Things I've learned from WWE Network

[HBK-aholic]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]So, I've been in America visiting KB and I've been able to steal his WWE Network while he bores me watching TNA. Why England has to wait until October when 170 countries get this NEXT WEEK is ridiculous, but that's another thread. I've also been reading KB's Wrestler of the Day thingys and seen a lot of wrestlers that I''d never seen or paid much attention to in the past. In no order, I enjoyed these random people.

[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Buff Bagwell[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]How did this guy never become a big deal? He had a very nice look (YUM), a fresh way of speaking, and an awesome finishing move with the Blockbuster. You throw in the whole broken neck deal and he should have been one of the next big things in WCW. Then apparently he pinned Ric Flair on Nitro and his reward was a boxing match with Roddy Piper at Bash at the Beach 1999. You would think he would have been perfect for a major push, but instead he's relegated to yet another tag team just a year later.Typical WCW; if I ever wondered if I missed a lot by not watching WCW back in the day, this solidifies my choice.
[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Hercules[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]My first thought was the original Chris Masters? Sure, he was a one gimmick character, but IT WORKED. You would always see him around the Survivor Series matches during a period where you needed people to make up the numbers without a long storyline attached...it made the matches more interesting, especially when there weren't enough stories to go around. Now, I know top challenger would be too far, but I really enjoy watching him.
[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Jerry Lynn[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]This is a guy that apparently bounced around for years and somehow never had a really bad match, I certainly haven't seen one. He's very crisp in the ring and has the perfect 'wrestle anyone' style which you need of guys like this. I still don't understand the idea of cradling someone in a piledriver but hey, no one is perfect.[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Chris Candido[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The forgotten half of the Body Donnas, Candido also wrestled everywhere and had the perfect nickname; No gimmicks needed. He just was Chris Candido and almost like Lynn, could wrestle with anyone. World Champion? No, but did he really need to be? He was the definition of a good hand and someone that was valuable to whatever company he went to. The story of his death may sway me here, but it's a terrible way to go so young.
[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Test[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Test is someone who isn't new to me per se, as I remember him being around in some of my favourite WWE periods. He was big, he was strong, he looked cool and he could hit a top rope elbow as well as anyone not named Shawn. There was this cool mystique about him and the story with HHH and Stephanie was great. I could see a case for making him a one night champion, maybe in place of Big Show in 1999, and then giving the title to HHH/Show if necessary, but instead he just kind of disappeared from the big time after this point. His downside was his promo ability, or lack thereof, but no problems with him in the ring - he did what he was supposed to.
[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I'm sure there are others that you've found that are worth watching, or jogged your memory of with access to this amazingness. Anyone you have a new found love for, or any show I may have forgotten that I should watch while I have the access?
[/FONT]

 

[DirtyJosé]

How did this guy never become a big deal? He had a very nice look (YUM), a fresh way of speaking, and an awesome finishing move with the Blockbuster. You throw in the whole broken neck deal and he should have been one of the next big things in WCW. Then apparently he pinned Ric Flair on Nitro and his reward was a boxing match with Roddy Piper at Bash at the Beach 1999. You would think he would have been perfect for a major push, but instead he's relegated to yet another tag team just a year later.Typical WCW; if I ever wondered if I missed a lot by not watching WCW back in the day, this solidifies my choice.

If I'm not mistaken it was a mixture of a growing ego backstage plus the injuries that held him down. Turning heel post-neck injury fucked him hard.

Test is someone who isn't new to me per se, as I remember him being around in some of my favourite WWE periods. He was big, he was strong, he looked cool and he could hit a top rope elbow as well as anyone not named Shawn. There was this cool mystique about him and the story with HHH and Stephanie was great. I could see a case for making him a one night champion, maybe in place of Big Show in 1999, and then giving the title to HHH/Show if necessary, but instead he just kind of disappeared from the big time after this point. His downside was his promo ability, or lack thereof, but no problems with him in the ring - he did what he was supposed to.

This one I don't agree with as much. I remember thinking he was cool for all of a few minutes, and from then on he came off as bland oatmeal to me. Not entirely his fault, though, as I don't think WWE did him any favors in coming up with something to offer us. I never felt like Test meant anything, or stood for anything. He just kinda shifted from role to role and didn't really get to set any roots down. I do really like you idea about him in some of Big Show's spots back in the day, that might have actually worked out better for both of them at times.

I'm sure there are others that you've found that are worth watching, or jogged your memory of with access to this amazingness. Anyone you have a new found love for, or any show I may have forgotten that I should watch while I have the access?

I burned through everything from 1999 that they had to offer on there because I was curious how bad it would be to watch again after so long. There were large sections of Raw/Smackdown that I would skip over, and everything from just after Wrestlemania to the end of the year felt like a mess, but part of me really dug the potential involved with so many factions and alliances.

The proliferation of so many groups made things confusing and ultimately failed, but the potential excited me then and surprisingly still does today even after knowing how things played out. Between the Corporation, DX, The Ministry, and what eventually became The Union (ugh barf), it gave a lot of mid/low carders stuff to do that seemed more important that cutting off Venis' wee wee or having anything to do with a Godfather match.

I also watched Over The Edge for the first time since it was live. It was a little difficult, which I guess wasn't totally unexpected. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other regarding whether McMahon should have gone on with the show or not; I just can't put myself in his position in total honesty because I've never had to make that kind of decision for a business that was my life. However, I have come to the conclusion that once he decided to go on with the show, they should have changed the ending. I get that the story they built to that point made Undertaker going over the logical choice, but there's no reason that couldn't have been addressed on TV within weeks in not right away. Austin was the only thing that crowd had to hold on for that night, the one thing that kept them going. When Undertaker won, there was no heat. There was no reaction. Those fans had nothing left in the tank, and left that show defeated and heartbroken.

 

[jmt225]

Buff Bagwell - Drugs and an ego that was out of this World. He had a great look, was hilarious on the mic, and was okay in the ring (which is all you need to be, especially back then). But he was more worried about partying than wrestling. Nobody like that could ever become a true star. Even someone like Flair in his prime still put the business first over the partying.

Hercules - Great look, no promo ability though and he was pretty dangerous in the ring from the stories I've heard. Not purposely, but some guys are just too strong for their own good and he was one of them.

Jerry Lynn - Love Lynn, incredible in the ring, but he had zero personality.

Chris Candido - If Candido hadn't died, I'm 100% certain his big break would have came. Not necessarily as a wrestler, but as a manager or some kind of on-air personality. The guy was fucking brilliant and when he got off the drugs and became completely sober, he only improved that much more on the mic. He would have gotten his chance with WWE's ECW and he would have thrived. I'm positive of it. Tragic story.

Test - I'm not as sure about this as I am with Bagwell, but I think Test was more concerned about pussy, drugs, and partying then he was with the business. Plus he couldn't cut a promo to save his life. But his ring work was definitely underrated, and he had an incredible look. He's someone who definitely didn't live up to his potential, but it wasn't anyone else's fault other than his own. He had plenty of opportunities to grab the brass ring but never took them.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Bagwell was never someone I could get behind cos even in 1995 the tales of his bizarre relationship with his mom were leaking out. Had he not gotten hurt and gone with Del Wilkes to the WWF as that tag team, he could have had a stellar career but he was always the "runt of the litter" of the WCW roster, doing more outlandish stuff to get attention rather than actually being good enough.

Hercules was like today's Titus O Neil, great look, great strength and potential but no real end product. It's sad Power and Glory got jobbed out as they did cos in that team there was serious potential.

Test was never really someone I liked, he seemed to be bland, vanilla and unfocused even back when he debuted. For about 23 seconds his Motley Crue roadie gimmick was cool. You felt for him in the Steph thing for about 3 seconds less... It's a shame he destroyed himself but he did...

I'll be back later with my views on Candido and what I am looking forward to revisiting.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Buff Bagwell[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]How did this guy never become a big deal? He had a very nice look (YUM), a fresh way of speaking, and an awesome finishing move with the Blockbuster. You throw in the whole broken neck deal and he should have been one of the next big things in WCW. Then apparently he pinned Ric Flair on Nitro and his reward was a boxing match with Roddy Piper at Bash at the Beach 1999. You would think he would have been perfect for a major push, but instead he's relegated to yet another tag team just a year later.Typical WCW; if I ever wondered if I missed a lot by not watching WCW back in the day, this solidifies my choice.
[/FONT]

Injuries... attitude... general dumbassery. That's basically what kept Bagwell from reaching his potential. The guy was over. He could have made it bigger than he did.

Just to give you an idea on why he didn't make it.

The guy once got sick from his calf implants, which derailed a push. Now lots of bodybuilder types get procedures like calf implants... and all surgeries have their risks. Thing with Bagwell was... he always wore long tights! What did he need a procedure like that for, if not vanity?

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Hercules[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]My first thought was the original Chris Masters? Sure, he was a one gimmick character, but IT WORKED. You would always see him around the Survivor Series matches during a period where you needed people to make up the numbers without a long storyline attached...it made the matches more interesting, especially when there weren't enough stories to go around. Now, I know top challenger would be too far, but I really enjoy watching him.
[/FONT]

I always liked him as a kid. He gave off the feel of a real bad ass in a cartoon world. Loved his chain match with Billy Jack Haynes.

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Jerry Lynn[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]This is a guy that apparently bounced around for years and somehow never had a really bad match, I certainly haven't seen one. He's very crisp in the ring and has the perfect 'wrestle anyone' style which you need of guys like this. I still don't understand the idea of cradling someone in a piledriver but hey, no one is perfect.[/FONT]

Very good hand. Surprised he never got an Al Snow type run in the WWF, because he was the type of guy you could count on to never have a bad match.

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Chris Candido[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The forgotten half of the Body Donnas, Candido also wrestled everywhere and had the perfect nickname; No gimmicks needed. He just was Chris Candido and almost like Lynn, could wrestle with anyone. World Champion? No, but did he really need to be? He was the definition of a good hand and someone that was valuable to whatever company he went to. The story of his death may sway me here, but it's a terrible way to go so young.
[/FONT]

Here's the thing with Candido. Would he have ever made it without Sunny? Or would he have been a bigger deal if he didn't have Sunny?

The guy was a ridiculously talented wrestler, but I always felt his size held him back somewhat in the WWF. That... and the fact that he was so overshadowed by Sunny he could never stand out on his own.

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Test[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Test is someone who isn't new to me per se, as I remember him being around in some of my favourite WWE periods. He was big, he was strong, he looked cool and he could hit a top rope elbow as well as anyone not named Shawn. There was this cool mystique about him and the story with HHH and Stephanie was great. I could see a case for making him a one night champion, maybe in place of Big Show in 1999, and then giving the title to HHH/Show if necessary, but instead he just kind of disappeared from the big time after this point. His downside was his promo ability, or lack thereof, but no problems with him in the ring - he did what he was supposed to.
[/FONT]

My problem with Test (besides his name), was that he never seemed to stick with one character long enough to make it work. Always a pushed guy, but never someone that was easy to get behind in any way.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Candido was someone who deserved better but his issues with Shawn stemming back to Sunny would have been a major problem, even in WWECW. If he was going to ever be back in the E he would have been (and Shawn would have made a big thing of how they were friends) but the reality is it was too late. As Skip he sucked, the gimmick was never good and it was only ever a leg up for Sunny rather than a starmaking opportunity for him. The Tag team, was meh... gimmick or no, he and Prichard didn't have great chemistry, the kind he showed with others later or in ECW. Very capable and always enjoy watching him but had he not passed that way, few would be eulogizing in the revered tones they do. That being said, along with Bruiser, Owen and Pillman, it's probably one of the few real "tragedies" wrestling has seen. Most of the others contributed to their own downfalls... and Pillman did for sure, but he gets a pass from me for all the stuff he beat to even get to that point as a child who also suffered severe illness and overcame it. Unfortunately the other 3 contributed a lot more I'd want to watch on the network than Candido...especially Pillman.

Jerry Lynn is another who was overrated in the main, but his skill was clearly there however others had that AND the intangible, where as he didn't and it meant he struggled. Even guys like Lance Storm could make their lack of charisma into something, Jerry reminds me a lot of Bobby Eaton, great technically you could watch their matches and enjoy them but you never actually cared enough about them to seek out those matches or recommend them over other peoples.

Don't mean to be negative on all these guys, they all have moments that are worth watching but for me once it hits the UK I'm gonna be more interested in the retro content available rather than re-living the Attitude era. I DO want to see the Territory stuff that I had to hustle to get on videos or couldn't ever get. If they have World Class I'd want to watch it, same for Mid South and Georgia. As I went to College in Memphis I'd be very keen to see that library too. For me it needs to allow me access to that to stop me streaming the PPV's for free.

 

[justtxyank]

Original post

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Buff Bagwell[/FONT]

It's more complicated than just saying drugs and ego with Buff. He came of age at the wrong time really in the wrong company. He hit his peak with the fans right in the middle of 1998, at a time when Hollywood Hogan was still a draw, Sting was coming off a huge run, Luger was still a draw, Nash was waiting for a turn at the top, Goldberg was exploding on the scene, Savage was finishing up, Piper was finishing up, Bret Hart had just come into WCW and was getting established, DDP hit huge highs, Flair returned as a big draw...

There was a ton of talent at the top of WCW and not a lot of room to go up. Bagwell was further hurt by the fact that he's at his best as a heel character but got his most fan support as a sympathetic face. He can't pull off a face character long term and there were always better options for the top dog heels than him.

However, he did have a nice run there. He was involved in a lot of storylines that were main story archs. The Steiner Brother feud featuring Buff Bagwell was a big part of WCW in 1998. He was always in the middle of stuff, no matter how stupid the stories were.

By the time they decided to see what they had with him it was too late. All of his energy had been sucked out and he'd been passed by more talented guys.

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Test[/FONT]

As ridiculous as it may sound, the story on Test is that HHH didn't like that he was another blonde with long hair. Apparently he had the same gripe with Jericho. Allegedly HHH thought he'd look off with Test running around. Who knows the truth about that.

Reality is that Test was a decent big man worker but didn't have a lot in the way of mic skills. OK big guys can only last so long without bringing something other than impressive moves for a big guy to the table.

Chris Candido

Left him for the end. He deserves his own thread really. Supremely talented. One of the best sellers with his facial expressions I've ever seen. He could bring comedy to a match without it being goofy. Loved Candido. He was doomed by drugs, the Kliq and his relationship with the toxic Sunny.

 

[Nikkolas]

Test had the best damned Big Boot in the business.
[youtube]N2S1GD_NbIQ[/youtube]

It looked brutal as hell and it always got a reaction out of the crowd. I watched that match with Lesnar and people were seriously pumped when they saw it connect.

 

[sca2626l]

Not enough Papa Shango I say!!!

I love watching the old PPV's. Seeing the great and not so great characters from my childhood. Pro even check out SummerSlam seeing as it's free.

 

[USMNT]

Jerry Lynn is another who was overrated in the main, but his skill was clearly there however others had that AND the intangible, where as he didn't and it meant he struggled. Even guys like Lance Storm could make their lack of charisma into something, Jerry reminds me a lot of Bobby Eaton, great technically you could watch their matches and enjoy them but you never actually cared enough about them to seek out those matches or recommend them over other peoples.

Not quite sure he was as over as Eaton. I grew up in Southern Kentucky and in the early 90's, when Stan Lane was out, Bobby was over huge as a babyface (before turning to join the Dangerous Alliance).

His SuperBrawl match with Arn Anderson is one of my favorite matches. Watch it for no other reason than to see the single best swinging neckbreaker of all time.