Deja vu on Smackdown!...

[Guest RollingSambos]

Maybe it's just me, but I got a strong sense of deja vu when I was watching Smackdown! tonight. Specifically, during that whole Cena/Angle/Lesnar segment. At first, I couldn't figure it out, but then it hit me:

 

Angle = Bret Hart

Cena = Stone Cold Steve Austin

Lesnar = Sid

Undertaker = Undertaker

 

Flash back 1996.

[Damaramu 0]

Hmm....I'm not seeing it. Maybe you could point to a specific incident?

[Guest thrall585]

I'm just wondering how come Angle wanted to beat up Brock Lesnar so bad, unless his new character is a sore loser (from losing the ironman).

[JN News 0]

Maybe it's just me, but I got a strong sense of deja vu when I was watching Smackdown! tonight. Specifically, during that whole Cena/Angle/Lesnar segment. At first, I couldn't figure it out, but then it hit me:

 

Angle = Bret Hart

Cena = Stone Cold Steve Austin

Lesnar = Sid

Undertaker = Undertaker

 

Flash back 1996.

Don't you mean 1997?

[Guest RollingSambos]

That whole mess where the best wrestler in the business today (Angle/Bret) loses his title under questionable circumstances to the monster heel (Brock/Sid), but instead of going back after his belt he has to deal with a revolutionary, very over heel (Cena/Austin) who is calling him a crybaby and jumping him at every given opportunity, and in the meantime the monster heel (Brock/Sid) moves onto a feud with Undertaker.

 

So yeah, I mean 1996-1997...

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Ironic you compare Sid to Brock. Recently in a Raw magazine, one "Fantasy Warfare" had Brock vs Sid.... :-\

[Guest thrall585]

That whole mess where the best wrestler in the business today (Angle/Bret) loses his title under questionable circumstances to the monster heel (Brock/Sid), but instead of going back after his belt he has to deal with a revolutionary, very over heel (Cena/Austin) who is calling him a crybaby and jumping him at every given opportunity, and in the meantime the monster heel (Brock/Sid) moves onto a feud with Undertaker.

 

So yeah, I mean 1996-1997...

 

Austin was definitely not a very over heel and a pretty bad heel at Survivor Series 96 and Royal Rumble 97 because the crowd hardly booed him. Didn't see any Raws back then, but if the crowd didn't take him as a heel at those PPVs they probably didn't either for the Raws.

[razazteca 0]

Was this when Austin called Bret the Shitman?

[Guest Just J]

That whole mess where the best wrestler in the business today (Angle/Bret) loses his title under questionable circumstances to the monster heel (Brock/Sid), but instead of going back after his belt he has to deal with a revolutionary, very over heel (Cena/Austin) who is calling him a crybaby and jumping him at every given opportunity, and in the meantime the monster heel (Brock/Sid) moves onto a feud with Undertaker.

 

So yeah, I mean 1996-1997...

 

Austin was definitely not a very over heel and a pretty bad heel at Survivor Series 96 and Royal Rumble 97 because the crowd hardly booed him. Didn't see any Raws back then, but if the crowd didn't take him as a heel at those PPVs they probably didn't either for the Raws.

I hear what you're saying RollingSambos, it is deja vu.

 

But thrall585, Austin has always been a tweener. People hardly ever booed him.

[Guest thrall585]

I hear what you're saying RollingSambos, it is deja vu.

 

But thrall585, Austin has always been a tweener. People hardly ever booed him.

 

He wasn't a tweener back then because people hardly ever cheered him too. He was basically a nothing until Wrestlemania XIII.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

I'm just wondering how come Angle wanted to beat up Brock Lesnar so bad, unless his new character is a sore loser (from losing the ironman).

 

Brock cheated like a bastard in that match.

 

Thus, Angle wanted revenge.

[2GOLD 0]

Austin was still shaking off that Ringmaster crap at that point so it's not shocking he didn't get any reaction.

 

As for the comparison, I can see it as well since Brock is basically becoming Psycho Sid character wise. Cena could easily get over with an Angle feud so I'm happy for that and Angle/Cena could easily become Hart/Austin.

 

I'd run that feud all the way to Wrestlemania to see if you can't make Cena into another main event star since the WWE claims they are building.

[geniusMoment 0]

Austin was major over by Rumble 1997. He called Bret Shitman late 1996. I remember the night after the rumble when bret quit and austin cut this great promo on everybody. The crowd was eating it up.

[Papacita 0]

Yeah, Austin wasn't getting a lot of heel heat, but he was definitely over. Just check out his match with HHH at Buried Alive in 96 and look at the crowd reaction there. Also, I can see why someone would say Austin was a tweener back then, because while he didn't play to fans and always attacked Bret from behind, he fought heels like Vader and Mankind as well. He didn't give a damn about anybody...I miss that Stone Cold.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Comparing Cena to Austin....

[Austin3164life 0]

Comparing Cena to Austin....

Character wise, they're similar. Both rebellious, both don't give a shit about anyone. Both don't have respect for veteran wrestlers. I called this feud from the spring time. It clearly reminds me of Austin/Bret, because Angle is coming off a questionable Iron Man loss, and wants revenge, and here comes Cena to make fun of him and piss him off. This feud can be great if they do it right. Ring wise, it can be pretty good if Cena gets better and Angle puts his work boots on.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Cept, you know, both Austin and Bret were, you know, good.

[Guest thrall585]

Then Austin injured his neck and he was considered pretty crappy in the ring, but it didn't impact his popularity one bit.

[Guest Anglesault]

I'm just wondering how come Angle wanted to beat up Brock Lesnar so bad, unless his new character is a sore loser (from losing the ironman).

 

Brock cheated like a bastard in that match.

 

Thus, Angle wanted revenge.

Actually, every one of Brock's wins, save the belt shot, were clean.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Austin as a cripple is 1000x's better than Cena 100% healthy

[Guest thrall585]

Actually, every one of Brock's wins, save the belt shot, were clean.

 

He didn't play fair, for instance, holding the referee so the ref wouldn't see him kick Angle in the groin.

[Guest Just J]

You really aren't giving Cena the credit he deserves. He isn't that bad in the ring

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Ok, then look at it like Austin is that good in the ring.

 

...and Cena still sucks.

[Nevermortal 0]

Was this when Austin called Bret the Shitman?

Yeah but he did it in a funnier way.

 

"If you put the letter S in front of Hitman, you've got my exact opinion of Bret Hart, son."

[Guest thrall585]

Yeah but he did it in a funnier way.

 

"If you put the letter S in front of Hitman, you've got my exact opinion of Bret Hart, son."

 

Which is worse? Steve Austin with his "sons" or Bill Goldberg with his "boys"?

[Guest Adrian 3:16]

He wasn't a tweener back then because people hardly ever cheered him too. He was basically a nothing until Wrestlemania XIII.

Holy revisionist history Batman! Austin was already becoming a cult favorite and the hottest new player in the WWF for months before Mania 13. Mania is when the storyline and his fan following reached a boiling point with the double turn, but Austin was popular since late 96.

 

Since you said yourself you weren't watching Raw back then, how exactly would you know anyway? And why would you not watch the shows but still order all the PPV's?

[Guest thrall585]

Holy revisionist history Batman! Austin was already becoming a cult favorite and the hottest new player in the WWF for months before Mania 13. Mania is when the storyline and his fan following reached a boiling point with the double turn, but Austin was popular since late 96.

 

Since you said yourself you weren't watching Raw back then, how exactly would you know anyway? And why would you not watch the shows but still order all the PPV's?

 

If I didn't see the Raws and said I have seen Survivor Series 96 and Royal Rumble 97, why would you assume I ordered the PPVs? Actually I've seen them on tape. Austin was NOT over as a face, as a tweener, or as a heel on either show, and if he can't be over at those major PPVs, why should he be over on TV shows? That is a much better assumption.

Edited September 26, 2003 by thrall585

[Guest RollingSambos]

At least Austin3164life is smart enough to see what I'm seeing.

[Guest Adrian 3:16]

If I didn't see the Raws and said I have seen Survivor Series 96 and Royal Rumble 97, why would you assume I ordered the PPVs? Actually I've seen them on tape. Austin was NOT over as a face, as a tweener, or as a heel on either show, and if he can't be over at those major PPVs, why should he be over on TV shows? That is a much better assumption.

Ah, now the pieces are coming together. You didn't watch back then, so you track down some old PPV's on tape and make your admitted assumption that way. Take it from someone who actually was watching the shows, Austin was very over.

 

And your PPV logic doesn't really apply either. Some shows just have a dead crowd. The people who buy tickets for a given event don't speak for the entire viewing audience. Even at the height of the Austin era there were still PPV's where the crowd was quiet and sat on their hands all night, guess Austin's never been over at all, huh?

 

And you're right RollingSambos, just because Cena "sucks" in the eyes of Rudo and friends doesn't mean that the character and story similarities aren't becoming eerily similar.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Well Austin vs. Bret wasn't just character and storyline... it also involved this thing called wrestling. You know, the sort of thing Cena isn't particularly good at. Their matches had this thing known as substance, where character and story were merged into an athletic contest and the feud continued to unfold in the ring, rather than random spots. Not exactly Angle's specialty there either (funny, how his best match in terms of substance was vs. Austin... funny... that...). So what we will have in the ring will be high workrate, low everything else.