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Post by cordless2016 on May 17, 2020 19:30:43 GMT -5
I’ve been a WWE fan since 1994. I’ve been going through a period recently of having not watched the current product for about 8 months now (love AEW currently). The only other time I took an extended absence from watching the WWE was from late 2007 through 2009 and parts of 2010 (I was following TNA during this timeframe). It got me thinking why and I think it had to do with the loss of so many performers who were considered the workhorses for years (putting aside going PG). I’m curious if anyone else took a long break from the WWE during this time.
From 2005-2007, the WWE lost at various points Jericho, Christian, Eddie, Angle, Benoit, RVD, Big Show, and Booker T for one reason or another. For years these guys were considered the workhorses. As the WWE lost these performers they failed to replenish the spots left vacant by them. Sure we had some guys with potential like Carlito, MVP, Benjamin, Umaga, and Kennedy, but we also had guys like Khali, Mark Henry, and Chris Masters taking up main event spots. And while some of those guys had good character work, they never seemed to fill the unique in-ring skills that we lost from the guys who left. I feel this is a huge reason as to why I tuned out for a large chunk of time. The overall in-ring work seemed to drop big time as we moved from 2005 and forward over the next few years.
Just curious if anyone else feels the same way or took an absence during that time for other reasons.
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jking1979
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Post by jking1979 on May 17, 2020 22:15:06 GMT -5
Brad Armstrong would be on the workhorse list. It is a shame that he is gone now. Arn Anderson was one before he retired from injury. Ricky Steamboat always brought out the best in his opponents as well.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on May 18, 2020 23:33:36 GMT -5
I legit think the problem was that there was no WCW or ECW then. Guys like Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero, Saturn, Malenko, Storm, RVD, they all had to show off their skills to get noticed. Those guys in 2007 were all OVW guys, or HWA guys, they never had to fight for their spot on a PPV or even on a TV wrestling show. It got worse when FCW came along. Then it was just hand picked guys to be a part of WWE Raw or Smackdown in the next few years.
The work horses from 2005 - 2010 were in TNA at the time. Styles, Daniels, Kaz, Joe, Aries, EY, Roode, Storm, Sabin, Shelley and others. They had to be the work horses because TNA loved to push ex WWE or WCW stars as the main guys for 99% of the time.
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TheXtremisT
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Post by TheXtremisT on May 19, 2020 4:49:12 GMT -5
Similar to you, I lost interest in WWE in 2009 because my favourite guys left, the storylines dipped in quality, for years it was the same thing again and again (eg with Cena or Batista, and then later with Edge/Undertaker although those were better) and they wasted interesting storylines and characters. I thought 2008 actually was a breath of fresh air after 2007, but the newer talent got wasted, stuff like Kane vs Rey Mysterio went nowhere fast.... The 50-50 booking and the constant flip-flop pushes without giving those people a chance to properly shine in the right way.
I watched less and less in 2009 and was starting to really enjoy TNA despite it losing its original "feel". In 2010 I was enjoying seeing Jeff Hardy and RVD, and ex WWE guys coming in and mixing things up with the TNA originals. But slowly slowly, they ruined the TNA originals, it became too glitz and glam and WWE-lite and by 2014 I just couldn't support that.
I watched WWE again for a few months in 2015, was excited with a few guys (Rollins, New Day, Kalisto, the women's revolution was good to begin with), but again - the really poor use of talent, the flip-flop pushes, the same-old-same-old..... I got sick of it really quick.
Since then I occasionally watched ppvs and enjoyed Styles vs Cena, they brought back the Hardy Boyz, Kurt Angle.... But even then I just didn't care anymore. Nothing was interesting or fresh.
Now I watch the Royal Rumble match, a few Wrestlemania matches and occasional HITC matches.
I like the look and feel of AEW but just can't commit right now. Feel burned by investing in TNA so much only to have it disappoint me, and there are so many guys I don't know in AEW. I find it harder to get behind people now.
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Post by keegandimitrijevic01 on May 19, 2020 15:56:23 GMT -5
I think it really started to fall down when Eddie Guerrero passed away. Losing Brock Lesnar in 2004 was huge too, but WWE recovered in 2005 and John Cena stepped up to the plate in a huge way. Following 2005, it was departure after departure. Losing Eddie Guerrero started it, then losing Kurt Angle left a giant dent in the ship, then losing Chris Benoit and Booker T within a few months spelled a death knell (no pun intended). Then in 2009, they lost Jeff Hardy (who was on pace to be at the level on John Cena in terms of popularity). If Kurt would've stayed, Benoit didn't pass away, and Booker would've stayed, the names you mentioned like Mark Henry, Chris Masters, & The Great Khali would not have taken those main event spots in what I like to call the "dark ages of WWE" 2007-2010. Kurt still would've been at the top of the company holding on to the top titles, and Benoit would've probably had another World title reign or two. As for Booker, he would've stayed at a main event spot too and probably had a WWE Championship reign
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Post by cordless2016 on May 19, 2020 22:21:06 GMT -5
I legit think the problem was that there was no WCW or ECW then. Guys like Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero, Saturn, Malenko, Storm, RVD, they all had to show off their skills to get noticed. Those guys in 2007 were all OVW guys, or HWA guys, they never had to fight for their spot on a PPV or even on a TV wrestling show. It got worse when FCW came along. Then it was just hand picked guys to be a part of WWE Raw or Smackdown in the next few years. The work horses from 2005 - 2010 were in TNA at the time. Styles, Daniels, Kaz, Joe, Aries, EY, Roode, Storm, Sabin, Shelley and others. They had to be the work horses because TNA loved to push ex WWE or WCW stars as the main guys for 99% of the time. Great points about TNA and it’s the exact reason why I was so heavily invested in them at the time. Sure it was great seeing guys like Christian, Sting, and Angle coming in, but guys like Styles, Daniels, Joe, Roode, etc... were a breath of fresh air. They had worked around the world, much like the guys I had mentioned that the WWE lost had before, and brought something new to the table. They were hungry like we had seen so many guys who entered the WWE between 1998-2001. I think you hit it when you mentioned that guys are simply hand picked. They are all developed to follow the “WWE Style” and there’s little to no uniqueness between their characters and in-ring work. I don’t think we can quantify with words how much the WWE purchasing WCW hurt the industry as a whole. |
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jking1979
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Post by jking1979 on May 20, 2020 14:57:44 GMT -5
Bobby Eaton is the definition of a workhorse.
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