CanadianGuitarist 0 Report post Posted June 28, 2005 Mick Foley mentions, in his first book, which I was just re-reading, the value of a year, when Stone Cold had no merchandise in October 96, but was a huge draw in October 97, and thus on. Can anyone else think of any huge differences within a year? The Rock 97/98 spirngs to mind. A nobody with the NOD in October 97, the most over wrestler behind Austin and soon to be World Champ in October 98. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snuffbox 0 Report post Posted June 28, 2005 Sting - 87/88. Went from a comically nothing tag team with the Dingo (ultimate) Warrior to a hugely over face after his Clash draw with Flair. Bradshaw - 2003/2004. Went from low-midcard tag team to long-reigning WWE Champion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JerichosHi-Lite Report post Posted June 28, 2005 John Cena 2002/2003- went from green rookie with no fan response to a super-cool, huge fan response, main-eventing, merchandise goldmine Batista 2004/2005- I don't need to elaborate. What's incredible is that he actually hasn't changed one iota, yet somehow he's getting the biggest pops in the company. Trish Stratus- 2001/2002- went from fan-apathy non-wrestler slut to the centre of the women's division eliciting impressive responses. And it only got better from there. There are probably a ton more but those are the first three that came to mind Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0 Report post Posted June 28, 2005 HHH: January 1999/January 2000. From being lost in the midcard with a fading DX gimmick, to the rise to the top of the company which he has yet to back down from. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deancoles 0 Report post Posted June 28, 2005 DDP: 96 - 97, went from a feud with Chavo Guerrero Jr. over a ring to a feud with Randy Savage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisMWaters 0 Report post Posted June 28, 2005 Jarrett..97-98. Still doing Double J to "Don't Piss Me Off" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Fook Report post Posted June 29, 2005 In the opposite direction, RVD in 2001-2002. When he first came in he was getting one of the biggest face reactions in the company and he was a heel. He was arguably the hottest thing they had going and his acrobatic spots were a breath of fresh air. Fast forward to 2002 when his moves have been hampered by the WWE style, he's stuck in the midcard, and buried by HHH. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zyn081 0 Report post Posted June 29, 2005 When he first came in he was getting one of the biggest face reactions in the company and he was a heel. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I would call him a heel very losely by default that he was on the heel side. He personally did very little that was heelish IIRC. He was more of a tweener. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UseTheSledgehammerUh 0 Report post Posted June 30, 2005 Actually, JBL went from "low-card tag team losing at PPVs" (No Way Out 2004, WM 2004) to "Main Event World Champion" (Judgment Day, Great American Bash) in just a couple months. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UseTheSledgehammerUh 0 Report post Posted June 30, 2005 And how about that guy... The Undertaker Survivor Series 90: Not on the roster, debuts as a "mystery partner" Survivor Series 91: Pins Hulk Hogan, WWF Champion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kahran Ramsus 0 Report post Posted June 30, 2005 93/94 and 96/97 are the big ones. From 93 to 94 was the end of the 80s basically and the start of the New Generation. Hogan was gone. Savage was basically retired although still wrestled occasionally. Flair was gone. Dibiase was gone. Heenan was gone. Jimmy Hart was gone. Mean Gene was gone. Beefcake was gone. Hennig might as well have been gone. Bossman was gone. We were in the midst of the longest heel run since Billy Graham. Basically every character had undergone a big transformation except for Bret Hart, Yoko, Shawn, IRS & Bam Bam. The new big players were Owen Hart (JTTS in 93), Razor Ramon (big face turn and IC Title run), Lex Luger (complete gimmick change) and Diesel (bodyguard in 93). The entire company was pretty much changed around. Likewise 96/97 was the change into the Attitude Era with a complete makeover of the product. Diesel, Razor, Warrior & Jarrett were sent packing and in their places were Mankind, Steve Austin, The Rock & HHH (being treated seriously for the first time in his career). The biggest star in the company for the past 5 years, Bret Hart, was turned heel and given a controversial heel group. Steve Austin went from loudmouth heel to the biggest star the industry's ever seen. Taker got his first real main event run in 1997 after years of fans complaining that he was underpushed. I'm sure the transition in 83/84 is a big deal too, but that was before my time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
