[LIL' WINNING FOOT]

Been debating this for a long while as to one of the many problems the WWE has on their hands currently. One of them is the fact that, although some are exceptions, most of the talent look, sound, and act the same. As much as I love Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler, they're almost identical with their presentation. Fuck the WWE's way of distincting talents, the Zigglers, Rhodes, Ryans, McGuillicuttys, the Batemans, etc. are all the same or at least have no redeeming ways of being unique in their own way.

Bash Rikishi, Al Snow, Val Venis, Steve Blackman, Doink the Clown, Repo Man, Men on a Mission, Junkyard Dog, Koko B. Ware, and the like all you want but there is a reason why we remember them to this day. They were all different in their own way. There was something about them that entertained you, intrigued you, or made you at least recognize them. 20 years from now, who is going to remember a Michael McGuillicutty? A Tyson Kidd? Hell, even a Cody Rhodes or Dolph Ziggler really?

I get people bashing Brodus Clay, Lord Tensai, Ryback, etc. I've done my criticisms of them as well but I understand why WWE wants to bring up these kind of people. To make you realize how more different they are from the majority. Guys like Punk and Bryan are different because they bring something different from the majority.

Now, the signing of Sin Cara was a fresh start to this movement. Too bad he is injured and not active now but he'll be a big draw if the WWE can do it right like they did with Rey Mysterio, sans the sometimes ridiculous Superman pushes and title reigns. But I think the WWE shouldn't stop. Look around in place like Japan and Korea. Maybe around in Spain, Italy, or in the UK. Yes, I know some will say Sheamus, McIntyre, Barrett but I mean those who embrace their nationality but at the same time have a character that ties with that to get even more worldwide outreach. Yoshi Tatsu should be a great example if he actually got a push rather than swimming in Superstars.

Plus, don't mean to sound racist, but the same vanilla skinned type of wrestler also needs to shed away from that ugly stereotype that wrestling has always had, no matter how much they try to cover it up and sweep it under the carpet. That said, just because you're black, brown, or red doesn't mean you should be pushed. Examples like Ezekiel Jackson and Huncio are exampled. Both aren't that talented. Get some multi-racial talents that can really do a lot of wonders for the company. Kofi, and to an extent Shelton Benjamin and MVP, should have been the standards of that statement had the WWE had the decency to push them high up.

Overall, I think WWE has a lot of problems they need to fix and this is one of them they could start doing as a way to bring back some viewers back to watch their products but please, post your thoughts and comments on here.

 

[ecabney]

KENTA would be piff. I'd throw him right into a feud with CM GAWD and show him how the GTS is supposed to be executed. Exposed knee and all.

 

[Andre]

Yeah, the roster is filled with way too many look-a-likes, WWE has a real hard on for bland looking 5'10" skinny white guys at the moment. The problem is further compounded by the fact that none of these vanilla (literally) looking guys are given sufficient time on the mic to establish their own personalities, how is the audience supposed to notice a wrestler who they might become a fan of (and buy merch) when said wrestler is lost in a sea of blandness? CM Punk actually stands out because he's a rough looking rebel that has been allowed air time to define a character, he is the antithesis of all the clean, bland, generic attire wearing WWE workers clogging up the roster.

WWE needs more vibrancy within their roster, whether it means hiring a slew of wrestlers with stonger and more eye catching looks, more varied personalities rather than 'cocky young heel wrestler'/'smiling babyface' along with gimmicks that todays' audience can relate to. Just look at that second list of wrestlers in the op, they were all memorable because they had gimmicks that were relevant at the time. Maybe WWE could let some of their more restricted workers off the leash and express their own personalities?

Having said that, I'm not sure whether hiring a load of ethnically diverse wrestlers will help at all, WWE will probably just limit these guys to a few possible character choices, possibly none at all. The last time WWE went full out and invested in foreign talents was with Alberto Del Rio and Sin Cara, Del Rio has been a flop despite a huge push while Cara has continually fucked up his own career. I'm not saying that all foreign imports would flop, but WWE have a poor recent track record in regards to what they should do with these talents, Del Rio's gimmick was forced and unnatural, Cara was rushed into an environment that he wasn't fully prepared to work. You can find the solutions but WWE will keep causing their own problems!

 

[LIL' WINNING FOOT]

That's why I say they shouldn't be hired just because of the color of their skin only but we could use multi-racial talents that aren't just a stereotypical character of itself.

 

[Vyed]

Push Drew Mcintyre.

 

[Andre]

That's why I say they shouldn't be hired just because of the color of their skin only but we could use multi-racial talents that aren't just a stereotypical character of itself.

...but that would be expecting way to much of Vince and WWE creative who actually thought a wrestling version of George and Lenny from 'of mice and men' was a good idea, lol. Vince loves racial (and general) stereotypes, as long as he runs the WWE then that's generally the way it will be. All of your points stand, but they won't happen until Vince is gone, WWE has real competition or the company starts to go out of buisness.

 

[Jupiter Jack Daniels]

I never understood why WWE never bought in Great Muta. The guy was fantastic in the ring, had a great gimmick that Lord Tensai blatantly copied and is one of the most over Japanese talents of all time. The guy had the look to be a top heel, especially in 1995-1996, when Bret and HBK where at the top.

 

[kieranwwe]

Personally I think they should invest in a new Stable called the Multi-nationalists, something like this.

Sheamus - Ireland
Wade Barrett - England
Drew Macintyre - Scotland
Alberto Del Rio - Mexico
Primo - Puerto Rico
Kali - India
Christian - Canada
Randy Orton - America

 

[Clique]

This idea kept a good portion of ECW and WCW's Cruiserweight division fresh for years because of the various personalities and wrestling styles infused with the more character driven "American style." I personally feel WWE needs more diverse characters (I'm not talking over-the-top gimmicks but intriguing personalities) on TV from opening match to main event. Too long WWE have been churning out bland underwear models and stereotypical ethnic gimmicks and the product as a whole is losing a lot of interest because too many guys are directionless character-wise and storyline-wise.

I agree with bringing in more talents that have honed their skills around the world or talent that can effectively present other cultures and wrestling styles. I think the program some may run into and we saw this with Sin Cara last year is he had problems assimilating to the "American style" or "WWE style" which can be stiffly to a performer like him because he has to rigidly work in basic character spots and slow down the pace of his matches to keep up with guys not used to the Lucha style. I think Sin Cara isn't used to that bigger WWE ring either with the bouncy ropes (they usually use tighter ropes in Mexico to perform spots). Besides those points, we need reasons to care about these characters and we need more season workers to be able to cut promos so the audience understands their intentions and motivations but WWE should also implement more opportunities for more styles and approaches to working matches from various parts of the globe.

 

[LIL' WINNING FOOT]

You say Great Muta. I say Ultimo Dragon should have gotten a better push than he got in WWE. He and Mysterio could have made a lot of merchandise sales for the WWE, I thought.

 

[Clique]

^

I can say the same about Low Ki. He could have been the next superhero for kids i.e. Mysterio if they would have put an air of mystique around his presentation. With his martial arts background he should have been credible enough to compete with and defeat any opponent not matter his size or his opponent’s.

 

[just1988]

The WWE are starting to do a better job with adding variety to the roster, Brodus Clay is somebody who's unlike anybody else they have on the roster right now in terms of look and gimmick. They need more fat guy, more pure athletes and more high flyers. These would help to mix things up a little more and add to the overall entertainment value.

 

[Jupiter Jack Daniels]

You say Great Muta. I say Ultimo Dragon should have gotten a better push than he got in WWE. He and Mysterio could have made a lot of merchandise sales for the WWE, I thought.

Only thing with Ultimo is he was more of a cruiserweight during a period when WWE was still into heavily hyping the larger guys. Now, if it where today that Ultimo was coming in, I could see him having a bigger role, since we have DB as somewhat of a top guy. Personally, I feel Jushin Liger or even Hayabusa would have been better suited in the WWE instead of Ultimo Dragon

But, Muta is of good size. Muta/Bret Hart could have been a classic and I would have loved to see Muta in the WWE during the AE. It sucks how WCW touted the guy as a big deal from day 1 but then placed him in the overcrowded NWO and lowered his stock even further by placing him with Vampiro & The ICP. I think Muta would have made a great WWE Champion.

 

[LIL' WINNING FOOT]

Jushin was already getting past his prime and Hayabusa, IMO, wouldn't be a good fit for the WWE. I think Ultimo Dragon has the international appeal, unique talent, and marketability that Rey had that could have made WWE even more money. Plus, they still had a pretty respectable Cruiserweight division back then so when it had past its course, Dragon could have been a midcard mainstay draw.

 

[Jupiter Jack Daniels]

Jushin was already getting past his prime and Hayabusa, IMO, wouldn't be a good fit for the WWE. I think Ultimo Dragon has the international appeal, unique talent, and marketability that Rey had that could have made WWE even more money. Plus, they still had a pretty respectable Cruiserweight division back then so when it had past its course, Dragon could have been a midcard mainstay draw.

Yeah but Liger is only about 2 years older than Dragon. And, IMO, Liger was a far bigger star. Liger was over big time hear in the states in the early 90's, while Dragon didn't catch on till the mid to late 90's.

Hayabusa would have been a good fit feuding with HBK or Bret as well. The guy was highly athletic and in 1995-1996, along with Muta, could have gotten over well in WWE.

Another guy is Masa Chono. He had the size and as partners with Muta, could have been a dominating tag team in WWE, especially if managed by Jim Cornette. I always thought Psychosis could have been a star as well.

 

[JoseDRiveraTCR7]

I agree with everything in the OP. One of the main aspects of wrestling that I liked was its' diversity. The WWE felt like a worldwide company. I would add though that if they want to diversify I don't think it's a good idea to make most of minority or international talents heel. Right now they're trying to reach out to Hispanics and they only have two Hispanic faces, Mysterio and Sin Cara, both of whom are out with injuries. Hispanics, and this go for all ethnic groups, may cheer more for someone they share similar backgrounds with, but I'm sure most of them still want to cheer the good guys and boo the baddies.

 

[Andre]

I'm guessing that WWE didn't pick up Muta because they already had Yokozuna as a non speaking mega heel, Bret was hardly stella on the mic as a face either so I doubt they were willing to sign anybody else lacking mic skills in order to fill a main event role.

The problem with having a large influx of non-speaking talents is that you end up with the same problem that you began with, a lack of diversity. Having mulitiple mute wrestlers leads to a situation that demands more manager mic time, eventually the managers get over and the wrestlers become undistinguished. Muta, Hayabusa, Dragon and Liger all wrestling for the WWE in the nineties would have been overkill, especially at a time when they were starting to demand their wrestlers carry themselves in promos.

Having just one guy like Sin Cara on the roster is fine because he stands out, throw a load more in there and you get another sea of blandness, or a power rangers convention at least. I guess Ultimo Dragon could have worked as a foil for Rey, but throw in anymore wrestlers like that and the whole idea becomes diluted, two guys that are similar is already bad enough.

 

[LIL' WINNING FOOT]

True, or if you have only technical wrestlers, or only promo heavy wrestlers, or only high flying wrestlers, etc.

 

[Andre]

Exactly, then you get to that point where the product only appeals to a niche audience. The smart fans back then would have loved to have seen a main event roster filled with the best wrestlers from abroad, but the casual fan would have been completely put off by a product that involves Jim Cornette being the face of the product while a bunch of mysterious masked men whose motivations are unclear do battle, lol. The same could be said of now, certain fans would love to see a main event scene of Punk, Bryan, Ambrose and many of the other indy darlings, yet a lot of the casual fans look for qualities that these guys don't posess.

It's all about diversity, take the best selection of talents from each category and then you'll have it, an interesting, verstile and deep roster. Doesn't matter what talents you have on board though, you've still got to use them correctly, WWE's current week to week booking policies don't do favours for anybody on the roster. How can you develop a character when angles are changed and scrapped every single week?

 

[Clique]

It's all about diversity and depth in roster is what's important for an overall entertaining product. Years ago we had the big names and larger than life figures on top, in ring work horses right under, the tag teams drawing interesting clashes and characters that catch your eye scattered throughout the show no matter how serious or goofy their characters were. They need to get back to creating and added depth to the roster and programming.