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Post by Mike Giggs' Munchies on Jul 23, 2014 7:16:30 GMT -5
...what did everyone on WF think of Brock Lesnar? I know people like him now, but were they complaining that he 'didn't pay his dues' or was getting pushed way too quickly? Just curious.
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Post by OmegaGaijin on Jul 23, 2014 7:56:30 GMT -5
...what did everyone on WF think of Brock Lesnar? I know people like him now, but were they complaining that he 'didn't pay his dues' or was getting pushed way too quickly? Just curious. What about you? Did you watch at the time? I was kind of indifferent at the time. There was so much else happening it wasn't till that match against RVD that i really started taking notice. As impressed everyone was with his strength & brawling, the thing that caught my eye was how technically sound he was, you'd think he was trained in the 'dungeon'. On the flip side winning the title at Summerslam was a bit too much for me to take in, nothing to due with paying his 'dues', it did seem just a tad too fast. |
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Post by Mike Giggs' Munchies on Jul 23, 2014 8:34:50 GMT -5
...what did everyone on WF think of Brock Lesnar? I know people like him now, but were they complaining that he 'didn't pay his dues' or was getting pushed way too quickly? Just curious. What about you? Did you watch at the time? I was kind of indifferent at the time. There was so much else happening it wasn't till that match against RVD that i really started taking notice. As impressed everyone was with his strength & brawling, the thing that caught my eye was how technically sound he was, you'd think he was trained in the 'dungeon'. On the flip side winning the title at Summerslam was a bit too much for me to take in, nothing to due with paying his 'dues', it did seem just a tad too fast. I did, but I was only 9 years old. He was a heel and he beat my favourite (Rock) so I hated him until he turned and then Rock came back, at which point I decided I liked him (just like WWE wanted me to). I'm curious as to what those who were older at the time and understood wrestling better thought. Like, as a 9 year old when they hotshotted him to the title I thought 'wow he must be serious' but if they did that now with a new guy I might think 'they're shoving him down our throats'. I was also upset that Rock was about 50/50 in that crowd rather than loved like normal, so that made me more angry at Brock (not that it had anything to do with him). |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jul 23, 2014 8:55:21 GMT -5
I was 12 and thought he was awesome. I didn't care for things like "paying his dues" at the time. Now that I'm older, I'm not sure how I'd react, but I'd probably like him. He's one of the only guys that I was alright with when it comes to doing straight to the World Title instead of a mid-card title run.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 9:02:23 GMT -5
Lesnar vs angle instantly made me appreciate his talent and how great he was. Also how about that moonsault
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Post by 0,Y on Jul 23, 2014 9:57:36 GMT -5
Great thread idea. I've been meaning to post this exact same question but I never got around to it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 10:00:44 GMT -5
I was one. I watched my first match on ECW. So I cant help ya.
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Post by BrIaNMeRcY on Jul 23, 2014 10:12:03 GMT -5
I didn't really think of Brock Lesnar much when he came in. He started to get my attention when he won the King of The Ring and later seeing him work with Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. I thought he is the real deal. Having such an intimidating presence really helped him stand out. People can moan about how he was pushed too soon, but the reality is, the WWE needed a new top star ASAP. Vince McMahon couldn't rely on The Rock, Steve Austin had walked out, Triple H and The Undertaker was just there. The WWE ran out of options and they saw Lesnar as this guy who can work his ass off and have Paul Heyman act as his mouthpiece. Out of the OVW Four (John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Dave Batista), the one who was almost ready at the time of debuting was Lesnar. Looking back at The Undertaker/Brock Lesnar feud in 2002, that is how you book your next big thing to look strong and establish him as a top attraction. Without a doubt, The Undertaker made Brock Lesnar a megastar after their bloody Hell In a Cell match at No Mercy 2002.
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Post by Kanenite on Jul 23, 2014 10:43:50 GMT -5
I was sort of young at the time too, and I didn't think much of him until he beat Hogan on Smackdown. Then he felt like a natural Main Eventer to me and a total beast when he beat Rock for the title. I never cared that he was new.
Looking back, I can't really say I have a problem with it now either. He was always talented ever since he joined the Main Roster and got some steam going. He is a rare breed for sure and I wish he could of stayed around. Imagine how big of a star he would be today in the WWE. Even bigger than he is now.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 11:22:10 GMT -5
I wasn't a member here in 2002......but I remember being very "so so" about Brock.....until the HIAC match with Undertaker. I got more and more into him from there. vs RVD at KOTR and vs Rock at SSlam did zero for me and still don't.
I was happy with his face push at first but his heavily telegraphed win at RR03 and weak run in to WM19 hurt him for me. I was delighted to see him turn heel again and feud with face Angle.
I was also SUPER excited for his match with Goldberg but Vince in his infinite pettiness threw out the match Heyman & Hayes had booked and we got what we got.
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Post by kazoosandstreamers on Jul 23, 2014 11:26:39 GMT -5
I was a kid so I didn't give a crap about dues. haha
I thought he was awesome.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 11:51:08 GMT -5
I didn't give a monkey's toss about him until his HIAC match with 'Taker. I did want him to win at SummerSlam, but that's more to do with the fact I didn't/ don't like The Rock.
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mrassbillygunn
Main Eventer
WF 10+ Year Member
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Post by mrassbillygunn on Jul 23, 2014 12:49:19 GMT -5
I loved him, Rock and Austin werent around that much so Lesnar was a breath of fresh air. I couldnt take my eyes of him, he was a beast. Loved 2002.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 13:02:17 GMT -5
I was only 6 so I wasn't over analyzing things yet.
I thought he was awesome.
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Post by T R W on Jul 23, 2014 13:06:25 GMT -5
I wasn't here, but as an adult at the time, his push felt a bit rushed. But he had so much talent, that I got over that really quickly.
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500DaysofNight
Main Eventer
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Post by 500DaysofNight on Jul 23, 2014 13:39:41 GMT -5
Absolutely blew my mind the night he debuted. Never seen someone just totally dominate like that. No person could instantly make an impact like he did. They've tried to copy that formula many times, but it just didn't work.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Jul 23, 2014 13:45:54 GMT -5
I wasn't a member here either then, but I was 21 years old at the time, and I didn't really enjoy him until No Mercy 2002 as well with that Hell In A Cell match. Though, you can actually thank Taker for making us Lesnar fans that night, cause Taker was the one who made him.
I do remember at first, I wasn't a fan of Lesnar. I remember thinking "the wrestling world wants new stars, we don't necessarily mean brand new guys we've never seen, but maybe push guys like Storm, Christian, and Edge into the WWE Title picture."
I also remember thinking how so many WCW guys were gonna get forgotten too, cause of guys like Lesnar, Orton, Batista and Cena all coming up from OVW to the main roster.
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Post by J12 on Jul 23, 2014 14:10:02 GMT -5
I was here, but my memory is sort of hazy on the subject. I'm not even sure why.
I know, even as a kid at the time, it didn't bother me. I had been around the message boards for a few years and so I was privy to the IWC mentality, so to speak. I had my favorites, certain things angered me, etc. Brock was a special breed. He came in and he was just instantly legitimized. It's one of the few times a guy has been pushed to the moon immediately and it felt right. Brock winning the title just months after debuting didn't feel rushed, it didn't feel like it was too early. The guy was just too natural, too menacing to be anything but a main event player. No one has even come remotely close to that since.
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Post by BrIaNMeRcY on Jul 23, 2014 15:13:30 GMT -5
I was here, but my memory is sort of hazy on the subject. I'm not even sure why. I know, even as a kid at the time, it didn't bother me. I had been around the message boards for a few years and so I was privy to the IWC mentality, so to speak. I had my favorites, certain things angered me, etc. Brock was a special breed. He came in and he was just instantly legitimized. It's one of the few times a guy has been pushed to the moon immediately and it felt right. Brock winning the title just months after debuting didn't feel rushed, it didn't feel like it was too early. The guy was just too natural, too menacing to be anything but a main event player. No one has even come remotely close to that since. It is sad the WWE tried to duplicate that with so many guys since but later to backfire on them. One that comes to mind is Sheamus. The WWE used Brock Lesnar as a blueprint for future guys. The little do they realize the fans of today are smarter than those back in 2002. The build for Lesnar in 2002 is something that won't work and can't ever work ever again. After watching the August 8th, 2002 SmackDown on the network, the way they made Lesnar look after demolishing Hulk Hogan is one of the best ways to build up new guys. After reading your post J12, I wished it was possible to look at threads here from 2002. |
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Post by J12 on Jul 23, 2014 15:31:13 GMT -5
I was here, but my memory is sort of hazy on the subject. I'm not even sure why. I know, even as a kid at the time, it didn't bother me. I had been around the message boards for a few years and so I was privy to the IWC mentality, so to speak. I had my favorites, certain things angered me, etc. Brock was a special breed. He came in and he was just instantly legitimized. It's one of the few times a guy has been pushed to the moon immediately and it felt right. Brock winning the title just months after debuting didn't feel rushed, it didn't feel like it was too early. The guy was just too natural, too menacing to be anything but a main event player. No one has even come remotely close to that since. It is sad the WWE tried to duplicate that with so many guys since but later to backfire on them. One that comes to mind is Sheamus. The WWE used Brock Lesnar as a blueprint for future guys. The little do they realize the fans of today are smarter than those back in 2002. The build for Lesnar in 2002 is something that won't work and can't ever work ever again. After watching the August 8th, 2002 SmackDown on the network, the way they made Lesnar look after demolishing Hulk Hogan is one of the best ways to build up new guys. After reading your post J12, I wished it was possible to look at threads here from 2002. It would certainly be fun. I don't want to say there will never be a guy like Brock Lesnar again, but I think people underestimate how special he truly was (and quite honestly, still is.) You're absolutely right - they used the Brock Lesnar model on many other guys over the years, only to have it fail miserably. Sheamus is a great example. He almost didn't recover from the way they handled him after his debut. Drew McIntyre is another guy - he never reached that level, but they brought him in guns blazing just like Brock. Lesnar's arrival triggered an entirely new style of debuts within the company. Perhaps I'm off base here, but I was watching wrestling for around 3 and a half years before Brock showed up and I don't remember them debuting almost every single talent by putting him on a multi-month winning streak. That's how it works now. You debut, and you win, win, win without any real direction, or sometimes even character. If you have any sort of company hype behind you, you're going to come in and squash guys for months. It may be two or three months before you even see a guy work a "credible" opponent. That's something that worked for Lesnar, but certainly hasn't for anybody else. I can't even count how many guys have debuted that way in the last few years. |
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