The Contentious Ten 01.09.12: Top 10 Entrance Sets

Hello, and welcome to The Contentious Ten! My name is Nick Bazar, and I thank you for clicking.

Recently, the WWE made a big fuss over their new house show entrance set. They say it’s an attraction that makes non-televised events feel like the real thing for those in attendance. The set is definitely nice for a house show, but nothing to get too worked up about. It did, however, inspire the idea for this list. A wrestling entrance set can often set the atmosphere and mood for the rest of the night. This list looks at those entrance sets that stood out above all the others and remain memorable images in the minds of fans years later. And so, the Top Ten Best Wrestling Entrance Sets…

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Bound for Glory 2010size=6>

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Jeff Hardy defeated Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson to win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship with help from Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. The assist signaled the formation of Immortal, a group that had been hyped up as “They” for weeks before the show.

Let me start off by saying that this picture doesn’t do the entrance set for the TNA Bound for Glory 2010 show the right justice. I couldn’t get a much better picture than this, but at least it gives you a feel for what it looked like. It’s without a doubt the best looking set TNA has put together, and they went on to use it a few more times for some of their shows on the road. With three big jumbo-trons and a sizeable ramp, it definitely holds its own against the bigger budgeted WWE sets. That’s not what makes this particular set unique though. What makes this set stand out is the fact that the middle jumbo-tron actually rises above the two adjacent ones to make way for a superstar’s entrance. The result is the cool visual of being able see the superstars behind the jumbo-tron before making their way down the ramp.

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Bash at the Beach 1997size=6>

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Curt Hennig made his in-ring WCW debut in a tag team with Diamond Dallas Page against the nWo’s Scott Hall and Randy Savage. In the main event, Hollywood Hogan teamed with NBA star Dennis Rodman in a losing effort against Lex Luger and The Giant.

Some might find it cheesy or too over the top, but I’ve always loved the entrance sets for WCW’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-views. Up through the 1998 edition of the show, they were all fairly similar every year, taking the “Beach” theme very literally complete with a wooden dock serving as the entrance ramp, tons of sand on both sides, palm trees and even beach balls. It was a cool sight to see, and definitely gave the annual summer pay-per-view a different vibe from any other show of the year. It is also engraved in the minds of many wrestling fans as in 1996, it served as the backdrop to Hulk Hogan’s walk to the ring just moments before he shockingly revealed himself to be the third member of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall’s team. Love it or hate it, you have to admit that its uniqueness made it a memorable entrance set that still brings back memories for many WCW fans.

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King of the Ring 2001size=6>

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Kurt Angle proved to be the star of the night by competing in three competitive matches, one of which was an absolutely brutal Street Fight against Shane McMahon- a match fans talk about to this day.

I was never really a fan of the older King of the Ring sets from the early to mid 1990s. You know the ones I’m talking about; the ones with the henchmen/jesters dressed in purple and yellow costumes who would open the gates to bring out the next competitor. It sounds cool written out like that, but it never really did anything for me personally. Not only that, but the actual sets themselves were nothing to write home about. However, the WWF eventually started getting “more edgy” and did away with the jesters before giving us this thing of beauty in 2001. All the promo material leading up to King of the Ring 2001 centered around a large image of an electric chair. Naturally, the main centerpiece of the show’s entrance set was an enormous electric chair with two Titantrons on either side and the now infamous plexi-glass below them. I say infamous because we remember it as the glass that didn’t break when Angle tried to suplex Shane through it. Memorable show, memorable entrance set.

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Armageddon 2007size=6>

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Chris Jericho made his return to pay-per-view in a loss to WWE Champion Randy Orton and Edge won the World Heavyweight Championship with help from his “Edgeheads” in a Triple Threat match against Batista and The Undertaker.

Armageddon always had extravagant entrance sets. Whether it was large military equipment, junkyard cars huge steel scaffolds or a freaking castle as seen above, the WWE never skimped on the final pay-per-view of the year. It surprises me too, because I always thought WWE saw Armageddon as pretty low on the PPV totem pole. Anyway, of all the elaborate Armageddon entrance sets we’ve seen over the years, my favorite was the 2006-2008 version- the castle. I mean, it’s a gigantic castle, what more do I need to say? It has several levels to it, something Mr. Kennedy found out the hard way in his 2006 Last Ride match against The Undertaker. Not only that, but it shoots fire and the size of it is pretty awe-inspiring. And it isn’t just a bunch of LED screens projecting the image of a castle. It’s a 3D, tangible structure. I just wish it wasn’t wasting away in a warehouse somewhere.

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Wrestlemania 17size=6>

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The tag teamers damn near stole the show with an incredible TLC match, and Steve Austin did the unthinkable by joining forces with Vince McMahon to defeat The Rock for the WWF Championship.

In the year 2001, the WWF really stepped up their game in terms of their entrance sets. Gone were the tiny set pieces with a small logo of the event on the top and in its place were huge, multicolored sets that brought a different vibe to each show. Perhaps none were more epic that year than the set used for the “granddaddy of them all,” Wrestlemania 17. It featured one huge Titantron in the middle flanked by equally tall banners depicting the show’s title. Below that were graphics that displayed the participant’s names and images for whatever match was currently taking place, and in front was a huge rampway that likely would’ve given the Ultimate Warrior some troubles. What brought it all together was the fact that it was held in a huge stadium in front of nearly 70,000 fans. That wide shot at the beginning of the show of the set surrounded by all that humanity was really a sight to see.

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Smackdown Fistsize=6>

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The Smackdown Fist arena was the home to a number of memorable events in the history of Smackdown such as the first show of its size following 9/11, the rise of John Cena and John Heidenreich’s raping of Michael Cole.

From the summer of 2001 to the beginning of 2008, Smackdown’s entrance set consisted of a huge silver fist breaking through a wall of glass. It gave the blue brand an identity of its own, separating it from the large Titantron and ramp Monday Night Raw was famous for. For many wrestling fans, it’s what they identified the show with. While the Smackdown roster constantly changed thanks to injuries and drafts, the fist was always there as a backdrop to whatever it was that was going on in the ring. That ended when the WWE switched to HD, bringing with it a new universal set for both Raw and Smackdown. Now, instead of Raw and Smackdown looking and feeling like different shows, they’re essentially the same thing- well, except for the color of the ring ropes, but come on! Bring back the Smackdown Fist!

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Monday Nitro 1999size=6>

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This particular WCW Monday Nitro entrance set was there for events such as the rise of Tank Abbott and Bret Hart’s final run as a World Heavyweight Champion.

WCW Monday Nitro had three entrance sets- the original with the steel WCW signs and a squared steel entrance tunnel, the one pictured above and the last one which tried to copy the WWF with one large jumbo-tron. I liked the original, but I felt as though the entrance set that replaced it in the year 1999 really stood out above most of the sets we’ve seen over the years. It had the large WCW logo which would open and close in the middle to let superstars enter and leave, and two screens in the background above the logo. It was simple in its design, yet it looked really cool and managed to catch your eye in a way that one singular boring jumbo-tron couldn’t. However, many WCW fans associate this entrance set with the period of time during which WCW really took a nosedive in both quality of television and as a business competitor to the WWF. It could be said that the only good thing about WCW during that time was this entrance set.

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Backlash 2000size=6>

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The Rock defeated Triple H to win the WWF Championship with Shane McMahon as the Special Guest Referee in a match that saw the return of Steve Austin.

With my Bound for Glory 2010 and Monday Nitro 1999 picks on this list, you can see that I tend to like entrance sets that are mechanical, and that move or operate in a way most don’t. The entrance set for the Backlash 2000 pay-per-view took that idea and magnified it. If you remember, the Backlash logo was popular for its pendulum-like hooks. The logo itself was awesome enough, but then they decided to bring it to life as part of the entrance set- let’s call that one of the many great ideas they had that year. So, on both sides of the curtain were mechanical pendulum hooks that swung back and forth. I’ll be honest, even though I knew it wouldn’t happen, I always felt like the hooks would somehow move in too close and knock an approaching wrestler down. In the years that followed, they stuck with the pendulum theme, but after a while, they weren’t mechanical anymore. Maybe they had the same lingering fear of “death by huge steel hook” as I did for their superstars.

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Royal Rumble 2000size=6>

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Triple H cemented his main event slot with a masterful performance against Cactus Jack to retain his WWF Championship, and The Rock survived 29 other superstars to win the Royal Rumble match.

Madison Square Garden shows are awesome for their rabid crowds, their sense of importance and the fact that many times, the WWE has to go with a smaller setup. I know that most of the sets I’ve covered so far have been pretty extravagant, but the entrance set for the Royal Rumble 2000 pay-per-view is a good example of how bigger is not always better when it comes to wrestling set pieces. From the moment I laid eyes on the graffitied walls, wooden crates and yellow taxi cab that decorated that Rumble’s entrance, it instantly became one of my favorites. It was gritty, it was unique and it gave the whole show an awesome atmosphere- an atmosphere you can’t replicate with those huge elaborate sets. And who can forget the moment when Cactus Jack suplexed Triple H onto that wooden crate? It left a nasty gash on Trip’s calf that became one of the many memorable images of that match. Imagine that, an entrance set that deals out permanent scars. Sick.

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Wrestlemania 27size=6>

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Edge wrestled what would turn out to be his final match, retaining his World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio and The Undertaker kept his Wrestlemania streak alive in a lengthy brawl with Triple H.

I don’t see how a wrestling entrance set can get much cooler than the one used for Wrestlemania 27. It was a spectacular sight that never wore off its brilliance throughout the four hour broadcast and still manages to amaze me on repeat viewings. Unlike the previous year’s Mania sets which featured gigantic structures just for the sake of being gigantic, this one was a bit more simplistic with an impressive 3D “Wrestlemania” banner that couldn’t be ignored. Below it was a dome of sorts that glowed with the brightest of lights and projected every wrestler’s Titantron graphics. In front was probably the longest ramp I’ve ever seen. Put it all together with the huge crowd that surrounded it and you have an incredible image that displayed exactly what Wrestlemania is about. It’s not something you’ll see in any other form of entertainment- I don’t care how big or popular. I’ll tell you one thing, I’m excited to see what the Wrestlemania 28 set looks like this year. For now though, the Wrestlemania 27 entrance set is the best you’ll see.