10 Images Showcasing Precise Moments Wrestlers Got Over
In which the hard part is made easy.
"He isn't all the way over," was the phrase recently used by Steve Austin to describe the current plight of Seth Rollins in a challenging babyface role.
It's difficult to determine what, if anything, it will take for Rollins to reach a level at which he truly bonds with an audience receptive to - but not entirely in love with - his act. His entrance evokes pops. His matches have a sustained but only moderate degree of heat. There's no way to articulate it other than to say that something is missing. It might help if WWE affords him more freedom on the stick. It might help if he slims down a little; ironically, he was tipped as The Shield's breakout babyface act when he was a heel. His sharp and spectacular offence, now somewhat dulled, resonated hugely in those frenetic six-man tag classics.
Has his late 2015 ACL injury caused him to miss a step?
One thing is clear; if he reaches that babyface pinnacle, his path will follow that of a Goldberg - no one truly momentous victory or promo will put him over the edge, but rather trust earned through a steady build. If it's going to click, it will click. There doesn't seem to be an easy trigger to pull.
Not like the gentlemen included herein...
10. The Ironic Dumpster Fire Of '98
As origin stories go, the formation of the New Age Outlaws is fairly inauspicious. Rockabilly and Jesse James simply decided they were going nowhere on their own, battered the Honky Tonk Man, and became a tandem more befitting of the times.
Their true arrival at the forefront of fan's minds saw them act out one of the most controversial segments of the early Attitude Era. They interrupted a match between Cactus Jack and Terry "Chainsaw Charlie" Funk on the February 2, 1998 RAW. Jack dropped an elbow onto Charlie from the tron and into the dumpster. The Outlaws then emerged to lock them inside it and send them careening off the ramp and onto the concrete arena floor. The crazed bump afforded Jack and Charlie zero protection; there was no way to gauge the fall and thus mitigate the damage.
This predated the Hell In A Cell bump and the following imitators. It was shocking stuff put over huge by the fourth wall breaking aftermath - another astute creative decision in a period full of them.
The comparison between the two teams was interesting. Both united after feuding to go against a common enemy. The contrast was equally gripping; Jack and Charlie were the hardcore old school; the Outlaws were a new breed of brat.
The Outlaws had their gimmick. They had perfect opponents. With this one unforgettable moment, they had their aura.