Kamala's Random WCW Bullshit thread

[Big Papa Paegan]

It really makes you appreciate just how big Page and Goldberg really are.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

That's the smallest Mike Awesome has ever looked.

That’s the biggest reason his WCW run failed. He had just spent years being built up as a monster then he goes to a company where he is average to slightly below average height.


I get why he had to leave ECW. I wouldn’t want to work on national television for free either but he didn’t have a great exit strategy or learn how to adapt for working for a company where he couldn’t use his size as an advantage.

Fact he was given back to back bad Vince Russo comedy gimmicks didn’t help but those wouldn’t have happened if he were able to stand out on his own.

 

[BruiserBrody]

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

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It is jarring that Ric Flair was so dispirited for his last WCW PPV match (and only PPV match with arguably his greatest rival Dusty Rhodes) that he worked wearing what he would wear waiting for a table for four at Margaritaville.

 

[Hawk 34]

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It is jarring that Ric Flair was so dispirited for his last WCW PPV match (and only PPV match with arguably his greatest rival Dusty Rhodes) that he worked wearing what he would wear waiting for a table for four at Margaritaville.

Pal, Ric Flair ain’t never waited for booze a minute of his life

 

[Valeyard]

I thought a hidden gem meant a good match

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

That match really isn’t that bad/bordering on good for what it is tbh.

And it does have the fun novelty of being their only Flair/Dusty PPV match. Like their Starrcade matches are probably marginally better but also have the nagging, looming feeling you are about to get a horrible finish over them.

 

[Valeyard]

I mean, under **1/2 shouldn't qualify as a hidden gem, though. It's also kind of super significant given like you say the only ppv they met and on but I also feel like is a match that's been ignored with pretty good reason.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I also feel like is a match that's been ignored with pretty good reason.

Yeah. Ric Flair doesn’t actually take the stink face until Nitro the night after.

Dusty doing the old bait and switch, even in 2001.

 

[Valeyard]

Also with Mike Awesome I think a big part of the problem was that he was booked as a monster in some form for almost his whole career to that point that it kinda warped his style. He was always really good anyway but you can tell he isn't as comfortable sometimes. His lack of promo ability didn't help, but again he was never really bad as much as not good.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

That’s the biggest reason his WCW run failed. He had just spent years being built up as a monster then he goes to a company where he is average to slightly below average height.


I get why he had to leave ECW. I wouldn’t want to work on national television for free either but he didn’t have a great exit strategy or learn how to adapt for working for a company where he couldn’t use his size as an advantage.

Fact he was given back to back bad Vince Russo comedy gimmicks didn’t help but those wouldn’t have happened if he were able to stand out on his own.

I actually just argued this the other day, but Awesome was a similar size as Hogan, bulkier than DDP, and bigger than Goldberg. His size wasn't the big strike against him just because he wasn't the "giant" that he was in ECW and FMW.

His big issues were a) he was shit on the mic, and b) he was STIFF in the ring. He was one of those guys that expected to get hit stiff and doled it out just as well, but that wouldn't jive with guys like Hogan, Page, etc. The only guy who was a star and probably wouldn't have minded working stiff would've been Steiner, and that's mostly because he'd probably have killed Awesome if he was too out of line.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I mean he's not short but he just wasn't the monster he was built up as in ECW. IIRC, he debuted by attacking Nash, a guy he was not only smaller than but wouldn't (and didn't) work with him.

Going back to the poor to no exit strategy--- I think ECW making him look like an absolute chump on his way out (and making sure that WCW couldn't mention them or Awesome's run there) heavily damaged him from the start.

If he had come in two-three years earlier (and me and Brody have wondered why he didn't use his Hogan connection to come in earlier), I think he would have succeeded to some extent. At least, US/TV Title level and not getting horrible gimmicks. However, between all the aforementioned factors and Vince Russo's scattershot, personality driven booking, he was SOL* as soon as he got there.

*and you know what that means. #2000WCW

 

[Epic for the Summer]

It was also the biggest strike against him in WWE. He's basically the same size as HHH. Why push him when you have guys of similar build who are better workers?

 

[Valeyard]

His being stiff and and not shaking the right hands were a bigger problem, though.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

How he left ECW didn't help, either. Vince may not have been buddy-buddy with Heyman, but it's obvious that he respected the guy, as did a few influential folks in the locker room (Austin and Jericho, in particular). Lance Storm was in the same boat as Awesome and did the "right thing" by working on his way out, the Dudleys did the "right thing" by dropping the belts on their way out, Awesome didn't.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Yeah, me saying he had a poor to no exit strategy plan was supposed to heavily imply that he left them in the dust. Obviously, ECW screwed him money wise but leaving how he did was a cut off the nose to spite the face move.

 

[snuffbox]

He had good matches with a wide range of opponents in ECW, Tanaka obviously, and Rhino to Spike Dudley. There were plenty of guys in WCW he could've had fun matches with. But that might have drawn interest and therefore money and that's not what WCW's bookers at that time were trying to get at that point.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

It's also that, again, he worked STIFF. That was expected in ECW and Japan, not so much in WCW or the WWF.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Idk if that is as much of a problem as you think it is considering it is a company where Goldberg was a top guy. People were willing to take their lumps if they thought they could make money with you.

I guess another problem is Awesome came in ‘00 and no one was making money. WCW could have gotten the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and Vince Russo still would have found a way to book it horribly.

“Jesus, bro, you little BITCH! Try turning the other cheek when I put you in a steel cage asylum with Tank Abbott and Rick Steiner!”

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

...you know, that just makes me wish even more that Messiah bailed on XPW earlier

 

[snuffbox]

It's also that, again, he worked STIFF. That was expected in ECW and Japan, not so much in WCW or the WWF.

If they would've just hired Masato Tanaka to work with him they'd have gotten my money.

 

[Hawk 34]

Only if he joins Jung Dragons and Awesome was the third member of 3 Count.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Awesome/Horace as a team in 1999 once the tag division imploded wouldn't be the worst thing ever. They could get some "heat" if they wanted to run the Hogan nepo stuff as a B-Team within the B-Team of the nWo.

Awesome must have been missing something as early 90s WWF gave him a couple of try outs and he couldn't find a role on the shitty roster.
Could be a little of Vince being salty with Hogan so the cousin or whatever doesn't get a contract.

Awesome worked some early ECW.... I guess japan was paying well enough to keep him out of USWA/SMW etc working far from home for hot dogs and hand jobs. There could very well be a blip of a Awesome run in USWA I'm just forgetting. They were good at bringing in talents for very short runs at times. (See the weird time Todd Champion/Butch Reed and JYD traded the USWA title in...94ish?)

Hell, Todd Champion had a look. How'd he flame out so quickly after the Patriots?

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Those could've worked. As dumb as Russo's 2000 work really was, 3Count and the Jung Dragons worked almost in spite of it all.

 

[Valeyard]

Awesome is the workrate Goon we deserved.

He and Storm should've been one of the best teams of the era. They were perfect for each other.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Shit Jesse Hennig must have been the shits if Curt never got him any WCW dates, even as a jabroni.
There was a video on youtube of him working outside a bar with Curt and the Ax in his corner.

Fantasy booking.... Jesse comes in as Curt's derpy brother who wants to be "perfect" but is just Mike Von Erich '86 and constantly fucking up and losing.
Com'n Russo!

 

[Valeyard]

Horace and Renegade is the comedy team that should've happened

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Awesome is the workrate Goon we deserved.

He and Storm should've been one of the best teams of the era. They were perfect for each other.

Aye. If they'd put him with Team Canada earlier then a lot of things could've been better for him.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Axl was fired for spitting on Joey Maggs in the ring after a squash. Arn was buddies with Maggs and went to bat for him. Maggs may have intentionally screwed up the match due to being annoyed Axl got a contract before he did.

 

[Valeyard]

I'm glad Axl and Knobbs never crossed paths.