ashestoembers
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Sept 3, 2017 13:05:35 GMT -5
Posts: 91 
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Post by ashestoembers on May 1, 2022 11:27:30 GMT -5
I first got into wrestling in the early to mid 90s during the "gimmick" era. I always wondered what the back story was for Vince taking a wrestler as notorious as Jim Neidhart and putting him in the "Who" gimmick.
Does any one know the reason for this? was it a punishment of some sort?
Thanks!
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Post by hitmancmedge on May 1, 2022 11:36:07 GMT -5
I first got into wrestling in the early to mid 90s during the "gimmick" era. I always wondered what the back story was for Vince taking a wrestler as notorious as Jim Neidhart and putting him in the "Who" gimmick. Does any one know the reason for this? was it a punishment of some sort? Thanks! Making him a jobber to the stars without making Jim Neidhart a jobber. They wanted less squash matches on tv because of Bischoff and Nitro. So they signed a bunch of veterans and gave them gimmicks so that Neidhart wasn’t a jobber, Wild Bill Irwin wasn’t a jobber etc. but they were gonna be names to lose on TV. |
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Post by hitmancmedge on May 1, 2022 11:52:49 GMT -5
It was actually Jim Cornette’s idea. But they sort of abandoned it after a few weeks. Like he wanted the guys to get several weeks of squash jobber matches on superstars. But essentially Who, TL Hopper, Goon, Freddie Joe Floyd all basically got one squash match apiece and then never beat anyone again. Aldo Montoya although being there for a year and a half before and being young got included in that bunch as well.
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Post by LA Times on May 1, 2022 16:01:07 GMT -5
This should be in the Classic Wrestling board, but yeah, he was part of that summer class of 1996 gimmick jobbers comprised of veteran wrestlers
Who? (Jim Neidhart)
The Sultan (Fatu)
Salvatore Sincere (Johnny Gunn)
Freddy Joe Floyd (Tracy Smothers)
The Pug (Alex Porteau)
TL Hopper (Tony Anthony)
Leif Cassidy (Al Snow)
The Goon (Bill Irwin)
Executioner (Terry Gordy)
And people were wondering why the WWF was getting their asses kicked by WCW at the time.
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teammadness
Mid-Carder
Joined on: May 10, 2020 8:09:29 GMT -5
Posts: 339
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Post by teammadness on May 2, 2022 15:50:43 GMT -5
I know On an episode of STW, Bruce said that Stu Hart would call Vince and ask him about hiring Neidhart and giving him some work.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on May 2, 2022 22:14:47 GMT -5
I understand the Who character. No way could Jim come in as Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart at that time. Bulldog and Owen were just starting out as Tag Champions, and if Jim came in as himself, he would have to be put with them.
Though, at an MSG show in October that year in 1996, Sycho Sid and Jim Neidhart defeated Owen Hart and British Bulldog in a tag match.
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Post by FLUX '97 on May 3, 2022 20:34:13 GMT -5
They called Jim Neidhart "Who" solely so they could lampoon the classic "Who's on first" sketch by Abbott & Costello.
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Post by Self-Savior on May 3, 2022 20:55:38 GMT -5
The "Who" gimmick wasn't as bad as his one time gimmick in the 90s that he used in a match against Virgil on the indies.
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jason1980s
Main Eventer
Joined on: Sept 30, 2009 14:58:56 GMT -5
Posts: 2,311
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Post by jason1980s on May 3, 2022 23:09:54 GMT -5
They called Jim Neidhart "Who" solely so they could lampoon the classic "Who's on first" sketch by Abbott & Costello. As a kid it was funny with me and my little cousin doing the "who?" chatter for my grandmother. It confused her. But I think if the character had stuck around longer it would be looked at like the "what?" chants, very annoying. Of course Vince puts a legend like Anvil in a masked gimmick where the name is based on a comedy duo from around the time he was a child/teen. |
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Post by JC Motors on May 4, 2022 15:48:13 GMT -5
They called Jim Neidhart "Who" solely so they could lampoon the classic "Who's on first" sketch by Abbott & Costello. That makes the most sense |
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Ohtimate Wahriah
Main Eventer
WF 10 Year Member
Joined on: Jul 1, 2008 12:35:07 GMT -5
Posts: 2,527
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Post by Ohtimate Wahriah on May 4, 2022 17:40:25 GMT -5
This was on STW & I believe Bruce said it was because Jim was becoming a bit unreliable & so they didn’t wanna put the Jim Neidhart character on tv only to remove it had Jim started to slip up. So in order to get him paid, they put him under a mask as a favor to Stu Hart, that way he was working but not a liability for the marketing department.
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Post by casanova on May 9, 2022 8:37:13 GMT -5
This was on STW & I believe Bruce said it was because Jim was becoming a bit unreliable & so they didn’t wanna put the Jim Neidhart character on tv only to remove it had Jim started to slip up. So in order to get him paid, they put him under a mask as a favor to Stu Hart, that way he was working but not a liability for the marketing department. If this is true it was a classy act by WWE. |
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