The Patriot

[Ubermensch]

Does anyone think this guy had any potential back in 1997?

I remember his character got an automatic push when the Hart Foundation was around and suffered a torn tricep after his match with Bret Hart.

I always wondered if he had any potential. However, I think it's safe to say that after Hart left, along with the anti-American storyline and Hart Foundation, there was nowhere for him to be plugged into the Attitude era.

 

[justtxyank]

Solid wrestler, bigger in Japan.

In the Attitude era his gimmick would have needed to be heel at times, standing up for "Traditional American Values." WWF could have him be a culture warrior against the sex and sleaze of the WWF.

Could have had a good IC run with Val Venis and Goldust.

 

[Fabulous Freebirds]

Does anyone think this guy had any potential back in 1997?

I remember his character got an automatic push when the Hart Foundation was around and suffered a torn tricep after his match with Bret Hart.

I always wondered if he had any potential. However, I think it's safe to say that after Hart left, along with the anti-American storyline and Hart Foundation, there was nowhere for him to be plugged into the Attitude era.

Loved The Patriot. He came off very cool with the mask. And the guy was a very good wrestler. Even after Hart left, they could have done more with Patriot but like you said, the injuries stopped that.

 

[Ubermensch]

I definitely agree with doing more. He had an impressive physique, and good skills for a guy his size. It would have simply been a matter of him taking off the mask during the rest of the attitude era and a new gimmick.

I remember Russo pushing him in his WWF Magazine column, for awhile (and I was a kid at the time), I thought that he would end up winning the championship. But it seemed like his usefulness was lived out to Vince once the Canada v. America angle was over and done with.

 

[Pedigree1]

I remember the Patriot very good wrestler and the whole USA swag he had going was very well done.. Big guy in japan not so much over here but i think the injuries just derailed his career before it had a real chance to take off

 

[Oldschoolersrule]

Solid wrestler, bigger in Japan.

In the Attitude era his gimmick would have needed to be heel at times, standing up for "Traditional American Values." WWF could have him be a culture warrior against the sex and sleaze of the WWF.

Could have had a good IC run with Val Venis and Goldust.

For a heel turn I think they could of paired him with the Godfather, Ivory, and the rest of the group RIGHT TO CENSOR. It could of worked with his "wholesomeness" of the american way. Definately a solid mid to upper mid card talent though.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

Why not bring the guy back? He would fit well with the Real Americans. Can he no longer go? Is it possible they can put someone else under the mask? It would be a great way to debut an NXT guy. Put him under the mask of The Patriot and have this whole story is he "THE ORIGINAL"? Then, have him unmasked, but not shown to the audience. Zeb Colter goes on a rant that the guy is a liar and not the "AMERICAN ICON" he thought he was. The guy disappears for a couple of weeks. Then, he helps Swagger & Cesaro win the tagteam titles at a PPV. Zeb comes out on raw and claims he misjudged the man and praises him despite not being the man he thought he was. He asks him to come out. He does w/a re-designed Yellow & Black Real Americans colored-style Patriot. Eventually, Brad Maddox/Vickie demand he has a singles match where if he loses he has to unmask. He takes the mask off and it's an NXT guy who leaves through the crowd. The following week on Raw you have him on MizTV or get interviewed by Michael Cole in the ring.

 

[The Brain]

In my thread about Virgil I mentioned that sometimes guys are brought in for one angle and no real long term plans. The Patriot was one of those guys. It was the right place at the right time for a very short run in the WWF. He was used as a filler feud with Bret Hart in between big events while guys like Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker had other things going on. It would have been nice to see The Patriot at Survivor Series like originally planned but I can’t really picture him doing anything significant in 1998. I guess he could have had an angle with Owen Hart once Hart started wearing the Blue Blazer mask again but I don’t think we really missed out on anything.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The time for Del Wilkes was in 93, had he come in for that Luger push then WWE could have had a legit star and Hogan replacement with him (although I still think they should have gone hell for leather to sign Sting in that role).

By 97 he had has some personal issues as well which affected his marketability and that they even alluded to when he did his "mask off" interview. On the whole he was handled very well, his "I'm a flawed man but when I wear the mask I fight for America" was a good hook on the "real american" idea.

Two things did for him. The injury and Bret Hart. If Bret knew he was leaving, could he not have dropped to the Patriot as a transitional champ at Ground Zero? Of course not, this was Bret - he wasn't dropping to ANYONE. That whole angle and push for Wilkes would have worked had he gone over (and not gotten hurt) - it would have let Shawn and Austin in as the two heels against him, Bret would have had his rematch that one of them could have cost him and once Wilkes dropped to Shawn or Austin there was a believable chase for the title.

I remember seeing the Patriot in the old GWF around 91 and he was REALLY good, WCW didn't really use him right and neither did Vince. He was always capable of a hell of a lot more. How Vince didn't see the potential in Merch alone is beyond me... but perhaps he'd already drunk the "Attitude era" kool-aid or was distracted by the Bischoff/Hart buttfucking he was taking...

Definite missed opportunity for the E and the biggest momentum killing injury until Barrett.

 

[chibet]

i remember watching as a kid...seemed like he came out of nowhere and was just a great opponent for bret during this time period, with the gimmick and all.

but , THTRobtaylor, I dont think there has been an injury that has killed a stars push as much as dolph ziggler. in the history of wrestling. people loved him and waited FOREVER for him to have a legit title run..... then del rio with his beaner brain is dumb enough to "botch " his kick to zigglers head....thus potentially sidelining ziggler from the main event forever.... he could have been the last great WHC.....ohhh wait starting to make sense now.... the LAST WHC title holder HASSSS to be CENA. thank god orton won that match. but very sad that this push could have cemented him as a main eventer and seeing ziggler as unified champ could have been a reality. right now..... i just dont think so. There are so many in line for this belt it's gonna be a cluster bang.....hopefully the good out of this is in cena not holding the belt as often

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Patriot's was after this hence why I said what I said, but I have to say Pillman's is the winner if you want to go there about derailing careers

Pillman was signed to be WWF champion, feud with Bret and Shawn as the high-flying loose cannon. Crashed his jeep 3 days later and destroys his ankle. Instead of being in a title feud with Bret by King Of The Ring, he's passing the spot and his creation ("attitude") to his best bud to run with. Attitude was gonna happen but with Pillman, who was the real "shock TV" guy of the era. That he could back it up as a worker, had the history with the Harts and also the cancer stuff meant he was the perfect anti-hero. Until he couldn't walk properly anymore... so Austin became that guy.

What happened to Ziggler was karma for his injuring Barrett by trying to be clever and make it look like his head hit the barrier. It was going to and his neck was going to snap, Barrett clocked it, adjusted and nearly lost his career as a result. Zig screwed Zig... I have no sympathy whatsoever for Zig

Patriot is one of those ones you never saw the injury, just heard about it. Even with Shawn and Rude you could see the bump that led to it with Wilkes he was a pro and just carried on the match, Bret was good enough no one knew he was hurt that bad and by the time the match was over the damage was done. Last guy who did that wanted a sainthood for doing it, cos his quad tore and he took a Walls or something? Whatever happened to him?

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Jim Cornette touched on the Patriot's brief 1997 run.

Cornette wanted him brought in because he had the look, charisma, and could work like hell in the ring. Everyone was on board with it. Except the cliques in the back.

Bret Hart's clique involved guys like Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, etc. HBK, of course, had HHH and Rick Rude in his corner and seemed to have had Vince McMahon in his pocket, too.

The story with Del Wilkes not working out is simple. The bookers, except for Cornette, wanted Patriot to debut on Raw... in Canada.... against Bret Hart.

So someone who's a profound babyface everywhere he goes is to be fed to a Canadian, IN CANADA. It was a shitty debut and it ended up costing Patriot a solid run in the WWE. I don't know about his personal demons or injury issues, but based on what Cornette's said in some shoots about Patriot, he received a bad deal in 1997.

 

[Ubermensch]

I definitely see shawn having animosity toward the Patriot. They're push against Hart happened almost simultaneously. Shawn's feud with the Undertaker was great though, I will always remember that Hell in the Cell Match.

I think The Patriot fit the billet of a babyface that the WWE did not have at the time. You almost always have to have one baby face even if you are entering an Attitude era with a bunch of antiheroes who get all the pops.

IF the Montreal screw job hadn't happened, it would have been nice to see The Patriot's feud with the Hart Foundation continue.

I don't think the Canada v. America angle was losing steam until DX started taking the forefront position against them. I believe it could have continued at least until that Wrestlemania.

The Patriot versus Hart match would have done well at Wrestlemania with Austin and Michaels still headlining the event.