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1986 Scott Sez…

Hey Scott,

We just created a debate on the WrestleCrap.com daily survey question, and I'm curious as to how you and the BODers respond.

Given all the bitching we do about WWE and their sanitized, kid-friendly form of entertainment, the product does seem effective in getting kids to cheer Cena, Santino, Hornswoggle, and the broad bathroom humor. Of course, we all have our childhood guilty pleasures, stuff we couldn't believe we found entertaining at that age.

So the question: if you, Scott, were 8-10 years old today, and you watched WWE as it is now, given your sensibilities at that age, who would your favorite wrestler(s) be?

For me, in 1991-93, I cheered for the spot monkey heels, like Perfect and Shawn, so my answer would have to be Dolph.

I always cheered for the badass heels like the Four Horsemen and Randy Savage, so it’s likely that 10 year old Scott would be deeply into CM Punk and Brock Lesnar, although he’d probably be a little scared of Brock.  I’m sure Tyson Kidd would also be high on his list because he’s the local guy (more or less) and a decent analogue for Owen Hart at that age. 

On a totally tangential note, I really think there’s something to the Ziggler-Shawn comparison, in that Shawn was supposed to be this breakout star in 1995 and they fucked him over with the Sid turn, which only made people want to see him breakout even more.  I think there’s real potential with a Ziggler babyface turn and chase of the title and I’m kind of thinking they need to screw him out of the title to pull it off.  Because really, where does he fit into plans with the belt right now anyway?  Nowhere.  Although they’ve beat him so much since his one win against John Cena months ago that I don’t even know if putting the belt on him will save it at this point. 

Comments

  1. My first favorite was the Warrior, starting around WM5. After that, it was heel Shawn Michaels because he seemed cool. My close second was Bret Hart up until Shawn won the Royal Rumble, and then the cool midcarder I liked actually got a shot to be a big deal, and it's been Shawn since then.

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  2. Ryback is in that same boat as Ziggler, they dont seem to know where he fits into plans with the belt. Ryback wont have many fans on a forum like this but the guy seemed pretty over for a bit and now seems to be eating more losses than he should.

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  3. The big diff with Dolph over Shawn in 95 was that Sid was OVER. Shawn didn't have n the cult following yet. It made sense to get the easy money with Sid

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  4. Even as a little kid, I liked when the product took itself a little bit seriously and hated the Bushwhackers and made sure nobody was looking when they assaulted us with crap like the Gobbledy Gooker. I'm sure I would have absolutely loved Brock. I think Punk is someone I wouldn't have liked as a kid but come to appreciate as I got older, like Flair.

    Speaking of the Gobbledy Gooker, I heard something interesting on an old wrestling radio show from 1991 that I never heard previously -- I distinctly remember in the leadup to Survivor Series 1991, they'd mention the Gobbledy Gooker returning during the end of every Surivior Series report, but of course he never showed up and it was never mentioned again. Well they'd mentioned that it'd been discussed to have the ending to the UT/Hogan match with Flair coming out with the chair as it happened, but instead with Flair dressed as the Gooker and wander out and cost Hogan the title with the same scenario before he got unmasked later in the show. It sounds like they nixed the idea because they felt it was too close to the two unmasking angles WCW had just run with Steamboat and Rude.

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  5. I fuckin' loved me some Nash when I started watching. Sue me.

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  6. I always cheered for the badass heels like the Four Horsemen and Randy Savage


    So basically you were an ECW mutant before such a thing existed. :)

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  7. I don't know, I worry that if they turn Ziggler face, he'll just be another dopey, grinnin', joke-tellin' babyface. And we all know how well that worked out for Shawn in 1996.


    Then again, Shawn had some awesome fucking matches in 96, and Ziggler's insane bumping/selling lends him a natural sympathetic quality that makes you want to root for him, so maybe they might as well just turn him.

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  8. Eh. Ziggler exists in a strange quantum of being both incredibly cool and incredibly dorky at the same time. He's both a hyper-athletic mega-jock who bangs pornstars and trades jokes with comedians...he's also a super wrestling nerd who bleaches his hair to be like Ric Flair, wears zebra-print tights, listens to Dragonette and is named...Dolph...Ziggler.


    I think a face who is somewhat self-aware of his strange juxtaposition of WWE ultra-gimmickry and NWA athleticism could work. He's a dork who can work.

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  9. Warrior got me hooked, so I guess Ryback would be my favorite now. But considering that even as a kid friendly product, it fucking sucks so I probably wouldn't be watching.


    Turn Ziggler babyface, give him the Super Kick, and put him against Punk.

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  10. Hrm...I'd probably like Kofi and Gabriel, one of the first things that attracted me to wrestling was the athleticism of it, I'd despise Ryder, Cena, Santino and all those other joke characters. Didn't root for heels as a kid, so yeah. I think you have to be smark to really appreciate modern wrestling.

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  11. My favorites would probably be Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus and Brock Lesnar. I was a big fan of Shawn and Razor and two close equals to them are Dolph and Sheamus in ring. I was a big fan of Ken Shamrock too. Came off like a total badass. Which fits Brock to a tee.

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  12. The problem with Ziggler is that he makes people look TOO good. He's TOO good at selling. Too good at jobbing. So they use him in that role. We need Ryback to look good? Give 'em Ziggler. We need to put Sheamus over as a dominating champ? Give 'em Ziggy.

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  13. YankeesHoganTripleHFanFebruary 21, 2013 at 2:37 PM

    That moment was cool but I liked it even more then the Big Bossman was carrying around the ball and chain and he dropped it on Brother Love's stomach.

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  14. I remember someone posted a Scott Hall quote and I saw a video of him saying it. He was at some convention and he reminded Terry Funk of a time when Terry told Scott not to get too good at doing jobs because that's all you'll do. No one told Dolph Ziggler that.

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  15. Yeah watching Nash clean house at both Royal Rumble '94 and Survivor Series '94 was pretty fun to watch for a 10 year old.

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