Does having an unbeatable aura hurt more than help?

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

Its just a thought I had. When was the last time someone had a run of barely losing (if ever) that didn't turn the fans against them within a year or so? I just wonder because it seems to be a common theme when it comes to wrestlers the crowd has turned against. Does it EVER help to come off as invincible these days? I think the audience tends to resent people who come off like they don't struggle at all. Obviously this applies more to faces than it does say a monster heel but even Brock seems to be a guy the audience is sick of, at least partially because he never loses.

[Deleted]

It can do both I think.

It worked for Asuka

[Deleted]

I think it helps a smaller star better than a bigger star. With the bigger guys we know how it all will play out. They'll be big, tough, dominating but eventually they'll be toppled in the same way as everyone else. Now, having an unbeatable smaller guy? A guy who's fast, crafty, skillful, a guy like that is basically a Swiss Army wrestler and a guy like that is a monster because while they have weaknesses, they still overcome. Like Bryan today fits the bill. Asuka used to fit the bill. It works to a degree.

But it all depends on how it's played.

[Deleted]

IDK about in WWE but in LU it worked perfectly for Matanza and they were consistent beginning to end with it ..he only got pinned twice in his whole run and the first time was after he took 7 other guys best finishers.

But in the end It really is just all in the story being told it was my issue with Asuka I knew she was inevitably going to lose and she did but then nothing came of it...it is why I always say it should have been Ember to end her streak because the story was ready made.

[4real]

Few people seemed to complain about Braun being so unbeatable earlier in the year.

Which doesn't make sense cos... look at Braun. Who should be beating him?

[Blindkarevik]

If I have one major pet peeve in wrestling it's undefeated streaks. Because the longer it goes, even if it helps get you over, eventually you have to look to how it'll end and it very rarely ends up having a good payoff.

[Shark]

It works depending on who is writing it. Asuka in NXT was booked unstoppable the right way. Get her on the main roster with those writers and they had no idea what to do.

[The Yes Man]

Depends on the person. In Ryback’s case, being undefeated was 90% of what he had going for him, so once he started losing his career dropped fast.

In the case of Asuka, she’s also really f***ing good, so losing didn’t hurt her that much. (Losing two straight PPV’s to Carmella did some damage though. But even then she was able to come back from that.)

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Streaks definitely, definitely work for getting someone over, but there are two issues:

1. If the fans hate someone, not indifference, not heat, if they actually dislike them, they are unlikely to take to someone being undefeated. Hello, Crimson in TNA. Also, Roman may never have had an undefeated streak of his own outside the Shield that was worth commenting on, but he is more evidence for this. By contrast, the Shield as a group almost never lost together and it took MONTHS for any of them to lose on their own, and Roman was last, and while nobody remembers the losses the three of them had really, the first ones, all three were made men to the fanbase afterwards.

2. You need to have a plan for afterwards. This is where almost all of these things fall down. Goldberg was one, Ryback was another. You need to plan when the streak will end, build to it, make it mean something, and by the time the undefeated guy gets defeated, he can't just have been the guy that wins matches a lot, otherwise you probably have nothing left afterwards.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

It helps if they’re on the rise. Once they’re a star, if one is serious about maintaining that wrestler’s star power, they should only drop to the “super tough to beat” tier. The way AJ tends to be booked is a good way to go about it, but I’d say Balor’s stalled momentum last year was a bad example.

I agree with something Cornette (yes, ol’ cranky Corny) said recently that fans do enjoy underdogs, but there’s also a good portion of fans- especially casual fans- who want to back a winner. It’s not that they’re fine with a wrestler who damn near never looks weak, that’s what turns some fans off of modern Brock. But it was also exciting watching Goldberg wreck dudes Tyson style, making fans wonder who could topple this beast. That factor also helps Brock a bit, as it helped other super strong faces.

When a company wants someone to really draw big money, they can only end segments with that wrestler laying on the mat so much before fans start to wonder why they should take this chump seriously.

I’d say that it’s best to end an unbeaten streak if there’s a plan in place to make another new star out of whoever snaps it. At any given point, there should always be a talent on a roster who’s on a roll.

[HMARK Center]

Jan 8, 2019 18:07:27 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Streaks definitely, definitely work for getting someone over, but there are two issues:

1. If the fans hate someone, not indifference, not heat, if they actually dislike them, they are unlikely to take to someone being undefeated. Hello, Crimson in TNA. Also, Roman may never have had an undefeated streak of his own outside the Shield that was worth commenting on, but he is more evidence for this. By contrast, the Shield as a group almost never lost together and it took MONTHS for any of them to lose on their own, and Roman was last, and while nobody remembers the losses the three of them had really, the first ones, all three were made men to the fanbase afterwards.

2. You need to have a plan for afterwards. This is where almost all of these things fall down. Goldberg was one, Ryback was another. You need to plan when the streak will end, build to it, make it mean something, and by the time the undefeated guy gets defeated, he can't just have been the guy that wins matches a lot, otherwise you probably have nothing left afterwards.

Yep, it's all about the follow-up: Okada's title run in NJPW did great business, but him losing would've meant nothing if he then didn't enter an angle (still ongoing) where he's now got to start doubting himself and dealing with adversity he didn't really have in his life before. You don't want to turn a guy who was unbeatable into a loser, like what almost happened with wrestlers like Rusev; you want to start the process of bringing new wrinkles to their character so that the next time they rise fans will still want to see it.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

It can be both

I feel like Asuka should have lost before she came to the roster but the aura still helped her and eventually they did have someone go clean over her which is obviously the goal

With Brock it worked for a while but they have still yet to have anyone on the main roster full time beat him clean therefore making his unbeatable aura a mute. Roman should have beaten him clean the first time and even Dean tho he didn't need a win to get a rub.

At some point you can't be final boss anymore. An L doesn't kill you. Okada was champ for 3 years and took L's in his matches which gave shine to others.