Test's First Babyface run (99-00)

[andrew8798]

Not too many people remember that run. he was really over during this time I was a big fan during this time thought the match with Shane was good at Summerslam. He was dead in the water that he never got any revenge on HHH

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

I loved Test during that run too. He was one of my faves.

[Lupin the Third]

Oh yeah. One of my favorites during that run. Very agile for a big man, and had good matches during then.

[Deleted]

I always liked Test and thought he could have worked as an aloof ass-kicker after Steph turned on him. Unfortunately he never got his big break.

[Bishblast]

I was pretty young at the time, but I remember really digging the guy for a good two years or so after this (up until the end of the Un Americans basically).

As a depressing aside, I spent one night a week or so ago watching random Raws from 03-05... made me realize how f***ed up that whole thing was with him. Don't know the whole deal, but he basically got injured, had surgery, and got released if I recall correctly... came back a couple of years later roided to the freaking gills (far moreso than before), failed a drug test and supposedly refused treatment or something, I think he cited his departure as "mutual" at the time. Then that TNA run... man, such a sad mess. I'm glad that we're currently in a period where relatively young mainstream wrestlers from the last handful of years aren't dropping like they were in early/mid 00s until the late part of that decade.

[Deleted]

Nov 16, 2013 22:58:18 GMT -5 Bishblast said:

I was pretty young at the time, but I remember really digging the guy for a good two years or so after this (up until the end of the Un Americans basically).

As a depressing aside, I spent one night a week or so ago watching random Raws from 03-05... made me realize how f***ed up that whole thing was with him. Don't know the whole deal, but he basically got injured, had surgery, and got released if I recall correctly... came back a couple of years later roided to the freaking gills (far moreso than before), failed a drug test and supposedly refused treatment or something, I think he cited his departure as "mutual" at the time. Then that TNA run... man, such a sad mess. I'm glad that we're currently in a period where relatively young mainstream wrestlers from the last handful of years aren't dropping like they were in early/mid 00s until the late part of that decade.

Somewhere during the ECW run he also had a DUI.

But yeah, I was always a big Test fan. He should've gone into a Triple H feud or something; hell, not like I'd have had him headline Mania or anything, but they probably could have comfortably given him a shot at the Rumble, pushed the street fight back to No Way Out, and done the Hell in a Cell at Mania while not bothering with the four way.

[thegame415]

He was awesome and way over. Everyone loved him. It seemed like he was never able to regain a lot of fans interest after T and A.

I still think he would've been a better choice to win the WWF title at Survivor Series than Big Show. It made sense storyline wise. He could've lost it back to Trips after being screwed by Stephanie at Armageddon,

[Paco]

It's like Test replacing Austin at Survivor Series '99 almost made TOO much sense...

I would've made the guy right there.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Lack of mic skills aside, the guy could have been money. Fantastic look, more than capable in the ring, and super over. An actual blow off to the angle with HHH and Steph could have put him over the top.

Instead they turn him heel and he never recovered. Go figure.

[Deleted]

I was so confused and disappointed as a kid at the fact that Triple H stole Test's wife and Test never got any kind of revenge.

[Starshine]

Nov 16, 2013 23:32:08 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Nov 16, 2013 22:58:18 GMT -5 Bishblast said:

I was pretty young at the time, but I remember really digging the guy for a good two years or so after this (up until the end of the Un Americans basically).

As a depressing aside, I spent one night a week or so ago watching random Raws from 03-05... made me realize how f***ed up that whole thing was with him. Don't know the whole deal, but he basically got injured, had surgery, and got released if I recall correctly... came back a couple of years later roided to the freaking gills (far moreso than before), failed a drug test and supposedly refused treatment or something, I think he cited his departure as "mutual" at the time. Then that TNA run... man, such a sad mess. I'm glad that we're currently in a period where relatively young mainstream wrestlers from the last handful of years aren't dropping like they were in early/mid 00s until the late part of that decade.

Somewhere during the ECW run he also had a DUI.

But yeah, I was always a big Test fan. He should've gone into a Triple H feud or something; hell, not like I'd have had him headline Mania or anything, but they probably could have comfortably given him a shot at the Rumble, pushed the street fight back to No Way Out, and done the Hell in a Cell at Mania while not bothering with the four way.

That wouldn't work. They had to have Rock in the Mania main event. It was stupid enough with Foley, Show, and the McMahon in every corner gimmick, but not including him at all would have been a big misstep.

[Slingshot Suplay]

I thought WWE dropped the ball there because Test was over at the time and they just forgot about him afterward. They had the whole storyline of him earning the McMahon family's blessing and then the wedding and Hunter ruins everything, gets the heat for it and then the focus shifts from Test vs Triple H to Vince and Triple H.

[papagiorgio]

The Test vs. Shane McMahon match is one of my favorite Summerslam matches of all-time. They really missed the boat by not having him get revenge on Triple H. He could have been a big star for the company.

[CM Dazz]

I loved his Big Boot!

[Deleted]

Nov 17, 2013 7:09:21 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

I was so confused and disappointed as a kid at the fact that Triple H stole Test's wife and Test never got any kind of revenge.

Anytime the argument of why HHH manages to "take over" the spotlight of certain angles comes up, this one always runs through my head.

[Deleted]

Test was one of the rare few long-haired guys that looked better after his haircut. Streamlined his look and made him a bigger bad-ass, I thought.

[Mozenrath]

Nov 17, 2013 11:00:45 GMT -5 @sandman said:

Test was one of the rare few long-haired guys that looked better after his haircut. Streamlined his look and made him a bigger bad-ass, I thought.

I kind of preferred long-hair, pants-wearing Test, but both looks were good.

I understand why Test wasn't pitted against Triple H, in part since the guy was never an actor, but I liked the guy quite a bit in the ring.

One thing, though: not many people in mainstream wrestling have had as many freaking finishers as Test did. Top Rope Elbow Drop, Big Boot, Testdrive, Pumphandle Slam(which I will say he made work better than others have), gutwrech powerbomb, along with some TKO I think. Granted, not all of them lasted, but it was fun whenever he dusted a previous one off.

[RedSmile]

I have said a few times that Test got a pretty lousy hand during his runs. He didn't even feud with HHH after he "stole" Stephanie. He just rebounded with Trish and Albert. A team that had potential if it weren't so damn green at the time.

[Smiley Smile]

I seem to remember him getting a huge reaction at the 2000 Royal Rumble, right after the whole angle at Armageddon, and even as a kid it confused me as to why he never really had a real programme with Triple H, just a couple of encounters in tag team matches. Like a good few other people here, I liked the guy at the time and remember him being compared favourably with Kevin Nash. In hindsight, his mic skills weren't particularly good but he always seemed far more capable in the ring than a lot of other generic big men.

[Madagascar Fred]

iirc he did lose a match to HHH on RAW during that period (late 99, early 00)