For The Record 6.28.09: Jack Swagger... Main Eventer?
Posted by Kristopher Rodriguez on 06.28.2009
He’s good. Will he be great?
Jack Swagger has already accomplished more in nine months than most wrestlers accomplish in a lifetime. First of all, he's a former ECW Champion. Winning that title four months after his debut was indeed a big deal. And since then, he's become a main eventer in the "Land of Extreme." I know, it's not the same as being a Raw or Smackdown headliner. But for someone who was in developmentals for most of 2008, his rise to the top of ECW was impressive.
In the course of time, he has also developed skills that will be transferable to the other brands. First and foremost, he's a gifted wrestler. He doesn't need to use his personality to distract fans from poor in-ring skills. That's always a plus. He's also a good talker. He speaks with confidence and arrogance. His promos are convincing and entertaining. But most importantly, he's developed a main event presence. Some wrestlers have it, some wrestlers don't. I don't know how to describe main event presence, because it's one of those indefinable "its" that main event heels like Kurt Angle, Edge, and Randy Orton possess.
One element of that main event "it" factor that those headliners possess is the ability to command attention. Most main eventers have their spots because the fans react to their very presence. They feel like they're seeing a top star. In my opinion, Jack Swagger commands that kind of attention.
Of course, he may only look like a main eventer because he's a big fish in a small pond. Yes, ECW is chalked full of great talent. But it's a slim roster on WWE's "c"-show. If he were to jump ship to Raw or Smackdown, he would probably start out much lower in the WWE totem pole. The real test for Swagger will be when he's drafted to Raw or Smackdown.
And you know something? As a performer, I think he'll pass with distinction. However, there is a caveat…
He'll only go as far as McMahon lets him. That's one of the frustrating parts of being a wrestling fan. Pushes aren't based on merit. Pushes are based on the bottom line through the vision of the promoter. Sure it's fair, but it's nonetheless frustrating.
McMahon was reportedly displeased with Swagger's No Way Out performance in his match with Finlay. There's even speculation that Jack Swagger was left off the Wrestlemania card as a consequence of that match. It is my hope that the "disciplinary" action ends there. Swagger has much to offer WWE. I hope WWE's management team sees that.
We do know that Swagger has one legend in his corner… the incomparable Jim Ross. Those who've frequented Ross's blogs in the past will recall his praise for Swagger. Ross has much confidence in the rookie. He even dubbed Swagger as a future member of WWE's "main event society." Okay, we in the IWC are probably correct in our understanding that Ross is not involved in the creative process. But if he's willing to stick his neck out for Swagger, it certainly can't hurt Swagger's chances.
That's why it would probably be best for Swagger if he were drafted to Smackdown next year. Jim Ross is an excellent commentator. He would probably do everything in his power to get him over with the fans. Ross was the main point of contact for Swagger while Swagger was a student at the University of Oklahoma. I'm sure Ross would love to see Swagger succeed. Ross could certainly do his part in the booth.
There are many up-and-coming stars that will have to carry WWE through the 2010s. John Morrison seems to have a Hall of Fame career ahead. The Miz has the potential to be a top heel in the years to come. R-Truth is one of Smackdown's most charismatic stars. And Legacy's DiBiase and Rhodes will probably emerge as major stars in the years to follow. Evan Bourne, Tyson Kidd, David Hart Smith, Vladimir Kozlov, and Zack Ryder are also stars of the future. Out of all those competitors though, I believe Swagger is a cut above the rest. The only person on Swagger's level, in my view, is John Morrison.
Swagger is reminiscent of Kurt Angle. Both were standout college athletes. Both attained a great deal of success early in their careers (Angle won the WWE Championship in his first year, Swagger became ECW Champion after only four months). Both can wrestle mat-based matches, but also deliver explosive moves when necessary. Both can cut good promos. And both were/are despised by the fans.
I'm not saying Swagger is on Angle's level… at least not yet. Angle is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever lace a pair of boots. But give Swagger time. He could someday be every bit as good as Angle. That might sound crazy to some people, but I don't think it's absurd at all.
In my view, WWE doesn't need Kurt Angle to return. They've got a "Kurt Angle" in the making with Jack Swagger. And like Angle, Swagger has what it takes to be a true main eventer. Just as Angle was the greatest wrestler of his generation, Swagger could emerge as the greatest wrestler of his generation. But that'll only happen if and when Swagger earns McMahon's imprimatur. Once that happens, the sky's the limit for WWE's premier rookie.
Moving On
Two Quick Memos
Number 1: TNA deserves major props for their X-Division King of the Mountain Match. It was virtually nonstop action from bell to bell and one of the best openers I've ever seen. Some people might complain that it was a spotfest. But who cares? The Motor City Machine Guns, Suicide, and Lethal Consequences tore the house down! It deserves to be called a Match of the Year Candidate… we'll see how it's remembered in December.
Number 2: WWE was foolish not to hype up this week's Raw. Last week, WWE had its biggest audience in years. Raw was commercial-free, and featured Donald Trump… a world famous celebrity. They had to know that they would attract more viewers than usual. And yet, though they had two commercial-free hours to promote next week's Raw before 6 to 7 million viewers, they did nothing of the sort. I'm not saying they have to hype a blockbuster show every week. But when the audience is large, why not dangle at least some sort of carrot?
If I'm factually incorrect on the Raw thing, I apologize. But if I recall, fans weren't given any special or particular reason to tune in this week.
That's it for today. But before I go: Vintage Warrior!
i like jack swagger. he has alot of potential. but to compare him to angle is jumping the gun a little.
angle can be as intense as samoa joe then be as silly like santino and still be a credible threat. the only thing funny about swagger is his lisp.
also angle was one of the greatest wrestlers ever BEFORE he went into the wwf. swagger's amateur experience is no where near angle's pre-wwf.
Posted By: rey (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 12:33 PM
"John Morrison seems to have a Hall of Fame career ahead"
That's Hyperbole.
And I can't see Kozlov being too much of a "Future Star" due to the fact he's 37. Time isn't on his side. Ok Batista was about that age when he got his big push, but Kozlov doesn't have a modicum of the presence Big Dave exudes.
Posted By: ButchReedMark (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 01:01 PM
Not wrestling related, but Billy Mays is dead?
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 01:33 PM
You have ZERO idea how old R-Truth is, do you?
Posted By: cw217 (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 01:40 PM
"They feel like their seeing a top star"
It's bad enough that your parents spelled your first name wrong, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't proofread your work.
Posted By: Big Ell (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 01:43 PM
I certainly agree with Swagger being a good wrestler and he certainly can be one of the best bell to bell someday. But for what it's worth as far as an entertainer and a character on WWE TV his skills to command attention from the audience are piss poor. He looks very uncomfortable in front of the audience. These young guys come up way too early and Swagger is proof of that because he in my opinion has not made a vested connection with the audience because we as the audience just flat out DONT BELIEVE in him and what he tries to project. I would almost go as far to say the he has X-Pac heat.
Don't get me wrong heat is heat. But Swagger's character is very very green and is light years away from the main event society. Do I think he can get there? Yes. Will he? That's for Vince to decide but he needs to be comfortable in his own skin and mature pretty damn quick or his push will be halted and that's never good.
Also the one thing that needs to stop today is the belief the John Morrison is the next Shawn Micheals. Let alone a future HOF. Is it cuz this guys has a chizeled look and is very flamboyant that he compares to HBK? Because other than that I see no others.
Although to his credit I will say that Morrison is a notch above the other young guys in the WWE who have been around for no more than a year. That's merely because he's been a full time guy on the roster for 4 years and he's now getting a connection with the audience. In 5 years David Hart Smith and Ted Dibiase will be far ahead of him in overall skills but Morrison will be along with them in the main event society. I even see more promise in guys like MVP, Cody Rhodes, and Tyson Kidd but Morrison has the main event look so he'll be the guy they get behind based on that alone.
Posted By: Justin (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 01:53 PM
yes, please stop witht he hbk/morrison comparisons. it is like basketball where every tall white guy is "the next larry bird" or the constant talk of filling jordan's shoes in basketball.
morrison is good. he is getting better. he will never be shawn. the stars have to align just right for him to get "THE push."
Posted By: jd (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 04:23 PM
kurt angle is an olympic gold medalist and swagger is not. so don't even think of comparing the two. no disrespect to jack
Posted By: Guest#8131 (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 05:13 PM
Why not compare Morrison to KBK or Swagger to Angle? How many years did HBK take to becore THE icon? Many more than the years Morrison's been active. In fact, how many singles titles Shawn won in his first years? I think Morrison's road is going just fine. Same for Swagger. He'll need about two years (maybe less) to become the force in the WWE Universe.
Posted By: James Ross (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 06:36 PM
Jack Swagger and Kurt Angle have the shared lineage of an amateur wrestling background, but beyond that I see no comparison at our present point in time. Angle demonstrated character presence and terrific microphone skills almost immediately after his debut, whereas Swagger's lisping promos lack emotion to me. Swagger has a great look and appears to be a tremendous athlete, but I agree with the poster who said that it appears he's not quite fully comfortable being in front of the audience right now.
Posted By: Nick M. (Registered) on June 28, 2009 at 06:54 PM
"Angle demonstrated character presence and terrific microphone skills almost immediately after his debut"
I would argue that it wasn't "almost immediately after", but actually WHEN he debuted. I remember his debut distinctly, which isn't something I can say about many wrestlers.
Posted By: luna (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 07:44 PM
Jim Ross was a fan of cruiserweights and foreign wrestlers too. I'm not saying he was wrong, but just pointing out the success of his tastes vs. McMahon.
If Vince didn't like Swagger's performance at No Way Out, he should watch the last eight or so Wrestlemanias in reverse chronological order and rate Triple H. Since this is supposed to be the penultimate WWE show each year, Triple H cannot be given enough shit for the quality of his WM matches. If his reaction to Triple H's WM work is proportional to Swagger's No Way Out match, then we won't be seeing HHH any time soon.
So Vince can stand to get a sense of proportion and realize that developing wrestlers will have hiccups. When seasoned vets have an established pattern, you have a problem however.
Posted By: Guest#5110 (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 09:17 PM
"Swagger is reminiscent of Kurt Angle. Both were standout college athletes. Both attained a great deal of success early in their careers (Angle won the WWE Championship in his first year, Swagger became ECW Champion after only four months). Both can wrestle mat-based matches, but also deliver explosive moves when necessary. Both can cut good promos. And both were/are despised by the fans. "
Are you kidding ME ?
Swagger can cut GOOD Promos and on the same level of awesomeness as KURT FRICKIN ANGLE ?
You're WRONG WRONG and definitively WRONG HERE !
Kurt Angle has always been extremely entertaining behind the mic and he does not have lisps either....
Angle was an instant heat magnet with the WWF Attitude Era Crowds while Swagger was getting dead silent reactions when he pinned both Mattitude and Finlay on PPV at the Rumble and NWO this very year.....
Angle is vastly superior to Swagger in any single department of the wrestling game....
Oh it's TRUE it's DAMN TRUE !
Posted By: Angle >>> Swagga (Guest) on June 29, 2009 at 12:35 AM
"He's also a good talker. He speaks with confidence and arrogance. His promos are convincing and entertaining"
You've obviously no clue about what a "good talker" is .
Edge and Chris Jericho are awesome talkers and always entertaining.
Swagger is definitively bland and needs a lot of work to become convincing behind the mic and getting some attention.
Posted By: Guest#6105 (Guest) on June 29, 2009 at 12:37 AM
"Why not compare Morrison to KBK or Swagger to Angle? How many years did HBK take to becore THE icon? Many more than the years Morrison's been active. In fact, how many singles titles Shawn won in his first years? I think Morrison's road is going just fine. Same for Swagger. He'll need about two years (maybe less) to become the force in the WWE Universe.
Posted By: James Ross (Guest) on June 28, 2009 at 06:36 PM"
Considering how loaded the WWF roster was when HBK was young, that isn't much of a comparison. Nor are titles. The dynamics of the business were different.
HBK came out of regional promotions. At the time, young wrestlers worked through the tag ranks. Given the longer title reigns and far fewer PPVs of the time, even getting the tag titles meant more back then.
Then you had Hogan at the top of the roster, with the IC belt given to the best wrestler. Then the European belt was created - for Davey Boy Smith. Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior had their runs on top. So there were far fewer belts, fewer shows to win them, and fewer opportunities (long title reigns) to get them.
Plus, Vince has a noted fetish for big men. It was in fact HBK and Bret Hart who opened the door for "smaller" champions. Without them, Edge, Jeff Hardy, and Rey wouldn't have had their runs.
It is doubtful that Morrison will have that influence.
Which isn't to say that Morrison won't have a great career. But if you watch old footage, it is clear that HBK was more advanced at an equivalent stage of his career. It is just the system that kept him where he was.
Now, for Morrison and company to get in the main event club, the current group needs clearing. Will Batista retire, not get a new contract, or be fired? Will HHH retire? You would hope so, but then you would hope he would put guys over. It is possible he stays until he is 60, winning titles the whole time. HBK and the Undertaker seem ready to leave. Rey only has so much left in his knees.
Posted By: Guest#3309 (Guest) on June 29, 2009 at 03:38 AM
Swagger could conceivably be a very good main evneter one day. But I think its a *long* ways away.
Posted By: Sev (Guest) on June 29, 2009 at 07:50 AM
Jack Swagger is pretty damn good. I always liked him and he seems to be getting a pretty decent push, which he definetly desrves.
I've always likened him to Angle because of their similar mat skills. But angle had more of a goofy charisma. Swagger's definetly got charisma and mic skills, but his sense of humor is definetly something he could work on.
I too do hate that Vince really only pushes who he wants, which often leaves deserving wrestlers in the dust.
Posted By: lilwayne1 (Guest) on June 29, 2009 at 01:59 PM
NOOO...
He IS Kurt Angle.
He is basically what they tried to do with Lex Luger and Hogan.
Vince saying "Look,I made you and I can make another copy of you,you little bitch".
It didnt work with Lex but its working with Swagger.
If Kurt jumps back,its a wrap for Swagger.
Posted By: MacDollarz. (Guest) on June 30, 2009 at 12:58 AM
Ive seen glimpses of greatness in morrisson's promos here and there but hes still Bret hart with his promo's...like he doesnt wanna talk at all half the time and the other half he's tearing up the mic.
Swagger will get there but he needs about a good year more with midcard titles and non title world matches before he even smells a ppv mainevent..maybe in '11 he can be a main eventer..
Morrison is a tragic case of politics and him not caring enough....
Swagger aint ready yet..
Posted By: MacDollarz. (Guest) on June 30, 2009 at 01:05 AM
He just looks too damn goofy to be taken seriously
Posted By: Space Cowboy (Guest) on June 30, 2009 at 08:47 AM
