Potential

[Razor]

No, this isn't for you to list wrestlers for which you see the oh so fabled "potential." This is, for the most part, a place for me to blow off some steam. Though, of course, I welcome your responses.



I've noticed a trend to a lot of wrestling threads. If someone is speaking of a new wrestler they want pushed, or a relatively shitty wrestler who isn't over but they want a push for him anyway; it's always "They may not be good in the ring, and they may not be over. But they have potential."

I, as of right now, am calling Bullshit.

I hear nothing of the new ECW wrestlers but "Ooooo, they have potential. Give him a mega push now." I hear nothing of Benjamin/Morrison/MVP/Kennedy/(insert other mid-carder who isn't over) but "He may not be doing it in the ring, and the crowd may not care, but he's got potential!"

Sorry my friends, but "Potential" isn't good enough. Sure, it is to be hired. WWE/TNA doesn't want wrestlers who don't have the potential to succeed. But when you're on TV? When you've been given multiple reasonable pushes and done nothing with them? When you're putting on match after match that are snorefests? When you routinely fuck yourself over? When you do nothing but jump, but your fans promise you can do more? When you practically do everything to the crowd but piss on the children and still only get marginal boos at best? Your "Potential" doesn't cut it, and you don't deserve a push. Hell, you don't even deserve a paycheck.

The fans I see that are the most guilty of this are the Shelton Benjamin fans. "Oh, but he has such great athletic potential!" Ok. So? He jumps really high. I haven't seen him do one major, athletically surprising bump outside of a MITB match in a good 2 years. His potential obviously is not cutting it.

And my god, the next person to say "____ wrestler has potential, don't get me wrong. But he just isn't over with the crowd." is going to make me lose my mind. Obviously said wrestler does not have potential, or he would...oh I don't know....be over with the crowd.

So, I ask you. Is "Potential" enough to make you a good wrestler? Is "Potential" enough to warrant push after push after push? I, obviously, say no.

 

[ztwhite]

Man dude, you really need to stop watching wrestling or all professional sports / entertainment if that's really the way you look at things.

First, I'll pick apart the wrestling aspect of your assanine comments.

Thank God when HHH first appeared in WWF / WWE, he was so damn great in the ring that Vince and the boys in the back said "lets put the strap on his waist right now and give it to him 12 more times after that !!!"

I am so thrilled that Steve Austin was so incredible between the ropes that he carried WCW to the number one wrestling show in the world.

That Rocky Maivia kid sure can perform. I hear his daddy and granddaddy were pretty good wrestlers too.

I can't believe wrestling is still on tv today, considering Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Ric Flair are still beating the hell out of each every night.

-- If you haven't figured it out yet, if "potential" was never considered or allowed to flourish, the industry would be dead. No one ever steps into the spotlight and automatically carries the organization. It takes time to develop on the big stage and "potential" is what 95% of all wrestlers have. That rare 5% actually become good.

Now we'll put your theory to the test on other professional sports or entertainment levels.

I can't believe anyone drafted Kobe Bryant or LeBron James straight out of high school. They could have really become good players if they had went to college.

Anyone ever hear of that Tom Brady guy who used to be the third string quarterback at the University of Michigan ?? I wonder what he's doing these days ?? Probably selling used cars.

I went to this bar the other night and heard a band that calls themselves Nirvana. I kind of like that grunge style of music. Too bad rap is the only thing people listen to these days.

-- That razorback kid sure does have potential to become a good poster on the WZ forums if he'd only get his head out of his ass. It's a shame he lost his mind.

 

[Blade]

No, potential is not enough to warrant a main event push. A wrestler shouldn't receive a main event push until they've realised that potential.
Wrestlers should be kept in the midcard until they have shown signs that they are reaching their potnetial. They should have midcard titles and midcard feuds, and then if they find that one midcard feud that gets them really over, they deserve the main event push. Although, I do think that midcarders with potential should be allowed occasionally wrestle a main eventer, if it helps them realise their potential.

And if they're not over with the crowd, it doens't mean the wrestler has no potential.
Rocky Maivia wasn't over, he became the rock.
The Ringmaster wasn't over, he became Steve Austin
Dr. Isaac Yankem wasn't over, he became Kane
Hunter Hearst Helmsley wasn't over.... You know where this is going.

The point is, there's a difference between saying a wrestler in general has potential and a wrestler with his current gimmick has potential.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I don't think anyone argues potential automatically equals a main event push. However, I've used the word in regards to a few wrestlers, and I see no problem in doing that. Potential simply means that they could, one day, have that spot in the Main Event. Potential alone isn't enough to warrant it, they have to work WITH that potential. John Morrison, for example, when he was in a team with Miz, I thought he had potenital. I stick by that with how hard he's working. If he continues at that rate, and puts on good matches WITH that potential, then yes, he should be pushed into the main event.

 

[Joker ' Ferreira]

Do you think that Lesnar's push was underseved? I don't think so.

And what did WWE saw in him? Potential! Nothing else. He was just like any superheavyweight guy, but he was young, and Vince loves to push guys over 250 pounds and if they are young, hell, he loves it.

Do you think that Swagger had the charisma or the mat-skills to be ECW Champion after only 3 or 4 months on ECW? I didn't, well, I was wrong, he definitely proved the point that you don't need to receive a long-push to establish yourself on the main-event scene of any brand, hell, he could be contending for one of the two Heavyweight titles and I wouldn't mind at all.

In WWE and other wrestling companies, potential is of the few things you can evaluate before you make some pushes, Lesnar and Swagger received similar pushes and they deserved both...

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Potential is only a small fraction of the whole equation anyway. You also have to have the backing of Vince and the writers, but ultimately Vince. We've read a number of times about guys that Vince doesn't like, that the majority of us think are amazing, Christian being the prime example. TBK is a guy who could possibly go far if he were given opponents he can work with for more than 3 minutes a week, and was given some mic time on a regular basis, but they won't give him that because he repeatedly breaks the rules of the Wellness Policy.

Anyway, i think posters use the word 'potential' for wrestlers who don't get any mic time and are only ever used sparingly in short matches, but those posters still want those wrestlers to get more mic time and longer matches, and prove them right. They like what they've seen, and they think that others would appreciate said wrestler as well, if they were used more on TV.

They're basically saying, 'i think ______ could put on a 15 minute PPV match or deliver a 5 minute promo, without boring people to death, and wind up jobbing until he gets his walking papers'

 

[Razor]

Man dude, you really need to stop watching wrestling or all professional sports / entertainment if that's really the way you look at things.

No, I watch wrestling and mark out just like a viewer should. It's when I come on here and see nothing but "wah, he has potential." that I want to lose my mind. If he had potential, he'd be over with the crowd.

First, I'll pick apart the wrestling aspect of your assanine comments.

Alrighty.

Thank God when HHH first appeared in WWF / WWE, he was so damn great in the ring that Vince and the boys in the back said "lets put the strap on his waist right now and give it to him 12 more times after that !!!"

I'm not saying they have to be great right out of the gate. No one is. But multiple pushes that they fuck up themselves? Horrible rate at getting over with the crowd? At least show some attempt at getting over/doing your job. Such as, you know, not blowing ass with every push you get.

I am so thrilled that Steve Austin was so incredible between the ropes that he carried WCW to the number one wrestling show in the world.

Did he take the big push he was given and run with it? He did? Oh, ok.

That Rocky Maivia kid sure can perform. I hear his daddy and granddaddy were pretty good wrestlers too.

And he got a push and ran with it. Sorta like....you know, Austin.

I can't believe wrestling is still on tv today, considering Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Ric Flair are still beating the hell out of each every night.

What? I don't understand.

-- If you haven't figured it out yet, if "potential" was never considered or allowed to flourish, the industry would be dead. No one ever steps into the spotlight and automatically carries the organization. It takes time to develop on the big stage and "potential" is what 95% of all wrestlers have. That rare 5% actually become good.

Oh, you should read what I said. I said that potential is enough to be hired, and given reasonable pushes. But after a wrestler blows multiple pushes, his "potential" shouldn't be considered. It should be a mark against him, really. Because if his potential is really all that it is cracked up to be, he should have made more with his pushes.

Now we'll put your theory to the test on other professional sports or entertainment levels.

Great

I can't believe anyone drafted Kobe Bryant or LeBron James straight out of high school. They could have really become good players if they had went to college.

Once again, you fail to understand. Potential is enough to be hired, and given a push or three. It's when you've blown those shots that your "Potential" fails to matter, which is what I'm trying to convey here.

Anyone ever hear of that Tom Brady guy who used to be the third string quarterback at the University of Michigan ?? I wonder what he's doing these days ?? Probably selling used cars.

What? He had potential? And he got hired? Sorta like what I'm trying to argue for the past 5 lines here. Reading comprehension my friend.

I went to this bar the other night and heard a band that calls themselves Nirvana. I kind of like that grunge style of music. Too bad rap is the only thing people listen to these days.

You really don't read, do you?

-- That razorback kid sure does have potential to become a good poster on the WZ forums if he'd only get his head out of his ass. It's a shame he lost his mind.

Wow, you really need to learn to read.

I said, and I'll quote it for you:

"Potential" isn't good enough. Sure, it is to be hired. WWE/TNA doesn't want wrestlers who don't have the potential to succeed.

Wow. I said that Potential is enough to be hired. Sorta like you were trying to argue in your post against me.

My point is that potential isn't enough to warrant push after push after push, and for us to turn a blind eye to any wrestler's constant lack of getting over and for us to overlook the fact he can't entertain in the ring.

Or, let's take what HBK-aholic said:

Potential simply means that they could, one day, have that spot in the Main Event. Potential alone isn't enough to warrant it, they have to work WITH that potential.

I got ya. This is what I was trying to convey. I may not have been very clear and succinct in my OP, but this is exactly it. Potential is enough to warrant being hired and getting a push or three. It's when the person fails to capitalize that I have a problem with preaching his praises because "But my god, he has potential!"

I know it seems like I'm whining about 5 posts I've seen or something like that, but I've seen this exaggeration way more than 5 times. A wrestler, who has blown his many, many pushes and simply can't entertain, is backed by a poster simply because "He has potential." Or "(Random Mid-Carder) should be given a main-event push because he has the potential."

The problem lies when you're backing a wrestler who has been in the WWE for years, had multiple feuds, and still hasn't shown any improvement, any ability to get over with the crowd. A wrestler's potential matters at the beginning, as I've argued myself. But when he's proven he blows? It couldn't matter less.

 

[Razor]

Potential is only a small fraction of the whole equation anyway. You also have to have the backing of Vince and the writers, but ultimately Vince. We've read a number of times about guys that Vince doesn't like, that the majority of us think are amazing, Christian being the prime example. TBK is a guy who could possibly go far if he were given opponents he can work with for more than 3 minutes a week, and was given some mic time on a regular basis, but they won't give him that because he repeatedly breaks the rules of the Wellness Policy.

Anyway, i think posters use the word 'potential' for wrestlers who don't get any mic time and are only ever used sparingly in short matches, but those posters still want those wrestlers to get more mic time and longer matches, and prove them right. They like what they've seen, and they think that others would appreciate said wrestler as well, if they were used more on TV.

They're basically saying, 'i think ______ could put on a 15 minute PPV match or deliver a 5 minute promo, without boring people to death, and wind up jobbing until he gets his walking papers'

That would make sense. Maybe I shouldn't have taken a shot at the ECW wrestlers in my OP. It was a bad point, what can I say?

Seeing "potential" in new wrestlers is all good. Tis why they were hired. It's when people keep saying "He sucks, but he has potential!" that I have a problem.

Potential is the reason anyone is ever hired for anything. It's when someone has proven they can't capitalize on their potential that they fail to matter, that they fail to be any good. Yet, to some, potential is all you need. Which is faulty, and doesn't make any sense.

 

[gd]

I completely agree with your post. Potential can only get you in the door. Pretty much the whole WWE roster is capable of putting on an above average mathc, but it takes much more than that. Men like Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas can put on very solid matces, but they aren't in the main event.

I think it's much more important to be over with the crowd. Being able to give good promos to make the crowd cheer/boo you is very important. Once you are getting good crowd reactions, you are only going to get a bigger push. See Christian and Jeff Hardy. Vince doesn't love them, but the crowd does, so they got pushes.

For guys such as Benjamin with no charisma, the crowd doesn't give a fuck, so they don't react. Benjamin has so little charisma that half of his promos are pre-recorded, and they still suck. Having potential is only a part of the puzzle, you have to be able to put it all together.