You may not know this, but today marks ten years since “Me At The Zoo” was posted on the now incredibly popular YouTube. What’s so important about that? No, it’s not the fact that a dude reaffirmed what we already know, that elephants do have really really long trunks. It’s the fact that it was the very first video ever posted on YouTube!
As soon as YouTube had become a thing, I’d log on the site to search for, what else, wrestling videos. And you know what? It was hard to find wrestling videos in YouTube’s infancy! Hard to believe that now. YouTube has changed the wrestling game.
Wrestling on Youtube has evolved from short promos and partial matches, to full matches, to full shows. The creation of Botchamania put wrestling eff ups front and center. YouTube made what was old new again, and gave wrestlers good and bad exposure that they may never have had otherwise (myself included) with the viral video. It became so important that WWE stopped relying solely on fans watching video on their site, and started utilizing YouTube.
Today, I want to look at some of the more infamous wrestling videos in the early history of YouTube. These videos paved the way for YouTube wrestling videos to come.
Ken Patera Murders A Promo
Though re-uploaded in recent years (most likely due to being taken down by WWE and it’s copyright claims), the original video was uploaded around the beginning of YouTube. By typing “WWF” in the search engine, this infamous Ken Patera interview appeared on my computer monitor. I was baffled to see that this actually made it to air in 1987– and I’m still baffled every time I watch this.
Lex Luger vs. The CSWF T-Shirt
It’s quite possibly more memorable than his journey throughout the U.S.A. on the Lex Express. This video featuring “The Total Package” attempting to conquer a smedium tee brings the quote “irresistible force meeting the immovable object” to mind. While he didn’t vanquish the CSWF shirt on that occasion, his performance is more worthy of celebrating than was his count out victory over Yokozuna in 1993.
It’a Still Real To Me Dammit
In 2006, Dave Wills captured the hearts of wrestling fans worldwide. While attending an NWA convention and sharing his appreciation for the superstars of yesteryear that sacrificed their bodies for our entertainment, he began to cry. As his face turned red, and tears poured out of his eyes, he managed to yelp, “It’s still real to me, dammit!” Following this, his video went viral on YouTube, being shown on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, and landing him a “Web Redemption” on Comedy Central’s “Tosh.0.”
Bret Hart Doesn’t Doubt El Dandy
In 1999, Bret Hart cut an incredible promo on the caliber of athlete that luchadore El Dandy was. It wasn’t until the interview was uploaded to YouTube in 2006 that the hilarity of the segment was truly appreciated.
Iron Sheik Goes Nuts (Brian Blair Shoot)
In 2006, former WWF Champion The Iron Sheik sat down with independent wrset lingerie organization MWF in Boston for a wrestling shoot interview. They couldn’t have expected the comedic gold they would get when Sheiky Baby compared one half of The Killer Bees to “duh Michael Jorda– eh, Michael Jackson.”
New Jack vs. Vic Grimes (Jack Throws Grimes Off A Scaffold)
Hard to watch. Due to an incident back in ECW, New Jack literally tries to kill Vic Grimes. Yikes.
Mean Gene Okerlund Swears
With live TV, things don’t always go as planned. At SummerSlam 1989, a poorly hungodly sign caused beloved WWE legend Mean Gene utter the “F” word, live on pay per view.
SHOCKMASTER (Debut of The Shockmaster)
If not for YouTube, we may have all forgotten about The Shockmaster’s debut during Ric Flair’s “A Flair For The Gold” segment in 1993. Never forget…
Any promos from the first couple years of YouTube I’m forgetting? Let me see them!
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-Greg
