TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,821
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Oct 24, 2017 16:05:39 GMT -5
Really stretching the boundaries of "dad bod" even back in 1995. Poor guy. Nikolai never had a "dad bod", he had a powerlifter body. A dad bod is a normal-looking guy with beer belly. But was he out of place? That's an understatement. I'm sure fans who started watching the WWF during the New Generation, especially the young ones, had little-to-no knowledge of the international politics that made Nikolai and the Sheik's characters main event fare 10 years prior. The WWF had no idea what to do with a middle-aged guy in the midst of a youth reset. I remember Vince hard-selling the sympathy angle during the period where Dibiase "owned" Nikolai, but the fans didn't care one way or another. Fair enough. Either way, nobody needed to see Nikolai Volkoff shirtless in 1995. He was out of place for sure. It reminds me of when Brian Christopher made that cameo on Raw a few years ago during the Lawler/Cole feud. The reaction from the crowd was an awkward blend of dead silence and nobody giving a damn. I thought it was kind of awesome because I remember how over Too Cool was in 2000. Some guys just don't fit in certain generations especially in the whacky world of pro wrestling. |
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Post by Emerald Enthusiast on Oct 24, 2017 22:17:16 GMT -5
Nikolai never had a "dad bod", he had a powerlifter body. A dad bod is a normal-looking guy with beer belly. But was he out of place? That's an understatement. I'm sure fans who started watching the WWF during the New Generation, especially the young ones, had little-to-no knowledge of the international politics that made Nikolai and the Sheik's characters main event fare 10 years prior. The WWF had no idea what to do with a middle-aged guy in the midst of a youth reset. I remember Vince hard-selling the sympathy angle during the period where Dibiase "owned" Nikolai, but the fans didn't care one way or another. Fair enough. Either way, nobody needed to see Nikolai Volkoff shirtless in 1995. He was out of place for sure. It reminds me of when Brian Christopher made that cameo on Raw a few years ago during the Lawler/Cole feud. The reaction from the crowd was an awkward blend of dead silence and nobody giving a damn. I thought it was kind of awesome because I remember how over Too Cool was in 2000. Some guys just don't fit in certain generations especially in the whacky world of pro wrestling. That's true, and the ironic part of that is that Vince was continually running a promo back then where he equated Hulk/Andre/JYD (and someone else who I can remember) with a distant age gone by, while highlighting his new main eventers with heavy metal music and jet fighters. Yet Roddy Piper, Jerry Lawler, IRS, Bob Backlund, Nikolai, and Jake Roberts were often featured in major storylines in the mid 90s. With all due respect to each of those guys, none of them exactly screamed "fresh and hip" at that point in time. |
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,821
Member is Online
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Oct 24, 2017 22:25:24 GMT -5
Fair enough. Either way, nobody needed to see Nikolai Volkoff shirtless in 1995. He was out of place for sure. It reminds me of when Brian Christopher made that cameo on Raw a few years ago during the Lawler/Cole feud. The reaction from the crowd was an awkward blend of dead silence and nobody giving a damn. I thought it was kind of awesome because I remember how over Too Cool was in 2000. Some guys just don't fit in certain generations especially in the whacky world of pro wrestling. That's true, and the ironic part of that is that Vince was continually running a promo back then where he equated Hulk/Andre/JYD (and someone else who I can remember) with a distant age gone by, while highlighting his new main eventers with heavy metal music and jet fighters. Yet Roddy Piper, Jerry Lawler, IRS, Bob Backlund, Nikolai, and Jake Roberts were often featured in major storylines in the mid 90s. With all due respect to each of those guys, none of them exactly screamed "fresh and hip" at that point in time. Absolutely! Include King Kong Bundy to that list. WWF tried throwing some swings at Savage in those New Generation promos, but the sad part was that Macho Man was more athletic at the time than the likes of Nikolai, Backlund and Lawler. The latter two who were featured prominently in 1995 during the era of "new blood." |
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Post by Emerald Enthusiast on Oct 25, 2017 6:34:52 GMT -5
That's true, and the ironic part of that is that Vince was continually running a promo back then where he equated Hulk/Andre/JYD (and someone else who I can remember) with a distant age gone by, while highlighting his new main eventers with heavy metal music and jet fighters. Yet Roddy Piper, Jerry Lawler, IRS, Bob Backlund, Nikolai, and Jake Roberts were often featured in major storylines in the mid 90s. With all due respect to each of those guys, none of them exactly screamed "fresh and hip" at that point in time. WWF tried throwing some swings at Savage in those New Generation promos, but the sad part was that Macho Man was more athletic at the time than the likes of Nikolai, Backlund and Lawler. The latter two who were featured prominently in 1995 during the era of "new blood." He was someone else who was starting to show his age then. He was never a physique guy, but when he was main eventing in '86, he was certainly hitting the weights. When he came back in '96, he looked like he hadn't seen the inside of a gym for years. |
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Oct 25, 2017 14:40:56 GMT -5
I am actually shocked that Bundy vs. Diesel for the WWE Title at a PPV didn't happen. I know it happened at house shows, but you would think with Vince having a thing for huge men, that Bundy vs. Diesel would be a must!
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Post by Emerald Enthusiast on Oct 25, 2017 23:38:53 GMT -5
I am actually shocked that Bundy vs. Diesel for the WWE Title at a PPV didn't happen. I know it happened at house shows, but you would think with Vince having a thing for huge men, that Bundy vs. Diesel would be a must! That does seem like something that Vince would have done, at least on a Raw if not a PPV. However, I don't remember Bundy vs. Undertaker having much heat at WM in '95. He had been off of TV for 6 or 7 years when he returned, and the WWF didn't do anything to rebuild him as a main eventer. Reaction to him was tepid because, like Nikolai Volkoff, many younger fans didn't know him. |
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Post by Hulkster2001 on Nov 1, 2017 13:04:05 GMT -5
First have Bret keep the belt at Survivor Series then drop the belt to Diesel at Mania XI, then have Diesel face Shawn at SummerSlam, have Diesel face Owen at IYH (maybe even feud with Owen and/or HBK) then at King Of The Ring have Taker win the tournament instead of Mabel, at IYH have Diesel attack Taker during his match turning heel, and finally at Summerslam have the Deadman go over him clean.  “The dark days of the WWF, have begun!” |
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