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Post by Aceorton on Oct 30, 2022 10:29:17 GMT -5
Watching some WWF footage from 1987 just after Paul Orndorff turned face again and fired Bobby Heenan. I was 9 at the time and remember having a hard time buying it because Orndorff had been such a convincing POS heel and didn't really apologize for any of it. But he still got huge babyface reactions because that was just wrestling in the '80s. Today, I feel like fans would crap all over him and refuse to accept him as a good guy again.
What else from the old days wouldn't work with modern fans? Obviously anything involving race or sexuality (Piper taunting Mr. T, the "Adorable Adrian" gimmick, Akeem, etc.) would be regarded differently, but there's probably a lot of improbable, illogical or just silly stuff that wouldn't be accepted now. Hillbilly Jim and his relatives, for example, or Ken Patera presented as a Heenan brainwashing victim and not a real-life criminal.
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Post by James Fabiano on Oct 30, 2022 10:48:26 GMT -5
Long title reigns. Look at how some are losing patience with Roman?
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Johnny B. Decent
Patti Mayonnaise
Had one once
Everybody's Favorite Arizonian.
Posts: 31,073
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Post by Johnny B. Decent on Oct 30, 2022 13:31:54 GMT -5
I can't imagine the gimmick of a Ugandan cannibal tribesman being played straight would work at all now.
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Post by TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out on Oct 30, 2022 13:36:06 GMT -5
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake as a hairdresser-slash-stripper.
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Post by Georgina's Fancy Water on Oct 30, 2022 13:36:57 GMT -5
Akeem: *shows up at the building*
Sami Zayn: what the f*** is wrong with you dude
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2022 13:39:15 GMT -5
I can't imagine the gimmick of a Ugandan cannibal tribesman being played straight would work at all now. Honestly, I don't know how Umaga worked in the mid 2000's. The wild untamed land of untamed savages known as *checks notes*... American Samoa?
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Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone. Got away with it, this time.
Posts: 23,528
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Post by Bo Rida on Oct 30, 2022 15:43:01 GMT -5
Mr Socko. There'd be endless rants how he should be serious hardcore wrestler like he was in ECW/FMW not the sock weilding goof.
Lots more fun and/or supernatural things would also be rejected, at least at first.
I'm exaggerating due to those that can only accept serious wrestling but anything one note would struggle. Can't make a career out of a signature spot when people can lookup multiple examples of it and be sick of it within hours rather than months/years.
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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: 41,920
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Oct 30, 2022 16:20:22 GMT -5
I think the Undertaker would struggle, especially in his original form.
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fg
Unicron
Gaming
Posts: 2,950
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Post by fg on Oct 30, 2022 16:56:33 GMT -5
I think the Undertaker would struggle, especially in his original form. Definitely…or at least the original form wouldn’t last as long since kayfabe has been blown to bits since then.
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Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone. Got away with it, this time.
Posts: 23,528
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Post by Bo Rida on Oct 30, 2022 17:30:47 GMT -5
I think the Undertaker would struggle, especially in his original form. Undertaker is a weird one because the gimmick should never have worked in the first place. As you say his original form probably wouldn't be accepted but tweaked and booked well it would eventually be embraced by most. The early days of the Fiend perhaps being the best case study to show it could work.
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XIII
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 18,440
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Post by XIII on Oct 30, 2022 17:32:37 GMT -5
I think the Undertaker would struggle, especially in his original form. I think it would eventually win out though, because dude was essentially a Michael Myers level horror movie villain. Probably tweaked a bit, but I think it could still work.
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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: 41,920
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Oct 30, 2022 17:44:16 GMT -5
I think the Undertaker would struggle, especially in his original form. I think it would eventually win out though, because dude was essentially a Michael Myers level horror movie villain. Probably tweaked a bit, but I think it could still work. It might but keep in mind Taker’s early ring work wasn’t anything to write home about, so if he’s working that style, a manager that makes no sense (Brother Love), no decent feud as a heel. He might get over eventually but I think it would be a struggle.
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J is Justice
Wade Wilson
Will now be grateful.
Hi.
Posts: 28,219
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Post by J is Justice on Oct 30, 2022 19:50:11 GMT -5
Akeem: *shows up at the building* Sami Zayn: what the f*** is wrong with you dude dawg
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J is Justice
Wade Wilson
Will now be grateful.
Hi.
Posts: 28,219
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Post by J is Justice on Oct 30, 2022 19:52:08 GMT -5
I can't imagine the gimmick of a Ugandan cannibal tribesman being played straight would work at all now. Probably the same with Papa Shango.
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Post by XaviersSS2015hair on Oct 30, 2022 19:57:42 GMT -5
H.L.A.
Mexicools
Eugene
Angle loves "Gutter Sluts"
Funny thing is, all of this happened in the last 20 years.
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,069
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Post by Mozenrath on Oct 30, 2022 19:59:41 GMT -5
Eric Bischoff reluctantly booking his mentally challenged nephew Eugene, who would often be savagely beaten to his delight, would probably get a bit more negative attention now than it did at the time.
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XIII
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 18,440
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Post by XIII on Oct 30, 2022 20:06:51 GMT -5
Nazi gimmicks. Those guys were everywhere in the 50s and 60s
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Post by A Platypus Rave on Oct 30, 2022 21:04:17 GMT -5
Long title reigns. Look at how some are losing patience with Roman? two points on this 1. Business was way different pre and post attitude era. TV was meant to hype House shows... post Attitude Era house shows were used to hype TV and PPV's... (the shift did start with Hulkamania but not nearly to the same degree) you weren't seeing the same matches or contenders fight each other 8 times before a title defense or something. 2. Long reigns can still work but you have to be smart about it... with decent storytelling behind it. For the majority of the time the story for Reign's Title run has been isn't Reigns so cool and awesome and he runs down his opponents and say that they're not on his level and then he beats them down with little effort and proves that he was right. If there was obviously a face to the feud that was being built up to face him that Roman was like obviously ducking that'd be one thing... but there isn't. Roman has beaten down literally everyone.
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Post by Macho Pichu on Oct 30, 2022 21:09:26 GMT -5
Nazi gimmicks. Those guys were everywhere in the 50s and 60s Hell, Fritz Von Erich had a Nazi gimmick and he's still hailed as a legend nowadays. And then there's JR's and my dad's favorite name drop Killer Karl Kox.
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Post by The Rick Jericho on Oct 30, 2022 21:29:32 GMT -5
The Stalker.
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