Favorite "Cup Of Coffee" Wrestlers

[Tenta]

Brilliant topic, Brain. Really enjoy it.

As for my answer.... Cup of Coffee is really a term that can be ambivalent. However, if I had to pick one, then it would have to be Bam Bam Bigelow, during his eighties run in the WWE. If you really think about, he was nothing more than a cup of coffee. Sure, he was destined to become more, as he was the last man for his team in his Survivor Series match in 1988, on a team that included Hogan and Co. But he was never eally allowed the chance to get over before his attitude got the better of him. He treated the WWE locker room as inferior competition, and he really didn't have any reason to do so. He had been a hot shot rookie in Jerry Lawler's territory, and the only reason anyone had to believe he was the new big thing was because of the fact that he was a fantastic worker. Then, Andre the Giant got a hold of the guy, and scared him shitless. He left, and would go to NJPW, and work with Vader and the like. Still, he was a fantastic worker, and had the look of a man who was going to make it to the top. He was going to be a huge star in his first run, but his poor attitude got in the way. That, to me, is the perfect example of what a "cup of coffee" wrestler was. A good guy, who had a short stint for reasons that were beyond his work in the ring, and then moved on elsewhere

 

[Tastycles]

Good thread, its a shame some people are missing your point a little. Mine is probably Essa Rios. I'm not sure he could even speak English, and he certainly wasn't around for very long bt he came in, put on a fair bit of lucha libre, gave the world Lita, and that was that pretty much as far as I remember.

I wasn't watching wrestling religiously when he was around, but there can't be many who made as much of an impact as Muhammed Hassan when he showed up. However, he was probably too close to the knuckle to have ever lasted.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I remember Putski's knee going, I think it was at Ground Zero/IYH 17 or around then, his whole kneecap was up where his thigh was... no wonder he never came back...

Papa Shango was perhaps a good example of this, had a great look... but the writing was dumb...

The 90's seemed to be a "throw it against the wall era" for talents who either did well elsewhere or got another shot later and did well... For every Salvatore Sincere or Tony Anthony there was a Glen Jacobs or Dustin Rhodes...

Shane Douglas would count in this as he had a run early 90's and was the original choice for the HBK gimmick, but chose to leave when his father was terminally ill... How diffierent things would have been... Shane ended up successful, but was never gonna get a good rub from Shawn when he returned, after all Shawn was 2nd choice for the role that made him... he's never gonna like the 1st choice being around...

Phantasio was great on the independent scene as The Spellbinder, but again WWE screwed up the booking and made it stupid... In USWA his finish was to magic a cane to twat the opponent with... not relieving him of his boxers...

I'm gonna count Brian Pillman as my favourite, as his total WWF tenure (cos of injury) was about a year... but in that time he helped shape attitude and The Hart Foundation...

 

[Oldschoolersrule]

"Everybody,... Listen....ha-ha...To ME!!!!" His name was ARMANDO ALEJANDRO ESTRADA!!!!

I thought he had way more potential stored up than what was used by WWE. When he and Umaga came on the scene and inturupted Ric Flair I thought he was a Latin clone of Flair from back in the 80's. His mic work, mannerisms, the look, cockyness, it was all there. I think he could of worked well staying in a manager's role adding a few more with Umaga to become a good heel faction in either the mid card or main event rosters.

 

[The Idiot]

Aguila/Papi Chulo/Essa Rios

Whatever you want to call him he was a great talent. Not sure if the WWE got rid of him because he couldn't speak English, or the fact that they got rid of the Lightheavy weight title. I don't know but I do know that he was a great worker and had some fantastic lucha skills that would rival Rey Mysterio. Too bad he didn't stick around for long.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

In the opening post, I noticed the TS put "Waylon Mercy". Why? I recently, and finally, got to see this guy in action when viewing some old In Your House tapes. He sucked. His character was a washed up version of Razor Ramon, with white pants and a caribbean shirt.

I read somewhere that his character was meant to be similar to a movie character. Well, obviously since I don't know the character I can't say if it ever worked or not.. but clearly he didn't do much with his run, so I'm guessing not.

Anyways, I miss the following two..

1. The Patriot: This was the true American Hero. Yeah, the gimmick would've been a washed up version of Hacksaw Jim Duggan, but he had the look, the size, and even the fans got behind him. (albeit, I believe that was more because Hart was a heel and American's loved to boo him)

He got two great Pay per view matches with Bret Hart, three if you count the European show, and I don't think he disappointed. Still, after that quick run he was one-and-done. I don't know if he got injured, or what. I recall him being listed for Survivor Series, then being replaced by Steve Blackman I believe, and after that just.. gone.

I miss the character, even though we have plenty of them at the moment with Kurt Angle, and Jack Snaggletooth taking up the roles in their own ways.

2. The Stalker: (Barry Windham) I'm sure Windham, himself, would love to forget this character. I, on the other hand, would not. It had the greatest potential to be the best heel gimmick character.. EVAH! Okay, maybe not. But dammit, if you go to wiki and find this listing and read the initial storyline they had mapped out for him. TELL ME YOU WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED TO SEE IT!

The promos he cut were awesome. A guy, who blended into his surroundings and basically was (started off as) a nut job mental case, could've been the best heel character of that time. I don't think I'll ever forgive Marc Mero for not allowing him to (storywise) cut Sable's throat.

 

[The Brain]

In the opening post, I noticed the TS put "Waylon Mercy". Why? I recently, and finally, got to see this guy in action when viewing some old In Your House tapes. He sucked. His character was a washed up version of Razor Ramon, with white pants and a caribbean shirt.

I read somewhere that his character was meant to be similar to a movie character. Well, obviously since I don't know the character I can't say if it ever worked or not.. but clearly he didn't do much with his run, so I'm guessing not.

I was more referring to the Waylon Mercy gimmick than the wrestler. I wish they would have found someone younger than Dan Spivey to play this role. Waylon Mercy appeared to be a kind southern gentleman. He would shake hands with the fans, the referee, and even his opponent before a match. Once the bell rang he turned psychotic. He enjoyed making people suffer. This was different than Festus. It wasn’t just the bell that set him off. He was always this way. It was just more obvious during a match. Although Waylon Mercy appeared to be kind and polite if you paid attention to his promos you knew he was disturbed and dangerous. He never screamed and yelled. He was always very calm and sinister. I find that to be more intimidating.

I agree with you Will. The wrestling left something to be desired. Spivey wasn’t in great shape and was past his prime. If they gave this gimmick to someone younger it could have worked much better. By the way, the movie is Cape Fear and the character was played by Rober Deniro.