What stars from the past could make it today and..

[Guest TheyCallMeMark]

Big Show and Andre the giant.

[Guest EI Cubano]

I am going to have to say that Andre the Giant would NOT be over in current times. At only 6'10" Andre would look average in size next to guys like Kevin Nash and the Undertaker and would actually have to look up at the Big Show. He could not cut a promo to save his life, especially in front of a crowd on live television these days. He was also just horrendous in the ring and had very little offensive diversity. Big guys like Kane and Test have enough trouble getting over in the ring as it is these days and Andre isn't even close to their level in term of speed and intensity. Andre will always be a legend though.

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

Yeah but Andre still just LOOKS big. I mean I know he was short tallness wasn't the only thing he had going for him.

[Guest Downhome]

I am going to have to say that Andre the Giant would NOT be over in current times. At only 6'10" Andre would look average in size next to guys like Kevin Nash and the Undertaker and would actually have to look up at the Big Show. He could not cut a promo to save his life, especially in front of a crowd on live television these days. He was also just horrendous in the ring and had very little offensive diversity. Big guys like Kane and Test have enough trouble getting over in the ring as it is these days and Andre isn't even close to their level in term of speed and intensity. Andre will always be a legend though.

Am I the only one that has always believed that Andre was 7'4?

[Guest Galactic Gigolo]

Looking at the WWF's current roster, I'd go with...

 

Val Venis:  Not with his gimmick right now of a porn star, but his wrestling skills are perfect for the 80's.  Right now, they're just average, but back then they'd be up there with Mr. Perfect.

 

Chuck Palumbo:  Wouldn't be a big star, but he'd be in a nice Tag Team, something with Rick Martel where he'd be a commodity to the company.

 

Hugh Morrus:  A big guy who can do moonsaults.  Not shocking by today's standards, but in the 80's, he'd be squashing jobbers on Wrestling Challenge in no time.

 

Jazz:  Would've been the perfect opposite to Elizabeth.  Just a tough bitch, who while she wouldn't beat up Liz, would prevent her from interfering.

 

Kurt Angle:  A talented, USA version of Dino Bravo.

 

Tiger Ali Singh:  Good heel shtick, and works better than guys like Volcoff or Iron Sheik.  But the gimmick's dead today, and plus, he's Arab, so I doubt we'll see him on WWF TV for quite a while.

 

Shawn Stasiak:  Good opposition to the Lex Luger of the 80's.

[Guest J*ingus]

No, I bought it for a while too, until I compared pics of Hogan standing next to Andre, and Hogan standing next to Paul Wight, and the latter was clearly the taller.  

 

Andre was much more athletic in his early years, he used to throw dropkicks & stuff, but by the time most people here saw him, his body was severely degenerated.  

 

Who could survive now?  Superstar Billy Graham for one.  At times HHH looks like a Best Of Graham video come to life.  

 

As for back then?  Angle, obviously.  Probably Benoit & Malenko, and anyone else who's got decent technical skills.  And anybody who's over 6'6" or 400 pounds.

[Guest Downhome]

No, I bought it for a while too, until I compared pics of Hogan standing next to Andre, and Hogan standing next to Paul Wight, and the latter was clearly the taller.  

 

Andre was much more athletic in his early years, he used to throw dropkicks & stuff, but by the time most people here saw him, his body was severely degenerated.  

First off, I'm almost certain that Andre was 7'4. Every record I've ever seen for him had him listed at that, and even his biography stated he was 7'4. I'll look into it though, for my personal satisfaction, lol. But I'm almost certain he was 7'4.

 

By the way, yes Andre at one time was actually decent in the ring, but it was YEARS before what most people have seen of Andre. Most people just know the Andre from Wrestlemania 3 and on, and it's true he was horrible then, but there was a time where he was quite a deal better...

 

...but still bad, lol.

[Guest EI Cubano]

Andre was 6'10" and that was a fact well documented by quite a few people, type "Andre 6'10" into any search engine and see what happens. Of course Andre's official bio and the WWF are going to pad the numbers because the more of a giant Andre appears to be the more money he will draw. Big John Studd was basically the same height as Andre and Hogan was only three inches shorter. Of course Hogan padded his "official height" too as Hogan was in actuality only around 6'6" if I recall correctly. When Andre did interview with Vince McMahon he would stand on top of a crate which is why Andre appeared to be roughly 3 feet taller than Vince McMahon in some interviews.

[Guest spliffstar]

If only Vince let Tazz do that in his interviews.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Bruiser Brody would be over today.

[Guest Mudshark]

Just about any big man from today would have made it back in the eighties. I could see Rikishi or Albert being pushed as monster heels against Hogan - just retool the gimmicks to remove the humour/dancing/general behaving like an ass and you'd be away.

[Guest Mad Dog]

I would say that Bad News Brown would probably be over today. His character is a lot like Austin.

[Guest Haku]

Downhome, Tiger Ali Singh isn't an arab is in a Sikh from India.  WAYYY different from arabs. Hell if Iron Sheik was from Iran in real life he wouldn't be an arab either. Arabs are the mideast exclude Iran which is Muslim Shi-ite which is a different sect in the Islamic faith. So countries like Syria, Lebanon, Saudi, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Algeria etc

[Guest Tony149]

Even though they're not wrestling right now. KroniK would probably be over in the '80s. They would probably be used in a feud with the Road Warriors or something like that.

[Guest Haku]

Kronik  are just like 80's brawlers they could have been over i agree.

[Guest The Masked Yodeler]

Speaking of Dibiase, with the Million Dollar Man gimmick he would still be over today as a heel.  That gimmick was timeless.

 

And think of the matches with Angle, Austin and Benoit.

[Guest Downhome]

Downhome, Tiger Ali Singh isn't an arab is in a Sikh from India.  WAYYY different from arabs. Hell if Iron Sheik was from Iran in real life he wouldn't be an arab either. Arabs are the mideast exclude Iran which is Muslim Shi-ite which is a different sect in the Islamic faith. So countries like Syria, Lebanon, Saudi, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Algeria etc

Yes, I understand that, but how many CASUAL fans actually know this? Yes, that's what I thought...

 

...almost none.

[Guest Tony149]

I agree. If "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase was still around today he would be over big. Awesome gimmick.

[Guest Downhome]

Andre was 6'10" and that was a fact well documented by quite a few people, type "Andre 6'10" into any search engine and see what happens. Of course Andre's official bio and the WWF are going to pad the numbers because the more of a giant Andre appears to be the more money he will draw. Big John Studd was basically the same height as Andre and Hogan was only three inches shorter.

As it has also been well documented that Andre was 7'4-7'5, and I have never heard/read otherwise. Everything from the wrestling bio's, Andres Biography on A & E, etc... has said he was in the 7'4-7'5 range. He suffered from a disese, which I can't remember the exact name of, but it also goes by "Giantism", it is a disorder of the pituritary glad I believe, where it forms a tumor, and presses down on the optic nerve, thus sending out many more growth hormones than usual...

 

...Andre's grandfather suffered from the same disese I do believe, and was a staggering 7'8.

 

I did indeed do the search for what you said, and yes I came up with sites saying Andre was 6'10...

 

...saying he was 6'10 at the age of 17-19.

[Guest dreamer420]

I bet Andre at one point was probably 7'3 or 7'4 but with the disease that he had I think he probably lost a few inches on his height.

[Guest EI Cubano]

One of the dozens of accounts of Andre's height I found in 45 seconds...

 

5. HEIGHT LIES

 

Stan Frazier, to the best of my knowledge, stood 6’10". The WWF promoted his as being 7 feet tall. Andre the Giant was long promoted as standing 7’5", when I understand he was actually 6’10 or 6’11’. If you watch the SNME of Elmer’s wedding, you’ll see Frazier and Andre standing side-by-side, looking exactly the same height. (It was funny when Andre faced Hulk Hogan and the WWF said they looked close in size because of Hogan’s large upper body, when in reality they were just close in height.)

 

Andre did suffer from a degenorating disease that broke down his body, but for the majority of his career he was 6'10" and around 450, I think Keith even mentions this in The Buzz on Pro Wrestling but I could be mistaken.

Every "Information" site that lists Andre at 7'5" also lists the WMIII attendance as 93,000. Accepted stories arent always correct.

[Guest theWCWRaider]

The A&E biography and such also say that WrestleMania III was in front of 93,173, but that just wasn't the case. If you look at Hogan/Andre standing face to face at WrestleMania III, they look too close to the same heighth.

 

Now as for the original idea behind this.

 

I think the following old school guys would be huge today:

Roddy Piper, Rick Rude, Ted Dibiase, and like was said any old school tag team. But, I have to add a name to this list, and I know a lot of you are going to think I'm crazy, but Dusty Rhodes would probably be over today.

I'll explain why after I give my list of guys today that would be over back then:

Austin, Rock, Angle, Big Show, Kane, and pretty much anyone that looks like a freek.

 

Ok, I think that Dusty Rhodes would be over today, for the same reason I think the Rock would've been over back in the 80's.

Natural carisma. They both just have that ora about them. Do I think that Dusty would be able to get his 80's stick over today, no but I think he was carasmatic enough that he would've gotten over somehow.

Just like I don't think the Rock would be talking about Poontang Pie on USA Primetime wrestling, but his natural carasma would've gotten him over, somehow.

[Guest Downhome]

Ok, this is really getting to me now! I emailed Mr. Dave Scherer over at 1wrestling (he'll answer any email you ever send to him, he's a great guy), and I simply asked him how tall he was, and this is his response...

 

I believe the tallest he ever was was 6'10.  He definitely wasn't 7'4"

 

...ok, that's what I heard, but I'm STILL not convinced! It can't be! This is like I'm finding out Santa or The Easter Bunny wasn't real, or, ok, maybe not like that, but it's like I'm finding Santa or The Easter Bunny just...well, not as tall as was previously thought, or something, or hell...

 

...I'm just rambling now!  

 

I shall get his death certificate!

 

By the way, I do indeed concede to you for now. :-)

[Guest theWCWRaider]

I know it took me awhile to believe it, just like it took me awhile to accept the fact that the Silverdome wasn't filled with 93,173 people.

[Guest Anglesault]

Look at Andre next to Ernie Ladd. Andre was NOT 7'4

[Guest Downhome]

I know it took me awhile to believe it, just like it took me awhile to accept the fact that the Silverdome wasn't filled with 93,173 people.

Ok, so how many people WAS in The Silverdome?

[Guest thefrenchargel]

DiBiase would work based on his natural charisma, he'd have to update his appearance a bit though, as most fans today would probably find the sequins and dollar signs too hokey. Jake Roberts would work well today with his "Trust Me" gimmick. As for wrestlers today, Kane and Big Show would get over based on size back in the 80's, I think the Acolytes would work well too, in the role of a pair of tough brawlers.

[Guest EI Cubano]

78,000 were at the Silverdome.

[Guest imajackoff?]

In this age of darker characters and 20 minute promos, Jake Roberts of the 80's would be way over.

 

Guys with a slower style and poor mic skills would have trouble.  Im thinking of the Greg Valentine, Pedro Morales, Bruno type.

[Guest gwf0704]

1) Bruiser Brody would be way over today, especially the whole madman who terrorized everyone, didnt give a damn if anyone liked him and feared no man.  A true timeless classic.

 

2)Tiger Mask would be awesome today with his innovative aerial moves and awesome physical shape for a man his size, though the Benoit factor might pop up!

 

3)Rick Rude would be over due to the fact that he was so arrogant and talented and was a master of working the crowd which is important nowadays.

 

4)Michael "PS" Hayes from the 80's would be over right now due to his mic skills and flamboyant in ring persona (see heel version vs Von Erichs)

 

5)Kevin Von Erich would be over due to his awesome aerial moves, physique and true mat skills as he was underrated as a wrestler and would be the classic face.

 

Peace!