Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,978
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Post by Mozenrath on Aug 5, 2023 1:49:17 GMT -5
I think the thing with him is broad appeal, to a degree.
I think there are at least a dozen guys on the roster that are significantly better than him, but he has a simple formula that works, and he's one of those guys who hasn't been done to death on TV yet, particularly to people who didn't follow him on Impact.
Personally, he doesn't do a lot for me, but I can sort of see where he'd resonate with certain people.
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Post by Mid-Carder on Aug 5, 2023 2:03:07 GMT -5
The problem with something like this is people go straight to "WORLD CHAMPION" and if he's not world champion he's being "BURIED" whereas all he really needs is storylines and focus. He's probably not world title level. He can absolutely have a great upper mid-card run and that's fine.
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fw91
Patti Mayonnaise
FAN Idol All-Star: FAN Idol Season X and *Gavel* 2x Judges' Throwdown winner
Tribe has spoken for 2024 Mets
Posts: 39,770
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Post by fw91 on Aug 5, 2023 2:03:53 GMT -5
It's about as ironic as having 1000 spoons, but only needing a knife.
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XIII
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 18,953
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Post by XIII on Aug 5, 2023 5:11:28 GMT -5
He’s not my cup of tea, but he has a decent look, is passable in the ring/has a brawling style, has a bunch of catchphrases and likely reminds people on some level of Austin/Rock because he is very derivative of them without being an absolute rip off. I can totally see why people are into him.
To be fair he was super over in TNA/Impact as well.
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Post by BorneAgain on Aug 5, 2023 5:13:34 GMT -5
I don't really get the LA Knight popularity myself, but when a guy's getting reactions like that, you do something big with him no matter what.
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FinalGwen
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Particularly fond of muffins.
Posts: 16,525
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Post by FinalGwen on Aug 5, 2023 5:40:28 GMT -5
If anything he reminds me of when everyone used to say that Mr Kennedy was the most charismatic man in the business and would be WWE champ in no time, and then he spent 10 years saying his (non copyrighted) name and calling himself an asshole.
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Post by Starshine on Aug 5, 2023 5:44:03 GMT -5
Kevin Nash thinks he’s just a Rock impersonator. That’s pretty rich when that guy's big break came from imitating a semi-truck. I don't think Nash is completely wrong here... but also who cares? If someone can do a half decent version of a popular gimmick (also see Hogan and Superstar Graham) it doesn't matter so long as it works. He's just playing a variation of a character WWE fans already love to get behind. That's not a bad thing.
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msc
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,560
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Post by msc on Aug 5, 2023 5:45:09 GMT -5
He's got the gift of the gab. Don't underestimate how quickly that gets people over with crowds.
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Post by thechase on Aug 5, 2023 6:00:36 GMT -5
If anything he reminds me of when everyone used to say that Mr Kennedy was the most charismatic man in the business and would be WWE champ in no time, and then he spent 10 years saying his (non copyrighted) name and calling himself an asshole. Kennedy/Anderson did carve out a decent career during his peak across both WWE and TNA circa 2006-2011, then he became unmotivated due to TNA always TNA'ing
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
FANatic
Writer, Lover of all things Wrestling. Analytical, Critical, Lovable (hopefully). Lets all have fun!
Posts: 245,103
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Aug 5, 2023 6:18:59 GMT -5
If anything he reminds me of when everyone used to say that Mr Kennedy was the most charismatic man in the business and would be WWE champ in no time, and then he spent 10 years saying his (non copyrighted) name and calling himself an asshole. Difference is Eli Drake has been over with his gimmick now in Impact, NWA when it was actually watchable, and now here in WWE It's not quite the same shtick every time too, he's evolved it, but it's worked each time. I can say that's a stark contrast to Kennedy who got one note pretty quickly. Idk if LA Knight will ever be world champion but the dude's a decent enough worker and he has a gimmick that has slowly grown on people since the Wyatt feud, I hope it's capitalized on.
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Post by HMARK Center on Aug 5, 2023 6:42:32 GMT -5
It's because he's got the shoes of a champion.
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Post by Feargus McReddit on Aug 5, 2023 6:45:01 GMT -5
The problem with something like this is people go straight to "WORLD CHAMPION" and if he's not world champion he's being "BURIED" whereas all he really needs is storylines and focus. He's probably not world title level. He can absolutely have a great upper mid-card run and that's fine. I mean, a lot of that is a self fulfilling prophecy that the company is slowly (iceberg slowly) getting over from years and years of telling you the main event is the only thing that matters so I can’t entirely blame people for that. But yeah, give anyone stuff of substance and things to do that interest people and he’ll be fine. Or even, I don’t know, actually feature him on PPVs and such.
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Push R Truth
Patti Mayonnaise
Unique and Special Snowflake, and a pants-less heathen.
Perpetually Constipated
Posts: 39,372
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Post by Push R Truth on Aug 5, 2023 8:25:47 GMT -5
Dude oozes charisma.
They are smart to not be trying to book him in 20+ minute wrestle clinics. Too often some people pretend that technical skill and pro wrestling skill as the same thing. They aren't.
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The Warthog
Unicron
Tell them, the warthog is back in business!
Posts: 3,392
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Post by The Warthog on Aug 5, 2023 9:10:49 GMT -5
I don't get him either but more power to those who like him. Maybe he'll grow on me after I check out some promos.
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jhbboy198917
Dennis Stamp
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Posts: 4,132
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Post by jhbboy198917 on Aug 5, 2023 10:41:09 GMT -5
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Post by Jindrak Mark on Aug 5, 2023 11:02:55 GMT -5
He's one of the only people ever to benefit from a Bray Wyatt feud. He was just a random midcarder getting little reaction but ever since that feud the pops have gotten bigger every week.
I only really got onboard and bought into the hype recently. I remember thinking while he would have gotten a big pop for winning MITB I can't picture him as world champion and working high quality PPV main event level matches so he'd just end up losing his cash-in. Not everyone has to be world champion anyway. If he beats Theory for the US title that will be a great moment for him.
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Post by ace on Aug 5, 2023 11:27:22 GMT -5
He presents himself differently than everyone else. That’s all it takes sometimes.
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Jonathan Michaels
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
The Archduke of Levity
Here since TNA was still kinda okay
Posts: 18,550
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Post by Jonathan Michaels on Aug 5, 2023 11:50:23 GMT -5
He's one of the only people ever to benefit from a Bray Wyatt feud. He was just a random midcarder getting little reaction but ever since that feud the pops have gotten bigger every week. I only really got onboard and bought into the hype recently. I remember thinking while he would have gotten a big pop for winning MITB I can't picture him as world champion and working high quality PPV main event level matches so he'd just end up losing his cash-in. Not everyone has to be world champion anyway. If he beats Theory for the US title that will be a great moment for him. The Bray thing cannot be overstated. Look what he did to Miz and Rollins. He ruined Rollins as a face, which considering the Brock of it all, is saying something. And he, not Shane, is what killed Miz’s second face run, having Miz feuding with Funhouse Bray and not involving the Fiend at all was colossally stupid. LA Knight surviving a Bray feud and coming out ahead is an achievement.
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Post by darbus alan on Aug 5, 2023 13:56:45 GMT -5
I've liked LA Knight since he was Eli Drake in Impact. He was also one of the early highlights of Corgan's NWA before he Corgan'ed it. He has a fun charisma to him, is solid in the ring, and also isn't an asshole.
Like, can I see him becoming WWE Champion anytime soon? Probably not, though he did alright as Impact Champ. But he got over own his own merits, especially after being saddled with the godawful Max Dupri gimmick.
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
Better have my money when I come-a collect!
Posts: 28,272
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Post by chazraps on Aug 5, 2023 14:22:51 GMT -5
I don't see the argument that he shouldn't be champion. He's getting mega reactions - don't just f*** around and have him win it in an unannounced match on some random Raw, but put him in a feud or a storyline where he can deliver in all the promos leading up to it. His in-ring work is super underrated too - when every single hold/move gets a reaction from the crowd - that means you're a great wrestler regardless what style or country you perform in. That's one of the very few universal truths of wrestling.
He has the full crowd, he can be the face of the company as he's excellent in media appearances, and he is constantly evolving - just slowly so as not to disrupt what works but also enough to keep it from going stale.
Some of these criticisms are reminding me of Orange Cassidy criticisms circa 2019 whereas now Orange is a more than believable potential main eventer.
I'll leave with this - and I mean this in all sincerity - who the f*** else on the roster could turn a Mountain Dew internet commercial into a genuinely compelling promo building to a match without it feeling corny, contrived or shoehorned in? This was the moment I knew he could lead the company:
If WWE's really not going with Cody, I'd have LA Knight be the one to dethrone Roman.
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