With respect, OSH, I disagree with the argument that hotshotting a title onto someone does nothing for them. True, it does little for them initially. But it's all a matter of how it's followed up. If you'll remember, Jeff Hardy's I-C Title reign lasted three days, at which point Triple H destroyed Hardy to regain the belt.
Jeff Hardy defeats Triple H once-- upset. But what if Jeff Hardy retained against Triple H? People would start thinking, “Hmmm, maybe Jeff's for real.” Maybe the Hardyz could have had a successful feud against HHH and Austin for the Tag Team Title. And Jeff could have started building up his legitimacy points by beating other top contenders. All of a sudden, Jeff Hardy isn't looked at as some kid who got lucky. He's looked at as an up-and-coming wrestler who's quickly making his way to the big time.
As an example of how this sort of thing is played out, I'd like to call into consideration the way WCW built Diamond Dallas Page up during his feud with Randy Savage. When he defeated Savage, he shocked the world. When he started feuding with all sorts of different nWo members, it seemed a natural progression that he'd take the U.S. Title off of Curt Hennig at the end of the year. He continued in main-events against guys like Savage, Nash and Hogan, while teaming with WCW top guys Lex Luger, Sting and The Giant.
DDP won his first World Heavyweight Title by defeating champion Ric Flair, Hollywood Hogan and Sting in a Fatal Four-Way. By that time, Page had been built up enough that while the victory came as a bit of a surprise, he certainly wasn't thought of as being a fluke champion. And this is a man who started wrestling very late in his life when compared to 90% of all the wrestlers in the business.
The WWF needs to build up someone who has a lot of talent, a lot of charisma, and has no problem picking up the ball and running with it. HHH-Taker main eventing ad nauseam isn't getting the job done, just like Doink the Clown didn't get the job done eight years ago. The WWF has to show they're serious about pushing guys who haven't been there before-- the Benoits, the RVDs, the Hardys. The people whom the fans love, but for some reason haven't been given a serious chance to be the man.
“What's so great about crack?” “Uh, uh, it enhances your personality.” “Yes, but what if you're an asshole?”
Your point is well taken, eke. BUT, look at the buildup for Austin's first title win. Way-over challenger, making the champion look out of his depth and doomed to failure. The inevitability of the champion's loss and the challenger's rise to the top of the card. In my view, THAT is the best way to handle this situation. A slow build to a dramatic finale that has true resonance and longevity. It would create a much more accessible and long-term star than a hotshotted title reign, no matter what the followup-in the case of a hotshotted star, it's all about who's chasing them. In the case of a slow build to a big title win, it's all about the man winning the title and becoming the best. Ya dig?
Once again... very good point. The question at this point is, does the WWF have the patience to build that kind of angle with anyone? 'Cuz I certainly can't remember the last time that was done, except with Austin.
“What's so great about crack?” “Uh, uh, it enhances your personality.” “Yes, but what if you're an asshole?”
They pulled it off with Angle's SECOND title reign. Too bad he sucked ass as a face. And Rocky's first win was pretty delayed-did anyone really think that anyone else was winning the belt during that tournament? He would have been a monster face champ had they not done the McMahon angle that night.
But it's a valid point about the fed having the patience to do so. HOWEVER, the last time someone did recieve such a push (Austin) was when the company were in a very similar position to today. So I guess we'll truly find out whether they have the patience or not.
Oh, and my pick for the Austin buildup? Booker T, sucka.
i think the situation with hhh winning and then having an angle edge hhh summerslam like oldschoolhero talked about would be awesome...and angle should get the strap there...but i dont knpow if they would ever do that...but a summer with an angle edge title fued would be a good step in the right direction for wwe
I can't believe that anyone feels Austin doesn't care about the fans. I'd like to make a couple of points to defend Austin here:
1) Yeah, the "What?" thing can be annoying at times, but how many other faces, or wrestlers for that matter, try to involve the crowd the way Austin does/did? Who?
2) I know that at house shows, there's always extra-curricular activity after the main event. And yet, while I'm sure the wrestlers might dig doing that, some could just mail in the effort. Others, like Austin, don't. When my brother and I saw him live, he stayed in the ring for quite a while, drinking beers and toasting the fans. I know I've got a few thousand witnesses to that for those of us here in Denver who went to the RAW house show back in April.
I can understand where Hogan's My Dad is coming from, but damn, I just can't agree. (Guess I'm just too much of an Austin mark.)
I consider myself a "smart" fan but I am a KAYFABE MANIAC!!!
I understand where you’re coming from too, RKMtwin, I get that totally. Austin is one of the best guys for staying after the show and doing a little extra stuff. But I don’t think that’s totally unselfish. I don’t think he’s hurting himself to stay after the show, he’s showing himself to be a performer who "cares", and that means more foam middle fingers and skull-covered t-shirts sold which of course, gets Mr. What laughing all the way to the bank. I don’t think he should have done whatever the hell Vince said, no matter what, and not think about it. That's not what I was saying and I hope it wasn't taken that way. I always think wrestlers have to be creatively involved in the process of producing the product, absolutely they do. But even when Mick Foley didn’t like what he had to do, he did it, or something close to it. There’s a fine line between not liking your material, thusly wanting to make revisions to it, and just hitting the road. And that line is the vast difference between being difficult to work with and breaching a contract. There’s nothing wrong with being difficult to work with, I don't pretend there is, but breaching a contract is a crime, and that’s as simple as it is.
And Net Hack Slasher, you say Austin did a lot as a heel. I profoundly disagree. Pseudo homosexual angles do not garner heel heat; they garner laughs. Unless it is done in a way where the person pretending to be gay is a perceived threat, as they did in the beginning with Goldust. Austin hugged Vince a lot and that is what you call giving as a heel? Being pussy whipped is giving things to your opponents? How so? How is being pussy-whipped going to get a man booed? It makes him a joke. Being a gay man or a pussy-whipped man, both, stereotypically speaking “lesser men” according to our societal impressions these days (unfortunately), gets laughs. And a man trying to be a heel who gets laughs (which, I don’t know if you noticed, is the exact type of heel that always gets turned face) is not giving to your opponents. He cries with Angle on the bridge. Well, again, that makes him look like a bitch. And a bitch gets laughed at, not booed. I was at the smackdown at which Austin faced RVD when they were both in the Alliance, the night after the bridge-weeping episode of RAW. And he whipped the audience into a laughing frenzy with his then brand-new “what” phrase. This was not a man trying to garner boos. He was trying to be the most entertaining guy on the roster, and he was totally upstaging his opponent that night, RVD, doing things to the people with the microphone that RVD couldn’t even spell. Austin, I think was always selfish. And now, we’re really seeing it. And that would be fine if he hadn't breached his contract.
Haha! You said it was too small but it works for anal!
You bring up some excellent points. Austin should've never conducted himself in this fashion. I agree with that completely. And yet, I can't help but feel that, while Austin definitely deserves much of the blame in this situation, WWE does as well, if not moreso in certain aspects. I think that no matter how one looks at this situation, and others in WWE right now, the ultimate responsibility rests in the lap of Vince McMahon. It's just like in the military, I suppose. If a subordinate messes up, it reflects directly on his or her commanding officer.
The saddest thing about this situation is that this isn't the only problem McMahon has on his hands right now. (And it's a bit off the subject, but...) I think that, judging by the little shoot comments made on RAW this past Monday in the nWo segment, Vince is going to have one hell of a problem with one guy in particular in the future-- Shawn Michaels.
I consider myself a "smart" fan but I am a KAYFABE MANIAC!!!
I agreed with that. Michaels just ruined nWo with one superkick. The only positive thing is that when Booker T gets his revenge and becomes King Book, people will cheer him all the more.
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