How would you use Tenacious Z?

[Guest edotherocket]

Tenacious Z, the one-legged former NWA_TNA wrestler is signed for WWE. How would you use him? Realistically, he should have his ass handed to him relatively easily by any wrestler over 200 pounds with two legs. But having this guy, who can do an asai moonsault and land on his leg again, simply being used as a jobber seems really wasteful.

 

Would you use him in comedy routines? (Someone in another thread mentioned a baffled Ric Flair unable to beat him with the figure four)

 

Or should he be used as the ultimate underdog and actually challenge for the RAW or Smackdown title? It would've made a sweet story for a midcard belt certainly but obviously, there's only the heavyweight title or nothing for this guy now. This would really require a suspension of disbelief as well and I'm not sure smarts would necessarily like that since most people seem to watch wrestling for the pure wrestling rather than the spectacle or a Hollywood against-the-odds type story.

 

A clue to how WWE may plan on using him is that they are interested in signing ANOTHER one legged wrestler. (One Legged Championship Belt?)

 

Your thoughts?

[Guest DawnBTVS]

I say let them team up. Have them battle in the tag division repeatedly getting ambushed by Regal/Storm. Portray the duo as complete underdogs going into the big PPV match. Have the duo beat Storm/Regal for the Tag Titles as they continue to feud till the next PPV where the Dudz enter for a triple threat Tag Title match.

[Guest RenegadeX28]

I would book him as a HUGE underdog, starting with his first appearance. No one in WWE knows who the heck is Tenacious Z. Everyone thinks he is just another wrestler.

 

 

Let's say he is going to fight.....Jamie Noble. Ok, Noble is ready, until the shock happens. Z appears, and he only has one leg. You can see the look of confidence on Jamie's face. As the fight goes on, Noble is dominating the match, then the tables turn. Z is coming back, and eventually wins the match. The crowd would be going crazy.

[Guest FeArHaVoC]

MATTITUDE

[Guest the 1inch punch]

Would you use him in comedy routines? (Someone in another thread mentioned a baffled Ric Flair unable to beat him with the figure four)

Thatd be quite hilarious

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

Call me heartless (or whatever), but after the 1st few matches where I could say "Holy crap! How'd he do that?", I'd have no desire to see him wrestle or get any kind of significant push.

[Guest crandamaniac]

I can't seriously see him as nothing more then the underdog babyface seriously. He's obviously going to have the crowds sympathy behind him, because no one would dare boo a one legged man.

 

Just had an Idea, they could have him go on a winning streak, and he could cut some heel-ish promos talking about how he's beating people with only one leg, make him really cocky about it.

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

Why not? There are a ton of two-legged wrestlers that are sloppy as hell. He busts ass and hits his spots. If he works well, why not push him? He doesn't seem to be a liability in the ring like some of these hosses. Give him a cruiserweight push and see what he can do.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

It's the 1-leg thing. I have no problem suspending my disbelief for Misterio to beat guys bigger than himself, but I just can't buy into a guy w/ 1 leg beating people (insert HHH joke).

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

Why not? There are a ton of two-legged wrestlers that are sloppy as hell. He busts ass and hits his spots. If he works well, why not push him? He doesn't seem to be a liability in the ring like some of these hosses. Give him a cruiserweight push and see what he can do.

Well, this IS the WWF we're talking about. They won't do anything meaningful. My guess is thta they book him into a comedy role, perhaps as an MFer, only to have Hardy and Moore pummel him after a few weeks, then he'll be on Velocity jobbing to Albert and Bill De Mott.

[Guest The Hamburglar]

Call me heartless (or whatever), but after the 1st few matches where I could say "Holy crap! How'd he do that?", I'd have no desire to see him wrestle or get any kind of significant push.

Allow me to second that. Don't care about PC, I cannot see this guy as being very much more than a limited spot machine. And no matter what fed he's in, he'll be a novelty act.

[Guest notJames]

I'm sure JR is lobbying for Z to come to RAW, so he can work in his "one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest" cliché.

 

I say put him in against Mattitude, but have him lose the first few times, with Matt taunting and whatnot, then have him pull out a victory out of nowhere, to show his tenacity, heart, and conviction to succeed.

 

But of course, this is WW_ we're talking about, right? Don't count on him being anything but a sideshow attraction for Vince and his stupid cronies.

[Guest edotherocket]

In his favor, Tenacious Z can't really be buried in the traditional WWE sense since having Taker kick his ass would make Taker look like a heel.

[Guest AllCanadian]

He should cheat to win by hitting people with the wooden leg sitting at ringside.

[Guest Choken One]

The underdog role is what would work best and could finally give WWE good publicity for once...They could easily have Mattitude be his goal...Have Mattitude be this total dick heel...Build it up for Vengeance or Judgement Day....Whichever is the Smackdown PPV...and have a HUGE upset...

[Guest Downhome]

I say have him sit at ringside, as a fan, and have him mouth off to a heel, my pick would be Regal. Have him do that for 1-2 shows (all the time we don't know he only has one leg). Then, Regal finally gets so pissed off at him, that he drags the "fan" over the barrier and into the ring. Bishoff demands for a match to take place right then and there, to send the message to the fans that they should never mouth off to the heels, and then when Regal is in the ring with Z he does some sort of move that pulls the fake leg off.

 

Then, Regal is shocked a hell (just imagine HIS facial expressions at his pulling his leg off!), and let's his guard down, and Z pulls off a huge 1-2-3 upset ala Razor Ramon. After that, Z is free to run, errr hop, to the back, while Regal does his thing in the ring by almost crying, once again, having his facial expressions say it all.

 

They could then have Z say he's asked his friend (the other one legged wrestler) to join him to take on Regal/Storm, and then a small series of matches takes place. I think Both the two legged team would be huge over as faces, and Storm/Regal could be over huge as heels in this.

[Guest treble charged]

I'd use him in dark matches before TV tapings and in early matches at house shows to help get the crowd into the show.

 

I'd rather never see him on TV, since that would likely mean him getting his ass kicked by Evolution/Undertaker depending on what show he was on.

[Guest the 1inch punch]

Give him a cruiserweight push and see what he can do.

We need a cruiser division first

 

That Regal idea is quite brilliant though

[Guest webmasterofwrestlegame]

I understand he walks to the ring with the aid of a leg he uses in life outside of the ring. It'd make a cool angle to have him come in as a two-legged wrestler and have a heel do an angle where it seems he has to amputate his leg. It may be obvious and cheap, but a fair amount of fans will not know who he is anyway and think of the shock value.

[Guest Downhome]

I understand he walks to the ring with the aid of a leg he uses in life outside of the ring. It'd make a cool angle to have him come in as a two-legged wrestler and have a heel do an angle where it seems he has to amputate his leg. It may be obvious and cheap, but a fair amount of fans will not know who he is anyway and think of the shock value.

Shhh, or WWE will get an idea. Thank God you didn't say that after the amputation, they have a "Leg On a Poll Match"...

 

...DAMNIT, I said it!!!!!!!

[Guest Mad Dog]

I'd say use him in the underdog role but add a little comedy in.

 

Maybe his first few matches just have the wrestler stand there laughing at him and then have Z level him with a dropkick or something.

[Guest Downhome]

Now that I think about it, I bet you that they'll pair him up with Spike Dudley, just to be a duo who does nothing more than get the living hell beaten out of them. That sounds just like something WWE would do.

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

MATTITUDE

one legged MFer

[Guest nikowwf]

Hopefully if they are pushing him they won't cut his leg out from under him right when he's getting started.

 

sorry sorry

 

niko

[Guest the 1inch punch]

at least he can't get his leg kicked out from under his leg

 

Sorry

[Guest subliminal_animal]

it will be hard to have him booked to win convincingly since all his opponents already have a leg-up on him.

 

sorry sorry Sorry

[Guest iamsherm]

Now that I think about it, I bet you that they'll pair him up with Spike Dudley, just to be a duo who does nothing more than get the living hell beaten out of them. That sounds just like something WWE would do.

That's what I fully expect to happen.

 

Unless they do bring in another one-legged wrestler, I can't see Z teaming up with anybody else but Spike. Hell, give them the tag titles and let them run with it.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Z team up with a huge face such as Hogan at first ... just to give him some credibility.

[Guest bravesfan]

Unless they do bring in another one-legged wrestler, I can't see Z teaming up with anybody else but Spike. Hell, give them the tag titles and let them run with it.

HA!

 

He'll be a face, and he'll be an underdog. There's no way around it, really.

[Guest iamsherm]

No pun intended, I swear. Bad choice of words on my part.

[Guest Downhome]

I wouldn't mind seeing Z team up with a huge face such as Hogan at first ... just to give him some credibility.

That would actually have a backstory to it. When Zach was, eight I believe, when his leg was taken, Hogan visited him at the hospital, I think it was a Make A Wish thing.