10 Things Only 90s Wrestling Fans Will Understand

5. Pre-Booking The TV

Raw Is War
WWE.com

The phrase, "Just DVR/Sky Plus It" wasn't a thing in the '90s.

People couldn't record shows and watch them back after the fact unless they were willing to joust with clumsy, often unreliable physical tape recorders. Instead, pre-booking the television became a weekly dinner debate with the family. If dad wanted to watch that Blade Runner re-run or some sports, you could forget tuning into Raw or Nitro.

It was a nightly battle, especially in the UK. Over here, Raw aired on a Friday night between 9-11pm, which just so happened to be peak parental viewing hours. That meant praying to the videotape Gods that your crumbling VHS would catch the show or missing it completely.

There was no middle ground, and, being honest, it sucked big time. Today, fans have on demand, and the industry is definitely better for it. It's entirely possible to skip watching every single wrestling show live and not miss a thing on the back end.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.