Welcome, one and all, to the glorious debut of the Rajah Debates! For years, the best and brightest minds of the Rajah forum have done battle with words about a myriad of fascinating topics from the wrestling world, seeking to answer the questions that plague the wrestling community. Is John Cena actually a good wrestler? What's the greatest wrestling show of all time? Is anyone as good as Bobby Lashley? (No.) But for the first time ever, we're bringing the debates to you and letting you guys act as judge, jury and executioner.
The way this works is simple. Each match will involve a maximum of 3 350 word posts from each participant going in order. At the end, you guys and our panel of judges will vote to see you moves on to the next round to get one step closer to Rajah immortality. Over the course of the next month you'll grow to know and root for these brilliant weirdos until we eventually crown a grand champion.
Sound good? I thought so! So let's jump right in!
Now, two new combatants will enter the circle of debate from which only one can proceed. And here is the topic that they will do battle over:
WHAT WRESTLER FROM CURRENT WWE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST SUCCESS IN A DIFFERENT ERA?
To clarify, i'm asking you to take an active roster guy or girl, Zack Ryder for example, and put them somewhere else in wrestling history, whether it be the Attitude Era, NWA era 80s or all the way back in the Lou Thesz days. Who you pick, when you pick and why are up to you.
The coin toss dictates that JUDAS will go first.
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Get ready for a choice that is going to SHOCK the world, a MASTER, if you may:
No, not that master, the OTHER master, a master who oozes ATTITUDE out of his pores:
If you need a little proof, check out some highlights from this match, which would have fit into the hardcore scene WWE was propagating during the Attitude Era:
And then let's check out a truly sick promo that fell right into WWE's (then WWF's) wheelhouse at the time which would have cemented him as a sick fucker who belonged there:
The fact of the matter is Dean Ambrose was made for the Attitude Era, and he would have been extremely over feuding with people who could match him in intensity both in the ring and during promos. A Stone Cold vs Ambrose feud? Print that money. Shawn Michaels vs Ambrose feud? Print that money. Mick Foley vs Ambrose feud?
Well the hardcore legend, one of the quintessential players during the Attitude Era, had a run-in with Mr. Ambrose that was supposed to lead to what would inevitably become a legendary feud. Mick knows the business. He picked Ambrose to work with.
Because Ambrose would have been a monster of a talent during the Attitude Era.
Between the TV-14 rating and the ability to draw blood and actually be violent, Dean Ambrose and his character and persona would make him an actual superstar (not in the weird WWE "Superstar" use of the word) in a time and place where professional wrestling was pushing boundaries to the extreme and bringing in extraordinary ratings, whether it was WCW, WWF or even ECW.
Ambrose would have flourished in any federation, but as the anti-hero that he his today, he would have thrived in the era of anti-heroes during the mid to late 90s, when it was all the rage and all of that rage would have been bounced off the likes of Stone Cold or The Rock or Mick Foley instead of off of the fucking Wyatts.
Imagine a Hell In A Cell match with Ambrose during the TV-14 days. There would be no containing him or the ratings, and he'd probably wind up going off the top through a table twice. Becoming an absolute legend in the process during the industry's biggest boom period.
All hail the Titty Master.
Solid choice, I agree Dean.
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In the 80s Hogan had an amazing run. He said his prayers and took his vitamins and skyrocketed to the top. The problem was when he was running out of gas he had no one to hand the ball too. It's been well documented that the passing of the torch to the Ultimate Warrior was a failure.
The Warrior rambled on in promos, and was built around 3 min matches. What if Hogan had passed the ball to someone who could wrestle, had the chiseled look McMahon loves yet wouldn't have had to disappear with the steroid scandal?
What if Hulk Hogan had dropped the title at WrestleMania VI to this man.
John Cena would have been the perfect wrestler to catapult us off into the 90s. John has proven that he can work big matches, sell merchandise and fill houses. Vince would not have had to panic and bring back Hogan at WrestleMaina VII.
Cena takes a lot of heat now from the wrestling community but that's because he has been on top for so long not due to his in ring work. He is a talented in ring worker and the chance for him to match up with Hogan and then move on and work programs with guys like Macho Man, Undertaker and eventually moving on to Bret, Shawn and Diesel would have left the WWF with a lot of possible match ups going forward.
The new generation would have kicked off three years earlier and we would not have had such a lull in the early 90s. As the attitude era crept in so too could the Prototype gimmick as Cena began to live the thug life.
Remember the CHAMP IS HERE!
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Am I really reading this right?
Let me read it out loud to myself and process it...
Hang on, I'll be right back...
OK, I'm back.
John Cena would have been the perfect wrestler to catapult us into the 90's if he had won the belt from Hogan instead of Warrior?
That he would have then ushered in the New Generation and then the Attitude Era?
I think you're spreading yourself a bit thin here, and not understanding why none of this makes any sense.
If Hogan had dropped the belt to Cena, it would have dropped to this guy:
Who is also this guy:
You really think John Cena wouldn't have had to disappear during the steroid scandal as The Ptotype?
Tell me how he would have done when the steroid scandal was doing back then. He would have been wrapped up in it and thrown away.
The point you make about him embracing rap during this period is an interesting one. Rap was becoming increasingly popular and important as it brought to the fore-front of public consciousness. It would have been very relevant in WWE to have a rapper on the scene in the early 90s.
Look at some of the biggest rap groups of the day:
Oof, that last one there...
You see, as with almost everything culturally relevant, WWE simply can't help themselves from making it into flat-out joke that comes nowhere close to where it ought to be. You really think Cena would be any different as a white rapper in the early 90s?
Oh, speaking of which, here's the guy Cena would have been modeled off:
I'll just let that sink in.
Dean Ambrose? He would have been a star in the Attitude Era, and that cannot be disputed. He has the mic skills to clash with Austin and The Rock, the anti-hero persona to oppose Vince McMahon and the Corporation, the in ring prowess to hang with Bret Hart (who has praised him, by the way) and the hardcore insanity necessary to hang with Mankind and days of hardcore wrestling during the Era.
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Judas is misguiding the readers and judges of this debate. The question was which current wrestler would fit in another era.
Every picture and gif of Cena he posted to refute his greatness is not of the current Cena who I would be placing in the 90s. The prototype is simply a gimmick at his disposal he could use down the line as the attitude era set in .He would have been able to stay around and lead that new generation with Bret and Shawn.
In the meantime Judas tries to talk about the advantages of Dean Ambrose. Some may think Dean Ambrose would have been a bigger start in the attitude era but the problem is there were already 100 wrestlers on roster who had attitude. Not only would his extreme wrestling style not stand out but Dean would be lost on a roster of better talkers and better in ring performers like The Rock, HHH, Austin, Undertaker, Mankind, Chris Jericho not performing in the ring with them.
Without a doubt Cena would have been a top 3 talker and a top 3 worker in the New Generation. He would have worked top programs for years where he would have sold a ton of merchandise and have held the WWF title. Dean, on the other hand, would have had a brief run with the European title and a few 24/7 Hardcore championship matches with Crash Holly, Spike Dudley and the Hurricane.
Titty Master. That would have been cute in the Attitude era.
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Nonsense isn't the word I'm looking for...
What's that word, Dean?
Right. Bullshit.
Your argument also hinged on Cena coming up and embracing his rap gimmick. Which would be great; I gave you examples of NWA and Wu-Tang Clan and, of course, Men on a Mission, which is what WWE considered a rap gimmick then.
Oh yeah, he's white, meaning he'd be this:
You want to say Dean Ambrose would be stuck with Crash Holly, Spike Dudley and The Hurricane?
That word again?
What interactions or opinions have come from men who know better about the Attitude Era than anyone?
Ohhhh, Ambrose was set to debut against MICK FOLEY, who EMBODIED the Attitude Era, who has called Ambrose "disturbingly poetic," and also mentions that William Regal said Ambrose would be "everyone's perfect opponent for the next ten years."
Bret Hart said of Ambrose: "He’s got it down. He’s such a first-rate thinker on his feet when it comes to his timing, his expressions, his quickness, his deviousness. I love his deviousness! I saw him this past weekend and told him I thought he was great."
Oh and a certain someone who is revered in the industry fought his first and only television match in YEARS against Ambrose:
If that doesn't speak volumes about upper echelon Attitude Era stars says about Ambrose and the fact that he'd be a superstar in that era, then I'm sorry, but that's...
What's the word, Dean?
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Judas has a major flaw in his argument. The question is who would be biggest success in a different era. Judas wants to take Dean Ambrose, a man who (as much as we in the internet community hate to admit it) is not a top tier guy in this current era and stick him in an era absolutely loaded with talent. An era where his physical in ring style would not stand out, his mic skills would not stand out and his work rate would not stand out. Dean Ambrose struggles to be the man now in WWE, how would he fair when put in an era loaded with Hall of Famers?
If Ambrose can’t break through to the top past Rollins, Lesnar, Reigns, Cena and company how can we expect him to do so in an era of Rock, Austin, Foley, HHH, Undertaker and more.
Dean Ambrose has one title win in his WWE career, the US Title. And was it Dean’s run with the belt that brought the US Title to the front of everyone’s minds? No, it was John Cena’s run and the Open Challenge that did that. Many have called the Open Challenge the best thing going in WWE for a long time.
John Cena on the other hand is a mega star in his current era. He is moving to an era deprived of top tier talent. There is no question that Cena would walk right into the top 3 of the federation. His hustle, loyalty, respect translates to the New Generation. He is a 15 time World Champion, 5 time US Champion, 4 time Tag Champion and 2 time Royal Rumble Winner. He is a winner now and he would be a winner in 1990.
THE CHAMP IS HERE!!!
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