I was thinking

[Guest Cubbie78]

Maybe this has been discussed before, but I was just watching Wrestling with Shadows, then turned it over to Heat where they shilled the RAW magazine with the Steve Austin story, and how much of a mistake he made...

 

Well a thought occured to me, Vince aqnd Hogan didnt exactly part on great terms in 93, and Hogan led the revolution, then Hart picks it up and carries the company for awhile...And then under horrible terms (whomever you think is right, it doesnt matter) leaves the WWF...

 

So who steps in and revitalizes and helps revolutionize the WWF?...well Steve Austin of course...so he carries WWF on his back delivering high ratings, huge profits, etc etc.....And when his time may be coming to an end, what happens?...he parts under quite bad terms with Vince..AGAIN another seminal WWF worker leaves on bad terms..Thats three of the most recognized people in the sport, for what they did for the WWF and for wrestling, and they all part on bad terms

 

What do yall think?...did the wrestlers let it get to their head?...Is it just a weird coincedence?...or is it something inherent in the wrestling business that causes situations like this?...I guess there really is no such thing as a bloodless revolution...(symbolic in this case)

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

Good question. I think it's just the way the business works, unfortunately. Egos on both sides get bruised to the point where it seems there just doesn't seem to be any other alternative like with Bret/Hogan/Austin.

 

Personally, I've always thought Vince was in the right for what happened surrounding Hogan's departure, but with Bret and Austin, I feel both sides acted like immature dickheads throughout the entire ordeal.

[Guest Brian]

I think Austin will be back. He's supposedly in the best shape since he came back from neck surgery and Vince will eventually cave into Austin, or come to some sort of terms with him.

[Guest Austin3164life]

Excellent topic. Austin said on his last video, "You have this thought in the back of your mind that 'Man, someone's fixing to take my spot', so you reach for the Main Event at Wrestlemania, and you just want to do more and more". It''s not really that Hogan, Hart, or Austin suddenly developed egomania. All three were at the top of the pro-wrestling world and I'm sure they didn't want to be removed from their spots after being there for a while. They develop such a devotion to the sport, that they don't want to leave. In Hogan's case, his fans were beginning to get fed up with his act, yet Hogan just couldn't stand being out of the spotlight. In Bret's case, Vince didn't think he was a big payoff financially, so he put others in the spotlight, and prompted Bret to want to go to WCW. In Austin's case, his character direction had upset him (as well as the product) and he had major creative differences with Vince, so he left. It's hard to say what really goes on, but Wrestling With Shadows is the closest we'll probably get to see what goes on between Vince and his big stars.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Those 3 guys reached the top and from there, they had nowhere to go but down. It's not easy stepping away from the spotlight. I'm surprised Foley has managed to stay away from wrestling as long as he has.

[Guest MrRant]

I think Foley stayed away because he is successful as a writer. If there isn't something you can be successful at and end up just sitting on your ass its harder.

[Guest y2jailbait]

Maybe Foley's years as a down and out wrestler on the indy circut (Austin, Hart, Hogan and The Rock never hd to face the indys like foley did) made him able to step away as quickly as he did. I mean when one has things handed to them so quickly and yet still has to take years and years to maintain a "spot", i mean some can let go quietly (Foley) and some go out kicking and screaming.

 

Kinda makes you wonder about who could be next for this little "fad"? I mean if say John Cena was elevated and made wrestling big again, then would he follow in the footsteps?

[Guest RickyChosyu]

What strikes me the most about comparisons between the three is that all three had their troubles with Vince at a time where the company was being taken in a direction that didn't have them as its focus, and when all three of them went against Vince and his company, they were promptly burried for dead and forgotten (well, accept Hogan, of course). For Hogan it was being turned on by his fans, and he refused to let go and put over Bret because his pride wouldn't let him. He went to Japan and burried the WWF Title and spoke out against the company, and was promptly burried himself and never mentioned again (until this year, of course). Bret's fans also turned on him, but for him it was a deeper rejection. Wrestling had changed while he was gone, and Bret doing what had always worked for him before didn't work anymore. He had to turn heel to fit with the change but constantly spoke out against it and the WWF for "screwing him" and continued to develope tension with those he worked with. His punishment was obviously Survivor Series, something that still lingers in everyone's minds. Austin didn't so much as lose his fans that he lost his love for pleasing them. Angry with the company's creative direction, and how he was being rewarded for his tireless effort in getting them through a tough time, he spoke out against them on Byte This and then walked out. His burrial is still in the process, as both Rock and HHH have made a point of doing so on WWE TV, and combined with the Confidential episode and the upcoming WWE Magazine story, he's being given the full treatment.

 

Whether any of them were justified in doing what they did isn't really the issue, because all three of them essentially met the same fate - initially, at least.

[Guest MrRant]

I don't think SCSA lost his love of performing for the fans. When I went to RAW in February which was shortly before the nWo debuted he spent about 20 mins entertaining the fans after RAW went off the air.

 

I think he left personally not because his "spot" was going to be taken but because he wasn't going to be put in a meaningful plot/angle/feud. I don't think he had to be on top but he also wanted to somewhat protect his legacy and him jobbing to Lesnar wouldn't have been meaningful in the long run and I think he knew it. I think Austin has done a lot for the WWE and when the guy says no to something it should at least get some consideration. I don't believe for one second that Vince even tried to talk with him. I still don't think he should have up and left though.

[Guest Cubbie78]

man, after watching wrestling with shadows, you get the picture that Vince is a TOTAL asshole, I mean, we know more of the story thanjust what wrestling with shdows says, but even so, Vince lied to bret three times, over the course of 7 moinths....during the first contract negotians, when he signed the 20 deal (and then backing out), again, when they signed a 30 day contract (telling bret he could have "reasonable creative control"...did bret ever sue over breach of contract with that?) and again the night of SummerSlam, when he said that he would allow a run-in DQ...however, they all understood the way the business worked, all three of them, and thats the way it is...that when your time is passed, they just take you out back and shoot you like a horse with a broken leg, especially in a super competitive enviroment, or a time when business is on the down slope (for instance, if Austin had acted the way he was during say 1999, would Vince have caved to him?...Ill go out on a limb and say he would have)...But not now, now Austin has abonded the company during hard times, taken the ball home, etc etc etc...it seems a tad hypocritical, but again thats just me, and thats just the business...

 

sheesh, as someone said, it makes you wonder if this is gonna happen to whomever is the next fad, the next boom, or who is responsible for it...