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The W - Pro Wrestling - Wrestlers you are surprised didn't make it big (Page 2)
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InVerse
Boudin blanc








Since: 26.8.02

Since last post: 2046 days
Last activity: 2009 days
#21 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.96
To start off with one I know most people here will recoil from, Albert/A-Train should have been a much bigger star. He might not have been the greatest technical wrestler, but how many men his size are? I've seen a couple of different people put him over as the easiest big man they ever worked with, saying he worked extremely light. It didn't look it, however, so I'd say that's a testament to just how good he is. I know almost any time I see a card of Americans going over to Japan, he's almost always near the top of those cards, so I assume he's a fairly big star over there but the WWE could have gotten a lot of mileage out of him.

On a similar note, I'd add Tomko to the list. He was fairly solid in just about every aspect. He started to get over huge in TNA but then jumped back to the WWE, got hurt and apparently stopped giving a shit, based on how he looks these days.

Count me in with Matt Tracker's naming of Paul Burchill. I thought they'd finally hit upon something when they first linked him up with Katie Lea but they ended up being ignored.

I also echo the sentiments of everyone who listed Sean Morley. The guy was absolutely the total package. When he switched to the Chief Morley gimmick, I thought perhaps he would finally climb up the card but it wasn't long before he was, once again, coming to the ring in a towel.

Muhammad Hasaan could have been one of the greatest heels in WWE history had they paced themselves and put a bit more thought into his angles. The guy was good in the ring & good on the mic. It was definitely WWE writing that put the bullet in his career.

Sean O'Haire should have had at least a dance with the main event in the WWE but after a big re-debut, he was relegated to squashing jobbers on Velocity and playing straight man to a kid with one leg.

And for one that will baffle most people until they actually think about it...

Ricky Steamboat. Sure, he's a legend. He's a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion. He's recognized by the current generation of superstars as one of the greatest of all time. But the best he did in the WWE was a one month run as the IC champion. The man should have been headlining Wrestlemania.
Kevintripod
Knackwurst








Since: 11.5.03
From: Mount Pleasant, Pa.

Since last post: 23 days
Last activity: 4 days
#22 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.73
Off the top of my head:

For the guys - Paul London

For the women - WCW's Daffney




"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." - Winston Churchill
Scottyflamingo
Bratwurst








Since: 23.6.10
From: Auburn, AL

Since last post: 3905 days
Last activity: 3634 days
#23 Posted on | Instant Rating: 2.77
    Originally posted by StaggerLee
    I know he was big in ECW, but I hate how Raven never really got a decent shot in WWF, or when he went to WCW. Being US champ, but never really booked to be strong just made no sense. He could work his ass off, cut great promos, and had a ton of psychology in the ring.

    On the same train of thought, Stevie Richards could always work, but just never was big enough and unless he was spoofing somebody he was horrid on the mic.

    Mike Awesome could have been a monster in the middle of the card. He was big for his height, and was (at least to me) entertaining. He never would have been in the world title scene, but he should have been given more to do than nearly killing Insane Clown Posse.




I agree on all these. Raven never reached the level he was during his ECW tenure except maybe his early TNA run. The guy was a monster heel who knew how to work the crowd.

With Stevie, I don't think he would've main evented, but he could have been a huge comedy wrestler. He did some really funny stuff in ECW. It looked like he was going in that direction when he cam to WCW with a "Stevie + Nitro = RATINGS" shirt, but then he just fizzled out. His WWE run was one annoying heel after another with none of the humor.

And Mike Awesome had that awesome match at One Night Stand and they did nothing with him.

Someone else mentioned A-Train and Tomko. Tomko could have been TNA champ with no fan questioning it right before he went back to the E. I never saw anything in A-Train, but apparently he has improved greatly in Japan.
JustinShapiro
Scrapple
Moderator








Since: 12.12.01

Since last post: 1764 days
Last activity: 1416 days
#24 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.71
- If Armando Alejandro Estrada had come around in 1999 his catchphrases would be part of the wrestling vernacular.

- Kenny Dykstra/Doane was supposed to be the next Randy Orton but he wasn't even the first Dolph Ziggler.

- What happened to MVP? (Really that whole class of 2006, MVP, Kennedy, and Lashley -- who saw them all getting repeatedly lapped by CM Punk?)

- Colt Cabana and Rico were the first two names that popped into my head but I never expected them to make it big, just thought they deserved better WWE runs.

    Originally posted by InVerse
    Muhammad Hasaan could have been one of the greatest heels in WWE history had they paced themselves and put a bit more thought into his angles. The guy was good in the ring & good on the mic. It was definitely WWE writing that put the bullet in his career.


This is the one guy I will always anti-praise. Couldn't wrestle, had boring matches with Benoit and Michaels, Daivari had all the charisma in their act, and he wouldn't have even had a job if it weren't for one of the ugliest, most irresponsible angles WWE has ever done, and by that I mean the whole "nuanced," "thoughtful" part of the act well before he beheaded the Undertaker.

I never saw him work as Mark Magnus or whatever, and I'm not out to deprive him of his livelihood, but I saw the killing of the Hassan character as restoring the karmic balance, Final Destination style, to something that never should've existed in the first place. (Plus he technically didn't get fired over the angle. They took him off TV for the time being, but they only released him after Daivari told WWE that Copani was angling for a wrongful termination lawsuit.)

    Originally posted by Scottyflamingo
    I agree on all these. Raven never reached the level he was during his ECW tenure except maybe his early TNA run. The guy was a monster heel who knew how to work the crowd.


Raven in WCW was great. Raven in WWF I always wanted to get pushed at the time but in retrospect he was out of shape and had drug issues when he was there. He'll always have that match with Rhyno at Backlash.
StingArmy
Andouille








Since: 3.5.03
From: Georgia bred, you can tell by my Hawk jersey

Since last post: 2957 days
Last activity: 549 days
#25 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.45
Blitzkrieg.

He was a cruiserweight, so maybe I shouldn't exactly be surprised he never made it big, but even at the height of WCW's cruiserweight division, he really stood out in my eyes. His Nitro debut (against Rey Mysterio, I believe) was really something else.

And why is everyone down on Raven in the WWF? I liked Scotty Flamingo! =)

- StingArmy
Big Bad
Scrapple








Since: 4.1.02
From: Dorchester, Ontario

Since last post: 1927 days
Last activity: 1496 days
#26 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.77
Blitzkrieg was awesome, but didn't he voluntarily quit the business to get into regular work or something? I don't think that's necessarily a case of WCW not pushing him (though it's not like they really pushed many cruisers).
The Guinness.
Potato korv








Since: 24.4.05
From: San Diego, CA

Since last post: 2144 days
Last activity: 51 days
#27 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.94
Although he achieved more success than many, "Who better than Kanayan". He could actually wrestle and cut decent promo's. The fall of WCW just didn't help him at all. Now he has to resort to publicity stunts (or not publicity stunts) to keep his name floating.

Also thought that Kidman could have been something more too. Maybe an acting coach could have helped him with the charisma piece?
CRZ
Big Brother
Administrator








Since: 9.12.01
From: ミネアポリス

Since last post: 8 days
Last activity: 3 days
ICQ:  
#28 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.32
    Originally posted by The Guinness.
    Although he achieved more success than many, "Who better than Kanayan". He could actually wrestle and cut decent promo's. The fall of WCW just didn't help him at all. Now he has to resort to publicity stunts (or not publicity stunts) to keep his name floating.
And dying (The W)!



MUTigermask
Boudin rouge








Since: 8.10.03
From: Columbia MO

Since last post: 3919 days
Last activity: 3070 days
#29 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.13
I'm not really sure how Cena got lumped in with the accidents. I think it was pretty much a given the way he debuted against Angle that he was a guy they were planning on pushing hard at some point.

I will also say Mike Awesome.
dMp
Knackwurst








Since: 4.1.02
From: The Hague, Netherlands (Europe)

Since last post: 265 days
Last activity: 12 hours
#30 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.78
    Originally posted by MUTigermask
    I'm not really sure how Cena got lumped in with the accidents. I think it was pretty much a given the way he debuted against Angle that he was a guy they were planning on pushing hard at some point.

    I will also say Mike Awesome.


But I'm pretty sure they never figured he would be this big.
This Raw, Michael Cole said 2-3 times that Orton & Cena were 'two of the best ever' and while I don't agree when he says that about Orton, I do agree when it comes to Cena.

If I manage to ignore the fact that I'm not a big fan of the guy, I do have to say that he has been the biggest name/most important character in the WWE in the past 5 years, puts butts in seats and sells merchandise, and barring something freakish happening he will keep on doing this for a while longer.

He is definitely up there with (or closing in on) the list of biggest WWE names ever; Hogan, Rock, Austin, Piper etc.

I was going to say Matt Hardy never made it as big as he could have, but the man has (had?) a great solid carreer and has countless titles, legendary matches and fans.
But still...I always thought Matt would go on to the big belts while Jeff withered away.




Avatar Mud
The Guinness.
Potato korv








Since: 24.4.05
From: San Diego, CA

Since last post: 2144 days
Last activity: 51 days
#31 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.94
    Originally posted by CRZ
      Originally posted by The Guinness.
      Although he achieved more success than many, "Who better than Kanayan". He could actually wrestle and cut decent promo's. The fall of WCW just didn't help him at all. Now he has to resort to publicity stunts (or not publicity stunts) to keep his name floating.
    And dying (The W)!


Lost that part in the context of my post. Still, Kanyan was somebody that I could see more of.
odessasteps
Scrapple








Since: 2.1.02
From: MD, USA

Since last post: 3571 days
Last activity: 3538 days
#32 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.64

isn't the story that cena was endanger of being cut until steph saw cena rapping backstage?



Mark Coale
Odessa Steps Magazine
ISSUE FOUR - OCTOBER 2009
Tribal Prophet
Andouille








Since: 9.1.02
From: Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Since last post: 2936 days
Last activity: 2196 days
#33 Posted on | Instant Rating: 5.32
    Originally posted by dMp
    I was going to say Matt Hardy never made it as big as he could have



I respectfully disagree. I think Matt Hardy has become bigger than any of us thought we would ever see him.
Amos Cochran
Lap cheong








Since: 28.8.09

Since last post: 3375 days
Last activity: 3375 days
#34 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.86
    Originally posted by InVerse
    To start off with one I know most people here will recoil from, Albert/A-Train should have been a much bigger star. He might not have been the greatest technical wrestler, but how many men his size are? I've seen a couple of different people put him over as the easiest big man they ever worked with, saying he worked extremely light. It didn't look it, however, so I'd say that's a testament to just how good he is. I know almost any time I see a card of Americans going over to Japan, he's almost always near the top of those cards, so I assume he's a fairly big star over there but the WWE could have gotten a lot of mileage out of him.


I agree 300%. Guy could work when he wanted to, had a great moveset, a unique heel look, he was pretty much Sean O'Haire but an actual good wrestler instead of a catchphrase that everyone glommed onto. Had he been given the chance to work with guys like Eddie, Angle, Jericho et cetera for an extended time, he could've been the early '00s version of Sheamus.

I seem to recall a story about Morley and Adam Copeland being considered for both the Val Venis and Edge gimmicks, and that the two could very well have ended up in each other's roles. How weird that would've been - would Christian have debuted as Venis' self-loathing closet-gay hairstylist or something?
ekedolphin
Scrapple








Since: 12.1.02
From: Indianapolis, IN; now residing in Suffolk, VA

Since last post: 490 days
Last activity: 14 days
#35 Posted on | Instant Rating: 2.76
I grew to be a big fan of Lash LeRoux back in late-'90s, early-'00s WCW.

I thought Perry Saturn would end up going farther than he did. He was pushed halfway decently by midcarder standards in WCW, but after winning the European Title and having the "bizarre concussion victim" angle in the WWF, he just sorta faded into the sunset.



"Say, the next time you want to win your daughter back, you could just try giving her a pony, the apocalypse doesn’t really cut it!"
--The Prince, Prince of Persia (2008)

Fan of the Indianapolis Colts (Super Bowl XLI Champions), Indiana Pacers and Washington Nationals

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Dr Unlikely
Liverwurst








Since: 2.1.02

Since last post: 2171 days
Last activity: 1778 days
#36 Posted on | Instant Rating: 10.00
    Originally posted by JustinShapiro
    - If Armando Alejandro Estrada had come around in 1999 his catchphrases would be part of the wrestling vernacular.

I also liked Estrada and his hat, and was disappointed when they stopped having them be the only things preventing Umaga from killing everyone in the arena on a given night. I particularly liked the way that Estrada controlled Umaga via his shirt pocket full of delicious, delicious hot dogs. Kimchee never had a system anywhere near as effective for dealing with Kamala.

He seems like almost too obvious a choice, but La Parka could have gotten over in WWE if ever given a chance, even just as a comedy act. He would have sold a ton of merchandise. Vince Russo's greatest failing among his many, many shameful failings was showing that he completely didn not to get Parka in WCW, giving him the "Stevie Ray Comedy Voice" gimmick. You don't give a guy who's already funny without ever talking a second comedy gimmick. They should have had Stevie Ray dub over Benoit or Air Paris or somebody like that.

Also, Stevie Ray, as a non-wrestler. He would have been a great C-Team announcer for WWE, if not a manager or GM. They should bring him in right now to function as a sideline reporter for NXT.
JimBob Skeeter
Bierwurst








Since: 2.1.02
From: MN

Since last post: 1678 days
Last activity: 1637 days
#37 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.78
    Originally posted by Dr Unlikely

    Also, Stevie Ray, as a non-wrestler. He would have been a great C-Team announcer for WWE, if not a manager or GM. They should bring him in right now to function as a sideline reporter for NXT.


Stevie Ray interviewing the yaks, along with Cole/Josh shenanigans, would make the internet implode. I likey!
KJames199
Scrapple
Moderator








Since: 10.12.01
From: #yqr

Since last post: 226 days
Last activity: 7 days
#38 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.13
Stevie Ray was best when paired with Mike Tenay. I remember Stevie interviewing Lex Luger for his "Suckas Gots To Know" interview segment - which, okay, that's awesome - and he asked Luger to tell him something that would stay "just between you and me." On commentary, Tenay quietly added "and the suckas." Not quite as funny as Tank Abbott dancing to 3 Count, but close.

When he first showed up, I thought Ahmed Johnson was destined for big things. He had a killer look and that explosive power like Goldberg, but several years earlier. Then he got hurt about a million times and got fat.

Tajiri should have been bigger in WWE.

William Regal should be headlining PPVs now.
djp
Morcilla








Since: 16.2.07
From: 3rd Floor, NW window

Since last post: 2633 days
Last activity: 2536 days
#39 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.63
Supercrazy has always been one of my favorites but I'm resigned to the fact that he never had the look or size to go very far. But as far as atheletisim goes, he was pretty amazing. I saw him at a house show once and he stole the show.
JayJayDean
Scrapple








Since: 2.1.02
From: Seattle, WA

Since last post: 2984 days
Last activity: 2562 days
#40 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.27
    Originally posted by KJames199
    Not quite as funny as Tank Abbott dancing to 3 Count, but close.


You mentioning 3 Count made me think of Too Cool, which reminded me of Brian Christopher, and given his pedigree he must have really screwed up because he was a decent (if a bit small) wrestler and with Lawler in the fold he might have been a real building block for the company. (His finishing move could have been called "the Nepotizer".)



Holy fuck shit motherfucker shit. Read comics. Fuck shit shit fuck shit I sold out when I did my job. Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck. Sorry had to do it....

*snip*

Revenge of the Sith = one thumb up from me. Fuck shit. I want to tittie fuck your ass.
-- The Guinness. to Cerebus
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Let's go ahead and start from the top, shall we? 1. Brock Lesnar vs. Matt Hardy: I didn't get to see Backlash, up here in college, so this was my first chance to see Lesnar wrestle.
- Blackston, Raw Thoughts for 4/22 (2002)
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