Bad Career Decisions

[LiamMcDuggle]

Always hear about stories that Sid was supposed to takeover for Hogan in 91 as the top face, but be kept insisting he'd rather be a heel, so the WWE went with Bret and Sid was shortly fired/left to play softball

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Marc Mero making the jump to the WWF. He was a popular face with a lot of upside in WCW, a guy seen as having a bright future, so much so there was a bidding war over him. After the jump to the WWF, he got exposed, hurt then the creepy Vince duo decided to use him as a means to push his untalented wife to megastardom. His career collapsed, his marriage ended and he ended up shunned by wrestling for the most part because he spoke out during the Benoit fallout.

[Spider2024]

- Jake Roberts in 1991 was promised by the WCW brass a major main event push should he sign over there after his WWF contract expired. Unfortunately for him, there was new brass in WCW once he finally debut there in the form of Bill Watts. Because Watts had previous heat with the Snake Man, he didn't exactly have the same plans as the bookers before him. Jake was mostly an afterthought in WCW after one PPV main event match.

- After WCW folded, all the big wrestlers with guaranteed paid contracts under Turner decided to just chill and rest up, only signing with a company after those contracts were completed. All except one: DDP. He wanted in on the Invasion angle real bad, so he signed almost immediately, even forfeiting some of his Ted Turner money. He was given the very pivotal role of stalking Undertaker's wife.

[Milkman Norm]

Tom Zenk could have made solid money with Martel as the tag team champs and then presumably as the guy Martel turns on.

[HMARK Center]

Man, a lot of guys jumping from WCW to WWF in the 90s didn't get a lot out of it, or if they did do well they still fell short of where they likely could've or should've gotten, which hurt their staying power in Stamford: Sid, Vader, Mero, even Luger to some degree, curious how things would've shaped up with Pillman if his injuries hadn't been a major issue.

Certainly some exceptions: I think the Steiners did fine coming over for a short run, since they were a legit tag team at a time when WWF was kind of lacking in them but hadn't yet seemingly given up all the way on the division, Road Warriors could've done better for the same reason if Hawk's demons hadn't gotten the better of him so often.

It's funny, but historically it was the guys who got let go from WCW who ended up doing better up north (Austin and Foley, mainly) instead of the guys who willingly jumped ship, who you'd think Vince would've been more committed to given the money and perceptions involved.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

May 18, 2024 18:08:15 GMT -5 Spider2024 said:

- Jake Roberts in 1991 was promised by the WCW brass a major main event push should he sign over there after his WWF contract expired. Unfortunately for him, there was new brass in WCW once he finally debut there in the form of Bill Watts. Because Watts had previous heat with the Snake Man, he didn't exactly have the same plans as the bookers before him. Jake was mostly an afterthought in WCW after one PPV main event match.

- After WCW folded, all the big wrestlers with guaranteed paid contracts under Turner decided to just chill and rest up, only signing with a company after those contracts were completed. All except one: DDP. He wanted in on the Invasion angle real bad, so he signed almost immediately, even forfeiting some of his Ted Turner money. He was given the very pivotal role of stalking Undertaker's wife.

Jake split from WWE after being turned down for Pattersons’ old job. Famously holding Vince up at Mania 8, he wasn’t going out unless he got released to jump to WCW for what you said happened.

As for DDP, I heard he took a buyout, 50 cents on the dollar, rather than collect his whole contract.

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

Wasn't the rumor that Abyss turned down a program with The Undertaker to stay in TNA?

[Johnny B. Decent]

Shibata leaving NJPW to start Big Mouth Loud, and then going into MMA after that failed. Years of his career totally wasted.

[Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite]

May 18, 2024 18:08:15 GMT -5 Spider2024 said:

-

- After WCW folded, all the big wrestlers with guaranteed paid contracts under Turner decided to just chill and rest up, only signing with a company after those contracts were completed. All except one: DDP. He wanted in on the Invasion angle real bad, so he signed almost immediately, even forfeiting some of his Ted Turner money. He was given the very pivotal role of stalking Undertaker's wife.

Obviously he has way worse issues, but Vince's Pettiness and insecurity not allowing WCW to be presented as legit threats kneecapped what should have been one of the biggest angles of all time

[James Fabiano]

Terry Taylor to WWF is the patron saint of this question. Should have stayed in Memphis or WCCW fine tuning his UWF heel character. Anything but...that.

Obviously the pay (and beign able to get paid on a regular basis) should render these moot, but Public Enemy goes to WCW, becomes exposed as totally needing the ECW formula. Mike Awesome too, only his issue was running face first into Russo booking.

I can't stress enough that I don't begrudge anyone for wanting a better, more consistent pay day, but creatively? Meh.

[James Fabiano]

May 18, 2024 21:42:55 GMT -5 Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite said:

May 18, 2024 18:08:15 GMT -5 Spider2024 said:

-

- After WCW folded, all the big wrestlers with guaranteed paid contracts under Turner decided to just chill and rest up, only signing with a company after those contracts were completed. All except one: DDP. He wanted in on the Invasion angle real bad, so he signed almost immediately, even forfeiting some of his Ted Turner money. He was given the very pivotal role of stalking Undertaker's wife.

Obviously he has way worse issues, but Vince's Pettiness and insecurity not allowing WCW to be presented as legit threats kneecapped what should have been one of the biggest angles of all time

In other news, water is wet.

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

Luger telling everyone he was becoming WWE Champion which lead to the finish being changed.

The talent who left WWE for the grass is greener approach to AEW and not doing anything and complain about how they being used. EX Andrade, The Hardys, and ext.

[ace]

May 18, 2024 19:49:05 GMT -5 Confused Mark Wahlberg said:

Wasn't the rumor that Abyss turned down a program with The Undertaker to stay in TNA?

That is definitely the rumor.  It’s at least a fact that he turned down WWE a couple times to remain in TNA.  You gotta respect the loyalty but at the same time…it’s a tough call.  Didn’t end up hurting him post-career since he got a job there anyway.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

May 18, 2024 19:49:05 GMT -5 Confused Mark Wahlberg said:

Wasn't the rumor that Abyss turned down a program with The Undertaker to stay in TNA?

That was the rumour, but it was the time guys were being lined up for Taker feuds then just vanishing off the face of the earth for a multitude of reasons. He could well have just looked at that, how new guys were treated at that time and added out of fear of ending up Chris Hardcore, getting to do nothing but pointless DeMott drills in DSW for a year because Bruce Prichard hated his armdrags in a tryout match or some other assinine reason.

[Dang!]

May 18, 2024 21:49:13 GMT -5 James Fabiano said:

Terry Taylor to WWF is the patron saint of this question. Should have stayed in Memphis or WCCW fine tuning his UWF heel character. Anything but...that.

There's even the rumour that WWF offered him the "Mr. Perfect" gimmick and he turned it down, but maybe that's just a rumour. THAT would have been THE very worst career self-sabotaging decision ever.

[LiamMcDuggle]

May 18, 2024 21:49:13 GMT -5 James Fabiano said:

Terry Taylor to WWF is the patron saint of this question. Should have stayed in Memphis or WCCW fine tuning his UWF heel character. Anything but...that.

Obviously the pay (and beign able to get paid on a regular basis) should render these moot, but Public Enemy goes to WCW, becomes exposed as totally needing the ECW formula. Mike Awesome too, only his issue was running face first into Russo booking.

I can't stress enough that I don't begrudge anyone for wanting a better, more consistent pay day, but creatively? Meh.

I still think there is more to this story. A few books/interviews have indicated "Red Rooster" was just supposed to be a nickname, but Terry is the one who chose to interpret the character as an actual Rooster


For all I know, the people saying that were just trying to bury him. He's a very polarizing person, who is either really liked (Triple H, Shawn love him) or really hated (Prichard, Bischoff, Heenan and many more). It seems like he was a type a guy who was good to the younger talent, but played the politics games poorly and it hurt him in the long wrong.

A Dark Side of the Ring episode about him would be VERY interesting. But it would be a lot of general hearsay 

[J. Hova]

I'll throw one out there, Barry Windham. He hopped around a lot and it seemed to happen right when things were starting to line up for him wherever he was. He should have just been a JCP/NWA/WCW guy post about 1986 or 87 and would have just been Barry Windham, upper midcard to main event guy who was considered for a lot of that time as one of the best workers in the business.

[fg]

May 19, 2024 0:16:05 GMT -5 Dang! said:

May 18, 2024 21:49:13 GMT -5 James Fabiano said:

Terry Taylor to WWF is the patron saint of this question. Should have stayed in Memphis or WCCW fine tuning his UWF heel character. Anything but...that.

There's even the rumour that WWF offered him the "Mr. Perfect" gimmick and he turned it down, but maybe that's just a rumour. THAT would have been THE very worst career self-sabotaging decision ever.

He did get a gimmick that was a bit similar in 1993.

Terrific Terry Taylor. He even had a match with Perfect on one of the first episodes of Raw in 1993

[A Platypus Rave]

May 19, 2024 0:16:05 GMT -5 Dang! said:

May 18, 2024 21:49:13 GMT -5 James Fabiano said:

Terry Taylor to WWF is the patron saint of this question. Should have stayed in Memphis or WCCW fine tuning his UWF heel character. Anything but...that.

There's even the rumour that WWF offered him the "Mr. Perfect" gimmick and he turned it down, but maybe that's just a rumour. THAT would have been THE very worst career self-sabotaging decision ever.

May 18, 2024 22:08:54 GMT -5 Can you afford to pay me, Gah said:

Luger telling everyone he was becoming WWE Champion which lead to the finish being changed.

Both of these are rumors that have been debunked multiple times by like everyone involved.

the only "truth" to the Taylor could have been Mr. Perfect is similar to the Undertaker almost being the Eggman. In that, they were things that happened at or around the same time.

Taylor and Hennig were signed at around the same time and the Egg was said to open the same damn Taker was going to debut.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

May 18, 2024 18:06:49 GMT -5 The Dark Order Inferno said:

Marc Mero making the jump to the WWF. He was a popular face with a lot of upside in WCW, a guy seen as having a bright future, so much so there was a bidding war over him. After the jump to the WWF, he got exposed, hurt then the creepy Vince duo decided to use him as a means to push his untalented wife to megastardom. His career collapsed, his marriage ended and he ended up shunned by wrestling for the most part because he spoke out during the Benoit fallout.

I don't know about his fate being a choice. He wasn't exactly what they wanted but he was pretty over, great in ring.

I'd put it more down to his injury in early 97, it looked like him and Sable were going more heel, it happened about 2 weeks into something with the Undertaker. Then he was out and was basically forgotten, that's when Sable started getting the mega push and when he came back he wasn't half the worker he had been.