Recycling WWE/Wrestling Characters & Paths

[Beyond Pro Wrestling]

I have always been fascinated with comparisons made towards wrestlers...
I have read for years how John Hennigan (Johnny Nitro,John Morrison) was the next HBK Shawn Michaels... I have seen the same example for Dolph Ziggler once he started picking steam about 3 years ago... The Brian Kendrick and Brian Pillman, Dean Ambrose and Brian Pillman, Damian Sandow/Rick Rude, Funkasaurus/Junkyard Dog. How there have always been central Wrestlers by eras... Hogan/Savage/Warrior... Bret Hart... Austin/Rock... The Immortals HBK/HHH/Angle/Flair. The current guard... Cena/Orton/Mysterio/Punk/Bryan/Sheamus And the possible future Ziggler/Rhodes/Barret/Miz/Sin Cara/Del Rio to the missed opportunities and the could have beens...

I believe that wrestling and comic books are very much a like and in comics it is not unlikely for a heroes time to pass and the mantle taken by another.

So i think that it would be easier for the WWE to maybe study in depth what made the biggest names in wrestling and follow that path... Recycle perhaps...

Examples... Sin Cara/Rey Mysterio, Ryback/Goldberg, Sandow/Rude, Ambrose/Pillman, Jinder Mahal/Muhammad Hassan... You can follow certain trends that have made superstars succesful... I see a lot of Mr.Kennedy in Sandow... Shape his path like him (without the unfortunate timing issues hopefully) But I feel there is so much potential in the roster... To replace past stars (Batista/Mason Ryan) (Jeff Hardy/Seth Rollins) It doesn't have to be a copy. Daniel Bryan is SIMILAR to Kurt Angle, CM Punk is the reverse Stone Cold... Do you agree? Does it make sense to you? Would it be a smart decision? or do you prefer inovation... New trends... differen characters? Remember Wrestling is ALWAYS Evolving.

Your Thoughts?

 

[Hero_kidstackz]

I think its a good idea in a way then again wwho want to see the same "path" i think wwe does follow this method to an extent like with ryback and goldberg i just dont think there copying the undefeated streak (crimson ). I dont want to see a guy like seth rollins be a copy of jeff hardy due to him following his ways. I would like to see some characters,traits,gimmicks get passed down but only if the universe accept it. Im all for a remake of my past favorites

 

[Ethelion]

You completely forgot the most obvious comparison in the WWE today: Chris Jericho and The Miz. Like I've said in two of my previous posts, The Miz is the new Chris Jericho. While Miz is no Jericho in terms of wrestling, you have to admit that they both have the same look, wear the same ring attire, wear jackets, have the same attitude and even had the same finishers at one point (e.g. Chris Jericho's The Breakdown = The Miz's Skull-Crushing Finale = Full-Nelson Facebuster or Reverse Russian Legsweep).

Of course there's the Kurt Angle/Jack Swagger and Billy Gunn/Dolph Ziggler comparisons, which I find fascinating as well.

So yeah. I also find it fascinating.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I think one of the things that prevents it, is that when you say someone is the next Shawn Michaels, or the next Rock, or Flair, or Bret Hart, it puts massive pressure on that person. Not everyone can deal with that.

Plus look at other sports where they call someone the next Michael Jordan or the next Hank Aaron, guys rarely live up to that. Plus what happens when a guy falls short of those lofty expectations? It's simply unfair.

On top of that everyone is different. A guy like Shawn Michaels is super rare, to push someone to be the next HBK will just set them up for failure. Some guys don't come into their own until very late in their careers, others start hot and fizzle out quickly. Not to mention all the random factors associated with any athletic spectacle.

Is it fun to compare guys? Of course, it stimulates conversation and is thought provoking, but I think it would be unfair for the WWE, TNA, ROH, any promotion really to try to push someone down the path others went. Use it as a loose guideline, not a blueprint.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

For the last 5 years there has been a recycling element to gimmicks, though I'm not seeing many arcs being redone as the landscape for titles etc is totally different. The 80's and early 90's were pure feud based, not titles,MITB etc. Many have failed but some have worked. The most successful ones are hybrids rather than aping one figure from the past. It's more interesting though to look at the position people take on the roster, for example Wade Barrett is well on his way to taking the Ted DiBiase slot on the roster, one of the main heels but not usually in the title picture...Cena is in the Hogan spot and Orton the Savage...Sheamus is in more the Warrior slot and Bryan the Jake slot.

Here are the comparisons I see in gimmicks:-

Sandow - Mix of Hunter Hearst Helmsley and The Genius, I wouldn't even be shocked if they start bringing him out to Ode To Joy like Trips once had.

Ziggler - Mr. Perfect, he is not the new Rick Rude (even though he wants to be) but his look, attitude and "show off" persona are pure Curt Hennig. Like Perfect he oversells but in a good way. He is also in Hennigs roster spot, he might move on and be a long world champ, but could easily stay upper mid his whole career.

Zeke - Ahmed Johnson, he looks like him, works like him and pretty much had the same gimmick as IC champ. They started him off more like Bad News Brown, why they didn't stick with that I have no idea. Position wise he is in the scarily named "Tony Atlas" position.

Zack Ryder - Pure Brutus Beefcake, a fun babyface for the kids, sure he's not cutting hair but the exaggerated movements, colourful attire and usage are similar. Zack has his show, Brutus the Barber Shop.

Santino - Likewise, he takes a bit of The Bushwhackers (the goofiness), a bit of Dino Bravo (the overinflated self-assessment of his abilities) and George Steele (the Cobra and his "crazy side). Position wise he is probably Honky Tonk Man, always gonna be in the mid-card but steps up occasionally for a big match.

Kofi - Mix of Junkyard Dog and Shawn Michaels - He has the highflying "Rockers" era moves and babyface charisma but uses a lot of JYD in his schtick, replace "Boom" with "Woof" and you get the picture. He's also about the same level the Dog was in the late 80's, not main event, but close enough to it that he will never drop.

Miz - Very interesting case cos he is the guy who perhaps fluctuates the most in whose spot he has. Gimmick wise the nearest is probably heel Piper from the mid 80's... in terms of spot, at this moment he is probably in the Iron Sheik role, someone who had the title once, and is used more as a heat magnet than a serious main eventer.

Cody Rhodes - He is closest out there to Rick Martel with the pretty boy/serious heel edge but not quite Rick Rude level yet. He will have more success than both guys did in WWF but I still don't buy him as a World Champ. In time, he could end up in a position very similar to Greg Valentine as a heel or even his dad as a face...someone main eventing, there or there abouts but never really "the guy".

Undertaker - he is in the Andre position right now, writes his own ticket, loses when he wants to not when told and is the most feared guy on the roster. He is also the guy who should be jobbing and voluntarily giving that spot up, but probably won't. Andre got forced through health, Taker seems determined to hang on as long as possible.

Cesaro - His gimmick is again a mix of The Genius, Mr. Perfect, Rick Martel and Rick Rude. He's the guy I think could be closest to Rude in the long term, he has the women (Aksana will get replaced, you watch), the ability and that unique offense Rude had, even the cheesy entrance music. He also has that intangible "I should really hate you, but I can't" quality. Get him a decent manager (bring Trish back as a heel or Flair)

 

[MINISTRYrising]

I would like to see WWE do this and the two guys i think they should do this with is Michael McGuilicutty and Ted BiBiase, jr. I think these two should go down the same path as there dads did.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Why? Others are doing those roles equally well or better.

Someone like DiBiase could be an excellent Greg Valentine type for the WWF, but if you put either mans dad's legacy on them it becomes all about the World title their dad's never got which is a waste of 2 top young talents.

Not everyone can or should be World Champ, even if they are good enough... sometimes people just miss their window or it doesn't happen. It doesn't diminish their careers, in fact they are often the guys employed the longest (Greg Valentine, Dino Bravo, Tito Santana, Jake Roberts were all employed for over 10 years total in the old WWF)

 

[theBec2101]

I disagree. I think they are trying to be standouts and do their own thing and create their own character and legacy whether its a good or bad one is up to them. But people are always going to compare past to present and vise versa. By some of your comparisons I would be insulted if I was a legend and even some of the wrestlers now should be insulted with who they are compared too. No one is like Rock, Austin, HBK, Undertaker, and Hogan. I mean they may go to get to that status level but they are more different then they are the same.

 

[shalliin]

For the last 5 years there has been a recycling element to gimmicks, though I'm not seeing many arcs being redone as the landscape for titles etc is totally different. The 80's and early 90's were pure feud based, not titles,MITB etc. Many have failed but some have worked. The most successful ones are hybrids rather than aping one figure from the past. It's more interesting though to look at the position people take on the roster, for example Wade Barrett is well on his way to taking the Ted DiBiase slot on the roster, one of the main heels but not usually in the title picture...Cena is in the Hogan spot and Orton the Savage...Sheamus is in more the Warrior slot and Bryan the Jake slot.

Here are the comparisons I see in gimmicks:-

Sandow - Mix of Hunter Hearst Helmsley and The Genius, I wouldn't even be shocked if they start bringing him out to Ode To Joy like Trips once had.

Ziggler - Mr. Perfect, he is not the new Rick Rude (even though he wants to be) but his look, attitude and "show off" persona are pure Curt Hennig. Like Perfect he oversells but in a good way. He is also in Hennigs roster spot, he might move on and be a long world champ, but could easily stay upper mid his whole career.

Zeke - Ahmed Johnson, he looks like him, works like him and pretty much had the same gimmick as IC champ. They started him off more like Bad News Brown, why they didn't stick with that I have no idea. Position wise he is in the scarily named "Tony Atlas" position.

Zack Ryder - Pure Brutus Beefcake, a fun babyface for the kids, sure he's not cutting hair but the exaggerated movements, colourful attire and usage are similar. Zack has his show, Brutus the Barber Shop.

Santino - Likewise, he takes a bit of The Bushwhackers (the goofiness), a bit of Dino Bravo (the overinflated self-assessment of his abilities) and George Steele (the Cobra and his "crazy side). Position wise he is probably Honky Tonk Man, always gonna be in the mid-card but steps up occasionally for a big match.

Kofi - Mix of Junkyard Dog and Shawn Michaels - He has the highflying "Rockers" era moves and babyface charisma but uses a lot of JYD in his schtick, replace "Boom" with "Woof" and you get the picture. He's also about the same level the Dog was in the late 80's, not main event, but close enough to it that he will never drop.

Miz - Very interesting case cos he is the guy who perhaps fluctuates the most in whose spot he has. Gimmick wise the nearest is probably heel Piper from the mid 80's... in terms of spot, at this moment he is probably in the Iron Sheik role, someone who had the title once, and is used more as a heat magnet than a serious main eventer.

Cody Rhodes - He is closest out there to Rick Martel with the pretty boy/serious heel edge but not quite Rick Rude level yet. He will have more success than both guys did in WWF but I still don't buy him as a World Champ. In time, he could end up in a position very similar to Greg Valentine as a heel or even his dad as a face...someone main eventing, there or there abouts but never really "the guy".

Undertaker - he is in the Andre position right now, writes his own ticket, loses when he wants to not when told and is the most feared guy on the roster. He is also the guy who should be jobbing and voluntarily giving that spot up, but probably won't. Andre got forced through health, Taker seems determined to hang on as long as possible.

Cesaro - His gimmick is again a mix of The Genius, Mr. Perfect, Rick Martel and Rick Rude. He's the guy I think could be closest to Rude in the long term, he has the women (Aksana will get replaced, you watch), the ability and that unique offense Rude had, even the cheesy entrance music. He also has that intangible "I should really hate you, but I can't" quality. Get him a decent manager (bring Trish back as a heel or Flair)

I can agree in most of these assessments of roles for the people you've shown, except for Taker,

Taker has always shown a willingness to put over the up and comers and future stars. He's offered several times to let people beat him at Mania and end the streak, but the higher ups in the back have refused. He is in many ways in the position that Andre was in, that is correct and has the respect of everyone in the back. Unfortunately he has compiled a long list of injuries that have taken there toll and he isn't in the picture enough to really compare him to anyone else. He's had issues with some (cough**Brock**cough) for their lack of respect towards the business, but with those who've shown they are in it for more then the money, he's always been willing to do what was right for the business over selfishness. Since his 1st mania match against shawn, he's only worked 1-2 matches a year with a few appearances to hype Mania or special events/ milestones.

The truly regretable thing is that all these recycled roles mentions are lacking references to the great tag teams of the past and that is largely due to the severely limited tagteam departments. There used to be 5-6 tagteams that were viable champion potentials at any time with another 4-5 teams of mixed singles who paired up often to take on those teams. Now I can only think of 3 real teams and none of them match up with the tag teams of the past. Kofi/Truth or Kofi/Bourne are wannabe Rockers, Prime Time Players are most likely comparable to Money Inc. I would love to see a true revival of the tag team dept, but despite some rumors and faint lifts, it is looking like they are moving away from true tag teams. There will never be another LOD or Demolition, Natural Disasters or Twin Towers, Bushwackers, Hart Foundation, and many others.

 

[#MrScissorsKick]

Good thread. Honestly I see a lot of wrestlers currently wrestling that have been molded out from previous wrestlers. However there will never be another hulk Hogan, stone cold, the rock, undertaker, triple H....etc. I see a lot of ryback from Goldberg (who hasn't? ) I was thinking of this the other day and honestly I see a lot of Kurt angle/chris benoit in Daniel Bryan..the style and technical skills are near mirror image especially in submission moves. I see a lot of RVD in CM Punk, not in the gimmick but their styles are so similar. I see the miz as a resemblance to edge. Their attitudes and personalities are much the same.