Could WWE get away with a Re-boot project?

[Jason Mayhem]

Given that everyone knows the nature of WWE now in as much as the wrestlers are just characters, could WWE get away with what the movies have been doing for years and just reboot some characters with different wrestlers playing the part?

 

Maybe it would have to be a separate project given that there is a continous timeline for WWE, but I would love to see some old characters rebooted in their own side project. For some reason I would love to see bossman rebooted as a gritty mean bastard, and I think they guy who plays Brodus at the moment would be perfect for it!

 

Would you want to watch it if they had different guys playing the roles of Hogan, Earthquake, Bossman, Jake the Snake etc?

 

If it works in movies could it work in wrestling?

[SK8_WAR]

Short answer: No

 

Long answer: Definitely no

[GBH_189]

the only way this would work is with failed characters for instance I think a new nailz like character would be good but you could never do a successful one like Mr Perfect

[Mark Sloan]

I think they should try it with Diesel and Razor........

[Burchill's Buddy]

Another reason it wouldn't work with good characters is that WWE is extremely proud of their history, and they reference superstars from years gone by a hell of a lot (it's one of the things I admire most about WWE actually). But unless you had a full reboot of the company, which obviously would be a terrible idea and would never happen for so many reasons, you wouldn't be able to reboot characters without severely damaging the good work that older guys (most of which are still with the company in one way or another) had laid, or tarnishing the memory of guys that aren't around anymore.

[PSF]

This could work with charactors like Doink & The Sultan and various other masked wrestlers. Doink has been done a few times and the conquistadors made a return. But with the exception of Doinkm does anyone wantto even see any of the masked wrestlers from WWE's past???

[tiger_rick]

i doubt they'd ever do a proper reboot because

a) They reference historical characters

b) Wrestling is supposed to be fake reality TV so characters don't really exist

c) It smacks of having run out of ideas

 

They half do it sometimes anyway but they don't use the same character name. ADR is JBL who was a slightly altered Ted Dibiase. Dolph Ziggler is Mr Perfect. Jack Swagger was a low rent Kurt Angle. Nathan Jones was an Aussie Nailz.

[Halitosis Romantic]

This could work with charactors like Doink & The Sultan and various other masked wrestlers. Doink has been done a few times and the conquistadors made a return. But with the exception of Doinkm does anyone wantto even see any of the masked wrestlers from WWE's past???

 

Yes, I want to see the Patriot make a return.

[HeavyT]

No, but I like 2nd generation wrestler using their parents gimmicks sometimes...

[The Reverend]

I fully agree - Mr Perfect will always be in everyones eyes Curt Hennig and as a result you can't put someone else in that role - if you do then it becomes like an All Star tribute show. There's certain things you can get away with tho - I'd love to see a new version of say Demoliton, new individual names, ramp the costumes up a bit for the modern day but call them the New Demolition. Same format, two hard bastards in facepaint and bondage gear, but with two new characters. Just carrying on the legacy. In the same way you could probably do a New British Bulldogs. It kinda worked with the New Hart Foundation and quite frankly it could really help the awful tag team situation WWE is in right now.

[DeanoTheGame]

Not in the way you're suggesting, no. That would be awful. I'd be somewhat interested in a reboot along the lines of them effectively shutting down WWE for a few months then opening with a new set, new commentary team, some new guys coming in from FCW and some new characters for guys like The Miz or Kofi Kingston, but it'd be incredibly hard to pull off and would probably fail too.

[Halitosis Romantic]

I fully agree - Mr Perfect will always be in everyones eyes Curt Hennig and as a result you can't put someone else in that role - if you do then it becomes like an All Star tribute show. There's certain things you can get away with tho - I'd love to see a new version of say Demoliton, new individual names, ramp the costumes up a bit for the modern day but call them the New Demolition. Same format, two hard bastards in facepaint and bondage gear, but with two new characters. Just carrying on the legacy. In the same way you could probably do a New British Bulldogs. It kinda worked with the New Hart Foundation and quite frankly it could really help the awful tag team situation WWE is in right now.

 

He's right, "New" tagteams have a proven track record. "New" Foundation, "New" Rockers, "New" Midnight Express, "New" Blackjacks - all fondly remembered teams.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Another reason it wouldn't work with good characters is that WWE is extremely proud of their history, and they reference superstars from years gone by a hell of a lot (it's one of the things I admire most about WWE actually). But unless you had a full reboot of the company, which obviously would be a terrible idea and would never happen for so many reasons, you wouldn't be able to reboot characters without severely damaging the good work that older guys (most of which are still with the company in one way or another) had laid, or tarnishing the memory of guys that aren't around anymore.

 

Proud of their history eh? So they'd never try and doctor it or obsfucate certain incidents?

[brett]

WCW tried this on Vince Russo im sure

[darkship]

Just reminds me of the time that WCW vacated all their titles because Bischoff and Russo had taken over, then gave half the titles back to the people who had held them before the 'reboot'. It was in 2000 and David Arquette won the WCW Title two weeks later (that was already the third title change) so obviously it didn't work too well then.

 

Part of the problem with a reboot logistically is that, in real life, you don't have Venom strolling around going on radio shows talking about how he beat Spiderman in 1988, but you do have Hulk Hogan harping on about bodyslamming Andre the Giant. That isn't going to change just because WWE say it didn't happen, which renders the whole reboot ludicrous. Another part is that a reboot of a movie franchise or a comic book gives you the opportunity to explore different angles of storylines; however, you can't go back and do that Roddy Piper title win or that Savage-Steamboat rematch at Wrestlemania 4 for reasons that should be blindingly obvious. I mean, I could go on but the idea's so blindingly ridiculous that it hardly merits it.