RedRooster Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 5 minutes ago, air_raid said: But having said that, is it fair to say they've still gone further with him in terms of position on the card than they did with Elias? Or was sharing the spotlight with John Cena at a couple of Manias the highest point that either has achieved? I guess what I mean is, Knight rode his popularity all the way to a World title match on a Saudi Shitshow - might Lesnar vs Elias have done the same if they'd used him better? I think Elias would have benefitted from debuting during the Triple H era. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree that they could have done more with him, and maximised his value much as they have with Knight. It's just that I don't view him as a missed opportunity. I would have felt the same about Knight has he been treated similarly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaitoRyo Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 This was a bigger missed opportunity imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonworden Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 2 hours ago, air_raid said: . Hasn't been a problem for LA Knight. I'd argue that even the Mountain Dew match was more prominent than Elias had. Shit, but more prominent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) I don't really understand the issue with LA Knight's in-ring work. He's no high flier or anything but he's athletic, bumps well, knows how to pace his offence, and crucially is able to get the live audience well into the match. He works a very traditional WWE style, but is able to hang with the faster guys. I just don't see the problem really, not as far as blocking any greater push - far worse workers have been pushed further. I think if he fails to become one of the world champions, it will be something of a missed opportunity. I see him as a real test of the HHH era. He's not homegrown PC talent, he made his bones elsewhere and had successful runs as champion in other promotions. He's incredibly popular with the fans. Why NOT give him a run? Edited March 11 by Loki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted March 11 Paid Members Share Posted March 11 There used to be a response that got posted to this question every single time until it got so overhyped that people realised it was probably wishful thinking and getting excited over over something fresh. But I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted March 11 Paid Members Share Posted March 11 34 minutes ago, Loki said: I don't really understand the issue with LA Knight's in-ring work. He's no high flier or anything but he's athletic, bumps well, knows how to pace his offence, and crucially is able to get the live audience well into the match. He works a very traditional WWE style, but is able to hang with the faster guys. I just don't see the problem really, not as far as blocking any greater push - far worse workers have been pushed further. I think it's just that in simplest terms while he's obviously really popular, nobody seems to be able to volunteer a match they'd go back and watch again. Hogan, The Rock and others that weren't the "workrate perverts" favourites still created something memorable, and the impression I get is that Knight hasn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Arch Stanton Posted March 11 Paid Members Share Posted March 11 6 minutes ago, air_raid said: I think it's just that in simplest terms while he's obviously really popular, nobody seems to be able to volunteer a match they'd go back and watch again. Hogan, The Rock and others that weren't the "workrate perverts" favourites still created something memorable, and the impression I get is that Knight hasn't. I guess the counter argument to that is that the matches you'd volunteer for best of Rock or Hogan would be their big main events and title matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted March 11 Paid Members Share Posted March 11 18 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said: I guess the counter argument to that is that the matches you'd volunteer for best of Rock or Hogan would be their big main events and title matches. Which is fine, 25 or 40 years after they ascended. But they had to get there first, and while I wasn’t old enough to see Hogan on his way up, I do remember rewatching Rocks brawl with Stone Cold from IYH19 over and over, the ladder match from SummerSlam 98 repeatedly, likewise the 3way cage match from Breakdown numerous times. Hell, my mate and I watched the match from Raw where Rocky pinned Kane almost every day for a couple of weeks because we were buzzing off the reactions he was getting and it was fantastic watching him put a pin of someone “unbeatable” like only Taker and Austin had managed before him. Maybe it’s the difference between watching as teenagers v watching now, but are people seeing an LA Knight match and thinking “I’ll watch that again” for whatever reasons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Arch Stanton Posted March 11 Paid Members Share Posted March 11 No, but we're not talking about him being the next coming of The Rock, just that he probably deserves a crack at a main event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) His match against Roman Reigns was really good but of course he lost, which hardly makes it something I'll rewatch for "the buzz". And of course this is a problem shared by all the top babyfaces of the last 4/5 years - they don't get the signature win over the big heel. And the wins over the mid-tier heels are one of the hundreds of matches they have a year on free tv so they're not memorable even if they're good! Since turning face, Knight's got to main event one PPV so far, and he lost. Other than that he's had one? singles PPV match against The Miz and been in a bunch of multi-man or Battle Royals. It's hardly brawling with Stone Cold in 99, in terms of replayability. Edited March 11 by Loki Bacon Sandwich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwayWays Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 I think another one for me, was Christian. At the point before his TNA debut, that his smackdown! Arrival really had a upward shift in momentum, perhaps not yes! Movement scale, be certainly a lot more stream behind him in terms of fan support. Years later, even after the bait and switch of the Jeff hardy mystery attack, to WWECW champion, he had a WHC run that just kind of felt "edge's mate" than his own man to start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted March 12 Paid Members Share Posted March 12 (edited) 21 hours ago, Arch Stanton said: No, but we're not talking about him being the next coming of The Rock, just that he probably deserves a crack at a main event. Well, neither was I as such, but at the risk of going round in circles if the question is should being “not that good in the ring” stunt his progress, Rock is the best example I could give of someone else who wasn’t thought of as a particularly good “worker,” but got traction and made it to the top regardless of those shortcomings. So, got his crack at main event and made it stick. Cena is another, probably even better example. But as Loki pointed out, it’s the booking rather than Knights apparent shortcomings that is stopping him creating something memorable and making him the missed opportunity. Another for me is Sid Justice. If they’d stayed the course with Vince’s vision of “Hogan level babyface” and not jerked him around with reneged promises about pay and schedule, he could have been the guy on the spot post Mania VIII. Plus added bonus, we could have avoided “the Streak” because Mania could have had him taking revenge on heel Taker, along with Macho Man vs Jake the Snake and Hogan failing to wrest the title from Flair before fucking off on his Arsenio fueled sabbatical. Maybe they wouldn’t have had to call Jim at all. Edited March 12 by air_raid It's a typo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwayWays Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 Yeah, SID is someone I don't feel "gets his flowers" often enough. Multiple times world champion, wrestlemania main event. Surely HoF worthy, but you often hear stories of his convenient softball season injuries when offered hogan's literal boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 12 Paid Members Share Posted March 12 Wasn't the problem with Sid that he just wanted to be a heel, and not the main blue-eye of the company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 9 hours ago, SwayWays said: I think another one for me, was Christian. At the point before his TNA debut, that his smackdown! Arrival really had an upward shift in momentum, perhaps not yes! Movement scale, be certainly a lot more stream behind him in terms of fan support. Years later, even after the bait and switch of the Jeff hardy mystery attack, to WWECW champion, he had a WHC run that just kind of felt "edge's mate" than his own man to start with. I absolutely loved his feud with Randy Orton over the belt, and the matches have aged so well. His AEW run really shows what WWE missed out on, based on weird hang-ups from Vince McMahon. He’s far better than Edge, and I say that as someone who is a massive Edge fan. He should have been more than he was in WWE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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