Could you take a wrestler seriously if they used to be a comedy jobber?

[HeymanHustler]

A thought came to mind last night during the Los Matadores/3MB segment...

Some people still hope that one day, Drew McIntyre would go back to being a serious wrestler instead of being confined to a comedy act, yet people look at Santino Marella as someone who will always be nothing more than a comedy act. Both are pretty good wrestlers. They're both just comedy jobbers; Drew more so than Santino (at least Santino wins some matches and doesn't have pinfall loses from midgets).

See, the thing about a comedy act in wrestling is that even when a wrestler becomes a comedy act, it hurts their credibility almost instantly. Example: The moment Brodus Clay went from monster heel to Funkasaurus, people saw him as a joke (though personally, I preferred this gimmick over the overdone monster heel). Also, people still look at WWE's biggest mistake in the last few years as turning Vladimir Kozlov from a promising monster heel to a comedy act with Santino. Hell, when these type of wrestlers beat a serious wrestler, it doesn't raise their credibility. It hurts the momentum/credibility of the wrestler they beat. Ex: The big reason why no one bought Del Rio vs Jack Swagger as a proper World Heavyweight Title bout is because both men spent the better part of 2012 losing matches to Brodus Clay and Santino Marella. Neither men were taken seriously going into the match. Not even Swagger after being repackaged with Zeb Colter.

I can go on, but I'm gonna get to the poing already...can a comedy act make that transition into a more serious competitor and be taken seriously? If Drew McIntyre went back to his Chosen One gimmick today, could you buy him as a WWE Title contender or even US Title contender? If Santino dropped the sock and the comedy today, could you take him serious after seeing him dress up as "Miss WrestleMania"?

The only time I think this sort of thing happened was in TNA. In 2008, back when it was still watchable, there was Eric Young. He was cowardly, ona losing streak, flinched at his own fireworks, and I think he dressed up as a turkey once. Then, he was in a storyline where he stood up to Bobby Roode and actually beat him on ppv. He gained this newfound confidence and as time progressed, became a heel; turning his back on the fans and saying he doesn't need their support. All he needs is himself. He ended up winning the midcard title and formed his own heel stable, World Elite. When he cut the comedy crap, he actually proved to be a really good technical wrestler. Then, a few years later, there was this weird thing where he got brain damaged and became Eugene 2.0 and everything went downhill from there.

If WWE did something like this, minus the career regression in the end, could it work? Would you buy into what they're selling?

 

[laodaron]

I think that it depends on the wrestler. I could totally see santino as a serious wrestler again. I cannot, however, see drew mcyntire as anything but useless.

 

[NancyBenoit]

Of course not, once a comedy jobber always a useless jobber...remember kane and daniel bryans stupid comedy jobber crap? Now look at bryan, who in the hell would take this guy seriously? Only nerds who use him as an example of "hey look this little dork made it as a champ, maybe I can someday marry a woman" but sadly the truth is you probably won't. Comedy jobbers are for life.

 

[Bythedockofthebay]

They'd have to get over like Bryan did or something like that. It would have to be fan reactions that bring a guy out of the comedy sense and brought to the forefront. If that happened in modern wrestling, I could totally see it happening

 

[FlairFan2003]

Considering that Kane was an evil dentist who lost most of his important matches, which lead into his great run as a fake Kevin Nash, yes, under the right circumstances if a guy gets a good push and the audience responds it can be done.

Rick Steiner is a great example of this, considering he started in a mentally challenged gimmick as the stupid, often verbally and physically abused, intern like member of Kevin Sullivan's Varsity club but ended up a very popular top tier wrestler.

 

[mildewygenie89]

Considering that Kane was an evil dentist who lost most of his important matches, which lead into his great run as a fake Kevin Nash, yes, under the right circumstances if a guy gets a good push and the audience responds it can be done.

Rick Steiner is a great example of this, considering he started in a mentally challenged gimmick as the stupid, often verbally and physically abused, intern like member of Kevin Sullivan's Varsity club but ended up a very popular top tier wrestler.

You can't count kane as issac yankem dds because it was 2 totally different personas. Imagine cole to lawler "hey king you remember when kane was your dentist in 1994." WWE would never do that.

As far as rick is concerned he was never the brain of the steiners which is why scott started every match. Its easy to not be taken as a joke when you put on 5 star tag matches. At least in 1990 it was.

 

[chicagokmc]

I think that it depends on the wrestler. I could totally see santino as a serious wrestler again. I cannot, however, see drew mcyntire as anything but useless.

I'm just the opposite here. Santino has so many clown aspects to him now, the power walk, the green socko, the goofy dancing and interaction with Emma, it would take some very creative writing to get me to view him as serious. McIntire on the other hand is part of a comedic group. Maybe its me but I will always associate 3mb more with Slater than I do the other 2 guys. I already proposed a plan for McIntire on another post - align him with Sheamus and Barrett as their enforcer/goon who interferes in their matches (as the young guy under their wing).

I also distinguish between comedic act vs. a gimmick geared primarily to kids. broadus clay falls into the latter category. outside of that stretch where they were recruiting albert/tensai, most of clay's activity hasn't really been all that comedic. he just danced and yanked the kids in the ring with him after his wins. sort of like rikishi used to be when he'd break into a dance party at the end of the match. but his actual wrestling, albeit clumsy, seemed serious. all that said, if he is going to stay around I'd leave him where he is. Having a guy to get the kids going doesn't seem to hurt in today's WWE.

generally speaking it is tough to break out of the perception of being a comedy act. I hope sandow doesn't end up in this category. he didn't start that way but he's coming close to being there now.

 

[Torgo]

Unless Santino pulled out an axe instead of the Cobra, hacked up Emma, then raped her dead body, all on live TV, i could nnever again take him seriously. Theres too many aspects to consider; the stupid power walk, the green "Living" cobra sock, the accent, the constant comedy acts...hes too far gone.

Drew mcintyre on the other hand i still see potential. A long time ago i read on here an interesting senario someone came up with. Have 3MB be doing some shit backstage with air guitar or whatever then have Vinnie Mac look at him and say "I cant belive i said you were the chosen one" which sets off something inside him. Another night 3MBB is in a match and drew goes insane and destroys everyone. Then he breaksw free and goes to where he belongs: IC title or even the WWE heavyweight belt if the crowd gets behind him. Drew has not fallen as far as Santino and has way more talent. Id get behind himif he got a push.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Big Show has done more comedy acts than anyone on the roster that I can think of, but now if he is thrown into a title match (which happens almost annually) he is booked as a serious competitor and no one really bats an eye here. Nobody thinks about the time he was hosed by Eddie Guerrero with shit, or the time Big Show ate a tainted burrito and hauled ass to the bathroom. That weird Too Cool moment with him is just about forgotten here on the forums. His Fat Bastard impression is never mentioned.

So comedy acts can become serious. All depends on how often that comedy is played up and how effective it is for the audience I think.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Santino or any current "comedy jobber", maybe not.

But, I think bringing in a new legit wrestler and introducing him/packaging him as a comedy jobber for a while, only to have him snap or unleash him in some other way as a fierce wrecking ball of a monster would be a great angle.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't think it's at all impossible. Like just about anything else, success or failure would depend upon how good the wrestler as the repackaged character, who he feuds with, how much emphasis is put onto him by management and what storyline he finds himself in. In addition, the fans have to be given time in order to adjust to this new persona so that they can replace the image they have of this wrestler while he was a comedic, comedy jobber.

Essentially, do the exact opposite of what TNA's done with Eric Young. TNA audience just isn't buying into Eric Young as TNA World Heavyweight Champion because they rushed headlong into putting the title on him without bothering to repackage him. Personally, I think they were trying to capitalize on what happened with Daniel Bryan in the hopes they could make Young their version. Aside from being of similar physical size and having a thick beard, they're not remotely the same guy. For over a decade, Eric Young spent the vast majority of his time being recognized as a comedy mid-carder and/or comedy jobber in TNA while Daniel Bryan built a reputation as being one of the best in-ring wrestlers in the world long before coming to WWE. They're trying to repackage him while he's champion instead of waiting to build him up, develop a story around his journey & goal and without giving fans time to see him in a different light. As a result, he's not drawing as champion and fans aren't invested in him.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

2 or 3 years ago at EC, this could have been accomplished with Santino. He had Del Rio on the ropes and the crowd was behind him. He was a second away from becoming champ and headlining WM. Unfortunately the trigger didn't get pulled, and Santino's comedy routine has became redundant. If there was ever a time to make a comedy jobber a champ that was the time. Under different circumstances both Kane and Big Show have done many different comedy angles, SCSA and Kurt Angle were hilarious together. I know they are far from jobber , but just saying that good comedy can lead to good championship reigns.

 

[zones.]

Personally, I can see both santino and drew as serious acts. Yes santino has a deeper hole to climb out of but I can still look at santino and see him jumping out of the crowd to upset umaga. Other than that, being a comedy act doesn't have to be a death wish for a career in general. I can't give a great example as I can't be bothered to produce one (lol). The best thing that comes to mind is Jesse and festus. Obvious comedy act but festus' whole hook was he snapped at the sound of a bell and became a damn monster. I think something like that Would work, and potentially work far better then the given example, if executed with even the least bit of care and interest from creative.

 

[Pérez84]

Is not the comedy act, is the status. A wrestler can do hilarious comedy acts or get hardly ridiculized sometimes, but if he doesn't get the payback in the ring, he can't be viewed as a real threat. That is exactly what jobbers do and why they are viewed as a clowns instead of a threats. They can't prevent to be ridiculized and must to deal with it.

 

[capnwillie]

It depends on the worker and the circumstances. How attached to the character is the person portraying the character, on a scale from Nicky of Spirit Squad to the Honky Tonk Man? There are two examples. Dolph Ziggler can/could be taken seriously and get over with the fans (with the right push... or 'a' push at all) but imagine if Honky Tonk Man tried dropping his Elvis schtick and tried to be a serious main event contender with a toned-down and realistic gimmick. That also has a lot to do with the length of time invested in the character. Santino would have a difficult time because he's been on comic relief detail for several years now. Even if he went to TNA at some point, TNA would have a hard time repackaging him as anything other than a comedy jobber. Fandango/Johnny Curtis, on the other hand, could probably transition out of the Fandango character relatively easy with the right kind of booking. He has a better "look" as well, yet anither factor to consider. Smaller, less toned or overweight workers wouldn't fare as well.

The good news for most comedy jobbers is that there is rarely a shortage of work as long as they can sell, and kids generally like them so that means they'll post decent merch sales numbers and get plenty of TV time on kid and family friendly weekend afternoon shows like Superstars.

like Billy Bob Thornton said in Bad Santa, "They can't all be winners."

 

[Vintage]

Essentially, do the exact opposite of what TNA's done with Eric Young. TNA audience just isn't buying into Eric Young as TNA World Heavyweight Champion because they rushed headlong into putting the title on him without bothering to repackage him. Personally, I think they were trying to capitalize on what happened with Daniel Bryan in the hopes they could make Young their version. Aside from being of similar physical size and having a thick beard, they're not remotely the same guy. For over a decade, Eric Young spent the vast majority of his time being recognized as a comedy mid-carder and/or comedy jobber in TNA while Daniel Bryan built a reputation as being one of the best in-ring wrestlers in the world long before coming to WWE. They're trying to repackage him while he's champion instead of waiting to build him up, develop a story around his journey & goal and without giving fans time to see him in a different light. As a result, he's not drawing as champion and fans aren't invested in him.

I found this hard to read because it's simply not true. Eric Young today, is the same Eric Young that was tagging with Joseph Park 6 months ago, but less goofy than the Eric Young locking up with the people sitting at ringside and pulling his shorts down to expose his mankini from like a year and half or more ago. Aside from toning down that part of it, it's the same exact Eric. He takes being champion somewhat seriously, but aside from that he's still the same goofball.

If anyone is getting repacked it's Bryan because now he's becoming the hunter instead of the hunted.

 

[justinept]

Of course not, once a comedy jobber always a useless jobber...remember kane and daniel bryans stupid comedy jobber crap? Now look at bryan, who in the hell would take this guy seriously? Only nerds who use him as an example of "hey look this little dork made it as a champ, maybe I can someday marry a woman" but sadly the truth is you probably won't. Comedy jobbers are for life.

Do you even know what a jobber is? Don't mistake infusing comedy into a character for being a jobber. Kurt Angle, Edge and Mick Foley were putting on mostly comedic segments outside the ring while winning a plethora of titles. Triple H's bit in DX circa 1998 was mostly comedy. The same can be said for Steve Austin during his time as Vince McMahon's best friend.

None of those guys were jobbers - and neither were Bryan and Kane as a tag team. They held the tag belts for 8 months and won most every match they competed in. They weren't jobbers, moron.

 

[LoveReignsO'erMe]

McIntire on the other hand is part of a comedic group. Maybe its me but I will always associate 3mb more with Slater than I do the other 2 guys. I already proposed a plan for McIntire on another post - align him with Sheamus and Barrett as their enforcer/goon who interferes in their matches (as the young guy under their wing).

This could be even more likely with Sheamus and Barrett both holding titles, and WWE rumored to be putting Sheamus over as a heel. Trios seem to be the flavor of the day with Evolution, Wyatts, and Shield. They may want a 4th one developed enough, and perhaps will involve all of them in a big match at Battleground. That's a lot of talent for ONE match though, so they probably wouldn't. It's an interesting thought, though.

 

[Slash-LN]

This is my biggest desire for Santino. I'd like to see him mid match get ready to hit the Cobra and then ask for a microphone, cut a promo in his real voice about how he's tired of being a joke and then just go psycho on his opponent.

Then he just comes out week after week and destroys people.
I think he could pull it off.

 

[RicSpade]

I think people miss the big picture when it comes to Comedy guys, they can be successful and taken seriously by a repackage or by a simple turn, hell even a title win can sway the judges, here is a good example Kane was a comedy act around the time he teamed with X-Pac prior to losing his mask, one simple mask swap and he was a monster again, and you can't say no he wasn't, the throat gimmicks the spinarooonies, the thing he did with Daniel Bryan when he put the mask back on, the corporate crap, the monster now...

3MB could be taken seriously if they either did a real beatdown, or they turned so they could split, the only guy out of the group who may be stuck in limbo is the one man Rock band. Santino could be taken seriously if he changed his gear and music and went heel getting rid of the Cobra...

Its all about strategy and the big picture, if you can't think outside the box you can't ever change things

 

[Softcore Holly]

Depends on how well it's done, but it can certainly be done. For instance

The last time we saw him Drew Hankinson he was Luke Gallows, a completely serious big man that looked like he only meant business, before that he was Festus: a mentally challenged Hill Billy with the ringbell being his brain's on and off switch. But really it didn't take much for people to complete forget about the Festus character. just a new outfit, a good gimmick people can take seriously and suddenly no one expects him to be drooling in the ring anymore.

In honor of what would've been the late great Owen Hart's 49 B-day, the Blue Blazer. During my younger days I thought the BB was lame was hell, but all Owen needed to do was ditch the mask and cape and suddenly we're back in business.

As for someone on the current roster, I got 2 words: Male, and Cheerleader. OK maybe Ziggler's not doing much now(or anything in recent memory) but of all the lame comedy gimmicks to have being part of a male cheerleading group has to be close to the top. But they managed to make most people forget about that and he's now a 2 time WHC that still get a good amount of cheers.

As for Santino/Drew, I think part of it is people being comfortable with the role he's in and wouldn't mind if he just stayed that way. Drew on the other hand many people see as being wasted talent that could be doing better than constantly losing in a air guitar band. So there's pretty much the difference right there.

 

[whoopin' ass]

Depends on the wrestler and situation but the Santino and 3MB are jobbers now for good - there is no hope for them. Kurt Angle had that comic stigma attached to him and it took a long time for it to wear off but it is a rare guy who can do that.

 

[wrestler36]

A comedy jobber is one step up of just a jobber jobber because at least you have a character and some mic time. Take a look at the Hardy Boyz in 96. No music, no character, just straight jobber. Not even a character change, just a bit of an edge and PS Hayes added to them and they're tag champs, mid card champs and world champs. So yes, it is possible.

 

[NancyBenoit]

Do you even know what a jobber is? Don't mistake infusing comedy into a character for being a jobber. Kurt Angle, Edge and Mick Foley were putting on mostly comedic segments outside the ring while winning a plethora of titles. Triple H's bit in DX circa 1998 was mostly comedy. The same can be said for Steve Austin during his time as Vince McMahon's best friend.

None of those guys were jobbers - and neither were Bryan and Kane as a tag team. They held the tag belts for 8 months and won most every match they competed in. They weren't jobbers, moron.

My mistake...a million apologies, I was wrong bryan and kane were NOT comedy jobbers, they were never funny. My bad just jobbers got it. Please don't get so butthurt if someone doesn't agree with your husband, just for future reference. I'm sure he's super cute to you.

 

[justinept]

My mistake...a million apologies, I was wrong bryan and kane were NOT comedy jobbers, they were never funny. My bad just jobbers got it. Please don't get so butthurt if someone doesn't agree with your husband, just for future reference. I'm sure he's super cute to you.

Learn what a jobber is, and you can say whatever you want about Bryan and Kane. A jobber is someone who loses every match. If you can explain how Bryan and Kane were jobbers during their 8-month title reign, then I'll retract my comments. Until then, you're still a moron.