Jack Swagger: What Could Have Been?

[luis_is_king]

hello to every one and this is my very first thread and hope you comment on it.

*As for the topic, when I saw Jack Swagger drafted to RAW I was excited for him because of all the possibilities for his career.I immediately thought that he was due for a mid card title and some big time feuds w/ the big dogs of RAW, but here we are now no feuds, no titles, not even a respectable ppv win.

What could have been have jack swagger given those opportunities? And also how do you think swagger can refresh his career?

 

[waylonmercy]

Most likely talented wrestlers who do nothing make those decisions on their own. Jack Swagger easily could have rubbed some high up talent the wrong way, he could have rubbed Vince the wrong way or the writers. Maybe he isn't dedicated when it comes to improving in and out of the ring. Maybe he has the wrong attitude to advance.

 

[straightedge martyr]

Im not sure if the lisp is legit, but if it isn't then he really should drop it as it makes him much less credible. im glad he lost the purple crap on his outfit. He needs some new music and needs to start cutting some promos to get him out there. he has to seem like hes going after the big names and attacking them and stuff.

Can anyone tell me if the lisp is real case i really want to know.

Please!

 

[xBANEx]

Lisp? I still don't hear it. Same for Cody Rhodes.. dunno *shrugs

Anyway, back to the topic, it could be anything to be honest. He may be pulling a Carlito, he may have upset someone like Vince or the writers or.. maybe the writers just.. can't find anything for him to do? Maybe he should try to get better on the stick, give a few promos and revamp himself here and there.

 

[justinept]

Enough with the instant gratification. Rocky Maivia was awful. The Ringmaster was even worse... Of the two, only Maivia garnered any response from the crowd - and that was cause the entire crowd wanted to chant that he sucked...

For the 15-year olds on this board, those two wrestlers went on to become The Rock and Stone Cold.

Just because Jack Swagger hasn't become a star since moving to Raw doesn't mean that his career is over - it doesn't mean that some higher up doesn't like him. It might just be because the guy gets absoltely zero crowd reaction.

I don't care how good you think someone is or how talented a wrestler someone might be - if the rest of the crowd goes to the bathroom during his match or just sits in their seat in boredom during his match - then the guy isn't going to go anywhere until he makes a change. Swagger needs to make a change --- he can't just leave it up to creative to find something for him. He needs to take some intiative and find some interesting layers to his characters. If he does that and the crowd takes notice of him, then he'll get some mic time, then he'll get a quality ppv win and then he'll get some kind of title run.

Until then... knock it off... cause no one in the live crowd gives a crap about Jack Swagger's character.

*Side Note* The guy who said Swagger's lisp hurts him might be the single dumbest poster on these boards. Yea. Lisps truly hurt wrestlers ... Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Mick Foley ... three of the best talkers in the history of the business... If only they didn't all have lisps.

...Just idiotic.

 

[Decarow]

Hmm.. He just debuted over a year ago... Not that many people have been shot straight up to the main event. Hell, he was shot straight up into the ECW main event. They are sidelining him so they can get other story lines out of the way. I honestly trust the fact that he'll be main eventing in the next 2 years. The IWC has too many people they want to see in the main event right this second (Morrison, Miz, Swagger, MVP, Bourne, Ziggler, etc.) but the fact is they can't throw everybody in there. There are still the likes of Cena, Orton, HHH, HBK, Taker, Edge, Batista, and Jericho in the ME, so it looks like Swagger has to wait his turn. Just be patient. Shit.

 

[GenMe]

If swagger would of had givin a chance i think right know he will be atleast a one time WWE champion.Or instead of having him in Raw he could be in SD facing the WH Champion.But i guess swagger fucked up some were down the line cause the E was planning something big for swagger,But like a said maybe he fucked up some were down the line.

 

[Syborgg]

Hey, new poster here. I usually just read these forums to see what other fans are thinking and what they're opinions are. I've seen a few threads now about relatively newer wrestlers and why they haven't won a world title yet. I decided to sign on and voice my thoughts.

I guess you could call me an old-school wrestling fan...hell I've been watching since about WM 3 and I seem to remember that Bret Hart was around in WM 2 but didn't appear in the main event until WM 9. Hell HBK was a Rocker in WM 5 and didn't main event until WM 12. My point is, I think it's better that a wrestler works the ranks for awhile. It gives their career longevity. I mean think about it, we're all sick of seeing Cena, Orton, HHH and others hold the title, which virtually means if the IWC had it their way those guys would be stuck in "title-less" limbo for the remainder of their career.

So my question is, why are we all so quick to want to add names to the list of people that we are sick of seeing with world titles?

 

[Morpheus101]

hello to every one and this is my very first thread and hope you comment on it.

*As for the topic, when I saw Jack Swagger drafted to RAW I was excited for him because of all the possibilities for his career.I immediately thought that he was due for a mid card title and some big time feuds w/ the big dogs of RAW, but here we are now no feuds, no titles, not even a respectable ppv win.

What could have been have jack swagger given those opportunities? And also how do you think swagger can refresh his career?

As many have said, either Swagger f**ked up at some point and pissed Vince off, or maybe they simply don't have any plans for him right now. The guy is still only 27 years old, so there's more than enough time to do something with him. The ball lies in Swagger's court too, i.e. he has to seize the initiative. He is a good wrestler, but his whole gimmick went stale "the all American American". Last week on Raw, he was basically demoted to a random backstage guy, waving goodbye to Bret Hart. WWE haven't fired him yet, so there is still time for him to become the next Kurt Angle (plenty of time).

 

[LSN80]

I think the key to it all is patience. Everyone seems to forget that Swagger had a nice ECW title reign that lasted 4 and a half months. Its on the same level as the US or Intercontinental title, so I'm not complaining.

The OP mentioned how excited he was to see Swagger being moved to Raw, and my counter argument is that it was too friggin soon. The WWE title picture was occupied, overpopulated, and filled with guys who, like them or not, have earned their spot. The mid-card, well, it was crowded as heck when he arrived. You had so many people in the US title picture that the best they could do was throw guys into a six-pack challenge.

As for meaningful feuds, thats where theyve fallen short. He had that bit with MVP, including a PPV match, but other then that, the only other "feuds" he's had have been with Bourne and Santino. He and Bourne were basically a best 2 out of 3, and he had that smalll feud with Santino after the rumble when Swagger "cost" Santino the chance to compete in the Rumble. There are better guys they could have mixed him up with, no doubt.

The biggest way, IMO, that they dropped the ball was when he proclaimed he'ld go undefeated for the rest of 09, and then he lost like 3 weeks later. This could have been a nice way for him to build some momentum, but they dropped the ball there big time.

However, whats been best about Swagger is the way he's had very good matches own against MAIN EVENTERS. He took Cena to the limit about a month and a half ago, and his EC qualifying match against HHH was even better. Dare I say it, but I felt he carried that match.

I think the key with Swagger is patience. I don't think that WWE has lost faith in the man at all. I don't think his career, or gimmick, need refreshened. He's still young(almost 28). There are only so many slots to fill. By this time next year, he'll have won at least one title, even if its midcard. I'd bet on that. PATIENCE.........

 

[dionlyone18]

what people dont realixe is that the wwe writers write storylines....months in advanced...like they probably have summerslam all ready to go now.they cant just cut a storyline for swagger..yes hes good.but give him time,,jeez not everyone is sheamus,god thats the problem everyone wants instant gratification...jeez i like how there using hima nd ean bourne...cause believe it or not in about fiftenn years..hhh hbk taker cena and possibly orton mysterio edge jericho big show..theyll all be gone or about to leave.so you need those young stars for tommrrow and have those up and comers like the evan bournes the ted dibiase the cody rhoades sheamus drew mcyinture.they have a stroyline to follow and just cant change it for one guy.

 

[AwesomeONE]

Enough with the instant gratification. Rocky Maivia was awful. The Ringmaster was even worse... Of the two, only Maivia garnered any response from the crowd - and that was cause the entire crowd wanted to chant that he sucked...

For the 15-year olds on this board, those two wrestlers went on to become The Rock and Stone Cold.

Just because Jack Swagger hasn't become a star since moving to Raw doesn't mean that his career is over - it doesn't mean that some higher up doesn't like him. It might just be because the guy gets absoltely zero crowd reaction.

I don't care how good you think someone is or how talented a wrestler someone might be - if the rest of the crowd goes to the bathroom during his match or just sits in their seat in boredom during his match - then the guy isn't going to go anywhere until he makes a change. Swagger needs to make a change --- he can't just leave it up to creative to find something for him. He needs to take some intiative and find some interesting layers to his characters. If he does that and the crowd takes notice of him, then he'll get some mic time, then he'll get a quality ppv win and then he'll get some kind of title run.

Until then... knock it off... cause no one in the live crowd gives a crap about Jack Swagger's character.

*Side Note* The guy who said Swagger's lisp hurts him might be the single dumbest poster on these boards. Yea. Lisps truly hurt wrestlers ... Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Mick Foley ... three of the best talkers in the history of the business... If only they didn't all have lisps.

...Just idiotic.

I totally agree with u here man, i think people are worried that Swagger is going to be released or something, and if that did happen then wwe would have made a mistake, but hell this guy could just need to cut a decent promo or up his in ring ability a bit just to show the ppl upstairs that he is trying to improve. i believe he will get his push, just give it time

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Swagger has only been around for a year and a half and this thread title feels like Swagger has been around for fifteen years. Jack is just getting started and it will take time for him to develop but I believe he will be a good asset for the WWE. He has the look and the wrestling ability and his lisp is not that much of a hinderance. He just needs to find his groove and that may mean a trade to Smackdown where it is not so crowded and Swagger will show what he can bring to the table.

 

[dimice76]

Well apparently there is a story making the rounds that he is gonna be drafted to Smackdown this spring. If that happens I think he will have a break out year. He never seemed able to find his groove after the move to Raw. The short lived "Undefeated untill 2010" angle, is just a prime example of this. On SD his match options should be alot better on a week to week basis. Raw is more story lined based, where as SD it seems like they can have matches without alot of dram attatched to it. Swagger can obviously go, as proven in his match with HHH and his 2 matches with Cena. I definitly can see him on the upper mid card level by the fall on SD.

 

[Travaje]

I'll just repeat my post in the "jobber" thread.

Swagger has lots of ability, but a terrible gimmick, no catchphrase, can't draw any heat, and is similar to the Miz, except the Miz is ten times better at everything.

Swagger though can work a match and make the guys he puts over look really good with his ability. The office needs guys like that, and as long as he keeps doing that well, he'll be able to work and maybe they'll be able to come up with something better for him.

 

[luis_is_king]

I'll just repeat my post in the "jobber" thread.

Swagger has lots of ability, but a terrible gimmick, no catchphrase, can't draw any heat, and is similar to the Miz, except the Miz is ten times better at everything.

Swagger though can work a match and make the guys he puts over look really good with his ability. The office needs guys like that, and as long as he keeps doing that well, he'll be able to work and maybe they'll be able to come up with something better for him.

I sure hope so. I think the gimmick is not that bad but he just got buried in RAW and his gimmick never really took off there coz of all the focus on the main eventers. I think if he was given the chance to hold atleast the U.S. title this past year he could have incorporated the title to his gimmick.

 

[TLC]

Jack Swagger hasn't been with the company very long give it time. We don't him pushed too fast and look uncomfortable in the upper mid card which I believe the OP suggested. He's great in the ring and has proven this against people such as Cena and Triple H which i believe is a good sign.

One thing I think may hold him back is his lisp, a speech impediment isn't gonna do him any favours when it comes to promo's and the fact he looks so skinny is a thing that bugs me. If he can get rid of the lisp or tone it down and gain some muscle mass then I expect big things from Swagger.

 

[Ibi34DDT]

I NEVER understood why they didn't give Swagger a manager. I have to change the channel every time the dude opens his mouth. He's good enough in the ring, just needs a mouthpiece. It wouldn't hurt his heat to have some annoying manager running around the ring.

 

[TKO 3:16]

When jack swagger first came into the WWE, I thought of a young kurt angle. He's got the all american background, and IMO had the look of a future champion.
Latley, I have 2 agree with most posters on this thread and say that swagger has deffinatley fell off, jobbing to guys like santion, but it was good 2 see him qualify for MITB @ 'mania. But before that, he was jobbing. Not doing muvh of anything for having been so good in college.
But that's the difference. This is WWE, you have 2 have tons and tons of charisma and a good gimmick, which I think he has, and has just been used horribly by the creative team.
Jack swagger has the potential to be a GREAT prefomer in the E. He needs 2 work on is mic skills a bit, but he is deffinatley worth keeping around. Hopefully he gets a push after the draft, putting him on smackdown IMO is his best option.
There is a lot more superstars he can have storylibes with, and plenty of superstars thàt can put him "over" as well.
IMO jack swagger to SD is the BEST move to make.

 

[Pepe Silvia]

JR's unfortunate incident with Bell's Palsy might have hurt Hager. JR was VERY high on Jake Hager, and from what I've heard, he'd stop by JR's BarBQ in Oklahoma and ask him for advice. I really feel like he was one of the driving forces behind Hager becoming a star, and without him there, no one's advocating his skills.

 

[ultimate opportunist]

It was just too big of a jump for him to go from being a big fish in a small pond to a goldfish in the ocean. To top it off his debut on raw is vs the red hot (at the time) orton. He could only go down from there, smackdown would have been a better choice for him.

 

[The Mizard of Oz]

I just can't get into Jack Swagger. It has nothing at all to do with his wrestling ability. It has everything to do with his character.

For starters, he has one of the absolute worst entrances I have ever seen. The generic Rage song doesn't fit him at all, IMO. Why does EVERYONE have to have music with lyrics nowadays? If Kurt Angle debuted right now, would his entrance music be a rip-off of "Bulls on Parade"? Maybe "Township Rebellion". Anyway...once Swagger comes from behind the curtain, his mannerisms seem more fit for Eugene than someone that we are supposed to take seriously. It looks like he has a fucking conniption fit. The pyro/pushups are nice, but everytime this occurs, I begin wondering why the fuck a jobber has pyro.

And then his catchphrase is of course, moronic. He's a fine athlete and he's solid in the ring, but how can anyone take him seriously? Him being buried since coming over to RAW certainly hasn't helped matters either. I don't think the WWE missed any golden opportunity with him, however. The second he walked out of the curtain having a seizure to the sweet sounds of a RATM rip-off, his goose was cooked.

I wouldn't mind seeing Swagger in TNA, assuming he gets a massive character overall. I think he has the talent and pedigree to be a player. It's just never going to happen as long as his character is so weak.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

The amount of ridiculous in this thread is reaching an all-time high.

Jack Swagger debuted just 18 months ago. You act like Swagger has been here for ten years and hasn't done shit. He still has time to develop as a wrestler. His in-ring work is decent but he needs to work on his mic skills. Maybe he should have been drafted to Smackdown or RAW where he would have a easier time but I think he can be a decent midcard champion. Nobody thought much of the Miz when he debuted but after a couple of years, look at what he has become. With time and effort, Swagger could end up the same way.

 

[WATCHMEN51]

I really think Swagger will be okay you are just going to have to give him some time. Everybody learns at there own curve, and it's just going to take some time with this kid. He's only 27, he still has at least a couple years left before he needs to start worrying about when he is going to get his big push. I don't want the WWE to push him too early ala Sheamus and end up in no mans land because he was not ready yet. Swagger has loads of talent and potential the slower he comes along the better off he will be in the end, you know the way the used to do it in the old days. It use to take a guy promising talent almost a decade before the powers that be decided if a guy was ready or not. He has plenty of time so just be patient.

 

[Cable]

Wh does everyone think a guy like this is done? Just because he isn't being pushed like a Kofi or Sheamus, big deal he made the MITB match, I mean look at Edge, CM Punk both guys were crap until they won that match now they are both headliners.

All I'm saying is give it time, only so many guys can be in the spotlight at one point.