Author Topic: People who had no business being wrestlers (Read 25620 times)

LurkerNoMore · « **on:** February 16, 2013, 12:10:20 PM »

Simple thread. List the names of people who had no business lacing up the boots.

Here are my three

Erik Watts
David Flair
Steve McMichael

polychronopolous · « **Reply #1 on:** February 16, 2013, 12:48:13 PM »

Chris Von Erich

funk51 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2013, 01:26:51 PM »

bruce hart

polychronopolous · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2013, 01:42:15 PM »

The McGuire Twins

Hulkster · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2013, 06:21:07 PM »

Lex Lugar

littleguns · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2013, 06:25:40 PM »

Great Khali
Eric Bischoff
Mark Henry
David Sammartino
Dennis Rodman
Karl Malone

Montague · « **Reply #6 on:** February 16, 2013, 06:27:44 PM »

Bruce Hart is an EXCELLENT pick!

I will add:

Jorge Gonzalez
Johnny Valiant
While on the Von Erich's, Kerry's kid, Lacey
Tom Magee
Khali, who I place in the same category as Gonzalez

I know we'll think of many more...

The Showstoppa · « **Reply #7 on:** February 16, 2013, 06:56:02 PM »

Terry Bollea

polychronopolous · « **Reply #8 on:** February 16, 2013, 07:09:34 PM »

Jim Justice...sadly enough even Chris Von Erich was a better worker and showed more in ring ability at the debut points of their careers.

LurkerNoMore · « **Reply #9 on:** February 16, 2013, 09:20:29 PM »

Come on now... Luger had a bit of personality and always made a decent heel. Slow on the mic and not much charisma as a face, but that period of time that he was borderline heel and teaming with Sting was hilarious. Sting tried to keep him on the straight and narrow and as soon as Sting turned around or was distracted by the ref or other wrestler, Luger would clobber one with the belt and cheat his ass off. Then he would be shaking Sting's hand and saying "good match" and as soon as Sting wasn't looking Luger would hold the belt above his head and have a big shit eating grin on his face. I wish I could find some youtube clips of those matches. They were hilarious.

Mark Henry made a monster villian before his injury.

outby43 · « **Reply #10 on:** February 16, 2013, 09:23:01 PM »

I know he is a legend but Andre the Giant. He was good at being big and that's it.

littleguns · « **Reply #11 on:** February 17, 2013, 09:26:11 AM »

Quote from: outby43 on February 16, 2013, 09:23:01 PM

I know he is a legend but Andre the Giant. He was good at being big and that's it.

Originally Andre was hired for the "attraction" not soo much the wrestling ability. It is probanly the same with Khali, more physical attraction and also to gain the (Indian or whatever nationality he is) population

Montague · « **Reply #12 on:** February 17, 2013, 09:28:45 AM »

Quote from: outby43 on February 16, 2013, 09:23:01 PM

I know he is a legend but Andre the Giant. He was good at being big and that's it.

Not to mention he was often drunk in many of his matches.

Andre was a spectacle. Today, it takes more than just size to be special, and that is one reason Khali hasn't taken off.

MCWAY · « **Reply #13 on:** February 20, 2013, 04:26:11 PM »

I'd say Tom Lister, Jr, also known as.......

Obvious Gimmick · « **Reply #14 on:** February 23, 2013, 05:12:43 PM »

dan severn

Montague · « **Reply #15 on:** February 23, 2013, 05:13:33 PM »

Quote from: airosol on February 23, 2013, 05:12:43 PM

dan severn

Explain.

Obvious Gimmick · « **Reply #16 on:** February 23, 2013, 05:23:59 PM »

Quote from: Montague on February 23, 2013, 05:13:33 PM

Explain.

i realize hes a legit bad ass in mma and amatuer wresting, just found him very boring in the pro ranks

MCWAY · « **Reply #17 on:** February 23, 2013, 06:02:24 PM »

Quote from: outby43 on February 16, 2013, 09:23:01 PM

I know he is a legend but Andre the Giant. He was good at being big and that's it.

That's Andre, the very first WWE Hall of Famer.

Remember that Andre's ailments caught up with him over the years. Vince McMahon had to PLEAD with him to fight Hogan at WrestleMania 3, because of that.

But, that match alone made wrestling history. I've said in the past that, if you put all the other matches on that card in one venue the size of the SilverDome and put the Hogan vs. Andre match alone in another Silverdome, Hogan-Andre would sell out first.

That match was that big, back in the day.

Montague · « **Reply #18 on:** February 23, 2013, 06:05:43 PM »

Quote from: airosol on February 23, 2013, 05:23:59 PM

i realize hes a legit bad ass in mma and amatuer wresting, just found him very boring in the pro ranks

Yeah, a lot of guys had a tough time transitioning from real bad-assery to make-believe fighting. Shamrock surprised me. Some say that Brock got bored, but I think he saw opportunity for less work and more money. Can't blame a guy there.

Severn's ring work was interesting at times. He was also in the right place at the right time, as UFC and Pride fighters were really catching on in the mainstream. But he wasn't that good on the stick, and his character was a little one-dimensional. I can understand why the NWA put the titles on him to add some credibility to and legitimize their product. But, the Fed had some of the greatest mic workers during that time, and against them, Severn couldn't hold his own. I think they used him as best they could.

I've always wondered how Don Frye would have done in pro-wrestling. Some of his YouTube videos are hilarious. I think they could have maybe done a bit with him.

polychronopolous · « **Reply #19 on:** February 23, 2013, 08:03:53 PM »

Quote from: Montague on February 23, 2013, 06:05:43 PM

I've always wondered how Don Frye would have done in pro-wrestling. Some of his YouTube videos are hilarious. I think they could have maybe done a bit with him.

Yeah you might be on to something there...that guy had a ton of natural charisma.

Montague · « **Reply #20 on:** February 24, 2013, 04:47:26 AM »

Quote from: LurkerNoMore on February 16, 2013, 09:20:29 PM

Come on now... Luger had a bit of personality and always made a decent heel. Slow on the mic and not much charisma as a face, but that period of time that he was borderline heel and teaming with Sting was hilarious. Sting tried to keep him on the straight and narrow and as soon as Sting turned around or was distracted by the ref or other wrestler, Luger would clobber one with the belt and cheat his ass off. Then he would be shaking Sting's hand and saying "good match" and as soon as Sting wasn't looking Luger would hold the belt above his head and have a big shit eating grin on his face. I wish I could find some youtube clips of those matches. They were hilarious.

Luger had a good look and was also a safe and cooperative worker. He stuck to the basics, but he was a good hand in the ring. I remember him stumbling through some promos.

He wasn't the best, and I think it was a mistake the way Vince tried pushing him to be the "next Hulk Hogan." Some of his angles were interesting, as mentioned above. I think much of that depended on who he was working with.
And, on the topic of Sting, didn't those two co-own a couple of gyms around Atlanta?

MCWAY · « **Reply #21 on:** February 25, 2013, 01:57:30 PM »

Quote from: Montague on February 24, 2013, 04:47:26 AM

Luger had a good look and was also a safe and cooperative worker. He stuck to the basics, but he was a good hand in the ring. I remember him stumbling through some promos.

He wasn't the best, and I think it was a mistake the way Vince tried pushing him to be the "next Hulk Hogan." Some of his angles were interesting, as mentioned above. I think much of that depended on who he was working with.
And, on the topic of Sting, didn't those two co-own a couple of gyms around Atlanta?

Hmmmm...how much truth is there to the rumor that a druken Luger spilled the beans that he was to win the WWF title at WrestleMania 10? That such was overheard by a reporter and, in a last minute scramble, WWF changed the finish to let Bret Hart win the title from Yokozuna?

Montague · « **Reply #22 on:** February 27, 2013, 01:21:38 PM »

Quote from: MCWAY on February 25, 2013, 01:57:30 PM

Hmmmm...how much truth is there to the rumor that a druken Luger spilled the beans that he was to win the WWF title at WrestleMania 10? That such was overheard by a reporter and, in a last minute scramble, WWF changed the finish to let Bret Hart win the title from Yokozuna?

That I honestly can't answer. In fact, this is the first I've heard of it.

I never worked or even spoke with anyone with ties to Luger. About the only insider scoop I have regarding him is from shoot interviews and books. Those are sketchy at best, but I've heard from more than a few different sources that Lex was originally slated to head the nWo in what ultimately became Hogan's spot.

Bischoff brought back the nWo idea from Japan, where another promotion was doing something similar. Bret was going to head up the faction with Hall & Nash, but decided to stay put in the Fed. So, the next choice was Luger. Hogan caught wind of the idea and used his pull to nab the spot to boost his then lukewarm career.

As for WM X, I can easily believe the old man wanted to put the strap on Lex. The way they were pushing him, it was the only thing left to do. If Luger was dumb enough to leak the spoiler, then it's very possible that the double main-event was a swerve, which Vince was known for doing under such circumstances.

MCWAY · « **Reply #23 on:** February 27, 2013, 01:45:09 PM »

Quote from: Montague on February 27, 2013, 01:21:38 PM

That I honestly can't answer. In fact, this is the first I've heard of it.

I never worked or even spoke with anyone with ties to Luger. About the only insider scoop I have regarding him is from shoot interviews and books. Those are sketchy at best, but I've heard from more than a few different sources that Lex was originally slated to head the nWo in what ultimately became Hogan's spot.

Bischoff brought back the nWo idea from Japan, where another promotion was doing something similar. Bret was going to head up the faction with Hall & Nash, but decided to stay put in the Fed. So, the next choice was Luger. Hogan caught wind of the idea and used his pull to nab the spot to boost his then lukewarm career.

LUGER? Nash said on "WWE Legends", on a feature about the NWO, that the choices for the 3rd man to join him and Hall were either Sting or Hogan. Sting refused to do it; Hogan did initially but changed his mind later. As Nash put it, "Thank God that Hogan has the business savvy to watch that money train leave and go, 'It's not moving that fast. I can still jump on it'."

If it's still on YouTube, you should check it out. Nash said that his whole foray back to WCW started, thanks to Hall. To him, the "stars were lined up perfectly" for WCW. "What are the odds of Diesel and Razor Ramon being up 5 days after each other?"

Hall wanted Nash to jump, because he knew Big D would be offered more money, being a former WWF champion (and having that belt for a year). Thanks to his "favored nations" deal, whatever WCW gave Nash, it had to match with Hall. And Hall was getting way more than what was known in WCW as "Sting Money" ($750,000/year, according to Big Daddy Cool).

To steal from one of the ribs on WCW, Billionaire Ted was actually getting some of those WWF New Generation superstars, two of the biggest ones actually.

Quote from: Montague on February 27, 2013, 01:21:38 PM

As for WM X, I can easily believe the old man wanted to put the strap on Lex. The way they were pushing him, it was the only thing left to do. If Luger was dumb enough to leak the spoiler, then it's very possible that the double main-event was a swerve, which Vince was known for doing under such circumstances.

I've always stated that, had Hogan not returned, Bret Hart wouldn't have lost to Yokozuna at WM 9. I think the plan was to have Yoko beat Bret for the title at another 1993 PPV and have Luger win it at WrestleMania 10. Bret claims that Hogan didn't want to put him over, which is why he dropped the belt back to Yoko. If that's the case, that might have somewhat gummed up the works for Luger. Bret Hart may have felt he had to beat Yoko to legtimize himself as champion, sincce Hogan didn't job for him.

Montague · « **Reply #24 on:** February 27, 2013, 01:58:50 PM »

A lot of times, I think we only hear parts to the stories. Often, which parts depends on who's telling them. If you collect the pieces from enough people, you can usually get a good idea of what happened.

Hall & Nash supposedly waived their favored nations clause when Bret did eventually join WCW, granting him his $2.6 million per year deal. They probably knew/thought it would help them in the long run by attracting more business. Too bad WCW had no idea what to do with Bret.

The only reason for Bret to job to Yoko was, in fact, a middle step to get the belt back on Hogan, who was pimping his latest movie or series. The move was done with the understanding that Terry would reciprocate the job to Bret at a later date, but Hulk reneged before leaving for Turner paradise.

I honestly believe that gave Bret a red ass, which I suspect he has to this day.