Something popped into my head recently while watching the WWE "Upcoming On Sale" cities ticker. The WWE has been pretty good about giving the cities some fairly consistent traditions over the years. (whether it be an appearance by a hometown wrestler or a regional thing) For example, I saw that Boise, ID was having a show and thought "Oh, I guess Torrie will be there for her token hometown win." (Sad that I think like this) Anyway, I've been trying to come up with some other hometown traditions, but it's tough to judge them based on TV tapings alone. For example, I know that the WWE will usually toss a bone to the fans in Philly with an ECW-type brawl on the card. Another example is Providence getting the Friendly Tap destruction or Memphis getting a Lawler old-school match. Are these isolated instances or do most of your hometowns have something traditional like this? Or do I just have way too much time on my hands?
Whenever RAW appears in Oklahoma City you could be sure JR would be humiliated. First, Austin punks him out, next time he had to kiss Vince's ass. Hopefully his recent tag team win with Lawler will begin a new trend. Hate to sound like a Bret Hart appologist, but the babyface should go over in his hometown. Never job Booker in Houston, or Flair in Carolina!
Well, if you want to go back into the old days: A trip into Providence/Boston meant the Jimmy Valiant look-alike with only 3 teeth the Duke of Dorcester Pete Doherty would be appearing. And, probably getting interview time on the NESN broadcast of Wrestling from the Boston Garden.
Breaking News: In a preemptive military strike, the French Government has announced it has surrendered 2/3 of France, and will move back to Vichy.
Pittsburgh always gets Kurt Angle in the main event, but that's about it.
"Contrary to popular belief, there are no good wars, with the following exceptions: the American Revolution, World War II and the 'Star Wars' trilogy." -Bart Simpson
I don't think this quite fits in but I know it seems like here in Chicago they always give us very pivotal events. Rock/Hogan's confrontation, Jericho's debut etc.
Going back a bit to seeing NWA cards at the UIC pavillion they would always try to give the Road Warriors and Lex Luger squashes since they were supposed to be from Chicago.
Bob Holly usually gets ringtime in his hometown of Mobile, and The Rock always does that "Finally The Rock has come BACK.....home" catchphrase variation in some city I can't recall form Florida.
Well, we always get Jericho in our main events (Winnipeg). They're even flying him in to main event with Kurt Angle tomorrow night on the Smackdown house show.
Hell, Fozzy's even playing here too.
Tribal Prophet
Wrestling exists in the eternal present. What is, has always been, and when it no longer is, it never was. It has no past and no future, and sometimes even today is in question. - Madame Manga
Brock Lesnar (and Sheldon Benjamin too, it seems) are going to be mainstays on every WWE card in Minnesota, no matter what brand is in town.
Well Mr. Burns had done it. The power plant had won it. With Rogers Clemens clucking all the while. Mike Scioscia's tragic illness made us smile. While Wade Boggs lay unconscious on the barroom tile. We're talkin'... Softball. From Maine to San Diego. Talkin'... Softball. Mattingly and Canseco. Ken Griffey's grotesquely swollen jaw. Steve Sax and his run-in with the law. We're talkin' Homer... Ozzie and the Straw.
Originally posted by Mack SalmonBob Holly usually gets ringtime in his hometown of Mobile, and The Rock always does that "Finally The Rock has come BACK.....home" catchphrase variation in some city I can't recall form Florida.
Miami, because that's where he went to school, although he was born in Pennsylvania. Farooq also always got matches in Tallahassee because he went to FSU.
Originally posted by Mack SalmonBob Holly usually gets ringtime in his hometown of Mobile, and The Rock always does that "Finally The Rock has come BACK.....home" catchphrase variation in some city I can't recall form Florida.
Miami, because that's where he went to school, although he was born in Pennsylvania. Farooq also always got matches in Tallahassee because he went to FSU.
NO, despite popular belief, the Rock WAS NOT born in Pennsylvania. He was born in Hayward, CA. To prove this, we will go back to the topic. Every time the Rock comes back to the Bay Area, he mentions that he is from here. Last time on Raw, he said verbatim, "THIS IS HOME."
(edited by AlaaAbdelnaby on 15.2.03 1158)...even vegetarians got beef with me. -Jin tha MC
Now in Boston instead of the much ballyhooed Duke of Dorchester (famous quote while fighting SD Jones, "How'd ya like that, ya COON?") we get the requisite "Yankees Suck" for no good reason whenever there's a lull. Even when it isn't baseball season. Geez, get a grip, guys.
A whole lot of "Bullet" Bob Evans on the dark matches though. He's working for Sheldon Goldberg's noble but flawed NECW.
I'm sure most Boston wrestling fans though, no longer having Saturn to kick around to and (wisely) not giving a damn about Malden's own A-Train, will have to resort to being thuganomics majors and represent West Newbury. Boo-ya.
Originally posted by DJ RanNow in Boston instead of the much ballyhooed Duke of Dorchester (famous quote while fighting SD Jones, "How'd ya like that, ya COON?") we get the requisite "Yankees Suck" for no good reason whenever there's a lull. Even when it isn't baseball season. Geez, get a grip, guys.
Oh, if that counts, a show in Pittsburgh isn't complete without a "Here we go Steelers" chant springing up out of nowhere at any possible moment for no logical reason.
EDIT: Oh, and we also almost always get one of the local DJs from the local Top 40 morning show, Bubba The Bulldog, in a dark match, usually beating another jobber or losing to the Justin Credibles of the world.
Their show ("JohnDaveBubbaShelly!") is actually quite popular despite being somewhat more inane and generic that the Bill and Marty show on "The Simpsons" and packed to the brim with songs you hate and songs you got tired of three months ago, so he usually has the crowd solidly cheering him on. I am, of course, rooting for him to get his ass handed to him.
(edited by OlFuzzyBastard on 15.2.03 1917) "Contrary to popular belief, there are no good wars, with the following exceptions: the American Revolution, World War II and the 'Star Wars' trilogy." -Bart Simpson
Yeah, that's right he isn't from Pennsylvania, I should've known that, I remember he went to high school in Pennsylvania, but lived in Hawaii before that, so I should've known he wasn't from there originally.
Although I think every time the Rock is in someplace that he lived at some place they make sure to make a big deal out of it. Heck, we named a street after him here in Alabama and he has nothing to do with our state.
(edited by Quezzy on 15.2.03 2045) Lance's Response:
We don't really have any in Vancouver. Hmmm, maybe getting something bad involving The Undertaker?
At Rock Bottom 98, we got an atrocious Buried Alive Main Event between Austin & Taker where the back-ho malfunctioned.
Then we got that RAW in 2000 where Kid Rock played American Badass live. The complete lack of planning to have him play that song live in CANADA still boggles my mind.
Other than that, there's far too many Canadians to push the crap out of any ONE of them, and I've found that shows in Ontario and towards the East don't have any specific talent prominently featured or anything.
The one thing you can be guaranteed happening in Canada though is the fans going apeshit for old WWF talent. I remember Mayhem in Toronto, we:
- Cheered the shit out of Sid and booed Goldberg out of the building.
- Gave Curt Hennig a 3 minute standing ovation along with chanting "PERFECT" when he lost his "retirement match" to Buff Bagwell to the point he and Bobby Heenan were nearly in tears.
- Blew the roof off for Razor and Diesel.
Not to mention in Ottawa, I've noticed we'll give the polite hometown pops to Jericho, Edge, and the like HOWEVER the crowd is much more likely to go nuts for Hulk Hogan and not shut up for 15 minutes. Figure we were deprived of Hogan for the better part of 10 years, and even back then it was sporadic so the fans worship the ground the man walks on - because it's a rare thing.
Steve Austin is liked, but not nearly as much in the States because the rat bastard messed with Bret Hart like nobody else.
And you can pretty much guarantee seeing Shawn Michaels get absolutely shit on anywhere he goes, for much of the same reasons. We don't forgive easy - so I'm kinda hoping he's at NWO to see the reaction he gets.
I remember an old saying by Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan that explained the pop old wrestlers get in Canada. It went something like "First thing you do when you land in Canada is set your watch back 20 years"
Tribal Prophet
Wrestling exists in the eternal present. What is, has always been, and when it no longer is, it never was. It has no past and no future, and sometimes even today is in question. - Madame Manga
Back in the days of WCW, Jacksonville was always one of the stops leading up to either Road Wild or Bash at The Beach. Unfortunately it was always in between the bigger Nitros so not much ever happened of any big event. However my first Nitro I got the co-main event of Chris Benoit vs. Bret Hart. It's not so much a tradition, but we'll also go down in history for housing the last WCW ppv, Greed. Unfortunately WWF only seems to give us the house shows and never a RAW or Smackdown.
Whenever the WWF comes to Alberta (either Edmonton OR Calgary) we get good wrestling, plus The Rock [former Calgary Stampeders football tryout guy...who got CUT!], Benoit, Jericho, The British Bulldog [Rest in Peace], Hebner and anyone with a vague Montreal/Hart Family connection wrestling in the main event.
OBSERVE!
RAW in Calgary [5-28-01] Hardy Boyz def. X-Pac & (Hart trained) Justin Credible (Hart trained Canadian) Chris Benoit def. Rhyno Steve Blackman & (Canadian) Trish Stratus def. Perry Saturn & Terri when (Hart trained Canadian) Lance Storm interfered (Hart trained Canadian) Chris Jericho def. Big Show Rhyno beat Jericho Eddy Guerrero def. Albert Dudley Boyz def. The Holly Cousins...and put Molly thru a table Steve Austin def. Benoit
SMACKDOWN in Edmonton [5-31-01] Kane def. Edge Hardcore Holly def. Bubba Dudley Chris Jericho def. Kurt Angle Rhyno def. Raven X-Factor def. Hardyz/Eddy Guerrero Steve Austin def. Chris Benoit
RAW in Edmonton [5-27-02] Trish Stratus & Spike Dudley def. Molly Holly & William Regal Booker T & X-Pac def. Hardy Boyz Brock Lesnar def. Bubba Dudley The Big Show def. Bradshaw Goldust def. Crash RVD def. Eddy Guerrero in a LADDER MATCH
SMACKDOWN in Calgary [5-30-02] Rikishi/Rico def. Billy/Chuck Christian def. Maven Chris Jericho def. Faarooq AWESOME Undertaker def. Randy Orton Tajiri/Chavo def. Kidman/Hurricane Test def. Triple H Edge def. Kurt Angle in a STEEL CAGE
Yep, so every time the WWF comes to Alberta...expect Rock, Austin, Hogan and LOTS of Canadians going over EVERYBODY. MWA-HA-HA! It's just the way they love to book it.
"I know something that will cheer you up, Wesley" "Are you programmed to be thinking what I'm thinking?" "MAKEOVER!!" Princical Scudworth & Mr. Butlertron; Clone High