2011 Pro Wrestling Thread

Well, and also, the last time we saw Nash wasn't him getting fired, it was him leaving in a limo with John Laurinitis.

 

You know, there's that, too.

(Still in LOST mode, more than a year later. I like to think Easter eggs are everywhere.)

 

Maybe they were just talking about their favorite Legion of Doom title matches.

 

Yes, who was the last comedy act over enough to carry the title or a main storyline? Mick Foley, 1999.

 

I think it's a matter of the WWE not even giving the guy a chance to get over though. At one point, Santino and Haas were both really popular with fans, but instead of actually ever winning a match, all they ever did was perform in skits. Which is fine, but why not at least try to push them to a bit more? Give the guy a couple wins over Carlito, have him legitimately wrestle a bit, etc.

In Ryder's case, actually give him a match against Ziggler and have him compete for 15 minutes but ultimately lose. It can't be any worse than the shit they're currently doing with Ziggler, Swagger and Riley.

 

Foley wasn't totally a comedy act when he won the titles, although he was doing some goofy stuff, because he had the hardcore reputation. It shows how talented he really was (and still is on occasion). He could do comedy one minute, be serious and nasty the next.

Angle also comes to mind in that vein. He acted goofy in one storyline, then kickass shooter in the next, then back to goofball. Same with Jericho, Rock and Eddy Guerrero. They've never really had a total goofball like Santino as the WWE champion.

 

Absolutely agree with the final graf in this. Worst-case scenario, you give Ryder 15 mins with Ziggler/Rhodes/insert mid-card champ here, he doesn't cut it, you move on. There's not really a way to see whether they can work unless they actually, well, work.

 

Jericho and Edge came to mind to me as guys who made it big with mostly comedy angles. Jericho in WCW got over as much as they'd let him with Ralphus and some of his other antics (the man of 1,001 holds) and for a while he continued the comedy stuff in WWE, while Edge and Christian won/annoyed fans with things like their five-second poses. The difference between these guys and Santino is that they could produce in the ring, and at some point they moved away from the jokes because of that. The same thing could be done with Ryder if he were given a chance and produced. If he doesn't produce in the ring, then he just becomes a joke like Santino.

 

I honestly have no idea if Santino can actually wrestle, since they've never given him more than five minutes, except when he first, first came up.

 

That was awesome.

 

True. But I don't remember comedy being the dominant angle when they had the title/main storyline like when Foley did it. He started out as a hardcore guy, then got funny with the Socko stuff and then held a world title. Actually, it was a weird mixture of hardcore/comedy around '99. I mean, the guy had some brutal matches with the Rock, but I remember the "training" sketches he did with his former trainer DeNucci and a couple of other screwballs.

 

Jericho, Edge and Angle didn't make the final step until the shedded or tempered the comedic elements. But Jericho and Angle were established in their own ways when they went to the WWF, and Edge was marked early as a rising star. Foley started as a hardcore guy who eventually added comedic elements to his character, but that enhanced his character instead of overwhelming it.

Ryder and Marello aren't really in that boat. They have more in common with Eugene, who was actually a solid enough wrestler in developmental before they defined his character down with the we-won't-call-it-retardation-but-it-is schtick.

And really, there's nothing wrong with filling a niche. People -- not just wrestling fans but even promoters -- have an all-or-nothing approach to wrestlers. If they aren't rising to the top, they're nothing. When someone sticks around the midcard, it's like "oh, that guy's never going to do anything, why keep him around?" The only acceptable version are the veterans that hang around to lead the younger guys in matches (William Regal). But comedy acts, jobbers and midcarders have their places, even if that's all they ever are. So if Ryder is never anything but a flash in the social media pan, it's still a better fate then he would have gotten as part of the Major Brothers.