I've just discovered another thing. Remember at the opening of Superstars, Vince and Jesse would be there in front of the crowd? Or on Challenge, Gorilla and Heenan would be there? Apparently all of that was green screen and shot in the studio with the arena just as the backdrop.

 

This had never occured to me but of course it makes a lot of sense as the commentary was recorded in three-week batches at Studio 1. This makes Gorilla Monsoon's schedule look a little lighter.

 

Assuming the commentary for the house shows was recorded there live (and since Dick Graham is on all the Philly shows, we have to assume that was the case), Monsoon would at most be working about 21 hours A MONTH. That's 3 hours for Challenge tapings, 8 hours for Prime Time studio bits and all four major House Shows when they were running them (MSG, Philly, Boston, MLG) plus a 3-hour PPV. Considering most people work a 40-hour week, this is not the heaviest load in the world in exchange for 1.5 x prelim workers pay from EVERY SHOW WWF ran. Granted, he'd have a bit of travel between the big Arenas, and when they were running LA that would presumably be a flight. But still, not bad at all.

 

 

 

 

The switch to taped after-the-fact voiceovers started with the same TVs the Event Centers did (after Mania 4). Before that, commentary was live-to-tape in the arena. Not sure about the intros, though.

Occasionally Superstars and Challenge would have the announcers live in the arenas, especially around 91-92, and I think by 1993 they went back to having them there permanently (at least you'd see them at the commentary desk).

As far as house show commentary is concerned, I believe also sometime in 88 they stopped sending commentators to Maple Leaf Gardens and started recording commentary for the Toronto footage in post-production as well since none of those shows were ever actually broadcasted live and just used for footage to fulfill guidelines for Canadian television content and then cycle back out to the recap shows (Prime Time/All-American/Spotlight) and Coliseum Video.

What I’ve always wonders for those in arena appearances, ie things like the Flair/Neidhart angle, did they do the commentary live to tape or did just everyone out there for a segment or two?  It seems more efficient to just have them just be out there to shoot the angle or get ambience and then let someone like Monsoon head to the back to run Gorilla. 

there was also a new intro and studio design for Prime Time post WM 4. 

I always wonder if WM 4 is the real dividing line between Earth 1 and Earth 2 WWF.  It’s somewhere around there.

2 hours ago, pmo said:

I always wonder if WM 4 is the real dividing line between Earth 1 and Earth 2 WWF.  It’s somewhere around there.

Ha, I've always said Earth 1 Hogan starts when he goes exclusively to yellow trunks. The last non-yellow trunks Hogan on tape I'm aware of was vs Race @ MSG, June of 87.

Maybe the first Survivor Series is the beginning of Earth 1 WWF? Then you could explain the nonsensical teammate issues (Steamer w. Savage and Roberts, Hogan w. Orndorff) as not mattering because they only feuded on Earth 2

Survivor Series 87 is where they started having the Big 4 shows. Royal Rumble was only a TV special the first year, but starting in November they had Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and then Summerslam from Fall 87 to Summer 88. So that would be a fitting breaking point between the 2 eras.

Speaking of commentary teams, did we ever get Jesse working with Sean Mooney? It would have to be for a coliseum video or a prime time/all american/spotlight exclusive, but it would be interesting to see how someone more "straight-laced" like Mooney would have worked with the more over the top Ventura.

16 hours ago, JRH said:

Speaking of commentary teams, did we ever get Jesse working with Sean Mooney? It would have to be for a coliseum video or a prime time/all american/spotlight exclusive, but it would be interesting to see how someone more "straight-laced" like Mooney would have worked with the more over the top Ventura.

Yes, but mainly for international tapings. An example of them on together can be seen during the WWF All American Wrestling – January 22nd, 1989 Brother Love show segment

They also call the uncensored, international version of the Ron Bass-Brutus Beefcake angle together.

One team I don't think we ever got, even though they overlapped in WCW, was Ventura & Solie. 

On 4/21/2024 at 1:50 PM, cheapshot said:

Yes, but mainly for international tapings. An example of them on together can be seen during the WWF All American Wrestling – January 22nd, 1989 Brother Love show segment

Now this I absolutely must see!! Watching tonight 

On 4/18/2024 at 9:31 PM, Ricky Jackson said:

Ha, I've always said Earth 1 Hogan starts when he goes exclusively to yellow trunks. The last non-yellow trunks Hogan on tape I'm aware of was vs Race @ MSG, June of 87.

Maybe the first Survivor Series is the beginning of Earth 1 WWF? Then you could explain the nonsensical teammate issues (Steamer w. Savage and Roberts, Hogan w. Orndorff) as not mattering because they only feuded on Earth 2

This is a very minor thing but I feel like Gorilla stopped referencing the IC title runs of Tito and Greg Valentine after this point. I also don’t think he mentioned Steamer as a former IC champ in 1991. Correct me if wrong.

In the Royal Rumble 92 they are referred to as former IC champs I believe 

On 4/22/2024 at 3:25 PM, PeteF3 said:

They also call the uncensored, international version of the Ron Bass-Brutus Beefcake angle together.

 

Just watched it on youtube, Ventura sells it fine, but Mooney cant really get up to any of the righteous indignation that Vince or Monsoon could do, he seems more confused by what's going on if anything.