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Post by Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story on Nov 7, 2023 10:44:13 GMT -5
Would they all get over with Attitude Era gimmicks today? No, it's been like 23 or 24 years. But I think most of the guys you listed are talented enough that if they came around today with modern gimmicks, they'd be fine. Val Venis, Mideon and Hardcore Holly are probably the exceptions, I don't think they'd have a shot.
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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Nov 7, 2023 11:15:02 GMT -5
Val would have been canned in months were he around in an era with social Media, he's an ass who thinks he's smart but is not smart enough to keep his idiotic notions to himself for the benefit of his career. Maybe, maybe not. There are still people who don't have progressive morals that haven't been blackballed yet (Jake Hager chief among them). Val's not a world class talent like Jericho or AJ, or a physically impressive hoss with a legit sport background like Swagger or Lesnar. He's more in the Gunner mold and there's only so long being popular with management will protect you when you run your mouth at every opportunity and your takes are relentlessly shitty.
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tafkaga
Samurai Cop
the Dogfather
Posts: 2,124
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Post by tafkaga on Nov 7, 2023 11:26:52 GMT -5
I reckon the biggest difference between popular in the Attitude era and how popular they'd be now and it's probably not even close and that's Sable she never really had any charisma and presence and couldn't wrestle either and the company obviously pushed her for entirely superficial reasons And at the risk of being superficial, she wasn't even THAT attractive. There's plenty of Ladies on the AEW and WWE roster who I think look better, have more natural sex appeal and like you mentioned actually have Charisma and know how to Wrestle I don't think this is being superficial. It's acknowledging that Sable's push was entirely based on superficialities. She came in because she was a wrestler's wife and because Vince liked how she looked in tight clothes, not because she was a hot prospect or recognized talent in the wrestling business. I also reject the notion that Sable had so much charisma that she just overshadowed Marc. A large part of Sable getting over was because Marc very competently worked the abusive egomaniac character and essentially became a billboard that said "Cheer Sable" in huge blinking lights, and the other part was that Sable's appearances in 97-98 always came with the likelihood of her ending up mostly naked before the end of the segment, and that's what all the kids wanted in their wrestling back then.
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Post by koreycaskets on Nov 7, 2023 14:00:16 GMT -5
Linda McMahon
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Nosnorb
El Dandy
Nachos and Fraggle Rock are TIMELESS.
Posts: 7,712
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Post by Nosnorb on Nov 7, 2023 16:07:05 GMT -5
Steve Blackman - He still probably doesn't connect in 2023 and it's a shame. I could see him doing well, he had the overcoming a major illness to get back into the ring that wasn't referenced that would be a good way to get him a connection and just have him be the bad ass weapons guy defending the 24/7 championship (preventing that title from being the 24/7 roll up championship) avoid the non-sensical heel turns he had, keep him as the straight man to the comedy goofball partner. they managed to make Ronda into a passable star, I dont see how they would fail to do the same with Blackman. Steve Blackman vs Ken Shamrock would be an absolutely red hot feud if done today.
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Post by government mule on Nov 7, 2023 17:45:17 GMT -5
Disagree about Eurocontinental era D'Lo Brown. Dude had swagger and would have enough to sway audiences today.
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Post by government mule on Nov 7, 2023 17:48:33 GMT -5
Bulldog in jeans
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Post by sungod2020 on Nov 7, 2023 17:53:47 GMT -5
So when people look back at the Attitude Era, people say that a lot of the talent back then, would be over today. Because of the way they were booked. If we look at the opposite spectrum of this. Which attitude era stars that were over huge at one point that wouldn't even move the needle today? Val Venis - Total cringe as a porn star gimmick. Would be booed out of the building because he's a dick. Mean Street Posse - The definition of crickets if a similar characters were booked like this today. Al Snow - A guy walking around with a head, hearing voices in his head, I think this character gets pulled quickly off-air. D'Lo Brown - Popular for his time, but his style is similar to a lot of other talent who do high spots better. Because of workrate, don't think he gets over. Hardcore Holly - Everything about this guy would not last this era. He won't be cheered because all the backstage shit would be out in the open and he doesn't survive. Marc Mero - Marvelous. Without getting any big win and being dominated by his women. He's the modern day Karrion Kross, where the women connects, he doesn't. Mark Henry - Sexual Chocolate version. Horny dude chasing tail everywhere he goes? He would get the loser title, because he fails each and every time. Headbangers - 2016 kind of proved it. One very small return pop and then crickets. In 2023, it would be even quieter and that's saying something. Steve Blackman - He still probably doesn't connect in 2023 and it's a shame. Naked Mideon - It wears out and the effect of this character shrinks within week 2. A few of the ones you mentioned weren't even over back then. I don't recall The Mean Street Posse being so over. Hardcore Holly was overshadowed by his kayfabe cousin Crash. Marc Mero was overshadowed by Sable. Steve Blackman wasn't over until he wrestled in the hardcore division. Naked Mideon? Who would want to cheer for a fat guy wearing just a fanny pack and a thong.
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CMWaters
Ozymandius
Rolled a Seven, Beat the Ads.
Bald and busy
Posts: 63,089
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Post by CMWaters on Nov 7, 2023 18:22:23 GMT -5
Naked Mideon? Who would want to cheer for a fat guy wearing just a fanny pack and a thong. How long have you been on the internet?
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Nosnorb
El Dandy
Nachos and Fraggle Rock are TIMELESS.
Posts: 7,712
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Post by Nosnorb on Nov 7, 2023 19:21:12 GMT -5
Naked Mideon? Who would want to cheer for a fat guy wearing just a fanny pack and a thong. How long have you been on the internet? There would have been a big problem with Mideon not covering himself though.
Dude had a Confederate Battle Flag tattooed on his forearm. No chance that nobody tells him to cover up.
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Post by The Rick Jericho on Nov 7, 2023 20:52:46 GMT -5
Val would have been canned in months were he around in an era with social Media, he's an ass who thinks he's smart but is not smart enough to keep his idiotic notions to himself for the benefit of his career. I say he would get fired today for retweeting something from Pornhub. Idiots gonna idiot.
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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Nov 7, 2023 21:01:16 GMT -5
None of these guys would be written the same today.
You can't take characters/gimmicks from a different era and try to apply them to today, because the standards have changed for television writing and characteriziation in wrestling.
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Is a real girl!
Posts: 19,873
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Nov 7, 2023 21:26:02 GMT -5
So when people look back at the Attitude Era, people say that a lot of the talent back then, would be over today. Because of the way they were booked. If we look at the opposite spectrum of this. Which attitude era stars that were over huge at one point that wouldn't even move the needle today? Val Venis - Total cringe as a porn star gimmick. Would be booed out of the building because he's a dick. Mean Street Posse - The definition of crickets if a similar characters were booked like this today. Al Snow - A guy walking around with a head, hearing voices in his head, I think this character gets pulled quickly off-air. D'Lo Brown - Popular for his time, but his style is similar to a lot of other talent who do high spots better. Because of workrate, don't think he gets over. Hardcore Holly - Everything about this guy would not last this era. He won't be cheered because all the backstage shit would be out in the open and he doesn't survive. Marc Mero - Marvelous. Without getting any big win and being dominated by his women. He's the modern day Karrion Kross, where the women connects, he doesn't. Mark Henry - Sexual Chocolate version. Horny dude chasing tail everywhere he goes? He would get the loser title, because he fails each and every time. Headbangers - 2016 kind of proved it. One very small return pop and then crickets. In 2023, it would be even quieter and that's saying something. Steve Blackman - He still probably doesn't connect in 2023 and it's a shame. Naked Mideon - It wears out and the effect of this character shrinks within week 2. no offense but i think you're wrong about just about all these except maybe, like, The Headbangers and Marc Mero most of these are distinct and immediately established characters that are easily relatable and understandable, i think most fans would be into most of these gimmicks, whether on a love or love to hate basis
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Nov 8, 2023 12:33:28 GMT -5
Of your list I'd say assuming they are in there prime as they were then, that all of them except Mean Street Posse and Hardcore Holly would probably do better or the same now than back then.
Val Venis is a solid wrestler, not going to move the needle but is dependable. Result: Remains midcard act with a hustler/sleazy gimmick .
MSP, these guys were crap in the attitude era, The Shane O'mac equivalent of Vince's stooges. Result: Stay in the Indies
Al Snow is a great comedy act wrestler, the head thing would still get over today. Result: Santino level midcard comedy act, probably moves around wwe/aew/tna.
D'Lo Brown is the kind of wrestler who I think just needed something extra to push him beyond the midcard. Result still midcard but with the right story or gimmick could be upper midcard today.
Hardcore Holly I never really liked despite the sweet dropkick, if he came around today he'd be worse as the guy had no charisma. Result lower midcard with occasional attempt to push up the card that fails.
Marc Mero n/a I don't have much knowledge about Mero so I'll leave others to comment on him, I feel he kind of dipped out of the attitude era, just as it was coming to the boil.
Mark Henry I think we can all agree is great. World strongest man with a chip on his shoulder would be amazing to see in his prime! Result Main event heel for me. Let's just forget about the womanising and hand baby gimmick stuff. Result monster heel main eventing threat for champions , if injury free.
Headbangers these guys when they were fresh and young punk/metal tag team. That would still work. Result solid tag team might win a championship at some point, just like then.
Steve Blackman might actually be a better kind of wrestler to debut today, what with the ufc/mma interest being much higher. Result upper midcard possibly in AEW?
Mideon is certainly an interesting one as you are taking the god awful streaker gimmick, but his tag work as one half of the The Godwinns was solid, heck today he could have been part of the Wyatt Family, and his pre-wwf work was solid. Result better than you might think, but not with the naked gimmick.
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Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone. Got away with it, this time.
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Post by Bo Rida on Nov 8, 2023 12:47:28 GMT -5
It's difficult to say because a one note act could stay over for much longer when the only way you could see it was during their two TV matches a month (or a few more later in the attitude era). Now you could see them once, look up 10 previous matches, see the GIFs of their cool spots and be sick of them before they're next on TV.
So it's not so much if they could get over but for how long that would last.
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msc
Dennis Stamp
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Post by msc on Nov 8, 2023 12:58:07 GMT -5
Prime era D'lo Brown would be a mass fan favourite. Dude was dripping charisma. He didn't even have a face turn, fans just liked the guy and started cheering him.
The thing that torpedoed him was the Droz accident. He was never the same after that.
Steve Blackman, a serious, legit tough guy with fan respect who isn't great on a mic, would probably be far more over nowadays than in the 90s.
Also, Val Venis, not a fan of the guy himself, but he was for a long period of time considered one of the best workers in the WWF/E, and he managed to keep his craziness out of the NEWS* for most of his WWE run. He'd be one of those "terrible person" "But the matches are great" polarising figures.
*Though not backstage, Foley and co were so annoyed by Venis's lectures on (stuff the fan doesnt let us mention) that Al Snow used Val's mobile number for the Pepper Hotline Ads, and Val was inundated all week with calls from fans who had seen Pepper the dog. Foley said he was amazed Al Snow of all people had come up with such a great rib!
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Post by saneiac on Nov 8, 2023 14:36:41 GMT -5
The Truth Commission - Militant pro-apartheid South Africans aren't a thing anyone pays attention to anymore. Also, none of them could wrestle, particularly
Kurrgan - He's tall. He's immobile. He's Omos.
Billy and Chuck - They wouldn't dare do this angle today. They shouldn't have done it back then, either.
The NWA revival - We've got an NWA revival at home. And it sucks.
All the stuff that blatantly came from Vince the Creepy Sex Pest - You can kinda put Sable into this category, but even moreso Nurse BB or the angle where they relentlessly insulted Molly Holly for being a virgin.
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wildojinx
Wade Wilson
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Member is Online
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Post by wildojinx on Nov 8, 2023 14:43:03 GMT -5
Kaientai, the Wally Yamaguchi "choppy choppy" era that is (though ironically, they could get over on just their wrestling ability nowadays).
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Post by Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite on Nov 8, 2023 15:01:49 GMT -5
Billy and Chuck - They wouldn't dare do this angle today. They shouldn't have done it back then, either. A team like Billy and Chuck could work today if they just skipped the last part of the story where it turned out they weren't Actually Gay in Kayfabe. Oddly enough Billy is currently a part of hugely popular tag team that's basically that idea. Not that they're romantically linked to one another but Bowens is openly gay and Max seemingly hits on everyone he comes into contact with regardless of gender.
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Mecca
Wade Wilson
Posts: 25,100
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Post by Mecca on Nov 8, 2023 15:08:35 GMT -5
Maybe, maybe not. There are still people who don't have progressive morals that haven't been blackballed yet (Jake Hager chief among them). Val's not a world class talent like Jericho or AJ, or a physically impressive hoss with a legit sport background like Swagger or Lesnar. He's more in the Gunner mold and there's only so long being popular with management will protect you when you run your mouth at every opportunity and your takes are relentlessly shitty. Kane is right there with Val for the dumb shit he thinks outside of wrestling and it seems people still love him.
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