Explain It To Me: Jack Swagger

[TheMainMan32]

I am probably the biggest Jack Swagger hater alive. But, I am interested in what his fans see in him. Someone in another thread said that Swagger has too much talent to give up on. So, Swagger fans, what talent do you see that I'm missing. I'd like to hear from his fans only. There's enough bash threads on this site.

 

[reed214]

i think the word "potential" comes to mind. a big guy who has that kind of background could have the "potential" to be on the level or close to the level of a kurt angle. and when you have guys like that, it makes the matches with guys or cant wrestle (cena,miz) atleast feel better. i love swagger and his ability...buuut i dont like the running vader bomb...and when he won the title they watered him down and then buried him when a world title feud with john morrison would be great in my opinion. (if only)

 

[Disaster Master]

i dont mind jack swagger, he doesnt suck but he is not excellent, he is slowly working towards main event, in a way he is like the next Kurt Angle ( im sure ill get bashed for that) now a while back he was ready for main event considering he became World Champion and IMO had a good feud with BigShow and then there were problems backstage and basically his punishment was to get thrown back into mid-card. NOW based on what i saw this past RAW with Swagger becoming Coles trainer i am kind of glad to see this cause it looks like Swagger has been a good boy so to speak lol and now he may be coming back into the spotlight.

 

[classicviolence]

Swagger can put together some awesome ass matches. Look at his recent matches with Kofi (KOTR qualifier), AmDrag (Old School RAW) and his Superstars match with Kaval. The man can hang with some of the best techincal wrestlers in the world.

The big problem is that he is stuck with the "Super Jock" gimmick and most people hate cocky jocks. LLS, man that last line was funny.

 

[ElimChamber]

Ok So Jack Swagger I thought had some skill and looks, not so much mic work but I thought he could put a good feud together with some other talent and bring him up a la Sheamus. But Coles Trainer? ARE YOU KIDDING ME, C'Mon.. when Cole started that trainwreck of adding a trainer or whatever I immediately immagined NASH! I was genuinely interested to see more of a Nash/Lawler confrontation legends of the buisness. Honestly that would have hooked me instead we get Swagger which pushes him to be more of a Heel. TOO MANY HEELS. I want to see some matches we havent seen before to keep us interested and Swagger has the ability. Pit him vs Sheamus, Bryan, Punk, Morrison or McIntyre. A 4 way for the IC title at mania could be interesting or the US title. Sorry thats my swagger rant, I was pissed to see his bitch move on raw.

 

[The Awesome One]

He's a good technical wrestler with the look and build to succeed. However, he has the charisma of a fish, and his mic skills need improving. Not being funny, he can't get over enough as a heel because he is ridiculed; I'm sure Swagger Soaring Eagle was just humiation, and was just plain stupid. Punishment? Probably. And his sthpeech impediment, well just another reason to be laughed at.
I see potential in Swagger; hopefully having him in Cole's corner will get a bit more heat back. Just a serious mid card feud would get him back on track, and I'm stillhoping for a feud between him and Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan. I'm sure that they could put on some quality matchups, which is really what Swagger needs.

 

[gd]

Swagger is great. My favorite wrestler in the WWE right now? Probably. First off, he is great in the ring. Obviously superb ring work is overrated at times, but Swagger is just great and I enjoy it. He's had good to great matches with everyone he's faced, even Tommy Dreamer. That's quite the feat.

He has "the look" as well I guess. By that I mean the look of a sweet, sensual lover. As well as a freaking badass. He isn't bad on the mic either. The whole lisp thing is overrated. And the beginning of his theme song is badass. And Jack Swagger is a great name. Etc, and whatnot.

If it weren't for the stupid Big Show feud maybe he could've gone somewhere, or maybe not. Being aligned with Michael Cole at the moment is certainly not a bad thing for him.

 

[UltimateHitman]

He's definitely one of the best as far as in-ring ability. I've liked the guy since way back in 09. I remember going to the Bragging Rights ppv and when the Raw Team came out, he was the one that stood out the most. Just the energy in his entrance w/that chest bumping thing and what not, he looked psyched compared to the other guys.

I think he got a bum rap w/his title run. If it was punishment, then he's worked through it and it looks like he's started to get pushed towards the top again. When he came out as Cole's trainer I thought it was awesome and marked out a bit. I wasn't expecting it and it was nice to see Swag back on Raw.

Putting him with Cole is good because it gives Swagger a mouthpiece since some people are down on his mic skills, and also can generate heat/interest (ala Dolph/Vickie). I think he might start to take off if they don't knock him back down the ladder again. I see this trainer angle as just the tip of the iceberg w/Swagger.

And like GD said, his name is just badass. His nickname "All American American" fits great, is catchy, and his t shirt is also pretty darn awesome too.

Come on, what's not to love?

 

[wrestling fan 666]

Swagger has the talent, but not the mic skills. I feel he is his worst enemy sometimes for he can defeat anyone he wants, but there are times I think he LIKES being a mid-carder instead of main event. I'm sure if they gave him the push (like they did when he started using the ankle lock), he could be something.

On a side note: He still reminds me of "Biff" from "Back to the Future".

 

[mike1215]

After Raw two weeks ago, when King challenged Cole, I knew for sure he would hire a trainer, but I thought for sure it would be Alex Riley. This would have allowed Miz to "set A-Ri free" to create his own WM experience without firing him, and it would have gotten the audience used to seeing Miz by himself (an angle it looks like they are doing anyway) for 5 weeks before the title match. Also, how hilarious would it be to see weekly promos (similar to when Shane O'Mac trained Vince for the Austin match) of Cole and Riley training at the gym together and "showing off" in front of women haha.

But now that I've already gone off topic, Jack Swagger needs a complete character change. He might have the best name in the WWE, but it's ironic because he has absolutely no swagger at all. And his attire and awful mic skills are sure not helping. "The All-American American" gimmick has got to go.

 

[EricRuthGames]

I will try to summarize my feelings without rambling too much. Sorry if I run on a bit.

When I tuned back into wrestling after a 5 year hiatus, the first new talent that caught my attention was Jack Swagger. Great gimmick, fantastic name, PHENOMENAL in-ring ability, and the talent to make me mark out when I hear his entrance music (Also great, btw). The current problem with Jack, however, is that they're not doing anything with him.

I'll just go ahead and say it. Personally, I feel Jack Swagger deserves a face turn. He could easily battle some "foreign" talent in Del Rio, Sheamus or McIntyre for the face of the USA. And even though fans tend to dislike his lisp, I actually find it rather endearing. It shows that at the end of this 6' 6" tall, 250 lb championship, he's still a relatable human being with simple personal flaws. The heels running against him could easily mock his lisp and make fun of his Echolalia. This would build understandable heat and push the man towards a better title run down the line at maybe Summer Slam or something against new champion; Del Rio. With all that in mind...

The story he's been revealed as a part of now can actually help push him in that direction. He's already been confirmed to be on hand for Cole's match against Lawler at Wrestlemania, which could easily sway Jack to turn on Cole in-ring because of mocking Lawler's recently passed mother. We know jack is a family man who loves his parents through his heel title reign when constantly referencing his family life. He may take the negative remarks about Jerry's mother and turn against Cole on the grandest stage of them all. He could then side with Lawler and get traded to Raw (which is currently a bit heel heavy anyways) and get involved in the top contenders list there.

Personally, I love Jack and find him to absolutely carry the image of a true WWE super star. Only time will tell if my theories come to fruition, but ultimately, if there's anyone who keeps me watching other than The Rock, it is the All American American.

Thanks for the opportunity to rant and sticking with me through it.

-Eric

 

[thegreekhero]

I have always liked Jack Swagger. He has alot of wrestling background, and some entertaining in-ring ability. Sure he's got a 'lithp' and I think that prevents him from having some serious mic skills. But he just looks and feels like a champion, IMO.

He had the WHC for like what, 2 weeks? No one is ever going to remember his title reign. If they give him at least a IC or US title push to start off with, then build him up to the main event picture, we wont be worried about the future in WWE.

I respect that you created this thread even though you dont like the guy.

 

[therockiswwf]

First half of my post- bash
Second half- non bash
I don't see why everyone likes him either. I don't care if you can wrestle, I need something from you that will make me care that you can wrestle. You don't have to be great on the mic or anything like that, but you have to have something. John Morrison for example is not good on the mic (what the hell happened to his mic skills?) but he makes up for it by doing just crazy shit. Morrison also has charisma (though he still needs one more year of improving before I would fully pull the trigger with him) but Swagger does not. Swagger is just boring. But Swagger does have one big upside, potential. He has the look and can wrestle but the only thing missing is something that would make him stand out, that one thing that would make him a star. I would keep him in the mid-card for now and have him stay there for a while and see if he can improve. I still don't like him but he can still improve to the point where I would want him to be champ.

PS- Does anybody even really care that he has a lisp? I forgot he even had one until I looked at this thread.
PSS- Also, Swagger + Cole = Gives him something to do and Swagger gets big heat. See, simple.

 

[itsme123]

Ah Swaggs what can I say well IMO he's a great wrestler and very entertaining to watch. Swagger is one of the few guys I actually enjoy watching perform, the others are Daniel Bryan and CM Punk His mic skills are good compared to others and I believe he can and will improve. He's funny not Katt Williams funny but get a few chuckles out of you funny.

 

[ptsheridan]

Ok So Jack Swagger I thought had some skill and looks, not so much mic work but I thought he could put a good feud together with some other talent and bring him up a la Sheamus. But Coles Trainer? ARE YOU KIDDING ME, C'Mon.. when Cole started that trainwreck of adding a trainer or whatever I immediately immagined NASH! I was genuinely interested to see more of a Nash/Lawler confrontation legends of the buisness. Honestly that would have hooked me instead we get Swagger which pushes him to be more of a Heel. TOO MANY HEELS. I want to see some matches we havent seen before to keep us interested and Swagger has the ability. Pit him vs Sheamus, Bryan, Punk, Morrison or McIntyre. A 4 way for the IC title at mania could be interesting or the US title. Sorry thats my swagger rant, I was pissed to see his bitch move on raw.

But everybody loves Nash so putting him in Cole's corner wouldn't make any sense cuz Cole is such a mega heel right now. Everybody hates Swagger, so him in Cole's corner makes perfect sense.

 

[Notorious718]

Swagger has a lot of potential for sure. He's got a great build, he's one of the best technical wrestlers on the current WWE roster, and he's not too horrible on the mic even if you consider his lisp. He really has all the tools to be a star in the WWE. I think one of the biggest problems when it comes to Swagger though is that he's living in the shadow of Kurt Angle (at least when it comes to the IWC). And because of all the comparisons to Angle, he seems to pale in comparison. Also, I think his feud with Big Show kinda ruined his credibility and put a damper on what should've been a strong first world title reign.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I don't like Jack Swagger at all. I think that people assume that any person with an amateur wrestling background would make great wrestler no matter what. I agree that if you are an amateur wrestler it will probably help you in learning pro wrestling faster as it is more or less just another style of wrestling, but it does not mean that every amateur guy can transistion into a pro wrestler if he wants to.

Jack Swagger isn't even that good in the ring. He performs his amateur stuff well but botches most other moves. Some of you might call his matches with Kofi as classics but I thought I was just watching one match over and over again. If you have seen one Kofi vs Swagger match then you have seen them all.

On the mic he isn't too bad. He has cut one or two good promos on his own but he fails to duel on the mic with another superstar. Like I said even in the case of his in ring ability he does not look like he can innovate much.

Right now he is the very definition of mediocrity.

 

[Lucha-Libre is wrestling]

I'm not a Swagger fan but I be a hypocrite if don't say the guy has great wrestling talent and Potential to be a major player. His mic skills are ok, but what kills him is the gimmick, its to similar to Kurt Angle & Ken Patera . WWE should keep him off the air for a few months give him a make over and repackage him as a monster heel like they did with Glen Jacobs. Swagger has the height, body built and ring skills to be the next big Kane or Taker type of monster.

 

[GrandSword]

All Swagger needs is some better booking. He is getting buried by creative.. I don't get it. He should be in feuds with Cena and Orton. He is a huge guy and whenever he has had a match with the top guys (he's always booked to lose as is everyone else) but he always puts on a great match.

Creative should give him some mic time, give him some big wins like they did for Sheamus and you'd have your next big superstar. They keep pushing Cena down our throats why can't they do it for guys like Swagger.. atleast he doesn't have cheesy lines and do stupid embarrrasing battle raps.. And he can out wrestle guys like Edge and Orton any day of the week...

 

[GI Cake]

I think my only issue with Jack Swagger is that it feels like the WWE are trying too image Jack into the next Kurt Angle. First off, look at his submission finisher, the Ankle Lock. You might as well call it "The Kurt Angle Lock" Only difference between the holds is that Jack is standing(for the most part) when he performs it. And both were stars in the Greico-Roman style of wrestling. Smiler, if not matching attire. And the fact at the start of Angle's career he was a cocky jock, much like Swagger today.

I see potential in Jack, but he can't do the "All American American" gimmick until Angle retires.

 

[CelticCorey]

To quote myself from another post:

"Swagger has the size to be a monster. He isn't as built but he has the height and all. He could be better on the mic but I enjoyed his promos as champ. Not because of his voice but because of his content. The promo with the trophies in the ring had me loving every minute of it because I was entertained by Swagger the overachiever. Swagger is also an extremely skilled wrestler on top of it and if I were to list a top 5-top 10 list of guys in WWE based on in ring ability, Swagger is there."

I mean, when I started watching wrestling again in December of 09, one of the first matches I remember seeing was Cena vs. Swagger. I don't want to make this about Cena or any of that but I'm sorry Cena marks Cena doesn't put on good matches unless HE is the one being carried. Swagger carried Cena in that match and Swagger looked REALLY, REALLY good in defeat. Since then I have been a fan. I have youtube his stuff in ECW and his stuff with Christian was just amazing.

Even while jobbing out prior to winning MITB, he was a guy I WANTED to be champion despite it being unlikely. The first few notes of his song playing was enough to get me out of my seat. He cuts funny promos with this overachieving jock stuff. He wrestles an outstanding style of wrestling, especially for how big he is. The lisp isn't the greatest thing in the world; but the content of his promos and his wrestling makes up it for me to be a fan. I was so ecstatic when I found out he won MITB- because I got home during the event. It was just crazy and I loved it.

His World Title reign was at his climax at Extreme Rules; but even then he got RKO'ed afterwards. He always looked like a fool on RAW and after the first month or so, creative just gave up on him. Sad really. I'm hoping this trainer thing is the beginning of something special for him.

 

[Warzone316]

Swagger would be to Angle as what they are trying to do with Mason Ryan to Batista.
Of course they are similar but they WILL NOT , be the same.

People seem to throw swaggger under the bus and he really is becoming irrelevant, but i think he could be a dominant heel. He needs to get his cocky edge back when he used to come out doing push ups and fireworks would shoot out. He just needs to be a cocky arrogant "S.O.B" and he will become over as a heel

 

[therockiswwf]

Swagger would be to Angle as what they are trying to do with Mason Ryan to Batista.
Of course they are similar but they WILL NOT , be the same.

People seem to throw swaggger under the bus and he really is becoming irrelevant, but i think he could be a dominant heel. He needs to get his cocky edge back when he used to come out doing push ups and fireworks would shoot out. He just needs to be a cocky arrogant "S.O.B" and he will become over as a heel

Actually for Mason Ryan/Batista the only similar thing is their appearence.

I think he failed because he just wasn't interesting under that gimmick and I don't think the push-ups would make any difference. He doesn't have enough flash to hide his awful mic skills (Morrison). People should go back and actually WATCH his promos, they were not decent.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

How do you really not like Swagger at the moment. I mean not like him because he is a heel, but he puts on a great show in the ring. He brings a great technical style to the ring that alot of the newer superstars can't bring. He rarely goes to the top rope, that keeps to his gimmick. He's not being streched out into to much shit like some people in the main event are.

The big thing for me in the beginning that was a turn off was his lisp. I know it's not right for a thing like that to be a turn off, but it was. But with working with Cole he has a uber heel feeling around him right now, and the in ring chops to pull it off. Good for him, he diserves it.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I think what's letting Jack down is simply confidence. As others have said, he has the size, the look, the talent, even the entrance music, but to me he never looks completely confident in what he's doing. There have been some promos where you can see him trying to compose himself and looking for cues which kinda breaks the illusion for me.

Having said that, the guy is a trier. He doesn't look that comfortable on the mic, but at least he gives it a go and tries to improve himself. He had his WHC reign which he tried to make work. I hope whoever booked that run apologised to Swagger, he's still suffering from it almost a year on.

He may not be to everyone's taste, but I still believe if they can get someone to help his confidence and just generally loosen him up then he can still have a great future.