How Come they never made it big?

[I like Forums 0]

I don't understand how EZ Money never made it big. He was gathering a pretty big following for those like 2 months he was Jason Jett in WCW. If Nova can make it to the WWE why couldn't EZ Money? He has the spots and the ability to be a star, also his size/look isn't anything that couldn't be worked with. I always thought his Suplex to a Powerbomb thing could've been a really over finisher too. Anybody have any incite why he just couldn't make it?

[Precious Roy 0]

Vince is not a fan of cruiserweights. There's tons of little guys who could have been stars if Vince would carve out a niche for their style. With cruisers, unless you have a personality that jumps out at him, like a Nunzio, Rey or Tajiri, you're sunk. And having connections/friendships with guys already with the company doesn't hurt. From what I've seen of EZ Money he was kind of generic.

[The Mountie 0]

Jason Jett was supernova-over in WCW's dying days. On a vaguely-related note, here's a bold statement: If WCW didn't go under, Sean O' Haire would've become the biggest star in the business.

[Nighthawk 0]

It was those gartered tights he wore. One of the worst choices in ring attire ever. At least it made some sense when he dressed like a stripper for some reason, but he still wore them when he was supposed to be a pilot or whatever Jason Jett was.

[cameron chaos 0]

Too small and didn't have a "look" the WWE were interested in. I have to say though, in the dying days of WCW, he played the crowd like a pro. I remember him pulling an "playing possum" spot where he shhh'd the crowd to cooperate and trick his opponent. I thought that was genius at the time.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

I was surprised that Mike Awesome never made a name for himself stateside outside of ECW. I mean, he's big...what else do you NEED to get over with Vince?

[SinToxic 0]

I have wondered the same, not only was Mike big but he was also agile. It must have been his years as a garbage wrestler that never made WWE or WCW consider a better spot for him. Also he didnt quite have the face of the new era hoss.

 

EZ Money must be around or even over 30 now. By the time guys of his statue were getting pushes in WWE it seemed like he had already lost the ambition.

[Guest Hass of Pain]

For whatever reason, when WWE absorbed 26 or so contracts when they bought WCW, they never brought in a few guys at the outset of the Invasion despite them being better than a lot of the guys they did bring in (Jindrak etc). WWE didn't like EZ Money's style at all, and he and Mike Sanders were two guys that Johnny Ace never cared for, and eventually they were cut. Elix Skipper was cut before he was ever used on WWE television as well.

 

Honestly, I think that all three guys would be big stars in WWE right now had WWE brought them in at the beginning of the Invasion as they were all talented enough to get over on their own, but the fact that they were shipped off to HWA and never even given an opportunity in the WWE at the time of the purchase of WCW is why they never made it big in my opinion.

 

I never really cared for Mike Awesome and I think the reason he never made it big in the States was because he had a weird look and a bad promo style.

[Precious Roy 0]

According to Awesome he had problems with the backstage politics and then with a knee injury that cost him his spot. There's a review of his RF shoot on this site.

 

Personally, I think he was dead in North America as soon as WCW started fucking with his character, with the fat chick and 70's guy shit. He should have been booked the way a guy like Snitsky is now, a goofy psycho, except Awesome could actually work to back it up.

[Guest MikeSC]

Jason Jett was supernova-over in WCW's dying days. On a vaguely-related note, here's a bold statement: If WCW didn't go under, Sean O' Haire would've become the biggest star in the business.

I doubt it. O'Haire tanked in the WWE because he was, quite simply, pure shit in the ring. He was hardly amazing in WCW. People, myself included, went nuts because he had worlds of potential.

 

He just didn't come close to realizing it.

 

If he stayed in WCW, he would've been pushed far beyond what his drawing power would have ever warranted. Much like Scott Steiner was.

I was surprised that Mike Awesome never made a name for himself stateside outside of ECW. I mean, he's big...what else do you NEED to get over with Vince?

Something resembling a personality of sorts?

-=Mike

[IWD 0]

EZ Money must be around or even over 30 now.

Probably over 30. He debuted in 1990, so had been wrestling 10 years before he showed up in ECW in mid-1990.

 

Cheers.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Something resembling a personality of sorts?

 

You say that like the half-dozen other random goons they've thrown on TV in the past few months have had a personality.

 

It just boggles my mind that Vince had a guy who was 6'6", 300 pounds, and was willing to do things like topes and take sick bumps, and yet he did NOTHING with him. I mean, these days he has guys who are the same size and don't seem to be willing (or capable) to do anything outside of a bodyslam, and they get main-event pushes. I mean, the hell?

[Some Guy 0]

Mike Awesome is not 6'6" nor 300lbs, I think he's 6'3" and was probably 270lbs in WWF, which would make him about the size of the Rock and with nowhere near the personality. He looked really big in ECW and Japan because the ECW and Japanese guys were short, which is oneof the reasons most of them were in ECW and not WWF.

[Guest Hass of Pain]

I agree that Mike Awesome is more or less unmarketable. I don't even think a lot of ECW fans bought into him, and that's saying something considering how brainwashed they were when it came to anything Heymen fed them. Sure the guy is big and can move, but I don't think he's THAT great of a worker even after seeing some of his Gladiator stuff from Japan. His personality and voice make him just annoying to watch for the most part, and his WCW gimmick was pretty fitting as the guy seems to have come from a time warp from the 70's. His debut and win for the hardcore title was terrible and he's completely unconvincing as an actor, even when compared to guys like Skitksy or Sid. I wasn't too suprised WWE got rid of him.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Awesome was over because he destroyed people who were 7-8 inches shorter than him by powerbombing them into China. Once WCW stripped him of that and gave him a gimmick, he sucked.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

I'm doing some checking around on Awesome's stats - every single place I'm looking gives his height as 6'6", which I know is what he was billed at in ECW. I mean, I know that billed height =/= real height, but he must've been somewhere in the general area, or at least as big as other guys billed at about 6'6".

 

I also know that he did lose a lot of what made him good in ECW just by working in promotions where he was about average height; in ECW he was bigger then everyone.

 

And I know he wasn't a great worker or actor; but the thing is, I just find it hard to understand that Vince, a guy who's known for taking useless slugs with no wrestling skill and putting them on TV just because they're big, saw Mike Awesome and didn't do ANYTHING with him.

 

Like, I just don't see the difference between Awesome and some of these other random goons, besides the fact that Awesome actually had a few years in the biz and had a better idea of how to work.

 

Like, I don't think that even if he was pushed hard there would be any guarantee he would have gotten over in the fed; I just find it hard to believe that they didn't even try, know what I mean?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Awesome was probably around 6'4 at the most. Working with smaller guys for so long made him look bigger than he is. Masato Tanaka is about 5'9, and Awesome was only 6 inches or so taller, so you do the math.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Yeah, but it's not like he's the only guy in wrestling who ever gave his height as more then it was.

 

And it's not like 6'4" is small.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

And it's not like 6'4" is small.

In WWE it's average. When most guys are around the 6'4 mark, it's hard to look like a monster when you're 6'4 yourself, and there aren't that many people around for you to toss like lawn darts. Not to mention the host of hosses also making the 6'4 guys look smaller.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

In WWE it's average.

 

I know. I already said that.

 

Look, all I'm really saying is that, even though he was not as big in relative terms when he got the the WWE, he was by no means small, and he still had more experience then a lot of the guys they put on TV.

 

I just don't see why he wasn't given more of a chance. I mean, hell, the first feud I can remember him having in the fed was with the Hardy boys; had he been able to use his size there and been given more of a push over them, he could have gotten over. But if I recall correctly, he didn't do too well in that feud, and was doing the weekend shows in short order before being let go.

 

It just surpises me that Vince didn't give him more of a chance.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Apart from throwing small guys around, he could only really brawl. If it was a regular match, unless he was in with an exellent worker to carry him, it invariably stunk. As good as Awesome looked when his limitations were being booked around, the WWF was unable or unwilling to do the same, so he was never going to look good there.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

I think the idea of Awesome was always better than what he actually brought. If we're thinking of big guys who can work, than someone like Lesnar is far far superior.

 

Although, I was a big fan of the Awesome/Storm tag team. I think that could have been a success in WWE.

 

Someone who never made it as big as they should have - 2 Cold Scorpio.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Apart from throwing small guys around, he could only really brawl.

 

Again, I don't see how this is any different from all the other random guys they bring in who can't even do that very well.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Apart from throwing small guys around, he could only really brawl.

 

Again, I don't see how this is any different from all the other random guys they bring in who can't even do that very well.

Other guys aren't usually from WCW and ECW, and so won't be booked to fail.

[Nighthawk 0]

2 Cold Scorpio is another guy who didn't have a good look, both naturally and with what he chose to wear.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Other guys aren't usually from WCW and ECW, and so won't be booked to fail.

 

Actually...I think that explains everything.

 

You shoulda just brought that up in the first place.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Scorpio burned his WWF bridge by creating a scene at the hotel where the wrestlers were stayin for WM XIII. It was something to do with his gf/wife, and it was pretty negative.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

Ah, I didn't know that.

 

It's a shame. The guy had so much ability.

[Guest MikeSC]

Something resembling a personality of sorts?

 

You say that like the half-dozen other random goons they've thrown on TV in the past few months have had a personality.

Nope, Garrison Cade didn't have one, either. And, like Awesome, he never really got a push. And you don't see Tomko doing squat.

It just boggles my mind that Vince had a guy who was 6'6", 300 pounds, and was willing to do things like topes and take sick bumps, and yet he did NOTHING with him.

He just wasn't that good in the ring.

 

And absolutely inept on the mic.

 

And the "Vince buries ECW guys" myth makes no sense, since Vince kinda kept the company afloat.

-=Mike

[LessonInMachismo 0]

Awesome was probably around 6'4 at the most. Working with smaller guys for so long made him look bigger than he is. Masato Tanaka is about 5'9, and Awesome was only 6 inches or so taller, so you do the math.

Kevin Nash, in that drunken interview from 3/2001 that I posted a few weeks back, pointed out how it was stupid for WCW to book Awesome against him right off the bat, thereby exposing his actual size. Hey, Nash can make good points...sometimes.

 

<<Scorpio burned his WWF bridge by creating a scene at the hotel where the wrestlers were stayin for WM XIII. It was something to do with his gf/wife, and it was pretty negative.>>

 

Like what? Did he have a fight with her or something?