Was Legacy a Success?

[Milkyway!]

Simple enough question.

Legacy has been done for about a year now. We have seen the developments in both characters of Rhodes, and DiBiase. We not have two great wrestlers in "Dashing" Cody Rhodes, and we have the "Million Dollar Son" Ted DiBiase.

I can recall so many people complaining about Legacy, and how boring it was. They we're "stale", "predictable", etc..but now we have two great professional wrestlers, that were very green when they joined the company. After being pruned, and taught by Randy Orton for nearly a year and a half. Now look.

Often times when Tag Teams split up you see 1 of 2 things happening. A) Both people fall off the map, B) One wrestler flourishes to become a great/decent wrestler, and the other falls off the map. I can think of very few tag teams that both wrestlers have flourished such a Legacy has.

After coming back and readying a bunch of IDR posts, I must tip my hat to the guy. I love the way he asks questions, and to keep my thread a little more interesting, I'm going to copy the guy.

So, overall does this show Randy Ortons talent?
Would things have been different, had Rhodes stayed on RAW?
If so, which would have been the breakout star?
Was Legacy a Success?

 

[MOExecution]

In my opinion...
No, I don't think Legacy was a success, but hear me out though.
Yeah, it was good for Randy Orton to take these two guys under his wing to get them exposure. Ted Dibiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes has a little feud with DX and won the World Tag Team Championships. Yeah, with everything they have done together it was a success, but there is a saying I can't remember it word from word, but it went something like this, "The teachers job is to enable to student to move on without the teacher." Something like that. And I think when a stable or group is put together that everybody in the stable or group should have some success as singles competitors when the group was done and not only in Legacy.

My example; Evolution. They were an successful group! Evolution consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista. Evolution opened the doors to Randy Orton and Batista to becoming the future Main Event stars in the WWE. When Evolution was all said and done EVERYBODY continued their individual success on there own. In Legacy you had Randy Orton go on and continue to Main Event and possibly being the hottest performer on the market right now. Ted Dibiase Jr. is struggling to even get a match on Monday Night RAW, but Cody Rhodes is actually gaining a piece of success, but he is still not there like Randy Orton and Batista both were while they were in Evolution.

A group is put together in my opinion to be able to push stars and create the stars of the future. While Legacy had a good run basically having Randy Orton feed them their success where is Legacy right now? Yeah, so in my opinion I don't believe Legacy was a success because in the beginning you put these guys together to get two guys over with the fans, but when they broke up they are still at square one so it didn't really achieve anything in the end.

 

[Decarow]

First off, Legacy has only been ended since WM26.

To answer the question, I say yes and no.

No: They didn't really do much as a stable. They won't really be remembered for anything exactly. Rhodes and Dibiase were basically to Orton as Ryder and Hawkins were to Edge.

Yes: The point of the stable was for Orton's star power to rub off on Ted and Cody. And it has. They are flourishing into their own characters and so far it's working.

However we can't truly answer this question for quite a few more years.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I don't really consider the Legacy faction to have been a success overall, and there are several reasons why I feel this way.

I think Randy Orton was destined to be a star anyway. He comes from a family lineage with WWF/WWE history. He was a star in the making in the company from a very young age. If there was ever any doubt that he was going to make it, Evolution put those doubts to rest. I think even if Legacy had never existed, Randy Orton would be exactly where he is right now. If not now, certainly in the very near future.

TedDiBiase is really not all that over. He's currently running wtih a gimmick that he inherited from his father, which WWE could have put on him regardless of whether or not Legacy ever existed. I don't see his current gimmick as being particularly successful, but whether it succeeds or fails, whether he gets over or not, I don't really see how Legacy helped him or hurt him.

Same basically applies to Rhodes. I'm not a big fan of the whole "dashing" thing but that's just me. Again, he could have been given this gimmick and whatever push he may or may not receive simply from his family history. Whether or not he makes it, or how long he does or does not stick around, will be more attributable to his family, not Legacy.

Long story short, I think all three of these guys would likely be where they currently are, or at least very close to it, with or without Legacy.

 

[Super Strudel]

Overall, does this show Orton's talent? It showed his versatility and maturity, definitely. Orton graduated from pupil to teacher, and from one of the young brigade to a veteran.

Would things have been different, had Rhodes stayed on Raw? Definitely. Namely, he would get lost in the shuffle of mid-card Raw purgatory, the same way DiBiase has, getting stuck in low brow sketches with A-Team V2.0.

If so, which would have been the break out star? I say neither, much the same as it is now. Sure, both are getting screen time, and both have undergone gimmick changes since Legacy. But they're both rip offs. Ted has taken his father's gimmick, while Cody has the narcissist gimmick, a la Rick Martel, Lex Luger, and to a lesser extent, Rene "ECW" Dupree. I think one or both will need another gimmick change before they taste true success.

Was Legacy a success? Of course it was. It helped keep Orton relevant as he evolved his character, while taking two newcomers and transforming them into credible threats on Raw, the flagship show. The two newbies had an ongoing fued with HHH and HBK, no less, and came out of that looking like they for the most part belonged.
It could have been worse. They both could have stuffed in a crate with "OVW" stamped on the side of it.

 

[Ferbian]

It depends on how you look at it being a success. Did it succeed in pushing Randy Orton to new heights and to build him as a heel as well as get his new sadistic like gimmick over? Absolutely, and from Randy Orton's booking perspective, Legacy was one than a success.

However, did it create 2 new stars? Did it push Ted and Cody as legitimate tag team wrestlers with a great future in singles competition? Absolutely not. It failed utterly at that, because it focused too much on Orton. Legacy got a bit of shine nearing the end, Orton in the world title picture, while Ted and Cody were bashing up D-Generation X. But ultimately, the two biggest enhancement talent in terms of creating stars, couldn't even create these two guys.

Legacy is pretty much an in-between thing. Mostly because it accomplished stuff, while failing utterly in something else. So either no or yes, wouldn't be wrong, or right.

 

[PhD]

I think the way to judge the success or failure of Legacy is asking where Rhodes and DiBiase would be without having been in the stable. I personally see the group as a failure from that perspective, because both men are stuck in mid-card hell, and neither has even had a feud for even a mid-card belt, let alone gotten a whiff of a main event. It's widely believed the stable was meant to build DiBiase for a main event feud with Orton at Wrestlemania, and look how far away we are from that concept at this point.

I think the idea was good, but DiBiase is just so fucking bland that I don't see any kind of stable gimmick making me give a shit about him, and it appears that Rhodes is much more well suited to being a loner than a lackey anyway.

 

[PerfectAngle45]

I think there is a difference between Legacy and stables like Evolution. Evolution's goal was to catapult Orton and Batista into the main event picture. Legacy in my opinion was strictly for Randy Orton and 2 develop his character as the Viper. I mean yeah the group legitimized Rhodes and Dibiase but those 2 wont be in the main even picture for another few years. To answer your question Legacy was a success because now Randy Orton is more popular then he ever was and Rhodes and Dibiase are on their way 2 winning singles titles.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

Would things have been different, had Rhodes stayed on RAW

Of course it would, Cody would of been lost in the shuffle like Dibiase is at the moment. I doubt that Cody would've got the current gimmick he's got now.

If so, which would have been the breakout star?

Neither of them, they would've both been lost in the shuffle like I said in my answer to the question before.

Was Legacy a Success?

Yes and no, yes because of how all three of them have turned out; Cody has got a great gimmick that will probably eventually make him a main eventer, Randy got a face turn (which has made him the face of the company maybe behind Cena though) and Dibiase has got Maryse (enough said). But the stable itself wasn't really a success, they didn't really do anything memorable.

 

[fenfool]

I don't think it was a success, which is a shame because it had a lot of potential. Dibiase and Rhodes have both been kind of floundering since...if you ask about the top guys, neither would come to mind at all. They seemed to always help Orton win, but never won themselves when they were with him...so freeing themselves of him and going solo seemed like a good idea, but doesn't seem to have done either a whole lot of good. There is still plenty of time for them to develop into something special, but right now I don't see it.

I don't know if Orton even figures into it...he was in the angle, but whether or not he actually mentored them, or just showed up when he was supposed to, I have no idea. They certainly don't seem to have gotten any kind of a rub from being with him.

 

[JohnOldSnake4]

Breaks my heart to say it, but no.

I LOVE Randy Orton (favourite Superstar). I've also been fond of Ted DiBiase since he first arrived and though at first I took a while to warm up to Rhodes, I grew to love him also. When they united with Randy I was excited as hell. I love factions and it didn't hurt that these were three guys I really liked. But they fucked it up. The build up to the formation of the group was superb and I do think the right guys got chosen, but being a part of Legacy did nothing for Team Priceless. Sure they had a nice feud with DX but when that feud was happening Orton/HHH was well and truly over and Orton was tangled up with Cena, I don't recall many if any instances where all three Legacy members actually got involved there. They ended up just being mere lackeys of Orton's running in to preserve his title and that in my view shouldn't be what Legacy was about. They should have held the Tag Team Titles for one. At LEAST once! I mean, they held them TWICE before joining Legacy! I also think it made Randy Orton look weak as it got to a point where it seemed Orton couldn't win title matches without Cody and Ted. Then you look at how the superstars futures unfolded after the split. Ted is just lost. He doesn't have an air of being elevated by legacy at all, his gimmick is going nowhere it seems. I mean, I'm all for a second-gen Million Dollar Man but DO SOMETHING ALREADY! Cody for months stewed in obscurity. I love the "Dashing" gimmick but seriously his new-found success has zero to do with Legacy. I expect Cody to win championships in the very near future, perhaps an IC run. Maybe a Tag title with Drew McIntyre. Orton for sure didn't need Legacy and as I said it only served to make him look 1) weaker and 2) like a really bad leader (legacy spent more time slapping/punting each other around than actually feuding with others it seemed at times).

 

[CyDeez]

I think it will be more of a success soon. Rhodes is on a faster track at this point, than Ted Dibiase. But, honestly I think it really is a matter of time before Ted finds his gimmick or niche.

It was obviously a success for Orton. He is a Heel and forms this group of 2nd or 3rd Generation wrestlers. He wins The WWE Title a few times. After all was said and done, Orton smashes both members, wins at Wrestlemania, and goes on to turn Face and grabbing comparisons to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

 

[jackhammer_27]

I think Legacy was successful, but not as much as it could have been had they expanded it's roster and ran with the idea. They basically could have been The Nexus before, well, The Nexus. At one point they had upwards of 5 members and there were I think at the time as many as 4 to5 other second or third gen superstars that could have been added to their ranks. I also think creative grossly mishandled Dibiase Jr. when they were teasing his face turn. With more members in place, he could have split from the group and had a really good run of running through all the members on his way to Orton, ending in a Wrestlemania match between the two of them. The night on RAW when he and Orton wrestled, I believe when Ol' Ted Sr. was guest host, they had a pretty good match that the crowd really seemed to back Teddy in. I think it was successful to a degree, but it was also very rife with missed potential.

 

[kindo_stick]

the one thing legacy set out to do is take out people that

randy orton

ted dibiase

and codey rhodes didnt like
i think that randy ortons ego got the better of him when he ripped out on his members

they didi do one thing that was dominant and that was for a memeber to win the royal rumble it was clear that one member would win when there were only hhh and legacy left

the took out a few susperstars but they came back and beat them

i think legacy was a bad idea

 

[JT2005]

Like everybody else in this thread. It's a yes and no. Mainly you have to look at the members.

Randy Orton- Main Eventer, popularity rivaling Cena. but he was on his way there anyway. It did speed it up a bit tho.

Ted DiBiase- Lost. All he's got going for him is daddy's legacy, and his whole gimmick is just boring. Maryse still looks good, but putting her with DiBiase has hurt her quite a bit.

Cody Rhodes- Getting a good push, not a main eventer now, but strong in the midcard. He's recovering pretty well from it.

I think what hurt Legacy most was how it ended. the match at wrestlemania was great, but DiBiase and Rhodes never held tag titles as 'Legacy', as soon as it was over, Rhodes went to Smackdown, DiBiase changed his gimmick and both acted like nothing had ever happened. Same applies to Orton with his 'face turn'. They could have made a pretty good rivalry out of it with more time. But with so many PPV's so close WWE is rushing their storylines just to move onto something else, which usually is rushed through too.

 

[HoganKnowsBest]

No.

It flopped in execution. They really failed to capitalize in the "Legacy " theme.

Additionally, Ted DiBiase is a bum who's stock has FALLEN since being associated with the group. They paired him up with Maryse because he couldn't get heat on his own. He's an average wrestler and below average on the mic. The guy sucks.

Cody is starting to find his way - but that's happening so far after Legacy that you can't attribute his new success to that stable.

and Randy certainly gained nothing from it. Nobody will be talking about the "Legacy days" or anything like that.

Stable was a failure. Nothing positive came from it.

 

[AndyUK]

No, I don't think it was a success. It didn't do what it was created to do for me. If it helped anyone, it helped Randy Orton and he was already a main eventer before it. The purpose wasn't to get Orton over, it was to get DiBiase and Rhodes over. It didn't really help them much at all.

You just have to look what Cody and Ted have done since. They've both needed gimmick changes to get over without Orton. Ted still hasn't managed to step out of his fathers shadow, seems as he's got the Million Dollar Belt and is using the gimmick that his father did a hundred times better twenty plus years ago. He's in limbo at the moment, whereas Cody has managed to step out of his father's shadow is starting to find his way with the ''Dashing'' gimmick. None of that is down to Legacy though.

 

[HBKevin]

Legacy hasn't been broken up for even a year yet, but in one way it certainly was successful. That was in maturing Cody Rhodes as a wrestler. Randy Orton seems to have taught him a lot. I remember watching Rhodes back when he came in and was teaming with Hardcore Holly. He used to have zero charisma, and his ring skills were not great. Since Legacy, he has really started to shine, especially after introducing the Dashing character. He's right up there with the best mid-carders on Smackdown.

Ted DiBiase, well, he needs more time. He can make the Million Dollar Man gimmick work if he continues to develop the character, and is given time to do so. Eventually he might have to debut a new gimmick. But he has potential. But based on Cody's success alone, Legacy worked well, if we assume that Randy taught Cody a lot of what he has learned.

 

[Karaoke Superstar]

No, I would not consider it a success, especially when compared to other similar stables such as Evolution. None of their matches/feuds were really memorable, and none of them really broke out as a star like Orton and Batista did with evolution. At the end of it, Randy is at the top of the company but wouldn't he of been there anyway?

Ted is stuck in mid-card hell barely even getting any TV time, although I would fault his gimmick and the fact that he is on Raw for that, his time with Legacy didn't do him any favors it looks like. There is really only so much he could do with that gimmick anyway, it's kind of like in the movies when they remake an old classic. It's never going to be as a good as the original, although whether or not it has some success is hit or miss, with Ted it is a miss.

Cody is on the rise right now, but that is after a gimmick change and moving to another show. Immediately after Legacy he was in the same position that Ted is now, so I would attribute none of that to Legacy.

The execution of the stable wasn't great or nothing it was good yet it only served Orton at the time. The lack of a follow-up I think was the main problem, Orton destroyed both members at the end and then resumed his career like the whole group never happened. While Rhodes and Dibiase went nowhere without any direction whatsoever. All the momentum and victories over rivals such as DX was wasted, and really when all is said and done no one will even remember that.

 

[The Best At What I Do]

Simply, no Legacy was not a success. In fact it was quite the failure as far as factions go. They accomplished nothing besides putting the belt on their leader a couple times. In fact the only faction I can think of that has accomplished less is the Straight Edge Society but they still have some time... kinda. Dibiase and Rhodes never got any gold out of the ordeal despite being in the prime position to hold the tag team championships. Then now that Legacy is broken up, where are those two? Not only still championship-less but not even in the running for the midcard titles. What happened after Evolution disbanded? We got two new world champions and huge stars out of it. Dibiase is opening WWE Superstars and Rhodes is tossed in a go-nowhere tag team with McIntyre. So no Legacy was definitely not a success but let me answer your specific questions:

So, overall does this show Randy Ortons talent?

No but Legacy did help him get some more championships and get over as a face with the crowd so he won out in the end.

Would things have been different, had Rhodes stayed on RAW?

Yes he wouldn't be on tv every week and wouldn't be getting as over as he has been now that he is on Smackdown!

If so, which would have been the breakout star?

Neither, I think the Nexus storyline would have left them both struggling for air time and relegated to Thursday nights.

Was Legacy a Success?

Not at all.

 

[The Excellence of AWESOME]

Yes and no. The Legacy was when Randy Orton made his move from student to teacher. It also gave Rhodes and DiBiase the boost they needed so WWE wouldnt forget about them like most other tag teams. Thdy did, in my mind at least, everything a stable should do. Randy won some world titles, and always had that everyone knew Rhodes and DiBiase would interveen when needed. But however, it was just another case of repeated history. It was La Familia on Raw. Hawkins and Ryder did what legacy did, just earlier. Next thing you know, the nxt season 2 rookies will do waht nexus did on smackdown.

 

[JuicyMelon]

I didn't think Legacy was a success in the least bit. It put Randy Orton over and buried Ted and Cody. When WWE was pushing Cody and Ted as a tag-team, it worked, but they didn't keep pushing them. Ted was going to succeed no matter what. Cody is not that successful yet. The idea was good, but more than 3 members are needed for a stable. If they could've added another member or two, it would've worked. Otherwise, it would've been nice to have them add another member instead of Orton, with an experienced manager.

 

[Avenged7X]

At least Ted and Cody weren't forgotten after.
I think however that the end of Legacy should've been different.
I don't know if it was just me, but I thought the moments where it looked like Ted was going to attack Orton were great. Especially when Orton attacked Ted's father. There was so many better options that WWE could've done to benefit Rhodes and Dibiase more.

 

[Caustic]

Definitely not. Every time I saw Legacy I knew they were going to lose. Only once on a PPV did they beat DX and look somewhat decent, but the incredible losing streak took away any credibility from them. Legacy should have included more members, not just Rhodes and Dibiase. That was the weakest three person stable I have every seen. Remember when Evolution came out and EVERY member had gold on their waists? That is exactly what should have happened with Legacy.

Legacy may have kept Randy Orton as champion, but Legacy were his excuses, and they were lame then and are lamer now. Even if they had been given a respectable Tag Team title run (with a clean pin at least, come on), then they would be in better spots today.

Until then, Dibiase and Rhodes get the same treatment on my TV as any segment involving Hornswaggle...*changes channel*...