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Post by Loki on Jan 20, 2007 5:17:21 GMT -5
Bret and Shawn, as good as they were at the beginning of their solo careers, looked too "small" to be taken as bona fide main eventers. Of course their ability and a smart (!) booking convinced me (and many others) otherwise.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley was a comedy gimmick but he evolved and has become one of the most dominant Superstar in recent history.
Bradshaw... do I need to explain?
Batista was Warlord 2002, and then got that mega-push...
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Post by Johnny Q Public on Jan 20, 2007 5:21:01 GMT -5
I'm a mark for Holly. I never thought he would main-event. When he did I was so psyched even though I knew he would never be given a run.
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Mista T
Unicron
THAT'S HARDCORE!!!1
Posts: 2,597
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Post by Mista T on Jan 20, 2007 5:26:51 GMT -5
Christian, JBL, Umaga.
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4real
Wade Wilson
Posts: 28,635
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Post by 4real on Jan 20, 2007 5:28:01 GMT -5
JBL and Eddie mostly. Just thought of Eddie as a midcard guy until 2002.
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Post by Allison Reynolds on Jan 20, 2007 5:34:50 GMT -5
Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw, The Deranged Mankind, that dark loner Edge, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, The Ringmaster, Deacon Batista, that plain guy John Cena who wrestled Angle that one night on SmackDown!, Rocky Maivia, that curly-haired guy who's Bob Orton's son all them and more JBL is proof that anything can happen to anyone, no matter how long you've stayed in the midcard. Batisita I thought was going to stay the generic silent hoss type in the mid-card. Interesting how things can change by great booking. That rookie, young Randy Orton was like a jobber who was fed to mid-carders, and main-eventing velocity. I stopped watching WWE for a little while and when I started watching again, I thought WTF! He's IC Champ now? Cena was also a plain young new guy when I first saw him. I came back to watch WWE and he's Orton's SD counter-part when I said: WTF!? He's US Champ now?
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Post by Brick Killed a Guy on Jan 20, 2007 6:01:21 GMT -5
JBL, definitely. At first, I thought Booker T getting the "King" gimmick would be his death sentence (for his career, at least). Boy, was I wrong. Edge Umaga Angle (didn't think his gimmick would stick when he first debuted) Mick Foley Steve Austin The Rock HHH (back when he started with the blueblood gimmick) Orton Cena "Deacon" Batista
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Post by Austin's Middle Finger on Jan 20, 2007 6:14:25 GMT -5
I'd say Kurt Angle. Back in early 2000 he seemed like a typical midcard comedy act. Fast forward to late 2000 and he's won a WWF world title and is in the Armageddon HIAC.
Don't get me wrong, I love Angle and he did a good job as champ, but I didn't see that one coming back then.
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Post by Nickie James on Jan 20, 2007 6:23:20 GMT -5
I never thought MVP would get involved with the Undertaker and Kane so fast. Does that count?
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Post by MOH [Still ''Le Sighing''] on Jan 20, 2007 6:30:43 GMT -5
JBL: It seemed so weird, from him just kicking back in the APA puffing on UNLIT cigars, how strange it was to see him to grow into one charismatic, awesome heel. Although I wasn't buying it at first.
Mark Henry: Guys been through everything, I remember him just getting the piss taken out of him in the Nation of Domination. Following that, he was the legendary ''Sexual Chocolate'' that set the bar for sports entertainment. Then floundering around in the midcard for a while, repeatedly picking up injury's and hanging around with Jeff Jarret. OVW for like ever then, everyone thought he was going to just stew down their until his ridiculous contract ran out. Then BOOM, he comes back as one bad ass heel, just like he always should have been booked.
Holly: Never understood why he got to main event. It just goes to show that if you're a prick and decide to not sell hardly anything in a match with the hottest prospect in wrestling, then you get sandbagged, you can get a good sympathy push that NO-ONE bought.
Le Sigh
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Post by careless on Jan 20, 2007 6:41:15 GMT -5
I saw one early E match of Cena's once before he was really had any type of gimmick and I immediately wrote him off as someone who didn't have "it". I just didn't see a nondescript goober with limited wrestling skills becoming one of the faces of the E. Boy did the gangster rap white boy poser thing take off. Fast forward to '07 and he's flippin' huge and I'm still not all that impressed with him.
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Mr Captain Falcon
Dennis Stamp
So I could write anything in here and it'll be posted?
Posts: 4,705
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Post by Mr Captain Falcon on Jan 20, 2007 7:21:32 GMT -5
Look at anyone who debuts. Noone really looks like they'd ever be in the main event, they just sorta evolve. Look at HHH. A Stuck up greenwich snob? He was so little then too. No mic skills either. The Ringmaster? What a cheesy gimmick. Go back and watch some of Brets Stampede Wrestling from WAY back. He was the original Mikey Whipwreck. Shawn Michaels was a ROCKER, a tag team wrestler. Edge came from the crowd and was a cronie in 2 stables, and he never smiled or spoke. Orton was the new blue chipper. Rock was the blue chipper. Cena was some guy who Kurt Angle never beat, and then Kurt Beat him.
Come on, the only 2 who really screamed Main Eventer when they debuted were Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar. Angle was the guy who could do every move, and Brock was the powerhouse who could not be stopped.
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Post by FrankGotch on Jan 20, 2007 9:14:30 GMT -5
Rikishi he actualy had a couple of shots at the World title when too cool was running wild, I mean really what the heck was that?
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Post by goodomens on Jan 20, 2007 9:44:46 GMT -5
Christian F'n Cage, as a singles wrestler. He was great with Edge, and he's great solo, but he always seemed so vanilla and boring. Didn't really seem like championship material.
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