What gets a wrestler "over" to you?

[BizzarroNavarro]

Is it beating older legends and more well established wrestlers? Or winning the title or getting put into main event matches in PPVs or just plain old winning alot of matches or something else?

Im just curious cause it seems like when an older wrestler or just more established star returns or gets involved in a storyline, there seems to be some resentment if the older wrestler gets a win or just simply comes out on top in the fued. Now me personally I wouldnt mind rock winning his match at WM or if booker were to beat cody, or if orton beats barrett, or any other match up with an older star to a younger star. Now im not saying the older more established star should always come out on top and I know the old addage of " we need to build the newstars of tomorrow.." and they need to win matches and blah blah blah. I get it, I understand.

But In my opinion beating an older established star doesnt always make me say oh hey that new young guy is good now cause he beat a more over star. Kinda like how sheamus won the royal rumble, that doesnt make me see him as more over. He was already over in my opinion, to me just building a better character and getting more comfortable on the mic and getting better in the ring, is gonna get them over in my opinion. same with Cody Rhodes, he built himself a character and now hasa a personality and now I notice him more. Does it help that he beat booker? sure but honestly I would still like him even if he lost. So thats just my opinion, but how bout you guys, what really gets a new young guy over for you?

 

[MrAdam87]

Interesting thread, but hard to answer all the same.

I can only speak for myself, and in that case it varies and is difficult to pin point one key factor in what will help a wrestler get 'over' with me personally.
The one common factor that has been present in all cases in the decade + that I have been watching the product is in ring ability for sure, by this I mean all components of ring work. From that they also have to have some sort of relate-able/intriguing/exciting persona but this having to be coupled with well written and thought out story telling which any given wrestler can have only so much control over.

When speaking of Heels guys like Angle 00' and onwards in WWE, Jericho ect;
These guys managed to get over because of their natural ability and flair in the ring and on the mic.
With Faces it always tends to be natural athletic ability that will initially get a young up and comer over, think guys like The Rock, Orton, Cena, HHH and so on.

So in conclusion for me it is a series of factors and more often then not no set 'thing' that will get a wrestler over for me except maybe the base talents of ring work and mic work the rest would come with time and evolution of their in ring persona.



____________________
Just my humble opinion

 

[GrandSword]

Strong consistent booking and looking legit...

I know why everyone in the IWC loves Chris Jericho. He is the total package, except for one thing, he always loses... Yeah I know everyone says he is so over and so good on the mic and so good at what eh deos that he is like teflon, and he doesn't need to win, or have the belt to be over.. BUT

for me, he never wins a feud, he is always putting someone over and is always taking the pin. When he lost to Heath Slater on NXT, he basically lost the last shred of legitamacy he had with me. Then he lost again to JTG on SD! clean and so on and so on. He kept losing and I can't help but think it means nothing to beat him, so why should I care about him. Yeah he has good matches, yeah his mic skills are awesome, but he will never be over with me. He is like Santino without the punchline.

People can shit all over guys like Ultimate Warrior, Batista and Goldberg all they want, but they got wins, and they were massively over with the fans because they looked like they could beat you up.

 

[JaylisJayP]

All a wrestler needs to be for me is entertaining. That's it, it's so simple yet so difficult these days. Funny, intense, over-the-top, unique...can be a myriad different things so long as I'm interested.

They don't have to win, they don't have to be the best technical wrestlers, they just have to make me care about their character and thus care about following their story.

 

[trashboy]

All a wrestler needs to be for me is entertaining. That's it, it's so simple yet so difficult these days. Funny, intense, over-the-top, unique...can be a myriad different things so long as I'm interested.

They don't have to win, they don't have to be the best technical wrestlers, they just have to make me care about their character and thus care about following their story.

That's the same with me. As long as the wrestler entertains me, I'll cheer for 'em. I don't hate them just 'cause they're heel or like them just 'cause they're face. I like various faces and heels, as long as I'm entertained by them, they're over with me. Guys like Zack Ryder and Brodus Clay don't entertain me at all, therefore, not a fan of 'em. Also, they don't need to be "main eventers" for me to like 'em either. I hear alot on here about "why isn't so and so a main eventer" or whatever. Who cares if they're main eventers, not everyone needs to be in the ME.

Divas are a little different for me though, if they're smoking hot. I'm a fan.

 

[Foshinzo]

All they have to do to me to officially hit what I call, "over," is to garner the appropriate crowd reaction.

Crowd reaction is key for me to determine how much people care about a guy. I may not like John Cena, but he's definitely over, in some way. The same goes for Randy Orton. He's never been my favorite wrestler, but you can't deny the pop the guy gets. However, you can tell that CM Punk is finally over as a babyface because he gets a good face pop. Also, people chant their names, buy their shirts, etc. It just shows that people want to see more of you.

However, I draw the line with, "appropriate," crowd reaction, because sometimes people will cheer you to troll or be ironic. I don't consider Jack Swagger over if he gets a face pop, I'll just say that the audience was trying to be silly, or maybe it was just his hometown, or something. You have to get the reaction that you're supposed to get.

Cena gets cheered enough for me to say that he's definitely over. The older, male audience is sick of him, for the most part, so you can make a case that guys like Orton and Punk are more over than he is, in my eyes.

Guys like Rock were undeniably over by their pops and chants. Steve Austin, when the glass shattered at the start of his theme, was as over as pretty much anyone I've ever seen with that universal pop. Guys like Road Dogg were shockingly over. Just go back and watch WrestleMania XV. When he came out for his Intercontinental Title defense, everyone did his entrance with him. I consider that as being over.

 

[LegendKiller_RKO]

Like some of the posters said above Its all about the entertainment factor for me. I would love to see a new star arise but at the same time if an established star go over then its not the end of the world. And as the original poster said, I would like to see the rock go over cena also. If that happens then it may make cena seem slightly less invincible to make room for another rising star (IMO Sheamus, Barrett, Ziggler, Rhodes)

 

[gurvinder372]

I guess it would be as simple as

-- By making me care about their character

-- By entertaining and delivering quality stuff over and over again

-- By making me watch next episode of RAW because I want to know how his/her story is going to unfold

 

[lowandmighty]

There's a few things things that get a wrestler over for me. If a wrestler has a good wrestling personality they're almost straight away over for me I don't really mind about in ring ability because I watch wrestling more for the comedy and melodramaticism so a big personality like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man or Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase gets someone over to me.
They don't get over just by being themselves though, I'm a sucker for achievements whatever kind they might be for example all of Hogan's Wins, slamming andre the giant, having the crowd on his side and countless times of triumph despite odds being seemingly stacked against him puts him over for me. By the same token for bad guys ridiculous wins attained through cheating and then parading it about puts a bad guy over for me as well as being able to back themselves up with good promo's and funny segments like Flair and Dibiase. The million dollar championship for Dibiase and loads of world title reigns for flair even if some of them were just week long ones makes them stand out.
Having a memorable heel turn like Shawn Micheals' betrayal of Marty Janetti and then a cool gimmick change gets guys over for me.
Basically the formula is having or having done something special that makes them stand out, a big ppv win and a championship reign puts people over for me.

As far as situations like Rock and Cena go being an old school wrestling fan I want to see the Rock win. Cena is already over and The Rock winning isn't doing any damage, I always love to see the mega stars win for example I hated it when guys like Hogan or Flair lost to the younger guys, the younger guys should gain reputations by beating each other thats what the intercontinental title was for and the world belt was for the main star to squash people until someone better came along to keep their fans happy. I take this attitude toward any competition for example back in the day I used to like the tennis player Pete Sampras and hated anyone who might beat him then Lleyton Hewitt came along and wiped the floor with him at the U.S open final and became the youngest ever player to be ranked number 1 but I still wasn't sure about him but then he won Wimbledon and a Second Davis cup so he gained my respect and then I supported him and still do to this day despite his best days likely to be behined him.
Besides Cena isn't young anyway he's mid to late 30's and thats being nice about it.
most over guy to me in we right now - Cody Rhodes, he's the young gun who deserves a title reign not Daniel Bryan I hated it when he came out and beat Big Show after two great Champions had a match that had me smiling and then Daniel Bryan fucked up the whole night. You see daniel bryan has a crap personality and he doesn't even look mean or anything he looks like a guy who works at the gas station so I can't ever see him being over for me unless he does something incredibly awesome.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In order for a wrestler to be "over" with me, first I have to be shown that the man has some legitimate talent. In every case, that takes some time as most things worth anything does. If a guy shows that he ability inside the ring and/or on the microphone, I'll take a look and see what he has to offer.

For me, some mic & in-ring ability aren't enough in the long run overall. What ultimately gets me and keeps me interested in a wrestler is his ability to make me care about him and what he's currently doing. To me, that's possibly the single most important job a pro wrestler has, especially a main eventer. What they can do in the ring and on the microphone often plays a big part in that, but a wrestler has to have some real personality to show. I don't particularly care how great he might be inside the ring, how cut his abs are, how much he can bench press, how fast he can run the 40 yard dash, how sharp his amateur skills are, what he accomplished as an amateur, how many flips or flops he can pull off, how many suicide dives he does in any given match or how good he looks if he isn't able to make me give a shit about him and whatever he's involved in. If a wrestler doesn't have the capability of doing that, then he's just wasting space in my opinion.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

To win over me you first an foremost have to show that you're in the least bit talented. I take pure wrestling skills into consideration more than others do when critiquing a professional wrestler, skills such as moves, spots, and efficiency in the ring fall under that category. That stuff is good and all so I enjoy those characteristics in a superstar. However it isn't just limited to that, like Steve Austin said on Tough Enough "In this industry you have tons of mechanics but only a few superstars".

There are plenty of guys out there that can stunt and pull off excellent flashy moves with ease, but there are only a handful that can go one step further. That step further is making me care about what they are doing through promos, actions and selling his character through telling a great story in the ring. That's why Matt Cross was eliminated from the show. He was a better technician than any one else on there, but that's it no other substance under that. Cena may not be the best mechanic in the ring but he makes a majority of the crowd care about him. If they can't do that, well then they are not a waste of space but if they don't improve on that (E.X Amazing Red in TNA regardless of my praise of his ring work) then they are expendable.

 

[The Crock]

There are a few things that get a wrestler "over" with me, but most importantly, entertainment value. Entertainment value can mean a lot of things, but I just want a guy that has charisma and a love for what he does. I don't need a wrestler to be perfect in the ring, he doesn't need to be perfect on the mic, he just needs to keep me interested. Past that, though, I love to see passion. Guys that have passion get over very easily with me, just because that's a common thread between us -- it's a connection. Seeing a passionate wrestler brings it back around for me, it shows me the fan inside of them. That's the best way to get over with me. I never liked the guys like Lex Luger and whatnot; guys that didn't love the business. Those guys cannot get over with me, because they're just in it because it's something to do.

It may seem simplistic, but that's my criteria. I've had a love for random lower card wrestlers before, they got over with me easily, just because I adore their passion for it. I adore how hard they work to entertain the fans, because that's all that really matters, right? It's easy to get over with the company based on size, look, or something, but it's not easy to do that with me (a fan). There's no set timetable on how long it takes to get over with me, but once I connect with a wrestler, it's hard for me to abandon them.

 

[ilapierre]

There are many different factors that get a wrestler 'over.' For me, crowd reaction is big.
Even if I don't like or appreciate a wrestler and find him overrated, I find that in time, if the audience reaction is still huge, my opinion changes and I see the wrestler as being 'over.' To get that crowd reaction, a wrestler has to be above all entertaining. Usually that means the guy has to have a sense of humour. It does not matter how well one wrestles. Watching Chris Jericho last Raw I got to watch a real entertainer for once. Jericho is 'over'. He knows he has it and is confident. Confidence is something a lot of the wrestlers don't have enough of. Cena, love or him or hate him, can hold his own in that feud with The Rock. Cena has audience respect and I don't believe fans hate him as much as they let on.

In the old days, (when there were a lot of stars) feuds and promos were what got the wrestlers over. They had Saturday afternoon wrestling where new stars would get hyped up in vignettes for weeks and then show up on TV for months squashing jobbers. Wrestlers who rarely get beat tend to get over more than ones who get beat a lot early in their career. Ahem Triple H. Jericho or Angle can lose a lot now in their older age and it won't hurt them but early in their careers it was important for them not to lose a whole lot to anybody but established stars and main eventers. Belts helped get a wrestler over but, to me, it was important for wrestlers to not get pinned too much early in their push.

One thing I can't stand is what the OP brought up about the IWC who get really mad when an older star beats a younger guy. Younger guys could get over a lot more if they lost more often to older stars who have main evented a lot in their career. DDP got the push of a lifetime in his feud with Savage. Savage won most of their encounters yet Savage was old and near the end of his career. Just pushing a legend to the limit, DDP got over. When DDP finally pinned Savage, the crowd went bonkers and DDP got big time 'over'. Stone Cold got over taking Hitman to the limit at Wrestlemania 13. The most important way for a younger up and coming star to get over, he has to lose a lot to the older guys until he's finally ready and 'over' enough to beat the older guy. If the older guys always job to the younger guys then the younger guys don't get over and the older guys lose their cred. That is what has been happening since the Internet wrestling community started whining 14 years ago. In WCW we got Kidman beating Hulk Hogan. That wasn't a push. It defied logic and sucked.
Too often things defy logic and suck in today's wrestling world. That is because we got all these IWC whiners always wanting some green-ass wrestler beating the older, more entertaining guy.

 

[IHW]

Some may say it is all toward how you are booked, and i completely disagree.
Take Zack Ryder for example.
Plus, other guys are over with the IWC, and they are booked terribly.

The thing that gets someone over to me is their Personality. The ability to talk and get me interested in your character and your personal it the reason i have Punk, Ryder, Rhodes, Ziggler, and D.Bry in my Fave5.
They are all interesting, and that's why they are over to me.

 

[Harthan]

If you wanted to try to reduce it down to a basic principle, I'd say "getting over" comes down to the given character gelling with the audience at the right place at the right time. Which sounds incredibly superficial, I know, because this is a very difficult problem to nail down. Sometimes it comes down to management getting behind a guy and pushing him until people start paying attention. Sometimes, of course, that fails miserably. Other times, it can come down to a single moment, a lucky break. I'm thinking of Steve Austin here, who, by a combination of appropriate circumstances, delivered the line that changed wrestling at King of the Ring. Austin wasn't much more over than your average midcarder before that, and yet, with the right opportunity, he changed everything. Still, that avenue fails more often than it succeeds. There are a lot of guys who've gotten a brief moment in the sun that never stuck. Sometimes it's a guy relentlessly plugging away at his gimmick so hard that people can't help but notice it, i.e., Zack Ryder. Ryder, though, isn't the only guy to take to the Internet, or to sell his gimmick hard. The moral of this story is that for every avenue that someone takes to success, a dozen others will fail on the same road. There's an intangible factor. You have to capture the sympathy and the mood of the audience just right, and you have to strike just the right chord at the right time, and suddenly it falls into place and the guy gets over. Certainly one can engineer this to an extent, depending on the size of one's audience, but I don't think it can be predicted with 100% certainty, and the degree of certainty goes down at the audience expands. Chikara, for example, with a very niche audience, can almost perfectly determine when a guy will get over with the audience. The WWE, meanwhile, has to throw everything at the wall and wait for something to stick to their very broad audience.

What gets a guy over? Being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing, more than anything. It's hardly a formula for success, but it's as near as I can think to come to truly qualifying the process.

 

[Remix]

What gets a guy over to the crowd? The ability to connect with an audience and make them respond to what you do. Whether you connect to them by having a great ability to work a match from bell to bell, or by working the stick so well Jenna Jameson's jealous. There's some overlap, guys with a lot of charisma can usually get people invested in both their matches and their promos, but it doesn't matter as long as you can connect with the mob.

What gets a guy over with me? Simple really. I've got to be impressed by your work. I don't care how you make an impression, as long as it's positive. Gabriel did it with his ring work (and his WWP stuff), Barrett did it largely because of his mic skills, presence and charisma, Kruger did it by being really fucking good at what he does, Kaval by being the best man on NXT season 2 and so forth. Essentially if you impress me, I'm a fan and at a live event I'd boo/cheer accordingly.