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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Oct 25, 2019 21:33:53 GMT -5
OK, we've had a lot of posts critiquing the gimmick change for Chad Gable ever since the trademarks came through and people started teasing him about his height. There are valid issues for sure.
BUT... For the first time in a while, I watched close to a full SmackDown, most notably the main event tag match. I see Ali going for a hot tag to this guy dressed up like a draft design for a mid-'90s NBA expansion team and... big crowd pop for him. He got in there, whupped some ass for a bit, got some great moves in, and the crowd was hot for him. By god, the dude's actually getting over.
Now, is it solely because of his gimmick change? Probably not. The gimmick only really took its final form tonight, and it was a pretty hot crowd in general for that match. Also, as much as a lot of the presentation comes off as a joke, Shorty's been booked as anything but a joke. Since the first match after this "angle" started, he's gone on a very impressive run of 8-2-0. And with that only coming since the end of August, that indicates a regular TV presence for him, which means that he's been a given a lot of opportunity to GET over. In contrast, his results for the year leading up to that match, without any of the insults of his height and thus being taken at face value as a serious competitor, led to a so-so record of 5-9-0, those nine losses coming consecutively. Those were actually his last appearances on the main roster before picking up two wins in a brief 205 Live run.
Of course, we'll have to see how things pan out from here, but the early indications seem to be that, while the Shorty G branding may not necessarily be getting him more over, it may not be hurting him as much as it could be.
TL;DR: The more they insult him about his height, the better he gets booked?
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Post by ben:friendship frog on Oct 25, 2019 21:37:18 GMT -5
Hes getting a push and I'll never complain about that. I met him in London about 4 years ago and he was such a nice guy (as was Jordan), I only saw parts tonight and when I saw Gable's gear I was mortified.
BUT he's got the talent to make it work. He can be a goof like Angle, give him time in the ring and he will always get over.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2019 21:44:10 GMT -5
Shorty G sounds like an early 90s bay area rapper name
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Perd
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Post by Perd on Oct 25, 2019 21:45:59 GMT -5
It just seems like an unnecessary hoop to have to jump through. He was getting over during the KotR jus fine as Chad Gable. Now, the Shorty G thing is working, so far. But there was plenty of reason to be incredulous when it was first reported. It’s a moniker that could’ve easily backfired.
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Post by Starshine on Oct 25, 2019 22:01:58 GMT -5
I just watched the Youtube clip and think we've forgotten waht genuine exited cheers sound like. It sounded about the same you'd expect from any typical midcard hot tag segment. I get it, WWE crowds are so silent that if a pin drops it sounds like a dam bursting at this point, but there's no signals that he's over in any significant way. Just wait until Vince gets bored of the joke and he's shunted back down to hanging around catering instead.
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Post by The Heartbreak TWERK on Oct 25, 2019 22:03:55 GMT -5
He was getting over before the Shorty Gable name was uttered on TV. So it's unnecessary garbage meant for Vince to sit there like the old decaying bully that he is and laugh because "HE'S SHORT PAL, GOOD SHIT!"
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Oct 25, 2019 22:10:15 GMT -5
I just watched the Youtube clip and think we've forgotten waht genuine exited cheers sound like. It sounded about the same you'd expect from any typical midcard hot tag segment. I get it, WWE crowds are so silent that if a pin drops it sounds like a dam bursting at this point, but there's no signals that he's over in any significant way. Just wait until Vince gets bored of the joke and he's shunted back down to hanging around catering instead. That's why I was like "Was it just a good crowd for them tonight?". Like I said, I haven't watched as much of a single episode for a while as I did tonight, all I've got otherwise are the win/loss records I keep for the points rankings, which seemingly indicates a recent and consistent push for the man that comes off as completely opposite to the mean-spirited basis of his new gimmick. I suppose you gotta start somewhere if you want to get these live crowds as engaged in your product as they used to be (or as they ARE in NXT and AEW), especially when main roster WWE is in the depths as much as it is. |
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Post by Starshine on Oct 25, 2019 22:12:31 GMT -5
I just watched the Youtube clip and think we've forgotten waht genuine exited cheers sound like. It sounded about the same you'd expect from any typical midcard hot tag segment. I get it, WWE crowds are so silent that if a pin drops it sounds like a dam bursting at this point, but there's no signals that he's over in any significant way. Just wait until Vince gets bored of the joke and he's shunted back down to hanging around catering instead. That's why I was like "Was it just a good crowd for them tonight?". Like I said, I haven't watched as much of a single episode for a while as I did tonight, all I've got otherwise are the win/loss records I keep for the points rankings, which seemingly indicates a recent and consistent push for the man. I suppose you gotta start somewhere if you want to get these live crowds as engaged in your product as they used to be (or as they ARE in NXT and AEW), especially when main roster WWE is in the depths as much as it is. Fair point. Even if the guy actually gets any traction, I just have no faith in it going anywhere with Vince running things. Dude is, if nothing else, very predictable in his booking ticks and mechanisms. |
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Post by bearned on Oct 25, 2019 22:18:04 GMT -5
If he got the same push as just same old Chad Gable, he would be just as over as he is with the dumb shorty gimmick. Of course now he is getting over a bit, Vince is going to be like ‘See! I still got it pal!’
This is just another hoop that a guy that Vince doesn’t ‘get’ has to go through for a push.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2019 22:19:55 GMT -5
I'm watching SDL now and seeing how he is in that opening segment makes sense for me. He was sorta nervous and seemed off by embracing who he is because he's finally doing it so it's just a matter of him finding that swag the longer he does this guy. I'm liking it.
Speaking of which, here's what Gable said in an interview today about his new character.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2019 23:45:00 GMT -5
He looks like a f***ing moron now. I saw a picture of his outfit and I was just blown away with how goddamn awful he looks. Like....how is that supposed to get over?
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Post by Slingshot Suplay on Oct 25, 2019 23:51:28 GMT -5
I'm not supporting that shit. He would be over regardless if they booked him seriously instead of as a joke from the breakup of American Alpha.
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Post by "The Natural" Bustin Loads on Oct 26, 2019 1:24:46 GMT -5
Lot of talk about Shorty G's spot
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Oct 26, 2019 1:50:45 GMT -5
It would be nice if they actually casted a short guy for this gimmick. He's no shorter than any of the Cruiserweights they brought over in the Draft, and is in fact the height of the average American adult male. I highly doubt he was bullied for being short in school like the gimmick claims.
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spagett
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Post by spagett on Oct 26, 2019 4:14:39 GMT -5
I don't get this embracing who he is talk.
He's a man slightly below average height. Hell, maybe he's even average height. Either way he's certainly not short enough for it to be a big deal.
This isn't some major disability or illness, it's not some giant hurdle to overcome or feelgood story.
This is, as with everything in WWE, about making Vince laugh. Just having Chad Gable go out there, wrestle and actually win matches was always going to start to get him over because he's a f***ing awesome wrestler. This Shorty G thing is total nonsense.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2019 4:42:32 GMT -5
They were even ripping his new attire on Backstage.
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Oct 26, 2019 5:48:23 GMT -5
They were even ripping his new attire on Backstage. For what it’s worth, Gable’s changed his look so many damn times in the last year. A year ago, he still looked like he did in American Alpha, but since then he’s gone the Roode cosplay (but with the long hair and headband), dude in regular trunks with short hair, and now... “Entering the 1994-1995 NBA season, it’s the San Jose Xtremerz”. |
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Post by PTBartman on Oct 26, 2019 6:19:27 GMT -5
They were even ripping his new attire on Backstage. For what it’s worth, Gable’s changed his look so many damn times in the last year. A year ago, he still looked like he did in American Alpha, but since then he’s gone the Roode cosplay (but with the long hair and headband), dude in regular trunks with short hair, and now... “Entering the 1994-1995 NBA season, it’s the San Jose Xtremerz”. And yet they refuse to let him wear a sombrero. Sometimes I think they don’t want a new boom period. Sometimes I think they don’t want to print money. |
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Post by Citizen Snips on Oct 26, 2019 6:28:46 GMT -5
After all the talk about his outfit, I went to WWE's stie and sure enough they had a picture first thing you see. My train of thought.
1. Good Lord, that's awful.
2. Hey, Jimmy Hart's there!
3. God, that's the worst outfit I've ever seen. They could call him Blood-Drinker Killmonger and he'd still be the world's biggest dork in that outfit.
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Post by Final Countdown Jones on Oct 26, 2019 6:47:51 GMT -5
Even if he gets over in spite of the gimmick, it's still nonsensical to saddle someone with a stupid gimmick just to see if they're 'good enough' to make it work. Even if he's overcoming it, to just string up the sword of Damocles over everyone and see if they make it work is counter-productive to building up stars, and for someone who isn't really a comedy guy, it feels weird to miscast him like that. Only Vince thinks he's short, which makes the whole thing feel disingenuous and dumb, and his whole inspirational angle feels like something you stick onto a deluded heel instead of a face we're supposed to cheer. You never want "in spite of" to be how you describe someone getting over.
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