Do First Impressions Last A Lifetime?

[D-Will316]

Let me start off by saying who my impression hasn't changed about since I started watching wrestling. (which was about 2004).

Triple H- I liked him from the get-go heel or face or whayever he's a guy that I like and will probably always like in the ring.

Now for the other...
-THE MIZ- You have absolutely no idea how much I loathed to see his name and WWE in the same sentence. I couldn't stand him, but now I'm hoping he gets a larger than life push. (maybe it's his theme song that changed my mind).

Do first impressions last a lifetime for you...? Who?

 

[SpoodBeest]

From my perspective it doesn't always have to be a first impression that makes you either hate or love a wrestler. Some wrestlers debut with absolutely awful gimmicks, or are shit in the ring, terrible on the stick, etc. Whatever the case may be they might have a very weak point in their arsenal that makes you despise them. However with a good mindset the one wrestler that struggles in the areas that they do, they can make vast improvements.

The Miz I thought was a lost cause after he and Morrison split up, yet one year later he has more momentum than Morrison, and seems to be the star of their tag team. He is just one big mega push away from the main event scene. Which is coming at a good pace, and he hasn't gotten lost in the shuffle on the "A" show either which is good. He may even be the winner of this Sunday's RAW MITB match as well.

Triple H has also changed my opinion on him. Last year there was no one on the roster I cared for less than The Game because it seemed like he cared about himself and getting exposure only to him and his character instead of doing what was right for business and putting over the superstars of tomorrow and stepping aside from the main event. Now this year before he took time off, was building up Sheamus outside the main event scene, he also did this last year with Legacy when he and HBK reformed DX. So since HHH has been doing what is better for business, i'm starting to gain more respect for the guy.

Basically what i'm trying to say is opinions can change, that is why they're opinions. We all have different ones on different wrestlers and they can change at any time. That is why a first "impression" doesn't matter that much in the long run.

 

[fenfool]

I never liked Batista, and that never changed. I liked AJ Styles & Chris Sabin from the first time I saw them, that also never changed.

I didn't like Randy Orton at first, but he slowly earned my respect. Same thing with The Miz...I still don't like him, but I respect how far he's come and how hard he's worked to get there.

On the flip side, I liked Teddy Hart at first...then I heard him speak a few times, now I just consider him wasted potential. Scott Steiner...I loved him with the Steiner Brothers, his Frankensteiner was an awesome move. When he morphed into Big Poppa Pump, I no longer had any desire to see him wrestle. It was like that remnant of amateur wrestling died within him, and he was just another musclebound freak. I liked Sean Waltman as the underdog 1-2-3 Kid, but when he became the continually crotch-chopping Syxx-Pac, I couldn't change the channel fast enough. I can't see the Kid in him anymore.

So first impressions are important, but they don't necessarily last a lifetime. I'll remember when the 1-2-3 Kid upset Razor, but it will forever be overshadowed by the scuzzy-looking crotch chopper.

 

[peep4life]

Drew McIntyre when he came in and using his choosen on gimmick to do anything and get anything he wanted and i didnt think he was good in the ring but after last night on SD! he changed my mind after that great match with Christian i dont if it was because he was facing Christian(My Favorite) or what but i thought him and Christian had a great match last night and wouldnt mind seeing some more matches from them but i still dont think he's ready to be World CHampion

Christian i've liked him from the 1st time i saw him and it might take some heat but i always thought he was better that Edge.

 

[mrbrownstone]

No for me they dont Drew Mcintyre is an example when he first came in I thought he was afwul but he is starting to grow on me. The same goes for Sheamus and Jack Swagger for that matter during their first title reigns I thought they were afwul but now Sheamus is a legit main eventer and Swagger is slowly but surely getting there.

 

[16mikeytot]

Well The Miz would be the obvious one but I have to go with Sheamus. At first I hated his WWE title reign but now I see he truly has talent the guy has a great look and he could actually wrestle. Also I started off liking Mcintyre but then I found him too be boring but the last two weeks he's put on great matches with Kofi and Christian.

 

[Y2Jericho]

I'm going to say yes and no.

I agree with what you said about Triple H (he's my all time favourite) and I apply that very statement with others like Chris Jericho or Kane. Matt Hardy is also someone who I'll love no matter what.

But then again, Booker T's "King Booker" gimmick made me downright loathe the guy, which was a shame because he'd been one of my favourites since the WCW days. I also dispised Randy Orton back in the day, but I've come around to enjoy what he does these days.

 

[KitInaka]

I'll say yes and no as well for different reasons.

Yes, simply because for people like the Miz and Sheamus, I would sit around and go "who the hell wants to watch these guys?" But, thanks to some much needed character Development, both have really come around for me.

However there are some people that I've watched them wrestle forever and there first impression was that of awful and it stayed awful. Big Example (no pun intended) is The Great Khali...never once did I like the guy face or heel and from the moment I saw him I thought that the WWE was wasting a lot of time and money on him.

 

[gers09]

Taker and HBK i have loved these guys from the start no matter what they have done heel or face

the Miz on the other hand when he came in to wwe i hated him coulnt stand him one bit but now i love him he great on the mic great in the ring his just well ....AWESOME

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I became a fan of Sheamus straight away...Magnifico...

I hardly change my first impression on wrestlers..its how I first saw them...for example, when I saw Hogan first, he was in WCW this was like back in 96(yes I was like 3/4 years old)...and he was in the nWo...and the image I have of him being in the nWo will never change...

Others that are currently active are Jack Swagger, i think he is great, I never liked Miz before and don't like him now, HHH from back in 99, he won me over straight away and to this day is my favourite still..

Oh there is one guy as well....I didn't like Cena as the rapper, I thought he was beiing stupid...he had some good feuds though...but now I don't like the super character anymore...so my opinion on him changed big time!!

 

[Dave]

For me, first impressions do last a life time but I am always likely to change the way I feel about a certain superstar or event. In my opinion, it is not the impression of the person you get from the first time you see them, it is how they go about changing that impression.

For example, I first saw Triple H on an episode of Sunday Night Heat where he was bossing around Mosh and Thrasher, I think that was their names. He came off looking like a pompous and arrogant guy and I wasn’t impressed in the slightest by him. However, over time, he began to turn me around and now he is my favourite ever superstar. Since then, I have realised how well he can carry off gimmicks like that and it only made me appreciate the first impression even more. Triple H has grown as a competitor and although I will always remember the first time I ever saw Triple H on a WWE show, the impression that will last with me is not that pompous and arrogant person who was relaxing on a couch, barking out orders.

No, it will be of a guy who has worked hard for everything he has accomplished and although people might slate me for saying this, is deserving of all of it. On some level, I believe that first impressions will last but I also feel as though they shouldn’t shape the way you feel about someone completely, if at all. If we are looking at Triple H for this scenario, it would have been easy for me to write him off and never give him a chance based on the first impression I had but I opened my mind and found him to be more than the first impression suggested he was.

 

[Ferbian]

First impression doesn't always last no. I have changed my mind of talent vastly over the years period I have been a fan. First off Sheamus I couldn't stand the guy. I found him boring. But I am a fan right now.

My top 10 list of favorite wrestlers has changed drastically and frequently over the past half years time. After getting a better knowledge of the business. As well as the talent. I was a big fan of Batista. And ranking him my favorite as I started watching wrestling. It has definitely changed now. I'm still a fan but Shawn Michaels is my favorite.

A lot of things change. It all depends on the person. As well as the thing you look at. This can apply to any given part of the world. You can love something one second. The next second you absolutely hate it. It's human nature to change. To adapt so to say.

And yes it might not be adapting to wrestling by changing a favorite all the time. But it's common to see. You get a new favorite because the guy debuted. After a few years you hate him because of a gimmick change. Or because of a face / heel turn. Edge is a great example of this for me. I loved the guy in 2009. I find him boring now because of his face turn.

So no, the first impression does not last a life time.

 

[Balls_of_Jericho]

Aye, as a few have said it's a yes and no answer here. In this industy for sure at least! People don't change as much IRL as they have the potential to do - mind you, it'd be ace if we normal people could have gimmick changes too! =)

Some personal examples of mine:

First impressions lasting

Batista - hated him from the first time I clapped on him, and it never changed yet!

Hogan - never really enjoyed watching him. While I can appreciate what he did for the business, he did nothing for me personally. (please dont hit me!)

Some current ones:

The hart Dynasty and the uso's. No personality, no charisma, bores the hell outta me when they're on. I'm willing to be converted in the future though.

I'll stick AJ Styles in here too. Awesome first time i saw him, still awesome today

first impressions changing

Paul Heyman - i think the first time i encountered him he was managing the big show on SD... hated him, but boy o boy would i LOVE to see him back now!

Edge - my god I loved Edge way back when. Great look, love the leather coat! Had Lita, great music too. Bores the crap out of me now. Dont really know why but I have no empathy towards his charactor. I don't hate him, i just am devoid of any emotion when he's on. Yawwwwn.


So well yeah, maybe i'll lean towards the 1st impressions don't last, but it's a close run thing. Nice thread by the way =)