Jim Neidhart in D-Generation X

[TEIWCSCSAATBHPHASP]

After the events of the Montreal Screwjob in which Bret Hart left the WWF after Survivor Series '97 on bitter terms, Bret had fellow peers standing up for him. Undertaker made Vince apologize to Bret for screwing him over and lying to him, and not only did Undertaker (most loyal WWF locker room leader ever) threaten to go back to WCW, but Mankind, Kane, Brian "Crush" Adams, Rick Rude, "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart either walked out on the WWF or quit the Federation altogether to at least try to fare better in WCW in support sympathy for Bret. And if Brian Pillman was still alive for SvS '97 instead of dying at Bad Blood, maybe Pillman would've been quick to leave too.

However, Foley only took a week off and we knew he and Taker were never gonna go back to WCW, and Kane was told to stay with the WWF because he just started working with the WWF as the Big Red Machine monster heel a month or two ago. Only Rude was able to quit immediately, because he wasn't an active wrestler due to his career-ending injury from Sting three years earlier, Crush had to be written off via injury attack from Kane, and Bulldog had knee surgery in '97 and had to pay $500,000 (half a million dollars) to get out of his long-term WWF contract (5 years) signed in '96. Owen wasn't allowed to leave for WCW and he didn't want to go back to WCW anyway because Owen was not confident that WCW would utilize him to his strengths correctly and he took a month off to heal from Montreal, and Neidhart couldn't immediately go so he had to stay a few extra weeks after Montreal. Thus, WWF had Neidhart tease a heel turn by betraying The Hart Foundation in favor of D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Chyna).

Neidhart appeared to confront HBK, HHH and Chyna for the way they treated Bret in shoot promos after November 10, 1997. Then, HBK bribed Neidhart into joining DX so the Anvil reluctantly accepted being an unofficial member of DX. He never had a match as a psuedo member of DX, instead Shawn Michaels was forced to wrestle Vader in a late 1997 throwaway match on WWF Raw is War. However, the ending after a babyface Vader vs heel degenerate HBK showed that after HBK pinned Vader with help from HHH, followed by HBK and HHH raising Neidhart's hands in victory, little did Neidhart know that Chyna low-blowed him, meaning that Neidhart's very short-lived stint as unofficial member of DX proved to be a farce in the end, and so Shawn Michaels and Triple H gang up on Neidhart in a two-on-one beatdown, not that Vader would come back and help Neidhart anyway.

Segments included HBK graffiti-tagging Neidhart via black spraypaint, spraypainting the letters WCW on the back of Neidhart, handcuffing Neidhart to the ropes not without Neidhart giving HBK a legit elbow, before Sgt. Slaughter and Ken Shamrock came to Neidhart's rescue. Bret even admitted in one of his shoot interviews that Neidhart had to keep working for the WWF for a while before he can rejoin Bulldog in WCW, so the DX angle for Neidhart was the best he could hope for since no other wrestling promotion was willing to take Neidhart unless he's associated with Bret, Owen or Bulldog.

But what if Neidhart eventually grew to become a fully-fledged member of D-Generation X alongside Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna and eventually Road Dogg and Billy Gunn of the New Age Outlaws and the returning Sean Waltman? Waltman ended up being initially known as just simply The Kid on WWF websites before he was re-dubbed X-Pac without any mention of his previous plucky underdog persona The 1-2-3 Kid.

How would Neidhart have fared as an actual member of DX? Give your opinion as to why Neidhart could've made a good replacement enforcer once Rick Rude left, although Rude was characterized as an insurance policy manager for HBK, HHH and Chyna while Neidhart would've been mainly reduced to being an enforcer.

 

[Makaveli31]

How would Neidhart have fared as an actual member of DX? Give your opinion as to why Neidhart could've made a good replacement enforcer once Rick Rude left, although Rude was characterized as an insurance policy manager for HBK, HHH and Chyna while Neidhart would've been mainly reduced to being an enforcer.
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Chyna was already the "enforcer" bodyguard for DX. Rude was just window dressing.

 

[TEIWCSCSAATBHPHASP]

Chyna was already the "enforcer" bodyguard for DX. Rude was just window dressing.

So what do you think of Jim Neidhart as an actual member of D-Generation X alongside Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna and later Billy Gunn, Road Dogg and X-Pac? Shawn Michaels was able to play different types of heels, ranging from his old-school narcissistic Sexy Boy heel gimmick from '92-'95 to his degenerate mature adult and pioneer of the WWF Attitude Era style, before Attitude became the actual game in the WWF town. I'm pretty sure Neidhart would have gotten along just okay with HBK and HHH despite the bad blood between Vince/WWF and Bret after Montreal. Let's see what Jack Hammer would have thought about Jim Neidhart being a fully-fledged member of DX.

I think Neidhart would've had a small uptick in his role upgrade from being a mere background player with The Hart Foundation (the anti-American version for much of 1997) to a third banana behind Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The third banana for the Hart Foundation for much of '97 was the British Bulldog. Remember @Makaveli31, since Neidhart is simply a role player, you have to admit that you can fit Jim Neidhart into almost any faction, especially The Hart Foundation, and especially D-Generation X since Neidhart is a decent wrestler, talker and has decent charisma.

 

[Makaveli31]

I think Neidhart would've had a small uptick in his role upgrade from being a mere background player with The Hart Foundation (the anti-American version for much of 1997) to a third banana behind Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The third banana for the Hart Foundation for much of '97 was the British Bulldog. Remember @Makaveli31, since Neidhart is simply a role player, you have to admit that you can fit Jim Neidhart into almost any faction, especially The Hart Foundation, and especially D-Generation X since Neidhart is a decent wrestler, talker and has decent charisma.

I honestly don't see it.

1) DX was all about juvenile behavior. The jokes. The innuendo. The flat-out sexually charged nature of the gimmick that Niedhart doesn't fit in any of those categories. I don't see his real personality come thru the way HHH did or the way Waltman's, Gunn's, or Road Dogg's did. They were more or less an extension of their real life personalities. Jim was off the wall strange. He had that dry sense of humor. It wasn't necessarily juvenile in nature.

2) There was such a drop off between HHH and Anvil. It wasn't like with Bulldog where he had feuds with Bret and Owen and was seen a equal. Niedhart was fifth or at BEST fourth in the faction hierarchy. He was good as a tag team or job guy for the faction but not as a serious singles contender. Yeah, he was a decent wrestler and talker but we're talking about some of the best. Clearly he is no where near HBK or HHH's level and even in his best days he might be a level or two down from Waltman's and NAO's. DX was a special faction not everyone fit. For instance, as charismatic as The Rock would not fit DX same goes for any superstar you would name. I can't even see Hall and Nash being members of DX. You need a certain type of personality for fit the DX mold.

3) I don't think he would have a uptick at all. Anvil is/was basically the "Vincent" of factions. He would be used to get heat for the other guys the faction was feuding with.