8 Wrestling Events That Pulled Inspiration From Strange Places

3. Shotgun Saturday Night - Dive Bars

AEW South Park
WWE.com

Many might assume Fight Club is the inspiration behind WWF Shotgun Saturday Night, but the reality is that Shotgun Saturday Night debuted in January 1997 and David Fincher’s Fight Club movie didn’t arrive in cinemas until September 1999.

Even Chuck Palahniuk’s original Fight Club novel wasn’t released until August 1996, meaning it’s highly unlikely that anybody at Titan Towers had even heard of Tyler Durden by the time the decision was made to launch Shotgun Saturday Night.

The inspiration for Shotgun Saturday Night, then, was from the seedy bars and clubs that would be full of sticky floors, weak beer, smoky rooms, and grizzled guys ‘n’ gals looking for any excuse for a fight.

This came at a time when WWF was looking at ways to bring a new edge to its product, and so the company's decision makers sought inspiration from things that their prime audience were familiar with.

In this case, with the World Wrestling Federation looking to appeal to the 18-34 demographic and to college kids, that was considered to be smoky dive bars. And what a look it was.

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