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Post by The Rick Jericho on Jan 2, 2018 20:57:01 GMT -5
To sum it up in a word: fun.
Loved him as US Champion and the club he always brought to the ring with him. Even the Belfast brawl at mania against JBL was great.
We could use more vets today like him who could keep up with the young guys of today.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2018 22:33:53 GMT -5
I adored his run up until they turned him face with Hornswoggle. Finlay was pretty much the perfect mid card gatekeeper type heel.
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Post by Joe Neglia on Jan 2, 2018 22:51:49 GMT -5
Everything he did in WCW post-Regal bored me. When he arrived in WWE, I just thought "Of all the ex-WCW guys to bring back this late in the game...Finlay???" And yet, somehow it worked for a while.
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
FANatic
Writer, Lover of all things Wrestling. Analytical, Critical, Lovable (hopefully). Lets all have fun!
Posts: 232,669
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Jan 2, 2018 23:02:41 GMT -5
He LOVED to fight!
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Post by bootytea on Jan 2, 2018 23:06:07 GMT -5
Great run until becoming Hornswoggle's daddy.
I especially loved the feud with Lashley.
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Jan 2, 2018 23:13:53 GMT -5
His character was great: just an older dude who still wants to beat people up.
My favorite part of that run is when someone baseball slid out of the ring, but he trapped them in the apron and just started beating the shit out of them. Had never seen that spot before that I can remember, but it was one of those things that was so simply brilliant you wondered why no one else had done it.
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Post by Larryhausen on Jan 2, 2018 23:17:57 GMT -5
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Peeetah
Hank Scorpio
BANG
Posts: 5,380
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Post by Peeetah on Jan 2, 2018 23:25:40 GMT -5
I liked the bit when Batista was down.
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Post by 2coldMack is even more baffled on Jan 2, 2018 23:28:01 GMT -5
As others have said, his run was amazing up until they turned him face with Hornswoggle. Dude is just one of those natural heels. Not because he's a jerk, but because he's good at beating people up, and he's not particular about who catches those hands.
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schma
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 6,540
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Post by schma on Jan 3, 2018 0:47:28 GMT -5
I wanted him to beat Booker for the belt when he got to challenge him. In WCW I hadn't much cared for him, it's amazing how he made a phrase into a character that just worked. His name was Finlay and he loved to fight and I loved to watch it.
Sadly around that time I remember Vince did an interview where he said that he loved Finlay's style of wrestling but didn't think it was popular enough and so he would never be a world champion.
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Pensacola Tableheads
Patti Mayonnaise
Metal Maestro: Co-winner of the FAN Idol Throwdown!
Acknowledging the Tribal Chief since 2012
Posts: 38,378
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Post by Pensacola Tableheads on Jan 3, 2018 0:49:28 GMT -5
I wanted him to beat Booker for the belt when he got to challenge him. In WCW I hadn't much cared for him, it's amazing how he made a phrase into a character that just worked. His name was Finlay and he loved to fight and I loved to watch it. Sadly around that time I remember Vince did an interview where he said that he loved Finlay's style of wrestling but didn't think it was popular enough and so he would never be a world champion. Finlay, I believe, wasn't really hurt by being a midcarder, though. Maybe I'm just biased because I f***ing adore the guy, though.
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schma
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 6,540
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Post by schma on Jan 3, 2018 1:24:17 GMT -5
I wanted him to beat Booker for the belt when he got to challenge him. In WCW I hadn't much cared for him, it's amazing how he made a phrase into a character that just worked. His name was Finlay and he loved to fight and I loved to watch it. Sadly around that time I remember Vince did an interview where he said that he loved Finlay's style of wrestling but didn't think it was popular enough and so he would never be a world champion. Finlay, I believe, wasn't really hurt by being a midcarder, though. Maybe I'm just biased because I f***ing adore the guy, though. Oh yeah he wasn't hurt and I still liked him well enough even if he didn't win the belt. It's just that when he reminded King Booker that he loved to fight the place erupted and for a moment I was kinda like, yeah I want that. I want Finlay as champ. Still he did fine without it. I think it bothered me more that here was the head of the WWE just flat out publicly declaring that this guy would never be a world champ.
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Post by Ryback on a Pole! on Jan 3, 2018 1:28:31 GMT -5
Finlay was great. I miss him.
His feud with Lashley was excellent. Also enjoyed his feud with Rey.
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Post by OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 on Jan 3, 2018 2:15:42 GMT -5
One of my favorite heels, it's a shame that he arrived to the wwe during his final years, he debuted when he was 47.
He obviously wasn't at his peak like when he was in Germany or England, or even WCW, but in wwe he did a lot of small things that I thought were cool, like using the ring canvas to choke his opponent, or that the only way he won or lost every match was by being able to use the shillelagh weapon.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2018 2:54:19 GMT -5
From another thread... I've never been able to find footage of this, so I hope at least one other person remembers it, likely to only be UK/Ireland based members who would have seen it though... Just prior to a tour of the UK and Ireland in probably 2006, WWE ran some old fashioned promo segments to promote the house shows. You know the type, a wrestler has 30 seconds to talk about his match and who he's facing. "My name is Stryker and in Cardiff on the 31st I'm going to kick AN Other's ass!" kind of deal. Anyway, Fit Finlay was facing JBL. And what he said to promote this was pure nightmare fuel. Delivered with full Arn Anderson style has-anyone-told-them-this-isn't-real conviction he said he and his friends were going to give JBL a Belfast style welcome. They were going to batter him, bundle him the in trunk of his limo and then push the limo into a Loch. No talk of wrestling, of Celtic Crosses or avoiding the Clothesline from Hell. No, he had gangland killing in mind. PLEASE tell me someone remembers this. He was awesome. I don't usually mind crowd reactions, but when they chanted BORING at Finlay and Regal during their match at Night of the Liver Enzymes I was fuming.
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Post by Tea & Crumpets on Jan 3, 2018 5:54:36 GMT -5
Always loved Finlay but then I'm a shameless mark for his and Regal's entire generation of UK grapplers- I'm possibly the only person in the world who enjoyed Dave Taylor's WWE run.
Finlay was the perfect permanently credible heel midcarder. Could believably win or lose in a match against anyone.
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Squirrel Master
Hank Scorpio
"Then the Squirrel Master came out of left field and told me I'm his bitch!"
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Post by Squirrel Master on Jan 3, 2018 6:14:09 GMT -5
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Jan 3, 2018 6:59:38 GMT -5
One of my favorite heels, it's a shame that he arrived to the wwe during his final years, he debuted when he was 47. He obviously wasn't at his peak like when he was in Germany or England, or even WCW, but in wwe he did a lot of small things that I thought were cool, like using the ring canvas to choke his opponent, or that the only way he won or lost every match was by being able to use the shillelagh weapon. I thought the dynamic of Finlay's age being interesting, because in the post-Monday Night War era of WWE, you don't have a whole lot of guys who are fit these three criteria. - In the twilight of their career (mid to late 40s)
- Not a multiple time world champion
- A fresh face in the company
He just brought an interesting dynamic to Smackdown because he could be a gatekeeper to the main event or mentor a young up-and-comer, and with no danger of being stale to the current WWE audience. Compared to say Regal, who was in the same boat, but had trouble getting his tandems with Burchill or Taylor off the ground because audiences were either fatigued with him, or were confused whether he was a heel or face.
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msc
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,352
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Post by msc on Jan 3, 2018 8:56:11 GMT -5
I thought it was incredible. Someone who had been great back in the day, but his WCW run never came to much thanks to injuries, suddenly coming out of retirement and having a career run? Loved it. Also he had a bunch of really good matches with Lashley, Benoit, various cruiserweights, Rey, etc.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2018 9:31:21 GMT -5
From another thread... I've never been able to find footage of this, so I hope at least one other person remembers it, likely to only be UK/Ireland based members who would have seen it though... Just prior to a tour of the UK and Ireland in probably 2006, WWE ran some old fashioned promo segments to promote the house shows. You know the type, a wrestler has 30 seconds to talk about his match and who he's facing. "My name is Stryker and in Cardiff on the 31st I'm going to kick AN Other's ass!" kind of deal. Anyway, Fit Finlay was facing JBL. And what he said to promote this was pure nightmare fuel. Delivered with full Arn Anderson style has-anyone-told-them-this-isn't-real conviction he said he and his friends were going to give JBL a Belfast style welcome. They were going to batter him, bundle him the in trunk of his limo and then push the limo into a Loch. No talk of wrestling, of Celtic Crosses or avoiding the Clothesline from Hell. No, he had gangland killing in mind. PLEASE tell me someone remembers this. He was awesome. I don't usually mind crowd reactions, but when they chanted BORING at Finlay and Regal during their match at Night of the Liver Enzymes I was fuming. To be fair it was two aligned heels facing each other for no reason beyond the face got sick. I can kind of understand why no one cared.
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