What If Waylon Mercy Didn't Get Injured?

[The Brain]

I suppose there’s a chance that many of you have never heard of Waylon Mercy. Better known as Danny Spivey, Waylon Mercy was a wrestler in the WWF who only lasted for a few months in 1995. He entered the WWF during the summer and suffered a career ending injury in the fall. Obviously he didn’t have time to make an impact.

Mercy’s character was based off of Robert De Niro’s character in Cape Fear. He appeared to be a calm and polite gentleman but one look into his eyes told you Mercy was a disturbed and dangerous individual. Before a match he would shake hands with fans, the referee, and his opponent. Once the bell rang he took great pleasure in making his opponent suffer. It wasn’t just aggressiveness in the spirit of competition. Mercy took actual joy in hurting others (his name is a pun after all). The thing that stood out about Mercy was that he was eerily calm. He didn’t yell or scream or make direct threats, but you just knew while he was speaking softly on the outside he was thinking of the most enjoyable way he could torture somebody.

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I don’t know about you but to me this kind of guy is more scary and intimidating than someone who screams and yells during a promo. There’s a certain feeling of unpredictability with him. I don’t know what he’s going to do but I know it’s going to be bad. It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.

As I mentioned Mercy suffered a career ending injury only a few months after his debut. How do you think he would have done in the WWF had he not been injured? I’m not sure how long he would have lasted anyway (Spivey was already 43 when he became Waylon Mercy), but I think he could have given us at least a year or two of quality programs. I always pictured him having a good feud with Jake Roberts in 1996. I think these two could have done some great mic work together. Roberts was born again and I picture the evil Mercy playing off that. I’m not suggesting that Mercy was ever going to be WWF champion or a consistent main eventer, but I feel he could have had some intriguing mid card feuds and his gimmick had a lot of potential. A brief run against Shawn Michaels or The Undertaker wouldn’t be out of the question.

So what do you think? What are your thoughts on the Waylon Mercy character and how would he have fared if not for the injury?

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

Waylon Mercy would have been huge, it would have been a great character for Spivey... I remember really looking forward to him since i was a fan of his since the Skyscrapers with Sid Vicious. He could have had some great feuds, I think him and Razor could have done some stuff too.. he was perfect for that era and it would have been a real rebirth of his character. Chalk his career up there with Brian Pillman, Mohammed Hassan, and Sean O'Haire as far as guys who never got a chance to show how legendary they could truly become.

 

[thesubverse]

Well, just before his injury, they had started hinting toward a feud with Diesel, who was WWF Champion at the time. He was getting over, and while I doubt he'd have had a run with the belt, he would have easily fit into the upper mid card at the time. It's not like they had a whole lot of other options at the time anyway.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

He suffered an injury? I though his body just broke down so he retired.

Didn't he debut around 1995? Who made their debut around 1995 and made an impact? People like to think Waylon Mercy would've been huge, but in reality he would've been Bret Hart mid card fodder. A Hakushi or Jean Pierre Lafitte type.

 

[CalciferBoheme]

I think he would have had at least one feud going after Diesel for the title, the way Mabel did.

That probably would have been the extant of his time as a main event guy, but it would have still been really cool, and would have meant that Diesel would have feuded with all of the Skyscrapers

I wish he'd stayed around longer regardless, as Dan Spivey as always been one of my favorite big men in wrestling.

 

[Da Truth]

I liked the gimmick myself, but I have to agree with Y2K. I think he would have had a hot run for a second, but it would have ended with him becoming a jobber then disappearing in a couple months. He probably would have lasted about a year and a half. Maybe a feud with Taker (a lost), Desiel (a lost), Bret (burried by now), then a couple mid card feuds to end his final run in a major wrestling organization.

 

[The Brain]

I liked the gimmick myself, but I have to agree with Y2K. I think he would have had a hot run for a second, but it would have ended with him becoming a jobber then disappearing in a couple months. He probably would have lasted about a year and a half. Maybe a feud with Taker (a lost), Desiel (a lost), Bret (burried by now), then a couple mid card feuds to end his final run in a major wrestling organization.

This is probably accurate, maybe even optimistic, but I don't see anything wrong with that. If he was able to feud with the likes of Taker, Diesel, and Bret I would consider him successful even if he was on the losing end. He most certainly would not have been buried. There is nothing wrong with a bad guy losing to the top stars in the company. Just working with them would be enough. By no means am I suggesting Waylon Mercy would be remembered as an all time great. I just would have liked to have seen that character have an opportunity at some storylines. Main event or mid card didn't really matter. The gimmick didn't have a chance to develop and I would have liked to see what kind of stories in which Waylon Mercy could have been involved.

 

[waylonmercy]

Waylon Mercy is my favorite wrestler EVER! He was so unique and awesome in the fact that he played the roll so well, he looked evil and he did things no other wrestler Ive seen has done... this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT4YK5b6xNY&list=PLF1B4F4BE57034AF4&index=4&feature=plpp

That DDT sold me on him forever! At the time of his injury he was getting up there in age so his time was limited. Had he been 15 years younger I think it would have been very interesting entering the Attitude Era. He wasn't a great wrestler but I think that if he got enough steam he could have been World Champion similar to Alberto Del Rio. Those two in an interview together would have been gold.

 

[EastCoastFan]

I know Spivey LOVED the gimmick and wished he had been given it much earlier in his career. The way he talked about it, his time in the ring finally caught up with him and his body broke down, forcing him to retire. He also had a drug problem which he has since kicked and now counsels addicts.

Waylon Mercy was getting over and I remember him having a match against Diesel in 1995. I don't think he would have been WWF Champion, but I think he would have been a top heel for that year.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

Ya know I was looking at this Waylon Mercy gimmick, and I agree, it would definitely be a change from what was going on then. WWE tried to modify the gimmick somewhat more recently in one Mike Knox. At one point, Mike Knox was talking about biology and what he could do... all very calmly with no hint that he was vicious...then he got in the ring and did things a man his size wouldn't be expected to do. This was definitely a wasted gimmick in that it didn't get the opportunity to go over like it should have.

 

[shafe_41]

Really? Another "Waylon Mercy Could Have Been Huge" thread? How many of these are we going to see?

There is nothing special about this dude's gimmick. Nothing. He would have experienced the Vladamir Kozlov track. Build to the top, then squashed in a title match by Bret Hart, Diesel, whoever the hell would have been champ in 95-96 prior to the Attitude Era. Even if this guy would have had a longer career in the WWE, he would have drowned miserably in the Attitude Era because he didn't have any. I can't even count the whippings Taker, Ken Shamrock, Rock, and Austin would have given him.

 

[HBK_EDGE]

I got to admit I just don't see him being big sure he was creepy, but not in a way that I could of really gotten behind. He did kind of doing a good job of making you feel uneasy which is a good thing for a heel to do. But, he struck me like a pedophile Mr. Belding more than anything not sure that that is what they were going for...

 

[The Brain]

Really? Another "Waylon Mercy Could Have Been Huge" thread? How many of these are we going to see?

Well using the handy search feature provided for us I discovered two threads on Waylon Mercy. This one and another from back in February 2009. So to answer your question if we keep this pace we’ll see one every two and a half years. I hope you can handle that.

There is nothing special about this dude's gimmick. Nothing. He would have experienced the Vladamir Kozlov track. Build to the top, then squashed in a title match by Bret Hart, Diesel, whoever the hell would have been champ in 95-96 prior to the Attitude Era. Even if this guy would have had a longer career in the WWE, he would have drowned miserably in the Attitude Era because he didn't have any. I can't even count the whippings Taker, Ken Shamrock, Rock, and Austin would have given him.

Here we have someone with no imagination. I don’t think I said Waylon Mercy would have been huge. Let’s go check.

I’m not sure how long he would have lasted anyway (Spivey was already 43 when he became Waylon Mercy), but I think he could have given us at least a year or two of quality programs. I always pictured him having a good feud with Jake Roberts in 1996. I think these two could have done some great mic work together. Roberts was born again and I picture the evil Mercy playing off that. I’m not suggesting that Mercy was ever going to be WWF champion or a consistent main eventer, but I feel he could have had some intriguing mid card feuds and his gimmick had a lot of potential. A brief run against Shawn Michaels or The Undertaker wouldn’t be out of the question.

A good feud with Jake Roberts, intriguing mid card feuds, and a possible brief program with HBK or Taker. Yeah, not really huge. The problem with a lot of posters here is that they think its main event or bust. You know it is entirely possible that someone could have a good run and be an entertaining part of the program without becoming world champion or a huge star. You even said in your own post he would be built to the top. I never said that much. You also said he would then be squashed by Diesel or Bret Hart because anyone who loses to the top face in the company is squashed right. Don’t you realize that just working with those guys would have been good enough for a guy like Mercy? Losing to the top guy in the company does not mean someone got squashed. I also mentioned he could have done well for a year or maybe two which would have had him exiting the WWF as the attitude era was beginning. If you didn’t see any potential in the Waylon Mercy character than fine, but don’t just assume that a “what if” thread automatically implies the subject would have been the next big thing. The mid card can be fun too.

 

[Kliq69]

He suffered an injury? I though his body just broke down so he retired.

Didn't he debut around 1995? Who made their debut around 1995 and made an impact? People like to think Waylon Mercy would've been huge, but in reality he would've been Bret Hart mid card fodder. A Hakushi or Jean Pierre Lafitte type.

You know, sometimes the lack of knowledge in regards to wrestling history simply amazes me.

Who debuted around 1995 and made an impact? I can think of a couple guys who debuted then and made huge impacts.

Let's see. Off the top of my head.

HHH. Steve Austin. Henry Godwin, Skip and Sunny, Goldust, Kane (as Isaac Yankem) all in 1995. Early 96, which is around 95, includes Foley, Sable, Mero, Vader, Phineas Godwin.

Some of the biggest names of all time debuted in 95 and 96. That time period is widely recognized as one of the best, if not the best periods for the influx of new stars.

Just because you don't win a world title in your first year doesn't mean you didn't make an impact. Would Mercy have beaten Diesel in their feud? Probably not. However even Austin lost several high profile feuds, including his first feud over the world title. Did that have any bearing on his impact on the business?

Another case in point, HHH lost his first big feud to Henry Godwin in 1995 (Hog Pen match, IYH Dec 95, which if you haven't seen it, is well worth watching btw). Neither the loss in that feud nor his jobbing to Warrior at WM12 did anything to negate his impact on the business.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

You know, sometimes the lack of knowledge in regards to wrestling history simply amazes me.

Who debuted around 1995 and made an impact? I can think of a couple guys who debuted then and made huge impacts.

Let's see. Off the top of my head.

HHH. Steve Austin. Henry Godwin, Skip and Sunny, Goldust, Kane (as Isaac Yankem) all in 1995. Early 96, which is around 95, includes Foley, Sable, Mero, Vader, Phineas Godwin.

You got me, Austin, Sable, Triple H and Foley completely slipped my mind. However their impact around that time are negligible. Foley made an impact as his feud with the Undertaker was the catalyst for the Dead Man to change his wrestling style. But HHH didn't make an impact until very late in 1997 and Austin, despite cutting one of the most famous promos in history in mid 1996, was then promptly not used productively until December of that year.

The rest didn't make much of an impact. Goldust would've been more groundbreaking if, y'know, people were actually watching WWE at the time. Kane not Isaac Yankem made an impact two years later and Vader didn't achieve a thing in WWE.

Some of the biggest names of all time debuted in 95 and 96. That time period is widely recognized as one of the best, if not the best periods for the influx of new stars.

Coming in as a new star doesn't mean a thing, its when you make your mark that counts. It was 1998 when the cream of that era started to make a lasting impact. Do you think Austin would've been paired with a character or worker like Waylon Mercy for his first feud as WWF Champion?

Just because you don't win a world title in your first year doesn't mean you didn't make an impact.

No, but you have to do something in a few years that makes an impact. Honestly, do you see Mercy as a Triple H, somebody who would eventually come good, or a Henry Godwin type? Obviously you have the benefit of hindsight, but I believe somebody did say he was 43 at the time of his debut.

Would Mercy have beaten Diesel in their feud? Probably not. However even Austin lost several high profile feuds, including his first feud over the world title. Did that have any bearing on his impact on the business?

How many people in WWE from 1993-1996 made their debut, faced a world champion or an important roster member like The Undertaker almost immediately and had longevity?

Another case in point, HHH lost his first big feud to Henry Godwin in 1995 (Hog Pen match, IYH Dec 95, which if you haven't seen it, is well worth watching btw).

Because its a strange gimmick match, not for quality, surely!

Neither the loss in that feud nor his jobbing to Warrior at WM12 did anything to negate his impact on the business.

No, but when did he make his impact? Two years later when he helped form D-X?

Waylon Mercy, based on character and age, wouldn't have been given an opportunity to keep plugging away until he was in his mid 40's to make it. Not by me anyway. He was what he was. One of those short lived characters that WWF frequently bought in at the time. He could've just as easily been The Goon or T.L. Hopper as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Kliq69]

You got me, Austin, Sable, Triple H and Foley completely slipped my mind. However their impact around that time are negligible. Foley made an impact as his feud with the Undertaker was the catalyst for the Dead Man to change his wrestling style. But HHH didn't make an impact until very late in 1997 and Austin, despite cutting one of the most famous promos in history in mid 1996, was then promptly not used productively until December of that year.

HHH wrestling Ultimate Warrior at Mania wasn't a huge honor? Look up the list of people Warrior beat at Mania, almost everyone, if not everyone one of them are HOF members or future members. Austin feuded with Bret in November 1996. So how was he not used before December? He feuded with Jake Roberts, a guy only a couple years out of feuding with the top stars, for most of the time between that.

The rest didn't make much of an impact. Goldust would've been more groundbreaking if, y'know, people were actually watching WWE at the time. Kane not Isaac Yankem made an impact two years later and Vader didn't achieve a thing in WWE.

Goldust faced Piper at WM12 if I remember correctly, defeated Ahmed Johnson during a time when it looked like Johnson was unstoppable. Johnson headlined a ppv within 2 months of dropping the title to Goldust.

Yankem was a huge factor in the Lawler/Hart feud. It also proved to management he had the skills necessary to perform at the highest levels. Sunny was a huge success. #1 on AOL's search list for months at a time. Also gave management faith that there was interest in women in wrestling.

Coming in as a new star doesn't mean a thing, its when you make your mark that counts. It was 1998 when the cream of that era started to make a lasting impact. Do you think Austin would've been paired with a character or worker like Waylon Mercy for his first feud as WWF Champion?

1998 might have been when they started getting title runs, but 97 was when the best of that era stood out. Austin won the RR in January 97, lost in the main event of the next ppv, then had the classic I quit match at WM13. He then went on to wrestle Taker for the title, wrestle Michaels, represent USA i the 5 on 5 match in July, and suffered the setback in August that ultimately ended his career a few years later.

97 also has HHH debuting Chyna, winning KOTR, facing Foley at Summerslam, and founding DX.

No, but you have to do something in a few years that makes an impact. Honestly, do you see Mercy as a Triple H, somebody who would eventually come good, or a Henry Godwin type? Obviously you have the benefit of hindsight, but I believe somebody did say he was 43 at the time of his debut.

Spivy was a solid worker. Do I think he could have been HHH? No. Do I think he could have helped the weakened main event scene in 95-96. No doubt. Bulldog got 2 title shots in back to back months, are you telling me HBK vs Spivy for one of them wouldn't have been more entertaining?

How many people in WWE from 1993-1996 made their debut, faced a world champion or an important roster member like The Undertaker almost immediately and had longevity?

Not many, but to say it cannot be done is fallacy. I've never once stated he would have been a huge star, although I do believe, especially considering the weak main event scene the following year, that he could have been a quality hand. We had Psycho Sid as champ in 96 for christsake.

Because its a strange gimmick match, not for quality, surely!

Actually it is a very underrated match. Good execution all around. At least a 2 1/4 star mach if not 2 1/2. If you haven't seen it, I would strongly recommend it. It's quality is a large reason why HHH was originally picked to win KOTR 96 and Hank went on to be a tag champ. Solid, solid work from both guys.

No, but when did he make his impact? Two years later when he helped form D-X?

Match with Warrior, MSG incident, feuded with Mero over the IC title (pretty good program), managed by Perfect, debuted Chyna, another Mania match, KOTR, feuded with Foley, Cage match at Summerslam. Had HHH not already made his mark, his involvement with DX wouldn't have been possible.

Waylon Mercy, based on character and age, wouldn't have been given an opportunity to keep plugging away until he was in his mid 40's to make it. Not by me anyway. He was what he was. One of those short lived characters that WWF frequently bought in at the time. He could've just as easily been The Goon or T.L. Hopper as far as I'm concerned.

He had a better chance than Hopper or the Goon. His gimmick actually was interesting. Could he have been a solid hand until 97-98. Probably. Barry Windam was of similar age when he debuted as the Stalker, older as a Blackjack, etc. You don't have to be main eventing ppvs and holding titles to be deserving of a roster spot. Think of Finley the last couple years of his active career. Or think of Henry/Truth now. Both are around the age he was then, and they are just now being pushed in top level programs. Spivy was 10 times the wrestler either of them are. Lawler was his age when he was feuding with Bret, it transitioned well into a spot announcing, no reason why Spivy couldn't have done something similar.

 

[GameOver]

Just an FYI he didn't debut in 1995, the character did but not the person playing the character.
Dan Spivey who played the character had already been wrestling for over a decade by then

"The Golden Boy" Dan Spivey the original Hulk Hogan look a like he had the same hair style, same golden locks, same yellow trunks and boots, same wristbands lol if he'd had worn the ripabble shirt, had the foomanchoo mistache and had 24inch pythons he would been a spitting image, he was in WWE in 1985-1988 competed in WrestleMania 1 as 1 half of the WWF Tag Champs with Mike Rotundo and WrestleMania 2 in the Football Players/Wrestlers battle royal. some pointless info too, the Real American theme that Hogan used for many moons was actually written for Mike Ritundo and Dan Spivey known then as the American Express, Hogan just adopted it after WrestleMania 1 when the team split up.

Spivey also competed in WCW teaming up with Sycho Sid managed by a heel pimp/gangsta named Teddy Long.

alas yes when he returned to WWF in 1995 and was headed for the top he suffered a serious back injury at the hands of a Jacknife by Diesel which forced him to permanently retire..

I'd hazard a guess and say that he most likely woulda changed characters still and stayed near the top, he was a big man, he was agile from what i remember, but i can't remember that particular character which sais lots about how engaging he was

aaa memories

 

[supernatural1981]

Waylon Mercy is one of those gimmicks that i think people look back on today and relalise that he could of been a monster heel.

I can imagine him if he was 100% fit and a few years younger in the kind of role that ended up being taken on by kane. Quiet guy that has psycotic tendencies and really wants to hurt people.

They could even bring the role back now with a guy form developments stepping up. Around 90% of the people wont have a clue who this guy is based on but the other 10% will love the idea of seeing if the gimmick could of gotten over.

 

[Lugar]

The american express was Barry Wyndham and Mike Rotundo at WM Spivey came in after Wyndham was injured in the Summer.

 

[Lugar]

Sorry for the brief earlier post. I didn't mean to spam.

in regards as to the opening post I agree Waylon Mercy would have been a useful addition to the upper midcard performing much the same role as a Bam Bam Bigalow back then or a Kane role today. He had the basis for a good character that could have challenged for the IC or Tag titles given the right partner. I could see him joining Paul Bearers stable with Mankind and Kane to form a decent threat to main eventers at the begining of the attitude era.

All in all he might not have been a HoF candidate but there was more then enough that could have been done with his character for 3-4 years.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

HHH wrestling Ultimate Warrior at Mania wasn't a huge honor?

Being humbled by somebody in a matter of seconds is an honor?

Look up the list of people Warrior beat at Mania, almost everyone, if not everyone one of them are HOF members or future members.

Were Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan in matches against The Warrior that had meaning? The Rick Rude & Hercules matches weren't 30 second squashes, correct?

Austin feuded with Bret in November 1996. So how was he not used before December?

Ok, what of note did Austin do after his KOTR victory and before Bret Hart made his return?

He feuded with Jake Roberts, a guy only a couple years out of feuding with the top stars, for most of the time between that.

A washed up guy who hadn't feuded with a top star in 4 years. Yes, Austin defeated him at the KOTR then what did he do until Bret Hart personally selected him as his opponent in his return match? You can count an inconsequential match on PPV against Triple H in which he was only bought in because Savio Vega was unable to compete. But me, I'm inclined not to.

Goldust faced Piper at WM12 if I remember correctly

And a very interesting match it was. Important and significant it was not.

Johnson headlined a ppv within 2 months of dropping the title to Goldust.

And promptly dropped off the radar very quickly.

Yankem was a huge factor in the Lawler/Hart feud.

A huge factor in an unimportant feud. How looks at Bret Hart's career and fondly remembers his feud with Lawler? It was a solid feud, nothing spectacular.

It also proved to management he had the skills necessary to perform at the highest levels.

Took him three attempts at getting a character that worked for him. On par with Papa Shango/Kama Mustafa/The Godfather even though Kama to Godfather was more of an evolution.

Sunny was a huge success. #1 on AOL's search list for months at a time. Also gave management faith that there was interest in women in wrestling.

Sunny was a success. When there is one attractive women in the company then they usually are.

1998 might have been when they started getting title runs, but 97 was when the best of that era stood out. Austin won the RR in January 97, lost in the main event of the next ppv, then had the classic I quit match at WM13. He then went on to wrestle Taker for the title, wrestle Michaels, represent USA i the 5 on 5 match in July, and suffered the setback in August that ultimately ended his career a few years later.

1998, 1997, if there's one thing we can agree on its that those years are definitely not 1995.

Spivy was a solid worker. Do I think he could have been HHH? No. Do I think he could have helped the weakened main event scene in 95-96. No doubt.

That's the thing though, Spivy wasn't a solid worker in 1995. Before, yes. Then, no. The company as a whole was weak, not just the main event scene.

Bulldog got 2 title shots in back to back months, are you telling me HBK vs Spivy for one of them wouldn't have been more entertaining?

Well no, Bulldog could be a talented worker and he was over. In late 1996 he was an excellent challenger for HBK to face, have a good match with and defeat.

Not many, but to say it cannot be done is fallacy. I've never once stated he would have been a huge star, although I do believe, especially considering the weak main event scene the following year, that he could have been a quality hand. We had Psycho Sid as champ in 96 for christsake.

Sid was made champion so the much smaller Shawn Michaels could face, defeat him and get a quality match out of him in his home town. It made sense at the time. Sid was a poor worker, but he had credibility.

 

[shafe_41]

Well using the handy search feature provided for us I discovered two threads on Waylon Mercy. This one and another from back in February 2009. So to answer your question if we keep this pace we’ll see one every two and a half years. I hope you can handle that.



Here we have someone with no imagination. I don’t think I said Waylon Mercy would have been huge. Let’s go check.



A good feud with Jake Roberts, intriguing mid card feuds, and a possible brief program with HBK or Taker. Yeah, not really huge. The problem with a lot of posters here is that they think its main event or bust. You know it is entirely possible that someone could have a good run and be an entertaining part of the program without becoming world champion or a huge star. You even said in your own post he would be built to the top. I never said that much. You also said he would then be squashed by Diesel or Bret Hart because anyone who loses to the top face in the company is squashed right. Don’t you realize that just working with those guys would have been good enough for a guy like Mercy? Losing to the top guy in the company does not mean someone got squashed. I also mentioned he could have done well for a year or maybe two which would have had him exiting the WWF as the attitude era was beginning. If you didn’t see any potential in the Waylon Mercy character than fine, but don’t just assume that a “what if” thread automatically implies the subject would have been the next big thing. The mid card can be fun too.

No I totally agree with you in the mid-card thing. The mid-card can be more fun than the main event in many situations. I just still see him on a very "Vladamir Kozlov" type of track. My personal opinion is that he would have had a quick rise to the top, and just dropped like a bad habit in one match like like Kozlov was against Triple H. I can just imagine Diesel giving him the powerbomb straight back down to the lower mid-card.

I was totally wrong implying you meant that Mercy would have been a top heel for the next decade because as you pointed out he was pretty old (in wrestling years) to make a big splash. For me, he's just not a guy I would have put much stock in. I just personally wasn't a fan of his. Sure he was creepy, but a big quiet violent type character just isn't very appealing in my book.