Has WWE ever done a successful big angle?

[Radical]

Just thinking about this while watching The Shield angle these days on WWE ...

It seems like there are always a few holes and aggravating parts of any big angle WWE tries to pull off.

Is it just simply the nature of the business? No matter how hard they try a big angle is always going to have problems that the fans just have to ignore in order to enjoy the overall effect?

Look at past big angles ...

Nexus ... WCW Invasion ... ECW Invasion ... Revamping NWO ...

As cool as the concepts of those angles are and as good as some of the moments are you can't help but have some issues with how it unfolded, can you?

Now, with The Shield angle it is very promising in many ways. It has quickly established three bright young athletes on the WWE main shows and put them on the fast track to Superstardom.

It's a cool angle but with some holes, I think we can agree. Like why there hasn't really been much word from the "managers" of the big shows on how they are dealing with these guys having access to all these shows and being able to just trot down to the ring and attack Superstar after Superstar. At least I saw on NXT that the GM addressed this issue saying he has beefed up security. But on the main WWE shows there has been almost no word, just enough word to say that "so and so" wrestlers will take on The Shield at a PPV to try and stop them. ... but otherwise it seems like the management doesn't care about The Shield's attacks. Well, if that's true ... then at least SAY that. Simple enough. Just have Vince go "The Shield are a group of contracted Superstars who have banned together, just like any group of Superstars are allowed to do and they have taken issue with others... if anyone has a problem with that then they should take action." Just wish there was a simple statement like that instead of nothing.

Anyway, just mentioned all that to come back to my main point...

Does WWE ever do a successful big angle? Are The Shield destined to fall apart awkwardly like The Nexus did? Or will they build into something even greater?

Your thoughts?

 

[lil bitch Kid]

Well, thinking back, there was Andre turning on Hogan, which led to a multi layered story that lasted through Mania 5, so yes, yes they have.

There was also the Taker's brother angle that led to Kane's debut.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

I'd call the "Summer of CM Punk" a success. It lead to a 400+ day title reign (I know Survivor Series is in the fall, not the summer, but you get what i'm saying)

I don't feel that The Shield is destined to fall apart awkwardly, but i'd like to see them wrestle individually and get into title hunts and things of that nature.

 

[das1234]

i would call the summer of punk the definition of an angle folding into itself. remember how it got awkward with hhh and nash? the text message? who cared?
this is exactly what the tc was talking about, the angle starting off amazing and not delivering.
by the time punk had the title the angle part of it was already over.

 

[RKO920]

There's a simple answer to this question, yes they have. Three words....

Austin vs McMahon

This whole angle changed the business, if not for this WCW may have been what we are watching and talking about right now. Every person in the world that works has that dream of taking their boss that they dislike and to quote JR "beat them like a government mule." That's what Stone Cold Steve Austin gave everyone week after week. But from the time it began back in 1997 and ran til Austin aligning with Vince somewhere in 2000-01 it was the best thing going. Granted they were making the angle as they were going but it was still a big angle that people will be talking about forever.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

I would agree with the Summer of Punk and, of course, Austin vs McMahon. Yes, there was some ridiculous stuff with Nash, HHH and texting in SoP, but there were certain silly aspects of redundancy in Austin vs Vince as well, and it was a top angle, EVER.

Another that comes to mind is the Flair to the end where he claimed his next loss would be his last match and that culminated at Mania vs HBK.

 

[Kliq69]

Corporate Ministry was pretty big and was pretty damn over.

It's not "big" angles you're talking about, it's specifically invasion angles. The idea of an outside force coming in to take over (or destroy) the WWE (or specific show or people, etc) is not something that they've done well for a very simple reason.

The WWE is the Invading Force... Not the other way around. It took out regional wrestling in the 80s, soaked up the remnants in the 90s, and bought out the other two promotions known nationally less than 6 months apart. Everyone knows it's "too big to fail" so to speak. Turner and his billions tried and failed, how's a couple guys with chairs going to make a dent?

The reason the nWo worked is that it was very possible (and even internally discussed) for Turner to do away with the WCW moniker and have the company be simply known as the nWo. It was similar to how Raw vs Smackdown never made sense despite the roster split.


McMahon/Austin: Can't get much bigger than the #1 Star vs Owner/Founder of the company. This angle ended up incorporating nearly every top star (Austin, Rock, Foley, Taker, HHH, Kane, all of them had big moments as part of this feud) and lasted nearly 3 years with the last real moment of the feud (not the stuff years later while Vince was running Raw and Austin was pretty much retired) still being as big of a moment as the first time Austin stunned Vince. When Vince interfered at WM17 to help Austin beat The Rock, it was the culmination of the most successful angle in wrestling history. The angle made Austin and Rock's careers, helped launch Foley, reinvented Taker into something relevant at the time, brought HHH to the top of the card and fueled nearly every other story-line during that time in one way or another.

As far as can WWE do a successful invasion angle for any length of time... No, it is not a role the company itself plays well. Now that being said, an actual war scenario I think it would pull off very well... I know it's not possible because he no longer works for them and is more than successful enough outside of WWE to need to return, however I can think of a scenario where an angle like the Invasion or nWo could work quite well...

It's been acknowledged on air that HHH is going to run the company when Vince retires... (Been common knowledge on the net for a while, but let's kayfabe this) It's announced that WM30 is Vince's last show and his successor will be officially introduced the next night... During the transition of power scene at the end of the show, Vince calls HHH out. Does the whole: Didn't trust you, not good enough for my daughter, surprised me, been like a son to me, etc, etc ,etc. As Vince is about to "officially" hand control to HHH, Shane McMahon makes his return to Monday Night Raw. Shane doesn't have to say a word... Have HHH begin to demand Vince name him like he promised, like he had groomed him for... When Vince hesitates, have HHH grab him and intimidate him... Then (and this is as the credits begin showing to end the show) have Vince break into his evil genius smile (think higher power reveal) while looking back and forth between HHH and Shane. As the show goes off the air, the last words Vince says (not just for the show but as his last in-character appearance ever) is "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war"...

That begins a year long feud over control of the company, sides are chosen, "loyal" people from the past are brought in by both guys as trump cards at various times, Stephanie plays both sides, I mean the possibilities are endless really. Culminate it with a match at WM31 HHH vs Shane for control. Shane takes his huge bump, HHH gets the win, Shane goes back to what he's doing now... It just makes too much sense to run an angle of this magnitude because no other event in WWE history will be as universe-shaking as Vince handing over the reigns. A peaceful solid transition in the real board room makes perfect sense, however to do the same thing on camera would be wasting the impact this unique moment will produce. Vince has been known to use injuries, deaths, and other touchy subjects to further angles (see the interruption of Mae Young's birthday song as an example) so I don't see him allowing his own retirement to pass without it setting off a major angle.

 

[willross]

OP's age I guess is showing huge right now.

Let me see....big angles with big results....

Hogan/Lauper/MR T vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper....HUGE

Hogan vs Andre.....HUGE

Hogan vs Savage.......HUGE

Hart Foundation vs Austin.......HUGE

Austin vs McMahon........HUGE

Rock joining the Corporation to feud against Austin........HUGE

Kane buries Undertaker, returning as Deadman.....GREAT

Taker vs HBK vs HHH (WM25 - WM28).........FANTASTIC

I have no idea how old the original poster of this thread is or how far back his wrestling knowledge goes but that is literally just the angles I could think of, off the top of my head that were designed to be a BIG DEAL and turned out a HUGE REWARD or atleast came across and concluded well.

 

[oneofakind318]

I don't know how far the original poster goes back as a fan, but I would include...

- The birth of Hulkamania
- Everything leading into Wrestlemania 1 was a big deal and needed to succeed to keep the company afloat. Those angles were well done.
- Hogan/Andre (as some have mentioned)
- Steamboat/Savage
- The Mega Powers storyline through Wrestlemania 5 was great. Then it got silly with Zeus and that stuff.
- The birth of the Undertaker. Especially when Paul Bearer was added. If they screw any of that up early on it changes everything.
- The Hart family feud and the reformation of the Hart Foundation in 97.
- Birth of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Austin vs. Bret/Owen
- Austin vs. McMahon
- Undertaker/Kane (the original story)
- Edge & Christian/Dudleys/Hardys. Not a "big storyline" by definition but a game changer.
- Batista/Triple H
- HBK/Jericho
- The Undertaker/Shawn Michaels/Triple H Wrestlemania stuff

There are some long lull periods in there and it's true they really haven't connected on anything huge lately. The Shield might change that, but with so much TV now and such little patience from the audience, it's difficult to let a story good breathe and simmer when it needs to. The Summer of Punk being a good example of a good story that was rushed and didn't make the impact it could have.

I guess we'll see what happens.

 

[LewisDuck]

It is far too early to put the shield members into one on one matches, let the stable dominate for a few more months and generate higher success before even thinking about title pushes or solo careers.

 

[zhaff2004]

Slaughter being an Iraqi sympathiser, leading to the faceoff with Hogan at Mania was HUGE at the time

Rock/Cena 1 was a huge angle as well

And one that I feel isn't getting any real mentions, but it really should is The Undertakers Mania streak. Its absolutely the biggest storyline in the WWE right now and will be for as long as Taker competes at mania and remains undefeated.

 

[nightshifty]

Undertaker/Edge was a great angle that last for a good bit of 2008, and also Orton/Undertaker which basically lasted 3/4 of the year of 2005. And I guess you can also say Rock/Cena is also one and it is still going on.

 

[streicher187]

5 I can think of are

The Radicals of Benoit, Guerrero and the other 2 - At a time when guys were jumping to WCW for the money these 4 got tired of being buried and jumped to the WWF

DX (the original) both before HBK got injured and with X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws before they went PG..

The birth of Y2J - When he first came in as Y2J and right away got into it with the Rock a star was being reborn and you could see it.

Undertaker vs Mankind Feud - they had some brutal matches and it was a great feud that led to hell in a cell and one of the most memorable matches of all times

And I would say the biggest angle they have done in last 20+ years is the Attitude Era Starting With Austin stunning McMahon and finally letting the Rock loose. If it was as scripted then as it is now we would NEVER have had Austin or The Rock they would have both been toned down..

 

[King Sheamus]

Hart Vs HBK. This was a huge angle back in 97. Both guys had real heat for each other and this is when the WWE started to really get edgy. Of course this angle saw the Montreal screw job which is still probably the most infamous moment in WWE history, and too top it all of Hart and HBk did not reconcile until 2010.

 

[zhaff2004]

5 I can think of are

The Radicals of Benoit, Guerrero and the other 2 - At a time when guys were jumping to WCW for the money these 4 got tired of being buried and jumped to the WWF

DX (the original) both before HBK got injured and with X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws before they went PG..

The birth of Y2J - When he first came in as Y2J and right away got into it with the Rock a star was being reborn and you could see it.

Undertaker vs Mankind Feud - they had some brutal matches and it was a great feud that led to hell in a cell and one of the most memorable matches of all times

And I would say the biggest angle they have done in last 20+ years is the Attitude Era Starting With Austin stunning McMahon and finally letting the Rock loose. If it was as scripted then as it is now we would NEVER have had Austin or The Rock they would have both been toned down..

I'd agree with most of what you said, except I feel that they blew the radicalz angle badly. I remember them debuting and then getting buried by DX and co. IIRC, Benoit, who was coming off as the WCW champ at the time getting buried by a mid-carder in HHH. I understand why they did it, but I don't see it as being a huge angle itself.

Even Y2J debuting, as he said in his book, he didn't like the way he started his wwf/e career. Sure, he went on to become a legend, but the angle that led to his debut and the subsequent storylines and matches that followed? I don't see it as being a huge angle.

 

[Fansince1992]

Macho Man Randy Savage vs Jake The Snake Roberts

- Damien Bites Randy while trapped in the ropes
- Python in 1 of Randy's / Elizebeth's wedding Presants
- Jake slapping Elizebeth across the face
- Randy elimates Jake from the 1992 Royal Rumble

This fued lasted for about a year. It ended when The Undertaker came to the rescue of Randy and Liz. Jake was about to ambush them backstage.

Undertaker's first Wrestlemania (1-0) vs Jake The Snake Roberts. WM8

 

[FlairFan2003]

It is too early to give up on The Shield, they've had some had some really good moments. Back in the 80s, when there was no weekly live TV specials with main event matches every episode and no more than 2 or 3 PPV like events per year, unlike 12 today, storylines in general lasted longer and had more plot twists and turns before ultimately concluding. Andre's heel turn and allegiance with ultimate Hogan Hater Bobby Heenan was done masterfully, one of the best builds for a big match I can remember in my lifetime (much better than Paul Orndorff's heel turn). The 2nd round of Hogan-Savage, which incorporated all the elements of "jealous Randy" we had seen when Savage was a heel, plus the old feud between them (fueling the fire of mistrust), this was another great set up.
In recent years some "Big Angles" have fallen flat. WWE never really wanted to resurrect ECW, they wanted to use the brand to promote mid carders and unknowns with some basic elements of the old fed, kinda like ECW-Lite. The Invasion angle didnt live up to expectations because virtually all of the legit stars of WCW did not participate. How much interest do you think you could generate for a football game between the 3rd string of Baltimore Ravens vs the regular starters of Green Bay ? Not much. WWE wasnt commited to the NWO return, instead riding Hogan's popularity with a full fledged face turn and firing Hall very quickly into the story. Nash alone remained a significant contributor but one man does not make a group.

Even though I did not like the build myself there is no doubt the build to Cena-Rock I was a massive success. Triple H striving to be wrestling's greatest champion, leading to his recruitment of Ric Flair as mentor and manager and the formation of Evolution was a very successful storyline that catapulted Trips to the top of the industry and made Relatitive unkmwns Orton & Batista major stars, was also well done. I think the build to some of Taker's recent WrestleMania bouts (Flair, both HBK, especially HBK II, HHH 3, Edge, Batista) has been well done.

 

[relentless1]

one of the most successful was Macho Man vs Hulk Hogan WM 5; that was a year long build from WM 4 without having to announce it ( cent vs Rock) it was so natural how it bubbled over til wrestle mania. the best long term angle wwf ever did IMO

 

[toon126]

Higher Power angle was probably my favourite in terms of story, twists and payoff. Absolutely incredible stuff and everyone involved did their part.

Could easily argue that in very recent times the Kane/Daniel Bryan story has been a success. Been running close to a year and worked brilliantly for both men.

 

[TheBottomLine]

Austin and The Corporation was amazing
Kane and the Undertaker
Eric Bischoff becoming GM of RAW
Paul Heyman leaving Brock for Big Show
There has been some smaller ones too that I can think of lately but they're no where near as big the ones I've already listed.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I completely agree with this. Any angle that last more than a month will have plot holes. I think it’s the formatting of having a PPV every month and trying to fill in time in-between. I think this started to happen after WrestleMania XI and the introduction to In Your House. Before In Your House, we had a few months, and in the case of the Main Event, a whole year, to build a long storyline.

From WM III to WM IV, we saw Macho Man go from Intercontinental Champion to World Champion. From WM IV to WM V, we saw the formation of the Mega Powers to the Mega Powers exploding. From WM V to WM VI, we saw the Ultimate Warrior dominate challengers, only to then culminate to his Ultimate Challenge. You get the idea.

Then, after WM XI, we started getting monthly PPVs. Things are just at a faster pace now and plot holes are to be expected. As good of an idea the WCW / ECW Alliance Invasion was, as good of an idea the New World Order invading the WWE was, as good of an idea the Nexus, there was bound to be issues with these due to over exposure and just straight up, too much time to work with. This is why I think, and I strongly use the words, “I think”, CM Punk’s 434 day reign is “more impressive” today than Pedro Morales’ 1027 day reign, or Bruno Sammartino’s 1237 day reign, or Bob Backlund’s 1470 day reign, or Hulk Hogan’s 1474 day reign, etc. back then.

Of course, I’m going to say, to me, the most impressive / successful big angle the WWE has ever done was Jericho’s run as Undisputed Champion, and that was for only 98 days, which is pretty long by today’s standards. He beat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in one night. Then he beat The Rock again the following month. Then he beat Stone Cold Steve Austin the following month. Then he drops the Title to the Royal Rumble winner. I think that’s the last best big angle the WWE ran.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Andre/Hogan: They were able to maintain this fued for over a year after the big payoff at Mania III.

Hogan/Macho: Friends become enimes. This lasted for about a year and lead to a big Mania V title match.

Macho/Flair: Great build that continued after their big match at Mania VIII and lasted pretty much for the whole 92 calendar year. Very important with Hogan gone for just about the whole year.

Bret/Shawn: They fueded for nearly 2 years while both were in the main event. Their match at Mania XII saved an otherwise poor card. The ending of this fued is one of the most memorable moments in wrerstling history.

Kane/Undertaker: Taker had many good fueds, but this was his best one. The story and execution were perfect. They were able to hold off their match for about 6 months as to have the match at Mania XIV and it was still fresh. They would be freinds and enimies many times throughout the rest of their fued which added to the angle.

Austin/McMahon: This one needs no explanation.

Austin/Rock: Created 3 matches at Mania. They did it all during their fued, trading the roles of heel and face and even both of them being faces.

Cena/Orton: These guys had a great fued that spanned years and usually involved the title.

Edge/Cena: Mainly one sided, but these two brought out the best in each other.

 

[D-Man]

I know it wasn't intentional but the original poster's topic is unbelievably ignorant. You act as if wrestling never existed before the Attitude Era. I can't even begin to count how many successful angles there were.

If anything, a thread topic could be made about failed angles since they are actually countable (although there were still many.) But that topic has been done to death.

Research wrestling prior to 1997. PLENTY of great things happened prior to the Attitude Era, during, and afterwards. To actually create this topic and not do the research yourself is just plain ridiculous, in my mind.

 

[chibet]

i CANNOT believe noone has mentioned EVOLUTION ! This boosted randy and batistas careers and only made triple H more powerful in the process.

 

[JVel]

WWE has done fine with angles overall. People have named a ton in the thread for examples.

It's just a matter of factions/stables in the last 10 years that they've dropped the ball with, aside from Evolution. They debut them strong but they pretty quickly fizzle due to creative not knowing what to do with them after the initial impact.