Who Benefited from never getting the strap?

catchwrestle

catchwrestle

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Was reading the 50 greatest wrestlers thread and a guy posted about Arn Anderson not being on there. Got me to thinking that Double A is one of those guys who is universally respected but never reached the world title. This my have increased his value in fan's eyes since we never got to see if he would shine or faulter in the main slot. Not saying he would have one way or the other. Just that his image may have been improved by this fact.

Who else would you put in this group. Solid in ring and on the mic, universally loved, never had a world title run:
For sure:
Mr. Perfect
Ric Rude
Million Dollar Man

Maybe:
Owen Hart
Nikita Koloff
 
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Corny mentions that Barry Windham easily could have had an NWA run but was never interested.
 
I don't think any of them benefited from not having the strap.
 
your thread title and your listed group ask 2 different questions.
razor ramon fits in your group however does not fit the thread title.
 
Hennig was a world champion.

DiBiase definitely did not benefit from not getting the strap, imo. Would have benefitted him greatly......instead he was done as a genuine main eventer after 1988/89.

Don’t think anyone ever really benefitted by not getting a world title run, tbh. Maybe André the Giant...... but he didn’t need it.
 
Nobody benefits from not being on top. Because then they retire or die and us retard fans are left asking “WHAT IF”.
 
LEWIS540 said:
Hennig was a world champion.

DiBiase definitely did not benefit from not getting the strap, imo. Would have benefitted him greatly......instead he was done as a genuine main eventer after 1988/89.

Don’t think anyone ever really benefitted by not getting a world title run, tbh. Maybe André the Giant...... but he didn’t need it.
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It depends on how you define benefited.

Dibiase benefited the most because it gave him the Million Dollar Belt, which really defined his character more and made it even more over the top.

A millionaire that tried to first buy the real title and then made his own after that didn’t work.
 
Prime Shane Douglas said:
It depends on how you define benefited.

Dibiase benefited the most because it gave him the Million Dollar Belt, which really defined his character more and made it even more over the top.

A millionaire that tried to first buy the real title and then made his own after that didn’t work.
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Always thought the M$ belt was hokey and looked tacky, tbh. It signified Ted's decline into the mid card, for me.
 
LEWIS540 said:
Always thought the M$ belt was hokey and looked tacky, tbh. It signified Ted's decline into the mid card, for me.
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I can see that opinion but it also to me showed a spoiled rich guy that bought himself a title because he couldn’t get the job done. Expanded his character more and extended the gimmick after WM4.
 
Rude, Perfect, Dibiase or Roberts would have not only benefited themselves, but helped the product after 88 considerably if they got a title run. They waited almost 10 years from Hogan’s fist title win until a heel was given even a partial run as the top guy (flair in 92). It became very boring, every event ended the same way.
 
drstrangelov said:
Rude, Perfect, Dibiase or Roberts would have not only benefited themselves, but helped the product after 88 considerably if they got a title run. They waited almost 10 years from Hogan’s fist title win until a heel was given even a partial run as the top guy (flair in 92). It became very boring, every event ended the same way.
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Hogan really was a master of timing.

10 years earlier or 10 years later he'd never have been the icon of the sport he is today.

Pretty sure if he came along after about 1996, he'd have been laughed out the building. Lived off the nostalgia for 20 years.
 
It has been stated by those that know more than I do, that Roddy Piper and Jake Roberts didn't NEED the big belt, and they basically trained Hogan's future opponents in the ring. Seeing if these future opponents could hang as champions.

I would definitely extend that to Ted DiBiase and Rick Rude.

Now, Curt Hennig DID hold the AWA strap for a year, and he was a good champ. BUT it was a totally different character than Mr. Perfect. Lump Mr. Perfect with DiBiase and Rude.

On the NWA/WCW side of the coin, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard were great champs with the lesser straps, but they never got a run as the Big Dog. I would say that they belong with Rude and DiBiase, and Piper/Roberts. Barry Windham did get a run with the NWA strap after the NWA and WCW split and were re-joined.

Nikita WOULD have had a run with the world title, if he didn't get the neck injury. Nikita, Magnum TA, Sting, and Luger were the "next wave" of NWA world champs.
 
I guess you could argue Brody. Not being a World Champ gave him the freedom to be the traveling attraction he was. Same with Andre too. To a way lesser extent Bundy.

If you ever wanted to see what Brody would have been in WWF then just look at John Nord as The Beserker. Vince would have made him a joke that jobber to Hogan.
 
Nobody benefited from not being #1. However, some guys didn't need it, like Jake, Perfect, Rude, The Goon, Owen Hart, Razor Ramon, etc, etc...
 
That winged eagle belt would've looked so good on the shoulder of The Bad Guy

image
 
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