Max Power Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 If I had to guess, Max, your post may have been to do with his 2003 return rather than 2002. Â Hogan's 2003 return was taped on the 21st of January, I think, which would've been the morning of the 22nd here. And it wasn't on telly until the 23rd. So the bloke signing up can't have been a reaction to that, unless the Hulkster's return was rumoured beforehand. Â Nah, it was definitely the 2002 run. The one where he got the 15 minute ovations on Smackdown. My post was after he main evented a Raw/Smackdown with Jericho and it did a 2.9 (that was the basis of my argument). Â Unless I have another log in on here which I've forgot about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 Jericho cant draw. Thats no shocker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Jericho cant draw. Thats no shocker. Â Â That was the general response IIRC. It took me an eternity to dare post again. Â Back on topic, I remember the Bradshaw morph into JBL didn't go down too well at the time, but he quickly won us round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEWM Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 Back on topic, I remember the Bradshaw morph into JBL didn't go down too well at the time, but he quickly won us round. Â This doesn't surprise me. I can't remember a single IWC place I visited at the time that had ANY positives about when he won the title. Not only was it evil shower sex Bradshaw, but it was at the expense of Nice Guy Eddie, internet all time superstar. I was no better, I didn't 'get' JBL till much later on in the year, probably October/November of that year. I think some of that was down to the Smarkish feeling of winning some daft cunts war against HHH and da politics after the WMXX finish. Turns out that was actually the battle, and the real war was on not listening to us fucking idiots and having faith in actual stars that wouldn't be dead and/or mental within three years. Vince won that war too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tom Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 Eddie's morph into Evil Eddie didn't go down too well either; I remember a lot of anger that Eddie v Benoit wasn't the expected wrestling classic at that years ONS. Benoit was pissed at him too apparently and, in hindsight, was becoming more paranoid and irrational by the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 I think it's stretching it a bit to say the reaction to the JBL title win was mainly smarkiness/based on backstage stuff. Most of the criticism I remember was simply "hang on, this guy was in a mid-card gimmick tag team for six years and suddenly in the space of three months he's become WWE champ out of nowhere." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 Exactly. Before this Bradshaw was in the Hardcore title division on Raw coming to the ring with a fucking cowbell. Then out of nowhere he's JBL, a rich racist with a limo and number one contender for the belt on Smackdown. At the time it was very confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEWM Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 Bollocks, that's got to be some retroactive thinking, surely? Nobody would have reacted that way if it had been say...Edge or Christian in 2001, or even Matt or Jeff Hardy in 2002, coming of the back of their big tag runs. Bradshaw had a good few years in time and tenure on those guys too. Â Bradshaw was a 'net hate figure forever. That lead the fury above the actual rationale you guys have suggested. Don't get me wrong, I was guilty of it too, I just think you're both sugar coating it a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tom Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 I remember at the time a tiny minority were pointing out that people would be reacting differently if it was a newly debuting wrestler doing it. And from what I remember, JBL started to be born on a SmackDown that aired mid-way through a UK tour so some people were confused at some house shows when Bradshaw was suddenly heel. And the following week, his first promo as JBL was cut from the UK broadcast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members DJ Kris Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 Exactly. Before this Bradshaw was in the Hardcore title division on Raw coming to the ring with a fucking cowbell. Then out of nowhere he's JBL, a rich racist with a limo and number one contender for the belt on Smackdown. At the time it was very confusing. When did he start doing his other TV stuff? Wasn't he doing something on Fox news channel to do with the stock exchange or something like that? I'm pretty sure the JBL character came from that so it wasn't really out of nowhere at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 Bollocks, that's got to be some retroactive thinking, surely? Nobody would have reacted that way if it had been say...Edge or Christian in 2001, or even Matt or Jeff Hardy in 2002, coming of the back of their big tag runs. Bradshaw had a good few years in time and tenure on those guys too. Bradshaw was a 'net hate figure forever. That lead the fury above the actual rationale you guys have suggested. Don't get me wrong, I was guilty of it too, I just think you're both sugar coating it a bit.  Yeah but Edge & Christian and The Hardys were alot more over than Bradshaw ever was at that point. Both had also had great matches and been parts of big mid card storylines/fueds. Bradshaw was part of a mid/lower card comedy act for the previous two years and then Bradshaw as a singles wrestler was an extremely boring and dull Hardcore Champion.  I would say that Bradshaw became a new hate figure only AFTER he became JBL. Because before then no one really gave much of a shit about him and then all of sudden he was a main eventer when he hadn't appeared to of deserved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tom Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 Exactly. Before this Bradshaw was in the Hardcore title division on Raw coming to the ring with a fucking cowbell. Then out of nowhere he's JBL, a rich racist with a limo and number one contender for the belt on Smackdown. At the time it was very confusing. When did he start doing his other TV stuff? Wasn't he doing something on Fox news channel to do with the stock exchange or something like that? I'm pretty sure the JBL character came from that so it wasn't really out of nowhere at all. They'd been lightly plugging his finance book, and then played on it when he ditched Farooq to save his job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.PeterVenkman Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Exactly. Before this Bradshaw was in the Hardcore title division on Raw coming to the ring with a fucking cowbell. Then out of nowhere he's JBL, a rich racist with a limo and number one contender for the belt on Smackdown. At the time it was very confusing. Â Was he fuck racist, some of his best friends (tag team partners) were black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tom Posted April 27, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted April 27, 2012 Exactly. Before this Bradshaw was in the Hardcore title division on Raw coming to the ring with a fucking cowbell. Then out of nowhere he's JBL, a rich racist with a limo and number one contender for the belt on Smackdown. At the time it was very confusing. Â Was he fuck racist, some of his best friends (tag team partners) were black But they weren't Mexicans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted April 27, 2012 Moderators Share Posted April 27, 2012 Spot on LaGoosh. I agree that he became a hate figure because of his sudden prominence. Like you say - no one cared enough about him to hate him before that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.