Sycho Sid Vicious

[The Brain]

Where do I begin in a thread about Sid Vicious? To me he's always been one of the most unique wrestlers and I've changed my opinion on him many times over the years. When he broke into wrestling in the late 80s many people immediately labeled him as the future of the business. He had a tremendous look and an attitude to go along with it. The sky was the limit for Sid.

Throughout his career Sid had his share of success and failures. He won world titles in both the WWF and WCW, however his first title didn't come until the end of 1996. That was about six or seven years later than expected. His WWF world titles weren't exactly among the greatest lasting a total of three months between two reigns. His WCW titles came during the dying days when the title was passed around on an almost weekly basis and guys like David Arquette and Vince Russo were among the champs. One of the two reigns lasted only one day. He also had one brief US reign in 1999. That's his title history between the two big companies. That's it. I understand there are plenty of guys that never even achieve that but for a guy that had the limitless potential Sid had I'd say that is a disappointment.

During his time in the WWF Sid competed in two WrestleManias. He was in the main event both times. His opponents were Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker. That sounds pretty impressive. Two mania main events against two mania legends. The problem was they were probably the two worst main events in mania history. Both matches fell completely flat. I hate to put all the blame on Sid but Hogan and Taker have had many great mania matches and main events. Sid was the common denominator in bad mania main events.

Sid was always intense on the mic. He was always shouting and claiming to be the master and ruler of the world. Nothing wrong with that. The problem was Sid had his share of blunders on the mic. Realistically there probably weren't that many but they were bad enough to be memorable and I think his follies on the microphone are what a lot of people remember when they think of Sid. It's hard to forget Sid not realizing he was on live tv or him saying he had half the brain of Kevin Nash. Maybe just as memorable as those blunders was Sid's horrific leg injury in 2001. That was probably the most gruesome thing I've ever seen in a wrestling ring.

I know it sounds like I've been pretty hard on Sid in this thread. It's not that I'm picking on him. I just think these are the things people think about when remembering him. I still like him despite all of this. He had one of the best looks ever in wrestling and he always commanded my attention when he was on tv. He had a good career. I just think it could have been so much better. I think when people think about Sid the three things they think about are the mistakes on the mic, the broken leg, and he underachieved. What are your first thoughts when someone mentions the name Sycho Sid?

 

[Slash-LN]

The build up to one of his matches. He was beating up jobbers and if I remember right there was a wrestler on a gurney and he pushed it down the aisle. I just remember the build up of him destroying people and making him look like a monster.

Sid is a person who should have been heel his whole career. He just had that look and vibe about him.

I also remember his short time in ECW wrestling in jeans and for some reason I thought that was pretty cool.

 

[The Butcher]

I always liked Sid. I didn't care about workrate when I discovered him, and I was already a fan by the time I started to. I always liked his promo style. I can't remember the content of a single one, except of course for the "master and ruler of the world" line. The words were secondary. The intensity got the message across. I'll never forget the way he looked like a pissed off John K. character-- eyes bulging, teeth gritted, neck veins pulsating. He jumped through the TV screen.

Botchamania and the IWC zeitgeist have perpetuated his worse moments (of which there are plenty, sure), but during his heyday I thought he was one of the best characters in whichever fed he was with at the time. When he came to the WWF with the surname "Justice" rather than "Vicious," I didn't think twice about it because he had seemingly turned a new leaf. By the time Psycho Sid came along, yeah, I wanted more from my matches. Thankfully, between HBK, Hitman, and WCW's lower/mid-card that hunger was sated.

It's impossible to think about him without thinking about that gruesome injury, of course, and unfortunately for him he's probably more known for that than being a Horseman or winning WCW and WWF world titles when it still felt like that meant something. Between those honors and headlining 2 WrestleMania events, I can't really call him an underachiever. I mean I've heard the stories about no-shows and softball games, but he's like Warrior with me in that I've stayed a fan despite what his peers or mine have said. He was never my favorite by a wide margin, but like I said, I always liked Sid.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I'm also a big fan of Sid. Some people who didn't watch don't have an appreciation for the stars of the 90s. As someone else mentioned he had the look and the intensity and was believable. He didn't hVe to put on a clinic, The fans loved watching him kick the crap out some jobber and hit the choke slam and the power bomb. He didn't have the longevity but like the Warrior in his time in the business he was over and had great success. I still hope to see him in the Hall of Fame some day with a DVD and maybe even put him in one of the upcoming 2k games.

 

[Pedigree1]

I am a huge fan of Psycho Sid Vicious always have been.. For a big man he moved very well and had above average in-ring skills.. I had a huge appreciation for him and also he had great mic skills

He was never my favorite but whenever he was on,i would get excited for his matches.. He worked well with HBK,Hitman,as well as other WWF/WCW stars.. True enough he had the most gruesome leg injury i can ever remember seeing.. But i remember him being psycho Sid,as he had a good run with the title!

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

What a look!

Psycho Sid/Sid Vicious looked liike a megastar, one of the greatest looks in the history of the business! Ripped to hell, massive and looked like a genuinely tough, mean bastard. Not someone you want to mess with.

Sid didn't need to be the best wrestler in the world, he had the size and power to be believable in whatever he did, and it's always been puzzling to me as to why WWE or WCW didn't put the title on him sooner. He certainly underachieved for all the physical attributes he had. If Sid had been smarter (and we all know he only has 1/2 the brain of Kevin Nash), he should have spent alot of his free time working on his speaking skills, taking classes in how to speak to an audience. This would have greatly improved his promos, and then there would have been no stopping him.

He'll always be remembered as a pretty big star, but when you look at the guy you'd have expected more from him. He was fucking terrible on the mic though.

 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

I always liked Sid he was never going to be the top face or top heel in either company but he was always someone who could carry a feud with a top face or heel and someone you could put the belt on for a period.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Always liked Sid throughout the years. When I think of Sid I think of the back to back PPVs that he beat Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. That is quite a feat. In the middle of re watching 97 WWF and after Mania 13 Sid was in and out of the shows quite a bit before he ultimately was gone for good around August. During the ads they played for Superstar line they kept on mentioning having reports on the reason behind his coming and goings post Mania. Does anyone here know or remember what those reports where or know the real story behind what was going on with Sid in the WWF post Mania 13?

 

[Judah's Lion]

Sid was and is a very memorable character in the world of wrestling. sure, some of that is stuff that he'd probably not wish to be remembered for, but there's plenty of good stuff mixed throughout as well.

i remember Sid first and foremost as Sid Justice and his dominance in the '92 Royal Rumble. his subsequent feud with Hogan was decent enough. Mania 8 had a terrible Main Event, but i don't blame Sid entirely for that.

the next time i saw him, he was Sycho Sid. not Psycho, but Sycho. i get why they did the double "S" thing, but never really got it. still, i remember it twenty years later, so i guess the WWF did something right.

i enjoyed his WWF Title feuds with both Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels. the Lumberjack Match with Nash and Sid hitting a powerbomb on the table to Pete Lothario during his feud with HBK particularly stand out to me.

then there was WCW. his "Millennium Man" nickname was pretty stupid and an obvious knockoff of the Y2J thing happening with Chris Jericho in the WWF. his feud with Goldberg was entertaining enough. i remember their match at Halloween Havoc being enjoyable and even built up to an "I Quit" Match for a later date.

i can't remember exactly why, but Sid started using the Crossface, as in the submission maneuver made famous by Chris Benoit, as a finisher in many of his matches towards the end of his final WCW run. i remember the time he won the WCW Title by hitting his opponent (either Jeff Jarrett or Kevin Nash; can't remember due to the totally mindless booking) with a guitar and then pretending he got hit. almost shades of a later Eddie Guerrero with the steel chair. then he crawled to the cover, got the pin and the strap. it was pretty exciting to watch on free tv.

all of that said, i'm a fan of Sid Vicious. for anyone that says he botched too much on the mic, i submit for your consideration Hulk Hogan at Mania 30. if Hogan can get a pass there, by all means, give one to Sycho Sid Vicious.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Loved it when fans cheered the villain, Sid, over Michaels at Survivor Series 1996. Fans knew the genuine scum that Michaels was, and chose a storyline psychopath instead. Sid also showed his superior athleticism by doing a kip-up at 6'9", 320 lb, while Michaels' pansy frame did it at the same time. Great stuff.

 

[salopstick]

I liked Sid

His main problem was he was always around at the wrong time when there were better people/feuds/storylines so he got over shadowed.

Example he was supposed to be the next big thing in wwf as Sid justice but flair signed so Sid was not pushed as he could have been.

Then taker and diesel took off

Back in wcw the nwo took over, and wwf had the rise of SSC, HHH and the rock

Injuries and hiatus didn't help but wrestling is all about timing and unfortunate for Sid he was always in wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[MCMG]

Sycho Sid was ok. I enjoyed some of his work but he wasn't all that talented. He had a good look, that is for certain. He could be entertaining on the mic but I wouldn't say he was a strong talker. His ring-work was clearly his weak-point.

Sid was lucky to be WWE Champ. There wasn't a stacked roster at the time and the top guys needed someone to work with. Hart, Michaels, Taker were far above his level. Even Diesel was better than him.

Shawn Michales (surprise) got a few decent matches out of him but that was as good as it got for Sid in the WWE. The same applied in WCW but they were hardly going to promote high quality wrestling.

Dare I say Sid was the worst WWE Champ of all time. Sid was simply not a top level guy and although he wasn't an awful pro wrestler; being WWE and WCW champ was overachieving.

 

[Bruno's Sanctimony]

Sid killed whatever potential momentum his career may have had for good in 1993 when he got into the hotel stabbing match with Arn Anderson.

He was slotted to take the strap from Vader at Starrcade

Granted, the fact that Flair got the match instead was all well and good for we fans.

But the damage of that incident to Sid's career was irreparable. Despite his monster potential, he was never going to be anything but a second string player.

 

[TDFG]

I've been a fan of Sid throughout his career, the earliest memory I have of him was right back to his days in The Skyscrapers with Dan Spivey & putting jobbers on stretchers.

I've always considered him unlucky, he should have got a run as both WCW & WWE Champion in the early 90's and long before he did end up with the Title belts.

I can't ever remember Bret Hart pinning Sid in a televised match between, them, I might be wrong but it's something that has always stuck in my mind when I think about his WWE days.

To say Sid was the worst WWE Champ of all time is criminal.

 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

I've been a fan of Sid throughout his career, the earliest memory I have of him was right back to his days in The Skyscrapers with Dan Spivey & putting jobbers on stretchers.

I've always considered him unlucky, he should have got a run as both WCW & WWE Champion in the early 90's and long before he did end up with the Title belts.

I can't ever remember Bret Hart pinning Sid in a televised match between, them, I might be wrong but it's something that has always stuck in my mind when I think about his WWE days.

To say Sid was the worst WWE Champ of all time is criminal.

I also don''the think Hogan ever pinned him (at least in a singles match), it's one of the things I've always wondered like why Hogan never pinned Sting in a singles match either.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

Sid is not the worst champ of all time, nor was he lucky to be champion. He was VERY over in late 1996/early 1997. I don't know how many people remember that time period, but he was getting cheered over Michaels and Bret Hart for a short period of time. The first wrestling event I went to was a house show in early 1997 and Sid easily got the biggest pop of the night. He was wrestling The Undertaker also. He only had a short time at the top, from Survivor Series 96 - WrestleMania 13, but I definitely think he deserved that spot. That's basically what I think of when I think of Psycho Sid. I didn't follow much of his WCW career.

 

[wrestler36]

I think Sid in many ways was victim of circumstance. Because of his attitude and demeanor, he was always liked by the fans. WWE always had a way or rewriting history. For example, in the '92 Royal Rumble, the crowd went NUTS when he eliminated Hogan. Yet in the SNME when they tagged, they showed a replay and they dubbed the fans booing instead of cheering. They did it again when he powerbombed michaels in 95. I think both WM where he main evented, the buildup was poor. Like I said, in '92, people actually liked Sid and probably wanted to see him as a face over Hogan. In 97, he won the belt, what, like a month before Mania?

People talk about how he had a poor to average workrate. Do you expect a guy 6'8, 300 lbs to chain wrestle?

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Sid Vicious always seemed to me like he was on the verge of becoming a massive star, and then would vanish almost immediately. This goes back to his very first break in the NWA when he was paired up with Dan Spivey as The Skyscrapers. He was young, he was enormous, and he had just this mean nasty look that fans responded to. The team was started a feud with The Road Warriors that seemed poised to carry over into a feud with The Steiner Brothers. The result may not have been the prettiest matches, but they had the fans out of their seats and on their feet. It ended up fizzling out, however, when Vicious received an injury that put him on the shelf. This ended up taking The Skyscrapers out of the Starrcade 89 PPV and a four way feud with The Steiners, The Road Warriors, and Doom that could've been awesome.

Then, he comes back and is immediately made one of the Four Horsemen. That version of the Horsemen - Flair, Anderson, Windham, and Vicious - was one of the most promising versions of the stable, yet the NWA's booking at the time led to some really weird decisions, such as Luger defeating Vicious in a 20 second match at Clash of the Champions, a 6 man tag team match at GAB where the Horsemen lose to Paul Orndorff, JYD, and El Gigante, and then a main event title match against Sting at Halloween Havoc that served only to make Vicious appear incredibly weak.

What I can't tell is whether Vicious just never had enough consistency in one place to learn enough to become a steady hand in the ring, or if he was just that much of a loose cannon that no one could work with. He was far from the first green big man to come into wrestling who needed to work with some better folks in the ring. The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff, and Lex Luger all went through periods where they were paired up with guys who would either sell their asses off for them, as well as teach them how to effectively move in the ring and work a match. Vicious was either never in one place long enough to learn, or he was unteachable.

The 1993 Arn Anderson stabbing told me a lot, though. I'm somewhat amazed the guy wasn't charged with assault, but as pointed out it did have the upside of giving us a much better Starrcade main event in Flair Vs. Vader. By 1996 and 1997, Vicious was no longer the biggest, baddest guy in the ring. You had guys like Vader, Undertaker, Razor Ramon, Diesel/Kevin Nash who were all either far better than him, or at least equal to Sid, and thus reduced Sid's importance or uniqueness.

Honestly, Sid's time to really hit it big disappeared in 1992 after his failed first run in the WWF. NWA/WCW dropped the ball on him, and he could've been the "Next Big Thing" in WWF. After that though, his appearances were just too sporadic, and his work too unremarkable to really get the crowds to care.

 

[boozinjedi]

Sid's biggest problem.....INJURIES!!!
Throughout his runs as either face OR heel,just as he was about to get a big time push...BAM he'd go down!
biceps,pecs and then he went Theisman-esque on us!!
We should've seen this coming at the get go,A few months after he got IMO the biggest mega-push of all time!!...Brought out to pose with Hogan after he reffed the match at SS91,he then goes and tears a bicep (I think it was that)

 

[Just Do It]

Sid fulfilled his potential if you ask me. Amazing charisma, amazing look. Considering he was a dud in the ring (I can't remember a great match he ever had) you have to respect how much he did in wrestling. he was at his best when he was destroying job guys early in his career.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As has been pointed out, Sid had a fantastic look. Arn Anderson said something on "The Rise and Fall of WCW" DVD compilation a few years back about Sid's look that was something to the effect of "If there's a better look in this business, I haven't seen it." Sid was a genuinely scary looking guy when you get right down to it. He was a legit 6'8" or 6'9" and 300+ pounds of solid muscle. He didn't have a long, more lanky sort of build like a basketball player, he had a broad, thick upper body that he packed with muscle. A guess on my part is that steroids played a significant role in that. It was also pretty impressive seeing a guy his size able to do a kip-up.

There were times he could also be downright funny as a person. I remember, even now, way back when he & other WCW wrestlers were on episodes of game show Family Feud to raise money for charities competing against the GLOW girls. Sid was genuinely funny and charming on the show. It stuck with me as if may have been the first time I'd seen pro wrestlers doing something like that.

His promo style, while annoying to me in some ways, fit with who his character was. He was this big, loud, scary looking guy and when he screamed into the mic, it was fitting with who he was. Personally, I found it more effective when he'd speak softly, almost whispering, when looking into the camera with that intense, thousand yard stare saying "I am the master....and the ruler...of the world."

Inside the ring, he was pretty decent, though his workrate left a bit to be desired and the guy could be genuinely reckless sometimes. For instance, I can never forget the image of Sid powerbombing Brian Pillman at Wrestle War '91 during the WarGames match. The cage roof wasn't tall enough to permit Pillman to be hoisted up onto Sid's shoulders and he just slammed Pillman down. It makes me cringe thinking about it as Pillman was damn lucky he didn't break his neck. I know that botches can happen to anyone in wrestling at anytime, but that was inexcusable. Common sense should've told Sid not to even attempt the move.

All in all, however, he's definitely memorable. I think that, at times, he was a victim of a combination of poor booking and his own personality. He and Arn Anderson did damn near kill each other once upon a time, something that Anderson still has trouble talking about.

 

[Lowdown]

Sid definitely had a great look for the business. I was a huge fan in his first WWF run. On of the things that bothered me was the forced heel turn leading up to Wrestlemania 8. It was clear that fans were behind him at the Royal Rumble, and we know how that turned out. But he also walks the line of the antihero. He's no Stone Cold, but he was a believable badass. Despite his attributes, they get overshadowed by his non-wrestling actions. Hell I only found out about the incident with Arn Anderson like seven years ago. Seems like with most wrestlers, Sid became more of a cautionary tale.

 

[wrestler36]

Sid definitely had a great look for the business. I was a huge fan in his first WWF run. On of the things that bothered me was the forced heel turn leading up to Wrestlemania 8. It was clear that fans were behind him at the Royal Rumble, and we know how that turned out. But he also walks the line of the antihero. He's no Stone Cold, but he was a believable badass. Despite his attributes, they get overshadowed by his non-wrestling actions. Hell I only found out about the incident with Arn Anderson like seven years ago. Seems like with most wrestlers, Sid became more of a cautionary tale.

Funny, I was just about to start a thread titled 'What if WWF went with Sid in '92.' Just like you said, the crowd went CRAZY when Sid through out Hogan and it's not like it was cheating or anything like that. I remember the following Saturday Night's main event, they replayed it and dubbed the crowd booing when Sid threw out Hogan. I would've had Flair still win, but it would've been cool to see Sid vs Flair at WM. The only problem is this was during the whole steroid scandal thing. I don't know whether Sid was using or not, but he had a pretty amazing physique. He would've been a pretty good champion to usher in the new 'era' of WWF. Another problem I see is the lack of heels at this time. I mean of all people, Papa Shango to interrupt Hogan/Sid at WM? As armchair booker, I would've had Sid win the championship at WM, and upgrade Harvey Whippleman to main heel manager or Bobby Heenan again and start feeding Sid some monsters. Maybe Papa Shango, Warlord, etc. Eventually, he'd lose to Bret.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The problem Sid had was part attitude and part that he was a legit "timebomb" as demonstrated in the UK Tour/Arn incident in WCW.

Long before that, Sid had a reputation for being more interested in his Softball team than his wrestling career, he'd want time off for games etc and that was part of the reason he left the WWF the first time out. He just wasn't comitted enough to either improving or putting in the time... In essence he was acting like one of today's part timers but in an era where that was not only unheard of but detrimental to your career prospects.

He lost much of what chance he had when he stabbed Arn...whatever the whys and wherefores, you cannot nearly kill a work colleauge or stab him 20 times+ and expect to not suffer consequences in your career... that man will have friends, people who like him and people who just don't trust you as a result, both in your company AND the competition.

The WWF seemed to get over his past faux pas enough to give him a title but by then it was clear he was just in Nash's place and they were trying to send the "any big man will do" message rather than expolit Sid's particular talents... shitting himself in Mania ring finished him off there...

Once he got to WCW they did at least try to use his strengths and he always seemed more of a "natural fit" in their main event picture, but again his botches became legendary... the "half a brain" is up there with Lex vs a T-Shirt and Shockmaster for most embarrasing moment... in fact he has 2 with the Mania dump so Sid wins... then of course comes the sickening leg break which is still tough to watch... if you believe in karma, then that was his for Arn in a way... that he ever wrestled or walked again was a blessing many don't get.

Overall I think WWF would have used him if he wanted it back in 1992... but he wanted it all his own way and Hogan's deal before he'd earned it... but if he'd just been smart, he'd have got it... Nash came in, picked up that dropped ball and ran with it... so I guess Sid really DID have half the brain he did!

 

[Papa Pillman]

Any reason to post this gif:

As for Sid himself. Another overvalued, overpushed, marginally interesting, unathletic, unable to stay healthy, big man who got by on his look and practically nothing else.

The only good singles matches Sid had in his entire career were his title wins versus HBK and The Hitman(and the defense against Bret at IYH12). That is just a testament to how good Shawn and Bret were in '96/'97, not a praise of Sid.

Also he threw the worst punches in the history of the business.