WWE Free for All

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WWF/WWE Free for All
Format	Professional wrestling Sports Entertainment
Created by	Vince McMahon
Starring	World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	30 minutes (including commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	Prevue Channel Pay Per View Channel
Original run	January 21, 1996 – July 27, 1998 (North America)

WWF Free for All was a professional wrestling television show produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment from January 1996 to July 1998. It served as a "countdown show" to the company's monthly events on pay-per-view (PPV), and as such aired for free on the PPV channel for a half-hour before the actual event started; it was also simulcast on the Prevue Channel. The Free for All featured exclusive matches and pre-event information, all designed to generate as much interest in the imminent PPV event among viewers as possible and giving prospective viewers a last chance to order the event.

In August 1998, the WWF scrapped the live Free for All and later began using Sunday Night HEAT, its Sunday night television show on the USA Network, as the countdown show for PPV events in North America. However, it was resurrected in Australia, the United Kingdom, and some parts of the United States as a pre-PPV show in the mid-2000s.

[edit] Original run

The first Free for All was broadcast on January 21, 1996 as the pre-show to the 1996 Royal Rumble. The show was hosted by Todd Pettengill and, besides hyping the Royal Rumble, featured a match between Duke "The Dumpster" Droese and Hunter Hearst-Helmsley with the winner becoming the 30th entrant into the Rumble and the loser becoming the 1st entrant.

The highest-profile match of the Free for All series was undoubtedly the finals of the WWF Tag Team Championship tournament held prior to WrestleMania XII, which witnessed The Bodydonnas defeat The Godwinns to win the titles.

The last Free for All match was broadcast on July 6, 1997 as the pre-show to In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede and featured The Godwinns defeating The New Blackjacks.

[edit] Free for All exclusive matches

• Royal Rumble 1996, January 21, 1996

• Duke "The Dumpster" Droese defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley by disqualification (6:25)

• In Your House 6: Rage in the Cage, February 18, 1996

• Jake Roberts defeated Tatanka (w/Ted DiBiase) (5:36)

• WrestleMania XII, March 31, 1996

• The Bodydonnas (Skip and Zip) (with Sunny) defeated The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) (with Hillbilly Jim) to win the vacant WWF Tag Team Championship (5:21)
• The Huckster and The Nacho Man wrestled to a no-contest (Billionaire Ted was the special guest referee)

• In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies, April 28, 1996

• Marc Mero (w/Sable) defeated The 1-2-3 Kid (w/Ted DiBiase) by disqualification (7:17)

• In Your House 8: Beware of Dog, May 26, 1996

• The Smokin' Gunns (Billy and Bart) defeated The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) (with Hillbilly Jim and Sunny) to win the WWF Tag Team Championship (4:57)

• In Your House 9: International Incident, September 22, 1996

• Justin Bradshaw (with Uncle Zebekiah) defeated Savio Vega (4:44)

• SummerSlam 1996, August 18, 1996

• Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Yokozuna (1:52)

• In Your House 10: Mind Games, September 22, 1996

• Savio Vega defeated Marty Jannetty (with Leif Cassidy) (5:22)

• In Your House 11: Buried Alive, October 20, 1996

• The Stalker defeated Justin Bradshaw (20:00)

• Survivor Series 1996, November 17, 1996

• (4 on 4) Survivor Series match: Jesse James, Aldo Montoya, Bob Holly, and Bart Gunn defeated The Sultan, Justin Bradshaw, Salvatore Sincere, and Billy Gunn (with Iron Shiek and Uncle Zebekiah) (10:46)

• In Your House 12: It's Time, December 15, 1996

• Rocky Maivia defeated Salvatore Sincere by disqualification (6:01)

• Royal Rumble 1997, January 19, 1997

• Venum and Perro Aguayo, Jr. defeated Maniaco and Mosco de la Merced (10:00)
• Octagón, Blue Demon Jr., and Tinieblas Jr] defeated Heavy Metal, Abismo Negro, and Histeria (14:00)
• Mascarita Sagrada and La Parkita defeated Mini Mankind and Mini Vader (4:29)

• WrestleMania 13, March 23, 1997

• Billy Gunn defeated Flash Funk (with Tracy and Nadine) (7:05)

• In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, April 20, 1997

• The Sultan defeated Flash Funk (2:55)

• In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell, May 11, 1997

• Free for All match: Rockabilly defeated Jesse James (3:36)

• In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, July 6, 1997

• The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) defeated The New Blackjacks (Blackjack Windham and Blackjack Bradshaw) (5:32)

[edit] The move to pre-taped shows

Beginning with SummerSlam on August 30, 1998, the Free For All became a pre-taped "Countdown Show" that aired 30 minutes prior to the event. In parts of North America it went head to head with the live Sunday Night Heat on USA Network that the WWF shifted their focus towards.

The Free For All was not shown prior to WrestleMania 2000 due to the WWF airing an 8 hour WrestleMania All Day Long live countdown show.

The Free For All continued to air until October 2005 when it was replaced with a live 30 minute "Heat". The live "Heat" countdown show lasted until Backlash 2006(with the exception of WrestleMania 22 which was a pre-taped "Heat"). The Free For All returned at Judgment Day 2005, once again as a pre-taped countdown show.

The last countdown show to use the Free For All name was on February 15, 2009 for No Way Out 2009. The pay per view countdown show continues today with Jack Korpela as host, but without a specific name.

[edit] Later incarnations

[edit] WWE Free for All (Australia)

In 2004, Free For All was a PPV highlight show broadcast in Australia, which started 30 minutes before a PPV event. It was at no charge to channel subscribers. Free for All contained highlight videos featured during the PPV. Raw events were hosted by Marc Loyd (later replaced with Todd Grisham) and the SmackDown! events were hosted by Josh Mathews.

Free For All was broadcast from February 20, 2005 (No Way Out 2005) to September 18, 2005 (Unforgiven 2005). It was replaced by the WWE Heat PPV edition. However, it was brought back as the WrestleMania 22 preview show, hosted by Todd Grisham. Free for All continues to serve as the PPV pre-show hosted by Jack Korpela.

[edit] WWE Free for All (United Kingdom)

It was reincarnated for the 2006 Royal Rumble for Sky Sports and now continues on every weekend when a Sky Box Office PPV is approaching in the UK.

[edit] WWE Free for All (New Zealand)

It was also reincarnated for the 2007 Royal Rumble and now is on 30 minutes before every PPV on SKY Box Office.