Ringmaster 3:16
The gimmicks of wrestling's past show patience is the key to creating stars
By Scott Bowden
If I didn't know better, I'd swear Vince McMahon helped himself to a heaping of last week's Kentucky Fried Rasslin'. (I'm pulling a Vince Russo here, taking undeserved credit for a WWE turnaround. It certainly helped him get a job.)
The June 27 SMACKDOWN! saw Kurt Angle shed the toupee, setting up an apparent mega-push. A potential new star-John Cena-worked with Angle and had the best WWE debut in years, with the rookie gaining several near pinfalls on the former Olympic gold medallist. Man, Angle is really carrying guys to good matches like the old-school NWA World champs used to. I'd bet even that Angle could even have a decent bout with former WCW champ David Arquette at this point. (Don't get any crazy ideas, McMahon.) Tazz and Michael Cole did a great job getting the bout over as well. (Not quite on the level of former Memphis TV duo Lance Russell and Dave Brown, but I'll take it.)
Also on SMACKDOWN!, Hulk Hogan and McMahon had little TV time, and the Huckster even made Chris Jericho look good in the main event. The Undisputed strap was made to seem so important that Angle just wanted to touch it. And even though Undertaker is about as over as Al Snow nowadays, at least he's starting to come off like a fighting World champion. (I'd prefer that the WWE championship matches are kept to a minimum on TV, but first they really need to rebuild the credibility of the title.) Hell, so much of last week's column came to fruition in one night that I'm glad I made it clear that I was joking about them bringing back Scott Hall. Now if only they would do something about those Goldust skits on RAW.
Even on the RAW side, it looks like McMahon is committed to creating new stars, with Christopher Nowinksi (whose push is being a rushed a bit) gaining a pinfall on Bradshaw (who deserves better) in less than a minute on the July 1 RAW. Brock Lesnar even took the first steps at ridding himself of his Paul Heyman-mouthpiece when addressing Ric Flair on the same program. And with the exception of Heyman's unnecessary interference in their subsequent bout, Lesnar's victory over Flair was effective.
The thing about creating stars is that it takes time. This isn't the '80s and '90s, when Vince could pick off the hottest, experienced performers in the country from his competitors like Verne Gagne (Hogan, Jesse Ventura), Bill Watts (Junkyard Dog, Hacksaw Duggan) Jerry Jarrett (Randy Savage), Jim Crockett (Rick Rude, "Mean" Mark Callous a.k.a. the Undertaker) and transform them into WWE superstars.
Later acquisitions like Mick Foley and Steve Austin had the benefits of years of experience with the regional promotions that survived McMahon's initial raids (both worked for Memphis promoter Jarrett at one time) before they ever made it to Vince. Some in the business said that hell finally froze over when Vince started working with Jarrett in the early '90s, a partnership that included Jerry Lawler showing up on WWE television. This arrangement enabled Vince a trial run of sorts for his eventual "Mr. McMahon" character, with the WWE owner sending in promos bad-mouthing Lawler and the South. (Strangely enough, even WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel got into the act, sending in heel interviews that aired on Memphis TV.) More than that, though, Vince helped ensure that the Jarrett/Lawler territory, which used to thrive with an average of more than 8,000 fans at the weekly Mid-South Coliseum cards, survived dwindling crowds and continued to feed him future talent.
Suddenly, guys like Bret and Owen Hart, Savage and the Undertaker all showed up on Memphis (then-USWA) cards, usually as heels (unlike their WWF personas) to take on Lawler, who maintained his hometown babyface gimmick. Crowds did improve slightly (an Undertaker vs. Sid Vicious bout drew about 3,500 in Memphis), though never to the levels of days past.
Eventually, because of a lawsuit involving the ownership of the Memphis promotion, the controversial behind-the-scenes "leadership" of Lawler's friend Larry Burton, and problems with WMC-TV (which formerly covered the USWA show's production costs), the WWE/Memphis relationship fizzled. Although Lawler helped recently start another group in Memphis (after a brief stint showing classic matches), the Memphis wrestling that I knew as a kid-and later as a heel manager in the USWA-is dead. The King's new group airs taped shows from Mississippi casinos instead of the famed WMC-TV studio program that at one time was the third-highest rated show in Memphis-including all prime-time network programming, an incredible number for a morning program.
The WWE now uses Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) as its farm league to manufacture the stars of tomorrow, with former manager Jim Cornette the shop foreman. Cena, formerly known as Prototype, is a past OVW champ. The WWE also uses OVW for veterans coming back from injuries to regain their timing and occasionally as punishment-they demoted the Big Show to the area at one point, hoping it would serve as a fat camp. Show dropped a few pounds, learned a few moves and then was invited back, probably only because they'd invested so much money to begin with in the guy.
Of course, McMahon can also pick from Jarrett's new NWA: TNA promotion. Judging from the first show, the Flying Elvises-sans lame gimmick-could be snatched up today, along with A.J. Styles, who was supposedly offered a WWE developmental deal at one point. The Jarretts have so much stacked against them to begin with, although early numbers on the first weekly PPV show were higher than expected. Of course, that was the case with McMahon's XFL as well. (Apples and oranges maybe, but I'm sure a lot of people were curious about the NWA like they were McMahon's now-defunct football league...and the latter was on free TV.) If Vince takes even four of Jarrett's top guys (at least Jeff is sticking around), then they're in trouble. Current NWA World champ Ken Shamrock is only there because he supposedly couldn't reach a deal with Vince.
Without a better regional system or training ground, Vince's would-be stars have the disadvantage of learning on the fly, i.e., developing their personalities in front of national TV audiences. Again, it takes time-not all are naturals like the Rock and Angle, who both signed WWE developmental deals and were then sent to Memphis to hone their craft. Even after that, the Rock flopped badly as Rocky Maivia in his first year-with them being forced to use his negative fan response (even though he was supposed to be a babyface) to their advantage when they turned him heel. Austin, fresh off a run as a Hollywood Blonde along with the late Brian Pillman in WCW, had to endure the Ringmaster gimmick in the WWE before being allowed to cut loose as the Stone Cold character, which is reportedly an exaggerated, larger-than-life extension of his true personality. (And hey, what beer-guzzling redneck doesn't hit his wife?)
Here's a closer look at how the WWE stars of today developed over time:
1. Kevin Nash: Although I've personally never understood the appeal of cool Kev, he's certainly survived some bad gimmicks to become a force (and one of the best manipulators) in the business. Master Blaster I to Oz to Vinnie Vegas (blame Dusty Rhodes for those last two) were all failed Nash personalities in WCW. (Anyone notice announcer Jim Ross' reference to Snake Eyes-Nash's Vegas finishing move-on the last WWE pay-per-view?) Kev then made it to the WWE as Shawn Michael's heel bodyguard Diesel. Hanging around the Heartbreak Kid, one of the strongest workers and promos in the business at the time, Nash suddenly developed a personality, eventually becoming babyface "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel. He abandoned Vince for a bigger payday and, for a time, got over huge as part of the Outsiders/NWO. Eventually got so lazy over time that his mic work deteriorated to nothing in WCW. Maybe aligning himself with an interview god such as Michaels can wake him up again.
2. Steve Austin: The road to the Rattlesnake began as "Stunning" Steve Austin (instead of his real name, Steve Williams, so as not to be confused with Dr. Death Steve Williams), along with valet (and first wife) Lady Blossom. (Ironically enough, Dr. Death was later brought into the WWE to feud with Austin, but those plans were aborted when Williams was knocked out by Bart Gunn during the Brawl for All, an ill-advised series of shoot boxing matches on RAW). Austin developed in Texas and Memphis (I refereed one of his early matches against Jeff Jarrett) before being picked up by Dusty and WCW. Paired up with Pillman as the Blondes, the two had a great run against Rick Steamboat and Shane Douglas. When Bischoff had no further plans for him (a great judge of talent that guy), the WWE took a chance on him, billing him as Ted DiBiase's henchman, the Ringmaster. Then came the completely shaved head (instead of the Ringmaster buzz cut), and more aggressive style, with McMahon talking up Austin's new "stone-cold" attitude on TV commentary. A series of tremendous matches and a catchphrase later ("Austin 3:16 just whipped your ass!"), and you have quite possibly the biggest star ever in the business. (Debatable, but he definitely holds the all-time merchandise-sales records-topping the Huckster and the Rock.)
3. Triple H: Another guy misused by Bischoff in WCW. Actually, as Terra Rizing and then as Jean-Paul LeVeque, Triple H probably wasn't ready for a big push in WCW at the time, but Bishoff did let him get away. WWE fans didn't buy his Hunter Hearst-Helmsley act, but the eventual addition of Chyna helped. Another example of guy whose mic skills and career took off when he got hooked up with Michaels. (No wonder they brought in HBK to save the ultra-lame NWO.) Classic Lawler line about Helmsley before he became Triple H: "Hunter Hearst Helmsley...you can always tell how important somebody is by long it takes to say their name. And you know, his name is not the thing that's long about this guy. Seen his limo?" Biggest career break came when Michaels left TV after WrestleMania for his back to heal and Triple H was named the new mouthpiece to carry Degeneration-X. While ascending to the top spot of the WWE, Triple H reportedly studied numerous tapes of past matches involving former NWA World champs Harley Race and Ric Flair, two brilliant role models for a would-be heel champion.
4. Hulk Hogan: My first exposure to Hogan came around 1978; I was 7 years old at the time. Lance Russell aired a video on Memphis TV of Terry "the Hulk" Boulder-then sporting a mushroom cloud of chest hair-doing a series of bodybuilder poses as part-time announcer Michael St. John (who also did the infamous voice-over for Kamala's debut video) read off his measurements. Boulder feuded with AWA Southern champ Ron Bass at one point, even bringing in his "brother" Eddie (Brutus Beefcake) to feud with Bass and partner Pete Austin. Boulder but never worked a single against Lawler during his first Memphis stint, but the two did team once against Austin Idol and Toru Tanaka at the Mid-South Coliseum. Hogan appeared in Alabama shortly thereafter as Sterling Golden before leaving for New York in 1979, when Vince McMahon Sr. gave him the Hulk Hogan moniker. Of course, Hogan was a heel managed by Fred Blassie, a far cry from the babyface Hulkster who would go on to capture the imagination of American Wrestling Association (AWA) fans in the early '80s. His appearances as Thunderlips in ROCKY III and a guest shot on THE TONIGHT SHOW with Johnny Carson didn't hurt. AWA owner Verne Gagne never allowed Hogan to get a World title victory over champ Nick Bockwinkle, although they teased it once with a Dusty Rhodes-screwjob-like finish one night in Chicago before a rabid crowd. After Vince Sr. died, Vince Jr. made sure his dad quickly began spinning in his grave by making plans to expand nationally and replace WWF champ Bob Backlund with Hogan, who was already the hottest box-office attraction in the country. McMahon offered Hogan far more money that Verne ever thought about paying anyone-including son Greg-and the rest is Hulk history.
5. Jerry Lawler: Arguably the greatest interview in the history of the business, Lawler has successfully reinvented himself many times throughout his 32-year career. After paying his dues doing jobs for guys like Tojo Yamamoto, Lawler became a cocky heel under the eye of veteran Sam Bass. He would become the top draw in Memphis, proclaiming himself the King after beating area legend Jackie Fargo (now in on-air figurehead role on NWA: TNA). To enhance Lawler's rep, Jarrett brought in stars from all over like Jack Brisco, Mr. Wrestling II, Ernie Ladd and the Sheik, who all did the job for the new King of Memphis. Even Andre the Giant agreed to a rare count-out-of-the-ring loss at the hands of Lawler in Louisville. The Memphis native was at his prime, holding both the AWA Southern title and Continental Wrestling Alliance World title (a failed attempt to create another organization) and managed by Jimmy Hart when he broke his leg in a touch football game (at the hands of area referee Jerry Calhoun). This set up one of the greatest eras in the history of the business: Lawler vs. Hart. Shortly after Lawler suffered the injury, Hart uttered these infamous words on Memphis TV: "If you have a prized racehorse, a champion, and he breaks his leg, what do you do to him?" A year later, Lawler returned before a sold-out crowd at the Coliseum to defeat the Dream Machine and get his revenge on Hart. The feud lasted until McMahon and the WWE came calling for Hart in January 1985. Lawler remained on top in Memphis as a babyface, constantly putting over new talent starting out in the business with the idea that if they beat Lawler, they must be tough. After Jarrett worked out the deal with McMahon, Lawler debuted as a heel on PRIME TIME WRESTLING (before the RAW days on the USA Network) and then later attacked Bret Hart at the first King of the Ring tournament held on PPV. Over the next few years, Lawler became more of a clown-prince than a King, which bothered some of his longtime fans. In my opinion, Lawler's newfound emphasis on comedy (although his interviews have always been entertaining) was just another in a long series of successful moves to adapt to the ever-changing business and get himself over.
6. Kane: Talk about a guy who had his share of pathetic gimmicks before finally catching on. (Kane must serve as an inspiration to guys like the Big Valbowski and Stevie Richards.) I believe I refereed Glenn Jacobs' first match, which was a bout against Lawler at a high-school gymnasium in Arkansas. Jacobs was under a hood, though not the Kane mask he'd make famous one day. It was the holiday season, so Jacobs was attired in a full-length red-and-green bodysuit covered with Christmas-tree ornaments, candy canes, etc. His name: the Christmas Creature. (He was over big time as a heel with the only two Jewish kids in the audience.) And you thought the Johnsons gimmick was bad. It didn't get much better for Jacobs from there. Lawler turned him into Doomsday (after the DC Comics villian...a disgusting tactic to capitalize on Superman's death) and then Cornette stuck him with the Unabomb gimmick in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. It wasn't long before Lawler helped Jacobs get into the WWE, this time as the King's evil dentist, Issac Yankem, DDS. Just when Jacobs must have thought it couldn't get any worse, Vince repackaged him as the new Diesel, replacing the departed Nash. Luckily, the Undertaker needed a baby brother and Kane was finally born.
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