How to revamp Jack Swagger

[Disturbed]

Everyone has to come to a conclusion that Jack Swagger's title reign was some what of a waste and could have been used for something better. After he lost the title, he quickly went back to the mid card. So my question to you is how would you re-establish Swagger as a main eventer?

Well first off, I would have had him in the King of the Ring tonight and winning it. WHen Swagger, had his "Oklahoma Homecoming" and was wearing the king's outfit, I was thinking that guy would make for one hell of a king of the ring winner. Sure many of you (I included) wanted Aleberto Del Rio to win since he is perfect for the role but Del Rio has something good going for him at the moment and Swagger does not.

Ok since Swagger was not in the tournament, I would start from the bottom in rebuilding him. I would have him start taking out the lower mid card right now and have them job to him for a few weeks then he could start a program with Kofi Kingston. They could put on a few good matches untill the end of the year. Swagger then could enter the Rumble and come down to the final four. After the RUmble, I would book him in feuds with other mid to upper mid card guys because I think he could put on some good matches with Daniel Bryan, John Morrison, Big Show, Rey Mysterio, and Kaval. Then I would have him with the money in the bank again at Wrestlemania. This time I would hype him up just like Miz with the briefcase then he could cash in at the Fatal Four Way pay per view and hold the title for a while.

Thoughts?

 

[Undertaker the 5th]

I don't think it will be hard to rebound him. All you have to do is make him look good against some main eventers. I think the best possibility for him is to turn face. I know a lot of the IWC will bitch and whine because they love heels, but Swagger acts more like a child than a heel. Either that or he could get injured and make a surprise return against a main eventer, even though I doubt he would get such a good reaction as some other wrestlers would.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Swagger does not need to be re-established. He's a former World Champion and could enter the contendership at any time and would still be believable as a winner in the match. If Swagger was the #1 contender instead of Edge, he would still have a good shot at winning. That doesn't sound like a guy who needs to be re-established. All he would need to do is win some filler feud and then feud with the World Champion because he could easily win another world title having won one before and Smackdown's roster isn't exactly any better than him at the moment other than Kane or Edge or maybe Big Show. Swagger wins some random filler feud then feuds with the champion. There, that would "re-establish" him. Problem solved.

 

[Rated Straight Edge]

Jack Swagger should be revamped as a monster heel. Lets face the facts: Kane and Undertaker are old. Undertaker in particular doesn't have it in him to continue wrestling nowhere near as much as he used to with age and injuries finally catching up. Not that he was a monster heel, of course. He was just a monster, period. But a monster nonetheless. And Kane? He just never really had much personality. It was always, "Kane smash!" and that was all. Swagger has the physique and talent to be made into a monster heel version of what Kurt Angle was. I would revamp his character by having him go early-Sheamus on the SmackDown locker room, taking out a few mid-carders and ultimate target the World Heavyweight Champion with a few interferences which would nearly cost the champion at the time his championship and leading to the face champion challenging Swagger for a bout. With the Road to WrestleMania set to begin within less than two months, it's perhaps to late to jump start Swagger's character right now with the Edge/Kane feud hot as it is, and a possible Edge/Christian WrestleMania bout for championship glory and/or a Kane/Undertaker rematch rematch. Swagger has low face value, so making him into a monster heel seems to be the easier, likeliest and best way to rebuild him into a marketable chess piece on SmackDown.

 

[MizFit Brocko]

Once Edge eventually takes the belt from Kane, im fairly sure Swagger will be the guy to step up and feud over the title with him.

Del Rio isn't getting away from this Mysterio feud anytime soon, Kane will drop the title and lose his rematch in prep to conclude the taker feud. With Edge as champ, the only viable heel to take him on is Swagger. Rhodes and Mcintyre aren't ready, Del Rio is occupied with Mysterio, Kane will be occupied with Taker and Ziggler is IC Champ, and unless he drops that and steps up to ME level (Which i highly doubt as again, he isn't ready) then i honestly think Swagger will be in the title picture again rather soon.

 

[Jacob]

The reason I disagree is just simply beating a few people fora short while won't send him back on top. I think the best way to do that would to make him face, have a decent feud with Alberto Del Rio then have him challenge Kane and Edge for a triple threat have him win it hold the tittle for atleast two or three months then have him loose it but have him dominating the Smackdown roster.

 

[LSN80]

Swagger doesn't need a new gimmick or repackaging. He's an ex-world champion who only llost his title in a Fatal four Way match. People are so quick to dismiss and forget his successful title defenses. One being against Edge an Jericho on Smackdown, and the other being against Randy Orton at Extreme Rules. Both were excellent matches.

Swagger came out of nowhere before to win the MITB ladder match, and the World Title. He was on nobody's radar, and was floundering on Raw. He was feuding with, and lost a match to, Santino. He was the last person many expected to win a World Title.

So what do you do with Swagger? You let him go out there and wrestle, and look dominant in doing so. If his work in the Survivor Series tag match is any indication, he's plenty capable of it. Have him win several matches against some of the bigger babyfaces on Smackdown, a No. 1 Contenders match, and he has instant credibility. Have him step into that role after Edge inevitably wins the World Title. He's the best fit, and it solves your Swagger problem, quick.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I dont think Swagger needs to be revamped. He is a young guy and will get other opportunities on top. Even though his title run was a flop, he is in a much better position than he was before the MITB match, where he was basically doing nothing much on Raw. At least now he has the status of a former world champion, and he just needs to be booked more dominantly to make him look more formidable, to prepare him from another shot at the main event in the future.

I dont think the reign harmed him at all, and I think that in time we will see Swagger as champion again, he definitely doesnt need to be revamped dramatically, maybe just make him a more sadistic, vicious heel who will not let go of the anklelock, something like that

 

[culantro]

i think swagger needs a good feud with a top babyface, and then he's on his way to the title again, he needs to look more agressive and dominant, and in a short while he will be in the ME picture again...

 

[TheMainMan32]

Jack Swagger does not need to be re-established. He needs to join F.E.W.- Future Endeavors Wrestling. He has tried, and failed, to get over for how long now? How long do you get? Every other big star has found a way to get over almost immediately, meaning a few months to a year. Why do we keep giving guys that obviously don't have "it" chance after chance after chance?

 

[Marky-Marc]

Swagger doesn't need a new gimmick or repackaging. He's an ex-world champion who only llost his title in a Fatal four Way match. People are so quick to dismiss and forget his successful title defenses. One being against Edge an Jericho on Smackdown, and the other being against Randy Orton at Extreme Rules. Both were excellent matches.

Swagger came out of nowhere before to win the MITB ladder match, and the World Title. He was on nobody's radar, and was floundering on Raw. He was feuding with, and lost a match to, Santino. He was the last person many expected to win a World Title.

So what do you do with Swagger? You let him go out there and wrestle, and look dominant in doing so. If his work in the Survivor Series tag match is any indication, he's plenty capable of it. Have him win several matches against some of the bigger babyfaces on Smackdown, a No. 1 Contenders match, and he has instant credibility. Have him step into that role after Edge inevitably wins the World Title. He's the best fit, and it solves your Swagger problem, quick.

Bingo.

I said it in another thread somewhere that I think it's very easy to get Swagger back into the title picture. Just let him wrestle. He has great skills and while his title reigh may have been a little lackluster, nobody can deny that he didn't get great heat. He was booed from the second his music started playing, and his arrogance is awesome.

Here's what I would do for Swagger. No re-packaging, his gimmick is great. Have Edge win the WHC at TLC, give Kane a rematch at the Royal Rumble. Make Swagger look strong in the Rumble, very strong. Perhaps have him eliminate a main event player like Big Show or Orton.

Than, to end the Kane/Edge fued, have a final match at Elimination Chamber, but not inside the chamber. Save the Smackdown chamber match as a No. 1 contender's match for WM. Make it Big Show, Mysterio, Kofi, Ziggler, Del Rio and Swagger. Have Swagger win. This would make him look incredible byt winning an Elimination Chamber match. Than let him put on a clinic with Edge at WM.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Two words: face turn.

Swagger's promos aren't the best, which makes it harder for him to be a heel. Sure, he can play the "bigger guy dominates the face" card, but that isn't substantial enough. He does get his boos, but I think he could connect to the crowd better as a face.

This requires some tweaking, though. For instance, they would need to slowly bring back the mannerisms he used to have. The push-ups with the red/white/blue pyro, the ring attire he wore at WrestleMania, the King Kong chest bumping thing he used to do. They would need to slowly but surely bring those back as a part of his entrance, similar to how Kofi does the three booms and the jump, Mysterio does that stupid point/pyro thing, blah blah blah.

Another thing is they need to let him win matches with the skill they tout all the time. In fact, make that his character. He's the most skilled in the ring and he's always looking for a challenge. The only difference is now that he's a babyface, he doesn't cheat and attack people after/before the match and everything. Just have him be sort of "the serious wrestler". He's there to win titles, not to bullshit around with love triangles and leprechauns and such. He goes out there, pumps himself up before each match, and tries to win as many times as possible. If someone starts a feud with him, he'll continue the feud, but its more out of taking care of the problem and showing that jackass heel some respect rather than something like "you kidnapped my father" or something.

Making Jack Swagger the serious, realistic type of competitor that showcases wrestling skills could play well with the MMA audience. Will it drive them away from UFC and boost the WWE ratings up to 4's? No. But fans that think wrestling is fake all the way around and can't get into the storylines would perhaps like someone like Swagger much better if his whole environment is basically a more shoot-style gimmick. By gimmick, I don't mean the Jeff Jarrett TNA route where he suddenly starts doing MMA matches in totally different attire...I just mean "a guy who is a good wrestler and seeks competition and titles". He doesn't need to be a ladies man, he doesn't need to be a stuttering monster, he doesn't need to wear a mask or rap or put on an accent or anything...they can just showcase Jack Swagger as "the wrestler".

 

[Isaac Kaye]

Two words: face turn.

Swagger's promos aren't the best, which makes it harder for him to be a heel. Sure, he can play the "bigger guy dominates the face" card, but that isn't substantial enough. He does get his boos, but I think he could connect to the crowd better as a face.

This requires some tweaking, though. For instance, they would need to slowly bring back the mannerisms he used to have. The push-ups with the red/white/blue pyro, the ring attire he wore at WrestleMania, the King Kong chest bumping thing he used to do. They would need to slowly but surely bring those back as a part of his entrance, similar to how Kofi does the three booms and the jump, Mysterio does that stupid point/pyro thing, blah blah blah.

Another thing is they need to let him win matches with the skill they tout all the time. In fact, make that his character. He's the most skilled in the ring and he's always looking for a challenge. The only difference is now that he's a babyface, he doesn't cheat and attack people after/before the match and everything. Just have him be sort of "the serious wrestler". He's there to win titles, not to bullshit around with love triangles and leprechauns and such. He goes out there, pumps himself up before each match, and tries to win as many times as possible. If someone starts a feud with him, he'll continue the feud, but its more out of taking care of the problem and showing that jackass heel some respect rather than something like "you kidnapped my father" or something.

Making Jack Swagger the serious, realistic type of competitor that showcases wrestling skills could play well with the MMA audience. Will it drive them away from UFC and boost the WWE ratings up to 4's? No. But fans that think wrestling is fake all the way around and can't get into the storylines would perhaps like someone like Swagger much better if his whole environment is basically a more shoot-style gimmick. By gimmick, I don't mean the Jeff Jarrett TNA route where he suddenly starts doing MMA matches in totally different attire...I just mean "a guy who is a good wrestler and seeks competition and titles". He doesn't need to be a ladies man, he doesn't need to be a stuttering monster, he doesn't need to wear a mask or rap or put on an accent or anything...they can just showcase Jack Swagger as "the wrestler".

This is a very plausible idea, but I'm not sure this is what he needs when he is so over as a heel. He only needs to open his mouth and the fans hate him instantly. I can't think of many other midcard heels that garner this reaction.

Also, his promo's are much much better than people give him credit for. Creative actually give him a lot more mic time than most other people on the SD roster and he has actually improved since his HW title reign. The whole thing with his Dad really demonstrated his aptitude with the mic. I really don't think Swagger needs to improve this much to make it to the main event permanently.

What needs to improve is his downright horrendous booking. I can't think of anyone they have jobbed out clean to so many people this year (even when he was HW champion for christs sake) Just as they appear to be giving him a bit of momentum, they job him out the week after. They're making the guy look like a Jabronie, not a strong, physical heel. Take the past RAW episode.. why oh why have him lose clean to Edge when they are supposed to be building him for an IC match in under a weeks time??!! It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and it's indicative of the way he has been booked all year.

I dunno if he is doing something wrong backstage but he looks like a consummate professional from what I can see.

His character is fine, he even seems to have got his entrance pretty consistent. To rebuild him? Just book him better!

 

[UltimateHitman]

Ok, here's a quick little scenario. He's in the Rumble, he's struggling, etc. etc. Somebody goes to toss him over the top, he catches himself on the apron and rolls/slides/crawls back in. He's on his hands and knees on the ring, just kind of looking down or straight ahead for a few seconds, looking pissed. He starts pounding on the mat in frustration (no, not like Orton either) and then jumps up "like a house of fire", stomping towards a couple major players that are fighting by the ropes. He lets out an "AAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHH!" as he eliminates both of those guys in a burst of energy, lets out another roar and starts pounding his chest like he used to do. Then he's just spot on and takes out a couple more guys before he starts getting into it with an upper mid-card to ME heel character and puts on a hell of a performance. He doesn't have to win, but instant attention, instant face turn, instant boost, all in one. Then from there just keep the ball rolling.

 

[radec]

he is a great heel and can be a great main eventer and i would revamp him by going into a fued with bigshow and talking him out with thr anckle lock and then join the EC match and lose in the final 3. At WM he could win the IC tittle off of rey mysterio and that would be huge. from there he can hold the tittle for almost the full year or more and that would be great for him beating everyone. When he losses it he can be rapidly put in the WHC tittle chase.

 

[Cracka Jack]

Turn him face. Swagger's actually pretty danm funny on the mic when given the chance ("It's called the Swaggy and it's delicious") and Smackdown! needs faces right now. The guy's very good in the ring, and as a face, his mic skills only really need to be decent to carry a feud. I'm pretty sure I know how to turn him too: a feud with Ziggler, probably over the IC title. Anyone opposing Vickie could get over (except for Eric Escobar). Have him be the guy who's willing to make fun of himself in segments, but get serious for matches. Bring out the lovable, silly, funny jock in him (think Kurt Angle's early face runs), and I'd expect the crowd to quickly embrace him.