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Post by chunkylover53 on Nov 22, 2007 11:13:03 GMT -5
I know everybody says that this person was great in one promotion, but once he entered McMahonland, he was ruined, which sometimes turns out to be true. The best known example I can think of is Terry Taylor. Before entering the WWF, he was a very accomplished athlete. Good looking, had alot of talent, and unlimited potential. Some people predicted he would be the next Ric Flair. Once he stepped foot in the WWF, his future was doomed. He was dubbed "The Red Rooster". He had a red mohawk, and was crowing. How embarassing. This wasn't just a simple mistake that could've been looked over, it stuck with him for the rest of his career. When he joined WCW in 1991 with a different gimmick, fans chanted "rooster" at him, and he still gets that to this day.
But anyway, who's career(s) did the WWE SAVE?
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin - The most famous example. In WCW he did have prior success as one half of the Hollywood Blondes(with Brian Pillman) and moderate success as a singles athlete, winning The Television and US title. I think he was in line for a World Title push, but once Hulk Hogan signed on the dotted line, Austin's title push was sidelined. Instead he was jobbing out to "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and fizzled down the card. He was later released from the company via phone call by Eric Bischoff which still aggrivates him to this day. Bischoff's reason? For not being marketable. The irony would kick him in the ass later, when The Texas Rattlesnake ventured through ECW then later hit the WWF. At first he was The Ringmaster managed by Ted Dibiase and was fueding with Savio Vega, but then when he ventured out on his own, he started developing a character. The start was when he won the King of The Ring tournament and gave us that now famous "Austin 3:16" speech. Despite being pushed as a heel, fans refused to boo him and were rooting him on. His match against Hall of Famer Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13 solodified his face turn when he refused to tap out of the sharpshooter. Even as a 10 year old mark, I knew he would become something from that one match. So 1997 was a very successful year for him winning the Intercontinental title on two occassions, won the 1998 Royal Rumble and then become the World Wrestling Federation champion at the following Wrestlemania. Shortly thereafter the WWF was experiencing at boom period it hasn't seen since the likes of Hulk Hogan. And this all happened because one man was overlooked.
I can think of more, but I'll let other name a few.
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Post by Loki on Nov 22, 2007 11:15:04 GMT -5
Pretty much every guy who appeared on WWF/E TV for more than one year and who got a title run. Especially after WCW went south.
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Mitch 4:20
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Post by Mitch 4:20 on Nov 22, 2007 11:15:42 GMT -5
well?
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Post by Hiroshi Hase on Nov 22, 2007 11:15:50 GMT -5
It's not like Bischoff had a magic crystal ball that he could see into the future to know that Austin would've gotten over as he did. Was it a mistake? Sure, but in business, it's not uncommon for someone to overlook a particular talent and they end up doing well elsewhere.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2007 11:20:32 GMT -5
HHH =)
"Jean Paul Levesque" didn't do too well in WCW, of course they started him off with the same character basically in WWE just a new name.
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Post by Dr. Bunsen Honeydew on Nov 22, 2007 11:22:07 GMT -5
It's not like Bischoff had a magic crystal ball that he could see into the future to know that Austin would've gotten over as he did. Was it a mistake? Sure, but in business, it's not uncommon for someone to overlook a particular talent and they end up doing well elsewhere. Problem is, Bischoff never gave him a chance, becuase he refused to even try.
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Hiroshi Hase
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Post by Hiroshi Hase on Nov 22, 2007 11:26:12 GMT -5
It's not like Bischoff had a magic crystal ball that he could see into the future to know that Austin would've gotten over as he did. Was it a mistake? Sure, but in business, it's not uncommon for someone to overlook a particular talent and they end up doing well elsewhere. Problem is, Bischoff never gave him a chance, becuase he refused to even try. Maybe so, and I'm sure Vince has done the same with a few people. It's at his discretion, people may not like it, but if he's the boss, he could do as he likes.
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Post by wolfmoon103100 on Nov 22, 2007 11:58:32 GMT -5
The reserection of Jim Duggan.
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Post by joeman on Nov 22, 2007 12:11:38 GMT -5
Kind of off topic but I don't how a popular indy wrestler that only the internet knows about goes to the WWE and all of a sudden gets "totaly ruined." Sure he won't be doing stupid moves like a Shooting Star Press, but he gets star recognition, instant higher pay raise, and a wider fan base. When the indy wrestler leaves the WWE, his pay rate is higher if he goes to an indy promotion this time rather than what he is initially paid there, since fans outside of that niche would come to see that person.
Trust me, I go a lot of small feds around Tampa and Ocala, and there is a promotion called First Class Pro-Wrestling. Some of these guys are popular due to their NWA affiliation, such as the Dirty South Boys, but outside of that and the local fans, hardly anyone knows about them. Jake Roberts scheduled to be there last summer, and the number of people there was larger than normal.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2007 12:21:14 GMT -5
Chris Jericho.
He wouldn't have got anywhere near the main-event in WCW.
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Post by Methusael86 on Nov 22, 2007 12:28:49 GMT -5
Basically anybody that jumped ship from WCW to WWF during the Attitude era. Most of them anyway.
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Post by chunkylover53 on Nov 22, 2007 12:29:42 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan is another example. He was massively over in the AWA, but Verne Gagne kept on screwing him. Vince McMahon basically capitalized on The Hulkster popularity.
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Post by wahoowah11 on Nov 22, 2007 12:43:04 GMT -5
Mick Foley
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Post by bigHEADinc on Nov 22, 2007 12:54:20 GMT -5
Aside from a few mentioned already (Foley, Hogan, Austin, Jericho)
Booker T While he was World Champion more times in WCW, he was given the ball and allowed to run with it way more in the WWE.
Big Show He was allowed to actually develop a personality.
Rey Mysterio Nobody thought Mysterio would ever win a World Title.
Eddie Guerrero This isn't even a question.
Chris Benoit While the end result was grim, they propelled his career.
Ric Flair I'm not saying the WWE made him famous, but it made him relevant again. Before, he was the overly chubby guy on the last episode of Nitro (And him wearing a shirt just looked really weird) that was on the downward slope of his career, but the WWE made him famous to a whole new set of fans at a point in his career when he shouldn't have.
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Post by cpbuff22 on Nov 22, 2007 13:01:33 GMT -5
Basically anybody that jumped ship from WCW to WWF during the Attitude era. Most of them anyway. Except Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko.
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Post by Agent P on Nov 22, 2007 13:13:17 GMT -5
I'd say Jeff Hardy. Vince went out on a limb to sign him, and so far it has paid off.
Hell, while we're at it, what would Matt Hardy's career be like now if he would have signed with TNA in 2005, instead of resigning?
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Post by chunkylover53 on Nov 22, 2007 13:29:57 GMT -5
Ric Flair I'm not saying the WWE made him famous, but it made him relevant again. Before, he was the overly chubby guy on the last episode of Nitro (And him wearing a shirt just looked really weird) that was on the downward slope of his career, but the WWE made him famous to a whole new set of fans at a point in his career when he shouldn't have. I know this is off-topic, but did you notice in 2001 he looked much younger? I mean, he looked young enough to be MY FATHER(I'm 20 years old BTW).
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bigHEADinc
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Post by bigHEADinc on Nov 22, 2007 15:11:19 GMT -5
Ric Flair I'm not saying the WWE made him famous, but it made him relevant again. Before, he was the overly chubby guy on the last episode of Nitro (And him wearing a shirt just looked really weird) that was on the downward slope of his career, but the WWE made him famous to a whole new set of fans at a point in his career when he shouldn't have. I know this is off-topic, but did you notice in 2001 he looked much younger? I mean, he looked young enough to be MY FATHER(I'm 20 years old BTW). I agree, and it's the same with another person who I think the WWE Saved... William Regal I mean, aside from the whole rehab thing, he's become immensely more popular and, as of this year, looks years younger than he ever has....
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Post by darbus alan on Nov 22, 2007 16:40:21 GMT -5
Ones that have already been mentioned:
Hulk Hogan Steve Austin Mick Foley Chris Jericho Eddie Guerrero Chris Benoit Rey Mysterio
Surprised no one mentioned the Undertaker. "Mean Mark Callous" wasn't exactly a big threat in WCW, then he went to the WWF and became one of the most legendary wrestlers in the business today.
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The Thread Barbi
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Post by The Thread Barbi on Nov 22, 2007 16:42:10 GMT -5
^^^ Was juuuust gonna post about "Mean" Mark. I wonder what became of him.
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