What happened to jobbers?
 

Seemingly these days everyone needs to get over, everyone needs to be pushed, get their shot, or prove themselves. And it's tough to give these guys the rub without taking the momentum away from other wrestlers.

What happened to jobbers? Does noone just aspire to get out there and do their job? I know everyone wants to be the best, but some guys just aren't cut out for it. They aren't even cut out to be in the mid card.

I know the WWE has a lot of talent, and they have trouble keeping it on TV every week, but one of the things I used to enjoy about wrestling (maybe it was just WCW, I don't know) was seeing "rick local", or even a guy like Disco Inferno, come down to fight a lower/midcard guy and getting their ass kicked. Not a special match, just a bog standard almost competetive wrestling match where your guy got the pin, and it gave him a bit of a rub.

Is it just me, or is this an important element missing from the WWE?

They still use jobbers to get guys over at first, like with Koslov, he went almost 2 months before wrestling anyone decent. They seem to use Jobbers in a different way now.

They used to use Heat and Velocity as a way for guys to go over, the problem was, nobody cares about the likes of Val Venis (Sorry Noid) going over anyone, so they were being used, but for the wrong purpose IMO

Whilst I agree that jobbers should be used more, as it’s a good way to keep people strong without hurting other members who have to job, thus creating an imbalance, the industry has changed now, to a marketing frenzy, so it’s all about getting as many stars on tv who will then make them money in PPV and merch rights, you can double your money if it’s done right by having Stars Vs Stars you can create more money than a Star vs a nobody

I agree, and while it's hardly ever done right, the WWE could get away with having star vs star in their Mid and Uppercard. I guess the problem is, there's no undercard on the main shows anymore.

And depending on what they want, that can effect them.

Going back to the old days with territories, they used to build up guys to massive shows, have the blow off and then re-build.

What WWE seem to have done in the last decade is maintain a medium, where things never quite seem to go over the top and everyone in some respects everyone is on a level playing field, or at least everyone is within 1 of 2 brackets, Main Event or Mid Card. That appears to be it, if anyone starts to lag in the mid card they either get drafted to try to make money on another show, or released so they can re-try with someone new.

Regardless of what we as viewers would find entertaining, the fact is, most of us will watch whatever they put on, so it’s no in their best interests to start messing with a winning formula which is still making them money, granted, not as much as when the Monday night wars were on, but then they had to play things differently with their top talent and give away PPV match stuff on TV to win ratings, but generally, the 2 tier roster structure still remained

Aren't guys like Kung Funaki, Jimmy Wang Yang, Goldust, Dolph Ziggler, whoever Kozlov squashed last night on ECW, and Jamie Noble jobbers in their own right? Maybe it's not that jobbers have disappeared, its that the shows don't have as much time for the jobber matches as they used to, since they try to pack in as much entertainment/storyline in as possible on every show.

Completely off-topic, but: nice sig, Bad Company. What's Dan doing there?

Driving ;)

I see what you're saying Fonz, but still even those guys have identities and a history, I mean Goldust is a former IC champ, so he'll never truly be regarded as a jobber. A few are light heavywights as well, who are never going to be regarded by the casual fan as a threat unless they are something special.
What I'm referring to is more nameless faceless heavyweight jobbers who come and wrestle once in a blue moon, and get beaten.

But really, what's 20mins at the start of the show for a couple of matches where some bland random bastard gets crushed to help your guys get over.

Everyone deserves a main event run.

I feel obligated to mention another problem with the lack of jobbers: nobody knows what most midcarder's finishers are. Primo? Jesse? Festus? Hawkins/Ryder?

Goldust is definitely a jobber now. Just like Val Venis was before his release. Their histories just make victories over them look even more impressive. They're like Jobbers Plus. I'd rather see somebody like Goldust as a jobber than a new age Reno Riggins or "Iron" Mike Sharpe. With Goludst, there's almost an even off chance that he COULD win, but we all know that he won't still.

ECW

Isn't Santino a very popular jobber?

Santino isn't a jobber. He's more of a supporting character that happens to wrestle. Similar to the Stooges.

:y:

Theyre called Kane these days.

Sport, lol.

I would like to see your 400 lbs Walrusesque body get in a ring and put on an actual wrestling match.

Just because something is difficult to do, that doesn't make it a sport.

It's not that your wrong, but I want to punch you for this.

Wrestling is like a Ballet.

- Triple H.

as I said, he aint wrong, but I want to punch him. dunno

natural reaction I suppose

someone had to say it.

I bet you consider cocksucking a sport...since you partake in it.

Outside of the olympics "wrestling" hasn't been a sport in fucking decades you walt.

oh damn you got me. :roll:

You like basketball for fuck sakes, what art is in that? "OH SNAP SON! LOOK AT THAT NIGGA DUNK ON THAT FOOL!"

You could at least quote who you're responding to you annoying cunt.

And no i dont like nigball thanks. (im assuming you were responding to me, if not eat a bowl of cum anyway)

Who ever said Basketball was an art?

Sports are competitive in nature, making Basketball a sport.

Pro Wrestling has a pre determined end, taking the competitive aspect out of the equation. That is why it is not a sport.

I never said Wrestling wasn't an "art" or that it wasn't difficult to do. But calling it a sport is false.

There is a competition in the wrestling ring, and it is to out shine your opponent.

You can only do so much to "outshine" your opponent, if they don't want to co-operate then you can't do shit.

To a pre-determined end, and usually the goal is for the those in the ring to work together to put on a good match for the fans.

If either participant chose to not work with the other during the match, than executing moves would become rather hard don't you think?

And if you wanna say that out shining your opponent in wrestling makes it competitive enough to make it a sport, than you can consider any job in the world a sport.

That is how I look at the world, instead of leaving my head up my ass, like you do.

I smell Heyman.

Just gonna chime in, pro-wrestling can be very competitive.

I have nothing more to add.

I thought that Ziggler guy was a jobber until he beat my bro MVP last night. That;s big. Thats like when Xpac beat Razor Ramon.

I assure you they are alive and well in all walks of wrestling.

MVP.