Unpopular Opinions

[Evil_Mush]

From there I borrowed tapes from time to time at the video shop. The ones I remember watching most are the 93-96 WWF shows.

Another unpopular opinion in an "OK-boomer/geriatric millenial" sense - I think wrestling was more exciting when we could only access it via VHS tapes that came out every couple of months, and catching up on all the other goings-on via wrestling magazines. Getting on the bike at the weekend for the video store adventure to see if the latest PPV had been released yet was utterly pavlovian.

The more accessible it has become the less I've actually watched it, though I do appreciate being able to connect with far-flung fans around the world in the 30 odd years since I first found out about this thing called the "internet"

 

[Valheru]

Another unpopular opinion in an "OK-boomer/geriatric millenial" sense - I think wrestling was more exciting when we could only access it via VHS tapes that came out every couple of months, and catching up on all the other goings-on via wrestling magazines. Getting on the bike at the weekend for the video store adventure to see if the latest PPV had been released yet was utterly pavlovian.

The more accessible it has become the less I've actually watched it, though I do appreciate being able to connect with far-flung fans around the world in the 30 odd years since I first found out about this thing called the "internet"

I remember not even knowing what the cards were circa 98-00 and going to the local video shop every month to hire the latest tape which were a few months behind TV at that point. Then in about 2002, my step father got one of those Foxtel cards that came with everything including PPV and I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

That was the early dot com era and it definitely kept Kayfabe alive through that period.

 

[Big Pete]

Imagine going to your local Civic/Video Ezy/Blockbuster on a regular ass Monday just to rent Survivor Series 2025.

Don't get me wrong, I used to love checking out the Pro Wrestling section at video shops. Flipping over the VHS covers to see if you recognise any of the names or knew anything about the matches. Sometimes even the cover was enough to sell you, which was the case with the 1991 Royal Rumble.

Weren't some tapes rental exclusives and other retail exclusives? I read that somewhere and it seemed to check out. It seemed like every Big W in the south-east had World War 3 1998, but I don't recall ever coming across it.

Starrcade 89, Great American Bash 91, Wrestle War 91, SummerSlam 96 are the tapes I associate most with.

 

[Big Pete]

I miss the magazines as well. I used to enjoy flipping through WOW magazine, reading their coverage on WWF, WCW and ECW and going through their power rankings or career retrospectives. It's something I tried to get into the habit of doing with modern wrestlers, making note of their major milestones, rivalries etc.

I've been guilty of looking over that in the past and getting too caught up in criticising Pro Wrestling which is really like shooting fish in a barrel.

 

[Valheru]

Imagine going to your local Civic/Video Ezy/Blockbuster on a regular ass Monday just to rent Survivor Series 2025.

Don't get me wrong, I used to love checking out the Pro Wrestling section at video shops. Flipping over the VHS covers to see if you recognise any of the names or knew anything about the matches. Sometimes even the cover was enough to sell you, which was the case with the 1991 Royal Rumble.

Weren't some tapes rental exclusives and other retail exclusives? I read that somewhere and it seemed to check out. It seemed like every Big W in the south-east had World War 3 1998, but I don't recall ever coming across it.

Starrcade 89, Great American Bash 91, Wrestle War 91, SummerSlam 96 are the tapes I associate most with.

No I don't believe that was the case. I specifically remember being able to rent WW3 1998.

Fun fact for WCW tapes in Australia though, they stopped selling tapes to the market in around 1994 I think and didn't start again until July 1998, well in to their run. They then stopped with Fall Brawl 2000. I don't recall WWF/E ever stopping until tapes/DVD weren't a thing.

 

[Evil_Mush]

DJ's Video Library in Wanganui (in NZ for those of you across the ditch) had a whole wall dedicated to all the wrestling tapes, even if we were going in to get just a movie, would always scour that hallowed section for anything we had missed, or as above to just marvel at some of the amazing covers if pocket money didn't allow for actually hiring!

I think the first WCW show we ever got to watch (long before it made it to TV in NZ) was Halloween Havoc 89, which had the Thunderdome cage match with Muta/Flair/Funk/Sting, one of the only available WCW/NWA tapes along with Chi-Town Rumble and maybe a couple others I've long forgotten.

Our parents owned a bookshop from 1990 till 2005, so had a big collection of wrestling mags until they got purged in a house move around '96, much to our horror (they seemingly figured we'd read them enough.... silly parents ).
My favourites were the WWF ones showing all the Survivor Series team pictures, would regular look through those and re-book all the matches hah!

 

[marlins2.0]

DJ's Video Library in Wanganui (in NZ for those of you across the ditch) had a whole wall dedicated to all the wrestling tapes, even if we were going in to get just a movie, would always scour that hallowed section for anything we had missed, or as above to just marvel at some of the amazing covers if pocket money didn't allow for actually hiring!

I think the first WCW show we ever got to watch (long before it made it to TV in NZ) was Halloween Havoc 89, which had the Thunderdome cage match with Muta/Flair/Funk/Sting, one of the only available WCW/NWA tapes along with Chi-Town Rumble and maybe a couple others I've long forgotten.

Our parents owned a bookshop from 1990 till 2005, so had a big collection of wrestling mags until they got purged in a house move around '96, much to our horror (they seemingly figured we'd read them enough.... silly parents ).
My favourites were the WWF ones showing all the Survivor Series team pictures, would regular look through those and re-book all the matches hah!

That Halloween Havoc VHS cover was awesome! Remember it well from the wrestling wall at the United Video near my house in South Auckland.