TPWW Forums - View Single Post - Main-Eventers You Didn't See Coming

**Mr. Nerfect** · 04-22-2013, 05:10 AM

JBL is the first guy that came to mind. It's not that he ever lacked size or promo ability -- he was just always in a tag team or on the peripherals. Then he reinvented himself and almost overnight was WWE Champion.

In the same vein, I would have never have expected Mark Henry to finally reach the stage where he is permanently accepted as being a top guy. No one makes "Mizark" jokes anymore, or talks about how he hurts everybody or himself. He seems to have won over everyone's general respect and has found a nice niche for himself as a main event heel, despite several failed attempts to push him as such in the past.

Bully Ray completely surprised me with his reinvention. It seemed that every few years The Dudley Boyz or Team 3D would turn face or heel just to keep themselves fresh and relevant with their stale act. You could never split them up because they would never make it on their own, right? Ray is killing it as a singles act in TNA.

I saw Chris Jericho being a main eventer. I never really got on board with him until my status as a smark was solidifed. When I started watching, Jericho was already wildly popular in the WWE, but I didn't realise just how good he was. I used to legit see him as the third most popular guy behind Austin and The Rock. That's what it seemed like anyway. He was always rubbing shoulders with the top guys. One thing I will say is this, though -- I did not see his heel reinvention in 2008 being one of the best I have ever witnessed. Y2J was unearthed and rebuilt as a guy who demanded the World Heavyweight Title be put on him -- something that his face act since returning had not at all demanded.

Much like with Jericho, I never really got the fuss about Eddie Guerrero. I was new to wrestling so I sort of looked for different things. I was legitimately upset when he defeated Test for the European Championship at WrestleMania X-7 and marked out like a little bitch when Matt Hardy defeated him for it. Eddie was always deserving of the main event spotlight, but it was still sort of surreal when he eventually got there. He always seemed like he would be the bridesmaid and never the bride.

I sometimes look at the success CM Punk has had and I am amazed that he actually did it. It's not that I "didn't see it coming." He's always had his eyes on that prize and he's always been a fantastic promo and in-ring worker. He can be an amazingly fun character and he's always been over. It's just to the degree he has been successful. He's probably the #2 full-time guy behind John Cena at the moment. He and Cena are like the only two guys who don't work SmackDown very regularly. It's like he's actually become "too big" for the B-show in the company's mind. Hearing duelling chants for him and The Undertaker as he just stood there shows the level your average fan is starting to see him at, especially given Punk went above and beyond to be a true heel in the feud. It would not surprise me if Punk is eventually forced into an anti-hero face role, simply because of the growing popularity of his performances.

I'll compare Punk to Edge -- there were times when Edge tried to turn face and it just didn't work. Edge would end up being the sleazy heel before a few months had passed. I get the feeling that Punk could give Heyman a GTS and instantly go on a massive face tear. Edge was fantastic, by the way, and his success never surprised me, as he always seemed a company favourite, but I'm just comparing the reactions they illicit.

Christian actually getting the nod was a bit of a surprise to me, to be honest. After his white-hot 2005 run amounted to nothing, I'm surprised that they would pull the trigger in 2011. They didn't really give Christian the most credible of World Title reigns, but he got two of them and can say he achieved it. I hope that Christian finds a way to reinvent himself and get...ONE...MORE...MATCH!

Gotta be honest -- Daniel Bryan winning the World Title as quickly as he did into his WWE stint surprised the crap out of me. I didn't call him to win that Money in the Bank Ladder Match in 2011, and when they said that he would cash-in at WrestleMania I was quite thrilled, but I always assumed Bryan would have a much longer path to the top. He does seem to "get it," though. He's not doing a bland indy wrestler thing in the big leagues. He's become a character -- and a quite endearing one at that. Walking that face/heel line in the early stages of Team Hell No is quite a tricky act, and he somehow managed to get it all just right. He's gone from being "Who's this guy and why should I care?" to "YES! YES! YES! It's Daniel Bryan! *clap-clap, clap-clap-clap*." He hasn't really been in the World Title picture for some time, but he's always featured, gets to rub shoulders with top dogs constantly and is treated like a big deal. He's getting to team with the fucking Undertaker on RAW.

04-22-2013, 05:10 AM	#25
Mr. Nerfect Posts: 61,571	JBL is the first guy that came to mind. It's not that he ever lacked size or promo ability -- he was just always in a tag team or on the peripherals. Then he reinvented himself and almost overnight was WWE Champion. In the same vein, I would have never have expected Mark Henry to finally reach the stage where he is permanently accepted as being a top guy. No one makes "Mizark" jokes anymore, or talks about how he hurts everybody or himself. He seems to have won over everyone's general respect and has found a nice niche for himself as a main event heel, despite several failed attempts to push him as such in the past. Bully Ray completely surprised me with his reinvention. It seemed that every few years The Dudley Boyz or Team 3D would turn face or heel just to keep themselves fresh and relevant with their stale act. You could never split them up because they would never make it on their own, right? Ray is killing it as a singles act in TNA. I saw Chris Jericho being a main eventer. I never really got on board with him until my status as a smark was solidifed. When I started watching, Jericho was already wildly popular in the WWE, but I didn't realise just how good he was. I used to legit see him as the third most popular guy behind Austin and The Rock. That's what it seemed like anyway. He was always rubbing shoulders with the top guys. One thing I will say is this, though -- I did not see his heel reinvention in 2008 being one of the best I have ever witnessed. Y2J was unearthed and rebuilt as a guy who demanded the World Heavyweight Title be put on him -- something that his face act since returning had not at all demanded. Much like with Jericho, I never really got the fuss about Eddie Guerrero. I was new to wrestling so I sort of looked for different things. I was legitimately upset when he defeated Test for the European Championship at WrestleMania X-7 and marked out like a little bitch when Matt Hardy defeated him for it. Eddie was always deserving of the main event spotlight, but it was still sort of surreal when he eventually got there. He always seemed like he would be the bridesmaid and never the bride. I sometimes look at the success CM Punk has had and I am amazed that he actually did it. It's not that I "didn't see it coming." He's always had his eyes on that prize and he's always been a fantastic promo and in-ring worker. He can be an amazingly fun character and he's always been over. It's just to the degree he has been successful. He's probably the #2 full-time guy behind John Cena at the moment. He and Cena are like the only two guys who don't work SmackDown very regularly. It's like he's actually become "too big" for the B-show in the company's mind. Hearing duelling chants for him and The Undertaker as he just stood there shows the level your average fan is starting to see him at, especially given Punk went above and beyond to be a true heel in the feud. It would not surprise me if Punk is eventually forced into an anti-hero face role, simply because of the growing popularity of his performances. I'll compare Punk to Edge -- there were times when Edge tried to turn face and it just didn't work. Edge would end up being the sleazy heel before a few months had passed. I get the feeling that Punk could give Heyman a GTS and instantly go on a massive face tear. Edge was fantastic, by the way, and his success never surprised me, as he always seemed a company favourite, but I'm just comparing the reactions they illicit. Christian actually getting the nod was a bit of a surprise to me, to be honest. After his white-hot 2005 run amounted to nothing, I'm surprised that they would pull the trigger in 2011. They didn't really give Christian the most credible of World Title reigns, but he got two of them and can say he achieved it. I hope that Christian finds a way to reinvent himself and get...ONE...MORE...MATCH! Gotta be honest -- Daniel Bryan winning the World Title as quickly as he did into his WWE stint surprised the crap out of me. I didn't call him to win that Money in the Bank Ladder Match in 2011, and when they said that he would cash-in at WrestleMania I was quite thrilled, but I always assumed Bryan would have a much longer path to the top. He does seem to "get it," though. He's not doing a bland indy wrestler thing in the big leagues. He's become a character -- and a quite endearing one at that. Walking that face/heel line in the early stages of Team Hell No is quite a tricky act, and he somehow managed to get it all just right. He's gone from being "Who's this guy and why should I care?" to "YES! YES! YES! It's Daniel Bryan! clap-clap, clap-clap-clap." He hasn't really been in the World Title picture for some time, but he's always featured, gets to rub shoulders with top dogs constantly and is treated like a big deal. He's getting to team with the fucking Undertaker on RAW.