Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

Best wrestling sets/stages.


Recommended Posts

Been meaning to do this one a while and was reminded by something today to do such a topic. I miss distinctive stage sets. WWE with the exception of WrestleMania mainly use the same ones. I remember looking forward to seeing said sets wondering what we'd get. Shame the MSG entrance in the middle of the stands is no longer there. Least AEW makes an effort.

I'll start with these three:

LG-Owen-Hart-v-Bret-hart-1458295853.jpg&

OIP.9KvAXwvGayhymgVIMog8mgHaEL?pid=ImgDe

R.cc8f6b46763cba5a153920cc6cd7d194?rik=K

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Zimbra said:

Wrestlemania IX: bad show, great staging:

pe0agsgyq4t41.jpg

I've never watched it. Seriously, that show was during a time where watching wrestling was legitimately my favorite pastime and I never felt the need to watch this show. I used to rent wrestling tapes pretty much every single weekend and have seen Wrestlemania 5-8 and Wrestlemania X about 5056546754 times a piece. I also skipped XI before watching all of them up to XX too many times to count. I would have watched damn near any wrestling show at that point,  but neither card appealed to me at all. 

As far as great sets,  Wrestle Kingdom 10 was pretty dope. I remember Nakamura's entrance looking amazing at the time. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, supremebve said:

I've never watched it. Seriously, that show was during a time where watching wrestling was legitimately my favorite pastime and I never felt the need to watch this show. I used to rent wrestling tapes pretty much every single weekend and have seen Wrestlemania 5-8 and Wrestlemania X about 5056546754 times a piece. I also skipped XI before watching all of them up to XX too many times to count. I would have watched damn near any wrestling show at that point,  but neither card appealed to me at all. 

As far as great sets,  Wrestle Kingdom 10 was pretty dope. I remember Nakamura's entrance looking amazing at the time. 

April 93 was the end of my WWF fandom for several years.  For some reason Friar Ferguson debuting on Raw the week after this was the last straw.  I stuck with WCW a little while longer because of Vader/Sting, but this basically killed wrestling for me until the Monday night wars and discovering puro tapes.

 

15 minutes ago, For Great Justice said:

Not the best but nothing tugs at nostalgia with me like the early 90's WCW ramp. Maybe with "Smokin'" playing and GMC on the PA

xVMJv3Q.png

I am a sucker for pretty much any setup with a ramp to the ring.  Always looks cool and I like spots on the ramp.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

I was always a sucker for the NOAH setup, and Korakuen Hall. But the real answer here is that crazy-ass gym or whatever in Japan that has the stained glass wall. 

KBS Hall in Kyoto! Such a classy looking place for a wrestling show.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man I am so happy that this is a topic. Wrestling sets were one of my favorite things as a kid - waiting to see what the PPV set would look like (or if I couldn't afford the PPV tuning into Sunday Night HEAT for a glimpse at it) was always fun. I'll throw a couple of my favorite ones in here.

King of the Ring 2001
30 Best Wrestling Event Stages Ever – Page 12

WrestleMania X8
Article lead image

Raw is War (I prefer this one with the towers on the sides and just the banners vs. when it got all flashy and screens)
The evolution of Raw's sets: photos | WWE

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my low-key favorites was the fancy ballroom that PWF used to run with chandeliers and shit:

They regularly ran another hall with a super-low drop ceiling and it was always fun to see guys try to modulate their highspots so not to hit it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great topic @The Natural.

Seeing that sweet King Of The Ring 2001 set reminded me how close they cut it with the Invasion set that year. I was at Invasion (in the cheapest nosebleed seats available lol) and they were still constructing the stage during Sunday Night Heat. It was wild. They literally were sawing and drilling in wood still on the Alliance side during the Chavo v Scotty 2 Hottie match on Heat. They threw on the carpet over the ramp on that side while the PPV intro video was playing. I wonder if that played a part in having Storm & Awesome starting the PPV in ring. Because they never did that in that era. But that set was also a very cool concept (that almost killed Trish when she almost fell off after her match). I miss actual PPV sets.


(Best pic I could find)
invasion.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, twiztor said:

i always really liked the beach sets. something about the surfboard racks and lifeguard posts really kind of set the event apart. 

WCW Bash at the Beach: photos | WWE

Those WCW sets always lead to DDP fighting someone in a graveyard or on the stage coach. Fun Stuff

 

For me I've always loved the old MSG set up where it looked like the wresters where coming directly through the fans like Sid with the fist bumps

 

Also the set up for Wrestlmania 13 with Austin literally having glass shatter. I guess I like the idea of an isle more than a ramp

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, TheVileOne said:

aew-rock-n-rager-cruise.jpg

I loved the AEW cruise ship set. I hope we see this again some day.

The next Jericho Cruise is from October 21st-2th 2021. So, in 3 months.

Hopefully they don't call it 'Third Wave' though, because we might be in the middle of one by then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always liked the Spring Stampede set. Mainly because it gave us Tony Schiavone's classic "That can be very abrasive!" call of Sting hitting Randy Savage with a bale of hay.

0XPMJG8B-600x338.png

 

springstampedefbthumb.jpg

Edited by cwoy2j
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

WCW didn't have their own production crew, they always used crews from Turner Sports.  They ran into a problem in the summer of '96, the Summer Olympics were in Atlanta, Turner's backyard, so all of Turner production was loaned out to broadcasters for the Olympics.  Faced with having to run a month of shows with no production crew, WCW went back to Disney, who had their own house production.  However, instead of going back to the stale soundstage, they built a makeshift outdoor arena in the park.

WCWDisney2-700x524.jpgWCWDisney6-700x524.jpgscreenshot-256.jpg?526

What helped was the timing of the shows, they ran Nitros here for five weeks, every Nitro in between Bash at the Beach and Road Wild.  That means the first Nitro here was the night after Hogan's heel turn joining the nWo.  There was a sense of uneasiness throughout these shows as you were wondering when the nWo would attack next, and being outdoors in a makeshift arena helped add to that atmosphere as it would be easier for the nWo to attack here instead of a real arena.  WCW even played into that with Tony announcing all the main eventers who weren't at one of the shows because they were on a Japan tour.  Seems like an odd way to market the show, "Look at all the guys who you won't see tonight!" but it worked in making WCW seem even more vulnerable.  Then the big attack happened, one of the most memorable angles in WCW history, with the nWo laying out a bunch of guys backstage.  They made it seem so real and not scripted.  The show stopped to a halt as the wounded were attended to and ambulances were called.  Guys who had just been fighting in the middle of the ring were now working together, Heenan walked off the set out of fear for his safety.  We were told since all of the attacked guys were scheduled to wrestle that night, the entire show had to be rebooked on the fly with who was available backstage.  That led to some funky match-ups, including a main event of the Giant defended the World Title against Greg Valentine.  That entire episode of Nitro was a master class in wrestling angles, and the set helped add to that.  

  • Like 9
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

tumblr_ow7sz92FZ51u1urgoo1_400.gif

This WWF stage was used through 1994-1997, most memorably the Austin 3:16 glass break for Steve Austin's entrance and the shot of Bret Hart stepping on the broken glass as he made his way to the ring for their Submission match at WrestleMania 13.

We also got:

wm-13.7-1490804476-800.jpg

The Undertaker wearing his most famous garb again, the black and grey. Sometimes the simplest stages are the best.

Edited by The Natural
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OIP.AQbaUAnIlvd96RDqRVtqvgHaEK?pid=ImgDe

Shame the WCW Monday Nitro set and WCW logo was replaced by the God awful one in 1999.

2017-12-26-33.png

Starrcade 1997. As ever fuck Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff for fucking up the payoff to the great build for Sting vs. Hogan.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...