HARVARD~!

[Guest saturnmark4life]

I've noticed over the past few weeks Chris Nowinski has shown the most impressive grasp of in ring charisma of any of the wwe crop of rookies thus far. I'm not saying push him to the moon NOW or anything, but he's really impressed me. Good old fashioned cocky heel, simple character that suits his look. Give him a couple of years and he'll be up there, i reckon. Anyone think the same?

[Guest TheRockIsTheEuropeanChampion]

I mark for Nowinski all the way. Nothing really disagreeable about him, far as I'm concerned.

 

To me, you are completely right. I'd like to someday* see Nowinski as world champion. And why not?

 

*Someday = In three years.

[Guest The Electrifyer]

Yeah, Nowinski has caught me eye. I am very impressed with the guy right now and I sure do see something with him in the future as well.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

Nowinski's an example of the WWE doing right by their "rookies." Rather than being tossed into the middle of nowhere with zero gimmick and no finisher, he's got a personality, a few mid-card affiliations, and a few definitive signature moves.

 

I would like to see him either clean up or scrap the butterfly slam or whatever he's using as a finisher...it looks quite awkward, and comes off looking more like a takedown than a killer finisher. But altogether, he gets a thumbs up.

[Guest chirs3]

Yea, the finisher's a bit weird, and I can't see him still in the Harvard gimmick to win a World Title. But he's just about perfect as he is now.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Why don't they just bring back Jameson and work a 'revenge of the nerds' angle with Harvard? Or at least SOME nerd/jock angle...

[Guest DragonflyKid]

The first time I saw him hit his butterfly finisher it looked bad, but when he hit it on Spike(Or a variation of it where he got more lift before impact.) it looked great. Maybe he can only pull it off looking good on smaller guys.

 

He definitely has the cocky heel persona down, he's a natural at it. I watched Happy Gilmore when it was on FOX a few weeks back and Harvard reminds me of the guy who played Adam Sandler's adversary and those type of movie heels with I'm better than you attitudes.

[Guest RepoMan]

I can't see him still in the Harvard gimmick to win a World Title.

I think the can evolve his character in the future. Angle's gold medel gimmick is kind of simular. Nowinski just needs to evolve in to an agrogant heel who happens to come from Harvard instead of a guy who's a heel for going to Harvard.

[Guest El Psycho Diablo]

Chris Harvard is entertaining..which is an advantage he has over half the roster. Sticking and learning things from Regal (wrestling, facial expressions, character mannerisms, etc..) will probably help the guy.

 

Strange..the good "Tough Enough Kid" didn't win..

[Guest deadbeater]

Not really. The student lost to the teacher Maven...perhaps the WWE wanted someone with more life experience, someone who is able everyday to patiently work in front of a crowd.

[Guest Zero_Cool]

They should really go somewhere with the "just like Harvard in Summer...No class" thing to net him some extra heel heat.

 

Give him Jericho's old finisher, the Full Nelson Face Plant and he's set.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

Actually, with Nowinski's height, that move would probably be perfect for him. Zing.

[Guest AllState]

I agree with the idea that the Harvard gimmick cannot carry him all the way. You point out Angle's gold medals but an Olympic gold medalist is a hell of a lot easier to evolve than a Harvard graduate. I think Chris Harvard is a great talent but they should hold off on giving him a finisher until he has "paid his dues" to the Undertakers satisfaction and can receive a serious push.

[Guest Comeback Apple]

They should really go somewhere with the "just like Harvard in Summer...No class" thing to net him some extra heel heat.

COMEBACK APPLE:

How do you "go somewhere" with some lifted joke that was modified for him in retarded fashion?

 

If you mean giving him dozens of fashionably retarded lines to use ... then, yeah ... that would be cool, because I love comedy characters.

 

Plus it would be better than cracking on a cowboy hat to impress Jackie Gayda.

 

 

JACKIE GAYDA:

Well, I must admit ... I do have quite the body.

 

 

 

The student lost to the teacher Maven...perhaps the WWE wanted someone with more life experience, someone who is able everyday to patiently work in front of a crowd.

COMEBACK APPLE:

Huh? What in heck's name? Were you threatening someone or something?

 

I dunno, either!

[Guest massivHEDtrauma]

Nowinski's hair rules the school. As long as he keeps his crazy wannabe white boy 'fro/perm thing going, I'm happy. It's like his source of power! Like Samson! I would mark if they actually did a gimmick where he sucked really bad upon getting a haircut. Hey, maybe that's why he didn't win Tough Enough, he didn't have the hair! Hey, maybe I need to go to sleep!

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Hell, I'm actually waiting to see if he goes cherry-popping on Raw -- how sad is that?

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Lawler's constant cherry references were making me want to hurl my television out the window.

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

[Guest Zero_Cool]

I guess the next step for Lawler is for him to sing "Cherry Pie" at the table....ugh.

[Guest SkuzzeisGod]

Harvard is far and out the best rookie that's come from a non-farm system bi-product of the WWE. The show painted, what i saw as, an inaccurate picture. He was made out to be a bad guy - which he may have been, i guess.

 

 

I dig the hair, ya know. And that finish is suave.

[Guest Aroen]

i'm not down with the white boots though. it's so 80's. but i am a nowinski mark so he rocks.

[Guest RicFlairGlory]

The White Boots work, Maroon and White are Harvards colors

[Guest The Czech Republic]

In Loving Memory

Chris Nowinski's Perm

b. A Few Weeks Ago-d. Last Night

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

There's something disconcerting about his appearance, I can't quite put my finger on it.

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

[Guest The Czech Republic]

He's Craig Kilborn but bigger.

 

You know what would be a good idea? The Chris Nowinski Cheerleading Squad. They can cheer during his matches.

 

"It's time to rock it's time to roll, Harvard takes control! It's time to rock it's time to roll, Harvard takes control!"

 

"Chris Nowinski is the man his theme song is El Capitan! GoooOOOOOO HARVARD!!"

[Guest Strike Force!]

i'm not down with the white boots though. it's so 80's. but i am a nowinski mark so he rocks.

This is part of what works for Chris Nowitzski/Harvard....his in ring attire, believe it or not.

 

These days, all the wrestlers seem to look the same. It seems like a minor point, but it's the little things that help distinguish you from other wrestlers.

[Guest Strike Force!]

He's Craig Kilborn but bigger.

 

You know what would be a good idea? The Chris Nowinski Cheerleading Squad. They can cheer during his matches.

 

"It's time to rock it's time to roll, Harvard takes control! It's time to rock it's time to roll, Harvard takes control!"

 

"Chris Nowinski is the man his theme song is El Capitan! GoooOOOOOO HARVARD!!"

I think it's a great idea. But it's too gimmicky for the WWE....

 

Remember, the WWE still thinks the ECW-esque Attitude type stuff is still en vogue.

[Guest danielisthor]

i think what also works to his advantage is that he doesn't have the juiced up muscles like HHH, Batista and Lesnar. In fact, his body by wrestling standards is very sub-par, not alot of mass or definition, yet he doesn't hide it with his inring attire. He almost looks "normal".

[Guest BobbyWhioux]

Chris Nowinski rocks.

 

I will *always* mark for the "I'm your social better" heel. Especially a good one, and Nowinski is going to be a very very good one.

 

Dibiase, Regal, Angle [the gold medals] and now Nowinski.

 

What I particularly like about Nowinski's cockiness is that it's not over the top, it's more subtle than most people. It's almost like he doesn't KNOW [in character] he's being an overbearing pompous ass. Plus, he's a great sycophant (remember when Bischoff made him wrestle Undertaker, and he's all "Hey! You can't tell the Undertaker what to do!" Thumbs up from me.)

 

The problem with the WWE is that women who don't want to constantly strip are heels, so thus there's no face vs heel tension to his quest to deflower Molly.

 

And I agree about him wearing the Harvard colors, particularly the white boots. It makes him visually stand out. I, for one, am sick of everybody wearing the Austin garb (black trunks, kneepads, and boots. Check it out: Rocky, Hunter, Brock, all wear the same basic ring gear with slightly different logos. They look basically the same. Most of the other near-top tier guys wear primarily black as well...Jericho and Undertaker. Also, just about everybody these days is either buzzcut or has hippie length hair. It's nice to find somebody in the middle.)

 

Nowinski is different. He is a refreshing change from Yet Another Bad Ass. He looks different, he acts different, and he's GOOD.

 

And, I usually don't watch much of RAW anymore, but I always watch the Chris Nowinski segment. [the other things I make time for are Bischoff being smarmy and weasely, and Trish being...well...come on now...]

 

So yeah, Nowinski is definitely my favorite of the rookies, and I think he benefitted greatly by not being typecast as the "tough enough winner" which I think has worked and will continue to work against Maven. Chris Nowinski, on the other hand, was able to be "forgotten" so he could be reintroduced with a Tough-Enough-Free gimmick.

[Guest Narcoleptic Jumper]

Nowinski is just another name for Jesus Christ, as far as I'm concerned.

[Guest Perfect Plex]

I will *always* mark for the "I'm your social better" heel. Especially a good one, and Nowinski is going to be a very very good one.

 

Dibiase, Regal, Angle [the gold medals] and now Nowinski.

*cough* Hunter Hearst Helmsley...