Todays Wrestlers: Dont look like "wrestlers"; arent tough guys anymore.

[TheMainMan32]

Oh I know, I heard about this guy in the 80s, Ric Flair. I heard he was good but he wasn't muscular so I think he was horrible. Don't even get me started on that horrible Dusty Rhodes. No charisma, no talent, just b/c he was so fat. There was a guy in the late 90s like that named Stone Cold Steve Austin, have you heard of him? Gross, he wasn't even tanned nicely. When I watch my men in underwear fight, they better be aesthetically pleasing or I won't enjoy it fully.

Um, who was talking about that? I wasn't. I said that guys like CM Punk, and the Miz don't look like tough guys. I didn't mention anyone's tan, past or present. Freudian Slip perhaps? I know that you were trying to be funny, but the fact that you even thought of that...

For argument's sake, I'll respond to your post.

Wrestling is, and always has been, about suspension of belief. Dusty Rhodes, even when he wasn't in the best of shape, was still a large man. Ric Flair, in the 80's was in decent/ pretty good shape. He didn't get doughy until he got older. And Stone Cold was one of the toughest looking men to ever grace the WWF. More than that, he always looked like he at least spent some time in the gym.

No one said that CM Punk or The Miz were terrible. But standing across from a guy like John Cena, my suspension of belief goes right out of the window. It has nothing to do being "aesthetically pleasing". You're the one that brought that up.

 

[the_mighty_biggs]

I just think when a wrestler's a small guy he should only wrestle other small guys.

there should be a weight devision

rey mysterio was HEAVYWEIGHT champion and when you put guys like him against huge guys like Kane and Big Show it makes wrestling look fake we all know wrestling is fake but it doesent have to look fake.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

rey mysterio was HEAVYWEIGHT champion and when you put guys like him against huge guys like Kane and Big Show it makes wrestling look fake we all know wrestling is fake but it doesent have to look fake.

I completely agree. I'm so sick of the David vs. Goliath matches with Mysterio and guys like Kane. Sure, it makes him look like a hero, but he's only able to pull off 3 or 4 moves on the guy... Mysterio was awesome when he faced guys like Guerrero, Ultimo Dragon, Nunzio, Tajiri, etc. Now that he's been World Champion and had to face the big guys I can't stand him. What happened to the days of old where Ricky Steamboat didn't have to win the World Title to be the best of the best!?! Mysterio could have been an AWESOME Intercontinental champion many times, and bring some sort of point to the title...

 

[vermilion]

Um, who was talking about that? I wasn't. I said that guys like CM Punk, and the Miz don't look like tough guys. I didn't mention anyone's tan, past or present. Freudian Slip perhaps? I know that you were trying to be funny, but the fact that you even thought of that...

For argument's sake, I'll respond to your post.

Wrestling is, and always has been, about suspension of belief. Dusty Rhodes, even when he wasn't in the best of shape, was still a large man. Ric Flair, in the 80's was in decent/ pretty good shape. He didn't get doughy until he got older. And Stone Cold was one of the toughest looking men to ever grace the WWF. More than that, he always looked like he at least spent some time in the gym.

No one said that CM Punk or The Miz were terrible. But standing across from a guy like John Cena, my suspension of belief goes right out of the window. It has nothing to do being "aesthetically pleasing". You're the one that brought that up.

Actually, you did say that pretty much. You said guys don't look tough when they aren't jacked up. Have you ever heard a backstage story of one of these huge guys being a legit badass (except Lesnar)? Ask Goldberg how tough he was when pudgy little Jericho punked him out. Didn't Batista get smacked around by Booker T? Tell Meng/Haku that he wasn't legit tough b/c he had a little gut. What about Bruiser Brody? If the Miz is "chubby", these guys are fatasses. Look has very little to do with toughness. It's all about how you are pushed. We've all seen what this mentality of muscle is necessary has done to some of the greats. It broke them down physically. People believe Rey Mysterio can beat anyone b/c of the push they've given him, why can't this work for someone like CM Punk?

 

[H33LTurn]

Well first of all the guys that you mentioned are young, they look babyish companred to the notorious WWE/F "tough guys". Second of all, images change. WWE has changes, in the Attitude Era they needed scary looking guys to fit into the programing. In the PG era they need young cartoony guys, like someone you would see in a Nickelodeon sitcom. As far as Batista goes, yes he did have a rough life and gets a rep as a tough guy but I feel his comments on new people are out of bitterness. The guy is known for taking shots at new guys just like a lot of the old timers do. I guess they just cant see that things change, WWE has made it clear what kind of people they want.You dont need to be tough to hold a world title (i.e.- Miz), but that doesnt mean there arent legit tough guys in the WWE.

 

[Calderownz]

I really just want to hear everyone else's opinions on this rather than it be a rant.

Do you feel as if too many wrestlers today dont have "the look"?

Two things jump out at me when I think about this:

1: Lack of "larger than life" size
2: Lack of unique look

For some reason, now a days most of these wrestlers look like frat boys who work out a lot rather than larger than life fighters. There are so many wrestlers on the WWE roster (including "up and coming stars") that if you placed them in the WWE or WCW 10-15 years ago they would be members of the Mean Street Posse rather than taken seriously.

Miz
Alex Riley
Heath Slater
Justin Gabriel
Daniel Bryan
Evan Bourn
Ted Dibiase
Zack Ryder
Cody Rhodes
Jack Swagger
Alberto Del Rio
David Hart Smith


These guys all come to mind.


Coincidently, do you think this ties into that statement Batista made about how "a lot of the guys are just not tough guys anymore"? Do you think wrestling is not attracting the these type of men anymore?


3:00-3:55
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7dMVmLseUM


Discuss.....

Truthfully, I'm not worried about if they have that type of look. I know it's a work, so I couldn't give a damn if they could kick my ass. Still, that is how they are handled.

Nonetheless, if they can go out there and work and entertain, I don't really care what they look like. I'd prefer them to be in shape, but otherwise, it's just a work at the end of the day.

 

[TheMainMan32]

Actually, you did say that pretty much. You said guys don't look tough when they aren't jacked up. Have you ever heard a backstage story of one of these huge guys being a legit badass (except Lesnar)? Ask Goldberg how tough he was when pudgy little Jericho punked him out. Didn't Batista get smacked around by Booker T? Tell Meng/Haku that he wasn't legit tough b/c he had a little gut. What about Bruiser Brody? If the Miz is "chubby", these guys are fatasses. Look has very little to do with toughness. It's all about how you are pushed. We've all seen what this mentality of muscle is necessary has done to some of the greats. It broke them down physically. People believe Rey Mysterio can beat anyone b/c of the push they've given him, why can't this work for someone like CM Punk?

I did say that pretty much? Your reading comprehension skills need work. My first post said that it was a lack of dedication in the gym! And guess what? I'm right. Because if you work out, and eat right (which one would do if he's dedicated to being a professional athlete), you won't be chubby like Punk and the Miz. No one said that they had to be jacked. I don't consider Dolph Ziggler jacked. Nor Randy Orton. But at least they look like professional athletes.

And who cares what they do backstage? I'm referring to in-ring look and suspension of belief. And since you brought him up, yes, Little Rey Rey belongs in that group as well. I hated it when he was WHC because I know, from actually being in fights, that a 175 (maybe) man would barely be able to hurt a 250+ lb. individual. It defies the laws of physics (Force= Mass X Acceleration.) It real life, Rey would be folded up and thrown through the roof. Watch the NFL, and watch a small Cornerback run at full tilt and hit a 270 lb lineman who's barely moving (result: destroyed CB.) So, when I see CM Punk across the ring from the massive John Cena, I honestly don't believe that he can win. Ever. That takes a lot of fun out of the match. A man as big as Umaga, someone that was a fatass, but had a combination of fat + muscle? Much more believable, because the man is massive. CM Punk is an average sized, chubby guy. Rey is a little chubby guy. The Miz wavers between chubby and voluptuous.

 

[Scuba 06]

I dont think it is a matter of size, steroids, or anything like that, there is just no edge to any of the top stars now. The whole idea of attitude is totally gone. Guys like miz, ziggler, even jericho now they just look soft, like little punks. The characters in wwe have always been silly at times but nowdays because of pg its as if they are living breathing cartoons. The fueds are rarely personal, and the heel never gets any clean wins. Sheamus is the only guy that acts tough but the orange hair and pale skin, the guy just looks like a character. Barrett is too generic of a heel too really stick out even if he a bigger threat than other nexus guys. Guys like Del Rio and Rhodes dont look tough but I think guys like that make it up by expressing these over-the-top cocky personality types, make up for the tough aspect instead with great confidence. Miz trys to pulls this off put always ends up looking like a punk in the end.

 

[Tequila Dave]

I'm assuming by 'tough guys' you mean steroid fueled mammoths? I think Benoit has something to do with the decline in those kinda guys.

I'm guessing the appearence of 'frat boy' look alikes is down do the changing demographics and fanbase of WWE. People aren't as interested in 'larger than life' wrestlers anymore, they wanna see A) more relatable characters and B) more exciting/fast paced movesets. Sure, the current crop of up-and-coming characters aren't likely to be victims of roid rage, but they can still put on entertaining matches/promos; that's all that matters, right?

Sure the stars of today wouldn't have fit in ten years ago, but the stars contreversial characters of ten years ago wouldn't have fit in 20 years ago. Things change, people don't want to see huge buff men anymore.

 

[mr.davidson]

I also Miss the Monsters of Wrestling

U cannot say the wrestleing Monsters of Old had no Skill....

They Had skill and u didnt want 2 F@ck with them because of the way they looked....

The Road Warriors are a great example of this... Watch there Matches... they had very skilled move set in the ring..... They did moves I dont even see in the ring anymore (probably as they are very hard on the Body 2 do)

But U need these types in wrestling/......

Think about it

SCSA
Hulk Hogan
The Rock
Randy Savage
Mr.Perfect

All were hudge in the industry but all could also talk on the Mic as well have the look to be recognized anywhere they went....

We Need them Back....

Rick Rude
Ricky SteamBoat

They were actuallly big guys 2.. but they again had the Mic skills and could bust out moves no wrestlers could accomplish 2day.

Also we need some big men back 2

Greg Valintine
Jim Duggan
Earthquake
Vader

All were very impressive people

and trust me Jim Duggan even at his age now.. Could probably beat anyone of the current WWE locker room in a real Fight!!!!

 

[jokeryona12]

I agree that a normally larger person appears more intimidating. Think about yourself though. Average height for a male is 5'10 to 5'11. Most of the wrestlers are that height. The bigger ones just seem more so. Most of them are 120 or bigger which is about average weight for those heights. The military wants a 6'1 person to weigh 175 and you can't say a marine isn't tough.
It is a misconception that you have to be huge to be a fighter. GSP is a welterweight and could dominate a lot of people bigger than him and a lot of women find him a little pretty for MMA.
Truth is, you never know who the real tough guy is until it's time to throw down. I am 6'1 and 225, but I have knocked out a person who was 6'7" 290. Its all in person.
(On a side not, Mysterio beating Big Show in life is beyond impossible without him having a weapon. That is just too much pushing the boundary)

 

[The_Reptile_]

Now let's be realistic here. A large portion of why the guys don't look as intimidating today is because they aren't using the 'roids as much. While it's completely unreasonable to assume that the steroid problem is gone in WWE, they're monitoring the situation to the point that you can't have the herculean physiques of yesteryear without raising major suspicion, take the test, and then bye-bye push. Frankly, it's just not worth it.

 

[Mike D]

[QUOTE="Stone Cold" John Hogan;2807318]I'm assuming by 'tough guys' you mean steroid fueled mammoths? I think Benoit has something to do with the decline in those kinda guys.

I'm guessing the appearence of 'frat boy' look alikes is down do the changing demographics and fanbase of WWE. People aren't as interested in 'larger than life' wrestlers anymore, they wanna see A) more relatable characters and B) more exciting/fast paced movesets. Sure, the current crop of up-and-coming characters aren't likely to be victims of roid rage, but they can still put on entertaining matches/promos; that's all that matters, right?

Sure the stars of today wouldn't have fit in ten years ago, but the stars contreversial characters of ten years ago wouldn't have fit in 20 years ago. Things change, people don't want to see huge buff men anymore.[/QUOTE]

Fans aren't as interested? Seriously.. WWF 80's was INCREDIBLY popular... attitude era incredibly popular..Today?? pretty much the least popular they've ever been.. So I would say that people aren't interested in whats out there TODAY.

It's not simply pure size.. it's aura.. a belief that this person can take care of business. Most of these guys today can moonlight as sales people at a mall on the weekend. they are soft and small yet shave down and oil themselves up, lol. Even the big guys,, mason are NOT believable..they are awkward and just have two left feet. Go you tube Jimmy Snuka WWF debute (1982 NOT 90's) ..and tell me anyone today has that believability factor. Don muraco would look like a animal literally ripping the limbs off these guys today.. They ALL wear 1.5 to 2 inch lifts in their boots because the guy hireing them has a height fetish.. So he hires guys that are tall... like a suburban high school basketball player.. Being lean, shredded, ect has NOTHING To do with it. Rick steiner was a stud...pure and simple...