Snitsky's back acne Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Nabbed from pwinsider.com.... Â "In the last few weeks, PWInsider.com has heard of a number of older talents on the independent scene being told that World Wrestling Entertainment is now only seeking to hire talents under the age of 30, especially talents that would enter the promotion's developmental system. While no one I've spoken to has noted it's been an official edict on record, I've heard of at least 3-4 different talents who have been told this in recent weeks when looking into potential work with the company. Â If this is true, it could very well prove to be a mistake. A number of performers from the last big boom were well over 30 when they made their debut for the WWF. There are a number of talents who grow as they age and gain experience and if the company is putting an "age cap" on that growth, someone like Mick Foley wouldn't end up hired today - and Foley was a major reason names like Triple H and Randy Orton made it to the upper-tier of the company's roster." Â Now, baring in mind WWE has recently signed the in-her-30's Awesome Kong this could be total bollocks, however there is a point as the likes of Foley, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Batista and Stonecold Steve Austin were not signed until they were in their 30's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted January 11, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted January 11, 2011 If this is true, it could very well prove to be a mistake. A number of performers from the last big boom were well over 30 when they made their debut for the WWF. There are a number of talents who grow as they age and gain experience and if the company is putting an "age cap" on that growth, someone like Mick Foley wouldn't end up hired today - and Foley was a major reason names like Triple H and Randy Orton made it to the upper-tier of the company's roster." Foley was only 30 when they hired him to be fair, and he was 29 years old when Jim Ross, Undertaker and Diesel put the word in for him. And the likes of Foley and Austin back then wouldnt have need a developmental system due to their time on the road all those years. I'm sure WWE is looking at hiring young lads and debuting them when they are ready as opposed to getting them on TV before they turn 30. I bet if a Robert Roode or Kurt Angle suddenly found themselves out of contract they wouldnt be bothered of the age. Sounds like WWE are putting the word out that they are looking for young talent to groom, rather than only hiring young talent full stop. Â Speaking of Kong, did you see her at the latest ROH show she was on? She's piled the weight on. Wonder if WWE will want it off her, or if they see it as a good thing that she looks massive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Now, baring in mind WWE has recently signed the in-her-30's Awesome Kong this could be total bollocks, however there is a point as the likes of Foley, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Batista and Stonecold Steve Austin were not signed until they were in their 30's. Batista was the only one of those that started in developmental. The others were full-blown pro wrestlers well before they went to the WWF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninevisions Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 well i guess that counts Samoa Joe (31) out if he wants to go to WWE. guess that also means anyone who WWE released wont be re-signed if they're over 30... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigBoot Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 While no one I've spoken to has noted it's been an official edict on record, I've heard of at least 3-4 different talents who have been told this in recent weeks when looking into potential work with the company. Â I think that's the key bit. If true (and I'd think it could well be) then I'd imagine it applies to the young talent they are looking to sign and train up through developmental rather than 'name' ones. There's no way that would apply to a Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho or Jeff Hardy if/when they decide to return to WWE. Even ignoring former WWE guys, I'd imagine even the bigger name TNA guys who have been around awhile like Styles, Roode and Storm if they decided to make the jump. Â I could also see them making exceptions for giants/novelty acts. If someone the size of Khali turned up looking for a contract but said they were 32 or something I reckon they'd at least sign them to a developmental deal. Â If this is true, it could very well prove to be a mistake. A number of performers from the last big boom were well over 30 when they made their debut for the WWF. There are a number of talents who grow as they age and gain experience and if the company is putting an "age cap" on that growth, someone like Mick Foley wouldn't end up hired today - and Foley was a major reason names like Triple H and Randy Orton made it to the upper-tier of the company's roster." Â By the same token though a big deal was made by all the websites, sheets and veteran wrestlers at the time about how McMahon had always promoted young guys and how the difference between WWF and WCW was that WCW's only headliner under the age of thirty five was Goldberg. Around the end of the 90s there was a big deal made out of the fact that WWF's top guys were guys (main eventers and upper mid-carders) were all "still" either in their early thirties (Austin, Triple H, Foley, Undertaker, Kane, Mr. Ass, Shamrock) or late twenties (Test, The Big Show, The Rock, X-Pac, Road Dogg, Chyna) - implying they'd all still be good to go for the bulk of the 2000s (whereas the chances of the Hogan's, Savage's, Luger's, Piper's, Flair's, Sting's and Bret's still working even a regular part-time schedule - I don't think anyone would have ruled off big PPV one-offs - by 2009 seemed slim to many at the time). Â The way PWInsider put it there (and your comment below) about WWF's headliners being in their thirties is actually the first time I've seen it worded like that, since at the time it was normally the same thing (WWF guys in their early thirties who had a truckload of experience) but used in the opposite way i.e. used to show how young the WWF roster was as a contrast to WCW which was full of the 'over forties club'. That's one of the things I've found funny about recent years where things have gone the other way around and it is now WWE that has been criticised for showcasing that same club (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Batista) in prominent positions. Â Conversely if WCW was still around I reckon that would have been subtitled 'where the young guys play' or something around 2006. Â Now, baring in mind WWE has recently signed the in-her-30's Awesome Kong this could be total bollocks, Â I wouldn't think it's "bollocks" because of that more that it is evidence there are exceptions to the rule. I think Kong's the kind of example of someone who has enough of a name and/or unique gimmick that it doesn't apply to them. Â however there is a point as the likes of Foley, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Batista and Stonecold Steve Austin were not signed until they were in their 30's. Â They were all in their very early thirties when they got called up to the main roster (with the exception of Batista) though and all had an abundance of big time experience (again with the exception of Batista) working PPVs, SuperShows, TV and regular house shows. Breaking those down: Â Batista - yeah, I can see him not being signed over it/dismissed as being too old to start developmental given his lack of prior experience. If someone turned up and looked like that but had been in NJPW or TNA for three years beforehand... Then that's a different matter and I think they'd still get signed even if this rule was in place. Â As Ian said, Foley was only thirty at the time. Twenty nine when he started negotiating with them given the way he left ECW for WWF where it was (four? six? eight?) months between the time it was announced he was signing for McMahon and the time he actually debuted, during which he worked out his dates for Heyman, and that the actual contract negotiations were before that. He is one of those guys a lot of people thought was older because of his beard, weight, look and the fact he seemed to have been around forever but when you looked closer he was still a young guy. Â Benoit (turned thirty three in May 2000) and Guerrero (turned thirty three that October) were both thirty two and like Foley had a truckload of international experience, were highly regarded as workers by people inside the industry (Benoit in particular was regarded as one of the best workers in the world by a lot of people in the business including WWF main eventers) and great reputations inside the business. Â Austin signed a few weeks before his thirty first birthday and despite the fact he had only been wrestling for six or seven years at that point already had a wealth of experience working PPV/TV/House Show matches, promos and angles in a major international company. Â The only one I can see it affecting is Batista who didn't get brought up to the main roster until he was thirty five and had no National/International experience to speak of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vealster Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I find this all really Depressing it seems like WWE is so desperate to cater to younger fans that they're driving the older fans away in droves! Â I know this thread is about the athletes but this attiude seems to extend to the kind of audience the WWE wants also. Â I wonder if this is such a good idea in the long run a lot of youngsters get into wrestling because they watch it with their older siblings/parents etc, if you drive the older fans away you actually risk losing the next generation of fans IMO. Â Not to mention that older and more longtime fans are the ones who generally purchase tickets to the big events like Wrestlemania what happens when they go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Freebird Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Speaking of Kong, did you see her at the latest ROH show she was on? She's piled the weight on. Wonder if WWE will want it off her, or if they see it as a good thing that she looks massive. Â What Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted January 12, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted January 12, 2011 Speaking of Kong, did you see her at the latest ROH show she was on? She's piled the weight on. Wonder if WWE will want it off her, or if they see it as a good thing that she looks massive.  What’s the name of the ROH show Ian lad? Fuck knows. It was on a stream before I was watching Impact. Her face looked more bloated than it previously did and she looked huge. Not being a dick, just noticed that she obviously seems to be the biggest I've ever seen her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members neil's bitch Posted January 12, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted January 12, 2011 well i guess that counts Samoa Joe (31) out if he wants to go to WWE. guess that also means anyone who WWE released wont be re-signed if they're over 30... Aparently when all this ho-ha kicked out when his contract ran out recently, WWE werent interested......so i doubt he'd ever get there regardless. I know foley put in a word for him alongtime ago, but that didnt even get him any work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Miz Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Samoa Joe has done nothing in the past couple of years to make WWE sit up and take notice. He is a shell of his former self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted January 12, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted January 12, 2011 If you take out acquisitions from WCW, TNA and rehiring of former talent, when was the last time they hired a guy over 30? Batista? It's hardly a new policy, it's pretty much been their policy since they started their own developmental system. Â I'm sure if a good talent was available for transfer or a big-name former sport star was available, they'd make an exception. Otherwise it's a sensibel policy. There are very few wrestlers over 30 who aren't in WWE that would make a difference to their business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhenom Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 If you take out acquisitions from WCW, TNA and rehiring of former talent, when was the last time they hired a guy over 30? Batista? It's hardly a new policy, it's pretty much been their policy since they started their own developmental system. It must have been MVP, who's pushing 40 and was hired 6 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 And Boogeyman, who lied about his age (he was 40 saying he was 30) on the last series of Tough Enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted January 12, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted January 12, 2011 So that's 3 in 12 or so years so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dil|kid Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Speaking of Kong, did you see her at the latest ROH show she was on? She's piled the weight on. Wonder if WWE will want it off her, or if they see it as a good thing that she looks massive. Â What Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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