Who had it from the beginning?..

[tu_holmes]

Good list, but not sure about Jericho.  Me and a few friends, OLE BIG included, were very high on him in his early WCW days, but it seemed like nobody else cared.

I thought he was gonna be it when he was in ECW back in the day... I should also say... I am updating my list to include Rob Van Dam

[mass 04]

If they lifted the PG rating Orton could easily become one of the elite. This guy is looking and wrestling so good. He is perfect for the next attitude era. This guy is ready to explode. DDP's diamond cutter will beat Ortons RKO any day of the week though.

cool story about DDP and diamond cutter

[The Showstoppa]

I thought he was gonna be it when he was in ECW back in the day... I should also say... I am updating my list to include Rob Van Dam

I didn't get to see him in ECW. 

[tu_holmes]

I didn't get to see him in ECW. 

He and Rob were both amazing in ECW...

I got to see Jericho at the ECW arena back in 96 and I thought he had the look and the skills.

I was fortunate enough to see Rob Van Dam and Spike Dudley in a college gymnasium  go at it for over 38 minutes... One of the best matches I ever saw live.

[polychronopolous]

4 out of the five brothers committed suicide. Sad shit. Major rec drug abuse issues between the brothers.

Actually there were six brothers total;  the oldest Jack, died of electrocution in the bathtub when he was around seven years old. Very tragic story. I also question whether Davids was suicide versus accidental overdose.

As far as just coming onto the scene at a young age and acheiving a fair amount of notiriety I would have to put Sean Waltman up there too. Wasn't he like 20 when he debuted?

[OLE BIG]

Good list, but not sure about Jericho.  Me and a few friends, OLE BIG included, were very high on him in his early WCW days, but it seemed like nobody else cared.

That just shows our eye for talent.  I do mean eye because one was usually closed.  I hate to admit it, but we saw something in a certain someone called Rocky Maivia quite a while before most as well.

[Playboy]

Actually there were six brothers total;  the oldest Jack, died of electrocution in the bathtub when he was around seven years old. Very tragic story. I also question whether Davids was suicide versus accidental overdose.

As far as just coming onto the scene at a young age and acheiving a fair amount of notiriety I would have to put Sean Waltman up there too. Wasn't he like 20 when he debuted?

What a shit way to go....

[Montague]

What a shit way to go....

Piper claimed that Kerry often talked of "joining his brothers," so I think the writing was on the wall for quite a while, there.

[Playboy]

Piper claimed that Kerry often talked of "joining his brothers," so I think the writing was on the wall for quite a while, there.

And the sad part is Kerry had the most talent out of them all and the best build.

[Montague]

And the sad part is Kerry had the most talent out of them all and the best build.

I think so, too.
And, I think he had the potential to go even farther.
He’s on my list of guys who probably would have gone onto greater heights had “outside forces” not intervened:
Pillman
Magnum TA
Hennig
I think even Nikita had a lot left to offer, and would have delivered if given the chance. That program he worked with Luger in WCW around ‘91/’92 or whatever…I consider that after Nikita’s premature peak.

There are lots of others, too.
Hell, I think we had at least one thread devoted to the topic.
If someone can find it, bump it.
I'd love to restart some of the older topics we've had here; I think we generate some damn good discussion on this board, given the nature of the content.

[Playboy]

I think so, too.
And, I think he had the potential to go even farther.
He’s on my list of guys who probably would have gone onto greater heights had “outside forces” not intervened:
Pillman
Magnum TA
Hennig
I think even Nikita had a lot left to offer, and would have delivered if given the chance. That program he worked with Luger in WCW around ‘91/’92 or whatever…I consider that after Nikita’s premature peak.

There are lots of others, too.
Hell, I think we had at least one thread devoted to the topic.
If someone can find it, bump it.
I'd love to restart some of the older topics we've had here; I think we generate some damn good discussion on this board, given the nature of the content.

These three you mentioned above are the top 3 IMO.

[BILL ANVIL]

Scott Steiner as soon as he switched to singles, there was only 1 place he was going and that was the top. Kurt Angle, from the moment he debuted, showed he was potentially going to be an all time top 10 IMO & Brock's debut lay the foundation for what he was to become.

I contest Rick Rude because although he was a main eventer in WWE, he was never given the chance to reach the top of the mountain for one reason or another. Same as Hennig, both could have at the very least been transitional champs with the heat they could draw, and as someone else said no1 has ever looked better with the gold than Hennig. Rude's WCW work was very good, his lengthy reign as US champ & subsequent world title reign was probably his professional peak and i dont think anyone would have argued that he deserved them both.

Hennig was definitely a great but I think he never quite got to where he should of in the industry. His career kind of faded away after he left WWE. He had the ability to be loved as a face and hated as a heel which is a rarity, and its too bad he wasted the last of his better days alongside NWO wolfpack.

And Scott Steiner's career is I think a pretty sad story if you think of it. Mainly because he wouldn't turn heel just to keep his brother employed which caused him to turn heel at a time when WCW was in a downward spiral. Eventually he was giving kick ass promos in front of sparse 13 000 people crowds around 99-00 and nobody really cared.. If it were a few years earlier things might have been different, now hes only remembered for his tag team run in the early 90's and his painful WWE run when really it should be for being the meanest heel ever in the dying days of WCW.

[OLE BIG]

Hennig was definitely a great but I think he never quite got to where he should of in the industry. His career kind of faded away after he left WWE. He had the ability to be loved as a face and hated as a heel which is a rarity, and its too bad he wasted the last of his better days alongside NWO wolfpack.

And Scott Steiner's career is I think a pretty sad story if you think of it. Mainly because he wouldn't turn heel just to keep his brother employed which caused him to turn heel at a time when WCW was in a downward spiral. Eventually he was giving kick ass promos in front of sparse 13 000 people crowds around 99-00 and nobody really cared.. If it were a few years earlier things might have been different, now hes only remembered for his tag team run in the early 90's and his painful WWE run when really it should be for being the meanest heel ever in the dying days of WCW.

I see that at totally different.  Rick carried Scott for years, then Big Poppa Pump just happened to take off for him.  Rick was always over.

[efirkey]

The first time "the rock" did an interview I knew he would be a superstar.  He was a newcomer and very soft, but when he spoke I could tell he had the charisma and gift of gab.  Same was true of Cena when he first came on doing his rapping.  This is why the Miz is going to the top as well.  Being a great wrestler only gets you so far now a days.  I am sure VKM would love it if the Big show had it, but he doesn't.

[BILL ANVIL]

The first time "the rock" did an interview I knew he would be a superstar.  He was a newcomer and very soft, but when he spoke I could tell he had the charisma and gift of gab.  Same was true of Cena when he first came on doing his rapping.  This is why the Miz is going to the top as well.  Being a great wrestler only gets you so far now a days.  I am sure VKM would love it if the Big show had it, but he doesn't.

Totally agree, back when he was with NOD he was the one with all the charisma and his feuds with Austin were unreal. IMO I think his character became a little eccentric in the peak of his popularity, but the guy was definitely wrestlings most charismatic superstar. Mind you his lines were always scripted, so its hard to compare his charisma to say Piper or Hogan who could come up with lines off the top of their heads at 100 miles an hour.

[BILL ANVIL]

I see that at totally different.  Rick carried Scott for years, then Big Poppa Pump just happened to take off for him.  Rick was always over.

I think in the early years Ricks gentle halfwit personality is what made the Steiners loved by the fans. I dont think they had the same love for Scotts irate and intense personality, but they respected him for his in ring ability. So in a way you could say the Steiners relied on eachother for their paradox qualities that propelled them to the top.

[Montague]

Totally agree, back when he was with NOD he was the one with all the charisma and his feuds with Austin were unreal. IMO I think his character became a little eccentric in the peak of his popularity, but the guy was definitely wrestlings most charismatic superstar. Mind you his lines were always scripted, so its hard to compare his charisma to say Piper or Hogan who could come up with lines off the top of their heads at 100 miles an hour.

I think, too, that for as good as Rock was, he wasn’t always great at ad libbing.
That was one of Foley’s complaints, and what he considers a major contribution to the failure of their “Rock & Sock Connection.”

Personally, I never thought that angle was supposed to be taken seriously, but apparently, Foley did, and believed it could and should have taken shape more.
The problem was that Rock was a little too one-dimensional in the portrayal/delivery of his character, and couldn’t give the Mankind character what it needed to complete the formula for a tag team.

It seemed as if Rock couldn’t adjust.

[BILL ANVIL]

I think, too, that for as good as Rock was, he wasn’t always great at ad libbing.
That was one of Foley’s complaints, and what he considers a major contribution to the failure of their “Rock & Sock Connection.”

Personally, I never thought that angle was supposed to be taken seriously, but apparently, Foley did, and believed it could and should have taken shape more.
The problem was that Rock was a little too one-dimensional in the portrayal/delivery of his character, and couldn’t give the Mankind character what it needed to complete the formula for a tag team.

It seemed as if Rock couldn’t adjust.

Exactly. Alot of WWE's 'created' superstars had trouble adjusting to feuds and tags really because they're characters were manufactured for certain angles, and didnt fit in well with different in others.

Certain wrestlers had the ability to improvise and adapt into working with different characters ie Piper Hogan Flair Rude Savage Hall- while other characters that were created and controlled were 1 dimensional and were only good in situations that the company had planned for. Take them out of their preplanned environment and they just looked lost.

You can't create natural talent like Vince had tried so hard to do in the past. They either have it or they don't.