Loss Posted September 20, 2005 Report Share Posted September 20, 2005 Yes, this sounds like a weird topic, but browsing through some of the DVDs, I noticed that most wrestlers looked like the average Joe 20 years ago, and now, they all look like bodybuilders. There's something perversely charming about someone the size of an Adrian Adonis or Buddy Rose bumping like crazy, and it's sad that if someone who looked out of shape had that amount of talent today, they wouldn't get an opportunity to showcase it, as wrestling is all about looks now. Here's hoping Trevor Murdoch makes it far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted September 20, 2005 Report Share Posted September 20, 2005 I always felt that fans related more to the fat guy or the obviously-not-steroid-assisted built guy. You watch an NBA game, and you know there's no way you could do what they do unless you're 7 feet tall. You watch someone like Arn Anderson, or Dusty, or Trevor Murdoch, and you think "hell, there's a chance someone like me could do that". I'd rather watch fat guys who could work over stiff assed bodybuilders any day of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted September 20, 2005 Report Share Posted September 20, 2005 I was watching the Best of the 80s DVD just yesterday and thinking the same thing. The WWF had tons of fat guys in the 80s and early 90s but pretty much none of them could work and none of them really bumped for anybody. Vince was always a mark for bodybuilders but he also liked the big fat guys. Wonder what happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WidowsPeak Posted September 20, 2005 Report Share Posted September 20, 2005 Wrestling needs more midgets actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyOwnSummer Posted September 20, 2005 Report Share Posted September 20, 2005 At least there's Samoa Joe for you Loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teke184 Posted September 20, 2005 Report Share Posted September 20, 2005 I think that fat guys SHOULD be able to make it in the big-time if given a chance. Buddy Rose sticks out in particular to me because I've been watching Famous Mortimer's WWF Classics comps which include a lot of footage of Buddy Rose circa 1981-1982. Buddy may have looked like shit even then, but it got him a LOT of heat and he was still good in the ring. (Every time he took off his robe, huge jeers of "Fatso! Fatso! Fatso!" rang out.) "Crippler" Ray Stevens also fell into this category during that time period, but that was partially due to all the crazy bumps he'd taken over time. Stevens, even when his body looked like absolute crap, could still bring it in in the ring due to psychology and his willingness to do what it took to get a match over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EastCoastJ Posted September 20, 2005 Report Share Posted September 20, 2005 I was just thinking about this earlier today in regards to how weird it is to see Trevor Murdoch on Raw in 2005 as he looks like some remnant from the 70's or 80's that was frozen in carbonite and released in the present. WWE needs a serious influx of normal looking people. It's gotten to the point where one has to look like a bodybuilder to get into World Wrestling Entertainment. The theory I have is that a 6'4" guy who looks like Randy Orton or Sylvan Grenier never has the need to develop any sort of personality. On the other hand, guys like Mick Foley, Dusty Rhodes and Roddy Piper probably had to rely on their personalities more than their looks when they were younger, and as a result the crowd can relate to them and they have strong enough personalities where they don't just have to pretend to be some character like Randy Orton does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted September 20, 2005 Report Share Posted September 20, 2005 I think they need tough looking people. Too many guys that are tanned w/ tats, that have styled hair, that wear pretty suits, that just looked gimmicked-up. How many people in the WWE look legitimately tough? Regal. That's about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Evil Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 The big problem is too many guys looks like pretty boy wimps. That's the look WWE wants but for wrestling it doesn't work. Yes, a couple of pretty boys on the roster is good but you can't have the whole roster filled with them. People say they want normal looking people on the roster but really that's the problem. Everyone is normal looking with the exception being that they're bigger and have more muscles. Hardly anybody has a look anymore that makes them stand out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teke184 Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 The big problem is too many guys looks like pretty boy wimps. That's the look WWE wants but for wrestling it doesn't work. Yes, a couple of pretty boys on the roster is good but you can't have the whole roster filled with them. People say they want normal looking people on the roster but really that's the problem. Everyone is normal looking with the exception being that they're bigger and have more muscles. Hardly anybody has a look anymore that makes them stand out. That can be at least partially chalked up to the WWE marketing machine mentality. For one, Vince McMahon is a fitness freak and wants all his guys to be as jacked up as he is or more. For another, guys who do have a distinct look are told to change it because it either infringes on someone else's look (all the long-haired guys vs. Triple H) or because they have to fit the mold in another way. Hell, they told Zach Gowan of all people to get a tan and go to the gym, despite the fact that his appeal was based on the fact that he DIDN'T look like a pro wrestler. They also ran off Frankie "The Future" Kazarian because, after they signed him, they decided a month later that he needed to drop his signature look and become one of their generic undercard guys. They wouldn't know what to do with an unorthodox potential superstar like a Samoa Joe if he fell into their laps complete with an instruction book on how to get him over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 I have no doubt that if WWE signed Samoa Joe, they'd want him to be a barefoot savage who wears bone necklaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Evil Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 The bodybuilding thing is good if the league wants to prosper. The last thing you want is a bunch of skinny guys off of the street that look they came from the indys. Of course it helps you preform better in the ring too. We are supposed to be watching cream of the crop atheletes. It'd just be nice and better if they could cut down on some of the drugs and overall mass. Bring in some guys who have some variety in their physiques. Otherwise, the big guys don't look as special. The tan and hair thing is stupid. Nothing speaks bland like your typical average boring haircut. The tan remark reminds me of them telling Dragon to get a tan. Screw that, the untanned body would've helped seperate him from the pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SweetMama Scaat Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 Rosey could be a soild midcard worker...and Im for serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted September 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 Rosey is a solid worker. Hardly a great one, but he's far from the worst guy on the roster. I loved his FAT GUY MOONSAULT on HHH a few months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 Yeah, his was almost Vader-esque in quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 Rosey is the most under-utilized talent in the WWE. The guy is one of their best actors and is an agile big-guy. There isn't any reason why the guy shouldn't be pushed stong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dorian Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Rudo, you are kinda forgetting that Rosey doesn't meet the standards of the WWE. He needs to lose weight and turn into a pretty boy if he wants a stellar push. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Danny Dubya v 2.0 Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 He'd have a better chance at that strong push if he reverted back to his original islander gimmick. He was quite badass in 3 Minute Warning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sass Posted October 1, 2005 Report Share Posted October 1, 2005 All Japan's Jamal is the best fat guy monster in wrestling right now. He's got the size, strength, speed and personality to get over with fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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