Everything New is Old Again

[Guest Corey291]

 

Is it just me or does it seem like we there are more older stars coming into the WWE than ever before? For every new worker that comes in, it looks like there are 2 older stars coming in as well. There was Mr. Perfect & Goldust. Then came Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, Roddy Piper, The LOD and now they’re talking about Sting and even the Ultimate Warrior. I’m going to take a look at this new trend of signing previously established talent and why so many seem to have trouble getting over like they used to.

 

It wasn’t long ago, that we saw the introduction of several new workers into the WWE. Names like John Cena, Dave Bautista and Randy Orton. We also saw the introduction of Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin to the ranks of the big leagues. Prior to them, we saw Brock Lesnar get the push from hell. Many fans believed that the WWE was finally going to start concentrating on establishing and promoting the newer and younger wrestlers so that they would have a new crop of superstars to build on.

 

That’s what a lot of us thought.

 

What wound up happening though was an even larger influx of older talent into the WWE, as the powers that be at Titan Towers seem intent on signing as many older stars as possible. The theory apparently, was that the signing of the established stars will serve several purposes:

 

1.The shock value of a returning star will spike ratings and draw in new viewers.

 

2. Because the star had been previously established, the WWE doesn’t need to put as much effort into getting the star over with the fans.

 

Now in several cases, these theories actually worked. But in the majority of cases, there are some inherent flaws with these 2 theories. Let’s look at them:

 

1.The shock value of a returning star will spike ratings and draw in new viewers.

While this is infact true, the bookers and story writers need to ask themselves: “What the hell do we do next week?” Ratings spikes for shock value only last for a couple of weeks. After that, it’s no longer a shock to see Goldberg on your TV each week. You know he’s there now. As a result, your ratings are destined to drop back to where they used to be.

 

And while yes in theory, the adding of new viewers, many of whom may have been fans of the returning star may increase ratings, there has to be something in the WWE’s programming to keep them watching. Otherwise, they’ll just tune in for a month or so, and stop watching again. The returns of guys like Goldberg & Steiner have been classic cases here. While the ratings may have spiked here & there, they didn’t consistently rise due to the shock of these guys returns. It was a surprise for the first 2 weeks, but after that, they were part of the everyday program. And this will tie into the next point…..

 

2. Because the star had been previously established, the WWE doesn’t need to put as much effort into getting the star over with the fans.

 

And this is where the meat of the article lies. We’re going to flesh this one out a bit. Why? Because in many cases, the returning wrestlers haven’t lived up to this theory. While Theory #2 may be true in some instances, there are some serious pitfalls that come into play. In order for these previously established stars to be able to return and still be over like they were years before, they need to be able to connect with the audience like they did years before. And this is where many of these guys fall flat. With a few exceptions, virtually every returning star has proven this theory false. Why?

 

The first and primary reason why this second theory has met with less success than expected, is largely because the promoters and to a greater extent the wrestlers themselves believed that they didn’t need to do anything different upon returning to the WWE. Many of these guys like Goldberg, Piper and Scott Steiner seemed to believe that the reputations they built in the previous 5, 10 or even in Piper’s case TWENTY years would be enough to keep them over with the audience. The problem, was that wrestling fans are a notoriously fickle crowd. The mantra of today’s WWE fan is ”What have you done for me lately?”. Here’s the track record for the older or previously established wrestlers that have returned after long absences from the WWE (or wrestling in general). This first group represents those wrestlers who’s returns were very much hyped up, but quickly failed to live up to their advance billing.

 

GOLDBERG

Bill Goldberg came in to a tremendous response from the crowd, as many people can easily remember when he was in the midst of a monstrous win streak, and had WCW audiences eating out of his hand. Goldberg banked on this reaction when he returned to the WWE, and figured that if the same Goldberg that was over in 1998 came back in 2003, he’d get the same reaction. And for his first 2 appearances, he was right. What happened? What happened, was that Goldberg insisted on coming back as the exact same wrestler that he was in 1998. Not only is it 5 years later now, he’s in an entirely different company. Goldberg rarely cut promos or did interviews in WCW. The WWF is a different animal. You need to be able to cut good promos in order to connect with the audience and make them care about seeing your matches. And if your first program is with the Rock, you damn sure had better be able to get the crowd’s attention or the Rock will make you look silly.

 

What went wrong?

Goldberg believed that he could be the same character that he was in 1998, and he was wrong. He believed that because he got over in 1998, that he’d be over in 2003. He’s wrong. Sure, Goldberg is over now, but not to the extent that was expected. Why? Because the Goldberg in 1998 was NEW. People had never seen Goldberg before. It was a surprise, as no one since the Ultimate Warrior had the

same style and intensity. But after 5 years, it wasn’t new anymore. And after the shock wore off, the crowd was left saying “y’know, I’m glad he’s back, but he’s already getting boring. Sure he was the man back in WCW, but what has he done for me lately?”

 

SCOTT STEINER

Big Poppa Pump returned to the WWE and immediately was thrust into a feud with HHH. Everyone seemed to believe that one of WCW’s biggest stars would be able to bring his incredible physique into the WWE and have the same impact that he had in WCW. The problem, was that besides the physique, Steiner didn’t have anything else to bring to the table. Scott was over in WCW’s final years primarily because he was a heel, which requires a lot less effort to get over with the crowd than being a babyface. Second of all, he was a big fish in a small pond. Not that there weren’t any other big stars in WCW. The fact was though, that the biggest stars in the business as far as charisma and mic skills went, worked for the WWE. Steiner was always lacking in that category, and when he joined up with the WWE, it showed. He couldn’t connect with the crowd because he simply didn’t have the skills to get himself over to the degree that guys like HHH, Austin, Angle and The Rock could. And the end result was a large degree of apathy from the crowd after the initial shock of his return wore off.

 

Within the first couple of weeks of his return to the WWE, it was also obvious that he wasn’t in the same wrestling condition that he used to be. HHH had to carry Steiner in house shows and at the PPVs. Hell, Steiner was heavily booed during his PPV matches against mega-heel HHH. And Steiner was being pushed as the biggest babyface in the promotion. It was at this point that Steiner’s push was seen as more of a failure than anything else.

 

What went wrong?

Steiner was almost immediately exposed upon joining the WWE. He was the same worker here that he was in WCW during the late 90s. The problem, was that the expectations in the WWE were higher, and he realized that he couldn’t just rely on flexing his muscles and stumbling over 3 syllable words and still expect to get over. Not with guys like the aforementioned Angle, Austin, HHH and the Rock setting the standard of performance. When it was immediately obvious that Steiner couldn’t measure up to that standard, he fell flat. And unfortunately, Steiner had nothing left to fall back on. His push was quickly squashed, and he’s now anchored in the mid-card with guys like Test.

 

KEVIN NASH

God, where do I start? Nash was and still is a terrible worker. He was like that in WCW, and he’s still like that now. On the microphone, he’s equally uninspiring. It was said that the man behind many of Nash’s best lines was Scott Hall. And with Hall nowhere to be seen, Nash is in trouble, as he has yet to connect with the audience, and is floundering in what should be a top level feud with HHH.

 

What went wrong?

Nash’s biggest asset in getting and maintaining a main event spot has been his ability to politic his way to such positions. Left to his own abilities, Nash would be tagging with Scott Steiner in the mid-card. But whether by hook or by crook, Nash frequently gets his spot at the top of the card. Unfortunately, his poor workrate quickly sells him out, and again we’re left with a guy that gets a good initial reaction for his return, but loses that momentum in short order because he can’t do anything to keep the crowd’s attention. Vince McMahon is banking on the fact that Nash being a big guy, will sell tickets and PPV buys. It’s quickly becoming apparent though that this may be wishful thinking on McMahon’s part.

 

THE LEGION OF DOOM

Well, let’s just say that if you stepped out of the room 2 weeks ago to get some food, you missed them. Once the most innovative team in the history of the sport, the Road Warriors (at least in the WWE) have failed to find a niche in today’s crowd. It’s a shame, as 15 years ago, These guys were phenomenal. And along with the Rock & Roll Express, the LOD became the most emulated team of all time. It’s fair to say that in the early/mid 80s, the Legion of Doom was clearly ahead of their time.

 

What went wrong?

To put it bluntly, if the LOD was over in the 80s because they were ahead of their time, then apparently, time caught up with them.

 

If you were 15 years ahead of your time, then 15 years later, you’re just another tag team in a glut of teams that are just like you. That’s what happened to the Road Warriors as the mid-late 90s came along. They never updated their style because it was always over. As a result, they no longer stood out amongst today’s roster. Yes they were incredibly over nearly 20 years ago, but a 17 year old Wrestling fan wasn’t even alive 20 years ago. If this same fan didn’t start watching wrestling until he was 10, then he wouldn’t have seen the Road Warriors until 1995. And by that time, they weren’t anything so special to look at.

 

Now of course, not all of the older returning stars crashed and burned. There were some who have melted right into the middle of the card and made themselves at home with today’s audience.

 

RODDY PIPER

If it weren’t for his return as a heel at Wrestlemania 19, Piper would have been in the previous list of wrestlers who’s returns have usually met with failure or at best, apathy. While Piper was always a very colorful and controversial performer (moreso on the mic than in the ring), it wasn’t until he started hosting Piper’s Pit in 1984 that he made his mark on the sport. When Piper broke that coconut over Jimmy Snuka’s head and sparked one of the hottest feuds the WWF had ever seen, Piper had clearly put himself on the map on a national scale. After retiring in 1987 at Wrestlemania 3, Piper made several comebacks, but none of them really stuck with the crowd until this last one.

 

What went wrong previously?

In all of Piper’s previous comebacks, he brought nothing new to the table. He came out and basically tried to get over based on what he did in the mid-80s. He did this in 1989 when he returned to the WWF, and he did it in the late 90s in WCW. But as with the Legion of Doom, many of the fans watching WCW in 1998 were too young to have seen Piper at his best in 1984 & 1985. As a result, his returns always started off with a bang, but quickly fizzled out.

 

What went right THIS TIME?

What went right, was the fact that Piper came back as a heel. In the 80s, it was easy to get over both as a heel or a face. There were clear defining lines between what was good and what was bad. Piper was bad (and he was good at it). When he turned babyface in late96/early 97, he made the transition flawlessly and wound up the most popular wrestler in the WWF behind Hulk Hogan. As the 90s came along, it became more difficult to get over as a babyface. And it became damn near impossible to get over with gimmick that consisted solely of riding a 20 year old reputation that most fans weren’t even alive to see. Piper needed to change with the times. And he did.

 

Piper returned as a heel, by attacking Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 19. Piper then proceeded to align himself with one of the younger stars and get involved with the current storylines. Sure, he brought back the 20 year old Piper’s pit. But it was used as a segue to improve on his character. Not as a reminder to what he did 2 decades ago. Instead of staying in the past, Piper actually began moving forward. Piper’s return wasn’t necessarily as successful as say Hulk Hogan’s, but it definitely met with more success than the aforementioned wrestlers in this column.

 

THE LATE CURT HENNIG

Mr. Perfect was brought back in following Wrestlemania 18. For the most part, Hennig was largely used to put over the younger talent. Mr. Perfect’s won/loss record was anything but perfect during his abbreviated run with the WWE. But Perfect still did well for himself, as he performed a service that few veteran wrestlers these days seem inclined to perform. That is, putting over the younger talent and elevating them like the vets themselves were elevated earlier in their careers. As a result, Hennig was a solid mid-carder who fit right in with the current roster. His matches appeared to help his younger opponents, as Hennig’s old-school style isn’t taught very much anymore. Anyone wrestling with Mr. Perfect wound up gaining far more than he lost.

 

What went wrong?

Well besides the fact that he died last year, what went wrong while he was in the WWE was that he got himself fired. Like Goldust, Hennig seemed to be on the cusp of entering a high profile program. Unfortunately, he was released before anything could get started. And his subsequent death meant that the likes of Mr. Perfect will never again grace a WWE ring.

 

GOLDUST

Along with Curt Hennig, Goldust was also brought back after Wrestlemania 18, and was putting over many of the younger talent. Goldust however, had a much more pronounced gimmick, and was very skilled at performing to a crowd as both a heel or a babyface. The performance aspect is a skill that’s sorely needed in order to get over with today’s audience, and as a result, Goldust fit right in. He was able to align himself with Booker T, and as a very unlikely tag team, they (along with Christian and Chris Jericho) put on some of the best tag team matches of the summer in 2002. Again, Goldust’s more old-school style only served to enhance anyone that he was in the ring with.

 

What went right?

Weren’t you reading? I just told you

 

And finally, we come to those wrestlers who have made returns after long absences and managed to come out smelling like a rose despite their age or the amount of time away from the ring.

 

SHAWN MICHAELS

After a 5 year absence from the WWE, HBK returned to the WWE apparently a changed man. At least backstage, he was. With his new conversion to Christianity, it was said that much of the immature behavior that Michaels was known for had vanished. But in front of the camera, Michaels still did what he did best. And that was PERFORM. In his prime, Michaels was to the 1990s what Ric Flair was in the 1980s. The Michaels of 2002 wasn’t exactly the Michaels of 1996. But even so, Michaels still had everything that he needed in order to survive with the current crowd. Michaels has always been able to combine both the old school 80s style with the current spot oriented style of wrestling to keep the crowd’s attention. And as mentioned a couple of sentences back, HBK’s ability to entertain the audience on the microphone are still on a par with the best entertainers in the wrestling world today.

 

Shawn Michaels was able to sustain a spot at the top of the card because he has a style that clicked in the 80s, 90s and the new century. His ability to perform, entertain and of course wrestle ensured that his return would turn heads and keep them turned.

 

HULK HOGAN

Against all possible odds, Hogan who has been wrestling since the late 70s, has managed to reinvent himself again and keep the interest of the vast majority of his audience. Many of whom weren’t even alive during his prime years. It’s in those multiple re-inventions that Hogan has managed to remain a success even so far past his prime.

 

After a 10 year run at the top of the WWF, Hogan left to go to WCW and prettymuch lost all respect from those fans that grew up watching him. Hogan went to WCW and tried to turn it into the WWF of 1985. Hogan at that time had fallen into the same trap that Goldberg had fallen into. He believed that since it used to be over, it should still be over. Hogan eventually realized that the 1985 WWF thing got over in 1985 because it had never been done before. Repeating something that had long since gotten stale just won’t have the same effect.

 

Hogan re-invented himself in 1996 by turning heel and joining the NWO. This revitalized his character for the next several years until he left WCW following his infamous altercation with Vince Russo.

 

Hogan would return to the WWE just prior to Wrestlemania 18. Although he returned as a heel, it was a pretty lackluster run until his stellar match against the Rock that wound up turning him babyface again. It was Hogan’s quick face turn at WM18, that would re-vitalize him again. Hogan again managed to ingratiate himself with the current audience because rather than attempt to force his previous persona on the crowd and try to get over based on his past gimmicks (as had been done with Goldberg, Piper and the LOD), Hogan melted into the current format and basically forged a new reputation. Hogan did more promos, more backstage skits, and tended to look more vulnerable in the ring. To his credit, Hogan had even given up his previous practice of refusing to put over just about anyone else in the promotion. Hell, for a while until Hogan was being criticized for doing TOO MANY jobs. I personally saw it as a breath of fresh air. Hogan completely failed to help elevate anyone other than himself during his WWF and WCW runs. Even when Hogan lost, he still made himself look better than his opponents. During his most recent WWF run, he put over virtually all of the younger stars like HHH, Kurt Angle, and the Rock.

 

And just when you thought that he was getting stale again, We see the introduction of Mr. America. While not exactly earth shattering, Hogan’s Mr. America gimmick is again, a change from the norm. It got people’s attention and kept them from yawning at another Hogan appearance.

 

AND IN CONCLUSION…..

This, my friends is the secret of making a successful return. It’s good to be able to have a reputation that you built 5, 10 or even 20 years ago. But in many cases, these wrestlers were unwilling or unable to advance any further than they had back in the day. That past reputation is good for the initial response from the crowd, but it won’t keep their attention. Times have changed from even what was going on 3 or 4 years ago. If the wrestlers in question don’t change with those times, they’ll be good for a 1 night ratings spike, and nothing else. We saw this with Steiner. We saw it with the LOD. Meanwhile the guys that keep current with today’s trends manage to stay on top longer. Guys like Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan come to mind here.

 

Of course there are people like Ric Flair, who is clearly in a class by himself. I didn’t include him in this column, because he never actually left the sport. Flair also never actually changed his style. Like Michaels, Flair has a style that works in whatever era he competes in. Flair is the consummate wrestler with skills in technical wrestling, brawling as well as phenomenal skills on the microphone. Flair’s style will be welcome no matter when he competes.

 

I also didn’t include the Rock because frankly, he never left the sport for very long periods of time. The Rock did however know when he was getting stale with the crowd and changed accordingly. After spending too much time as a babyface, the Rock turned heel and the response was so favorable that he still got more cheers than his opponents.

 

No matter how long or short a wrestler is away, they have to remain fresh with the crowd when they come back. Coming back after an absence and expecting that what got you over 5 years ago is good enough, and that you don’t need to learn anything new, is the kiss of death on your TV life. Goldberg is finding this out now. He came back as the same Goldberg he was in 1998, and in a program with the Rock, got completely outclassed and left behind. Hulk Hogan came back and changed his style to fit in with what today’s crowd wants to see, and as a result, is doing a much better job despite being more than 10 years past his prime. If we’re going to be seeing more veteran wrestlers returning to the WWE, hopefully they’ll keep this in mind if they want to get the best reactions from the crowd and keep their interest for longer than the first 2 weeks of their return.

 

Well that’s it for me folks. What do you think? Did I leave anyone out? What do you see as the problems with so many stars returning to the sport. Should the WWE stop re-signing the older stars? Should they re-sign MORE of them? We’ve heard rumors about guys like Savage, Lex Luger, Sting and even the Ultimate Warrior possibly being considered for future runs with the WWE. Which guys do you want to see? Which ones have the best chance of succeeding?

 

Feel free to post your responses. I know I'm not the only one here with an opinion on it. Either way, I’m always glad to hear from you whether you liked or disliked what you read .

 

-Corey

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

With Goldberg, they seem to be catching on as far as ringwork goes. His last two matches have consisted of him so-selling and hitting is two or three moves. When he went on the offensive, it was over in like, nine seconds. While his character can change and evolve, he' still the same wrestler from 1998, he always will be.

[Guest The Bad Guy]

That was an absolutely brilliant piece of writing... as for the questions you asked, I'd prefer to not see anymore of the older stars... if any of them had to be brought back I'd like to see Luger, Sting, and Savage. So long as the Ultimate Warrior never appears on my TV screen again, I will be happy.

 

I believe that if any of the talents you listed returned to the ring, Randy Savage would have BY FAR the best chance of succeeding. He's the only guy that could carry himself completely by his mic work and he might be able to pull out a watchable match.

[Garth 0]

That was an enjoyable and well written column. Best 20 minuites i've spent all week.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yes I agree, phenomenal column. It should be posted as a column here at TSM.

 

And I'd have to somewhat disagree with the Bad Guy on who he'd like to see back if anyone. I would DEFINITELY love to see Ultimate Warrior much more than Lex Luger. From what I understand, Warrior I hear still sort of keeps in shapem while Luger..well, we all know how he's been lately.

 

But I still would really much rather see that younger stars get elevated and such, and if WWE is really that intent on bringing in older wrestlers, then they should get some more TV Time or start making more valuable use of Velocity or Heat. Anyone here remember when meaningful or eventful things actually happened on either Heat or Velocity? We go through enough recapping over the week and not to mention at PPV's as well to have to do it again in what could be used as important TV time, for the lower-midcard and midcards.

Edited May 23, 2003 by Vitamin X

[Guest Lightning Flik]

And I'd have to somewhat disagree with tHe Bad Guy on who he'd like to see back if anyone. I would DEFINITELY love to see Ultimate Warrior much more than Lex Luger. From what I understand, Warrior I hear still sort of keeps in shapem while Luger..well, we all know how he's been lately.

VX, hate to burst your bubble, but Bad Guy said that out of all the old guys, he'd want Randy Savage back the most. Not Luger. He was just a mention of the three, BG would like back the most.

[Guest Trivia247]

Um Goldust and Curt Hennig rejoined the WWE at ROYAL RUMBLE 2002 not Wrestlemania 18

[Guest Vitamin X]

And I'd have to somewhat disagree with the Bad Guy on who he'd like to see back if anyone. I would DEFINITELY love to see Ultimate Warrior much more than Lex Luger. From what I understand, Warrior I hear still sort of keeps in shapem while Luger..well, we all know how he's been lately.

VX, hate to burst your bubble, but Bad Guy said that out of all the old guys, he'd want Randy Savage back the most. Not Luger. He was just a mention of the three, BG would like back the most.

Oh no I understood that, I just don't see why he would even include Luger there and say that Ultimate Warrior is someone he'd rather see.

 

in essence, he's saying he prefers Luger over Warrior and I'd have to disagree with him there.

[Guest Lightning Flik]

And I'd have to somewhat disagree with the Bad Guy on who he'd like to see back if anyone. I would DEFINITELY love to see Ultimate Warrior much more than Lex Luger. From what I understand, Warrior I hear still sort of keeps in shapem while Luger..well, we all know how he's been lately.

VX, hate to burst your bubble, but Bad Guy said that out of all the old guys, he'd want Randy Savage back the most. Not Luger. He was just a mention of the three, BG would like back the most.

Oh no I understood that, I just don't see why he would even include Luger there and say that Ultimate Warrior is someone he'd rather see.

 

in essence, he's saying he prefers Luger over Warrior and I'd have to disagree with him there.

Oh. My bad then.

[Rendclaw 0]

I would love to see Warrior come back just so we can watch him vanish in the middle of a storyline again.