldn't have applied to Iron Sheik and Ricky Steamboat since both were very famous under those names in the WWF already. I think it was a combination of the copyright issue and the trend in absurd gimmicks at that time, with a little vindictiveness thrown in for good measure. As mentioned before, Col. Mustafa and The Dragon were easy to copyright. The 1991 Dragon gimmick (with the scaly tights, the weird entrance gear and the fire-breathing gimmick) wasn't really a gimmick change, they just added a bunch of crap to his existing Dragon gimmick to make him more of a character. I read somewhere (maybe a Steamboat interview from when he wasn't with WWE, but I can't remember) that McMahon did that to guys who had some success in WCW as a way of mocking them (like Dusty Rhodes having to wear polka dots). The logic was that it gave McMahon a sense of victory to turn an NWA world champion/WCW top star into a midcarder with a dumb gimmick in the WWF. The Mustafa thing was basically a logical extension of the heel Slaughter gimmick. They probably had the character in mind before they even brought Sheik back, and rather than have an Iranian heel and an Iraqi heel stable, they just gave him the new gimmick. |
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