January 29, 201312 yr Author comment_5531555 Why couldn't Big Josh just be Matt Borne? It's a great acquisition for WCW, and they give him this terrible gimmick. He debuted as an overzealous fan, and I can't help but laugh at Jim Ross pretending not to know who he is.
February 3, 201312 yr comment_5532879 The gimmick sucks, positioning him as Tommy Rich's friend doesn't give him a shot at the upper card. I thought the cuff breaking was a cool visual.
February 26, 201312 yr comment_5537016 Missy Hyatt is booted from the locker room area, ruining her big scheduled interview with Doom, but she gives a report of an incident involving a fan who jumped into the ring. Oh, it turns out he's an "old huntin' buddy" of Tommy Rich. Yeah, buddy, this is the most well-traveled Northwest country boy ever to be BFFs with Kerry Von Erich AND Wildfire. Borne is cast as a total backwoods buffoon in a gimmick that just makes you shake your head. Also, Borne was a multiple-style wrestling talent but "strongman who breaks handcuffs" is NOT a gimmick for him.
March 16, 201312 yr comment_5539187 Missy Hyatt has been denied access to locker room to interview Doom. There’s Grizzly Smith over there. Doug Dillinger getting mic time. Big Josh is a buddy of Tommy Rich. Josh rips off his handcuffs and gets to talk to Jim Ross. Felt like a way WWF would introduce someone with using a new gimmick.
May 16, 201312 yr comment_5544794 this was stupid as hell and I can't understand how anyone thought this would be a better alternative.
June 15, 201312 yr comment_5548041 You can tell when Jim Ross clearly hated something back then. Instead of the rather bluntness or euphemisms with bowling shoes he'd be known for in later days, here he totally would really give off such a condescending phoniness. It didnt help anything. We know it sucks. You know it sucks. At least try, dude. Solie would try. Russell would try.
April 20, 201510 yr comment_5665362 Big Josh is obviously a "rent-a-gimmick"; that is, someone was going to be Big Josh no matter what. Borne happened to be the first guy on the list who looked like a Northwestern logger, so he got the gig. If Billy Jack Haynes or Jim Duggan had shown up instead, they'd have been two other prime candidates. As lower-midcard gimmicks who weren't going to advance went, this wasn't too bad. Sure, I'd have liked to see the Maniac version of Borne that we got in Dallas or Doink the Clown with the skill and without the makeup, but those gimmicks would have eventually demanded a push, and Borne wasn't superstar or even upper midcard material for a national promotion in 1991, not as himself at any rate. JR doesn't crap all over the gimmick here, at least not that I can tell. He may have later on, but in this interview he plays it straight. On the other hand, the whole "Missy Invades the Locker Room" stuff has only been done twice and is already getting old. Just let them come to you, Missy.
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