The importance of the career midcarder

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I was reading, the other day, a thread on this forum about how Miz is absolutely hated by almost everyone over here. That got me thinking, who does Miz remind me of? The answer was simple, and even though some of you may not totally agree with it, but the answer is Jeff Jarrett.

Part of it, is because of the sloppy figure four but the bigger reason is because Miz seems so much at home in the midcard scene like Jarrett did. Jarrett, back in the day, was a solid midcard guy who was never expected to make it big till he suddenly got a monster push in WCW. Which is also when he started getting hated. But when he was a midcarder, nobody minded Jarrett much.

Now this made me think of an important point. I think that the wrestling business works best when the roster is balanced(example: 1997 WWE with a good balance of main event guys, upper midcarders and lower midcarders) instead of being loaded with huge names(1998 WCW). And to create a huge roster you need to create the career midcarder as well.

I find it very annoying that WWE thinks that it needs to give a push to everybody on the roster. Look at the above example of the Miz. He may say that he's awesome, but he's decent and that's not a bad thing. I think that he fits very well in the midcard as a cowardly heel. You need these sort of guys. Let's say you need to push an up and coming face. You can easily feud him with someone like Miz. And following that feud Miz should stay where he is, but instead, he'll also end up getting the push because that's the way WWE works.

A career midcarder is a jobber to the stars and is a very important position. Look at Rusev and you'll understand what I'm saying. He had a feud with Swagger when he started out and his last feud was with...Swagger again. That's because there's no one at that position to feed to Rusev. Now I think it should have been Sheamus, because somehow I don't feel that Sheamus is a sureshot main eventer,especially as a face, but anyhow, it should have been someone other than Swagger. We could have at least gotten a fresh feud out of it.

And like I said, being a career midcarder isn't necessarily a bad thing. It does not mean that you won't have a place in WWE's history. Look at Kane, hell look at Jericho, they're as much remembered and revered as the greats. I think it's very important to realize just how good you are and try to make the most in the confines of it. If you try to step out, you'll just crash and burn.

So what do you think? Should WWE try to make more career midcarders? I think it's something that is even more important than creating the next big star because it is the feuds with these guys that lead to the making of the big stars.

 

[L@RISANO]

well, if you look at many comments here, there is this notion that someone who is firmly placed in the midcard is being buried unless they are pushed towards looking as strong as those who are vying for/or are in the Main Event scene or close.


Guys like Harper, Rowan, the Miz and Jack Swagger alongwith the New Day and even Sandow and Cody Rhodes all scream of guys who are career midcarders and guys who just don't seem like they will quite make it at the very top bar a short run near the top to legitimise them.
I'm thinking that the up and coming Adrien Neville will also be of such group given his skill set and build.


As the OP has mentioned, having that balance of good MidCard guys, rather than trying to elevate every guy that gets over with the crowd can help with programming and also make it easier to build New Stars also. It also adds balance to the roster which is lacking, but which the WWE is seemingly trying to address with the likes of Ziggler an Ryback getting built back up again, but whom I see as guys who will flip-flop up and down the card to suit once guys like the SHIELD and Bray Wyatt are successful in the pushes they continue to get.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Somewhere along the way, I don't know where or how exactly, a lot of fans got it into their heads that being a career mid-card wrestler was the equivalent of having AIDS in that it's some kind of death sentence. Not everyone can be a main eventer, there's just not enough room. It's true that there have no doubt been some guys in the whole grand history of wrestling who could've been main event material but never made it. It sucks but that also doesn't mean there's some sort of major conspiracy holding them down.

Some of the more well known guys in wrestling when I was a kid were career mid-carders or guys who flirted with main event status but ultimately went back down the card, some of them are legends. Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Tito Santana, Greg The Hammer Valentine, Chief Wahoo McDaniel, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, Ted DiBiase, Shelton Benjamin, etc.

 

[Vader]

Somewhere along the way, I don't know where or how exactly, a lot of fans got it into their heads that being a career mid-card wrestler was the equivalent of having AIDS in that it's some kind of death sentence. Not everyone can be a main eventer, there's just not enough room. It's true that there have no doubt been some guys in the whole grand history of wrestling who could've been main event material but never made it. It sucks but that also doesn't mean there's some sort of major conspiracy holding them down.

Some of the more well known guys in wrestling when I was a kid were career mid-carders or guys who flirted with main event status but ultimately went back down the card, some of them are legends. Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Tito Santana, Greg The Hammer Valentine, Chief Wahoo McDaniel, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, Ted DiBiase, Shelton Benjamin, etc.

I don't know exactly what defines a career mid carder. I wouldn't think guys that have headlined Wrestlemania and/or held the title like Piper, Slaughter, and DiBiase would be considered career midcarders.

I don't dislike the Miz, but to reiterate what you said, he is not the face of the company kind of material.

Jarrett gets a lot of flack. Most of it is because his push was too fast. The guy went from losing the IC title to immediately claiming to the "Chosen One" in WCW. This push was too fast and made WCW appear less legitimate. I think in the end Jarrett had a good gimmick for a top heel performer. Not as good as Steiner's but good.

 

[FightOwensFight]

Yep, I will agree with the rest here. The other problem with the idea that being a career mid-card guy is somehow bad is that it lowers the value of the mid-card titles.

I have said before in a couple different posts that it would be refreshing if someone in the mid-card scene made attaining one of the mid-card belts their actual goal, not just as a stepping stone to the ME picture. There will always be guys like Ziggler that are good enough, and over enough, to make the leap to the ME picture (whether for a cup of coffee or permanently), but as the you have all said, some of the most liked guys from when we were younger were always mid-card guys and never tasted the big belts.

From my perspective, the roster make-up should be about 20% ME guys, 60% mid-card, and then 20% made up of people debuting, the divas, and your enhancement talent/jobbers.

 

[Vader]

I think a good bit of it has to do with the title picture like Global Conquest said.

There's nothing that should keep the IC or other belt on the upper mid card in my opinion; at least on free tv.

There's times when midcard titles have been debased and unnecessarily elevated. For instance, HBK being in the main event picture, refusing to lose to Bulldog and getting the European title was utterly pointless since he was slated to win the heavyweight belt. Other champions have earned the title too fast or wasn't over enough for it to be interesting.

Back in WCW, guys like Flair and Sting held the US championship even after having runs at the World Title in the past while Hogan or The Giant held the belt. I think this pans out better when you have upper-mid card guys as the belt holder and occasionally putting them in the main event spotlight. When Hollywood Hogan held the WCW belt it was very illusive. I think when the title is defended almost exclusively on PPV it makes the belt more prestigious (although this typically works better with a heel).

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Miz is like Jarrett in the sense that I don't know why he's employed in the big leagues. Neither were ever over to any significant degree and are devoid of "it". That both attained main event status and were given a world title is mind-blowing.

That said, being a career mid-carder is no shame. Scott Hall, Owen Hart, Road Dogg, the Road Warriors, Dustin Rhodes, Dean Malenko and Rick Steiner (primarily with the Steiners), are guys who may have headlined a card here or there, but they were never "main-eventers". They are synonymous with the mid-card, but all are WWE HoF-worthy and I'll definitely remember them more fondly than "main event" performers such as JBL, Lex Luger, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger and The Great Khali, as well as the aforementioned Miz and Jarrett.

Curt Hennig had an AWA World title reign, but he's better known internationally as a mid-card performer in the WWF and WCW. Mark Henry had one World title run, but he never headlined a pay-per-view as champion. I consider both mid-carders, and HoF-worthy. Hennig is to me one of the absolute greatest.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

well, if you look at many comments here, there is this notion that someone who is firmly placed in the midcard is being buried unless they are pushed towards looking as strong as those who are vying for/or are in the Main Event scene or close.

This ^^^ I don't get why fans feel like everyone should be in the Main Event.
Guys like Cody Rhodes and Kofi Kingston are career mid-carders, and IMO have done exceptionally well since coming to the Wwe. Being the world champion should always be a dream, but it doesn't make your career. (See Khali/Swagger) Kane, Christian, Jericho, Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry, etc all have won the World Championship, but neither career is going to be remember for their championship run or their short time in the Main Event. Fans are clamoring for Ziggler to be in the Main Event, but he's just not ME material, but he is the perfect guy to bring prestige back into the mid-card titles.
Theres nothing wrong with wanting your favorite to get more spot-light, but what happen to earning your way into the Main Event. What have Ambrose, Rollins, and and Wyatt accomplish in the Wwe to say they are the top Main Eventer in Wwe at the moment? Guys like Edge, Hardy, Michaels, etc worked hard. Their careers had a story that lead them to that point. From dominating the tag scene, to working hard in the Mid-card, to finally being able to get a chance at the Main Event.
Wyatt feuded with Cena and Bryan and still couldn't get over as a heel. Ambrose is loved by many, but hasnt did anything of importance, and Rollins (though I enjoy) only accomplishment is winning a cheap way into the Main Event. (Reigns looks to be the Next world champ, skipping completely OVER the MIDCARD........even CENA had to work hard in the midcard, before becoming the champ.)
I see nothing wrong with being a career midcarder, fans(and wwe) need to realise that not everyone is ME material, and if they are, they still need to earn their spot, and not be hot shotted into the ME. I don't think wwe should worry about making career midcarders, because they already have them, they just needs to figure out how to use them, without making them seem inferior to the Main Eventers.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

well, if you look at many comments here, there is this notion that someone who is firmly placed in the midcard is being buried unless they are pushed towards looking as strong as those who are vying for/or are in the Main Event scene or close.

You're correct. I think that fans think that a wrestler's position on the card is always in a state of change. They are either moving up the card or moving down with every victory and defeat. That is just so not the case. For most part wrestlers hold on to a spot.

Look at the first three WrestleManias for example. There were some established main eventers like Hogan, Andre, Piper and others like Savage were midcarders. And that was the case for three years. It is only at WrestleMania 4 that Savage was pushed up the card. And just see how successful those years were for WWF. I think that proves that you do not need to push some new star all the time to get a good product.

Actually, I think that present day WWE is the perfect place to create some career midcarders. The midcard titles will mean more anyhow because there's just one world title. I can easily see someone like a Dolph Ziggler have a long Intercontinental Title reign, be a career midcarder and have a fulfilling career as well.