Best Wrestler #11

[loopydate]

Originally Posted by Rammsteinmad What WCW are you talking about?

Probably the one with the hard-on for "real" athletes. Rodman, Malone, Abbott, etc. You don't think Angle would have been pushed to the moon as the guy with a gold medal if it would get WCW on SportsCenter?

[Theo Dious]

Originally Posted by loopydate Probably the one with the hard-on for "real" athletes. Rodman, Malone, Abbott, etc. You don't think Angle would have been pushed to the moon as the guy with a gold medal if it would get WCW on SportsCenter?

He would have been for a short time but I don't think he would have been cultivated and refined in WCW the way he was in WWE. WCW's hardon was really more for the fame of those guys you mentioned and not their athletic skill. (Also you left Jay Leno off that list.) The thing about Angle is that he knew damn near nothing about the business when he came in. He was brilliant in his first year in the WWF where he was put through a lot of comedy scenarios but was still capable of looking like a real threat. It was a masterful piece of booking that showcased his raw ability while giving him enough character to make him a draw to those who might not care about such things. I doubt WCW could ever pull off something like that.

Anyways I voted for Jericho because Angle never wore a Lite-brite jacket.

[Curd]

Originally Posted by Tedious He would have been for a short time but I don't think he would have been cultivated and refined in WCW the way he was in WWE. WCW's hardon was really more for the fame of those guys you mentioned and not their athletic skill. (Also you left Jay Leno off that list.) The thing about Angle is that he knew damn near nothing about the business when he came in. He was brilliant in his first year in the WWF where he was put through a lot of comedy scenarios but was still capable of looking like a real threat. It was a masterful piece of booking that showcased his raw ability while giving him enough character to make him a draw to those who might not care about such things. I doubt WCW could ever pull off something like that.

Indeed, and given Nash's booking power, Angle's success would have been partially determined by how well Big Sexy took a liking to young Kurt. Would Nash have seen Angle as just another "vanilla midget" despite the Olympic credentials? Other Olympians in WCW such as Ted Arcidi, Bill Kazmaier, and Chip Minton weren't used for much more than one or two years before being released from WCW. And I doubt Hogan would have used his creative control to build Angle.