Honky Tonk Man was really out of place in 1997 WWF

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Apr 14, 2019 12:47:34 GMT -5 SirLucas said:

I'm curious to see how the original plan of having Honky w. Savio would have panned out instead of Honky/Rockabilly.

I don't really think it changes much, if anything.

Part of the reason acts like Backlund and Sheik managing Sultan or Honky Tonk Man mananging Rockabilly bombed was because the current climate of the WWF fanbase didn't give a shit about nostalgia acts, and if they did, they had bigger stars in those acts on Nitro. The people watching Raw wanted the edgier product primarily brought on by current day stars like Austin, Undertaker, Mankind, Shamrock, or were acts that hadn't slowed down by adapting to the times like the Hart Foundation. Even Legion of Doom was still kicking because they didn't feel completely out of place in 1997. What did feel out of place was Honky Tonk Man, doing the same Elvis impersonation gimmick, expecting to get a reaction simply because he was relevant a decade ago.

[Squirrel Master]

I think the reason for HTM was there in '97 was to get his assed kicked by the new talent.
HTM could have easily morphed into a different gimmick. Why not book him as Insane Wayne, in the style of Norman the Lunatic or as we saw later in Eugene?

[Perfect Timing]

Tatanka in 2006 was even worse.

[Deleted]

Didn't they sign Honky as a commentator originally, and the protege thing came a bit later? The talk at the time and over the years is that Disco Inferno indeed was going to be brought in as the protege, and they supposedly came close to signing him away from WCW but he backed out.

1997 really was the year the WWF transformed. Guys like HTM and Backlund and Sheik and Hillbilly were probably a way to keep that old flavor around in some fashion - certainly never hurts to have older talent who can work and draw heat - but as the year progressed the tide for the new and edgier stuff was overwhelming. Doses of nostalgia, while nice, were washed away if they didn't adapt - this batch of guys weren't and the fans knew it. In a couple years the nostalgia bug bit again and it caught on, but for a while there it was not a thing.

Apr 14, 2019 15:54:14 GMT -5 Tiger Millionaire said:

Hillbilly Jim was around in 1997.

With the Godwinns, and that schtick seemed to work. Once they turned Phineas and Henry heel, though, Jim was gone immediately and back to the front offices.



This was also the year Ivan Putski made a WWF in-ring return. Teaming with his son against Lawler, and as a one-off which IIRC seemed to get a good pop.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

The best thing to come from his run was him being used as the catalyst for why the NAO joined up.

He was trying to recruit Jesse James but when he couldn't, he got Rockabilly so he made the two fight. Instead they became friends, teamed with each other and just said "f*** this guy". One of the best segments they did that year.

[Aceorton]

Apr 15, 2019 6:21:59 GMT -5 @knapp said:

Didn't they sign Honky as a commentator originally, and the protege thing came a bit later? The talk at the time and over the years is that Disco Inferno indeed was going to be brought in as the protege, and they supposedly came close to signing him away from WCW but he backed out.

- Disco comes over from WCW to be HTM’s protege and feud with Jesse James
- It bombs, just like Rockabilly did
- The New Age Outlaws are the Road Dogg and ... Disco?

That certainly would have altered wrestling’s time/space continuum.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

And Vince wanted HTM to manage Triple H. Vince was already washed up more than twenty years ago.