"Well, Rock is on that channel, so I guess I better either quit watching wrestling or get with the times."

 

Honestly, if wrestling can't survive minorities on top, then it deserves to die.

The fact Austin was a Texan working man was significant.

 

 

Race played no part in Austin's character, but sure as hell that he hardly upset the sensibilities of anyone who held those views.

People still remember La Parka today, even though he was never featured. He turned into a great brawler in a main event style and he was oozing with charisma. The skeleton costume ruled and it's not like Hogan's spray paint beard was more realistic.

 

Rey and Eddie because huge draws, so I don't think it has to be with hispanic.

 

Not cutting promos was a problem in WCW? There two biggest draws in that period was Sting (who didn't talk during that time) and Goldberg, who uttered one phrase.

That was part of the wrestling audience then, just like it always has been. But WCW deliberately marketed to kids on college campuses (remember Nitro parties?) and they did market research that showed a significant part of their fanbase were hardcore sports fan types.

honestly, you'd be surprised how many people i know who still remember & reference la parka. people who haven't watched in forever and aren't really "smart", either. just a memorable gimmick a la koko b. ware or any number of other examples one might remember from their childhood.

 

that said, i do think promotions wouldn't have known how to make a man in a skeleton costume a main-eventer. he could work the style for sure, but that and not speaking english would be hurdles i doubt anyone would overcome.

 

also i actually have to side with parv re: the 1998-2006 point. the big change there was that once the fad audience had left wrestling, the people left included a far higher percentage of latinos. wrestling had actually spread more to some countries that it didn't during the attitude era, too.

 

EDIT: sorry grimmas, but i think you're stuck a bit too deep in the wrestling bubble on this one. there is a massive difference between "old man desperately trying to be cool" (which played into hogan's heel character anyway) and "grown-ass man wearing a children's halloween costume".

People still remember Papa Shango too.

 

Rey and Eddie got their runs on top when Vince had a monopoly. That's the key thing that changed by the way.

 

Vince didn't have to worry about anyone else, he had the entire wrestling audience (that was left). In 98, you have to worry about the competition. And when it's Austin, you don't run a Mexican against him.

(I'll admit it's a little disingenuous since I'm not sure 1997-9 La Parka could have had that match)

 

 

This is from '98:

 

I'm not shitting on La Parka, I like La Parka. But people remember Sid too and he was a guy who got a LOT of chances to draw on top and he couldn't. Being over is not the same thing as people able to draw.

"A top guy" and "the top guy" are two different things. No one has argued that he should take Hogan or Goldberg's spot. But that whole crew was pushed below guys like Lex Luger, Mongo, a washed up Curt Hennig and Barry Windham, Bagwell and Scott Steiner, and I can't find a good defense for that.

Scott Steiner doesn't belong in that group. He was as good a choice as anyone, I would argue maybe the best choice, to be the top heel after some time in 1999.

I'm not shitting on La Parka, I like La Parka. But people remember Sid too and he was a guy who got a LOT of chances to draw on top and he couldn't. Being over is not the same thing as people able to draw.

And Sid was jacked, had a cool look and could talk.

 

LA Park might have been higher up on the card than he was, but anything above going for the US title is fantasy land.

 

I can see something like Him vs. Luger on a PPV underneath a Hogan match and a Goldberg match, but that's his ceiling.

 

I'm not shitting on La Parka, I like La Parka. But people remember Sid too and he was a guy who got a LOT of chances to draw on top and he couldn't. Being over is not the same thing as people able to draw.

And Sid was jacked, had a cool look and could talk.

 

LA Park might have been higher up on the card than he was, but anything above going for the US title is fantasy land.

 

I can see something like Him vs. Luger on a PPV underneath a Hogan match and a Goldberg match, but that's his ceiling.

 

Remember in 99/2000 you had DDP, Jarrett and Booker T on top.

 

Could LA Park not work better than or on the same level of them or are we restricted to 98. Looking at 98 nobody should be in the main event unless they are facing Goldberg.

Him as a DDP / Jarrett / Booker opponent is a lot more realistic yeah.

 

Call me snobby, but I see those guys as midcarders put on top anyway.

Austin, Rock and Foley were midcarders put on top too.

Yeah, the main difference is that they were Austin (biggest draw ever), The Rock (movie star), and Foley (author of number 1 bestsellers), whereas the others were DDP, Booker T and Jeff Jarrett.

 

Excellent point well made by me.

In a world were Kane had a run with Austin in 98, I don't see why La Parka couldn't have been a viable challenger.

Yeah, the main difference is that they were Austin (biggest draw ever), The Rock (movie star), and Foley (author of number 1 bestsellers), whereas the others were DDP, Booker T and Jeff Jarrett.

 

Excellent point well made by me.

But it took Vince from 96 to 98 to get them to that level. WCW could have did something with those same guys in that timeframe along with Goldberg but they didn't. It basically sums up WCW's story in a nutshell since they had Foley and Austin before.

In a world were Kane had a run with Austin in 98, I don't see why La Parka couldn't have been a viable challenger.

 

Because Kane had been introduced after months of a major storyline involving the Undertaker and was a huge "7 feet" jacked up monster, with big time production effects, while La Parka had been a goofy luchador wearing a skeleton outfit and doing insane dives in six-men time filler lucha matches for one year by that point. At this rate, fucking Wrath had more chance of getting over, and he kinda did actually in late 98 before getting squashed by Nash, just because.

 

Come on people, La Parka in WCW. Should he have been pushed a lot more into a player in the mid card ? Without a doubt. But a main event guy in that company during those years ? Not a chance.

 

Rey on the other hand ? Without a doubt.

If Rick Martel had stayed healthy everyone in the company should have tapped to the Quebec Crab until he was champion. I don't know if anyone that stopped following WCW would have stayed, but I would have.

I was about to say Rick Martel. I don't know if he could have been a main eventer but a staple of the upper mid-card would have been perfect for him. Make him a constant threat for the U.S. Title and a fringe World Title guy. A DDP/Martel feud would have been really good.

Bagwell is an interesting case. He's generally not well liked but he never really got a shot on top. He didn't have a rub to give during the MNW era because he never had the feel of an "established" guy. Even though he is sorta perceived that way. But after the neck injury he was quite over as a sympathetic face until they swerved him back heel. That probably was the best chance to do something with the guy. He had the look promoters love and at least at one time was quite over with the female audience. If he didn't get a shot the rest of the guys surely stood no chance

I think Benoit and Jericho for sure should have been pushed to the main event. Neither were probably cut out to be 'the man', but both I think would have been accepted as top tier guys. WCW had so many over midcard guys that it's really criminal that none of them were really given a chance to do something at the top of the card.

Bagwell is an interesting case. He's generally not well liked but he never really got a shot on top. He didn't have a rub to give during the MNW era because he never had the feel of an "established" guy. Even though he is sorta perceived that way. But after the neck injury he was quite over as a sympathetic face until they swerved him back heel. That probably was the best chance to do something with the guy. He had the look promoters love and at least at one time was quite over with the female audience. If he didn't get a shot the rest of the guys surely stood no chance

 

Bagwell is a guy that was (at least as the conventional wisdom of the time went; I haven't watched back) developing into a pretty good mid-carder and mid-card tag team heel due, in part, to his NJPW trips before his injury. I just don't think mentally he had what it took to be much higher though. I do think if they ran him as a babyface immediately after he came back instead of teasing that and turning him back heel he could have been an upper mid-carder for at least a short time.

The clips show La Parka could have great main events, but did he ever work with anyone as lame as the unmotivated, over-the-hill crew that dominated WCW main events in '98 (add the word "heatless" when discussing 1999) and produce something good? Just a question.

WCW loved reinforcing the message that second-generation wrestlers were not to be trusted, be they Bret Hart, Curt Hennig or Jeff Jarrett. Someone in power in WCW thought Bagwell was a second generation wrestler, I think.