How to make a new Superstar

[ActionJackson]

So, I have been watching some of the old WWE matches that feature the Rock. The crowd goes absolutely nuts for him, the chant his name during his entrance, they chant his name throughout the match. It's nothing weak either, it seems that majority of the people would not stop chanting "ROCKY ROCKY ROCKY" through a match.
The question is, what does the WWE have to do to make a superstar again? I know you have Cena and Punk, but neither have reached the chants that the Rock got.
Did the WWE just luck out at the time or is there some formula to making a superstar into a cultural icon?

 

[The Hillside]

It doesn't have to be WWE's efforts all the time, much depends on the talent too. The Rock was a naturally talented, hard working, charismatic and big-hearted and was ideal superstar/hero wrestler, so that explain it all.

Hulk Hogan on the other hand appeared very powerful in shape and would go to crazy limits to display his charisma and on the other hand he was the first ever to benefit from the 'partiotic' gimmick which helped his character be incorporated in to the whole American landscape.

Steve Austin on the other hand was a proper 'red-neck badass persona', had a middle-finger as his signature which was a popular slur at that time in the whole globe, top of that he would use words like 'son of a btich', ' don't trust anybody' and that all followed with a popular and the biggest feud with a Boss of a company (Vince) and probably the first one of a kind that made him popular and powerful all over the wrestling industry and they gave him all kinds of crazy storylines to do with the boss.

So that explains, how big the gimmick needs to be and how talented the superstar should be if you want a complete mega-star.

John Cena is very close, he has been given a powerful superhero gimmick and is rightfully so hero to many kids and teens. If we were kid and teen right now, we would see John Cena as huge as The Rock or Hulk Hogan and as popular as them.

CM Punk had a good anti-hero, revolutionary and cult of personality gimmick going on, only to be wasted by Cena's PPV main eventing all the time which hindered his gimmick rise. They also wasted the Straight Edge Society gimmick at some point. But that was again due to Cena and Orton being on the top.

 

[2Sweet_4Life]

I think a big problem is WWE have this idea that they pick who they want to be their 'Stars' Vince wants Ryback, HHH wants to push Sheamus to the moon yet A guy like Bryan who is getting cheered by the crowd as a HEEL, Has lost 4 straight PPV's in a row. WWE after Mania 28 should of put the strap on Bryan and turn him face & push him to the moon. Rather than a guy like Sheamus who is getting booed! Look what happened when the crowd wanted Goldberg to be a star and was chanting his name, what did WCW do? They made him undefeated and put the strap on him. What happened when the fans cheered for Mega-heel Austin they turned him face and put him in a fued with the top guy Bret Hart then put the title on him. What happened when The Rock was cheered as a heel? They turned him face put him in a fued with HHH and let him win the title. Basically my point is WWE doesn't make stars the fans do. If the crowd chant YES! Every night why not turn Bryan face and push him? Because Sheamus is HHH'S boy. Look at Punk last year they could of had Punk go over HHH at Night of Champions then give Punk the title and keep him as this edgy tweener like Stone Cold- Were the crowd decided whether we cheered or booed him. That could of been the new star. If you don't believe me look at The Rock, Austin, Goldberg.

 

[mrpops]

Theres alot of factors(look, wrestling ability, mic skills etc). But the reason huge names got over so well was because the crowds didnt suck 10+ years ago and the WWE released a great product.

Also, apparantly WWE stopped liqour sales to their events years ago. Dumb idea. Crowds+Beer=Loud for TV=More exciting to the veiwer at home.

Instead we got sober bored parents and kids who only like cena....which makes a silent crowd. And WWE wonders why no one cheers anymore. They are idiots.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

I think a big problem is WWE have this idea that they pick who they want to be their 'Stars' Vince wants Ryback, HHH wants to push Sheamus to the moon yet A guy like Bryan who is getting cheered by the crowd as a HEEL, Has lost 4 straight PPV's in a row. WWE after Mania 28 should of put the strap on Bryan and turn him face & push him to the moon. Rather than a guy like Sheamus who is getting booed! Look what happened when the crowd wanted Goldberg to be a star and was chanting his name, what did WCW do? They made him undefeated and put the strap on him. What happened when the fans cheered for Mega-heel Austin they turned him face and put him in a fued with the top guy Bret Hart then put the title on him. What happened when The Rock was cheered as a heel? They turned him face put him in a fued with HHH and let him win the title. Basically my point is WWE doesn't make stars the fans do. If the crowd chant YES! Every night why not turn Bryan face and push him? Because Sheamus is HHH'S boy. Look at Punk last year they could of had Punk go over HHH at Night of Champions then give Punk the title and keep him as this edgy tweener like Stone Cold- Were the crowd decided whether we cheered or booed him. That could of been the new star. If you don't believe me look at The Rock, Austin, Goldberg.

i agree with this i also get the impression wwe are telling us who to like now it should be the other way round best example is cena they can say mixed reaction all they want more often then not he gets booed to hell but hes still the biggest face in the company but its just because he makes them more money and they wont take risks because wwe know there the biggest pro wrestling company on the planet theres not that many other options for people to watch. But in the attitude era it was more or less do or die so we ended up with guys like stone cold/rock ect wwe dont need to take unnessecary risks to even try and make stars of that calibre right now so they wont unfortunatly

 

[#BabyFace]

If you notice, the "top" stars don't become as big until they are theirselves. Many people today want more gimmicks. When has someone with a real hard gimmick became a top guy. The only one I can think of is UnderTaker and he wouldn't of been able to do it if he wasn't so damn good in the ring and microhone. A superstar becomes big when they are theirselves. Think about it for a second....

Stone Cold Steve Austin- Was debuted as "Stunning" Steve Austin. He was this pretty boy. When did he get over to the extent that we all know....When he started being himself. Stone Cold said at King of the Ring "Austin 3:16 said I just whipped your ass!" If you watch his movie, he talks of how that wasn't scripted. He thought of it and said it. After that day, we saw the Stone Cold Steve Austin that we came to love. Because he was HIMSELF.

The Rock- Again, watch The Rocks new movie... The Rock was pretty over as a heel in Nation of Domination and as the Intercontinental Champion. But what got him to the next level as "THE MAN" in the WWE? He started being himself...He grabbed the microphone and cut promos. Everyone instantly realized how The Rock is a charming and hilarious person. Again, The Rock got over as a top guy in WWE because he was himself.

CM Punk- Do I even have to remind you about Punk? The guy was overlooked. An internet darling. Sure he was given the World Heavyweight Title. Even though he would cut these amazing promos and having great matches every night. Yet he still wasn't where he is today. At the time, he had the Straight Edge gimmick where he was trying to get everyone like him. He was over, just not as a "Top Guy." 6/27/2011...The WWE Changed and CM Punk instantly became one of the top guys in the WWE. It may not have been completely clear at the time, but WWE, Vince McMahon, and the world new for sure a few weks later at Money In The Bank that CM Punk...is here to stay as "The Man" in the WWE.

All three of these are proof that most "Top Guys" in the WWE, get there by being theirselves.

Even John Cena isn't a gimmick. Sure he is given everything to be succesful with all the wins and titles. But when he speaks...wether you hate him or love him....he is himself.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Agreed man. The way to make one of these guys big is give them an excellent gimmick, stick them in good storylines and push the deserving guys.

Also, make sure they have great in-ring and mic skills.

They need to be innovative.

 

[Stern 50s dad]

Well when fans cheer guys like Bryan and Ziggler
they are making it harder for them to be successful heels.

And these are the same fans who are streaming PPVs and not buying their merchandise.

If you want these guys to be top heels then start BOOING them.

If you want them to be top faces then buy their stuff so WWE knows you care.

 

[DirtyD79]

Even in The Rock's case, his original gimmick The Bluechipper sucked. He got booed out of every building he went to. They were calling Stone Cold Steve Austin the freakin' Ringmaster and next they were gonna call him Chilly McFreeze. Yeah that would have put asses in the seats. The point is these guys got over because they were given the freedom to tailor their gimmicks to themselves and WWE was willing to adapt to what the audience wanted instead of shoving them down the audience's throat.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

Well when fans cheer guys like Bryan and Ziggler
they are making it harder for them to be successful heels.

And these are the same fans who are streaming PPVs and not buying their merchandise.

If you want these guys to be top heels then start BOOING them.

If you want them to be top faces then buy their stuff so WWE knows you care.

I disagree with you. While the fans have a huge say in which superstars become popular over time, most fans can smell crap from a mile away. When they see the "faces" who are stale and way overdone...of course they are going to start cheering actual fresh talent that earned their way up. The fans aren't as dumb as WWE tends to think, and they will respond accordingly if whatever wrestler does their job like they are supposed to do.

Making a new superstar really takes two things: winning the crowd and winning over management. It doesn't necessarily take 'a total package' to win fans over. Fans have accepted guys with great ability and crap mic work, and guys with crap ability and great mic work. The key is to find a way to connect.

One way to connect is to stand out, and that's hard to do when all the heels act like total cowards and the faces as supermen. I watched a youtube video of when Stone Cold was heel and Rock was face the night before their Survivor Series 2001 match. Even as a heel, Stone Cold showed absolutely no fear of The Rock.

Case in point...during the Nexus angle Sheamus was supposed to be the next badass heel. But he lost his 'edge' when he tucked his tail and ran away from Nexus! Just totally lame. Just because a guy switches from face to heel shouldn't mean they instantly become cowardly...it's overdone.

I'd like to see a heel debut with absolutely no fear, even of John Cena. Someone that will actually put up a fight. Like if they turned Ryback heel, I wouldn't want to see him going from crushing people to suddenly running away from guys like Kofi Kingston. The fans pick up on that and it destroys the character.

 

[Headman]

The fans are horrible bookers. This much is true. With that said it's up to the individual to get over, not the company. The company gives you the platform but ultimately you've gotta get yourself over. Bad booking can stunt your growth but when they give you the ball you damn sure better run with it. That's what the Rock did, that's what Austin did and that's what Cena did.

 

[Firewall_Philip_Hanan]

Sometimes the company is responsible for your demise. Like when they give you a horrible character to play. I can't believe someone actually came up with the idea to play a Turkey mascot, but even if they did, WWE should have known that was a horrible idea.

 

[D0M]

I still belive that hardcore make stars.

I know I won't make friend with this argument.. But I honestly belive that if you put someone, with a great potential (Charisme, skill, Mic), into a great match with hardcore rules (TLC, table, Extreme rules, brawl..)... People will alway remember that.

It's sad.. but blood still make an impact.