Will we ever see it again?

[The Answer]

With all the gimmicks that have come and gone will we ever see anything come close to getting as over the Austin attitude days and Hulkamania? Do you see anything in the WWE right now with that potential?

[M. Banana]

No.

[DaveWadding]

Of course. It's bound to happen at some point.

[V]

cena

[John la Rock]

ya Cena is on his way

[Dave Youell]

I can't see anyone doing it was there's more smart marks right now that ever and we all seem to have tiny attention spans when it comes to faces

[The One]

It will happen I have no doubts of it...it WON'T be Cena I can tell you that much right now. I don't think currently there is anyone in TNA or WWE that can do it, that can bring a huge popularity spike into the world, and it will be much more difficult this time around. What makes a wrestler bigger then the industry is that it needs to feel spontanious and as though this guy came out of no where. The problem is that with all the internet and such, having someone come out of no where could be very hard...Also the political structure is very different now then it was at the dawn of each new boom. Until the biggest dog in the yard (Triple H) gets out or allows someone new to come in and show off, then it probably won't happen for a long long time. But if wrestling has shown us anything, it's that it's popularity goes on a roller coaster ride, and the next guy to change it will be bigger then Hogan and bigger then Austin.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It will happen I have no doubts of it...it WON'T be Cena I can tell you that much right now. I don't think currently there is anyone in TNA or WWE that can do it, that can bring a huge popularity spike into the world, and it will be much more difficult this time around. What makes a wrestler bigger then the industry is that it needs to feel spontanious and as though this guy came out of no where. The problem is that with all the internet and such, having someone come out of no where could be very hard...Also the political structure is very different now then it was at the dawn of each new boom. Until the biggest dog in the yard (Triple H) gets out or allows someone new to come in and show off, then it probably won't happen for a long long time. But if wrestling has shown us anything, it's that it's popularity goes on a roller coaster ride, and the next guy to change it will be bigger then Hogan and bigger then Austin.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to The One again."


I agree with you 100%. John Cena will not lead the next wrestling revolution.
Is he the hottest act right now? Perhaps. But he ain't leading the revolution.

I think Batista may still have a chance. The WWE went a bit off track with Batista when he helped out JR, but I still think he has a chance. It will mean the WWE and Triple H going all-out to make sure he does, though.

At Vengeance, we're going to see Triple H vs. Batista III. Why? The addition of a Hell in a Cell gimmick won't be able to change the fact that these are two men that have met before so many times, and it's getting stale. The only way I can see this match being worth it is if:

A) It's not for the World Heavyweight Championship. Have Edge win it after he beats Kane to win the Gold Rush Tournament and Triple H costs Batista the match the next week.

And/Or

B) Triple H gets his ass-kicked in a squash match scenario, possibly with Triple H forfeiting to Batista before he's done with Triple H.


I'm not saying Batista is a guaranteed success, because he's not, but he's got way more of a chance right now than John Cena. Cena is basically a main event version of The Hurricane. Both are characters established on a phase the entertainment industry is taking. In 2001, the Spider-Man movie was unleashed upon the world, and it was a success, as Hurricane became popular. John Cena has built his popularity on rap music, but if that goes out, what's he going to have left? If Cena does renovate wrestling, it's only going to be for a short time.

That's why the "eggs in one basket" guy right now is Batista, IMO. He's generally got the backing of everyone, NOT because he does good things, but because he's had the best shot of destroying Triple H thus far.

That's the key. Batista is a bigger, stronger and could have been a more intelligent version of Triple H. That's why I believe the fans really got into him. He turned against Triple H because he was ready to take what's his and there was nothing Triple H could do about it. Many could argue hat Triple H's last few reigns have been entirely due to Batista and Ric Flair standing by his side.

I appreciate everything Triple H has done for the business. I appreciate the great matche she has put on. But if Triple H really wants to see wrestling spark again, he will destroy himself so Batista can become "it" in pro-wrestling. Batista is practically an upgraded version of "The Game" storyline-wise, so it makes sense he takes over as the lead of the WWE.

If Batista doesn't catch-on like wildfire? Turn him heel. It would work, and Batista would play one effectively and could become the new "Triple H" so to speak. Then a new face beats him for the title.

Batista is losing his edge, but if he gets it back,t here is a good chance he could lead the wrestling revolution. If not, at least he'd make a reliable heel.

The guy who changes this business could be anyone. Hell, it could be Eddie Guerrero. Evil Eddie is the best heel in wrestling right now (IMO, anyway), so who knows, maybe people will come to see Rey try and get his revenge.

[PullMyFinger]

The thing is also, there have been some stars that probably could've risen like crazy...but WWE prevented them from becoming huge stars.

Case-

John Cena: A few months ago/a year he was so insanely over. But no, they stuck him at a mid card level for the longest that it killed his potential.

RVD: Probably the biggest mis-use of talent ever in the history of WWE. A few years ago, he had the potential to be World Champ and their next biggest star...but he was buried to the point where he's seen as a fraction of his former self (with the fans of course b/c RVD is still great).

Christian: Again, yet another star with a lot of potential that has been/will be squashed, and I don't like the idea of Thursday night and him.

I think if there is a huge star, it'll be Live on Raw and not on a Taped Smackdown! due to the live spontaneous "anything can happen" effect. Plus, Monday is always known as wrestling night compared to Thursday.

[NoRoolz]

I think AJ Styles has the potential to be huge, if given the right gimmick, but saying this, I really haven't seen much of his mic-work.

Randy Orton is very young, and if he could go back to the 2003-early2004 cocky heel, he could become massive.

Batista is just too old. Cena will become boring (to me he already has, but not to marks). The only other person I have in mind is Brock Lesnar. That's if he returns, and is able to pick up from like late 2003.

Although I'd love for Christian to be "the one" I really can't see it happening, because, like PullmyFinger said, he has been/will be squashed.

[SuperSlim]

Shelton has a possibility if he picks up the mic

[Extreme Angle]

ye cena, have you seen the crowds reaction when he comes to the ring?

[HHH = 3 H's Too Many]

Forget when he comes in the ring... it's when he hops into the crowd that they really wake up. Too few talents in the past have had the guts to wade through all of us psychos :lol:

[Splaya]

Did any of you hear the pop Tista got when he came out last night. That was huge

[Lamuella]

Will wrestling ever get really really popular again? Probably.

Will there ever be a "Hogan" or an "Austin" again? No. These people's popularity occurred in other times and in other ways. Apart from being popular and selling an awful lot of merchandise, Hogan and Austin weren't much like each other. Whoever comes next, whenever they come, will be very different again.

Whoever gets popular, it has to be recognised that huge popularity cannot be manufactured. WWE had nothing for Austin in 1996, then he made a name for himself with the "Austin 3:16" speech. That can't be replicated.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

I don't think it's going to be one person. It has to be two. Think about it. Hogan had a laundry list of enemies. Austin had McMahon. There has to be an antagonist. The other problem is, the two men should have equal ability, both in the ring and on the mic.

So first, they would need to find someone who can quickly grab the fan's attention. Someone who has that "it" factor. Christian, Shelton, a HEEL John Cena, Carlito, and an extent, JBL and Batista.


Christian and Shelton, IMO, have the brightest future. Furthermore, we're not quite sure where they're heading... Especially Shelton... Without a doubt, SHelton will be one of the best in ring performers. If he can get his mic work to the same level, he could legitimately be one of the best sports entertainers ever.

Christian on the other hand is growing in popularity every week. He sort of reminds me of an even more egotistical young HBK.

JBL, on the mic, is gold. He's entertaining. Could a face JBL work? If against the right person, yes. If he fought someone like HHH, Hassan, or even Edge (due to the LIta heat), fans would get behind him.

Carlito, Cena, and Batista in their own ways all have the same potential. The fans like them, and they have great potential to become bigger. Hell, add Randy Orton and Jericho to that list...

The question is, besides each other, who can carry them in feuds and make them huge. HHH (if willing to put them over) would be excellent. HBK, Benoit, Kurt Angle, and Eddie G could work wonders here. All of these men for one reason or another, I can't see carrying the future. HHH is played out, and unless he gets a new gimmick, no one will care. HBK and Angle probably don't have many years left (although who knows abotu Angle.) Benoit and Eddie G are both godlike, but the casual fan doesn't seem to get behind them as much. However, in a feud, they could pull out the best in people.

Last but not least, The Rock. The bigger be gets in Hollywood, the better. We know he's willing to come back once in awhile. Vince needs to use his popularity, and use it to elevate someone else. Rock and Shelton in the ring isn't a good match up. However, the Rock vs a heel Cena, CHristian, or Carlito could be golden. Hell, a face Cena may work wonders too.

This has gotten long, but meh. Basically, we can't rely on one person to make an era happen. There needs to be chemistry between people. HHH and the Rock, Austin McMahon, Hogan and anyone. The hero is only as big as his nemesis.

[The One]

Lamuella, I was going to say the same thing, but then again Hulk Hogan was something that WWF wraped with a bow and said, "Here is your hero, you will love him now."

No the next guy will be nothing like Hogan or Austin, and remember that "Hulkamania" started in 1984, and due to WWF not blowing it with him it "Ran wild" til about 1989, with the undeniable fact that 1987 is when Hulk was as big as he could ever get.

No let's go back from that 12 years earlier to a time when wrestling's popularity spiked as well yet no one seems to remember it as much as "The big two". In 1975 (12 years before Hulkamania) you had the NWA with Jack Briscoe as champion, and then Terry Funk came a took it away, but the real story of 1975 was how much attention Harley Race was gathering. Now note that Harley had already been Champ back in 73, but it was around 75 that his charisma REALLY started comming out, (notice about 2 years of build up before he became HUGELY over) and then like all things it peaked right around 1979 during the whole dropping the belt a bunch and winning it back feasco...that was NWA's bad booking that lead to the downfall of his overness...but before we talked about Austin I did want to mention that there seems to be a partner in wrestling and it goes further back then Hulkamania.

Now lets look at Austin and the attitude era. Austin became big in 1996, with his peak being in 1998 and then due to injuries his contribution ended in 1999 almost 2000. Now Attitude and wrestling's popularity continued due to the fact that WWE was smart enough to make other huge name stars during the Austin Boom. But if you look at the dates in which we saw the biggest spike in interest, they were about 12 years apart from when the "Main guy" became huge. Twelve years. Now is this a set in stone number, no. But for the sake of this point let's say that a huge new name comes around every 12 years.

Well Austin came around in 1996 and wasn't huge until 1998, that would mean it wouldn't be until about 2008 that we saw the next huge guy make an impact, and not until 2010 that he starts bringing in a whole new load of people to the show.

Just something to think about if "Histroy truly does repeat itself."

[Innovator]

The next big person, in my opinion, won't be a big person at all. Back in the 90s, 220 was a small person. Now 220 is average and sub 220 (175) is average.

The next guy will probably be a regular guy, someone who the fans can say "hey that guy isn't much bigger than me, but damn look at him go".