Okay, let's get this out of the way.

[Kane Knight]

Okay.

There will never be another Rock.

There will never be another Austin.

There will never be another Hogan.

These, along with many other successful gimmicks, are unique formula that won't work again. It's a combination of luck, timing, and a certain X-Factor. Bottom line, you can't copy them.

However, it's still possible to be as big as these people. we've got a thread going that talks about how Orton can never be the Rock. Well, no shit people. Only the Rock can be the Rock. He can be imitated, but never duplicated.

This doesn't mean that Orton (Or someone else) can never be that big. It means they've got some pretty big shoes to fill, but a new generation of superstars will eventually spawn someone the fans will really get behind.

Now, this should really be a 10.0 on the no-shit scale. It just seems that some people don't get it. Wrestling didn't end because Hulkamania stopped running wild, and it didn't end the first dozen times Austin left. The end of DX didn't kill it, and it won't die because the Rock's gone offf to Hollywood. Even if it does die, it won't be for a lack of fodder in the main event scene.

The WWE's got some amazing talent, and it's silly to think for a minute that they can't take up the slack. It's ridiculous to go looking for the Rock in anyone but the Rock, but there are definitely strong talents out there.

Now all we need to do is PRAY that the WWE nurtures them.

[V]

:y:

[What Would Kevin Do?]

But what if they clone Steve Austin, and teach the clone how to drink, punch, kick, do a stunner, and beat his wife?

[Mayo]

I definitely agree with you KK. However, as wrestling continues to progress, many new gimmicks are created and eventually many of the good gimmicks become used. Although you can argue that there can be an infinite number of gimmicks, they have to be played really well by the wrestler, and the fans have to enjoy that character at the time (like you said). A badass face was unheard of before the mid 90's, but Austin became huge when he took on that role. Perhaps a new type of character will come to dominate soon enough, or they will put a new spin on an existing one to make it fresh once again (like Mordecai). It does take a lot of luck, but if the writing team thinks long and hard, they definitely have the talent to make it work.

[Kane Knight]

Well, nothing's really NEW anymore. It's like any other form of pop culture entertainment. Even the anti-hero Austin's a new face on an old plot. It was mostly wrestling tapping into life. And we really haven't seen any shocking evolutions in that.

The Rock was a throwback to a lot of earlier wrestlers who really appealed to the crowd, but his character in and of itself was still unique. He actually makes me think of Flair sometimes (Prime time, not the manboob laden joke...). I mean, the People's Elbow is definitely a move that goes back to the whole "Showmanship" angle.

All these wrestlers will be based off of templates. The wrestling biz runs on stereotypes, clichés, and so on. They'll take a stock model to work with, but the Rock's character prolly wouldn't work on Randy Orton (and definitely wouldn't work on John Cena). However, I could see Orton ending up in a similar category to The Rock. Hell, he could even be as big as the Rock. My main contention is that it's a no-brainer that he will never be the Rock, and people shouldn't really act like this is a big deal, because it's really so useless to argue. The Rock's no Hulk Hogan. He's no Bret Hart. So what? :D

[Rock Bottom]

Thank you Kane Knight, I have been too lazy to type something that long, but I agree with everything you said. Orton I have high hopes for. He is SIMILAR to The Rock, in some aspects, merely situationally. But saying he is the next Rock and then arguing about whether or not he is is silly.

[Corkscrewed]

^ What he said. KK gets rep for that. Just realize that new legends are rarely repeats of old legends.

[LK]

Originally posted by Kane Knight
Okay.

There will never be another Rock.

There will never be another Austin.

There will never be another Hogan.

These, along with many other successful gimmicks, are unique formula that won't work again. It's a combination of luck, timing, and a certain X-Factor. Bottom line, you can't copy them.

However, it's still possible to be as big as these people. we've got a thread going that talks about how Orton can never be the Rock. Well, no shit people. Only the Rock can be the Rock. He can be imitated, but never duplicated.

This doesn't mean that Orton (Or someone else) can never be that big. It means they've got some pretty big shoes to fill, but a new generation of superstars will eventually spawn someone the fans will really get behind.

Now, this should really be a 10.0 on the no-shit scale. It just seems that some people don't get it. Wrestling didn't end because Hulkamania stopped running wild, and it didn't end the first dozen times Austin left. The end of DX didn't kill it, and it won't die because the Rock's gone offf to Hollywood. Even if it does die, it won't be for a lack of fodder in the main event scene.

The WWE's got some amazing talent, and it's silly to think for a minute that they can't take up the slack. It's ridiculous to go looking for the Rock in anyone but the Rock, but there are definitely strong talents out there.

Now all we need to do is PRAY that the WWE nurtures them.
:y:

[#1-norm-fan]

Yeah, I think the whole argument in the other topic (For me atleast) was whether Orton could be AS BIG as Rock. I stand by the fact that I doubt we will ever see anyone reach The Rock's stature in our lifetime. Sure a new generation will spawn someone the fans can get behind but... it's The Rock. Those shoes are damn near unfillable.

[Hired Hitman]

They should just Talk to the performers and see what they would like to do, they will give their all if they helped make the character...

I don't think 'they' should 'push' a superstar to be the next main eventer, I think they should gain that spot with experience and who the crowd likes... over time... I don't know :$

[Goldbird]

They should just Talk to the performers and see what they would like to do, they will give their all if they helped make the character...

I don't think 'they' should 'push' a superstar to be the next main eventer, I think they should gain that spot with experience and who the crowd likes... over time... I don't know :$
Uh-oh, if creative control is given to the wrestlers... I'm afraid we might see another Hogan in WCW.

[Hired Hitman]

Uh-oh, if creative control is given to the wrestlers... I'm afraid we might see another Hogan in WCW.

There will never be another Hogan.

:cool:

[Kane Knight]

Yeah, I think the whole argument in the other topic (For me atleast) was whether Orton could be AS BIG as Rock. I stand by the fact that I doubt we will ever see anyone reach The Rock's stature in our lifetime. Sure a new generation will spawn someone the fans can get behind but... it's The Rock. Those shoes are damn near unfillable.
Yeah, I'm sure people felt that way about Hogan, too.

People live long lifetimes. We've seen several high-caliber superstars come and go.

[Kane Knight]

They should just Talk to the performers and see what they would like to do, they will give their all if they helped make the character...

I don't think 'they' should 'push' a superstar to be the next main eventer, I think they should gain that spot with experience and who the crowd likes... over time... I don't know :$
Well, let's be honest. The entirety of the WWE is contrived. There's no "natural order," so to speak. The popular ones don't get built up naturally for that one fact, if nothing else.

Instead, they have to nurture talent, because it all happens artificially. Theycan push talent that they find to be doing well, but that's still pushing the talent.