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Fans young and old have a seemingly endless park to play in, discover undiscovered gems
and relive classic moments.
But there are some moments from wrestling history that WWE don’t want you to remember
or see.
Some shows are in fact edited versions of the live broadcast, removing things they want
you to forget.
I am Luke Owen and here are four things cut from the WWE Network.
Headline: An Empire State of Mind
Summerslam 2015 is notable for a few things, but particularly for it being the beginning
of The New Day’s record breaking tag team title reign.
This was also the start of a new WWE tradition of holding Summerslam weekend in The Barclays
Centre in Brooklyn, New York.
To celebrate, the then heel New Day used this as a chance to garner some local heat - by
noting New York doesn’t know anything about hip hop.
For those unaware (because, look at me, I am hip hop through and through), New York
actually does know a lot about hip hop.
They then sang a parody version of Jay Z’s Empire State of Mind: Let’s hear it for
New Daaaaay, etc etc, which transitioned into the New Day Rocks chant.
However if you go and check this out on the WWE Network, the song is edited out entirely
- despite being a parody and therefore rights free - and just cuts to the New Day Rocks
chant.
Perhaps this is WWE just playing it safe, not wanting Jay-Z on their back for making
fun of his song.
After all this isn’t the only example of parody song being cut from the Network, with
the famous ‘Wind Beneath My Ring’ promo from Stephanie McMahon during the Invasion
angle also edited off Raw, as are most of The Rock’s concerts.
It also means WCW’s Kiss Demon debut isn’t available on The Network because he made his
first appearance during KISS playing a live performance on Nitro.
Well, it’s either that, or because The KISS Demon was a horrible gimmick.
Headline: The WrestleMania Lick
Mickie James being the psycho stalker of Trish Stratus was a fantastic angle leading into
WrestleMania 21, where Mickie would be challenging Stratus for the Women’s Championship.
The story was basically Mickie Single White Femaling Trish, debuting as her biggest fan
before doing crazy things like dressing up as her for Halloween.
But when she revealed she liked Trish in more than just a ‘you’re a good wrestler’
kind of way, Trish didn’t reciprocate.
This led to a fantastic heel turn for Mickie, and actually created a lot of buzz for their
Mania encounter.
While the match is notable for the crowd turning on the babyface Trish to cheer the heel Mickie,
it will be remembered for its botched finish and a moment that has since been edited off
the Network and all DVD releases.
Towards the end of the match there’s a spot where Trish attempted the Stratusfaction and
Mickie countered the move by grabbing her vagina.
Mickie then turned to the crowd and… well… licked her hand.
"I came back through the curtain and Vince was really mad.
In the moment it had seemed amazing to me.
I thought 'Vince will love this'.
'Crass' was the word I got.
He didn't like it at all.
He told me, 'We're going to have to go back and edit that out.
Do you know how much time [this will take]?'
This was my first WrestleMania, my mom was in the audience, I'm freaking out already.
I'm back through the curtain and I'm already in tears and an emotional mess.
And I got yelled at."
- Mickie James, The Sun, October 2011
The spot was cut off the DVD release, which is the same edit that’s used on the Network.
During the spot, the camera cuts to the crowd but you still hear the response.
La Femme Non-Committal
Vince McMahon loves celebrity endorsements, and he also loves working with TV stations
to help promote their shows.
In early 1997, USA Network’s big show was touted to be La Femme Nikita, a spin-off programme
from the successful 1990 movie Nikita.
It had began airing in January, but in a mirror of Raw and Nitro was struggling in a ratings
war with TNT’s Robin Hood.
In fact, it was the struggling ratings of La Femme Nikita that prompted the USA Network
to make Monday Night Raw two hours long - it had been just a one hour show up until that
point.
In an effort to help boost its ratings, USA Network sent the show’s star Peta Wilson
to be interviewed on camera by WWF’s lead commentator Vince McMahon.
Sadly, Wilson didn’t look like she wanted to be there, and was then very dismissive
of McMahon’s questions.
At one point in the very short interview, Vince asks her about the show’s sexuality
- saying there’s a fair amount of sex which the audience appreciates, Wilson replies:
“That’s untrue, it’s actually a proper, prim kind of show.
It’s the kind of show you want to sit down and watch alone on a quiet evening”.
A clip of La Femme Nikita was shown in the original broadcast - which could be why the
segment is missing from the Network version, with WWE having to secure the licence.
But given how the whole interview is edited out rather than just the clip, implies Vince’s
embarrassment might be to blame.
Headline: Bash in the Face 1996
Is there a WCW PPV more famous than Bash at the Beach 1996?
It was the event where Hulk Hogan revealed himself as The Outsider’s third man to form
the New World Order - a group that would change the fortunes of WCW and make them the largest
wrestling company in the world.
It’s one of the most iconic moments in modern wrestling, but if you check it out on the
WWE Network, there is something missing.
After Randy Savage is carried out of the ring by Sting while Hogan and Hall celebrate, a
fan rushes into the ring to get to the Hulkster.
He gets quite far as well, sneaking under the bottom rope and standing up in the ring
against Kevin Nash.
Seeing this, Big Sexy knocks him down and starts kicking the hell out of him.
“I had to clip a guy.
Some fat drunk came in under the bottom rope.
Had to put him down.
Scott kicked him in the head.”
- Kevin Nash, “Monday Night War”, August 26th 2014
In the WWE Network version of Bash at the Beach ‘96, Savage is taken out of the ring
and then it cuts to a shot with security dealing with the fan outside the ring.
Oddly though, on the WWE Network show Monday Night War, the clip is there in full complete
with the commentary track.
This is because the WWE Network version of Bash at the Beach 1996 is actually the home
video release rather than the PPV broadcast - which is commonplace across the the streaming
service - to remove moments like this that could encourage other fans to jump the rail
and get into the ring.
Remember Mick Foley?
Remember his botched retirement?
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Click the videos to the left to find out more.
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I have been Luke Owen, and that was a list.