WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009

[CenaMark54]

Seriously tho, before neg repping LHR, anyone thinking of doing so should provide a convincing argument as to HOW "SCSA revolutionised 'the business'.

1. He basically created the tweener/anti-hero persona. He almost singlehandedly changed the heel/face dynamic.
2. There would have been no attitude era.
3. Without him we would be talking about the WCW right now and not the WWE.
4. He made wrestling "mainstream"

 

[Airfixx]

4. He made wrestling "mainstream"

That's a bit off-target IMO... He may have made wrestling popular again, but c'mon dude... WWF blew up mainstream in the 80's... Hogan in Rocky 3, the whole MTV connection, cartoon shows... As a UK resident with no cable TV to speak of, I knew who Hulk Hogan was long before I'd so much as seen my first WWF match (which incidentally was 1989).

Vince & Hogan (and, of course, a supporting cast) took U.S. pro-wrestling into homes all around the world.



I shouldn't have stuck my two-penneth in TBH... I have no beef with Austin being HOF-bound.

 

[SnackZ]

lol @ Austin making wrestling mainstream. funniest shit I'v read on the forums. Not only did Hogan make it mainstream in the 80's but then when it was dieing out he brought it back with the move to WCW and the NWO and bringing in people like Rodman and Karl Malone and others. Anyways, Austin would be better deserving to go in at WM30 but since we gonna be in Texas and since he still probably has a little bit left in him I guess this is the right time to do this.

 

[CenaMark54]

I don't care that wrestling was mainstream in the 80's.

Where was it in the years preceding Austin's emergence? It had become a joke in the early 90's. People had become sick of lame gimmicks, lame characters, and lame storylines.

It's hard to predict where wrestling would have gone if the SCSA character had not emerged. All I have to go in is where the industry was headed. It was becoming a sideshow. Austin most definitely helped make it mainstream again.

 

[SnackZ]

Austin was an integral part in the WWE's rise back to the top and taking back everything WCW had taken from it but HE did not make it mainstream, bottom line (as he would say, lol). And as a wrestling fan how could you say "I don't care that wrestling was mainstream in the 80's" - your argument was that Austin made it mainstream when in actuallity it wasn't a valid statement. I do agree however with your statement on not being able to predict how things would have turned out if Austin's gimmick had not come to fruition and he would have stayed the ringmaster.

 

[Airfixx]

I don't care that wrestling was mainstream in the 80's.

Where was it in the years preceding Austin's emergence? It had become a joke in the early 90's. People had become sick of lame gimmicks, lame characters, and lame storylines.

It's hard to predict where wrestling would have gone if the SCSA character had not emerged. All I have to go in is where the industry was headed. It was becoming a sideshow. Austin most definitely helped make it mainstream again.

Somewhat placing the emphasis on "again"; that's a far easier task once the infrastructure (for want of a better word) is already in place.

 

[Dylanfsd]

How is Austin in the HoF debateable?

 

[straight_edge76]

As a fan who grew up watching Austin in the attitude era I think its a good thing. He changed many thing in mainstream wrestling imo. He didn't make it mainstream because I agree that it was mainstream way before he came along. He is one of the three biggest draws in WWE history. How many people could get an arena foll of people all to say "What?" in unison? as well as basically go crazy when his music hits (Much like Hogan, Hart etc.) Say whatever you say whomever else gets inducted this year will just be undermined by Austin's induction I am guessing it will be alot of less then steller inductiees. SCSA will likely show back up for the few weeks leading up to 'Mania and get involved in a minor angle. The fact that WM is in Texas has also most likely influenced the descision.

 

[Axis]

I don't care that wrestling was mainstream in the 80's.

You should care, seeing as how it proves that you statement was wrong. Stone Cold could not have made wrestling mainstream if it was already made mainstream in the 1980's.

 

[Moonlight Drive]

As much as I think he deserves to be in the HoF, the WWE would've made it through the Attitude Era without him. The Rock, Triple H and DX, Undertaker, Mick Foley/Mankind, played just as big a part as Austin. He did a big portion, but it's not like he carried the whole company.

 

[CenaMark54]

You should care, seeing as how it proves that you statement was wrong. Stone Cold could not have made wrestling mainstream if it was already made mainstream in the 1980's.

Wrong. Just because something was mainstream in the past doesnt mean it will stay popular with mainstream audiences. It took a character like SCSA to bring wrestling back into popular culture.

It was far from mainstream in the early 90's. Wrestling was a joke at that time. The fact that it was huge in the mid 80's has no bearing on the early 90's. The characters and storylines were weak, there was the steriod scandal. It had basically fallen out of favor with the general public.

As much as I think he deserves to be in the HoF, the WWE would've made it through the Attitude Era without him. The Rock, Triple H and DX, Undertaker, Mick Foley/Mankind, played just as big a part as Austin. He did a big portion, but it's not like he carried the whole company.

There is no way in hell the WWE would have made it through the Monday Night Wars without SCSA.

Vince McMahon and even The Rock should thank their lucky stars Austin became as big as he did. They wouldnt be were they are today without Austin.

Hell, i'd give Bret Hart and Vince more credit than The Rock, Taker, Foley, or Triple H. For the simple fact that they were the two that put over Austin big time.

 

[Moonlight Drive]

But look how big The Rock, Triple H and Foley all became. Is it not plausable that even if Austin never became a huge star, any one of these men could've stepped up and filled the void?

 

[Next Big Thing]

As much as I think he deserves to be in the HoF, the WWE would've made it through the Attitude Era without him. The Rock, Triple H and DX, Undertaker, Mick Foley/Mankind, played just as big a part as Austin. He did a big portion, but it's not like he carried the whole company.

Well there is no way to really know if they would have made it through, and it's kind of pointless to even speculate how they would have done without him. What we do know is that Stone Cold played a bigger role in the success of the attitude era then any of those guys you mentioned. The only one that comes close is the Rock. With the exception of the Rock, none of those guys have ever proven to be really good draws. You mention the Undertaker, well look no further then 1997 when the WWF was losing to WCW every week while he was champion.

 

[Moonlight Drive]

WWF was losing to WCW when Austin was champion as well. Not saying he didn't play a big part, but a lot of people seem to think it was all Austin. Others played a major part.

 

[CenaMark54]

But look how big The Rock, Triple H and Foley all became. Is it not plausable that even if Austin never became a huge star, any one of these men could've stepped up and filled the void?

I'm not saying that those guys didnt do a great job. They got the opportunity and did damn well. I'm just saying that Austin was the draw. No one could have filled his shoes. If it wasn't for Austin's drawing ability, the WWF would have fallen so far behind WCW that it would have been over for the WWF.