Author Topic: Underachievers  (Read 3261 times)

littleguns

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Underachievers
« on: December 16, 2011, 12:08:45 PM »
Was listening to WWE Roundtable...

They were talking about underachievers, someone that was given the keys to the kingdom and just couldn't make it happen

Lex Luger - when they did the Lex Express they were going to make him the next Hulk Hogan...

Sid Vicious, Justice whatever--good look, not bad Mic skills

Goldberg - he may have done alot but never had more than a 7 minute match

Bam Bam Bigelow - moved like a 200lber but just couldn't get over

Who resonates in your mind?

Montague

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2011, 05:42:55 PM »
HHH until he got united with HBK then Stephanie Mac.


I'm not a huge HHH fan, but you've got to give credit where credit is due: he was champ before Stephanie.
As for Michaels, Hunter was punished over his involvement in the "curtain call" incident in which he, HBK, Nash & Hall all broke character in their last match together at MSG.
HHH was actually penalized for his connection to Shawn.





Montague

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2011, 06:06:02 AM »
As far as guys who were GIVEN the most and did the least:











GraniteCityDon

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2011, 12:26:21 PM »
Can i throw Backlund into the overrated category, i dont know much about him before he came back in the 90's but i dont see how he could have been champion at all?

Montague

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2011, 05:50:28 PM »
Can i throw Backlund into the overrated category, i dont know much about him before he came back in the 90's but i dont see how he could have been champion at all?


Different time, different audience.
Backlund was hot, but it sounds like fans grew tired of his act; but, they grew tired of Hogan, too.

One of the magazines crowned Backlund "Most Overrated Wrestler" of the year as voted by the readers around 1983/84.
It was around that time that Vince Jr. took over the WWF from his Dad, brought in Hogan to replace Bob as champ, and the rest is history.
 

littleguns

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2011, 04:26:39 PM »
Mean Gene said there was a bet between Vince Sr and Verne Gagne that nobody could get Backlund over so he took it to heart

Hulkster

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2011, 07:18:54 PM »
As far as guys who were GIVEN the most and did the least:












true but you have to admit he won the fans over like no one else in history other than Hulk Hogan.

that says something
Flower Boy Ran Away

Montague

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2011, 07:28:30 PM »
true but you have to admit he won the fans over like no one else in history other than Hulk Hogan.

that says something


And, I think if the UW character had had a little bit more dimension to it, it may have seen a little more longevity.
IMO, Hellwig's biggest problem is that he never tried to improve.
He simply thought he was too good for the business, that the business AND the fans were beneath him, and that he could get by with merely shaking the ropes before a 4-min match.

When he did finally evolve the character with all those cereberal rants in WCW, the fans farted on it because the newer version was uninteresting and the ring work was still dull as ever.
Fans, by then, were demanding more from the performers than tanned muscles and face paint, which is what got UW by in the Fed.

The new generation of fans wanted substance, and that's when the business passed Jim Hellwig by.

MCWAY

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2011, 06:19:47 AM »

I'm not a huge HHH fan, but you've got to give credit where credit is due: he was champ before Stephanie.
As for Michaels, Hunter was punished over his involvement in the "curtain call" incident in which he, HBK, Nash & Hall all broke character in their last match together at MSG.
HHH was actually penalized for his connection to Shawn.






They made Helmsley the Intercontinental Champion, 5 months after the MSG incident. I'm sure a lot of stars would love to have been punished in that fashion.

Granted, that might not have happened had Ahmed Johnson not been injured (now there's an underachiever; you could also put Faarooq in that category, too). But still, IC champ is quite the consolation prize.

Faarooq was in the finals of the IC tournament in '96 and '97. Yet, he lost to "Wildman" Marc Mero and Owen Hart, respectively. To my knowledge, he got only ONE PPV world title shot. That was at the '97 King of the Ring, against the Undertaker (we all knew he wasn't beating the Deadman for the strap).


littleguns

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2011, 04:05:57 PM »
Buff Bagwell was another one the WWE Panel mentioned.

Jim Ross said and I quote....if Champions were made by who took the best 8x10's Luger and Bagwell would have cornered the market....

Montague

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2011, 04:40:34 PM »
They made Helmsley the Intercontinental Champion, 5 months after the MSG incident. I'm sure a lot of stars would love to have been punished in that fashion.


Jim Ross has admitted that HHH's main-event push was substantially delayed due to his participation in the "Curtain Call."
Hunter really took it in stride, too, considering he was the only one from the group to be punished.

Hall & Nash left right after the incident.
The queer from San Antonio had the big belt, and they couldn't just abruptly change the entire scheme of events there. And, by the time he jobbed the belt to Austin, it was off again with career-ending injury #11, so he escaped persecution at the hand of the old man.

The only one who was left from that night was Hunter, and he suffered the full brunt of it.
He had the I-C belt, but he was working some really shitty programs and angles with guys like the Godwin's.
His real push was expected to be during his "cool face" D-X run. In fact, I still remember one of the dirtsheets mentioning that he was slated to become champion within the next year, and I couldn't understand why they kept waiting since he was so over with D-X.
Years later, I learned the politics that were involved and it all made sense.
 

MCWAY

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2011, 06:39:21 AM »

Jim Ross has admitted that HHH's main-event push was substantially delayed due to his participation in the "Curtain Call."
Hunter really took it in stride, too, considering he was the only one from the group to be punished.

Hall & Nash left right after the incident.
The queer from San Antonio had the big belt, and they couldn't just abruptly change the entire scheme of events there. And, by the time he jobbed the belt to Austin, it was off again with career-ending injury #11, so he escaped persecution at the hand of the old man.

The only one who was left from that night was Hunter, and he suffered the full brunt of it.
He had the I-C belt, but he was working some really shitty programs and angles with guys like the Godwin's.
His real push was expected to be during his "cool face" D-X run. In fact, I still remember one of the dirtsheets mentioning that he was slated to become champion within the next year, and I couldn't understand why they kept waiting since he was so over with D-X.
Years later, I learned the politics that were involved and it all made sense.
 

I don't follow it. The feud he had with Henry Godwin occured when Diesel and Razor were still with WWE. Helmsley lost a "Hog Pen" match to Godwin in '95. He lost another match at the Rumble and ended up drawing #1, if my memory is correct.

As for Michaels, he lost to Sid. Why couldn't Helmsley have been built up from there? I remember one match on Raw, Sid vs. HHH, WWF Champion vs. IC Champion, where Sid beat Helmsley to a pulp.

The feud that HHH had with Goldust was good, especially since it introduced Chyna. But, it lost some sizzle when Helmsley dropped the belt to new jack, Rocky Maivia.

I don't think Helmsley would have made a good WWF champion in 1997. With Sid, Undertaker, and Bret Hart still in the mix, Helmsley wasn't ready yet.

Montague

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Re: Underachievers
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2011, 03:47:35 PM »
I don't follow it. The feud he had with Henry Godwin occured when Diesel and Razor were still with WWE. Helmsley lost a "Hog Pen" match to Godwin in '95. He lost another match at the Rumble and ended up drawing #1, if my memory is correct.

As for Michaels, he lost to Sid. Why couldn't Helmsley have been built up from there? I remember one match on Raw, Sid vs. HHH, WWF Champion vs. IC Champion, where Sid beat Helmsley to a pulp.

The feud that HHH had with Goldust was good, especially since it introduced Chyna. But, it lost some sizzle when Helmsley dropped the belt to new jack, Rocky Maivia.

I don't think Helmsley would have made a good WWF champion in 1997. With Sid, Undertaker, and Bret Hart still in the mix, Helmsley wasn't ready yet.


Ross was referring to HHH's heavyweight championship run being delayed.
Hunter was one of several names being considered for a run with the belt shortly after the queer from San Antonio dropped it to Austin at WM14.
Apparently, the "curtain call" was a major determining factor in passing him over for the time being, as Austin engaged in other feuds while HHH headed the new D-X.

Hunter still gained good momentum during this time, but as Ross pointed out, his BIG push was pushed back.
If not for the politics-end of things, Hunter would probably have gotten the belt sooner; maybe even next in line after Austin's first reign.