How to get a superstar ''over''?

[Crush1]

I've been wondering this for a long time now but how does Vince and the creative team get a guy over?

When John Cena first debuted in his match against Kurt Angle nobody gave a shit, but now everytime he pops up people scream his name in ecstasy.Or the rock when he debuted with his rocky maivia shit gimmick he was shoved down our throats as a result people were pissed off and even chanted die rocky die.

Now how can you get someone to care for you or hate you?, is it heel tactics? typical good-guy act? a good gimmick? a good wrestling ability? a push? I dont think that everyone is going to get reactions.Lets take a superstar like John Morrison.He's has a good gimmick, wrestling ability and he uses heel tactics but whenever he comes out the crowd is absolutely dead.

But! we do have The Brian Kendrick.Nobody gave a shit about this guy he was in some lame tag team which nobody watched and suddenly out of nowhere he beats everyone and participates in a championship scramble

Now how can the wwe creative team change the fact that people dont care about you? how do they make a wrestler a REAL superstar? that i dont know... do you?

 

[I_Heart_Princess_P]

In Cena's case. They gave him the white rapper gimmick which was stupid for the first couple of months, but as time went on he started cutting funny raps which started entertaining the fans and he was being pushed as a threat, ie beating the Undertaker, coming close to beating Brock Lesnar and being a thorn at Kurt Angle's side.

Rock. The fans booed him because of his awful face turn. He turned on all the fans who booed him and told them to kiss his ass. He started cutting good promos and adopting some cleaver and funny catchphrases which the fans caught onto.

Like several other posters say that the wrestlers are themselves. That's on to the point, but its the wrestlers job to take what creative gives you and put some "mustard" onto it .

 

[Ross_Gilbert]

In my opinion to get someone over requires a heel run and then a well timed face turn... Take Triple H for example, probably the best heel in the business, but as soon as they hinted at the face turn and the DX reunion with Shawn Michaels he was over like a mother f**ker. Same goes for The Rock, he was a great heel because he could work the crowd but as soon as the face turn came he was the most over character in the business.
The fans love to cheer for the face and they love to hate the heel, so when the heel who they already secretly love turns face they can show it. It's worked with everyone... Triple H, Stone Cold, The Rock, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Batista, The Big Show etc.
Granted it wouldn't work with the likes of JBL but who wants him to be over anyway?

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

'Exentuate the positives and hide the negatives' to quote a coolade spewing, hardcore wrestling, hustler we all know and love.

If the guy is great in the ring but can't talk for shit, let him destroy opponents decisively and give him a decent manager as a mouth piece. Examples: Heyman did wonders for getting Lesnar over, up until they felt Brock could handle talking on his own, but that wasn't until after his HIAC match with Taker. Estrada did great getting Umaga over. whether people liked the character or not, everyone loved to say UUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-MAGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I actually grew to enjoy Great Khali promos when Onion Singh did the talking for him. Without a manager, Khali has no appeal for me.

If the wrestler can't wrestle to save his life, or the crowd goes dead during their matches, but they've plenty of charisma to work with, let them roll with that. Those are the guys that you can put in fueds with other good talkers, and as long as they aren't Khali, people will still care whether they can wrestle or not. Examples: Mr. Kennedy. Some people don't think he's much in the ring, and i'll admit his matches on Raw and just previous to getting injured recently, his ring work seemed to be getting stiffer and stiffer. However, when he joined SD! originally his promos got over, and what was he doing? Bigging himself up as amazing and was getting fluke victories over former champs. He was even made to look like he could actually beat Batista one on one in Jan '07. Again, love him or hate him, everyone loves to shout 'Mist-errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr KEN-NE-DY........ KENNEDY!!!!!!!!! Hell i like to say 'Big things poppin' little thing stoppin'' a la MVP, but because he doesn't say it often enough it hasn't caught on as a catchphrase.

Back to Kennedy, watch his promo after winning MITB. That's an example of a quality promo. Probably one of the best since the Rock left imo. I'd consider the Edge/Foley one a month ago as a segment rather than a promo personally.

Santino is another example. Before he and Maria hooked up and he started talking, no one cared about the guy and look at him now. He (possibly purposely) wrestles terribly, but is a great entertainer nonetheless.

TBK is another great example. He had a year long tag title run with London and were they seen with a mic once? No, and while people enjoyed their matches, no one really cared about the characters. Now the guy comes out and basically says 'fuck y'all' and now people care about him. JBL started giving lots of great promos and went from tag team guy to longest champ in SD! history.

You wonder why Morrison gets no reaction? Because he never speaks! Back with MNM, Melina did all the talking, then he became ECW champ and started talking, and then he lost the belt and rarely ever gets the mic anymore. That's why no one cares about him or Miz. All their promos are on the website, as are Cryme Tymes now. How do they expect people to care about them doing a bullshit promo which usually doesn't have anything to do with the wrestling on the website? Santino has his 'Casa' but still has promos on TV as well.

Here's a random one. The Blue Meanie couldn't wrestle to save his life. He danced around and people enjoyed watching that, then they put him with Stevie Richards and they mimicked old school gimmicks, and people cared a little more, and then they put him in the BWO and they got over.

Talent need time to talk a big game and interact with the crowd in order to get over, otherwise they better be putting on wrestling clinics in every match or taking ridiculous bumps like guys such as Benoit did. Guys above me have said Benoit couldn't talk, then it must be because he was the 'best damn technical wrestler' (oh look, another catchphrase/nickname) plus he flew around the ring occassionally or took a beating when the occassion called for it. At Unforgiven, they had a double feature during Shelton's entrance with him talking about himself for like 20 seconds. That's all these guys need, is tiny segements like that on tv to help them get over.

Notice that the top talent usually a) can put in great matches, b) can talk a good game, or if they're someone like the Undertaker, who can only really do great heel promos, they have a great manager (P. Bearer) AND c) do stupidly sick bumps or blade frequently. You can get over, with only 2 of those attributes covered, but you're unlikely to be a main eventer if you can't do all three. Look at Edge for example. Has always had decent matches, always takes stupidly sick spots, didn't get really noticed til E + C turned heel, then he was face and no one cared for ages until he became heel and got better on the mic. Jeff Hardy takes a lot of bumps, and puts on a lot better matches than before he went to TNA, but still can't talk for shit. Yet Matt, who can do all three, is a champ. (After getting fired he had to earn his rep all over again). You can say that Jeff's suspensions have held him back, but the fans still love the guy which is why he hasn't fallen back to being a nobody like Regal did.

Anyway, starting to go off topic so i'll stop there. That's my 2 cents on the subject.

 

[Mattyboy]

I agree 100% that the wrestlers have to take the ball and run with it, whether its shit or not. The Rock is the best example of this-When he debuted as uber face Rocky Mavia he was HATED like heel. Remember the 'Die Rocky Die' chants. Then he came back as a cocky NOD memeber who drew great heat because he was already hated. He connected with the crowd. Then he spewed gold on the mic-Rock is the best on the mic, ever. And the fans go nuts.

I think its all down to interaction. You have to make the crowd feel involved, react to what they chant, get them to react to what you do. Whether they love you or hate you, you need that reaction.If they just dont care, ala Morrison, your fucked, and better work it out.

 

[LMaruko]

To turn nobodies into somebodies.

It really depends on a number of things to make a wrestler a superstar. There are many wrestlers who are still in the business are haven't got over as good as the rest, as an example comparing Cena to Jeff Hardy. Hardy had been in the business for quite a long time, teaming up with Lita and Matt while Cena was in development as the Prototype. But Cena became a main eventer really quickly, and even became a tag team champion in four months of his debut (the Hardyz took nearly a year to attain that). And now, Cena has been a World Champion multiple times, and Jeff Hardy has been just seconds... away.

Depending on one's own charisma, their physique, how they are booked, what gimmick they're given, how well they sell and draw with the fans, who they associate with, how well they work in the ring, and the current situation the WWE is in, all these are elements given to put someone "over." Cena is a great entertainer, and he had a good grasp on all these elements, and even still, is known as a wrestling machine, without any close family, serious girlfriends, kids, etc., and recently he has just been wearing down and breaking, but still I know Vinnie Mac is saying "Cena is a definite future HOF." Jeff Hardy, unfortunately has had too many conflicts with getting over by other mainstream wrestlers, his personal life, and even two strikes on the Wellness Policy. He is too high risk.

But it just depends on so many elements, it's mind-boggling. I take it just starts off with what the WWE gives out, and if the wrestler can play the part.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I think personal charisma is the biggest thing in making a superstar over. It's not something McMahon can teach. It's not something creative can control. I think if a wrestler comes in with a lot of charisma they can pull off almost any gimmick.

There will be exceptions to this, obviously. But if they have charisma, they can make anything entertaining. Hence the reason Cena got over with the awful gimmick he had at the beginning of his career. He made it entertaining. I was a fan of Cena in those days.

That being said, there are other things a wrestler needs. A good story and gimmick is by far the easiest way to get someone over. I think Shawn Michaels popularity was heightened by the fact this was his "Boyhood dream" and people could relate to it.

 

[Richard]

I think the following elements are crucial to making a superstar or getting a superstar 'over':

1. Their music: Music is crucial because as soon as someones music hits it should be recognisable and should be able to set the tone and create an impact. E.g as soon as you hear glass shatter, you know hell is going to break loose and it creates that unpredictable atmosphere. I can't find the exact words I am looking for but I think you know what I mean. Music means a lot because it sets an impression in your mind about the wrestler.

2. Charisma: This is an absolute must. If you are boring when you are cutting a promo then people are just not going to want to watch you. If you are a legend on the mic such as Chris Jericho or The Rock, wether you love them or hate them you want to watch no matter what and this helps draw the audience into the program and to help the audience connect with the character. If a wrestler can't draw in interest, they should start looking for other jobs.

3. In ring ability: This is quite obvious as you have to be able to wrestle well to be able to get 'over' well and for the audience to want to watch you.

I think that wrestlers also have to have a character that the fans can relate to. The best example of this I can think of would be Stone Cold Steve Austin. He was a guy who hated his boss. A lot of people hate their boss and they were able to relate to Stone Cold and his hatred of Vince McMahon and this is why he was so popular (My opinion).

 

[young eazy]

I've been wondering this for a long time now but how does Vince and the creative team get a guy over?

When John Cena first debuted in his match against Kurt Angle nobody gave a shit, but now everytime he pops up people scream his name in ecstasy.Or the rock when he debuted with his rocky maivia shit gimmick he was shoved down our throats as a result people were pissed off and even chanted die rocky die.

Now how can you get someone to care for you or hate you?, is it heel tactics? typical good-guy act? a good gimmick? a good wrestling ability? a push? I dont think that everyone is going to get reactions.Lets take a superstar like John Morrison.He's has a good gimmick, wrestling ability and he uses heel tactics but whenever he comes out the crowd is absolutely dead.

But! we do have The Brian Kendrick.Nobody gave a shit about this guy he was in some lame tag team which nobody watched and suddenly out of nowhere he beats everyone and participates in a championship scramble

Now how can the wwe creative team change the fact that people dont care about you? how do they make a wrestler a REAL superstar? that i dont know... do you?

Getting a superstar over has alot to do with a superstars apperance and gimmik also the superstar has got to be able to connect with the crowd in some way like The rock for example he got booed out of arenas during his rocky mavia gimmik as a face no one really cared about this guy he turns heel refreshens his character starts saying some catchphrases people started to like it he became very entertaining just like austin he went through several gimmik changes in his career when he started to become a badass and beat up the boss people loved it many ppl at there jobs would love to give it to there boss austin did that and he was able to connect with the crowd even more and he got over same with HHH he became serious got a more entertaing gimmik instead of that awful ballet gimmikthat no one gave a damn about in the mid 90s

 

[jpfizzle]

In my opinion when you get a talent, fresh, keen to impress and with bags of potential the best way to get them "over" is to have them earn there stripes in the mid-card!

Edge, arguably the biggest heel in the company today, how long did he spend find tuning his repetoire, putting on some memorable matches (particuly with the Hardys and Dudleys) before finally splitting from Christian when he was good and ready to make the next step. Granted he had a bit of luck with getting major heat from his affair with Lita.

The Rock and Triple H, before they were both after the WHC belt they had a memorable feud for the IC putting on what in my opinion was one of the best ladder matches of all time.

Eddie Guerrero, had a brilliant run with European title in which along with Chyna and his Latino Heat gimmick he became one of the most intresting slots on the card. WWE soon noticed this and felt he was ready for a monster push into the upper mid card and finnaly the main event.

Some people say that WWE is not what it used to be, but in terms of talent I have never seen the roster looking so good. To make someone over take some time putting them in memorable feuds in the mid-card. Not only will fans start to take notice again but it will improve the overall product no end.

 

[shafe_41]

How to get a superstar over? First, define "over." I don't believe you're fully "over" until you pick up that first major title (WWE/Heavyweight). I think this is quite easy honestly. Get the crowd behind them 110% in which gives them the momentum for their build-up to their first Heavyweight title victory. Look at history. Hogan, Austin, Rock, Bret Hart, HBK, Mysterio, Benoit, Cena, Batista, Orton, Warrior, Savage, RVD, Eddie, and just for old times sake we'll even say Bruno Sammartino. Every one of these guys had giant build-ups as a face when they were making their first real challenge and win of a major title. Now I know that response is a little off topic as far as HOW to get them over, but ultimately if you have the crowd on your side hardcore going in (and yes, everybody DID love it when Cena won his firist title though the match was a little lackluster), it seems to me that you're pretty over.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Agent of Chaos reports:


You wonder why Morrison gets no reaction? Because he never speaks! Back with MNM, Melina did all the talking, then he became ECW champ and started talking, and then he lost the belt and rarely ever gets the mic anymore. That's why no one cares about him or Miz. All their promos are on the website, as are Cryme Tymes now. How do they expect people to care about them doing a bullshit promo which usually doesn't have anything to do with the wrestling on the website? Santino has his 'Casa' but still has promos on TV as well.

Seriously? Morrison never talks? He is constantly on commentary, get a promo every week, and is considered one of the better mic workers in the business. I find he and Miz very entertaining with the mc. And as far neither of them being over....

Ummm, they are very over? They get booed like crazy on Raw, which is a feat, considering that they are ECW guys. When Evan Bourne appears on ECW, the crowd goes apeshit. When he shows up on Raw, no one cares. But Morrison and Miz get a reaction everywhere.


Now, it is said by many wrestlers that it is easier to make the crowd hate you that it is to make them love you. To get over as a heel, all you need to do is attack an over face. Take Vladamir Kozlov as an example. His boos were present, however, he is absolutely hated now that he has heat with Hardy and HHH.

Anther way to get over, is the Kendrick route. That is to say, attack the fans. The Rock got over as a heel this way as well. Tell the corwd you are better looking (Rick Rude), richer (JBL), smarter (Kendrick, Lanny Poffo), or just all around a better person (Mr. Perfect) and you will get booed.

The next way to get over is the Flair theory. Just cheat. Cheat some more. Surround yourself with cheaters. Pull people like Sting in close, and then screw them. Just being an all around ass with some charisma will get you over. You wanted to cheer for Flair because you wanted to hang out with him, you admired his ability in the ring, and then boom, he hits Sting over the head with a chair and punches him in the nuts. Suddenly, your nuts hurt too, and Ric Flair is an ass.

Finally, as a heel, taking the monster route while keeping a mouthpiece will get you over as well. This is how Undertaker, Kane, Khali, Kamala, Umaga.....all got over as heels. The mouthpiece must be a prick or a scary individual, and the heel must be dominant for this to work. True monsters can be over from the start if they just attack a top level face as an introduction.


Getting over as a face is a bit more difficult. I agree that being an over heel with a catch phrase helps, but it takes more. An examination of The Rock proves this. As a member of the nation, he displayed a charisma and connection with the fans almost unseen. The fans hated the nation, but loved the Rock. What it took to get him over as a face, was a feud with a face DX. The crowd loved DX, but DX were not traditional faces. They were the definition of Tweeners. The crowd loved them, but they resorted to Flair tactics to win. As they feuded with The Nation, Rocky got cheated time and again, so the fans began to feel sympathy due to his promo skills. So, for the Rock, and it exists as a model still, the way to get a face over is to get the crowd to feel their pain. Make the struggle to the top analogous to one's own yearning for success. The Rock wanted to be on top, but there was a power structure above him that held him down. Who hasn't felt this at work. Even if the people above you aren't pricks, they still have a group support system, whereas (post-nation) the Rock had his heart and his fists.

And sometimes, the crowd just turns guys face. Steve Austin was supposed to be a heel. He was just such a badass that everyone wanted to cheer him. People could not wait to see what he was going to do. To get over as a face, it is not always up to the wrestler. Sometimes, the crowd just takes a hold of someone and moves them to the top.

The Ultimate Warrior is an interesting example as well. Sometimes, all it takes is the energy within the performer to move the crowd. Whle, the methods are different, I would put Jeff Hardy in this category as well. It's not mic skills, movesets, or character development. For these performers, and others of their ilk, it is just the constant excitement that the viewer or the crowd feels while these guys perform.

 

[Crush1]

Seriously? Morrison never talks? He is constantly on commentary, get a promo every week, and is considered one of the better mic workers in the business. I find him and the Miz very entertaining with the mic.

Well they dont get that much promo time and if they did people wouldnt complain all of the time how morrison is shit on the mic.And lately i've noticed that the miz gets more mic time than morrison.

Ummm, they are very over? They get booed like crazy on Raw, which is a feat, considering that they are ECW guys.

Maybe i watched the wrong show because i didnt hear any crowd reaction from raw let alone smackdown when their music hit.

The next way to get over is the Flair theory. Just cheat. Cheat some more. Surround yourself with cheaters. Pull people like Sting in close, and then screw them.

Yes thats the problem with morrison he almost never cheats and performs flashy face/tweener moves, while the miz has more agressive moves and cheats more than morrison.

Finally, as a heel, taking the monster route while keeping a mouthpiece will get you over as well. This is how Undertaker, Kane, Khali, Kamala, Umaga.....all got over as heels.

The monster tactic is overused too much and people dont care about it anymore there's khali, kozlov, kane, big show, umaga, henry, swagger,knox
These type of guys neve get over in the industry today.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Umaga is over. Kane is so over as aface, they can't turn him heel. Undertaker everyone cares about. Kozlov gets more heat than almost anyone on the roster.


I disagree that Morrison and Miz aren't over. I think they have everything that it takes. The crowd hates them. Miz comes in with heat from being on the real world. Is there anything that WWE fans hate more than that show? He never had to say a word to be hated. He has improved immensely.

We can agree to disagree, and that's cool. I do agree that Morrison doesn't cheat enough. His moveset is pretty face-ish. But the words out of his mouth are pure heel. Their online show makes him out to be a giant ass.

 

[J-Mustang]

But what about Jeff Hardy he never had a heel turn im almost certain of it so how did he get over with the fans?

 

[tj3000x]

But what about Jeff Hardy he never had a heel turn im almost certain of it so how did he get over with the fans?

I believe Jeff and Matt were once heels as part of the "new" Brood, led by Gangrel. Jeff got over with the fans due to his unique ring style and high spots. He never needed to pick up a mic and cut a promo. He got over by his years of entertaining fans in the ring.

 

[Crush1]

Jeff got over with the fans due to his unique ring style and high spots. He never needed to pick up a mic and cut a promo. He got over by his years of entertaining fans in the ring.

Entertaining the fans? unique ring style? hardy has become the most boring wrestler on smackdown.When was the last time hardy had a good match?, he always does the same moves over and over he's become stale.

And now that he has promo-time he cant do that right either.Anyway i think the reason why hardy is so over is because of his time with his brother as the hardy boys.

When people hear the name hardy it doesnt matter if its matt or jeff they will always cheer for them because they remember the time of the hardy boys.

As for the people who call him a ''charismatic enigma'' i cant see a glimps of it

But still i dont get why some superstars who are boring like triple h and jeff hardy are uber-over

 

[tj3000x]

Entertaining the fans? unique ring style? hardy has become the most boring wrestler on smackdown.When was the last time hardy had a good match?, he always does the same moves over and over he's become stale.

And now that he has promo-time he cant do that right either.Anyway i think the reason why hardy is so over is because of his time with his brother as the hardy boys.

When people hear the name hardy it doesnt matter if its matt or jeff they will always cheer for them because they remember the time of the hardy boys.

As for the people who call him a ''charismatic enigma'' i cant see a glimps of it

But still i dont get why some superstars who are boring like triple h and jeff hardy are uber-over

Well I didn't mean recently, I should've been specific. And I mean look at who the overall product is targeted at right now, kids. Kids are entertained by Hardy for whatever reason. Possibly his appearance or just the mere fact he can do flips. But you have to face it, some people are just over because they are. In life there are just some people you like because you like them, you can't think of a reason to or you don't need a reason to. Vice versa with people you dislike.

 

[ronthony717]

You just have to have it.. And you have conect with fans.. Give the fans what they need...jeff is a perfect example that everyone keeps bringing up.. Mistakes were made.. Yeah he has 2 strikes but he still proves that he can wrestle wit the best and yeah he's been in that ring for yrs but still learns and put on great matches... He's proving that those 2 strikes are behind him and he's here to get that gold and show that he can run with cena and triple H and be part of the next generation of future hall of famers.. You kiddin me.. Jeff and matt had it once they came in with hayes.. They had it.. Fans were startin to like them and to make a name for themselves they showed what they can do wit the ladders and high flying... You have to have your own thing and show the fans that that thing is their specialty and use it top put on great matches and fueds.. When you think of shawn you think all the way back from when his name really grew by attacking marty in the barber shop.. Triple h when he was that snob who faught the godwins in the pig pen and was part of the cliq and dx.. Undertaker debutin at ss and tomb stoning hogan on a chair to become champ.. You gotta make a mark for people to remember and talk about to the day they pass on and after.. Like I said.. Its all about having it..