Wrestling unpopular opinions

[CavemanLynn]

Test or anyone being objectively a bit shit doesn't matter when they're pushed right and are over with enough fans. You can look back with older more experienced eyes and see the holes in anyone's work, but at the time, just looking like Test made him one of my faves. And like I said, he had all the tools that made him cool, even if or because I didn't know what psychology or work rate was.

He never hit the heights of that angle ever again, and it seemed after that like he was frequently sabotaged. The immunity gimmick that went nowhere, supposedly causing the UnAmericans to get binned because he refused to cut his hair. It took the tag team with Albert, and Trish Stratus in a cowboy hat melting our teenage minds, to give him his next peak. 

[The Gaffer]

Another one here for strapping a rocket to OG Test. He would have been great foil for Triple H for Armageddon that year. He's one of those guys who should never have cut his locks and lost the pants, either. It instantly capsized him into that Luther Reigns/Mark Jindrak shit tier of meatheads who all looked the same. I didn't even mind T&A. The name was mortifying, but they were decent lower card foil along with Too Cool and the Holly cousins. Wholly necessary to prevent the entire tag division being the TLC teams burning out against themselves constantly. 

It's easier to name what didn't have a point to it in 2000. Shit was so tight that nothing was really that bad. Lo Down, I suppose. 

[Carbomb]

For me, Test was one of the few unequivocably good elements of the Invasion. Adopting the running big boot as his main finish was the perfect move, as he became one of the most aggravating villains. You'd have one of the many gang beatdown angles, the brave face fighting back against the odds and turning the tide, then he'd come out of nowhere with the boot (or Rhyno would with the Gore), giving the Alliance the upper hand again. Between that simple shift, his look, and the fact they seemed to get it right in terms of booking him not to speak too much and only when absolutely necessary, he really did look like a legit main-eventer-in-waiting. 

[GeronimoJacksBeard]

3 hours ago, CavemanLynn said:

Seconded. He was never going to set the world alight, but not having him go for HHH was a massive misfire. They'd already done the angle, he had the badass 90s look, killer gibberish music, plus a really space age moveset (pumphandle powerslam! The best big boot in the world! A gut wrench powerbomb No Mercy had to make a new animation for! Elbow drops from the other side of the ring!). He was Shawn Michaels and Diesel fused together without the cocaine and ring seasoning.

Ha! That's a wonderful and accurate description. This long hair, long pants, big booting version of Test is firmly in my boy stable. I don't think the belief that Test should have been in Shows place for Survivors '99 is so unpopular. I certainly wanted it at the time, but moreso because i was absolutely convinced it's where they were going and what they wanted us to want. All the pieces were in place it seemed so obviously the direction once the Austin angle unfolded. If i remember rightly, he had a broken nose and face guard deal going on at the time, that occurred through a handicap match on the previous Smackdown with Triple Hs DX mates Billy and Road Dogg, giving him that extra little sympathy edge when he'd step up and enter into the title match. And due to the broken nose stuff, he wasn't on the Survivor Series card originally, but he was there! They showed him backstage. He was free! He probably had his gear. He was obviously a step down from your Austin, Rock and Triple H, but Austin was out causing a forced, unique situation making it the ideal set of circumstances and timing (in that little period before the proper 'Mania build - potentially creating another believable Rumble contender also) to elevate him. Could not have been more convinced it's how that night was ending. That they went with facial hairless, coffin surfing, constantly crying Big Show was an almighty letdown. And i don't dislike Show.

On a separate note, always found it an interesting tidbit that Austin vs Rock vs Triple H match never ended up happening at any other time either.

[danlewis]

Always felt that Test being shite was a rewrite of history, he was loads of fun and stayed popular for a while I reckon. I’d have been well up for a main event run around that time and I think it would have worked.

[Joe Blog]

Add me to the Test for a main run in 99 group. He didn't need to win that triple threat but a strong showing would have really done him the world of good. Occupy Rock with someone else and have Test chase HHH for a bit. 

Test big booting his way through DX could have been decent viewing, tag him with Kane against all four of them on a show and have Test win it for them etc. 

 

[Slapnut]

I can’t believe we’re discussing Test as a genuine WWF title prospect in 1999 of all years. Christ, he’d be an uninspired choice by 2020 standards, let alone during the peak of the Attitude Era.

This is definitely winning the unpopular opinions race in my eyes.

[WyattSheepMask]

If he was around today he’d still be a better choice than Ziggler

[CavemanLynn]

He coulda/shoulda had Show's place in the Triple Threat. It made storyline sense, plus you had Rock in there to add to a schmozz finish that gets Test the face pin. You've then got a month or so of DX getting fed to him, until Trips gets the belt back in the New Year, like he did, but with an extra sledgehammer beat down after the bell to take Test out of the picture. History then realigns, with the difference being Trish brings Test back rather than scouting him out.

Three months back then was a lifetime. Plus it's not always about long term booking but striking while the iron's hot. Test would've given you three months of solid angles and brawling main events with a bit of energy to them.

Edited July 26, 2020 by CavemanLynn

[Your Fight Site]

37 minutes ago, WyattSheepMask said:

If he was around today he’d still be a better choice than Ziggler

Only if he cut his hair. 

[Jonny Vegas]

2 hours ago, danlewis said:

Always felt that Test being shite was a rewrite of history, he was loads of fun and stayed popular for a while I reckon. I’d have been well up for a main event run around that time and I think it would have worked.

I was chatting to a guy at my work the other week and he asked whether I used to watch "the wrestling". He started telling me how much he loved the attitude era and he hadn't watched it in years then saw and bought the best of DVD boxset.

He said he enjoyed it except for one thing, there wasn't enough of his favourite...Test.

[AshC]

Wrestling ended at WrestleMania 17 and everything since has been some kind of zombie wrestling.

[King Coconut]

I hated Test at the time and I hate him now. The attitude era was fine as it was. We really don't need to fantasy retcon it.

[Mikeymike83]

5 hours ago, CavemanLynn said:

......It took the tag team with Albert, and Trish Stratus in a cowboy hat melting our teenage minds, to give him his next peak. 

The T&A team happened before the immunity gimmick and unAmericans. T&A being early to mid 2000. Immunity being won at Survivors 2001 and unAmericans going through summer 2002.

Alas, add me to the list of those wishing he was positioned higher (at least that last part of 1999 anyway). And possibly then again, his run after heel turn through 2001. Problem there is, they had fresh attractions in Booker & RVD. By the time they'd cooled off into 2002, the rest of the WCW roster had started to show up, (Flair, nWo, Steiner, Goldberg). This latest setback being more down to bad timing than anything personal surely, as the heel muscle for the alliance he was catching steam big time.

Test very well might not have amounted to anything more than he inevitably did, but damn those two time frames should have been the periods he could have been elevated. 

[HarmonicGenerator]

25 minutes ago, AshC said:

Wrestling ended at WrestleMania 17 and everything since has been some kind of zombie wrestling.

I mean, this is pretty much how the wider world thinks of wrestling. Hell of a lot of people don’t know it’s not called WWF anymore and that happened 18 years ago.

I wasn’t watching for Test’s Big Chance in ‘99 but he was a properly good character in the early SmackDown games, and he had great music, and I can recall exactly how his three signature moves looked even now. I liked him in the Invasion and them doing nothing with the immunity gimmick was a massive disappointment to me. You could have pushed him up the card just with the “what are you gonna do, fire me?” angle. 

Do we know what caused them to ditch the idea? He had a match or two with The Rock around Christmas and that was pretty much him until Unamericans. Much as I like the Boss Man, they could maybe have done a bit more with Test in that spot in early ‘02.