Do injuries effect popularity?

[BatistrioFlyPunt]

Does injuries REALLY effect the popularity, or character growth of a superstar?

If you think about it, it could be true. John Cena was chosen to be the face of the company because not was he champion, but he hadn't been injured in the 3 years he was there.

On the other hand Batista had been injured a little under a year after he signed with the WWE. He had won the 2005 Royal Rumble and won against one of the biggest at that time Triple H. But he was traded to Smackdown and got injured once again after that.

Some people like Melina and Edge that get hurt all the time, does that decrease their credibility knowing that it will happen again soon? Or does it not have anything to do with the credibility?

 

[Adalam]

Cena's been injured like crazy since he became the Face of the 'E, but he's been over big time anyways (Half wish that he'd get a career ender, but then I remember that I shouldn't.) Guys get hurt in sports and entertainment, it's inevitible. As to whether it hurts their popularity, I honestly think that people dilver the biggest pops for guys coming off of injuries rather than when they're working each week in matches.

 

[Miss Flawless]

I don't think it hurts popularity at all. It keeps people on the edge of their seat wondering when the wrestler returns.

Like you said, guys like Edge get hurt like crazy and he's still super popular.

 

[The Brain]

If anything an injury can make a guy more popular. I'll give you three examples. Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Edge were all top heels when they got injured. Even though they were heel the fans missed them so much that their new found popularity forced them to turn face upon their return; at least temporairly. It just goes to show while most fans like to boo the heels they do respect them and miss them when they're gone.

 

[GeneralKarim]

It depends if the guy getting injured was over or not.But i guess we are talking about guys that are.Well like "The Brain" said fans respect good heels and cheer the hell out of them if when they comeback from injury.With Edge people didnt fully accept him because after his return-pop, people started to remember what this guy did the past years.And if your a face then i guess u'll get the roof of the building when u come back.

 

[Megatron]

Cena's been injured like crazy since he became the Face of the 'E, but he's been over big time anyways (Half wish that he'd get a career ender, but then I remember that I shouldn't.) Guys get hurt in sports and entertainment, it's inevitible. As to whether it hurts their popularity, I honestly think that people dilver the biggest pops for guys coming off of injuries rather than when they're working each week in matches.

Uh, Cena had the one injury in 08 that sidelined him on and off for about a year. Other then that he's been pretty healthy, so I don't know what you're talking about.

As for the question, it really depends who you are. If you're a guy like Cena, Orton, HHH, Edge, it won't hurt your popularity much, if at all. However, if it's some lower card guy, such as someone like Mark Henry, people really aren't going to care or notice that much at all. So it really depends on who you are and where you stand. If you're a Main eventer then it might help your reaction early because people are anticipating your return.

 

[CLB 03]

I think it only hurts mid carders and jobbers. Look how much a reaction edge got when he came back. Rey gets hurt all the time and he gets a huge pop. What till HHH comes back. The place will explode

 

[mrbrownstone]

No I dont think that it does, if anything it increases their popularity. A prime example of this is HHH, when he got injured in 2001 he was a heel, and a hated one at that but because the fans wanted to see him back so much when he returned he got the biggest pop I have ever heard and was a face, because of this popularity he went on to win the Undisputed title at WM 18. The same goes for Edge, he was a heel when he got injured last year and he got a huge pop coming back at the rumble this year and turned into a face.

 

[LigerBomb]

Does injuries REALLY effect the popularity, or character growth of a superstar?

Probably, I mean I know I hate crippled wrestlers. That's right Zack Gowan I'm talkin' to you!

If you think about it, it could be true. John Cena was chosen to be the face of the company because not was he champion, but he hadn't been injured in the 3 years he was there.

First, that sentence was hard to read. Second, is that true? Did Vinny Mac tell you that himself? Was it in the dirtsheets? Not even being sarcastic, I've no idea the validity of that statement. Interesting "fact".

On the other hand Batista had been injured a little under a year after he signed with the WWE. He had won the 2005 Royal Rumble and won against one of the biggest at that time Triple H. But he was traded to Smackdown and got injured once again after that.

Steroids tend to do that to ya so he has no one to really blame but himself. I'm surprised he doesn't tear things just getting out of bed in the morning.

Some people like Melina and Edge that get hurt all the time, does that decrease their credibility knowing that it will happen again soon? Or does it not have anything to do with the credibility?

Well as long as they stay free of injury and regain their abilities upon recovery they are still very credible. Granted as a booker/writer you have to always have a "back up" plan of sorts but in this business that really should be par for the course. The injury risk is so high you always have to have that Plan B waiting in the wings lest you be caught with your pants down so to speak.
If anything the "made of glass" excuse is just there to be used in case you want to get rid of somebody and not really possess what most would consider a "valid" and provable reason to do so. That said, I could understand how easy it would be to get a stigma that follows you everywhere in the business seeing as how it's so very incestuous. Likewise it would probably be a lot of hard work to try and successfully shake it off you. You'll never be a "go-to-guy" if people only think of you as the person that's always getting hurt and out on subsequent injury leave.

 

[SpoodBeest]

I don't think they have any effects that would damage a performer's career, and what I mean by that is a wrestler is already decently over or even mega over wouldn't he still be upon return from injury? Also it gives chances for face runs in wrestlers careers after we haven't seen them in a while. Such as when the likes of Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Edge all returned from major injuries they were mega over as crowd favorites at least for a brief period of time.

John Cena and Batista have been injured a few times since their reign on top of the company but every time they returned they still stayed as mega over as they were before they had their names placed on the inactive list. So really injuries have no ill effects on very over wrestlers and usually the only affect injuries have is on heel wrestlers getting missed so much during their absences that they return as babyfaces in the process. Mega face stars are not harmed when they have to take months off to re-cooperate because they were already so popular to begin with.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

If they're popular with the fans (heel or face) then they will come back more popular or atleast not less popular. A good example for this is Taker he probably is actually preforming 1/3 of the year and the other 2/3 he's off but the crowd always cheer for him. But if a wrestler isn't popular then they're not going to get more popular because nobody misses them when they're taking time off.

 

[The People's Peep]

I dont know. I think in some instances, they can, and in others, injuries are irrelevant.

I cant think of a specific example, but it is possible for an injury to effect a guys popularity. If he is having trouble getting over, an injury can very nearly eliminate all the work he has already done. If his career is plagued with injuries, theres a chance he could spend a lot of his career trying to get over.

However, if you are someone like Cena and you can get over very easily, chances are injuries wont do so much harm to your popularity. So I guess it really depends on how good the guy already is at getting over.

 

[The Holy One]

It depends on how well known they are to the fans. For example, if a guy like Cena or Edge were injured and returned they would probably lose non of if not gain in popularity. However, if a guy like Ted Dibiase or Yoshi Tatsu became injured then if they returned fans would probably wonder why they should care. If the wrestler is great and actually have the fans care about them then injuries should not affect them at all.