Chris Masters-The Forgotten Talent

[orbdizzle]

Now, I have to be honest. I was not a fan of this guy back in 2005 when he first entered the WWE. I actually remember watching him work a house show in January 2005 in Erie, PA, and I just could not get into him. However, throughout the year, he started to win me over. I enjoyed his feud with Shawn Michaels, and I also enjoyed how he and Carlito would plot against John Cena before ultimately getting into a feud with one another.

Well, fast forward to 2011, and Chris Masters seems to be stuck in the lower mid-card on Smackdown. He rarely makes into on the main show, and when he does, his matches are usually very short. However, I have to believe that WWE is missing out on something here. The guy can work a match; that is even evident in his victory over Tyler Reks on WWE Superstars last week.

I know that WWE is always afraid over a person's past history coming out and are often hesitant on pushing them (ex. Aloisha in NXT). However, while Masters does have a steroid history, he is hardly the first superstar to violate the company's Wellness Policy. Just think of some of the previous names: Edge, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, John Morrison, Booker T, Santino and Mr. Kennedy to name a few. All of these wrestlers received pushes following their violations.

Also, here is probably the most important thing to consider in regard to Masters. 28. That is his age. The WWE is all about the current youth movement, but look no further than Masters. Here we have a guy who is only 28 but also a veteran in the business. He has been doing this for years now. In my opinion, the guy has it all: the look, youth, experience, decent mic skills.

So with his age, Masters is at least a year younger than the following superstars, who are currently benefitting from WWE's youth movement: Wade Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio. The only difference is that Masters has more WWE experience than the four and was actually main eventing back in 2005 and 2006. Why do they not capitalize off of it and give him a push? I read that one was in works, but nothing has come to fruition yet.

So, my questions to you are first, what do you think of Chris Masters? Do you believe that he could have a more valuable role in the company? And if the WWE did want to take steps toward rebuilding him as a credible main eventer, how should they go about it?

 

[ReezWarrior]

i think it would take alot from the wwe to build him back up. think they could start with him winning the mib much like swagger last year. that was a surprise to most everyone that he won that. at that time he was jobbing with santino on superstars. if he did win mib i do not think that it would be smart to cash it in right away let him build up a character to get over with the crowd. the only way i see him potentially cashing this in is over cena if he beats miz or if edge beats del rio. but i do not see them wasting this ridiculous del rio push just to pass it over to masters. the reason for me why swagger was able to cash it in was because he had a guy like jericho and edge two established main eventers that he could get over from. it would just to build his character up a bit them maybe cash it in at the next ppv in extreme rules at the earliest.

 

[Hovertical]

I think Masters would make a nice main eventer but my problem with him is my same with the likes of ADR and Danielson. The only thing they have for a finisher that they utilize is a submission hold. While I know submission holds are a logical finisher because of the amount of pain they cause a lot of people would rather see a flashy finisher that knocks someone out cold. Masters as well as the other 2 I named could go really far if they just added one more finisher to thier moveset.

 

[The Doctor]

Masters is awesome!

Seriously, I love the guy. He has a great look, can put on some good matches, and I just find him really fun to watch. He's one of the best "big men" the WWE has right now, and really think that he should be feuding for the Intercontinental Championship right now. It's just a shame Kofi's a face. If DASHING wins the belt in the future, I'd love to see The Masterpiece rise up. Could make for a fun feud if handled correctly.

Masters can go in the ring, is young, charismatic, and fun. He's consistently over on Superstars and has a bright future ahead if he continues to be the dab hand he is and work his way up.

 

[Jason Scene]

I'm also a fan of Masters. Ever since he turned face I thought that hes been deserving of a push.

When I heard he was returning to the WWE I was happy that they brought him back and was hoping that they'd do something good with him. What did they do?

They made him dance his pecs on every RAW and Smackdown.

Now, after that and even though he still does it, hes grown a lot, as a wrestler and overall as a talent. He has ring presence, and is doing well on WWE Superstars, which I watch a fair bit.

I think that he should be placed into the Intercontinental Championship picture in some form. He has the ability to do well, but it's all on WWE whether he gets the chance.

 

[thegreekhero]

I always wanted Masters to be pushed. Back when he was one of the main guys on RAW [along with Cena, Angle, HBK, Kane] I enjoyed watching him in the ring. He is talented and experienced. Why don't they push him and have him fued with Kingston for the IC Title. There are alot of guys on SmackDown that are fan-favored for a push, and my two picks are Masters & Swagger. So youre right, Masters needs a push. Good thread.

And who remembers the Master Lock Challenge? I loved seeing who would fall victim to the Master Lock. Its too bad Lashley had to break it.

 

[scottyshowman82]

He's got to go back to his original entrance and attitude. That original entrance and theme had future superstar written all over it. He could have got by on that entrance and look alone but now he's an even better more seasoned wrestler. He could definately be money if given the ball.

 

[Zigglerfan227]

I have always been a Chris Masters fan. I believe that he has alot of potential and he should have been some kind of champion back in 2005 or 2006. Masters is young like you said and he has the look of a champion. He should be taken back to his Masterpiece gimmick or atleast be pushed harder as a face. I personally liked his Masterpiece gimmick better than his current "good guy" gimmick. I really do hope that WWE realizes what they are missing. Masters is more valuable than many of the people on the roster.

 

[Xemmy]

From what people have been saying, Masters has been in line for a push for quite sometime. I'm not too impressed with him, but I certainly don't mind the idea. Everyone certainly deserves a shot, and I think he's earned his. His look, to me, is the best thing about him. I don't honestly see him getting over without applying his boobie/song sketches. From what I've heard of him, he's pretty mediocre on the mic, and his in ring isn't outstanding. To me, you have to be outstanding in one area or another, and I don't think Masters is either.

 

[orbdizzle]

I like what ReezWarrior said. Although, I really could not see him winning Money in the Bank. At least not at this year's Wrestlemania. However, I do think it could help his career quite a bit if he were at least inserted into the match. The fact that he was in a pay per view match of that quality might get the fans to look at him in a more serious light. Perhaps he could have a nice showing in the match too. Regardless, I think this guy is very underutilized, and I am glad to see that a lot of people actually seem to agree with me.

 

[Ace Sleeper]

I've always had a thing for Masters. When he debuted he was pretty impressive, and I loved the idea of the Masterlock challenge. His showing the in elimination chamber was nice too, and being in there with Cena and weakening him for Edge was a great move. They could have pushed him to the moon back in 05-06, but they didn't. He was almost there but didn't quite make it. I don't think it's too late however. I would love to see Masters pushed to a mid-card title, and slowly make his way up. If they could build him up I could see great things in his future. I agree though he needs to return to his old gimmick, and add some signature moves to his set. Fans will start getting behind him more and he'll eventually make it up to the top of the mountain, hopefully.

 

[stasheroo]

I definitely agree.

And with several established stars looking like they're reaching the end of the road, the WWE needs more young faces.

Masters has paid his dues and earned a healthy push.

And Tyler Reks looks vastly improved now that he's dropped unneeded bulk.

They should start pushing him as well.