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Post by Jaws the Shark on Apr 15, 2016 7:30:01 GMT -5
Someone on here mentioned that bob Orton got the cowboy gimmick after Bret hart refused it. This was certainly not the case considering Bob Orton had used the cowboy gimmick in a few NWA territories in the early eighties. Bret Hart claims to have turned down the cowboy gimmick, but he actually used it a handful of times when working in the UK in the same period. I seem to recall a rumour that the Ringmaster gimmick was originally intended for Chris Benoit, does anyone know if there's any truth to this, or if it's just an urban legend? Benoit debuted in WCW right around the time the Ringmaster gimmick first appeared in the WWF, so they both would've been free agents around the same time and it's entirely possible that Austin was the second choice after Benoit signed with Turner.
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Post by Joe Neglia on Apr 15, 2016 7:43:12 GMT -5
I seem to recall a rumour that the Ringmaster gimmick was originally intended for Chris Benoit, does anyone know if there's any truth to this, or if it's just an urban legend? Benoit debuted in WCW right around the time the Ringmaster gimmick first appeared in the WWF, so they both would've been free agents around the same time and it's entirely possible that Austin was the second choice after Benoit signed with Turner. Benoit did three dark match try-outs in June 1995 with DiBiase as his manager, and Austin debuted in December of that year. I guess there's a chance it could have been like that, but also a chance it's just because of their proximity in the timeline with DiBiase attached.
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Post by kingoftheindies on Apr 15, 2016 9:03:24 GMT -5
I heard a rumor that Corey Graves was supposed to be the Heyman Guy originally over Axel
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auph10imitated
Dennis Stamp
Sigs/Avatars cannot exceed 1MB
Posts: 4,951
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Post by auph10imitated on Apr 15, 2016 9:15:19 GMT -5
Madusa was the original choice of Marc Mero's new valet to feud with Sable in 1998, the role that went to Jacqueline. They were going to play up that shes a kickboxer, he is a boxer. But the idea was nixed, mainly in part to Luna Vachon who went to Linda McMahon to say not only would Madusa be to stiff with Sable but also the belt thing was disrespctful etc. Luna admits this in her shoot interview
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2016 10:34:38 GMT -5
The Iraqi Sympathizer gimmick was designed for Tugboat. I never knew I wanted to see this. "I'm fighting for the glory of Sadam HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUssain" He could've represented the Iraqi Navy.
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Post by James Fabiano on Apr 15, 2016 12:12:50 GMT -5
3 pages and no Fake Razor and Diesel? Seriously, I am reminded of this because I think there was a rumor that Steve Corino was going to be the Fake 1-2-3 Kid at one point as well.
Doink, a few times over, of course.
And as per Herb Kunze's Wrestling Tidbits column from RSPW, Undertaker could have essentially been the Gobbledygooker (he was apparently to debut as the Eggman at Survivor Series. Makes you wonder who the mystery partner would have been then?)
And 15 year old me once speculated that Crush was originally meant to be Nailz, as the voiceover in the teasers sounded more like Crush + vocoder of course.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2016 12:20:21 GMT -5
I heard that too, probably here. DiBiase got there first. Nick was still AWA champion. Bockwinkel did come in later in the year, but just as an agent. I actually heard they were trying to bring Bockwinkel in a couple of years before DiBiase came in but he decided to stay with AWA at that particular point. Nick said he enjoyed the lighter schedule. Can't blame him.
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Post by Viking Hall on Apr 15, 2016 12:39:37 GMT -5
Not a gimmick as such but I have read that the nickname 'The Heartbreak Kid' was originally intended for Shane Douglas during his 1990/91 WWF run. The plan was for him to be a sort of teen heartthrob type and play off his boyish good looks. He left before the plan could take place and the nickname was recycled for Shawn Michaels.
Another is the Big Van Vader gimmick which was apparently designed by Inoki before actually deciding who was going to play the part. Their first choice was apparently the Ultimate Warrior, then known as The Dingo Warrior but he would end up signing for the WWF full time before they could finalise the deal leading the way for Leon White to take the role.
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brody
Don Corleone
Posts: 1,463
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Post by brody on Apr 15, 2016 12:57:04 GMT -5
Crush was suppose to be the KISS Demon
Jimmy Garvin was penciled in as Doink at one point.
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Dragonfly
Samurai Cop
...is no Barry Windham.
Posts: 2,489
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Post by Dragonfly on Apr 15, 2016 13:16:53 GMT -5
Colin Delaney's underdog role in WWECW was originally written for Pittsburgh indie mainstay John McChesney. The reason he was cut, according to both guys, was due to Michael Hayes' inability to commit to the story. He killed it Monday night, only to bring it back the next morning. McChesney, however, wasn't in Rochester with the rest of the crew. He was still in Buffalo, the site of the previous night's Raw. Hayes was angry, claiming that his "unexplained" absence was going to ruin the show. Delaney, who happened to be backstage, quickly called McChesney to inform him of the change. By the time he had arrived (an hour and a half later), the spot had been given away. He also go berated by Hayes for being "unprofessional."
Delaney has also said he was Hayes' absolute last choice despite already being backstage. Everyone else the booking staff tried (including Jimmy Olsen and Brodie Lee) was at work and couldn't make it. He was the only person with the day off.
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Post by Mike Bockwinkel on Apr 15, 2016 14:20:06 GMT -5
I remember hearing Edge was going to be Val Venis since his indy gimmick, Sexton Hardcastle was similar.
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Post by Joe Neglia on Apr 15, 2016 14:24:06 GMT -5
3 pages and no Fake Razor and Diesel? Seriously, I am reminded of this because I think there was a rumor that Steve Corino was going to be the Fake 1-2-3 Kid at one point as well. They're a little outside the topic of the thread. This is about gimmicks that the intended wrestler either never ended up getting after all, or was almost immediately replaced. UT was always meant to be the mystery partner and he was always meant to be UT. The Eggman stuff is made up conjecture. The closest we have to anything on that front is that they thought about having UT - *as* UT - break out of the egg. That was very quickly scratched off for being stupid. Definitely not ever meant to be Crush. Jimmy Garvin was penciled in as Doink at one point. Garvin's debunked this one numerous times, including here and here
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Post by Angus Mcloud on Apr 15, 2016 14:25:28 GMT -5
Jim Cornette said that after Dennis left the Midnight Express the original replacement wasn't Stan Lane but actually Tim Horner. But as things happened Stan Lane came in as Sweet Stan and the world was robbed of a Terrific Tim and Beautiful Bobby pairing.
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Post by Mike Bockwinkel on Apr 15, 2016 14:33:18 GMT -5
3 pages and no Fake Razor and Diesel? Seriously, I am reminded of this because I think there was a rumor that Steve Corino was going to be the Fake 1-2-3 Kid at one point as well. Doink, a few times over, of course. And as per Herb Kunze's Wrestling Tidbits column from RSPW, Undertaker could have essentially been the Gobbledygooker (he was apparently to debut as the Eggman at Survivor Series. Makes you wonder who the mystery partner would have been then?) And 15 year old me once speculated that Crush was originally meant to be Nailz, as the voiceover in the teasers sounded more like Crush + vocoder of course. If it's any consolidation, Crush DID end up in jail.
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Post by thegatewaydrug on Apr 15, 2016 17:28:22 GMT -5
Madusa was the original choice of Marc Mero's new valet to feud with Sable in 1998, the role that went to Jacqueline. They were going to play up that shes a kickboxer, he is a boxer. But the idea was nixed, mainly in part to Luna Vachon who went to Linda McMahon to say not only would Madusa be to stiff with Sable but also the belt thing was disrespctful etc. Luna admits this in her shoot interview So they threw her in the trash bin!
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Post by thegatewaydrug on Apr 15, 2016 17:33:24 GMT -5
Colin Delaney's underdog role in WWECW was originally written for Pittsburgh indie mainstay John McChesney. The reason he was cut, according to both guys, was due to Michael Hayes' inability to commit to the story. He killed it Monday night, only to bring it back the next morning. McChesney, however, wasn't in Rochester with the rest of the crew. He was still in Buffalo, the site of the previous night's Raw. Hayes was angry, claiming that his "unexplained" absence was going to ruin the show. Delaney, who happened to be backstage, quickly called McChesney to inform him of the change. By the time he had arrived (an hour and a half later), the spot had been given away. He also go berated by Hayes for being "unprofessional." Delaney has also said he was Hayes' absolute last choice despite already being backstage. Everyone else the booking staff tried (including Jimmy Olsen and Brodie Lee) was at work and couldn't make it. He was the only person with the day off. Wait a tick! How could 6"5", 270 lbs Brodie Lee come into the same underdog role Colin played in 2007 with Tommy Dreamer? The Big Rig may have been the biggest guy in WWECW then!
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EyeofTyr
Hank Scorpio
Strange and Mystical
Posts: 5,744
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Post by EyeofTyr on Apr 15, 2016 20:07:09 GMT -5
Colin Delaney's underdog role in WWECW was originally written for Pittsburgh indie mainstay John McChesney. The reason he was cut, according to both guys, was due to Michael Hayes' inability to commit to the story. He killed it Monday night, only to bring it back the next morning. McChesney, however, wasn't in Rochester with the rest of the crew. He was still in Buffalo, the site of the previous night's Raw. Hayes was angry, claiming that his "unexplained" absence was going to ruin the show. Delaney, who happened to be backstage, quickly called McChesney to inform him of the change. By the time he had arrived (an hour and a half later), the spot had been given away. He also go berated by Hayes for being "unprofessional." Delaney has also said he was Hayes' absolute last choice despite already being backstage. Everyone else the booking staff tried (including Jimmy Olsen and Brodie Lee) was at work and couldn't make it. He was the only person with the day off. Wait a tick! How could 6"5", 270 lbs Brodie Lee come into the same underdog role Colin played in 2007 with Tommy Dreamer? The Big Rig may have been the biggest guy in WWECW then! It's hilarious to think about, but it's true. Both Brodie and Colin have brought it up before. Just imagine, Luke Harper several years earlier in the WWE, as a plucky underdog. To me the full story always showed Hayes' flaws as a booker too. You are essentially recreating the Mikey Whipwreck/Spike Dudley storyline for the new ECW and you want a big man like Brodie or a barrel chested bulky guy like Jimmy but not Colin? Nevermind Colin's always been a good talent.
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Post by "Playboy" Don Douglas on Apr 15, 2016 20:52:35 GMT -5
My personal theory on the Scorpion deal: They didn't intend for it to be Warrior, Perez, Flair, Dave Sheldon or anyone else. When it was started, the only real intention was getting a "new" opponent for Sting, who he would feud with, win over and then the opponent would disappear to make way for other feuds. When they came up with it, there wasn't an endgame of "he gets revealed to be _________." He gets into Sting's head, Sting beats him, we move on to the next story. Perez is only linked to everything because he was supposed to be the nameless guy under the hood (prior to him quitting after the feud started). Even if he'd stuck around, there wasn't going to be a grand "OMG It's Al Perez" moment. Sheldon gets dragged into it because a) he actually had a past with Sting, b) he was already around and c) he was already pulling double/triple duty in the company under masked names (e.g. the Russian Assassins). If things had gone as originally planned, I truly believe Scorpion would have shown up, had a couple or three rows with Sting. Sting ultimately defeats the masked man (and even if he unmasks him, it would not have been sold as anything special revelations-wise) and then we get the debut of Spartacus. Ole's statement on the whole thing was that it was never intended to be booked in the first place, there was no one in mind to be under the mask, there would be no reveal, and after the Scorpion was beaten, a new cartoon villain would enter the picture. He said he wrote the name on a booking sheet as a joke, and Jim Herd loved it. "Jim, there is no Black Scorpion." "No, that's good! Use that!" "Jim...there is no f***ing Black Scorpion. It's a damn joke, it's just a name." "Yeah, but that's a good name. Use that!" He said it was clear they wanted cartoon wrestling, so he tried to give it to them. He was fired before the angle concluded, but his plan was to have Sting go over, the beaten Scorpion rise towards the heavens, and a menacing voice say, "Sting...it's not over." And a new character would be introduced. Something to that affect, anyway.
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Cranjis McBasketball
Crow T. Robot
Knew what the hell that thing was supposed to be
Peace Love and Nothing But
Posts: 41,949
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Apr 16, 2016 2:35:16 GMT -5
Not nessecarily a gimmick, but wasn't "The Game" moniker originally intended for Owen Hart? I can't see Owen as The Game. Loved him as a wrestler but him doing Hunter's entrance looks wrong and hilarious. I've never figured out why people assume Owen as the Game would just make him Triple H. Like he'd come to Motorhead, leather jacket and denim vest, spitting water. The rumour as II heard it was they wanted to play up The Hart's history in pro wrestling, how the Harts were pro wrestling, and Owen was the best at it, and he was pro wrestling, thus The Game. Basically just reupping his character from his feud with Bret, but without Bret being there to beat him. Even the OP says, it's not the gimmick, just the moniker. The actual name. Nothing else. I have no problems believing Owen could have been given the nickname The Game. Not saying it's true, but people are imagining something totally wrong when they reject it.
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Post by Joe Neglia on Apr 16, 2016 3:16:23 GMT -5
My personal theory on the Scorpion deal: They didn't intend for it to be Warrior, Perez, Flair, Dave Sheldon or anyone else. When it was started, the only real intention was getting a "new" opponent for Sting, who he would feud with, win over and then the opponent would disappear to make way for other feuds. When they came up with it, there wasn't an endgame of "he gets revealed to be _________." He gets into Sting's head, Sting beats him, we move on to the next story. Perez is only linked to everything because he was supposed to be the nameless guy under the hood (prior to him quitting after the feud started). Even if he'd stuck around, there wasn't going to be a grand "OMG It's Al Perez" moment. Sheldon gets dragged into it because a) he actually had a past with Sting, b) he was already around and c) he was already pulling double/triple duty in the company under masked names (e.g. the Russian Assassins). If things had gone as originally planned, I truly believe Scorpion would have shown up, had a couple or three rows with Sting. Sting ultimately defeats the masked man (and even if he unmasks him, it would not have been sold as anything special revelations-wise) and then we get the debut of Spartacus. Ole's statement on the whole thing was that it was never intended to be booked in the first place, there was no one in mind to be under the mask, there would be no reveal, and after the Scorpion was beaten, a new cartoon villain would enter the picture. He said he wrote the name on a booking sheet as a joke, and Jim Herd loved it. "Jim, there is no Black Scorpion." "No, that's good! Use that!" "Jim...there is no f***ing Black Scorpion. It's a damn joke, it's just a name." "Yeah, but that's a good name. Use that!" He said it was clear they wanted cartoon wrestling, so he tried to give it to them. He was fired before the angle concluded, but his plan was to have Sting go over, the beaten Scorpion rise towards the heavens, and a menacing voice say, "Sting...it's not over." And a new character would be introduced. Something to that affect, anyway. Wow, for once, one of my theories appears to be spot on to the truth. Thanks.
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