Zutroy
Don Corleone
That's preposterous. Zutroy here is as American as apple pie.
Posts: 1,933
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Post by Zutroy on Dec 17, 2021 16:18:36 GMT -5
Severs Apathy is probably a better description
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fg
Unicron
Gaming
Posts: 2,990
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Post by fg on Dec 17, 2021 17:07:17 GMT -5
It wasn't anything as loud as the Cena or Roman Reigns backlash, but it was significant in an era where crowds almost always went along with the heel/face alignments outside of the usual exceptions (a la Bret in Canada). Like a lot of things in WWE's revisionist history, a lot gets embellished for the sake of a better narrative. But the element was definitely there. The heel turn saved his career. Not only did it save his career, it kicked off his career to where he is now so to speak.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Dec 17, 2021 17:24:06 GMT -5
I remember the crowd definitely being against him at Wrestlemania against the Sultan. Other then that though I remember crowds just being very indifferent to him. It didn't come off like he was hated but he definitely wasn't over especially for how much they were pushing him. The whole white meat smiley face character was lame.
I thought he was kind of starting to turn the corner with that Mankind match in that he wasn't as happy go lucky and was more serious and really took it to Mankind and beat the crap out of him pretty good before losing. I thought maybe if they continued to go in that direction as this guy who is nice but realizes it's a dog eat dog world and has to be meaner and fight fire with fire maybe he would've eventually got over. However then he got hurt and they turned him heel and put him in the Nation when he came back which was really the perfect move creatively. Teh face experiment was a failure and it's always easier to get over as a heel then a face.
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hassanchop
Grimlock
Who are you to doubt Belldandy?
Posts: 14,796
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Post by hassanchop on Dec 18, 2021 0:18:59 GMT -5
There was more indifference this was the time the nWo kicked off and it seemed cool to cheer for the bad guys especially when Stone Cold was also kicking off and Bret Hart berating the fans for cheering him. Rocky seemed like filler this time. Personally I used to think he was related to Ahmed Johnson and not Rocky Johnson I remember Bob Backlund referring to him as Mr. Johnson and I was like this guy related to Ahmed? I was young and ignorant back then.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2021 0:33:48 GMT -5
At Wrestlemania 13 during the Rocky Maivia (c) vs The Sultan Intercontinental Title match, the fans were audibly cheering the Sultan over Rocky, even though the Sultan 1) was the heel, 2) was never particularly over himself. Should have ran with the Sultan, baby.
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,275
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Post by agent817 on Dec 18, 2021 1:46:00 GMT -5
As big a Jim Ross fan as I am, I feel like some hate had to do with him. Jim was at a crossroads of his career, IMO, from his early 90s high pitch that still very much favored wrestlers who may better fit in WCW to his slower, lower pitched voice after issues with bell's palsy. A guy like Rocky, a natural athlete and of course a football player, was a Jim Ross favorite, as were Furnas and LaFon who were about 20 years too late to be of interest to WWF fans. It seemed to be Jim Ross, more than Vince, who was trying to put Rocky over. Twenty years too late? If going by that era, you mean that Rocky Maivia, as well as Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon would have had more appeal in the mid-1970s? I could understand the 1980s, but the 1970s, that's a bit of a stretch depending on that era with the likes of Bruno, Backlund, Billy Graham, etc.
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Dec 18, 2021 3:38:29 GMT -5
Foley had a match with Rock, was asked his opinion, and Foley suggested they maybe cut their losses on pushing him. Yeah, it wasn't good. *Dwayne will remember this* Cut to Royal Rumble 1999…
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Dec 18, 2021 3:53:03 GMT -5
At Wrestlemania 13 during the Rocky Maivia (c) vs The Sultan Intercontinental Title match, the fans were audibly cheering the Sultan over Rocky, even though the Sultan 1) was the heel, 2) was never particularly over himself. Should have ran with the Sultan, baby. The sliding doors and butterfly effects of wrestling...
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Squirrel Master
Hank Scorpio
"Then the Squirrel Master came out of left field and told me I'm his bitch!"
Posts: 6,650
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Post by Squirrel Master on Dec 18, 2021 4:05:18 GMT -5
I could stand Rocky Maivia’s phony smiley face.
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thecrusherwi
El Dandy
the Financially Responsible Man
Brawl For All
Posts: 7,659
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Post by thecrusherwi on Dec 18, 2021 8:20:26 GMT -5
Should have ran with the Sultan, baby. The sliding doors and butterfly effects of wrestling... “HE GOT IT!!! MIKE TYSON IN! SULTAN IS THE CHAMPION!!! SUL-TAN! SUL-TAN! SUL-TAN! THE SULTAN ERA HAS BEGUN!!”
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Post by ianriccaboni on Dec 18, 2021 9:06:11 GMT -5
Sign me up for the "indifference" crowd although he got a massive reaction when they announced him from Bethlehem, PA in February 1997 at Stabler Arena.
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Post by jason1980s on Dec 18, 2021 10:03:06 GMT -5
Twenty years too late? If going by that era, you mean that Rocky Maivia, as well as Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon would have had more appeal in the mid-1970s? I could understand the 1980s, but the 1970s, that's a bit of a stretch depending on that era with the likes of Bruno, Backlund, Billy Graham, etc. Rocky was close to being on time but Furnas and LaFon's style was better suited for the 70s. They were talented wrestlers but had no charisma. Even Furnas's (I don't remember what LaFon said) quick quote at Survivor Series 1997 was boring. They did have a pretty great debut in WWF but after that it was downhill during the time they weren't out with injury.
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Post by Terry McConkey on Dec 18, 2021 13:21:13 GMT -5
I didn't like him personally as the Blue Chipper. He looked cheesy as f*** and why in the hell was I, a 15 year old, supposed to give a shit about Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia? I wanted to like him but they choose to shove him down peoples' throats.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2021 13:36:29 GMT -5
Should have ran with the Sultan, baby. The sliding doors and butterfly effects of wrestling... The Sultan: "You've merely adapted to the dark!"
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hassanchop
Grimlock
Who are you to doubt Belldandy?
Posts: 14,796
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Post by hassanchop on Dec 19, 2021 4:22:10 GMT -5
There was a mixed reaction in this one by mixed I mean there was some reacting positively to no reaction www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhjZRfMvDGQThough Sheik and Backlund talk throughout so hard to tell. At Wrestlemania 13 during the Rocky Maivia (c) vs The Sultan Intercontinental Title match, the fans were audibly cheering the Sultan over Rocky, even though the Sultan 1) was the heel, 2) was never particularly over himself. Should have ran with the Sultan, baby. The Sultan did it for The Rock
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Post by The Legendary Ring Troll {BLM} on Dec 20, 2021 12:11:40 GMT -5
Nah, that hatred was there. Rocky was VICIOUSLY hated. I don't know how it comes across now, I've never gone back and watched the old stuff, but at the time it was noticeable and Rocky was very much DOA.
And this was the mid 90's. There were no "smart" internet fans, just fans on boards on the internet. Rocky f***ing sucked.
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Post by jason1980s on Dec 20, 2021 12:16:31 GMT -5
And this was the mid 90's. There were no "smart" internet fans, just fans on boards on the internet. Rocky f***ing sucked. Just watching that one Raw match posted, his talent just wasn't in playing that type of character. It was like Road Dogg's talent wasn't able to play the Real Double J well or Al Snow couldn't play Lief Cassidy well. It was great when the Attitude Era or pre A.E. came along and these guys found what worked best with their talents. Rocky the character was a "future endeavor" waiting to happen and a huge "what if" if he hadn't turned heel originally. He might be a football coach or working a regular 40-60 week job for all we know.
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,485
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Dec 21, 2021 12:10:12 GMT -5
Nah, that hatred was there. Rocky was VICIOUSLY hated. I don't know how it comes across now, I've never gone back and watched the old stuff, but at the time it was noticeable and Rocky was very much DOA. And this was the mid 90's. There were no "smart" internet fans, just fans on boards on the internet. Rocky f***ing sucked. While it was tiny back then,there was Smart net fans.Look at RSPW. Hell at one time that place was THE PLACE online to talk wrestling. Had guys like Marc Mero and Bob Holly posting there. I can clearly remember at Beach Blast 92 the guys sitting in front of us having a copy of the Observer with them. By then I was reading it but had never met anyone else that knew what it was.
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Post by Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! on Dec 21, 2021 12:30:52 GMT -5
He wasn't getting Roman heat or even Cena heat or anything but yeah the audience thought he sucked and wanted him to piss off.
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Post by Psicofreak667 on Dec 21, 2021 19:03:24 GMT -5
If you're trying to compare The Blue Chipper to Reigns, Blue Chipper was wrestling when Vince knew he had competition and couldn't get away with just ignoring the fans. If WWF had ignored the worsening reactions Rocky was getting, repeatedly buried The Ringmaster to him while turning Bret Hart into his sidekick, and had him main event PPVs against various members of Los Boricuas, and kept this nonsense going for years, then yes, Blue Chipper would've been every bit as hated as Reigns was.
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