Sandman

[Peeetah]

Does anyone else think that the Sandman could have been a main eventer in a top promotion?

Honestly I think that he had (has?) the presence and charisma to be a great undderdog champion in the WWE(f). He was one of those guys that had the crucial it factor and although he wasn't exactly Kurt Angle in the ring he had enough to get by. I honestly think given the chance he could have been the working class hero the 'E wishes Cena was.

What say you 'Crappers?

[Deleted]

Nope, he was just way too limited in the ring and, his behavior outside was too crazy.

[Bubble Lead]

Wrestler and character wise, yes.

Sure he was limited in the ring but so was Austin after his injury. Sandman was a brawler and thats what people wanted to see out of him. Similar to Mick Foley.

He could have been big after he was drafted to RAW. The only thing though, is that Sandmans lifestyle and personality would never mesh with being a representative of a company like WWE.

[Peeetah]

Sandman is a complete and utter pisshead yeah but I think if WWE had offered him a place in the upper midcard he would have cut down enough to do the work that such a role entaled. Also I don't think he is any more limited than Cena Batista or Jeff Hardy as far as in ring ability goes.

[Deleted]

Oct 8, 2009 22:23:57 GMT -5 Peeetah said:

Sandman is a complete and utter pisshead yeah but I think if WWE had offered him a place in the upper midcard he would have cut down enough to do the work that such a role entaled. Also I don't think he is any more limited than Cena Batista or Jeff Hardy as far as in ring ability goes.

See, that is where I greatly disagree. Cena, Bats and Hardy have shown they can pull off any match they are given, it may not be the best on the card but, is usually far from the worst. In WWE and WCW his matches outside of the hardcore realm usually blew, IMO. He was given a strong role in ECW and, then moved to the A show and, was set to be a regular but, couldn't stay straight. Hell, even as top guy in Heyman's ECW, he was unreliable.

[triplealbert]

Yeah, come on. I like ECW Sandman and all that but he's just one of many ECW guys who were protected heavily by a promotion that needed to cover all weaknesses whenever and wherever possible.

[MolotovMocktail]

He was in the middle of a nice push up to his release, so I think he could have stayed in the upper midcard and been a player.

[Bubble Lead]

Oct 8, 2009 23:22:37 GMT -5 triplealbert said:

Yeah, come on. I like ECW Sandman and all that but he's just one of many ECW guys who were protected heavily by a promotion that needed to cover all weaknesses whenever and wherever possible.

Part of the job of a booker is to cover weaknesses and book to someones strengths, though.

Look at the majority of WWE main eventers. They arent technical marvels, in some cases not even the strongest mic workers or the most charismatic. Yet WWE books them in a way that makes them look good and has fans overlook the aspects they are lacking in. Cena wouldn't get over in the indies but in WWE he is the top guy.

Do I think Sandman would usher WWE into a new era of prosperity, no. Do I think he could have been an upper midcard or higher with the right booking, yeah. Especially in Attitude Era WWE, or at the tail end of Attitude.

[Deleted]

Around the time he left WWE, the newz sites were saying that McMahon really dug Sandman and his character, and that's why he was moved to Raw.

Sandman said in a shoot interview though that he knew he couldn't be a top dog on Raw and didn't want to be there. He also got into a fight with someone (forget who) over holding an unlit cigarette on a plane, and then asked for his release.

So, long story short, McMahon wanted to push him, but he didn't want to be there.

[Ass Dan]

He should've put on a gas mask and a trenchcoat. You've got a star there.

[BrodietheSlayer]

He probably wouldn't have been RAW World Champion, but I think he would have been a solid mid-carder.....the guy was really starting to get over before his release.

I think Dreamer would have been a better choice for a "Fluke" champion......I honestly think WWE dropped the ball by not having something like this happen in 2002/3.

[eDemento2099]

Oct 8, 2009 22:11:05 GMT -5 @jinxed said:

Nope, he was just way too limited in the ring.

That didn't stop the WWF from pushing Steve Austin to the moon after he incurred his neck injury. Whereas Austin did little but punch, kick, and stomp his opponents after becoming injured, the Sandman was still going at it with his full (although somewhat limited) repertoire.

Sandman's character was enough to make him world champion. The WWF made Austin their world champion even when he could barely do anything besides punch in the ring, and Austin's character wasn't even original - it was based off The Sandman's!

[BrodietheSlayer]

Oct 9, 2009 3:30:18 GMT -5 eDemento2099 said:

Oct 8, 2009 22:11:05 GMT -5 @jinxed said:

Nope, he was just way too limited in the ring.

That didn't stop the WWF from pushing Steve Austin to the moon after he incurred his neck injury. Whereas Austin did little but punch, kick, and stomp his opponents after becoming injured, the Sandman was still going at it with his full (although somewhat limited) repertoire.

Sandman's character was enough to make him world champion. The WWF made Austin their world champion even when he could barely do anything besides punch in the ring, and Austin's character wasn't even original - it was based off The Sandman's!

I wouldn't say based off of, but I'd definitely say Inspired by. Austin definitely picked up the skills to be a True main event player during his time in ECW, and I respect Austin because he's man enough to admit that/pay homage to ECW.

[Metalheadbanger Man]

I enjoyed his 2007 RAW run actually, save for that Singapore Cane On A Pole match he had with Carlito, which ended when...he got pinned.

But yeah, I reckon he may have had an IC Title run had he stayed. Dude was pretty damn over.

[thesam07]

Could Sandman have the energy and stamina to remain a top guy in a major promotion?
Being the "top guy" requires you to be at your very best. And despite how awesome Sandman is, I doubt he has the athletic ability to stay at peak physical condition.

[Youngie]

I don't think Sandman in place of Austin would have worked. Austin wasn't really a drunk just a cold blooded guy who drank a bit too (sure why not?). Whereas Sandman was a drunk who liked to drink. He didn't have the same charisma as Austin. And Sandman was fat too. He didn't look like a world champ. And he couldn't really wrestle.

Anyway besides that Sandman seemed to be very watered down when he joined WCW in the late 90's.

[Deleted]

Oct 9, 2009 3:30:18 GMT -5 eDemento2099 said:

Oct 8, 2009 22:11:05 GMT -5 @jinxed said:

Nope, he was just way too limited in the ring.

That didn't stop the WWF from pushing Steve Austin to the moon after he incurred his neck injury. Whereas Austin did little but punch, kick, and stomp his opponents after becoming injured, the Sandman was still going at it with his full (although somewhat limited) repertoire.

Sandman's character was enough to make him world champion. The WWF made Austin their world champion even when he could barely do anything besides punch in the ring, and Austin's character wasn't even original - it was based off The Sandman's!

Austin could still go and proved that in matches with Benoit and Jericho, he just couldn't go all the time because of the injury. However, he was already built up in the fans eyes and, they didn't care after that. Sandman didn't have either of those luxuries in WWE and his WCW run proved he couldn't make it outside of Hardcore runs.

As for Austin being a Sandman ripoff, please. Drinking beer does not make him a rip off. On top of that, despite it being backwards, if Sandman came to WWE in the late Attitude Era, early 2000s as some suggest, he would seen as an Austin rip off by a lot of fans, so that shouldn't even matter.

[wasimperviz]

Oct 8, 2009 22:10:05 GMT -5 Peeetah said:

Does anyone else think that the Sandman could have been a main eventer in a top promotion?

Honestly I think that he had (has?) the presence and charisma to be a great undderdog champion in the WWE(f). He was one of those guys that had the crucial it factor and although he wasn't exactly Kurt Angle in the ring he had enough to get by. I honestly think given the chance he could have been the working class hero the 'E wishes Cena was.

What say you 'Crappers?

I lke Sandman but I feel the only place he could have been big was ECW which he was. He did not fit the style of WWE or WCW in my view. WCW tried to push him and WWE just wasted him.

[derrtaysouth95]

I say yes he could have.

Sandman likes to play by HIS rules though and doesn't want to be told what to do. He isn't exactly a company guy or a guy who can be the face of your company based on his behavior.

In theory yes. In practice no.

[DavidArquette]

I can see him being pushed as Intercontinental Champion. I think he'd be able to pull that off, but I can't imagine him being a World Champion or even being in the running for a World title, and to be honest I don't want to.