Yokozuna's first title win

[CelticCorey]

Perhaps it's his size; but can anybody please answer why Yokozuna gets a pass for his first title win? Don't get me wrong: I love Yokozuna. May his soul R.I.P. and it's an outrage he's not in the H.O.F. yet. Unlike some, I enjoyed his WM 9 match with Bret Hart.

But Yokozuna debuted in October of 1992 and won the Royal Rumble in 1993. He was main eventing Wrestlemania with the WWF Champion in his first reign. If this ever happened today people would be flipping out. No one seems to care though that he had an incredibly fast rise to the top.

I don't know how the IWC stands on Lesnar. Most of the IWC were upset at how Sheamus and Swagger came out of nowhere. Alberto Del Rio was around a month or two longer and was hyped to death but so many complained about him.

Hell, you guys even complained about Miz and Ziggler. I think both Miz AND Ziggler are World Title material. The Miz is great on promos, works his ass off and really him and Ziggler are the CLASSIC EXAMPLES of EARNING your spot to the top.

The Miz started off as some dude on Tough Enough. He then became an S.D. backstage guy and later debuted like a goofball with his "HOORAH" stuff. This is why you never say never. You never say: "This guy will never be champ, etc etc." Because nobody thought it would happen in 2006 but he got a makeover. He was in a kick ass tag team with John Morrison and later became U.S. Champ and Mr. MITB.

Ziggler also. From Kerin White's caddy to Nicky in the Spirit Squad to "Hi. I'm Dolph Ziggler." No one thought he would be where he was prior to his firing. But he became IC champ and ran with it and stepped up like crazy. He EARNED his spot. If for nothing else, he is more ready than Del Rio, Sheamus and Swagger were- despite me being a mark for all of those guys. It was refreshing to see him get to the top the old fashioned way. How he got the title....not so much.


But it seems the IWC complains about this guy, that guy. They're not ready. They shouldn't be champ, they shouldn't be main eventing WM. But Yoko did it and I hardly see anybody complain. In fact, I see the opposite.


So why is this the way it is? Thanks.

 

[The Crock]

People have also stopped complaining about Sheamus. It's a matter of getting used to the guy and learning to cope with it. Also, the term "IWC" isn't a good thing to use in this case. Plenty of people, myself included, had no issue with Sheamus getting his quick rise through the ranks. If it works, it works.

Now, on to Yoko. Yoko was a monster, and was pushed as a monster. That's why it worked. He absolutely tore through people and decimated everybody in his path. Nobody complained about him because he really did look like he couldn't be stopped. Just like Kane some years later. If you were to push a guy that's 5'5" 120 lbs to the main event as a monster it obviously wouldn't work, but Yoko had the size and the ability. There was no reason to complain.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

I think in Yoko's case size had everything to do with it. Look at how long it took Bret or Shawn in their day to make it to the top. I find it much more believable when someone with the size and strength of Cena, Batista, Lesnar, etc. are able to ascend quickly because if there was any semblance of reality in wrestling, someone the size of Lesnar would break Miz in half.

When I see someone though that is of an average or slightly above average size and build, that within a year of their arrival is main eventing Mania I think they damn well better be a monster or have incredible wrestling and mic skills. In the case of Swagger, and Seamus especially I don't necessarily see those abilities. I think Miz has the mic portion down, he's working on the wrestling, and I don't know how much can be said about his size but I think he's come a long way.

It's hard to just say "this guy gets a pass" or the IWC thinks this or that, because it really is on a very case by case basis as far as I'm concerned.

 

[harrythem]

A lot of it has to do with history. I mean, although Yoko had his year or two on top, he was then moved down the card before being fired. I can safely say if the net had been as big back in late 92/early 93 as it is now, then Yoko would've been getting the same treatment Sheamus or Swagger got in recent years

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

A lot of it has to do with history. I mean, although Yoko had his year or two on top, he was then moved down the card before being fired. I can safely say if the net had been as big back in late 92/early 93 as it is now, then Yoko would've been getting the same treatment Sheamus or Swagger got in recent years

Agreed, most of us didn't know the inner workings of professional wrestling when Yokozuna was around. If it was now, there is no way people wouldn't complain about his quick rise to the top because now we know how it works but he might still get a pass because of the seer size he had.

 

[CelticCorey]

When I see someone though that is of an average or slightly above average size and build, that within a year of their arrival is main eventing Mania I think they damn well better be a monster or have incredible wrestling and mic skills. In the case of Swagger, and Seamus especially I don't necessarily see those abilities. I think Miz has the mic portion down, he's working on the wrestling, and I don't know how much can be said about his size but I think he's come a long way.

#1 Sheamus was being booked as a monster. Despite his size, he can go in the ring. When he first arrived on the scene, he was this bully monster. He was somebody who beat the hell out of people and has put on very good matches. He isn't the most articulate with his promos but he's a good talker for his accent.

#2 Swagger has the size to be a monster. He isn't as built but he has the height and all. He could be better on the mic but I enjoyed his promos as champ. Not because of his voice but because of his content. The promo with the trophies in the ring had me loving every minute of it because I was entertained by Swagger the overachiever. Swagger is also an extremely skilled wrestler on top of it and if I were to list a top 5-top 10 list of guys in WWE based on in ring ability, Swagger is there.

So those are my thoughts on what you said.

 

[The Crock]

The reason people complained about Swagger wasn't his ability, but rather the fact that he'd been basically jobbing until his title win. Had he been as dominant as he was during his ECW Title reign, just destroying people everywhere, nobody would have said a word. He also wasn't ready for the belt yet. I think that if Swagger can win the IC Title or something and get some momentum, he can win the belt again. Nobody will complain then, because he'll be "seasoned." Yoko was ready for the belt, Swagger wasn't ready. Big difference.

 

[CelticCorey]

That's WWE's fault for giving him the belt so damn quickly. Why was he jobbing out? Why was he doing so poorly after the ECW championship? That is what doesn't make sense. I think Swagger MAY win the belt again but it will be awhile. I heard he was getting punished because of the fact that his attitude backstage after he won the title did not impress management. I am a huge Swagger fan and would love to see it again. But yes maybe if he does get the IC title then maybe he'll get it back.

But what made Yoko so ready? Because he was a monster who destroyed people? Brodus Clay has the monster size and decent mic skills. If Brodus Clay destroyed everybody for the next 6-7 months then is he ready?

 

[The Crock]

That's WWE's fault for giving him the belt so damn quickly. Why was he jobbing out? Why was he doing so poorly after the ECW championship? That is what doesn't make sense. I think Swagger MAY win the belt again but it will be awhile. I heard he was getting punished because of the fact that his attitude backstage after he won the title did not impress management. I am a huge Swagger fan and would love to see it again. But yes maybe if he does get the IC title then maybe he'll get it back.

But what made Yoko so ready? Because he was a monster who destroyed people? Brodus Clay has the monster size and decent mic skills. If Brodus Clay destroyed everybody for the next 6-7 months then is he ready?

He was jobbing because he honestly had nothing else to do. They probably just didn't know what to do with him. Simple.

Now Yoko on the other hand, showed up and was immediately a monster. From day one he was smashing jobbers left and right. Plus he had Mr. Fuji. A lot of Yoko's success is owed to Fuji. He was the guy you loved to hate, he made Yokozuna look like such a monster as his manager. The reason I say Fuji was ready was because he had improved his craft before coming to the WWF, he wasn't "rough around the edges," although he wasn't good in the ring, he was a veteran. From Mexico, Japan, and the AWA, Yokozuna had been wrestling for at least 8 years before getting contacted by the WWF, so when he showed up he knew exactly what to do. He emanated that heel persona, it oozed out of him. Swagger, on the other side, is still pretty new to wrestling, he'll need a few more years until he gets all the little things down. He's only been at it since 2006, and although his in-ring work is good, he needs to learn the little mannerisms and stuff. Plus, he didn't get strapped with a great manager from the start, having a manager as good as Fuji instantly adds credibility, like I said, Yoko owes a lot to Fuji.