Paul Roma: Ruined By The Horsemen?

[The Brain]

Who in their right mind would bother to create a thread about Paul Roma? Is anybody going to respond to this, or even read it? I mean seriously, only the lamest of fans would even think to create a Paul Roma thread.

In 1987 Paul Roma and Jim Powers teamed up to form the Young Stallions. This was during a time where tag team action was white hot in the WWF. With several good teams in the WWF at the time the Young Stallions had a hard time making it to the top. They were good opponents for teams like the Hart Foundation and the Islanders but despite getting a couple title shots they were never taken seriously as championship contenders. After wrestling the Conquistadors on just about every house show in 1988 the Stallions quietly split up in early 1989.

For the next year and a half Paul Roma was low on the card and usually the guy to wrestle a dark match before a ppv. Roma still got victories over regular jobbers like the Brooklyn Brawler but always came up short against anyone more established. During the summer of 1990 Roma formed a friendship with Hercules who found himself slipping down the card as well. After a loss to Dino Bravo, Roma was left unconscious in the ring. The Rockers were scheduled in the next match and tried to assist the fallen Roma. Roma did not take kindly to the Rockers help which led to a shoving match. Hercules came out to assist Roma as the two officially turned heel by attacking the Rockers and forming Power & Glory. This team only lasted about a year, and while I thought they would have made great challengers to the Hart Foundation’s titles at WM7, they were instead squashed by LOD and had very little success. Paul Roma disappeared from the WWF following SummerSlam 91.

We would next see Paul Roma in WCW in 1993 when, to the surprise of everyone, he was announced as a member of the Four Horsemen. In what should have been a breakout moment in his career this made Paul Roma a laughing stock. He was simply miscast as a member of the most elite group in wrestling history. Despite winning the tag titles with Arn Anderson people just didn’t take Roma seriously. After a few months Roma turned heel again and found a new partner in Paul Orndorff creating the team Pretty Wonderful (awesome team in my opinion). The team lasted only a few months but they were successful tag team champions and the team seemed to be a much better fit for Roma. Roma left WCW in early 1995 and that was pretty much the end of his wrestling career.

I’ve always felt Roma was a little underrated. The guy was by no means anything spectacular, but I thought he showed some great athleticism and could have had a decent mid card run as a heel. I think Roma is one of those guys that people laugh at when they think of him. His inclusion in the Four Horsemen was just such a WTF moment that has defined his career. If Roma joined WCW as a heel singles wrestler with Harley Race or Col. Rob Parker as his manager he could have been a good TV Champion or maybe contended for the US title. Please keep in mind using the term underrated doesn’t mean I think he was main event material. It just means I think he was better than he is given credit for. So am I the only member of the thousands on this forum that thinks this way or will I wake up in the morning to see zero replies to this thread?

 

[klunderbunker]

It's late 80s wrestling. You know I'll read it.

In short, no. Roma was a career jobber in the WWF. The Stallions were a jobbing face team, Power and Glory were a jobbing heel team, and Roma was always a jobbing singles guy. They wanted him to join a team that had Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and whoever the other Horseman was at that time? No one bought it because Roma just wasn't that good. He had no track record and now he's supposed to be part of the most elite group in wrestling? No. This would be like Heath Slater being added to a new Evolution. It would make no sense and no one would buy it, especially when there was nothing new about him. He was just Paul Roma, now a Horseman.

The Horsemen didn't bury Roma.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Roma was underrated and underutilized. He had a good look, and he did have ability but he never got much traction in WWF. It's pretty much the way things works in WWE, the company had a number of talented performers out there who never got any kind of meaningful push.

I don't think the Horsemen ruined Roma, but a push into the group was unwise. His career in WWF as being enhancement talent or a jobber cast a large shadow over everything else he did afterwards. The view was still he was a lowcard performer not an elite performer. His joining the Horsemen wasn't something the fans could believe, or get behind. If they had allowed him to be a single wrestler in the company, then work on his character development , then he might have had a better shot at being more of a factor in WCW and maybe he might have had a shot with the Horsemen. Quite honestly, since he was mentioned, I think it might have been a good idea to put Orndoff in the Horsemen. I could have believed that.

 

[asiatic7]

"The job guy from WWE?"- HHH

Hey Brain, you always have good threads. This is no exception. I think Paul Roma was just a body guy. He had a great look and now in retrospect, I think that's why he was given the chances he had in WWE with those ill-fated tag teams. He looked like he was cut from the same cloth as Paul Orndorff, same build. Putting him in the Horsemen was a big step, but I think WCW was trying to capitalize on a former WWE guy coming in like they always did. It proved to be way out of his league because he was put in there with already established stars. Paul had accomplished nothing before joining the Horsemen.

I wonder who's idea it was to place him in that group, because Ric Flair hated Paul. But anyway, Paul wasn't ruined by the Horsemen. Judging by his career, It should be considered the highlight, because he accomplished nothing before or after...

Good thread Brain.

 

[The mind]

For one, I'm responding to a post about Paul Roma.

For two, Paul Roma was the worst horseman of all time. For anyone that knows WWE history, at least what was available from shoot interviews and actually meeting former WWE wrestlers, Roma got his entire push because he was a stooge. He got Jim Powers depushed to coin a phrase, because Powers confidented to Roma that he was tired of being lost in the mid card after three years in the company. Roma also stooged on Jacques Rougeau, Ray Traylor (Big Bossman), Jake Roberts, and many others.

In WCW, he did the same, and pretty much kissed Ric Falir's backside to get into the Four Horsemen. Roma was a medicore worker, and would back stab his own mother if it would have meant a push.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Asiatic7 used one of my two favorite quotes from the Horsemen DVD on Roma, the other being Flair calling him a "glorified gym rat." I remember that part of the DVD vividly because of Roma taking the Horsemen to task, claiming he was better than they were, cleaner, etc.

My frame of reference for Paul Roma is actually the tag team of Pretty Wonderful, since I was fully embroiled in WCW in the early 90's. I wasn't really watching that much when he was originally a Horseman, so my knowledge is pretty much from research and historical fandom.

The fact is, Roma was never elite. I lump him in with a guy like Bobby Eaton or a mid-career Bobby Valentine - a tag team specialist who couldn't really get over on his own. Bringing him in to the most elite faction in wrestling history to zero build was such a let down. They built anticipation - a spot in the Horsemen was the pinnacle of most careers. It fell so flat, and in the interview when Flair revealed it, even Flair seemed slightly crestfallen that he was introducing "Pretty" Paul Roma. I mean - Blanchard, Windham, Vicious, Sting - ROMA!?

It was wrong place, wrong time, that's all. I don't blame Roma (except he needs to not be such a mark for himself), and I don't blame the Horsemen, I blame WCW for dropping the ball on that.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Roma was one of a crop of "own name" wrestlers WWE had around 1987. Roma and Martel had the best chances of success but I think Roma lost out when the gimmicks got handed out, Hennig got Perfect over Taylor (who got the Rooster poor sod) Martel got "The Model" and Roma got "Glory" which really didn't work for him. I actually think Martel would have been better as a face and Roma better as "The Model", he had the look and the swagger where as Rick was about 5 years too old to carry the gimmick off to it's best potential.

Once he got to WCW it's quite possible that Dusty gave him a recommendation from their time in WWF although Roma could have "done a Russo" and bigged up his importance/reasons for not getting push. Never heard about the "stooge" stuff, Powers got "depushed" cos he was vanilla and the blandest of that crop of "own name" guys from where I sit, only marginally worse than Tom Zenk, but he was...

I think at heart Roma was a mid-carder who got a taste of the "big time" and didn't realise that he was only being given a taste, not an invitation to the buffet by Vince and that created a monster of "entitlement" when he got to WCW. Still, some double-standards are there... Pillman no-sold and walked out on a match and got no punishment, Roma no-sold Alex Wright and got fired... So that probably tells you all you need to know about how highly management rated him.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

Roma reminds me of Chris Masters in a lot of ways. He had a lot of potential, was given ample opportunities, but never quite got there. A lot of it had to do with his lack of a gimmick, in an era that was gimmick-heavy. He lacked charisma and mic skills, which are essential for a wrestler to get over. It didn't matter who he was teamed up with, or what stable he was put into, he just lacked that key X factor.

 

[HitmanRicks]

Paul Roma had the look and the talent to be a great wrestler, but the thing he didn't have was the attitude. Roma was an arrogant prick right off the bat, thinking that he should be World Champion after his first match. When that didn't happen, he started being a jerk. When your attitude about your profession is poor, so is your performance, and that always showed with Roma. There's a match he had with Shane Douglas in WWF that Shane was supposed to win, but Roma decided to go into business for himself and pinned Douglas anyway. Douglas was so confused that they kept wrestling, only for Roma to pin him again. To put it simply, Paul Roma's biggest fan was Paul Roma.

As stated in the Four Horsemen DVD, Roma thought he was above the Four Horsemen. He thought Ric Flair didn't deserve to lace up his boots even though he got his position in the Horsemen by kissing Flair's ass.

Roma's a punk, and he deserves to be a laughing stock in the annals of wrestling history. If he had achieved anymore success than he did, it would have been a blemish in the history books.

 

[closet_fan]

More like Paul Roma ruined the 4 Horsemen. Whoever decided that should have been fired on the spot.

During his stint in the WWF, he was a jobber whose name you actually recognized. That was about it. He got a little bit of a push, but it wasn't enough to remember him by. And I was a huge fan of both companies in the 80s. I am surprised he got as far as he did when he went to WCW.

The Four Horsemen DVD just shows you how delusional he was.

 

[justtxyank]

The fact is, Roma was never elite. I lump him in with a guy like Bobby Eaton

What did Bobby Eaton ever do to you? Kill your dog? Sleep with your wife?

I knew Bobby Eaton. I grew up watching Bobby Eaton. Paul Roma sir, is NO Bobby Eaton!

(Full Disclosure: I do not know Bobby Eaton)

Eaton was a good wrestler and he did get over on his own. Eaton's was old and out of shape by the time WCW went national and it was too late for him to be anything. He was not a jobber until the end of his career. Paul Roma WISHES he had the legacy of Bobby Eaton.

To respond to the OP, know I don't think Roma was ruined by the Horsemen. It was stupid to do that to him, but the truth is he didn't really have much to offer. Turning heel after the Horsemen run and joining with Mr. Wonderful only mattered BECAUSE he had been a Horsemen. Paul Roma was Paul Orndorff's body without Paul Orndorff's skill, dedication or psychology. On top of it all, the guy is a delusional egomaniac.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Dunno what to say...Paul Roma was a jobber who got a bit of a rub in WCW from being with the Four Horsemen, and ended up rising above his ability or charisma by becoming a multiple-time tag team champion with Anderson and Orndorff. I think he made about as good as a guy like that is going to (or really deserves to get).

In short, he was a typical non-descript mulleted babyface who turned heel and got enough cheap heat to get a title or two.

 

[Rabbid Wolverine]

Roma wasnt anything in wwe except a jobber as mentioned by numoerous folks. He would have developed more in wcw on his own but again thats not his fault. It wasnt his fault he got put into the horsemen. Suits put him in there cuz he had a look and thats what they figured would sell. The horsemen def did not ruin roma, he just wasnt really ever that over and i'm not sure he ever really developed his own skills. i'm sure he got paid pretty good at that time in wcw becasue they were paying big bucks.

 

[xavyer]

This is a good thread,everyone is caught up always talking about Cena, CM Punk, Sheamus, that peole forget that there are other wrestlers to talk about, with that being said, let's get back to the thread: I think Paul Roma was one of those guys that had the look and the size, but no one knew if he had talent, and sometimes you just had to flip the coin and see what you get, and in this case, WCW got a little luckier than the WWE(F) in a way that they did a little more with him that the WWE(F), but this is one of those cases where there is only so much someone can do for one guy, is not like Roma didn't had any chances to shine, i watched wrestling in the 80's and i remember a lot of things, but with Roma, either i didn't pay much attention to him or somehow i don't remember him much, but to me he wasn't that good on his own, i don't know if it had to do with booking, or he wasn't that talented, or like in todays WWE, he rubbed someone the wrong way.......

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Nice thread.

First thing to get out of the way... to the guy that lumps "Pretty" Paul Roma in with the likes of Bobby Eaton?

Son, that is one of the most wrong statements written on the Internet... EVER. Bobby Eaton was a pro's pro. An absolutely amazing wrestler, and from all accounts, quite possibly the nicest guy the business ever produced. Roma... worked out. He had a nice dropkick, and could have a decent match. And from all accounts, could have been one of the all time great heels if they just would have let him be himself on TV. In other words, no one liked him because he was such a douche.

Now to the OP... the Horsemen never ruined Paul Roma. They did define him though. The fact that Roma allowed himself to be a TV job guy for far to long in the WWF ruined Paul Roma. The fact that there was no build to pulling him out of the job guy ranks ruined Paul Roma. One week, he was the guy getting beat on TV. The next, he was one of the superstars winning his matches. The closest he ever got to being believable (at least to me), was when they put him with Hercules as Power and Glory. That pairing actually worked well, and they were a good team. The thing is... they were only built up to be fed to the Legion of Doom, and that's exactly what happened.

In WCW the way I heard it, is that the guys running WCW at the time (Jim Herd era), only knew that Roma had been featured on WWF TV, and thought that he was a bigger deal than he actually was. Then when Tully backed out of rejoining the Horsemen because WCW reneged on what they'd promised to pay him (cut his pay in half), they suggested Roma.

He was doomed in WCW as soon as they debuted him as a Horseman. Being the WWF job guy he brought the entire faction down, and lost what should have been a second chance for him because he just couldn't be taken seriously again. They define him though, because the failure with the Horsemen was symbolic of his entire career... failure.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Lets make one thing clear... Paul Roma DID NOT get into the Horsemen because he was friends with Ric Flair. That decission was made by Dusty Rhodes, who was booking at the time. Flair has stated publicly that he had no input in the decission, and attributed it to Dusty "screwing" with him again. Fact is, Flair didnt have much stroke in WCW at this time, Vader was champ, Sting was the Franchise, and the company was building what was supposed to be a huge payoff feud with Sid vs Vader. Flair initially didnt wrestle the 1st few months after his return, and when he did it was to elevate Steve Austin. Roma also has never attributed his Horsemen push to Flair, if anything criticizing Flair for not supporting him the way he did others like Luger, Whyndam, Benoit, etc. There was no "taking care of my friend Paul" moment between these two.

 

[HBsam31]

Great thread again Brain. I got my first taste of Roma watching The Young Stallions, and they were just an average team mixed in with a lot of great teams. Power and Glory seemed to have some promise when they were first formed, but that didn't work out either. This is where I get sketchy on Roma. When he went to WCW how, why and who decided that he should be a member of The Horsemen is way beyond me. I do know that no one was buying it. Pretty Wonderful if I remember correctly was a decently entertaining team. I wouldn't say that the Horsemen ruined Roma, but he sure as hell had no place in that group. He was a jobber that seemed to believe his own hype, and what could have been a career highlight for some was a career joke for Roma.