Best Wrestling Sets Of Weekly Programs

 

AEW debuted Collision last night featuring the return of CM Punk to the company, as well as Miro and Andrade to TV. It was an impressive debut, along with an impressive set that was all huge LED screens really. I probably been noticed but it really hit me, damn all the entrances are just huge LED screens now. Watching Raw on Monday, AEW on Wednesday, Impact on Thursday, and Smackdown on Friday all just screens really. 

Even for most PPV's or PLE's (in WWE world) with the exception of WrestleMania, it's all screens. It got me asking what happened to all the creative sets? Now of course it's much cheaper to have the LED screens, which I'm sure logistically is also a lot easier for the crew to set up and break down. Pro wrestling has come a long way from wrestlers simply walking through the curtain, but I wish more creativity was added to the shows.

Here's five of the best sets from weekly pro wrestling programs. Now I'll be honest when I started researching it was slim pickings, but I think these are solid choices.

WCW Pro

WCW Pro was a third tier WCW program that aired on TBS as well as in syndication. Nothing of substance occurred on the program, but if you wanted to watch a mindless hour of wrestling feature mostly jobbers or talent you have never heard of. WCW Pro was the program for you.

Filmed at Disney-MGM Studios in the mid-90's, the aesthetics of the show followed that gritty, grunge era of that time. The entry way resembled a back alley with some TV's laying on one end and a giant monitor on the other end. Nothing overly special but at least some effort was put into this set. 

WCW Saturday Night

The old WCW Saturday Night set which ran from April of 1994 to roughly April of 1999, is a very basic set yet it is so iconic. WCW Saturday Night was filmed at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA and this incarnation was futuristic for it's time. Featuring sliding doors as wrestlers made their way to the ring along with smoke filling the entry way. 

Not overly complex or over the top this set is one I still think was one of the best designed ever. 

RAW Letter set 

One of my favorite RAW sets, again it was very simple and to the point. It fit the usual size of arena's the WWF was running at that time. Debuting in 1995 with a new look to the program, the words RAW were spelled out in giant letters on the entry way as wrestlers made their way to the ring coming out of either side of the "A". About a year later or a little under, the "A" doubled as a video tron.

This look was replaced in 1997 for the Titan Tron look that has progressed over the years. This one however, is another low-key entrance that simply worked and is still revered. 

Monday Night Nitro 

In 1995 WCW debuted what would become their flagship show for the remainder of the companies existence WCW Monday Night Nitro. The iconic set which ran from the shows debut until April 1999, had an dark industrial look to it. Looking back it almost seems to have been inspired by rock concerts in my opinion.

The setup was all steel with steel scaffolding making up the entrance, with big WCW letters accentuating both sides of the stage. Let's not forget the Nitro banners that hung on both sides, the WCW Monday Nitro logo that was placed above the scaffolding. And the stage lets strategically placed around the entrance, that gave it that rock concert feel (and helped out when the Nitro girls debuted a couple years later).

The pyro that would kick off the show only helped add to the presentation of this now iconic set.

The Smackdown Fist

Come on? Could any other weekly program really top this? The Smackdown fist is universally beloved as one of the best wrestling sets of all time, and the best Smackdown set ever. It debuted in 2001 after Rhyno speared Chris Jericho through the original oval set (which honestly had ran it's course in two short years).

The new set featured an oval entry way, with the iconic fist designed as if it was punching through glass shattering pieces every where and two tron's on each side. Designed well enough to be memorable, but also it was simplistic honestly. That entrance is also synonymous with some of Smackdown's best years in the mid-2000's during the brand spilt. 

Fans love that entrance so much, that there was utter disappointment during a throwback edition of Smackdown in the thunderdome when a virtual fist was used instead of the physical fist.  Especially since it was held during the thunderdome era, us as fans couldn't understand why the physical fist could not be bought back for one night. 

That's the power of the fist and how iconic it is to this day.