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Post by cordless2016 on Apr 24, 2020 10:30:11 GMT -5
We all know Rikishi’s push as the man who ran over Austin was a failure to the point that they had to change the storyline to HHH being the mastermind behind it. However, due to Rikishi’s involvement in multiple top storylines at the time, he was included in arguably one of the best HIAC matches of all time, and what many consider to be one of the final great moments of the Attitude Era.
But what if he could be swapped out? The match is remembered fondly by many fans, but Rikishi still today sticks out as a strange member of the match. Guys like Kane, Jericho, and Benoit were much bigger stars and either one of them could have arguably taken Rikishi’s spot.
If you had the chance to replace Rikishi in the match, is it more memorable to you? And if so, who would you book to take his place?
For me I’d have booked Benoit to take his spot. He was feuding with many of the guys in the match for months before hand and would have got in seamlessly. It’s hard to say who would have taken Rikishi’s bump off the cell, but I think Benoit makes the most sense to take his spot.
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Post by LA Times on Apr 24, 2020 11:25:46 GMT -5
What people remember most about that match is Rikishi getting thrown off the cell and landing on the back of the truck. Most people dont even remember who won that match or the other participants in it.
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Post by cordless2016 on Apr 24, 2020 12:34:21 GMT -5
What people remember most about that match is Rikishi getting thrown off the cell and landing on the back of the truck. Most people dont even remember who won that match or the other participants in it. I wouldn’t go close to that far. People remember the 5 top guys in the WWF at the time stepping into the cell, with Rikishi there with them. I agree that’s the most memorable spot in the match, but hard to forget who competed in the match when it included Austin, Rock, Taker, HHH, and Kurt all going at it. |
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Post by Evil Abed on Apr 24, 2020 12:38:59 GMT -5
Rikishi as the driver was clearly a result of WWE having created one of the biggest opportunities to create a mega heel at the time and having no idea of who it should be. If you go back and watch Raws and Smackdowns in succession you can even start to see where they saw Rikishi as a failure and had to add Triple H to the story. One Raw they just randomly started having Rikishi change his story, I believe it was after No Mercy.
I remember it was supposed to be Gunn but he got hurt, and would have probably ended up being the second time they tried to strap a rocket to him and failed after not turning him into anything after KOTR.
I always though Austins hit and run driver should have either been Angle (the timing was perfect Angle debuted that same night and had become a mega star since) and then have Triple H as the accomplice or just have Triple H as the guy who ran over Austin.
As far as who could have replaced Rikishi in HIAC, I would say Kane would have been better. Guy was in the title picture for a few months before until his feud with Jericho and would have fit in well. Jericho and Benoit could have fought for the IC title a month early and Rikishi could have gone on to dance with Too Cool some more.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Apr 24, 2020 14:30:11 GMT -5
Rikishi in that match was kind of a dud.
I liked baby face Rikishi. That entire year he was right up there behind Rock and Jericho for top fan reaction. When Rikishi turned heel, it stopped his momentum, and destroyed anything Too Cool were doing too.
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Post by The Brain on Apr 24, 2020 14:37:20 GMT -5
Man what a dud that heel Rikishi run was. A guy with his a$$ hanging out was difficult to take seriously.
As for a replacement, I'd say Kane as well. I know he was feuding with Jericho at the time but with his history with the Cell it makes sense.
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Post by keegandimitrijevic01 on Apr 24, 2020 14:57:28 GMT -5
I think Chris Benoit would've been the perfect choice. It could've led to him/Undertaker as a feud, which we really needed to see.
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Post by PJ on Apr 24, 2020 15:21:30 GMT -5
Man what a dud that heel Rikishi run was. A guy with his a$$ hanging out was difficult to take seriously.As for a replacement, I'd say Kane as well. I know he was feuding with Jericho at the time but with his history with the Cell it makes sense. Especially when all he really was was the punchline to all of King and JR’s a$$ jokes. Been saying that for years. Headshrinkers = Bad a$$. Samoan Swat Team the same. But Rikishi = nothing more that an a$$ joke. |
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TheEvilDoink1987
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Apr 24, 2020 15:56:13 GMT -5
Man what a dud that heel Rikishi run was. A guy with his a$$ hanging out was difficult to take seriously.As for a replacement, I'd say Kane as well. I know he was feuding with Jericho at the time but with his history with the Cell it makes sense. Especially when all he really was was the punchline to all of King and JR’s a$$ jokes. Been saying that for years. Headshrinkers = Bad a$$. Samoan Swat Team the same. But Rikishi = nothing more that an a$$ joke. Agreed that his heel turn was absolutely horrible, but I'm sure those Rikishi checks were a lot bigger than any Fatu check. That is the gimmick that got him over and eventually into the Hall of Fame. And as lenient and loose as the credentials are for the WWE HOF, The Headshrinkers or Samoan Swat Team aren't getting in anytime soon. |
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Apr 24, 2020 16:28:30 GMT -5
Especially when all he really was was the punchline to all of King and JR’s a$$ jokes. Been saying that for years. Headshrinkers = Bad a$$. Samoan Swat Team the same. But Rikishi = nothing more that an a$$ joke. Agreed that his heel turn was absolutely horrible, but I'm sure those Rikishi checks were a lot bigger than any Fatu check. That is the gimmick that got him over and eventually into the Hall of Fame. And as lenient and loose as the credentials are for the WWE HOF, The Headshrinkers or Samoan Swat Team aren't getting in anytime soon.
Baby face Rikishi, yes. He was awesome. He made a lot of money and was golden in the year 2000 until that heel turn.
After that, he was never seen as any real main event type wrestler. Yet in early 2000, he is wrestling Triple H who is WWE Champion on Raw and Smackdown.
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Apr 24, 2020 17:11:18 GMT -5
Rikishi did take the most dangerous spot in the match so huge respect to him for that.
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Post by PJ on Apr 24, 2020 18:20:39 GMT -5
Especially when all he really was was the punchline to all of King and JR’s a$$ jokes. Been saying that for years. Headshrinkers = Bad a$$. Samoan Swat Team the same. But Rikishi = nothing more that an a$$ joke. Agreed that his heel turn was absolutely horrible, but I'm sure those Rikishi checks were a lot bigger than any Fatu check. That is the gimmick that got him over and eventually into the Hall of Fame. And as lenient and loose as the credentials are for the WWE HOF, The Headshrinkers or Samoan Swat Team aren't getting in anytime soon. I would say it was more of keeping his sons, daughter-in-law and nephew happy are what got him in the HOF, because the Rikishi gimmick has no business being there. Rikishi did take the most dangerous spot in the match so huge respect to him for that. What was that? It certainly wasn’t the falling into the back of the truck. |
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Post by JokerFC on Apr 25, 2020 8:43:52 GMT -5
Loved this match and to say it isn't memorable & nobody remembers who won it is ridiculous....
Yeah Fatus turn was an absolute failure. People didn't buy him as a top heel and a the guy that was revealed to be Austin's assailant needed to be a TOP GUY. No disrespect to Fatu? but that wasn't him. He totally doesn't belong in that six man. Gunn wouldn't have worked here either. It had to be HHH or maybe a new debuting heel from another company.
Angle winning was so unexpected at the time...Kurt took a proper beating in there...LOL. Love the way it starts with Austin attacking him.
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Post by Scott! on Apr 27, 2020 11:23:54 GMT -5
I've just turned on Armaggeddon 2000 to watch the HIAC match, I think it's unfair to say he shouldn't have been in the match giving his build at that time. But, watching it 20 years later it's kind of a "there's six guys in this match but one doesn't belong" but with all due respect to Rikishi, he did take the most dangerous bump in the match and it's still a moment I will never forget.
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Apr 27, 2020 15:41:27 GMT -5
Agreed that his heel turn was absolutely horrible, but I'm sure those Rikishi checks were a lot bigger than any Fatu check. That is the gimmick that got him over and eventually into the Hall of Fame. And as lenient and loose as the credentials are for the WWE HOF, The Headshrinkers or Samoan Swat Team aren't getting in anytime soon. I would say it was more of keeping his sons, daughter-in-law and nephew happy are what got him in the HOF, because the Rikishi gimmick has no business being there. Rikishi did take the most dangerous spot in the match so huge respect to him for that. What was that? It certainly wasn’t the falling into the back of the truck. Actually it was. He fell back without knowing where he would land. Had he not fallen in the centre, he would've hit the trucks steel edges which would've been severe. |
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Post by K5 on Apr 27, 2020 15:51:18 GMT -5
rikishi also has permanent hip damage from the HIAC bump, so it was certainly a dangerous one.
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Post by PJ on Apr 27, 2020 16:43:57 GMT -5
If he wasn’t scared of heights all he had to do is fall back and let gravity and the safety measures take over. They had the truck lined up so they knew where he had to be and if he didn’t then Taker was there and surly knew the mark to push him from. He didn’t fall nearly as far as others have...Because it was into the bed of a commercial truck filled with mats and saw dust. So it was a controlled fall of about 10-12 feet into mats. And if he has hip damage it’s because of the weight he carried most of his life.
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jking1979
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Post by jking1979 on Apr 27, 2020 18:02:51 GMT -5
Rikishi should have been like Yoko Zuna.
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@brit_figs
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Post by @brit_figs on Apr 28, 2020 4:54:45 GMT -5
I wouldn't swap him, I STILL remember being shook from that bump when watching live.
Who would of thought Rikishi of all people would of been chucked off the cell?!
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Post by shanieomaniac on Apr 28, 2020 5:10:34 GMT -5
As a person of unusual size, I'm telling you now. If an obese individual trips and falls to the dang floor it can do serious damage.
For someone Rikishi's size to fall even 10 feet onto a protective surface? It's gonna muk him up.
I wouldn't swap him. The only other person in that ring who might be willing to take a bump like that was Angle (remember his moonsault off the cage?) and as he was slated to win, they couldn't have him be the one.
That said, Rikishi being in the HOF seems a bit odd of a choice. I'd honestly say it's more of a dynastic thing than really him deserving it himself.
Oh, and yeah. That heel run was garbage. He was funny with Too Cool. As a heel? He was laughable.
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