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For many fans, in India and around the world, WWE is far more than just sports and entertainment based programming. WWE is an institution, a tradition that has lasted through time and across generations.
They say that the only constant in life is change. WWE is a brand that has always challenged this very notion. The other constant in life, at least since 1993 when the first episode of Monday Night RAW aired, is weekly WWE action.
No off season - like sports - no breaks, like seasonal television programs.
The 90s were a strange time, when the USSR ceased to be, cable television was hotter than ever, and television content was becoming edgier.
WWE has always reflected society, and when one glances at the series of changes that transpired between the family friendly content of the early 90s, to the edginess of the Attitude Era, one realises that indeed, WWE is a great representation of the decade.
As the date for WWE Live India draws ever closer, we go back in time and relive some moments from the 90s, that left a lasting impression on fans.
Which one is your favourite?
#10 'The Real World Champion' arrives (1991)
Ric Flair is probably the greatest wrestler to have stepped into any ring, WWE or otherwise. Then-WCW President Jim Herd did not agree with this assessment and wanted a change of gimmick for Flair.
He asked Flair to go by the name, Spartacus. Incensed, Flair quit WCW and made his way to WWE with his championship. He debuted with the gimmick of 'real world champion', and fans salivated at the prospect of Flair finally facing off against WWE's biggest draw- Hulk Hogan.
While the much-awaited Flair vs. Hogan match never happened on pay-per-view (until both men were in WCW and faced off at Bash at the Beach in 1994), he did enjoy a fantastic run in the company, winning the 1992 Royal Rumble and pairing up with Bobby Heenan for some fantastic matches and feuds.
Perhaps the best match from this era is the one between Macho Man Randy Savage and Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII. The two men had a classic that is still remembered to this very day.
Flair was a WCW guy at heart, and would return home soon after. Still, this run is a monumental one in WWE's 90s history.
#9 The debut of Y2J (1999)
It may be impossible for younger WWE fans, and youngsters in general to imagine, but the Y2K scare of the 90s was indeed very real. People imagined the worst, with computers crashing, servers being obliterated and even the world coming to an end because of the said bug.
Playing off this fear, WWE introduced WCW superstar Chris Jericho as Y2J, during a segment with the biggest star of the time, The Rock. A countdown clock was seen on television, leading up to the reveal.
WWE fans were enthusiastic and elated when they saw the Superstar jump from one camp to another. While Jericho has had a spectacular career since then, his debut is still remembered with fondness, to this day.
Bear in mind that this was during the Monday Night Wars, and the internet wasn't as big a thing as it is now. The surprise for most fans was indeed, quite genuine. The pop was indeed quite heartfelt.
How cool is to see that so many years later, Chris Jericho is still a big deal in the world of sports entertainment!
#8 Yokozuna gets bodyslammed (1993)
Through the 80s and even in the early 90s, WWE had been built around the strength of its top star, Hulk Hogan. In the 90s, Vince McMahon would turn his attention to another Superstar from his roster, in an attempt to turn him into the next Hulk Hogan - Lex Luger.
Luger went babyface in 1993, and debuted this particular gimmick in a big way, by answering Yokozuna's bodyslam challenge. After a lot of Superstars failed to bodyslam 550 lb. Japanese Sumo Wrestler (who was actually Samoan), Luger arrived and achieved the impossible, before his adoring fans. Overnight, he became a wrestling sensation.
Although he did pick up steam, he could never become the same level of star as Hogan. Luger later debuted on the first episode of Nitro, and become one of WCW's featured stars, during the Monday Night Wars.
#7 Mike Tyson brawls with Steve Austin (1998)
In the 90s, there was nobody as infamous in the world of sports as Mike Tyson. It was quite a coup that Vince McMahon managed to get Tyson to act as the special guest enforcer for the WrestleMania XIV main event between Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin.
One of the most enduring memories from the time is when Austin and Tyson got into a brawl leading into the big pay-per-view event, after the former got in the latter's face. This move established Austin as a top star, as he got into an altercation with 'the baddest man on the planet'. It launched his career to the stratosphere.
Eric Bischoff from WCW recalls this moment as a critical time in the Monday Night Wars. We're certain many fans remember it the very same way.
Little wonder then that Mike Tyson made it to the WWE Hall of Fame.
#6 A Big Red Machine comes forth
Indian fans can rejoice because Kane will be one of the performers at WWE Live India, come December 9th at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. Twenty years since he made his debut, his entrance still sends shivers down the spine of sports entertainment fans.
It was at Badd Blood in 1997, during a Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, that the lights would go out and a monstrous figure would walk into the ring. This was The Undertaker's kayfabe brother, the 'Big Red Machine' himself!
Remember how he ripped the door off its hinges? Remember how everyone in the arena gasped as one?
This was one of the best pieces of storytelling from WWE, one that fans will remember for a very long time.
#5 Going into overtime (1996)
At WrestleMania XII, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart had a classic match, one that is still discussed to this very day, as a template for sports entertainment par excellence. A match where the two men went beyond 60 minutes and told an absolutely gripping tale.
This was an Iron Man match, where neither Michaels nor Hart would manage to pick up the win in the allotted 60 minutes. As a result, this match went into overtime as a determined Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart to make sports entertainment history.
Some call this match the greatest 60 minutes in WWE history. The next match in the list also involves these two men, and is remembered just as much, if not more....
#4 That incident in Montreal (1997)
Survivor Series 1997 would take place from Montreal, Canada, the home country of Bret 'The Hitman' Hart. Immediately following this massive pay-per-view event, Hart would leave WWE and move to WCW.
Much to the chagrin of Vince McMahon, Hart refused to lose in his home country. Especially to Shawn Michaels, a man he did not personally like.
As Michaels applied the Sharpshooter on Bret Hart, Vince McMahon who was at ringside, called for the bell. Bret Hart had not tapped, and this was an instance of WWE going off script, away from the narrative. The following interview just added more fuel to the fire.
The episode has been replicated on television many times since, and that is an indicator of just how infamous this particular incident was. Twenty years later, WWE and indeed many fans see it as a huge milestone in professional wrestling history.
It gave birth to the Mr. McMahon character, a vile and evil billionaire.
#3 Mankind falls (1998)
Some have called this match the most famous contest in history. At the peak of The Attitude Era, The Undertaker and Mankind would meet inside Hell in a Cell. Wait, that's not accurate. They met on top of it.
Mankind's fall from the top of the cell is a sight that fans are shocked and aghast by, even in 2017. Mick Foley would become the poster boy for hardcore wrestling, following this legendary fall into a commentary table. Jim Ross provided the soundtrack to this magical moment, with his iconic voice.
There have been many crazy Hell in a Cell matches since then; there have been even crazier spots.
But somehow nothing compares to the insanity of Undertaker vs. Mankind in the year 1998.
#2 Undertaker vs. Undertaker (1994)
The Undertaker suffered a legitimate injury in 1994 and was written off television for many months. Ted DiBiase who had first introduced the Undertaker to the WWE Universe, said that he would bring The Undertaker back to the company. Paul Bearer, The Undertaker's manager, called this Undertaker, an impostor.
And so we arrive at the main event of SummerSlam 1994. DiBiase's Undertaker is in the middle of the ring. Paul Bearer's Undertaker arrived to confront the man, and the two men had a clash of epic proportions. The match may not have been a 5-star classic, but the moment most definitely was.
The real Undertaker went over in this match, as one would expect. Fake Undertaker would return to the company as Chainz, after a few years.
#1 The Rock presents gifts to his friends (1998)
Before The Rock came into his own and established himself as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, he was a part of the Nation of Domination, a ferocious stable from the Attitude Era. One of the best segments at this time had The Rock handing out presents to all the members of the Nation.
While the other members received stylish and expensive watches, the leader of the stable, Faarooq, received a portrait of The Rock. This was one of the first times that The Great One truly came into his own, as a self-obsessed character. The moment saw him break from the group, as a legitimate star.
Each of the members of the Nation of Domination went on to do great things. None more so than The Rock, who is part of the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling history.
These are the moments that live on in time. These are the moments that stay with us, through good times and bad. These are the moments that bring a smile to our face and warmth to our hearts. Live sports entertainment action like never before, at WWE Live India!
