An angle/character idea I have

[JoeDirt 0]

This idea came up when discussing over at the DVDVR boards how Mark Henry signed that huge 10 year deal with the WWF and it's almost like they booked him in all this horrible shit trying to get him to quit. So with that, my brain started turning...

 

And now I have an angle idea...tell me what you think:

 

So a character is hyped up with a month of vignettes for his debut to (for example) WWE. Big hype about how he's going to be the next big thing (no Lesnar pun intended) and all that. So he makes his debut in a match against someone like Val Venis or Steven Richards or Hardcore Holly or whoever...you know, a guy that always loses to the "big new star" in his first match. So they have this match, and the new guy loses.

 

The GM of whichever show is frustrated that his big investment lost in his first match, and is visibly upset backstage, but thinks it's a fluke so he sends him out the next week, and the new "big star" loses again to another similar type wrestler.

 

This continues for a few weeks. Finally, the GM brings the new talent into his office and says that they signed him to a big five year contract with the idea that he was going to be the next big superstar in wrestling, but it's clear that he's not, so they want him out of there. The wrestler says they can't do anything because he's under contract, and unless he breaks his contract, they can't make him leave, and he gets to keep collecting a paycheck.

 

So the next few weeks or months its constant games of cat and mouse between the GM and the new wrestler. Picture the Seinfeld episode where George tries to stay at that company to earn his full salary even though they want him to get the hell out of there. The GM puts him an embarrassing situations, tries to put him in tough matches, has people beat the crap out of him, plots ways for the wrestler to miss his flight so he misses the show, tries to get women to seduce him to change his mind and just leave.

 

And of course through all this the wrestler gets better, and develops into the talent he was meant to be when he first signed on. And then, you have a real superstar on your hands.

 

So what do you think of my *awesome* idea?

[LessonInMachismo 0]

This continues for a few weeks. Finally, the GM brings the new talent into his office and says that they signed him to a big five year contract with the idea that he was going to be the next big superstar in wrestling, but it's clear that he's not, so they want him out of there. The wrestler says they can't do anything because he's under contract, and unless he breaks his contract, they can't make him leave, and he gets to keep collecting a paycheck.

 

So the next few weeks or months its constant games of cat and mouse between the GM and the new wrestler. Picture the Seinfeld episode where George tries to stay at that company to earn his full salary even though they want him to get the hell out of there. The GM puts him an embarrassing situations, tries to put him in tough matches, has people beat the crap out of him, plots ways for the wrestler to miss his flight so he misses the show, tries to get women to seduce him to change his mind and just leave.

You've been reading the PWT interview with Nash, haven't you?

[JoeDirt 0]

This continues for a few weeks. Finally, the GM brings the new talent into his office and says that they signed him to a big five year contract with the idea that he was going to be the next big superstar in wrestling, but it's clear that he's not, so they want him out of there. The wrestler says they can't do anything because he's under contract, and unless he breaks his contract, they can't make him leave, and he gets to keep collecting a paycheck.

 

So the next few weeks or months its constant games of cat and mouse between the GM and the new wrestler. Picture the Seinfeld episode where George tries to stay at that company to earn his full salary even though they want him to get the hell out of there. The GM puts him an embarrassing situations, tries to put him in tough matches, has people beat the crap out of him, plots ways for the wrestler to miss his flight so he misses the show, tries to get women to seduce him to change his mind and just leave.

You've been reading the PWT interview with Nash, haven't you?

Actually I haven't, no. Why?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

This idea came up when discussing over at the DVDVR boards how Mark Henry signed that huge 10 year deal with the WWF and it's almost like they booked him in all this horrible shit trying to get him to quit.

They were trying to get him to quit.

[JoeDirt 0]

This idea came up when discussing over at the DVDVR boards how Mark Henry signed that huge 10 year deal with the WWF and it's almost like they booked him in all this horrible shit trying to get him to quit.

They were trying to get him to quit.

Well hell, a lot of the best storylines come from reality, right?

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

How is making a character look like crap going to get him over? It's just going to make him look like crap.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

This idea came up when discussing over at the DVDVR boards how Mark Henry signed that huge 10 year deal with the WWF and it's almost like they booked him in all this horrible shit trying to get him to quit.

They were trying to get him to quit.

Well hell, a lot of the best storylines come from reality, right?

True. This, however, is not one of them.

[BUTT 0]

How come Henry wrestled his one match with Lawler at Mind Games and then didn't wrestle for over a year? I'm guessing he was injured, right? Or did they feel he needed more training?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

How come Henry wrestled his one match with Lawler at Mind Games and then didn't wrestle for over a year? I'm guessing he was injured, right? Or did they feel he needed more training?

He broke his leg during training.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

How is making a character look like crap going to get him over? It's just going to make him look like crap.

Jericho got over by losing a string of matches in his "Conspiracy Victim" angle, course that was based on a heel turn but it did happen

 

I think the heat would come off of the GM at first and the wrestler (obviously a face) would be seen as trying to be plucky, a "comeback kid" of sorts that you see in non-scripted sports were sometimes that over-hyped pheonom just becomes a productive player

 

It also depends on how long the angle lasts as well, it can't last more than three months of shows before becoming a running gag

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

If a much hyped wrestler loses his first match in to a proven scrub like Val Venis, you can forget about him being a major player. In time, you might be able to make a credible midcarder out of the guy, but if a guy who is hyped up for ages gets beaten by a nobody, then you've just wasted all that hype, because most of his potential juice just go flushed down the toilet.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

If a much hyped wrestler loses his first match in to a proven scrub like Val Venis, you can forget about him being a major player. In time, you might be able to make a credible midcarder out of the guy, but if a guy who is hyped up for ages gets beaten by a nobody, then you've just wasted all that hype, because most of his potential juice just go flushed down the toilet.

Rocky Miavia?

 

It can be done

 

I don't think its meant that he is squashed by the scrub, maybe scrub wins on a fluke, maybe scrub absorbs the offense, then fights back which surprises the hell out of the guy and the scrub picks off the win that way

 

I never understood why losses are generally given so much heat in terms of fan reaction. If the vinegetts work in getting the guy over, and future matches show that he is working on improving and proving them wrong it can get the person over.

 

Plus shouldn't it be a week-to-week thing with heat I mean just because Wrestler A lost one week means that he can't win the next week. This isn't boxing where losses really do count towards rankings

 

Steve

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Rocky was undefeated on televison for months into his debut.

 

For a much hyped guy to lose his first match in to a scrub is the kiss of death as far as reaching his true potential. Yes, you might be able to salvage something out of the guy, but to lose to someone seen as a jobber in your first match after a ton of hype will see most of that potential thrown away. It's just that simple.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Rocky was undefeated on televison for months into his debut.

 

For a much hyped guy to lose his first match in to a scrub is the kiss of death as far as reaching his true potential. Yes, you might be able to salvage something out of the guy, but to lose to someone seen as a jobber in your first match after a ton of hype will see most of that potential thrown away. It's just that simple.

But wouldn't he get sympathy heat by default thanks to a real pissed off GM's heel heat? And obviously he'd get the "Well he tried his best out there" lines pushed on him from the babyface announcers

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

But wouldn't he get sympathy heat by default thanks to a real pissed off GM's heel heat?  And obviously he'd get the "Well he tried his best out there" lines pushed on him from the babyface announcers

Name one babyface who got to the top level because the people felt sorry for him.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

But wouldn't he get sympathy heat by default thanks to a real pissed off GM's heel heat?  And obviously he'd get the "Well he tried his best out there" lines pushed on him from the babyface announcers

Name one babyface who got to the top level because the people felt sorry for him.

Okay, I am really just talking about the length of the storyline, which would be forgotten come a couple of months after the storyline ends and the babyface goes into other angles and storylines. We are talking about a business where angles and storylines tend to get forgotten months after they end

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

If a much hyped guy loses to a scrub on his debut, the people will remember. That kind of thing, where a heavily hyped wrestler loses to a jobber in his debut, isn't easily forgotten, no matter what certain people think.

[Jericholic82 0]

But wouldn't he get sympathy heat by default thanks to a real pissed off GM's heel heat?  And obviously he'd get the "Well he tried his best out there" lines pushed on him from the babyface announcers

Name one babyface who got to the top level because the people felt sorry for him.

Mikey Whipwreck.

 

though most of you probably will ignore ECW here.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

But wouldn't he get sympathy heat by default thanks to a real pissed off GM's heel heat?  And obviously he'd get the "Well he tried his best out there" lines pushed on him from the babyface announcers

Name one babyface who got to the top level because the people felt sorry for him.

Mikey Whipwreck.

 

though most of you probably will ignore ECW here.

You're joking, right ?

 

Mikey was only a cult favorite while getting sympathy, and by the time he had risen up the card, he was considered a gutsy underdog, but was no longer someone the fans felt sorry for, because he could clearly hold his own.

 

And as much of a fan of ECW as I am, let's not kid ourselves about how big they truly were.

[Jericholic82 0]

That was the only name I could think of that got a "world" title reign/push based on sympathy alone. I only was answering the question directly.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

When I said top level, I was talking about the top level, as in becoming a major name.

[Jericholic82 0]

When I said top level, I was talking about the top level, as in becoming a major name.

ok man, I figured you meant that but I just threw the mikey name out there to see what everyone thought.

 

 

however, this idea could work with the right person in the role.

[geniusMoment 0]

I once had an idea where a wrestler thought he was actually a dinosaur. He would come stomping down toward the ring, roaring as if a dinosaur. He would not have any offensive moves except just running toward his opponent and trying to rip him apart with his teeth. It was the best idea ever, too bad I forgot about it.

[King Cucaracha 0]

^ That was truly a genius moment.

 

 

...

 

 

Anyway, if they had no plans to make this new guy a main eventer, then the storyline might work. The guy wouldn't get above IC Title level though. And it'd be a slow build storyline, something which the WWE has proven it's not patient enough to do as much as it should.

 

EDIT: I could see it working in the indies, along the lines of Chris Hero's losing streak. Maybe a big(ish) name from Japan coming to ROH.

 

HTQ- Would Eugene count as someone who got success because fans felt sorry for him? Or do the 'he doesn't know his own strength' skits mean he was just an underdog?