What happens when he returns? He's ready to wrestle again and will be appearing in OVW for a one-spot show in two weeks.
Then what?
He'll be back sooner or later with the E. Keep him on RAW and do nothing with him? Or put him on Smackdown and hope nobody notices (what are the odds)?
I suggest bringing him back to RAW. Make him the catalyst in a Rosey/Hurricane breakup, leading to Rosey turning heel and joining with Mack. He might have something to do with Jazz once again. Anything to avoid teaming him with A-Train, who I'm guessing the creative team hasn't found anything for yet.
On a related note...maybe this idea of "creative has nothing planned" is an excuse for Vince just trimming more fat from the roster. Maybe he just wants to have a tighter roster. Yet when someone gets hurt, you don't have another guy to take his place.
January 4th 1999 - The day WCW injected itself with 10 gallons of Liquid Anthrax...AKA...The day Hogan "Defeated" Nash to win the WCW title in front of 40,000.
Originally posted by dskillzOn a related note...maybe this idea of "creative has nothing planned" is an excuse for Vince just trimming more fat from the roster. Maybe he just wants to have a tighter roster. Yet when someone gets hurt, you don't have another guy to take his place.
Given everything I've ever seen or Vince on TV, I don't think that Vince cares enough what anyone thinks to bother coming up with an "excuse" for letting a guy go. If he doesn't want someone around anymore, they're tossed.
As far as not having enough guys to fill out a proper roster on Smackdown (and given past history, RAW the second Smackdown gets it act together), what happened to the brand extension that was supposed to lead to two shows FULL of new stars and new feuds? How many more years of one show being crippled only to switch to the other show being the crippled one before we admit this split was a stupid idea? I mean, sure one of Eddy/Benoit wouldn't be champ, but what's the point of them each having a belt when NEITHER belt is really the "World's Title" anymore? If the rosters were still together, we'd have two full shows of wrestlers, and we wouldn't have as much dead weight like Jindrak or Cade anymore, Bradshaw sure as HELL wouldn't be #1 contender for two months, and we wouldn't have to wait on Rodney Friggin' Mack to help round out Smackdown's show or feuding with Rosey. Damn, we're reduced to fantasy booking revolving around ROSIE, people!
Creative not having anything for A-Train could be related to the fact that the last two times they had something for him he was exposed as a guy who, well, sucks. Taking yet another run at this guy wouldn't be near the top of my priority list.
As for Rodney Mack, he kinda lost his entire purpose when Teddy Long went to Smackdown to manage whitey. The big Jindrak push seems to have been shelved already, so I wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of loophole being created to send Mack to Smackdown and Teddy when he is back and ready to go.
(edited by BigVitoMark on 7.6.04 0046) I never thought I'd find a group of people worse than Leafs fans, yet there they are: the Calgary Flames bandwagon. It's just an offside...stop cheering you imbeciles!
Creative not having anything for A-Train could be related to the fact that the last two times they had something for him he was exposed as a guy who, well, sucks. Taking yet another run at this guy wouldn't be near the top of my priority list.
What? A-Train doesn't suck. He wrestles a good power game. He won't be mistaken for Vader any time soon, but he makes a fine bodyguard, tag-partner, mid-card heel.
Rodney Mack should either go to Smackdown to be with Teddy Long or fly under the radar until Mark Henry comes back. Raw does need tag-teams, but then again I also liked the white boy challenge. He would make a fine WWE version of Taz, being that he's regulation height and all.
Well, considering that he switched to RAW to be with his wife, I'd expect him back on RAW again. A part of me wants to see him and Mark Henry return with the Thuggin and Buggin, but since I don't think he's much of a talker, I wouldn't expect they'd move forward with that team with no manager. As for ideas:
1. Make him Jazz's valet. The male manager for the female wrestler has obviously been done, but he is far more intimidating than Steven Richards ever was. With Mack watching her back, Jazz could believably experience a resurgence.
2. Program him with Shelton Benjamin, and position him as a future challenger for the IC championship. If they vaguely allude to Mack & Benjamin's past association, they might be able to add depth to the storyline. Have him keep trying to link up with Shelton, only to be repeatedly blown off because of Shelton's issues with defending the belt, until finally snapping and brutalizing him.
3. Affiliation with The Coach. Now, admittedly, I'm just assuming that Mack has weak mic skills, but if he does, he could do worse than have Coach as his mouthpiece. He could wrestle solo as hired muscle (although that seems to be what Tomko is doing), or team with a more "thugged out" Garrison Cade (G. Cade?) to flesh out the tag division. The tag option seems more promising, but the E would have to shelve the G. Cade singles push.
4. Reboot/Repackaging. This opens a few more doors for Mack. Returning to his OVW persona of Red Dog (and being less angry) might allow him to get over as a babyface. Coming back as an enthusiastic returnee, ready for an opportunity, MIGHT lead him into an alliance with Maven, a wrestler in a similar boat. I'm sure there are other options as well.
And I don't get all the hate for A-train. He's had lame gimmicks (tell me he wouldn't have done more with the Problem Solver gimmick, or as Heyman's bodyguard) but manages to put together technically sound (though heatless) matches. Yes, he is misplaced in dressing like an Adonis, but he isn't bad. Teaming him with Test would obviously be a fair way to use him right now. RAW could use the infusion of new blood in the tag division...
Originally posted by madiqTeaming him with Test would obviously be a fair way to use him right now. RAW could use the infusion of new blood in the tag division...
I think Rodney Mack can be a very effective character. I don't know if he can be an effective *performer*, though. I haven't seen him live up to the packaging he got before the injury, but I kept waiting for him to really fulfill the potential there.
Splitting him from Teddy Long could work as well as separating The Ringmaster (Austin) from DiBiase. We've been recently posting about bringing Shamrock back. I think Mack could fill that shoot-fighter role: a tough brute with submission strategies.
I like the idea of pairing him against Shelton for the latter's first IC defense. I think Shelton has the poise to carry Mack past any big-crowd ring rust AND possibly raise his game a bit.
I'm for his return and a decent midcard push.
Yes, I back the Mack.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by Matt TrackerWe've been recently posting about bringing Shamrock back. I think Mack could fill that shoot-fighter role: a tough brute with submission strategies.
Mack would have to be a shoot fighter to fill the shoot fighter role and he's not. The difference between Shamrock and Mack is that Shamrock is legit and there's video of him submitting people at UFC shows to prove it. Goldberg couldn't really pull off "shoot fighter" and he sure came off a hell of a lot tougher than Rodney Mack has, and he had some muay thai training. "Shoot fighter" is a tough thing to get people to buy into while they're suspending belief that Steve Austin is a badass while he's throwing punches that look like the ones he threw. You kind of have to be a guy with a real background in MMA or I don't think anyone will believe it.
This is not to say Mack couldn't be a success as a tough guy, like Goldberg was, but just that "shoot fighter" is probably stretching him too much. I'm also for his return, because I think he showed really rough potential to be good. I also agree that getting him away from Teddy Long could be for the best because as good and entertaining as Teddy Long is, he doesn't really get anyone over.
Originally posted by madiq or team with a more "thugged out" Garrison Cade (G. Cade?) to flesh out the tag division. The tag option seems more promising, but the E would have to shelve the G. Cade singles push.
In order to shelve a Garrison Cade singles push, wouldn't they actually have to start a singles push for him first? When you are jobbing to Matt Hardy after Matt's been made to look like crap for over 6 months, it doesn't say much about the push.
Originally posted by madiq or team with a more "thugged out" Garrison Cade (G. Cade?) to flesh out the tag division. The tag option seems more promising, but the E would have to shelve the G. Cade singles push.
In order to shelve a Garrison Cade singles push, wouldn't they actually have to start a singles push for him first? When you are jobbing to Matt Hardy after Matt's been made to look like crap for over 6 months, it doesn't say much about the push.
I totally agree with you.
Garrison Cade is one of those guys that needs somebody, and that somebody isn't the Coach. Why not pair him up with a guy like Chuck Palumbo or Steven Richards?
Because Steven Richards only has slightly more credibility than the Coach, and although he has the entertaining "Stevie Night Heat gimmick," teaming him with Cade would not help either. The GM of heat should have "muscle" as his tag partner, not a guy still trying to find himself like G. Cade.
As for Chuck Palumbo, I still feel that he fits best within the FBI gimmick (despite not really being Italian), and as such, wouldn't match well with the "No nonsense Texan" gimmick that Cade has. I think that just as Renee Dupree experienced singles success retaining the gimmick on his own, I think the same can be said for Palumbo, who has borrowed liberally from the Razor Ramon template, and should continue to do so.
Cade has an existing affiliation with Coach, which could be quickly parlayed into one with one with another "streetwise" character. (However, if Chris Harvard were active, I'd be suggesting that they team, as Nowinski has enough personality to get the pair over without Coach involved. What is the status of HIS injury?)
I believe I saw it reported that Nowinski's in-ring career is done. He's still suffering from after-effects from the concussion(s) he received when he came back last time.
Originally posted by Spaceman SpiffI believe I saw it reported that Nowinski's in-ring career is done. He's still suffering from after-effects from the concussion(s) he received when he came back last time.
That's a real shame. You could watch him improve with every match in ringwork and mic skills. He got good heat and projected a genuine heel attitude. I think he'd make a fine commentator if he could travel.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by Spaceman SpiffI believe I saw it reported that Nowinski's in-ring career is done. He's still suffering from after-effects from the concussion(s) he received when he came back last time.
That's a real shame. You could watch him improve with every match in ringwork and mic skills. He got good heat and projected a genuine heel attitude. I think he'd make a fine commentator if he could travel.
Man, it's like that Steiner/Nowinski debate was cursed..
As for Rodney Mack, the only mildly entertaining thing he's ever done was when he awkwardly logrolled all the way down the ramp, after Goldberg speared him.
-- Asteroid Boy
Wiener of the day: 23.7.02, 3.12.03
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The only thing I liked about Mack was his "Hom diggy dig diggy dog!" music (or whatever it said), but Mark Henry inherited it, thus ruining my appreciation for it.
"Crom... I’ve never prayed to you before— I have no tongue for it. No one— not even you— will remember whether we were good men or bad, why we fought, why we died. No. All that matters is that today, two stood against many; that is what’s important. Valor pleases you, Crom, so grant me one request: Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to hell with you!" - The Prayer of Conan
Originally posted by Spaceman SpiffI believe I saw it reported that Nowinski's in-ring career is done. He's still suffering from after-effects from the concussion(s) he received when he came back last time.
(edited by Spaceman Spiff on 7.6.04 1512)
Bummer, I always thought he should have beaten Maven in the first Tough Enough final, and just totally topped Maven as far as talent. Too bad to see a young career cut so short.
I was considering opening a "Where are they now thread". I was watching Snake Eater II the other night, starring Bam Bam Bigelow and the guy from the t.v show Renegade. I was was curious as to what Bam Bam has been up to since his retirement....