10 Things You Learn From Watching 1994 On The WWE Network
2. Bob Backlund's WWF Title Win Was Incredibly Ironic
Heading into 1994, Vince McMahon waxed lyrical about the 'New WWF Generation'. Even on commentary, legends like 'Macho Man' Randy Savage were forced to concede that the action was faster and more physically intense than it had been during his prime. McMahon was putting all his faith in smaller, more wrestling-centric athletes like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.
Those men were mixed with giants like Diesel and relative stalwarts such as Razor Ramon. Therefore, the fact Bob Backlund won the WWF Heavyweight Title at the 1994 Survivor Series is still astounding. Things become even more odd when analysing his chosen opponent for the show, Bret Hart.
An ageing veteran himself, Backlund didn't exactly scream cutting edge. Making him the face of the promotion when harping on about a 'New Generation' seemed unbelievably brazen, not to mention more than a little ironic.
This was supposed to be the dawn of a new era for the WWF, but they crowned a man who purposefully talked about being from the 'Old Generation' as champion. Naturally, this was all part of a story and Backlund did drop the title to Diesel days later, but it's still incredible to think it happened.