Who do you think would get a bigger return pop during a WWE Raw in MSG: Batista, Jeff Hardy or Kurt Angle? Lets hypothetically assume as well that no dirtsheet gets wind of it.
I think that Batista is the one that people are assuming will happen again at some point, and he's also the one who's on the best terms with WWE, plus he's gonna be a bigger star by way of his movie stuff, so I'd go with him. Kurt Angle would get a pretty big reaction, but the chances of that happening are lessening by the minute.
And probably even more unlikely, I could see Sting getting a monster reaction as well.
ReplyDeleteBut that wouldn't be a "return", would it?
ReplyDeleteI think Ric Flair would still get a bigger reaction than any of those three guys.
Zombie Chris Benoit
ReplyDeleteZombie Eddy Guerrero.
ReplyDeleteRob Zombie? http://newsroom.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/zombieraw_281.jpg
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGvfVf4BNhk
ReplyDelete1. Batista
ReplyDelete2. Kurt Angle
3. Jeff Hardy
798. Braden Walker
799. Ricky Ortiz
ReplyDeleteKurt Angle is damaged goods, now. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteI concur, it's gotta be Batista. Kurt Angle is universally beloved and MSG would be a 'smarter' audience, but Dave is a) a monster and 2) was an absolute STAR during his time at the top. Kurt, on the other hand, sometimes played a goofy heel, a somewhat generic babyface... and he wasn't often the focal point of top storylines.
Also, Batista's absence certainly left a greater void.
And as for Jeff Hardy?
ReplyDeleteHe's similar to Kurt for two reasons I can think of, only to a worse degree:
ReplyDelete1. Never was the focal point/hardly a main eventer
2. Has still had exposure to the wrestling world via TNA
Even when Flair and Foley (though he comes back all the time) returned briefly, it's like "eh, you've been around."
JAMIE NOBLE, BOY!
ReplyDelete800. Armbar!
ReplyDeleteWho would have ever thought that the stench of Ric Flair would be offset by Ricky Ortiz?
ReplyDeleteThis would blow the roof off MSG:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YoasQOe7Mo
I bet if Bruno made one classy cameo, it would pop well.
ReplyDeleteA little off topic, but it was neat to see him on the Pittsburgh mural at Primanti Bros. C'mon, Brono and Mr. Rogers?
801: Gavin Spears.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad we never got the pop that would dwarf all three of those put together. Randy.
ReplyDeleteBatista was obviously the biggest star of the three, but I don't think he was as over with live audiences as Jeff was for pretty much the entirety of his latest WWE run.
ReplyDeleteYeah. He and Bill Mulkey would get a huge nostalgia pop.
ReplyDelete1001: HHH
ReplyDeleteIn a smark-heavy setting like MSG? Angle would definitely get the biggest pop.
ReplyDeleteIf his last return is anything to go by, he's pretty several hundred spots higher than that.
ReplyDeleteNot gonna lie...I would mark the FUCK out of Batista ever came back.
ReplyDeleteI thought I heard there was a strong possibility after he finishes filming Guardians of the Galaxy.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't watching the whole time Batista was on top. I didnt actually know he was ever the focal point of the company. Wasnt Cena still the man during that whole period? Did he ever get last match at Wrestlemania?
ReplyDeleteAngle on the other hand did get a last match at Mania. And at one point he was the best all around pro wrestler in the world. (Awesome worker, great on the mic, cool gimmick) And MSG fans don't forget that.
I guess you could say all those things about Batista but as I mentioned I wasn't watching during that period so he's still just Hunters meathead lackey in my mind.
Also if Batista is getting regular work in movies I don't see a reason why he'd come back. He's no spring chicken.
And MSG has apparently made their rates unreasonably expansive so the chances of WWE going back there are as slim as any of those guys returning anytime soon.
Jeff Hardy would probably get booed.
I see what you did there.
ReplyDeleteThat one's missing a little... panache. And tears. (The wet kind, not the quad kind.)
ReplyDeleteWell, that's not fucked up at all.
ReplyDeleteDoes a fleeting moment of heat compete with bona fide stardom? At least Angle and Batista are stars for life; Jeff is perennially a tightrope walker who has the ability to get to the other side, but opts to wear high heels. Or something.
ReplyDeleteHe walks a tightrope while wearing a bong on one foot, a bottle of booze on the other, all the while squeezing water laced with LSD into his eyes.
ReplyDeleteAnalogies. Good fun.
What kind of pop do you think Hogan would get?
ReplyDeleteA pop of the busted hymen variety.
ReplyDelete...You're talking about Brooke, right?
Savage took Brooke's cherry too? Damm.
ReplyDeleteHe worked all of us with that whole faked death thing.
ReplyDelete'I wasn't watching the whole time Batista was on top. I didnt actually know he was ever the focal point of the company. Wasnt Cena still the man during that whole period? Did he ever get last match at Wrestlemania?
ReplyDeletethe main/last of wm 21 was batista/hhh
how did he suplex the ref? in the old ps2 games i played (sym, hctp) earl hebner reversed me every goddamn time I went for him
ReplyDeletethe ecw zombie!
ReplyDelete'That one's missing a little... panache.'
ReplyDeletethis totes made me think of pancakes. i think im'a go there
I think it's Tito Ortiz
ReplyDeleteWho cares about "pops"?
ReplyDeleteMoms?
ReplyDeleteI think Batista vs. Lesnar is a great special attraction to move toward, if Dave is available for Wrestlemania. Cena vs. Undertaker, Punk vs. Bryan, Lesnar vs. Batista
ReplyDeleteSo THAT'S what's in his stupid face paint.
ReplyDeleteThey wouldn't have to worry about tearing down MSG if Kurt Angle made his big return there.
ReplyDeleteThey wouldn't have to worry about tearing down MSG if Kurt Angle made his big return there.
ReplyDeleteThey wouldn't have to worry about tearing down MSG if Kurt Angle made his big return there.
ReplyDeleteThey wouldn't have to worry about tearing down MSG if Kurt Angle made his big return there.
ReplyDeleteIf Kurt Angle's music hit, MSG would just explode. It's gotta be him
ReplyDelete1502. Abraham Washington
ReplyDeleteYeah, Scott's crazy if he thinks Batista gets a bigger pop than Angle ANYWHERE...much less MSG.
ReplyDelete"You thought I was dead but... I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIED!"
ReplyDeleteMan everyone is missing the joke here. N00bs!
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm sandwiches with fries on them... man I miss Pittsburgh...
ReplyDeleteYeah I don't get the whole thing about Batista being this megastar. I'd put him last out of the three on return pops actually.
ReplyDeleteSame. I always viewed him as a level below the others (once the awesome Wrestlemania 21 build up was over) and Angle for sure is a a level above him... and even though I am no Hardy fan I think he is a level above as well.
ReplyDeleteI get it, but its a thin premise, so I just wanna go on naming ECWWE guys who got turfed quickly and probably spend their lives futiley trying to convince people that they wrestled in WWE. I'm honestly more fascinated by what the post WWE life is for DJ Gabriel or KC James or Eric Escobar, or one of the lesser Spirit Squad guys, than I am the typical wrestling washouts. Do any of tthese poor pricks still wrestle? Do they try to trade on whatever glimmer of fame they thought they might have from WWE? Its interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteThat's the spirit!
ReplyDeleteBeat me to it. That gag doesn't get old.
ReplyDeleteThis is sick, stop the match.
ReplyDelete1. Angle
ReplyDelete2. Hardy
3. Big Dave
I would think that if they wanted to stay in the wresting business that they could make a livable (albeit frustrating) amount of money using it to work the indy circuit who treat anyone that has ever been on TVas far bigger of a deal than they actually are.
ReplyDeleteThe indy promotion here that I somewhat work with (mostly I sit in the crowd and tell my owner/friend my perspective as someone that "gets" it) has some guy that was in one of the combinations of jobbers that Ryback squashed early on coming next week... and he is being treated like the second coming of Bruno or some shit. Personally I think it is a poor business move that makes you look Busch League but it seems to be pretty common.
But it has to be the one in the Strip or Oakland- the suburban ones are just not as good.
ReplyDeleteWould he be fighting the ECW Zombie?
ReplyDeleteBut if I am in Oakland I must resist the temptation to eat at The O instead... again I miss Pittsburgh...
ReplyDeleteOnce I hit my 30's it became easier to the O.I mean you can really only overlook how dirty the place is when you are drunk and trying to get your entire weeks worth of carbs in one meal, and I don't want to be the strange old guy trying to drink with college kids.... but point taken, it is a great place despite itself.
ReplyDeleteQuarter drafts at Zeldas and $4 O Pizza= What college is all about.
Andy Kaufman, revealing he'd faked his death.
ReplyDeleteBatista's time at the top was short-lived but he was definitely "the man" from the beginning of 2005 through Summerslam. Cena was constantly playing second fiddle, even as WWE Champion to Batista's WHC.
ReplyDeleteThen Cena usurped him and never looked back.
See my "local" company, 2CW, they get it. Colin Delaney is a regular there but he's never booked as being superior to even Kevin Steen or The Briscoes when they appeaar, and his gimmick is completely different.
ReplyDeleteThat's cool. I find it frustrating (though I must admit I understand the logic behind it, despite disagreeing with it) in that it undermines the guys that are there week in and week out, not only not getting paid but are actually paying to be there in some cases as they are still students at the school. The promotion draws 200 - 400 (which is a lot to consistently draw for an indy show in my view) people every week to its show and the shows with a "big name" do not increase attendance at all and in my view make the local talent look even more small time because they are booked lower than even the jobbiest of jobbers in WWE. I wish I had the funding because I think I could run a profitable indy promotion and eventually promote some guys to national stardom.
ReplyDeleteAs far as stardom goes, Batista's a lot bigger than Angle and it's not even close. Batista's still the second biggest star (after Cena) WWE's made post-Attitude Era. Hardy's a bit closer to Big Dave's level, but they (understandably) never really pulled the trigger with Hardy
ReplyDeleteBatista would probably get the smallest pop of the three, but he was easily the biggest star of the three.
ReplyDeleteYou could argue that Jeff is a bigger star than Angle. Angle was never a huge draw, whereas Hardy had Cena-level merch sales in 2008/2009 and was the hottest guy in the company.
ReplyDeleteAs Your_Favourite_Asshole says, Batista headlined 'Mania 21 with HHH. Also, while he spent most of his WWE career as the 1b to Cena (and for a short period HHH), Batista was still a much bigger star than Angle.
ReplyDeleteHardy definitely wouldn't get booed. While he has his detractors on the net, he was pretty much universally over with live audiences, "mark" and "smark" crowds (like MSG) alike.
MSG would be full of hardcore predominantly male fans so I've got to go with Angle, Batista was hardly an internet darling like Angle was during his prime in WWE and soon as you switch from TNA to WWE like RVD recently all negatives go out the window, were a fickle bunch.
ReplyDeleteGood point, however merch sales do not equate to strong, positive reactions. *coughCenacough*
ReplyDeleteAngle is a god wherever he goes.
But this is Jeff Hardy we're talking about here, a guy who had both merch sales AND great reactions (better than Angle's, by the way).
ReplyDeletePeople were nuts for Angle from 2001 until the time he left, and was ordained with the world title really early on and never fell out of favour with the fans.
ReplyDeleteAngle's easily the bigger star. TNA's harmed his career, but it hasn't exactly done favours for Jeff either. Big fish in small ponds.
Oh, and Hardy's not a draw.
While I could be wrong, it seems that ratings-wise Hardy moves the needle for TNA more than Angle. I imagine someone with a WON subscription would be able to confirm or deny this.
ReplyDeleteAs far as their WWE careers go, however, Hardy was a bigger (merch) draw than Angle ever was. I'm also pretty sure that Angle was never a very big draw in general. I remember hearing Meltzer mention that in 2004, Cena (a midcarder) and Eddie were the main draws for SD house shows, with nary a mention of Angle or Big Show or whoever in sight.
Also, as for being in favour with fans, the only time in his WWE career I can remember Jeff not being super-hot was for a while in 2002 and 2003 before he went to TNA, and even then he got pretty big pops from the crowd.
TNA's needle doesn't move.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the 'SD house shows from 2004' go, I'd say that any information pertaining to that is unprecise and unscientific, to say the least: WWE and Smackdown specifically were in a slump; Angle and Show were heels who were absent for a lot/most of the year; there is no absolute way to measure "who-draws-what" on any given number of shows; etc. etc. Regardless, Angle was very seldom the focal point or set in a position TO DRAW. For instance, Cena and Batista were from WM21 onwards - give them the ball, let them run with it. Kurt was the champion for Brock to challenge, and that's how his career has always been.
So, it's not an appropriate comparison.
For the majority of his WWE career, Angle was in the upper echelon of main eventers (Triple H, HBK, Taker, etc.) Jeff doesn't have gravitas like that.
My knee jerk reaction is that Angle's music is the most recognizable and easiest to identify, so I'd think Angle would get the biggest pop.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY! I dont even remember Batistas theme and only recall the awesome machine gun and pyro from his entrance, (after he stopped doing the "super manly" flexing)
ReplyDelete