An a question I don't have an answer to..

[Just call me Dan 0]

I'm not one to beat a dead horse, in this case about hosses in wrestling, but can anyone think of an example here?

 

Has wrestling in the last 20 years ever brought a new guy into a federation with no prior experience as a top name somewhere else and pushed them as a serious threat, that wasn't a big hulking guy? Has there ever been someone say a Steve Austin or shawn Michael's size that was just brought in, and has his skills showcased to be treated like a big tar?

 

Cases like the most recent in Matt Morgan where guys are just brought in to demolish the undercard and eventually get the title push are REALLY wearing my patience thin. will a new guy ever be packaged well and brought in a serious threat because he looks marketable and is not a hoss?

 

Has this even happened before?

[Jingus 0]

Well, it would depend on what exactly your definitions of "pushed as a serious threat" and "no prior experience as a top guy" include and exclude. I can already think of several guys who might fit the category, under looser definitions.

[Guest Boomer Sprinklespax]

Uh...Kurt Angle?

 

I mean, he wasn't gunning for the World Title immediately or anything, but it was pretty fucking fast nonetheless.

[Steviekick 0]

I thought of Kurt Angle when I read the first post. It doesn't seem to happen that often, though.

[The Decemberists 0]

The only thing against saying Angle though is the Olympic thing, which might count as him being a top name somewhere else.

 

Although if we're just talking somewhere else pro wrestling then Angle's certainly one, and probably the only.

[CanadianChris 0]

Yeah, the only other guy I can think of would be Ken Shamrock. But then, there's the name recognition in UFC, like with Angle and amateur wrestling.

[razazteca 0]

Glacier?

[Guest wildpegasus]

Randy Orton

[Guest Max Peter David]

Orton is a hoss in my book. Sometimes I can't tell he and Batista apart.

 

....I honestly can't think of any.... maybe Jericho? Interrupted a Rock promo in his debut, and won the Intercontinental Title later on.

[CanadianChick 0]

Orton is a hoss in my book. Sometimes I can't tell he and Batista apart.

 

....I honestly can't think of any.... maybe Jericho? Interrupted a Rock promo in his debut, and won the Intercontinental Title later on.

That's not really straight to the top though. IC belt hasn't been very prestigious for a while now.

[Tawren 0]

Undertaker.

[Papacita 0]

Undertaker.

Taker's a hoss though...

 

Bah Gawd!

[Guest JacK]

Hadn't Jericho been in WCW for a fair bit though?

[Jingus 0]

Duh, the answer was staring me in the face: TNA. They've pushed AJ Styles, Ron Killings, Low-Ki, Christopher Daniels, etc.

[WrestlingDeacon 0]

If you want to say last 20 years, then Steamboat was pushed into a main event program with Flair soon as he hit the NWA where he was only IC level with the WWF and in fact was getting jobbed out pretty regularly before leaving.

 

Also, Davey Boy Smith was allied with Sting and made a main eventer when he first went to WCW where he had only been a tag guy with the WWF and won the IC belt by the grace of Bret Hart. Although he was pretty hossy by his WCW stint.

[DMann2003 0]

Well if you want a non hoss guy who got a big push without any major experience before, I'd say Sting.

[Guest wildpegasus]

If you want to say last 20 years, then Steamboat was pushed into a main event program with Flair soon as he hit the NWA where he was only IC level with the WWF and in fact was getting jobbed out pretty regularly before leaving.

 

Also, Davey Boy Smith was allied with Sting and made a main eventer when he first went to WCW where he had only been a tag guy with the WWF and won the IC belt by the grace of Bret Hart. Although he was pretty hossy by his WCW stint.

Davey's an interesting case. I don't know if it was just by watching him and seeing how good he was in the ring but I always "percieved him as a main eventer" before his stint with Sting in the WCW even if the Bulldog wasn't wrestling in the main. He was an upper midcard face and just seemed so ready for the main event. Of course, in England he was indestructable but I remember him losing the IC belt to Michaels' skullduggery and just thinking that this would just free Davey up for a run at the heavyweight title against Flair. When Davey went to WCW and to the top of the card it just seemed like such a natural fit and something that should've occured in the WWF. Even when he returned to the WWF later on and formed the Alliance? tag team with Luger I remember commentary putting over the fact that since Luger who at the time was coming off the Lex Express from not too long ago and Davey were teaming up together the tag team wasn't fair because Lex/Davey would be too indestructable. This just kept my perception alive of Davey being a "main event" wrestler who just happened not to be in the main event.

 

A little of topic but the Lex/Davey combo also marker a slight change in attitude in the WWF because after a while I remember Davey and Lex getting beat by heels which just really didn't happen before than especially with faces on the status level of Lex and Davey.

[MrRant 0]

Orton is a hoss in my book. Sometimes I can't tell he and Batista apart.

 

....I honestly can't think of any.... maybe Jericho? Interrupted a Rock promo in his debut, and won the Intercontinental Title later on.

How the fuck is Orton a hoss? He isn't that big.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Randy Orton didn't get a major push until over a year into his WWE career, anyway.

[WrestlingDeacon 0]

Luger and Davey Boy Smith were the Allied Powers. They actually got jobbed out quite a bit and I just took that to mean that Vince thought both of them were a bust, but still had name value.

[Jingus 0]

Orton's definitely a hoss. I've stood next to the guy a couple of times, and he's pretty damn big. Sure, not like Big Show big, but hossy enough in my book.

 

I'd count early Sting as a hoss, he's like 6'3" and was really jakked up at the time.

[MrRant 0]

So.... a hoss is:

 

6' or bigger and has defined muscles or enormous amounts of bulk?

[WrestlingDeacon 0]

I would define a hoss as your standard power wrestler with nothing special going on who seems to only be getting a push due to his immense size.

[Guest wildpegasus]

Randy Orton didn't get a major push until over a year into his WWE career, anyway.

True, but when he went to Raw he did. Remember Jim Ross foaming at the mouth talking about him when he first came in?

[Guest wildpegasus]

My definition of hoss:

 

1) Jim Ross has to like you. Example - Kane or Austin -- If he doesn't you're not a hoss because he's the one to the best of my knowledge who started all this hoss talk. We should define all the animal names he gives to wrestlers as well.

 

2)Being a football star. This falls into Ross liking you and as long as your 250 pds or above will automatically guarantee you a hoss membership. See Ron Simmons as a Florida State football player.

 

3)Being from Texas or some other place close nearby.

 

4)Being muscular with a large frame and height helps but it's not quite necessary. Still, you can't be a hoss if you're too small. No one under Austin's weight can get in.

 

5)The Rock and Test are boderline hosses. They actually fall under the "stud" category but Test has been reffered to as both a hoss and a stud in the past. I would consider HHH at his most bulked up a hoss but now that he's lost a lot of weight I'd say he's back to being a stud.

 

6) I think being WWE bread also helps you in obtaining your hoss liscence. Not really necessary but it helps.

 

7) Having an image of tougness is an underrated part of being a hoss and is the category most looked over upon. Hanson and Williams have these traits. See, I feel that Jim Ross just puts over wrestlers by calling them hosses even if they're not that tough. He doesn't feel it in his heart but just makes up a little "white lie" and calls them hosses to put the wrestler over. To be a TRUE bad to the bone hoss you have to portray an image of toughness and be tough at the same time. Harley Race although not that big would fit in well here. His weight would hold him back but his old school toughness would make him an official hoss.

 

8) Hosses that Ross would absolutely go crazy for that aren't in the WWE--

 

A) Steve Williams -- The ultimate embodiement of a hoss.

 

B) Stan Hanson -- Think about how bad Ross likes Bradshaw and than multiply it a million fold for Hanson. Bradshaw has often duplicated Hanson in several aspects and Ross would go on in the past about how Bradshaw reminded him of a young Stan Hanson. Hanson could EASILY be the king of hosses and would be if he wrestled in the WWE.

 

C) Terry Gordy -- I don't know if it was just because he was teaming up with WIlliams in WCW but Ross certainly loved the tag duo of Williams and Gordy. Gordy certainly wouldn't be on the level of a Hanson or Williams on the official hoss scale but he'd definately be a good old reliable hoss that you can count on in times of need.