Wrestlers you were a fan of before but no longer
 

The Rey thread got me thinking. Name some wrestlers who you liked, but for one reason or another no longer like/enjoy. This doesn't mean you don't respect and love what they did before, but in their current incarnation you are no longer a fan.

A few that come to mind for me are Ric Flair and the Hardys. Flair for pissing on his legacy and the Hardys for how they've acted outside (and in Jeff's case, inside) the ring. Lots of respect for what they did in the past, but it just makes me sad (and sometimes mad) at what they've become.

The Dudleyz

I get physically ill when I watch Devon matches today, and it's weird, because he's probably the best he's ever been in the ring right now. Something about them ever since the move to TNA has just made me not enjoy them.

Bully Ray is turning around a little bit for me.

Kurt Angle

Hardys definetley.
RVD
John Cena
Steve Austin...yeah, I said it.

I hate when people use the phrase 'pissing on his legacy'. Yeah, Flair had a great run, and an even greater sendoff in WWE, but ultimately if the guy has to work, he has to work. Is he past his prime, absolutely! You would be too if you're biggest moments were 20 years ago, but the term 'pissing on his legacy' shouldn't really be used unless he did something drastic, like Chris Benoit.

In 10, 20 or 30 years time, when people remember Ric Flair, they'll remember the great moments he had in WCW and WWE... nobodies gonna instantly forget his greatest moments because 'oh he went to TNA and sucked'.

Just wanted to get that off my chest.

However, as I said, something like murdering your family will be considered pissing on your legacy, because what Benoit SHOULD be remembered for is how awesome he was as a wrestler... nobody will ever hear the name Chris Benoit without thinking about what he did. THAT'S how you piss on a legacy.

Not by getting old, refusing to retire for real and putting on shitty matches. That's just an old man trying to pay off some debts.

It's not that I have a problem with Flair wrestling at this point. It's the fact that he's doing exactly what he spoke out against years ago. He's a glorified stunt man. He bleeds at every turn. I don't expect him to be wrestling his 80s style, but if he's going to be wrestling, he shouldn't be degrading himself to what he himself hated.

Okay, maybe I do have a bit of a problem with him wrestling because, really, at this point, he can't. But he could be a manager type and be paying his bills. He had his chance with WWE to have a job for life which I have no doubt would have covered his debts. But he's turned into a shell of himself. From what I've heard, he's the Ric Flair party animal of years gone by, but without the money and resorting to having others pay his huge tabs.

What Flair did for the business will never be forgotten, but for me there will always be that bitter aftertaste of his TNA years. That, to me, is pissing on his legacy.

What Benoit did was destroy his legacy, not just piss on it.

Hardy Boyz
Kevin Nash
Brutus Beefcake
Hulk Hogan
X-Pac
Steve Austin

I get what you're saying, but to that last line, I gotta say 'nah'. When Flair's dead (assuming we're all still alive lol) you'll only remember the good stuff.

Unless he kills someone.

Edit: Your second from last line! That Benoit comment wasn't there before.

A number of the people mentioned already (The Hardyz, the Dudleyz, RVD). I would include Flair as well, more because I just think it's sad that he still has to work in a two bit company when he was given, probably, the greatest send off in wrestling history.

I would also say Raven, Mr Kennedy, Kurt Angle and Sting for a number of reasons.

Flair has to work because he's in alot of debt

Oh yeah, RVD is a good one. I used to LOVE him back in the day, but he's literally been wrestling the exact same match for like 15 years.

Weird, nobody mentioned that yet in this very thread.

Thanks for expounding upon it, though.

That's what makes it sad: 30 years at the top of the business and the idiot still managed to blow all his money. Now he has to embarrass himself working in a piss poor promotion like TNA.

You SOOOO hit this on the head Xero... I am one of the biggest marks for Flair coming from living in Charlotte for many years... But you are totally right... He is doing what he always was against... Being a glorified stunt man in the ring now... I agree... Pay your bills by being a manager on camera and tutoring the guys in the back off camera...

Ok, for the rest of my list... And I hate to say this first one...

Kurt Angle
Jeff Hardy
Foley for sure...
Rey Misterio
Undertaker
Devon (Bully Ray as of late on the mic has been entertaining.)

And I'll get hated for the next two...
A.J. Styles
Jack Swagger (Prob not his fault tho...)

Other than Swagger, there is somewhat of a pattern there...

Before he retired, I would have said Edge. I like Edge, dont get me wrong, but I didnt care for the storyline with Kane and, I dont know, his whole persona got kinda stale to me. He had to tone down his whole "Rated R Superstar" gimmick, and he kinda lost something to me.

taker
kane
big show
hardyz
rey

Hogan (until I saw a match with him and Paul Ordorff in a cage, where Paul got to the ground first and they said Hogan did. Then not long after he was thrown out of a battle royal by Tugboat. He offered to shake hands and Hogan pulled him over the top rope. Then a week later the reversed happened and Hogan was devestated that Tugboat would do that to him)

Mysterio (before he was WWEized)

Edge (he just got irritating just before he retired)

I'm sure there are a few others.

:wtf: What?

Pretty much all the TNA guys that used to be in WWE

This makes me a sad panda
 

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It breaks my heart to see Ric Flair having to wrestle today. Where's the option to become a road agent or something?

Im pretty sure everyone was just talking about that

Rey Mysterio - sick of the same old match everytime I see him (granted it's only sparingly anymore because of this, and I know he can have great matches but I never care to watch him to see them anymore) and the constant giant killer deal he rolls with.
RVD - he was so fun to watch years ago but like ABT said it's the same match every time now

Mr. Anderson, Mick Foley & Mickie James

Hmph, I cant really think of any examples. First to come to mind was Christian, but I am really liking what he is doing lately with his whiney heel persona, I just didnt like him as a face.

Make some noise, X-Pac

New Age Outlaws pretty much went downhill shortly after they landed in TNA then again it happens to a lot of talent.

Anybody who was in wwe but is now in tna with the exceptions of flair and hogan neither of which I ever liked

:'(

Used to like Jericho the rassler. Don't like Jericho the tv dancer.

Big Show. Holy shit that guy could move back in WCW, but then he became another overweight slow, dull lumbering bastard. He said himself he listened to the wrong people.

To summerize: Move to TNA and "The IWC" turns on you.

Welcome to TPWW/The Internet.

(Been waiting to get you back with that one) :wave:

LOL. Thats pretty much what I'm saying. I think.

Honestly though, "we" act like jilted lovers or something.

"How dare he leave me and go off with them!"

John Morrison

:roll:

:-\

I was a huge fan of Jeff Hardy, but it seems like whenever I really start to get into his on-screen character he goes and fucks it all up, with his most recent problems being the worst of them.

Massive fan of Mick Foley, but his recent move to TNA has kind of soured me on him. I dunno. I guess I thought he was smarter than to go to such a piece of shit company and work under Bischoff again.

Was a huge fan of Rob Van Dam, but I was honestly pretty gutted after he let himself get caught with drugs RIGHT AFTER he was given the biggest push of his career and the WWE Championship. I've smoked my fair share of weed in my life (more than my fair share, probably), but when you're on top of the world, you shouldn't be putting yourself in the position to fuck everything up the way that he did.


And of course, Chris Benoit. I looked up to him. I grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler but everyone told me I was too small. I'm about the same height as Benoit (obviously he was FAR more built), and he proved to everyone that a "Vanilla Midget" can win the World Heavyweight Championship against two of the biggest names in the business at the grandest stage of them all. That actually meant something to me. And then, well... it's hard for me to even watch his matches anymore.

Any guy in TNA except for Austin Aries and Flair.

Could never really not like Flair. Flair could fist my mother and then take the same hand seconds later and slap me with it and I'd probably be like "OMGRICFLAIR"

Ric Flair will always have a place in professional wrestling; but it should really be mentoring some newer talent and helping them get a footing in the business. I am getting a mind boner over the idea of Flair telling Austin Aries he is the best he's seen and Aries being all "Of course I am! I'm the greatest man that ever lived!" Those two as a pair could really make me watch TNA. Flair telling Brian Kendrick why he will never be the star Austin Aries is could be gold, too.

The problem is, if that scenario played out, TNA would make the pay-off Flair vs. Kendrick. Really, the pay-off should be Aries vs. Kendrick, with Kendrick winning and proving something to Flair -- waving the title in his face, or something.

Matt Hardy is a guy that I used to be a solid mark for. I used to think he was World Champion material. Now the biggest stir he makes is for tazering his woman. What a douche. It's sad what Hardy has become.

Ever since Kurt Angle went to TNA I have had countless sleepless nights.

The Hardys - At least Jeff had the reason to be a moron because of drugs but Matt went off the deep end ever since leaving the WWE

Chris Benoit - Wouldn't go as far as ignoring all the matches he was ever in like how the WWE did but the murder/suicide ending to his life makes it hard to even consider liking him.

Cena - I liked him up until his move to RAW and the eventual SuperCena push because it ended up "ruining" a lot of weekly RAWs when the show had only earlier just ended the Triple H over-dominance period.

Not sure how I forgot about Cena he's only been rammed down our throats for the last several years he's the perfect example I was a fan until he started going all PG on the flagship show.

I would have to say the opposite. Over the last couple of years, I have only just noticed how valuable/incredible a performer Cena is. Exactly the kind of guy you would want in your wrestling company.

I would include Benoit but I think that's an exceptional circumstance that caused me to lose respect for him. His wrestling career remains an example of consistent quality and warrants nothing but admiration.

What he did outwith it has no bearing on my opinion on him as a professional wrestler.

One more I would like to add though - Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The Rock- Too much talk, Same old promo, no in ring work
Sting- He has no reason to be wrestling anymore. I say he should get his Wrestlemania and take a L from Taker. There's too much to list.
In some wrestlers defense, Rey Rey's Knees are so bad he can only work a few types of matches.
In the case of Benoit, I'll always love him for what he did in ring. The man killed his wife because she killed his son. If that happened to me, I'd do the same thing. That might not be what lazy ass detectives say but that's what the evidence tells me.

Could you link me up to source for this? I've already tried http://www.iwillbelieveanythingbecau...libleidiot.com but got no joy.

Christian
Del Rio
Kane

Cena back in the battle rap and custom United States Championship days...couldn't stomach him anymore after the 1 year+ WWE title reign.

Honestly, Brian Kendrick. I used to love this guy in ROH, the WWE and then he's gone to TNA and I cannot stand watching him wrestle. His matches just bore me now and consist of FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR too many flying leg lariats.

Yes, TNA "sucks". We get it.