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Post by chris16 on Aug 17, 2011 11:39:43 GMT -5
The fans weren't really on Austin's side when he talked about The Rock leading up to Survivor Series 1999. They still cheered him, but The Rock was so over at the time that even that the fans wouldn't even boo him against Austin.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Aug 17, 2011 11:55:30 GMT -5
Although Austin was The Man, there was always room at the top of the card for other guys, which helped keep things fresh. You had Rock, HHH, Foley, 'Taker, Kane, Big Show, Jericho and a few others who would share the spotlight to varying degrees.
In comparison, it's been the "Cena vs..." show for about six years now.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Aug 17, 2011 11:55:38 GMT -5
In 2002-2003, though the fans didn't turn on him, his popularity was kind of on the wane. He just wasn't as over as he used to be.
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Post by chris16 on Aug 17, 2011 12:07:36 GMT -5
In 2002-2003, though the fans didn't turn on him, his popularity was kind of on the wane. He just wasn't as over as he used to be. Also it's kind've hard for fans to completely turn on him when he's drinking beer and giving middle fingers. Austin in 2002 was exactly the same character that he was in 1998-99, with the exception of "What?!". The Rock in 2002 was very different from how he was as a face in '99, they didn't turn on him because he got stale, because Austin was 10X staler than him by that point. They turned on him because he began acting more like a pretty boy than the confident trash talker he once was.
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Post by Ryushinku on Aug 17, 2011 12:39:45 GMT -5
injuries insured that he was absent for significant periods so fans didn't get sick of him. And of course he turned during part of his time as top guy, it was a shorter period and he had more people close to his role as top face than anyone else. That sounds good to me. Some answers here really make me think they weren't watching during Austin's years on top, just have seen the PPVs or matches back since. There’s also the way he got over in the first place, he worked his way up and was allowed to improvise and develop naturally. As a result it almost seemed like the fans chose him so there’s a stronger bond. In contrast the Rock and Cena were both pushed despite huge negative reactions. This is wrong about both Cena and Rock on so many levels it's unbelievable, I'm sorry. Why Cena in particular gets this retconning about how he got over and into the main event in the first place is very lazy stuff when all the footage and information is out there.
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Post by Cam on Aug 17, 2011 13:10:31 GMT -5
It's because Austin was a badass who did what he wanted and never pandered to anyone. He was never a "good" guy.
Rock, Hogan and Cena all were/are/became cheesy babyfaces who always overcame the odds, ran in for the save, did the right thing. Wrestling fans don't want that.
That's why CM Punk & Randy Orton are getting 95% cheers and John Cena is getting 40% cheers.
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Post by YYYWID on Aug 17, 2011 13:23:13 GMT -5
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Post by machomuta on Aug 17, 2011 14:34:30 GMT -5
Because he never pandered to the fans thats why. That is not true. He pandered to the crowd when he told the crowd to" gimme a HELL YEAH"
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4real
Wade Wilson
Posts: 27,835
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Post by 4real on Aug 17, 2011 14:44:46 GMT -5
I think it just seemed to me that Austin was just one of us. Hogan always seemed too much like a superhero or something, Rock was a star and Cena is a children's entertainer.
Austin seemed like a man of the people.
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Post by Jedi-El of Tomorrow on Aug 17, 2011 15:02:49 GMT -5
As a result it almost seemed like the fans chose him so there’s a stronger bond. In contrast the Rock and Cena were both pushed despite huge negative reactions. Rock was pushed as Rocky Maivia, but that was mid-card. When he became The Rock, he got the main event push, after the fans chose him. In 1998 he was getting cheered as a heel, pretty well. He was a mid-carder as a face, they made him a heel, tweaked his character and boom, the fans sided with him and got him to the main event. Same deal with Cena. He was treated as a rookie that got respect, Steph heard him rapping, told him to rap in his interviews, and the fans got behind him massively. I'd say from mid 2003 till late 2004 (when Batista caught fire), Cena was the hottest guy in wrestling. The fans were behind him before he became a main eventer. I remember people saying the WWE waited too long to have him beat Big Show for the United States title. The fans chose Cena to get to the main event.
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Post by may19th on Aug 17, 2011 15:06:00 GMT -5
I believe it was because it was as if he was just being Stone Cold.
He was a heel in '96 and the character did not change. He became popular for being a complete bad ass. A legit tough guy and his "f*** you" attitude got him over as a face. He continued to act exactly the same way but the difference was people were cheering him.
He then got involved in probably the hottest angle ever in Austin vs McMahon, which was so good it would have been hard for anyone not to cheer him.
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Post by quackyquack1 on Aug 17, 2011 20:07:24 GMT -5
Rock was pushed as Rocky Maivia, but that was mid-card. When he became The Rock, he got the main event push, after the fans chose him. In 1998 he was getting cheered as a heel, pretty well. He was a mid-carder as a face, they made him a heel, tweaked his character and boom, the fans sided with him and got him to the main event. He was a heel in 1998 up until Summerslam that year, and he was still getting heel heat in the couple weeks after that. It wasn't until he stood up to Kane and The Undertaker that the fans began cheering him. October-mid November 1998 is what I call the "main event push", since he was the #1 contender for the WWF Title during that time. Then at Survivor Series '98 he officially became a main eventer for the rest of his career.
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Post by manicuno on Aug 17, 2011 20:28:02 GMT -5
I highly doubt that the Miz would EVER get cheered over Austin. I may be wrong, but I just can't imagine that happening at all.
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Dr. T is an alien
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Post by Dr. T is an alien on Aug 17, 2011 20:32:57 GMT -5
I eventually turned on him, if no one else did. He certainly did politic. Foley was added to that Summerslam in Minneapolis because he did not want to do the job for HHH. He squashed a feud with Jarrett because he did not like him because of his father paying him peanuts in the CWA. He, HHH, UT, and maybe Kane squashed a building push for the Hardys to protect their spots.
Add to that the fact that the guy is a known wife beater. I could not in good conscience like the guy (and I will admit that he has a lot to like as a performer).
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Post by Hit Girl on Aug 17, 2011 20:41:46 GMT -5
I turned against Austin during the Invasion angle, when he made WCW/ECW talent look like losers (Tazz in particular) was overexposed on WWF programming, and irritated me with that annoying "WHAT?" thing which has NEVER gone away.
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Post by moneyman20 on Aug 17, 2011 20:47:43 GMT -5
I eventually turned on him, if no one else did. He certainly did politic. Foley was added to that Summerslam in Minneapolis because he did not want to do the job for HHH. He squashed a feud with Jarrett because he did not like him because of his father paying him peanuts in the CWA. He, HHH, UT, and maybe Kane squashed a building push for the Hardys to protect their spots. Add to that the fact that the guy is a known wife beater. I could not in good conscience like the guy (and I will admit that he has a lot to like as a performer). In his defense, HHH was over, but it was too early for him to be champion IMO. As far as Jarrett goes, Yeah, I never saw him as a main eventer in any way. All you have to do is look at his reigns as WCW champion to see that he is not made to be the top star of a major wrestling promotion.
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Post by quackyquack1 on Aug 17, 2011 21:02:04 GMT -5
I eventually turned on him, if no one else did. He certainly did politic. Foley was added to that Summerslam in Minneapolis because he did not want to do the job for HHH. He squashed a feud with Jarrett because he did not like him because of his father paying him peanuts in the CWA. He, HHH, UT, and maybe Kane squashed a building push for the Hardys to protect their spots. Austin didn't refuse to lose to HHH. Regardless whether Austin thought he was ready or not, the reason HHH didn't win at Summerslam was because Jesse Ventura was the ref. He didn't want to raise the hand of a heel, and since Austin was off TV for a few weeks afterwards that's how Mankind got in the match, that and probably to give Mankind something to do immediately following his return. Then Austin lost to him at No Mercy anyways, it wasn't a clean loss, but he did lose. The Jeff Jarrett and Billy Gunn stories are probably true, but not the HHH story.
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Aug 17, 2011 21:15:29 GMT -5
I'll bet you money that if they follow through with Austin/Miz, the fans will be split. If not go pro-Miz. I like Austin, I really do. But Miz is getting over with the hardcore crowd very quickly, and Austin is just a blast from the past. I'd take that bet for like eleventy billion dollars.
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Post by moneyman20 on Aug 17, 2011 21:22:51 GMT -5
I'll bet you money that if they follow through with Austin/Miz, the fans will be split. If not go pro-Miz. I like Austin, I really do. But Miz is getting over with the hardcore crowd very quickly, and Austin is just a blast from the past. I'd take that bet for like eleventy billion dollars. I'll raise you ... *Zoom In, Cue Trumpets* One billion, gajillion, fafillion... shabadylu...mil...shabady......uh, Yen. ...............I'll see myself out.
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mrjl
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Post by mrjl on Aug 17, 2011 21:27:29 GMT -5
Because he never pandered to the fans thats why. That is not true. He pandered to the crowd when he told the crowd to" gimme a HELL YEAH" well, I personally never believed he cared what was said when he asked for it. If he got a hell, no he'd have still done what he wanted. So he failed at pandering. The lack of pandering is one of the reasons I don't like anti-heroes. Me and people like me are the reason they're there. Act like it.
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