msc
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,462
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Post by msc on Jul 24, 2020 6:23:35 GMT -5
Permanent top of the card guy? No.
Solid upper micard guy who could slot into the main event for programmes as needed akin to Ziggler in the 2010s or Kane? Sure.
I wish we got more chances to show off his abilities like the Val Venis feud. Rarely have we had a feud ending cage match that got over both men so much... that both had no follow up on it.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2020 7:07:24 GMT -5
He kinda was.
As a heel.
Got big feuds with Austin, Taker and others.
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Ben Wyatt
Crow T. Robot
Are You Gonna Go My Way?
I don't get it. At all. It's kind of a small horse, I mean what am I missing? Am I crazy?
Posts: 41,515
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Post by Ben Wyatt on Jul 24, 2020 7:12:11 GMT -5
He kinda was. As a heel. Got big feuds with Austin, Taker and others. At no point did he look like a threat. Austin beat him senseless at every turn
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Post by Jaws the Shark on Jul 24, 2020 7:26:49 GMT -5
No.
He got over big as a comedy midcard face working in tag teams, but away from that environment his limitations became pretty clear. He wasn't a good promo, he was somewhat limited in the ring (although not horrible by any means), and his character relied too heavily on comedy stuff about a fat man dancing or his arse, which had quite limited shelf life and when he couldn't do that stuff he wasn't in the slightest bit interesting.
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The Ichi
Patti Mayonnaise
AGGRESSIVE Executive Janitor of the Third Floor Manager's Bathroom
Posts: 37,304
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Post by The Ichi on Jul 24, 2020 7:29:03 GMT -5
I think he went impressively far considering his attire, finishing move and how rife with top stars they already were.
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Post by lavelleuk on Jul 24, 2020 7:30:12 GMT -5
100% yes. Hugely popular, different look, crazy charisma, 300+lbs, very athletic.
WWE can turn almost anyone into a main eventer if they really want to, why couldn't they do it to one of the most popular guys on the roster who also looked like a complete bad ass?
I remember the Raw he was drawn out a tumbler to face HHH, the crowds were ready to eat him up. Foley was retiring, Austin was breaking down, taker was injured. Not only could he have been, I'd argue he was for a brief period and should have been SO much more
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Crappler El 0 M
Dalek
Never Forgets an Octagon
I'm a good R-Truth.
Posts: 58,479
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Post by Crappler El 0 M on Jul 24, 2020 7:48:02 GMT -5
They tried it. Their biggest attempt to place him in the top mix didn't really work. I'm referring to the heel turn. They also mixed babyface Rikishi with the top stars. I'm thinking he worked some with heel Triple H when he was champion. So Rikishi was working with the top stars at various times. He didn't fall flat on his face, but he didn't seem on the level of the other Attitude Era top stars.
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4real
Wade Wilson
Posts: 27,844
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Post by 4real on Jul 24, 2020 12:48:19 GMT -5
Outrageous, Bad Man is a great track! I mean I agree but it starts off so quiet not really a theme to get people pumped. Also the theme shoves down your throat that this guy is now a bad man and you should not like him! Boo this man!
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 24, 2020 13:23:19 GMT -5
Main eventer? Yes
Top guy? No
He def had it in him to be that type of guy who can be upper midcard and maybe even got a surprise championship for a one month title run. Even the heel turn itself could been handled a lot better. Change his gear and actually have him use the street gear he was walking around in
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2020 13:27:08 GMT -5
They should've at least changed his look up when he turned heel. Nobody was taking him seriously when he was still out there wrestling in a thong. He should've worn something similar to what Umaga wore. Yeah, this is what I came into say. "Did it for the Rock" Rikishi was dead in the water, when he was a super SRS heel still wearing a thong and sticking his ass in people's face.
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Post by EP 54 is banned from Collision on Jul 24, 2020 13:38:56 GMT -5
Do...do people think that the Stinkface was Rikishi's finish? Because it definitely wasn't. He either used the Rikishi Driver or the Banzai Drop, both of which were pretty brutal looking.
Anyway, yeah, of course. People forget how mega over he was. (And Too Cool too!)
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2020 13:44:43 GMT -5
Do...do people think that the Stinkface was Rikishi's finish? Because it definitely wasn't. He either used the Rikishi Driver or the Banzai Drop, both of which were pretty brutal looking. Anyway, yeah, of course. People forget how mega over he was. (And Too Cool too!) Nah, I don't think anyone thinks that it was his finisher, just that it remained one of his signature moves even when his character was ostensibly positioned to be serious. The attire was the bigger issue.
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Post by Aceorton on Jul 24, 2020 15:06:39 GMT -5
He had long-term main event potential, absolutely. I thought he made a great, believable heel you could hate. Guy had a legit scary vibe when he was just scowling in a track suit. But as others have said, he got steamrolled. Austin beat him silly at No Mercy. Rock beat him at Survivor Series. Triple H being revealed as the mastermind behind running over Austin made Rikishi look like merely a hired goon. And then he took the highlight reel death bump in the HIAC at Armageddon. They cut his legs off in three months and made it look like he wasn't worthy of the top tier. If he'd gotten wins over Austin and Rock and shown himself to be more and more of a heartless psycho, it could have been a completely different story.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jul 24, 2020 17:45:52 GMT -5
He even said it was stupid for him to win the IC title, as he thought it lowered his worth. What a shitty attitude to have. Almost any wrestler that isn't injuring people could be a main eventer if you booked them right. Nobody is ever a lost cause. Rikishi wasn't a main event success because they took a thong-wearing, butt-themed, dancing babyface and tried to make him a main event ruthless heel, without changing his gear, and by opening his first real promo with a nursery rhyme.
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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: 41,950
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Jul 24, 2020 18:02:57 GMT -5
Had he put on some f***ing pants, it’s possible.
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Squirrel Master
Hank Scorpio
"Then the Squirrel Master came out of left field and told me I'm his bitch!"
Posts: 6,648
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Post by Squirrel Master on Jul 25, 2020 22:31:18 GMT -5
No. He got over big as a comedy midcard face working in tag teams, but away from that environment his limitations became pretty clear. He wasn't a good promo, he was somewhat limited in the ring (although not horrible by any means), and his character relied too heavily on comedy stuff about a fat man dancing or his arse, which had quite limited shelf life and when he couldn't do that stuff he wasn't in the slightest bit interesting. Plus Rikishi’s ass didn’t do tricks like Vince McMahons ass could do. So why push him?
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,264
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Post by agent817 on Jul 25, 2020 22:35:30 GMT -5
He could maybe have transitioned away from the ass thing, and doing so would have been pretty vital to him getting a sustained main event push. The heel turn may have been intended to do that, get the fans to stop expecting the dances and Stinkfaces, but, well. Funny that he thinks that the IC title lowered his worth, given that he won it during a period where IC champions tended to still be on their way up. Sure, there were flame-outs like Billy Gunn, but this was coming off reigns from people like Angle, Jericho, and Benoit. What I would have done was give him some different gear, like the kind he wore as Fatu. Maybe something similar to his Headshrinker days, with boots instead of the foot tape or even long tights like his "Make a Difference" Fatu days. Just leave out the whole gimmick regarding his posterior.
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Post by thegatewaydrug on Jul 25, 2020 22:36:57 GMT -5
Had he put on some f***ing pants, it’s possible. No thong wearing fatty was gonna main event 'Mania. Some colorful tights and a nice knit cap could have made the difference though.
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Post by Ryback on a Pole! on Jul 25, 2020 22:54:08 GMT -5
No.
I even thought IC was a level too high for him.
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Post by Duke Cameron on Jul 25, 2020 22:57:39 GMT -5
I always thought yes.
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