How was Rip Rogers not a bigger deal?

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

Like I said in a thread I started earlier today, I've been binging on Smoky Mountain Wrestling today, and man.....Rip Rogers is actually really f***ing entertaining. He's easily been the highlight of these early episodes. What's the story with this guy, and why didn't he ever go anywhere bigger?

[Old Baby]

Oct 9, 2015 15:00:11 GMT -5 2coldMack is even more baffled said:

Like I said in a thread I started earlier today, I've been binging on Smoky Mountain Wrestling today, and man.....Rip Rogers is actually really f***ing entertaining. He's easily been the highlight of these early episodes. What's the story with this guy, and why didn't he ever go anywhere bigger?

He was the feature jobber in WCW for a while in the early 90's.

[saintpat]

For one, his name was Rip.

For another ... wait, who the f--- was Rip Rogers?

[Deleted]

Being a classic asshole heel won't win you many fans. He was also your gay-baiting heel; blonde dye job, pink Speedo, good body. It was a different era, think Cornette had a hand in the book then.

Saw him in Hammond at the Civic Center when he was in WCW. He was announced as being from his hometown of Seymour (like three hours from here) when he grabbed the mic and ran us fans down. Then he said his hometown was that he was from ANYWHERE BUT HAMMOND INDIANA!

That's cheap heat, but we all hated his guts after that. Great work.

I like Rip. He does what he wants (Did Colt ever get him that set of teeth?)

[Mozenrath]

I think Foley talked about him in Have a Nice Day, saying he was one of the best guys who never really got the opportunity to do more, and that he was very smart about wrestling, as well as being very eccentric. He got a guy's keys out of the toilet after he dropped them in by mistake without thinking anything of it.

[RadcapRadsley]

I always thought he had more of a cult following because I remember people wearing shirt's that said Rip Em in the early 90s.

[Crappler El 0 M]

Hard to become a big deal when you're always booked to lose.

[Mozenrath]

Also, I loved Foley saying that when he was leaving WCW, they wanted him to betray Kevin Sullivan and Evad, but he needed to be a face to sell shirts. Paraphrasing the exchange.
"Damn it, Rip, I need to be a face when I leave."
Rip, amused: "You will be. Kevin's the least sympathetic character in wrestling."
"But what about Evad? He's sympathetic"
"Even fans can tell he's a mediocre worker. You'll be fine."
And that in the end, Rip had been 100% right in his shrewd observation in how the attempted heel turn would actually play out.

[Sad sack ass fruitbooty]

I remember him from the GWF on ESPN days, where he was "The Hustler Rip Rogers", and his gimmic was trying to sell "hot" merchandise such as watches and jewelry to the other wrestlers and fans. How that gimmic didn't get over, I'll never know.

[brody]

A lot of jobbers back then would be stars if they came around today. Especially in ROH and such places where their size wouldn't be a factor.

See also Mike Jackson, George South, Horowitz etc etc

[zrowsdower]

Oct 9, 2015 15:26:45 GMT -5 Old Baby said:

Oct 9, 2015 15:00:11 GMT -5 2coldMack is even more baffled said:

Like I said in a thread I started earlier today, I've been binging on Smoky Mountain Wrestling today, and man.....Rip Rogers is actually really f***ing entertaining. He's easily been the highlight of these early episodes. What's the story with this guy, and why didn't he ever go anywhere bigger?

He was the feature jobber in WCW for a while in the early 90's.

I remember thinking he was a hobo turned wrestler who may have been related to cactus jack.

[RowdyRobbyPiper]

I watched him back in the 80's in both Stampede Wrestling and Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling. Looking back, I think he, like Bobby Eaton, was a criminally underrated wrestler who knew how to work a crowd.

youtu.be/ZiIE1UZIBvo

[RowdyRobbyPiper]

From Stampede Wrestling, Rogers and Kerry Brown vs. Pillman and Bruce Hart.

youtu.be/7ks8LWqHzdc

[Old Baby]

Oct 10, 2015 12:37:37 GMT -5 RowdyRobbyPiper said:

I watched him back in the 80's in both Stampede Wrestling and Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling. Looking back, I think he, like Bobby Eaton, was a criminally underrated wrestler who knew how to work a crowd.

youtu.be/ZiIE1UZIBvo

In my book, Bobby Eaton is probably a Top 10 of all time, if not Top 5.

[RowdyRobbyPiper]

Go to about 9:17, you will find Rogers competing in Smoky Mountain Wrestling against Paul Orndorff.

youtu.be/QJAX2T233XI

[gatordone]

Oct 9, 2015 20:15:12 GMT -5 RadcapRadsley said:

I always thought he had more of a cult following because I remember people wearing shirt's that said Rip Em in the early 90s.

That was Hulk Hogan in No Holds Barred.

[Old Baby]

Oct 10, 2015 12:56:39 GMT -5 gatordone said:

Oct 9, 2015 20:15:12 GMT -5 RadcapRadsley said:

I always thought he had more of a cult following because I remember people wearing shirt's that said Rip Em in the early 90s.

That was Hulk Hogan in No Holds Barred.

Hulk Hogan had a fan club for Rip Rogers?  Wow.

[Joe Neglia]

Rip was a fantastic talent, but during his peak years was just slightly too small and, well, way too weird. Bookers and other wrestlers just didn't "get" him, he stood out in a land full of oddballs.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Oct 9, 2015 20:07:06 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

I think Foley talked about him in Have a Nice Day, saying he was one of the best guys who never really got the opportunity to do more, and that he was very smart about wrestling, as well as being very eccentric. He got a guy's keys out of the toilet after he dropped them in by mistake without thinking anything of it.

I think it was Barry Windham's keys, and the toilet was clogged with shit. Raven and the Honky Tonk Man on their RF shoot said that Rip probably charged 5 bucks to Barry for picking up his keys.

In his book Edge said that one time he was traveling with Rip back in his indy days, and Rip had a rule that once they started the car, that they weren't gonna make any stops, that it didn't matter if someone needed to go the bathroom, Rip had an answer for that, like he had a protein shake bottle and he would piss on it, then after they arrived to the show, Rip would make a protein shake on the same bottle and drink it.

A guy like that isn't world championship material. He also had a match with Antonio Inoki on Shea's stadium that made me hate him. He oversold everything like a f***ing fool.