I scroll through the menu. There it is like a lighthouse beacon at sea, "Stone Cold Freeview" of WWE 'On Demand'. I proceed to punch up an episode of 'WCW Monday Nitro' from January 1998. This was the first show in which Nitro went to 3 hours and was fully battling 'Raw is War' in the heated Monday Night Wars for the 90's. This was probably the creative height of professional wrestling.
The memories of watching it live were much better, but at least I could fast forward through the boring matches this time. It was the height of the nWo and WCW's popularity. The memories continue flooding back of discussing the validity of Hollywood Hogan's title reign and playing nWo Revenge on N64 with Red.
It's been almost 11 years since that broadcast and eight since the WWE bought out the WCW and I quit watching wrestling. Still, I was now in the wrestling mood. I happen to see later the next night that 'Raw' is still on as I flip through the menu guide. I take the chance.
"What a minute," I say to myself as a familiar Rage Against the Machine entrance music plays and the arena is consumed in green lights. "Did I pick the On Demand stuff again?" Shawn Micheals and Triple H were walking out to the ring as Degeneration X, WWE's answer to the nWo in the late 90's. Micheals (now 44) and Triple H (40) prance around the ring and talk smack on the mic stick like they still somehow represent the young rebellious generation.
Nostalgia hits first, followed by this feeling that I am now old. For some reason I don't get wrestling anymore. This DX revival is somehow supposed to get me to watch more or maybe make the members feel young again. In the end, it just makes me realize that I haven't missed anything not watching wrestling for the last eight years. The only thing that I am sure has changed is the people who have died. Otherwise, I bet Ric Flair is still wrestling somewhere. They say forms of entertainment go in cycles. I say it just never changes.
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3 comments:
I saw that WWE released a "Rise and Fall of WCW" recently. I have decided if I want to check that out or not. Some of it becomes rehash, some of it always turns out pretty slanted.
Yeah, I've seen that WWE has brought out DX a few times the last couple of years. Usually during the summer it seems to lure more viewers in. I think its the only way they can get the audience to remain interested in HHH. He's been on top so long, that he's grown pretty stale.
But, I think Hogan was pushing upper 40s when he joined the "New" World Order. Wrestling is weird that way, how they package and sell old things as new.
I'll check out some RAW highlights sometimes on YouTube when I am bored. I usually go with trying to find some olderr stuff. I watched a Steiner Bros. vs. Sting/Luger match from the early 90s the other day. Man, did Scott Steiner screw himself over by roiding up to the point he couldn't move. When he was younger, the guy could really go in the ring.
I am rambling now. Oh, I believe Flair has not wrestled in about a year and a half since "retiring" at Wrestlemania (24 I think, I've lost track of the numbers). He's made a few appearances here or there though, but no matches.
I am not sure what I was trying to say with this post. I wanted to make a point about something but I didn't know what it was. Other than I was psyched to watch some classic wrestling and will continue to contemplate the value of a WWE On Demand subscription.
In defense of you daughter, I am 27 and still haven't figured out that people sleep at night and stay awake during a day.
Maybe she's a future sports journalist.
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