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00:00Wszelkie prawa zastrzeĆŒone.
00:30Drowing display of power.
00:31Oh my god, he just ripped the door off its hinges!
00:34Today, we look back at some of the most dazzling debuts of the 1990s.
00:39Unbelievable!
00:40This is WWE's Greatest Moments.
00:45He's your son of a man!
00:47Oh my god, what the hell are you doing?
00:51Absolutely unbelievable!
00:53Oh my god!
01:01Welcome everyone to WWE's Greatest Moments.
01:04I'm Michael Cole.
01:05And in this edition, we're taking a look back at the most spectacular debuts of the 1990s.
01:10Look at that! Who is he?
01:12There was no decade more distinctive as the 90s ushered in some of the most celebrated icons WWE has ever
01:19seen.
01:20And our first moment is no exception.
01:23The grandson of Peter Maivia.
01:25The son of Rocky Johnson.
01:27Rocky Maivia was Sports Entertainment's first ever third generation superstar.
01:32This guy could be the standard bearer for years to come.
01:35With such a deep wrestling pedigree, Maivia had big shoes to fill in his debut at the 1996 Survivor Series,
01:42taking place at Madison Square Garden.
01:44I just want to give 110% effort and I don't want to let my teammates down.
01:47And hopefully, I can do something tonight that would really make my family proud.
01:54Rocky Maivia!
01:56There's gonna be the man right there! That's Blue Chipper, right there!
01:59When you think about debuts, there are only a few that you really think about being like a huge deal
02:05when it happened.
02:07Rocky Maivia, it stood out. It jumped off the page.
02:10Oh! He's 6'5", 275!
02:13It's Rocky Maivia!
02:14Good looking kid. Good physique. Athletic.
02:20It's now the rookie. Rocky Maivia is left with two men on one.
02:25Flying body press. Kick up!
02:28Survivor Series was more than just an event. It was a hell of a learning experience.
02:33And yeah!
02:35One, two!
02:37I can't! Rocky!
02:39And on top of that, I win the whole thing.
02:46The Nature Boy, Ric Flair, had spent nearly two decades wrestling all over the world for various promotions, becoming one
02:52of the biggest names in professional wrestling.
02:55You see, I wrestled the top guys! Night in and night out!
02:59In 1991, Ric Flair was an eight-time and current, that's right, current, WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
03:05There is only one World Heavyweight Champion.
03:11A dispute with the company brought the Nature Boy to WWE and led to one of the most controversial debuts
03:17ever.
03:20I have here the belt that belongs to the greatest World Heavyweight Champion in the history of wrestling.
03:26The real World Champion, Ric Flair.
03:29I talked to Vince California and said, I will come if you want me. He said, I don't believe you.
03:34He said, I got the belt. He said, send it, I don't believe you. I overrated it to him.
03:39The man that has made everyone in the World Wrestling Federation shake.
03:45The audience for Primetime at that time, which was cable on USA Network, was larger than our syndicated audiences. So
03:53we did it to the largest audience first.
03:55The real World Champion, Ric Flair.
04:02To people that were wrestling fans, not just like WWE fans, it was huge.
04:09The real World Heavyweight Champion was going to be coming to the WWF.
04:19Well, lo and behold, did you think it wasn't going to happen?
04:22That was really huge. That could be one of about three moments when I come here.
04:26I'm Ric Flair, and I'm the real World Champion.
04:33In 1996, American Kurt Angle shocked the world when he won the Olympic gold medal as a freestyle wrestler.
04:40Angle then became the most sought after athlete in professional wrestling.
04:44Finally, three years later in 1999, WWE signed the most coveted athlete in the nation.
04:50I do respect the athletic ability of the superstars in the WWF, and I'm sure some of them could have
04:55competed on the Olympic level.
04:57But I believe you have to have a little extra something to win the Olympic gold.
05:01Angle would make his official in-ring debut at Survivor Series, where he'd teach us all a little lesson about
05:07respect.
05:10Making his World Wrestling Federation debut, the most celebrated real athlete in WWF history, Kurt Angle.
05:22He knows championships. He knows Olympics.
05:26Being a legitimate Olympic gold medalist, you can really do anything.
05:31I don't believe when I started that WWE was looking for Kurt Angle to have a huge connection with the
05:37fans.
05:38Uh-oh, wow!
05:40Nice waist-lock takedown by Kurt Angle.
05:42I think they were thinking that I was going to be more of a wrestler that would get in the
05:47ring and have some great matches.
05:48This is a different style of WWF competition than we're used to seeing, King, quite frankly.
05:55They're showing you that this guy can do the wrestling aspect of it.
05:58A lot of these people, they're probably not exactly with the style of wrestling that Kurt Angle does.
06:04This was a time where breaking the rules was cool.
06:08Me being a baby-faced gold medalist, I said, there's no way in hell they're going to boo me.
06:13You do not boo Olympic gold medals. I'm the best in the world. I came here for you. You do
06:22not boo me.
06:24It was the right time to initiate what would be perhaps the top heel in the business eventually.
06:30Angle with us. Modified slam. A fall away.
06:33Oh, beautiful!
06:35You do not boo an Olympic gold medalist. You have respect for an Olympic gold medalist.
06:41Still the coming.
06:42Down to the moon, we're coming!
06:43Oh my gosh!
06:45Everybody here, what's it? They look like Lex Luger.
06:49The A&E app.
06:52There is no better storytelling device in all of professional wrestling than that of the vignette.
06:57Oh, it does.
06:58A vignette is a video segment used to build excitement outside of the ring.
07:03Showcasing a wrestler's persona and background.
07:06Oh, mommy!
07:07Throughout the 1990s, nobody's vignettes were as dark, chilling, or mysterious than the character known as Mankind.
07:15Holy Mankind! Could be this evil?
07:19The WWE Universe had never seen a superstar as eerie and complex as the deranged one.
07:24Coming down the aisle, Mankind!
07:29The impact of his first night on Raw would send shockwaves throughout WWE.
07:41Mankind was introduced to the WWE Universe.
07:45I had Bob Holly in the ring, and Bob was a really strong wrestler.
07:50Oh, look at that!
07:52Look at that!
07:54He's got his...
07:55He's got his fingers jammed down his...
07:57That is strong...
07:59That is esophagus!
08:01Mankind!
08:04Incapacitating him with the mandible claw, it was a big deal.
08:06But not as big a deal as coming out later in the show.
08:14The Undertaker character, it was so strong, and they line him up and I went through him.
08:20But this guy's willing to hurt himself just to hurt you a little bit.
08:25Look out! Down below! Look out!
08:27Oh, my gosh!
08:28Then Mankind puts the claw on me.
08:32It definitely made an impression because it was something that people really hadn't seen a lot.
08:37The Undertaker!
08:38He can't handle my Mankind!
08:40To vanquish Bob Holly and then put The Undertaker on his back with the mandible claw?
08:46That was a big night.
08:48We knew he'd be deranged, but not this sick!
08:53The 1990s brought us heartbreakers, rattlesnakes, and even Amazons.
08:59But there was only one sports entertainer who brought the total package.
09:03This is the total package, Lex Luger!
09:07Nobody had a physique quite like Lex Luger.
09:10At the 1993 Royal Rumble, silver-tongued Hall of Famer Bobby the Brain Heenan
09:15would introduce the WWE Universe to the Narcissist.
09:22The greatest specimen walking on Earth!
09:25It's an honor to introduce and to unveil
09:30Narcissist Lex Luger!
09:34On my actual debut at the Royal Rumble, it was nerve-wracking, but at the same time, it was exhilarating.
09:41Oh, yeah! Look at that! Look at that!
09:45You have a reason to love yourself! You have a reason!
09:49You are truly the Narcissist!
09:51Lex never met a mirror he didn't like, and had a very narcissistic personality.
09:57I didn't even know what the hell a narcissist was until we met Lex Luger.
10:01Everybody here, which is what he looks like? Lex Luger!
10:05He was full of himself, and he had every right to be.
10:08He was the total package.
10:10I truly am incredible!
10:15This is history in the making!
10:18That whole, I'm perfect, and in love with myself.
10:22I guess he has a lot of rushes back then.
10:23It put my personality back then pretty well.
10:26You have been part of history!
10:27This is what it's all about!
10:30The Narcissist Lex Luger!
10:36Still to come.
10:37Look at the size of an animal!
10:41That's gotta be king!
10:43Mutual.
10:47The 1990s brought us one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports entertainment.
10:52Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the boss, Mr. McMahon.
10:56You can kiss my a**!
11:02But it was at St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1999
11:05when they clashed inside a dreaded steel cage that would truly remain unforgettable.
11:10The boss would do just about anything to win, including enlisting the help of a giant.
11:20Mr. McMahon has insane hatred for Stone Cold.
11:24Stone Cold versus Mr. McMahon was the best of all time.
11:28Into the steel cage!
11:31Don't worry, this ain't over yet!
11:33Can we go now?
11:34He's gotta be 20 feet off the front!
11:36No!
11:38No!
11:39Mr. McMahon!
11:40How much more can the boss take, King?
11:42You couldn't possibly get any more eyeballs on that ring than right then.
11:49Oh no!
11:50No!
11:51He's dead!
11:51He's dead!
11:53He made me dead!
11:55Wait a minute!
11:56My God, King!
11:57My God!
11:58That's Paul White!
12:00When I came in in 99, I gave Stone Cold Steve Austin the run for his money.
12:05King!
12:06He's huge!
12:07This guy's gonna be over seven feet tall!
12:09Big Show came straight up, like, from hell.
12:12You knew the boss had to have something up his sleeve!
12:16This is the largest athlete in the world, now a part of world wrestling entertainment.
12:25Look at that!
12:26He's colossal!
12:27Look at that!
12:31Money is power.
12:33Sentiment that the million dollar man Ted DiBiase had been preaching his entire charmed life.
12:38Money isn't everything, it's the only thing!
12:40In 1990, when it came time for the million dollar man to find a tag team partner in Survivor Series,
12:46he went all out, purchased one of the biggest, strongest, and otherworldly superstars WWE had ever seen.
12:55We got an ace up our sleeve, he's the mystery partner, and I promise this to be a big, very
13:01big surprise.
13:03Survivor Series 1990, nobody knew what to expect.
13:07I will introduce to you now my mystery partner from Death Valley!
13:13I give you The Undertaker!
13:16The Undertaker! The mystery partner is now revealed!
13:20I never heard of him!
13:21Holy cow!
13:23Look at this!
13:25I got it!
13:27His entrance watching that from the ring is just impressive, especially the first time.
13:34320 pounds looks to me!
13:366'9", 6'10", somewhere in that neighborhood, Rod!
13:40Those slow, methodical movements, the composure, and everything was by design,
13:46when he made his debut, was very powerful.
13:49The hardest thing to do is to walk that slow and be that ominous character when on the inside, man,
13:56I am just bouncing off my internal walls.
14:00The hearts and roads and Coco gotta be just trying to figure out what's going on here!
14:07It was a different vibe hit the arena as soon as I came out.
14:11You knew that it was gonna have a major impact in WWE.
14:16How on earth are you gonna stop this guy?
14:21In 1999, the global public grew worrisome with a Y2K bug, a feared computer glitch that had the potential to
14:29grasp all processing systems when the calendar changed to the new millennium.
14:33So when a mysterious countdown clock began appearing throughout WWE programming, it sparked wild speculation throughout the world of sports
14:42entertainment.
14:43What was it counting down to?
14:45And what would happen when the clock finally hit zero?
14:49It's counting down! Tonight, we're finally gonna unravel the mystery!
14:52We're gonna find out the significance of the new millennium clock!
14:58Tonight, in front of all The Rocks fans, you will go one on one with a great one!
15:06The Rock is in the ring. The big ten count comes on.
15:10Two, one, the lights go out.
15:13One, two, two, three, three, four, five, six, seven, nine, ten.
15:23Break the wood! Break the wall! Break down the walls!
15:27Flip down, flip down, flip down, flip down, flip down, and watch the world.
15:30Baby, you know you're doing it!
15:32Light, spotlight, arms out, and Chicago loses it.
15:39People go crazy. I went crazy. I remember watching at home.
15:49I was standing in a post office, had this sign that said,
15:53Countdown to the new millennium.
15:54It'd be a great way for me to come to the WWE.
15:57Chris Jericho has come to save the WWF!
16:03Grafited it so beautifully.
16:05Has there been a better debut?
16:08I hate to sound egotistical, but I don't think so.
16:09And now that the Y2G problem is here, this company will never, ever be the same again.
16:23Up next is our final two moments on the Countdown.
16:26What will take the number one spot?
16:29Oh, nice.
16:31I give you the Ringmaster.
16:35Yep.
16:38WWE's greatest hero throughout the 1980s was none other than the immortal one, Hulk Hogan.
16:43Train! Say your prayers!
16:45Eat your vitamins!
16:47And believe in yourself, brother!
16:49In 1994, the Hulkster decided to leave WWE and join rival promotion WCW.
16:54Red and yellow still ran through the veins of millions of Hulkamaniacs around the globe.
16:59And what better way to welcome in wrestling royalty than with a parade fit for a king?
17:08Fans all over the world.
17:09Thousands of them here at Disney MGM Studios as Hulk Hogan makes his way for the official signing of his
17:16contract with WCW.
17:18When I moved our syndicated shows to the Disney MGM lot, we had access to the back lot.
17:25We knew that bringing Hulk Hogan, we wanted it to feel as big and as important as we possibly could.
17:30So we came up with the idea of staging a parade.
17:33This is the greatest day that professional wrestling has ever seen.
17:37We were able to put it together with Disney and make it look good.
17:40With all those people that were there, they weren't hired extras or anything else.
17:43They were part guests.
17:45Welcome Hulk Hogan!
17:49I didn't know how powerful Hulkamania was at the time.
17:51It made everybody look and not look away.
17:54So you could feel people were interested in what we were going to do.
17:57Well, you know something, Mean Gene?
17:59I told you!
18:00Hulkamania was going to run wild in the WCW, brother!
18:03For Hulk to make that move and leave WWE and come to WCW was one hell of a big statement.
18:11And we wanted to squeeze every ounce of energy that we possibly could out of it
18:15and make it feel like a bigger deal than it already was.
18:18And what you gonna do, Mean Gene, when hot maniacs run wild on the WCW, brother?
18:25It's now time for our number one moment.
18:27And it's one that the WWE Universe will never forget.
18:30There was no force in all of WWE quite like The Undertaker.
18:35The dead man overpowered his opponents with supernatural strength
18:38and struck fear into all with his intimidated exposition.
18:42But did you know that The Undertaker had a brother?
18:46The Phenom's former manager, Paul Bearer, revealed to him
18:49that his long-lost sibling was coming to attack him.
18:52He is the lamb, Undertaker!
18:56The only questions left unanswered were when and how.
19:03We're just about ready for Hell in the Cell!
19:06So Bad Blood was gonna be the end of the blow-off match between Shawn and I.
19:12The Cell itself just came, again, as an idea of wanting to have something bigger
19:17than just a regular cage match.
19:18This is truly Hell in a Cell for Shawn Michaels!
19:21Oh, and by the way, the blow-off was, you know, the introduction of Undertaker's brother.
19:27It's all over!
19:28Now we'll come to Tombstone!
19:30No.
19:34Oh, my God!
19:35Wait a minute!
19:36It's Paul Bearer!
19:37That's gotta be...
19:38That's gotta be Kane!
19:40That whole match was actually built around my debut.
19:44Oh, my God!
19:45He just ripped the door off its hinges!
19:48You can see it in my eyes, like, holy crap.
19:52This is my brother that I thought was dead.
19:55The Undertaker looking into the new eyes of that giant who stands in front of him!
20:02Probably one of the coolest debuts I've seen.
20:04Undertaker set up for the tombstone!
20:07Driven down to the canvas!
20:08It was almost like, wow, you just hit a home run in the World Series.
20:14Paul Bearer said that Kane was alive, and now we know he is!
20:19It just had to be Kane!
20:21That's gotta be Kane!
20:22This countdown just goes to show you never know who might walk out on that stage at any given moment
20:28and make professional wrestling history.
20:30Well, that'll do it for this edition of WWE's Greatest Moments.
20:34I hope you've enjoyed this look back at some of the biggest debuts
20:37from one of the most exciting times in professional wrestling, the 1990s.
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