I have been meaning to post up a thread of this idea I've had for a while now. When I look at today's wrestling world, I tend to see today's workers remsembling the styles and roles of past legends. While it is definately a sign of today's top promotions' lack of creativity, it also shows how special each worker is, taking the role of a legend. It is also cool to see and think about. Here are some examples:
John Cena- Hulk Hogan/Young Sting
Cena has come to take the role as the top babyface of the WWE. They market him as the face of the PG era, and a great role model for kids. Kind of like how the WWF would market Hulk Hogan to the fans in the Federation Years. Like now, their product wasn't risky at all, and that allowed that "Hero" character to come into the fold. What Cena does not have that Hogan had was a larger than life ego, which is always a plus. I also see a lot of Sting in Cena because of how he was brought up in UPW, Ultimate Pro Wrestling. He had Sting's bleach blonde hair, cut short, and in the ring looked like a real blue chipper. His attire was to the point, and got over based on what he did to people in the ring. Their physiques were also very similar. Sting has only an inch on Cena. It wouldn't surprise me if Cena looked like how Sting does now when he hits the big 4-0.
Randy Orton- Stone Cold Steve Austin
No, Randy Orton does not have a catch phrase to help get him over. He doesn't need one. But although the alignments were different, Randy Orton and Steve Austin had similar characters. They both portrayed the bad ass who never listened to a higher power. They both like using violence to get their point across. Actions speak louder than words, but both have fantastic mic skills anyway. Another comparison I have been able to make is that both have a quick-kill type of finishing move. For Austin, it was the Stone Cold Stunner. For Randy, its the RKO, and both can be hit at any point during a match. Basically, both stand for the same thing.
AJ Styles- Ric Flair
This is an obvious one. TNA put Flair with this guy for a reason. He could very easily be the best all-round worker in the world as of now, as he possesses technical skills and high-flying ability to stay on top. He most definately is not as charismatic as Flair is (was). Thats not what I'm saying. That could be part of the reason he is being paired with Flair. But he does have enough charisma to hold his own in contrast to some of TNA's other workers. Another characteristic of Styles that assilmilates him to Flair is how he has been able to work outside of the 'E and have some success. Keep in mind that although Flair wrestled in WWE for a little while, most of his career was spent in NWA/WCW winning world titles there. This comparison becomes even more true if you look at how Flair is influencing a change in wardrobe for AJ. He, like Flair, bleached his hair and now sports a Nature-Boy esque robe to the ring.
Some of the other connections I have made include the following (and I can explain if asked).
Daniel Bryan- Chris Benoit
Dolph Ziggler- Curt Hennig
CM Punk- Bret Hart
John Morrison- Shawn Michaels
Ted DiBiase Jr- Ted Dibiase Sr.
D'Angelo Dinero- The Rock
Samoa Joe- Goldberg
Abyss- Cactus Jack/Kane
So feel free to pitch some of your own ideas, or agree/disagree with what I have posted up.
John Cena- Hulk Hogan/Young Sting
Cena has come to take the role as the top babyface of the WWE. They market him as the face of the PG era, and a great role model for kids. Kind of like how the WWF would market Hulk Hogan to the fans in the Federation Years. Like now, their product wasn't risky at all, and that allowed that "Hero" character to come into the fold. What Cena does not have that Hogan had was a larger than life ego, which is always a plus. I also see a lot of Sting in Cena because of how he was brought up in UPW, Ultimate Pro Wrestling. He had Sting's bleach blonde hair, cut short, and in the ring looked like a real blue chipper. His attire was to the point, and got over based on what he did to people in the ring. Their physiques were also very similar. Sting has only an inch on Cena. It wouldn't surprise me if Cena looked like how Sting does now when he hits the big 4-0.
Randy Orton- Stone Cold Steve Austin
No, Randy Orton does not have a catch phrase to help get him over. He doesn't need one. But although the alignments were different, Randy Orton and Steve Austin had similar characters. They both portrayed the bad ass who never listened to a higher power. They both like using violence to get their point across. Actions speak louder than words, but both have fantastic mic skills anyway. Another comparison I have been able to make is that both have a quick-kill type of finishing move. For Austin, it was the Stone Cold Stunner. For Randy, its the RKO, and both can be hit at any point during a match. Basically, both stand for the same thing.
AJ Styles- Ric Flair
This is an obvious one. TNA put Flair with this guy for a reason. He could very easily be the best all-round worker in the world as of now, as he possesses technical skills and high-flying ability to stay on top. He most definately is not as charismatic as Flair is (was). Thats not what I'm saying. That could be part of the reason he is being paired with Flair. But he does have enough charisma to hold his own in contrast to some of TNA's other workers. Another characteristic of Styles that assilmilates him to Flair is how he has been able to work outside of the 'E and have some success. Keep in mind that although Flair wrestled in WWE for a little while, most of his career was spent in NWA/WCW winning world titles there. This comparison becomes even more true if you look at how Flair is influencing a change in wardrobe for AJ. He, like Flair, bleached his hair and now sports a Nature-Boy esque robe to the ring.
Some of the other connections I have made include the following (and I can explain if asked).
Daniel Bryan- Chris Benoit
Dolph Ziggler- Curt Hennig
CM Punk- Bret Hart
John Morrison- Shawn Michaels
Ted DiBiase Jr- Ted Dibiase Sr.
D'Angelo Dinero- The Rock
Samoa Joe- Goldberg
Abyss- Cactus Jack/Kane
So feel free to pitch some of your own ideas, or agree/disagree with what I have posted up.
