WWF Shotgun (found July to December season of syndicated wrestling show; 1997)

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Wwf shotgun title.png

The show's logo.

Status: Found

Date found: 27 Nov 2022

Found by: Al Balog


On January 4th, 1997, the WWF (now WWE) debuted a syndicated wrestling show called WWF Shotgun Saturday Night, with matches initially taking place in nightclubs, malls, subways, etc.[1] By late February, due to creative decisions by Vince McMahon and then head-writer Vince Russo, they decided to make the show a mid-card show, so that wrestlers unused on WWF Raw Is War could get exposure and television time.

Part of the reason why the initial theme was discontinued was that it was often a struggle to book shows every week at such venues, as well as having to constantly work and drive in the freezing cold of New York City.

The presentation was very similar in format to that of WWF Wrestling Challenge in the 1980s. It would include a variety of exclusive mid-card feuds, jobber matches, house show promos and main-event storyline buildup. Shotgun Saturday Night was a great inspiration for the 1999 video game WWF Attitude, which featured many of the show's mid-carders and had it as a venue in the career mode.

Debut of WWF Shotgun

During the gradual growth of the Attitude Era, the show began branching out into different syndicated versions across the United States, which were different from each other in terms of content, format and commentary. These included WWF Shotgun Saturday Night, WWF New York and WWF Shotgun Challenge in the Midwest market, most notably in the Wisconsin area.

On August 2nd, 1997, WWF Shotgun Challenge would become WWF Shotgun. Thereafter the 1997 season became identical in presentation and format to its 1998 and 1999 counterparts, with the only difference being the use of the New Generation "block" logo on the bottom left of the screen instead of the more widely known "scratch" logo.

In Wisconsin, WWF Shotgun would air on WLUK-TV Fox 11 around midnight or later. It was initially broadcasted from the Stevens Point/Plover area to the Appleton/Green Bay area, being hosted by Michael Cole and Kevin Kelly. Some would also have Raymond Rougeau or Tom Prichard on commentary.

This version of WWF Shotgun has also been aired in the New York City/Long Island area (WLNY-TV NY 55), Anglophone Canada (unknown channel), Connecticut (WCCT-TV CT 20), and the United Kingdom (Sky TV).

Status

The season has been found, with Al Balog uploading monthly compilations of the episodes on November 27th, 2022. Al's uploads are reviewed manually by the WWE upon uploading, with WWE making ad revenue from his videos.

The only ones missing are the September 6 and December 6, 13 and 20 episodes absent from the compilations. However, single matches from these shows have been found and recovered.

Videos

The compilations from Al Balog's channel:

July 1997 compilation, when the show is still Shotgun Challenge.

August 1997 compilation, WWF Shotgun Challenge becomes WWF Shotgun and on August 2nd, 1997, the show gets the 1998/1999 Attitude Era style look.

September 1997 compilation.

October 1997 compilation.

November 1997 compilation.

December 1997 compilation.

See Also

References

External Links