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Post by seano on Jul 11, 2007 14:37:49 GMT -5
It wasn't really a flop. He wrestled for the WWF title in 99. So did the Big Bossman.
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Post by TheMediocreWarrior on Jul 11, 2007 14:46:10 GMT -5
I would have marked for a Bossman title win.
I'd say overall it was a flop, because it went downhill after 2 months. But my first mark out moment was his surprise comeback on Smackdown to win the hardcore title. I started watching in 1999 and had heard of the Bulldog but never saw him wrestle until that point, so I thought his comeback was cool.
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Post by Slammywinner on Jul 11, 2007 14:49:15 GMT -5
It wasn't really a flop. He wrestled for the WWF title in 99. So did the Big Bossman. Are you insinuating the Bossman in 99 was a flop? bulldog maybe, but not Bossman. you know, it's remarkable they got back in and got to wrestle for the title, especially considering the health of Bulldog. I guess success is subjective. HBK for example had the most successful return in wrestling history. He shouldn't have been physically able to get back in the ring. He wrestled one match at Summerslam and it was good, maybe great, especially for a near-crippled guy. If that was that, it would have been a success. Several years later and he's back to HBK form and no one remembers that he was out with a career ending back problem. Bulldog was injured as bad or worse than HBK. He had a great month, then it became clear he was having a hard time keeping in ring condition like the days of old. If he would have gone away after that month, it would have been a nice short run. It certainly was too bad that he couldn't rebound the way HBK did. But te fact he got back to the major leagues and wrestled a main event of the belt and the wrestled the company's biggest star is pretty successful. Then again, the whole dog poop thing doesn't ring of success...
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Post by Hensley on Jul 11, 2007 15:14:41 GMT -5
Flop
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Post by peopleschamp on Jul 11, 2007 15:48:17 GMT -5
Yeah it was the toll of his injuries and substance abuse that made his in-ring work so poor it can only be considered a flop. I do remember that the jeans look was down to the state of Davey's legs dont know what sort of condition those were in but must have been something bad.
He is a Guy however, along with The Dynamite Kid who should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Also hopefully his legacy will be helped with his son Harry Smith too maybe a Title Win at The New Wembley Stadium 20 Years after SummerSlam 1992 Perhaps?
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Post by Austin's Middle Finger on Jul 11, 2007 17:22:23 GMT -5
HATED the jeans. Combined with the short hair and the pink, bloaty physique he looked like one of the Default characters from the videogames.
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Joie De Vivre
Hank Scorpio
There's always next year.
Posts: 5,278
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Post by Joie De Vivre on Jul 11, 2007 17:35:15 GMT -5
"WHERE MY TITLE SHOT!?"
That's one of the few highlights of his '99 run for me. Other than that I hated it. Poor Davey.
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Post by dudekindjack on Jul 11, 2007 17:47:56 GMT -5
sadly, i remember his last WWF run as wanting the title shot, and him hitting steph with the chair...
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Post by Metalheadbanger Man on Jul 11, 2007 17:54:44 GMT -5
Wasn't he teamed up with Val Venis briefly for some reason? To be honest, it wasn't really a great run, he was only included in that 6-Pack Challenge match to replace The Undertaker if I remember correctly...
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 29,086
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Post by Sephiroth on Jul 11, 2007 17:59:42 GMT -5
Sadly yes, his last run was a flop. I got the impression that Vince was genuinely interested in pushing him at first. He was the last of the Hart family who had not burned his bridges with the WWF at that time, remember. The jeans were probably to cover his legs, but let us also remember it was the attitude era, and the jeans, coupled with shorter hair, were probably to make him look "tougher" or "meaner."
And yes, his substance abuse and injuries had taken their toll on him at the time. But let us also not forget that the main event scene at the time was simply too damn crowded. How could Davey Boy possibly hope to compete with Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley, Big Show, and The Undertaker? Honestly, even at his peak with the Hart Foundation, he could not have hoped to stand shoulder to shoulder with that kind of competition. And as beat up and doped up as he was at the time, there was simply no way.
I wish they had held his re-debut back by a few months, if not a year. By then the main event scene would have thinned out a bit, even if Triple H, The Rock, and Austin were still the top three. Then, there would have been more room for his star to shine. And he would have had a chance to clean up and shape up. Also, there would have soon been Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Chris Benoit for him to compete with, all of which would have been dream matches.
Rest in peace, Davey, rest in peace.
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