Undertaker backs Triple H’s claims on outside stars coming to WWE and why he thinks big stars elsewhere struggle in WWE. With Triple H taking over WWE, he is implementing a new mindset for the company. He doesn’t want to sign big names just to have them.
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While a guest on The Pat McAfee Show a few weeks ago, Triple H named one thing that is non-negotiable when looking for new WWE Superstars. They need to be willing to put in the work and be willing to “grind,” especially early in their career. If they aren’t willing to then Triple H said he doesn’t want them. He went on to explain that just because they are a big deal elsewhere doesn’t mean they will be big in WWE. It’s a completely different world in WWE compared to other promotions or the world of pro sports.
Undertaker echoed Triple H’s comments on his Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway podcast. He talked about why big names in WCW struggled when they went to WWF/WWE.
“Somebody asked Triple H a question about other talent coming in from other places. It was so true, but I never heard anybody really say it. There was a time like back in the day when guys came in from WCW and were big stars in WCW, and not such big stars when they got to WWE. Of course, people always want to point fingers, ‘There was this vendetta.’ That’s just crap.
If you draw money…obviously, you have to be put in a situation to be able to draw money, but you have to work within that WWE frame of mind. That’s the thing that he was trying to say. Just because you were a big star there or a big star here, doesn’t mean you’re going to fit into the WWE system without a little bit of acclimation time.”
Via Inside The Ropes
What Works There Doesn’t Work in The WWE
Even though Undertaker brings up WCW which died over 20 years ago, it still holds true today. Big WCW stars like Ultimo Dragon, DDP, and Vader failed to achieve the success they found in WCW. On the other side of the coin are guys like Mike Awesome who was a major star in ECW and was never able to find success in WCW, but to be fair to him that may have been Vince Russo’s stupid gimmick’s fault.
Going from one promotion to another can be tough because what fans are looking for changes from each promotion. The transition from NXT to the main roster has even been a very hard transition. Some big-name examples are Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Samoa Joe and Finn Balor after he won the Universal Championship. Sometimes what works in NXT just doesn’t work on RAW or SmackDown.
Fans are always scared to see huge stars come over to WWE because they are scared they will fail. However, for all the failures there are guys like AJ Styles who was a mega star in TNA and became a huge star in WWE. Another example is of course guys like Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre.
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The wrestling community likes to label wrestlers failing as the company burying their talent. Comments like this make Undertaker mad because he doesn’t think they come from an intelligent place.
“That’s what most ‘smart marks’ don’t get. They’re like, ‘He was this huge star at this company, but now at WWE. Why on earth, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Why would you waste anyone’s time just to bring them in, just to hold them down? It’s absolutely ridiculous, it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You don’t bring people in to hold them down. You bring people in to make the product better.”
About To See A Lot Of Wrestlers Trading Promotions
Why a wrestler is the biggest thing ever in one promotion and a failure in another could be because of a million reasons like age, injuries, or attitude. However, Undertaker’s comments on it just being because they don’t fit into the system makes sense as well.
As WWE becomes a more viable option for wrestlers because of Vince McMahon’s exit we will see top stars coming over to WWE. Also because of recent releases in WWE and AEW, we will see the two promotions trading wrestlers. Fans have always said if “X” Superstar went to AEW they would do so well and sometimes they are right. The next few months will be an interesting time in wrestling as we see where wrestlers end up.
Do you agree with Triple H that wrestlers need to be able to grind to be successful? Do you agree with Undertaker that wrestlers don’t succeed because they fail to acclimate to the system? What do you think is the main reason big stars in one promotion fail in other promotions? Let us know on social media who you think are the biggest names to do nothing in WWE. Follow us so you don’t miss a thing. We’re always watching.
Sources: The Pat McAfee Show, Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway, Inside The Ropes
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