New Blood Rising
WCW redefines it's self with an influx of Natural Born Thrillers.
Dick Vitale, college basketball broadcasting answer to Mark Madden, would have a fun, though near impossible, time selecting a diaper dandy team from the ranks of World Championship Wrestling. Were do you start? Or better yet, where does the rookie roster end, as WCW is filled with so many sensational youngsters. New Blood isn't just a gimmick at WCW.
It starts with "Above Average" Mike Sanders, "Prime Time" Elix Skippers, Johnny "The Bull", Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire. Each is a first year pro; each has already been a champion. Chuck Pulumbo, another new comer, has already feuded with the "Total Package" Lex Luger and Curt Hennig. Jung Dragons (Kaz Hayashi, Yang and Jamie San) and 3 Count (Evan, Shane and Shannon) have had count less show stopping matches. Kwee Wee is an eccentric character. Sgt. A-Wall. A-Wall is a monster waiting to be unlashed, directed towards gold.
A notch above WCW's rookies is the barely more experience group, which includes Lash LaRoux. He is 23 years old with a few years experience under his belt, and some WCW superstars joke the he is already a veteran on the overall roster. Then there's "The Cat" Ernest Miller, who is 35, but carries only 3 years of wrestling experience.
The landscape in WCW is clearly changing. It's a youth movement in Atlanta unlike any previous era in WCW.
Too much too soon?
"It's obvious that there's only one way to go- with the younger guys," said Pulumbo. "I think we're all pretty talented guys; we just need to be seasoned a bit more, and then we'll be ok. We can get that experience by working with the older guys, learning from the older guys and getting that ever important rub"
Enter coach Kevin Nash, a 5 time world heavy weight champion and 5 time world tag team champion who has adopted by a Bobby Knight approach to guide WCW's Natural Born Thrillers through their neophyte days. And don't think Nash is being forced to hand with the kids- he wants to, and he enjoys the alliance/friendships that have developed. No Scott Hall means no worries for Nash. He bonds with the NBT's. In the ring and out. Coach Nash and his crew are a team.
Jindrak and O'Haire, who combined have less then a year of in ring experience, won the WCW world tap team title by surviving a battle royal for the belts on sept. 25 2000. And they have already wrestled the team of Sting and Booker T, a unique combination of mat veterans.
Sanders, who took the WCW cruiserweight title from Skipper on Oct. 2, 2000, has recently been featured in a high profile creative clash with fellow commissioner Miller.
But is it too soon? Are the green guys getting pushed towards gold too quickly?
"There's no faster way of learning then being in front of a live crowd, on television, in the ring. It's do or die at that point…and most of the guys do," said Pulumbo. "I've only been here a short time, but I've heard that our locker room is more fun then it has been in a while. The pressure has toned down, and everybody is getting along. It's like I'm living a dream. We've gone from the power plant to top notch, main event matches on Monday Nitro and Pay Per Views. Dose it get any better then that? Give us time to develop, and it'll work out."
Generating Young Talent
WCW's new blood has it's roots in the company's official training center' PowerPlant, now based at it's headquarters in Smyrna, GA. Mat veterans Paul Orndorff, Sgt., Bubby Lee Parker, Mike Graham and Mike Wenner are PowerPlant professors. The Magna cum laude students are Sanders, Skipper and Kwee wee, among others.
The students arrive at PowerPlant with dreams of replacing Hulk Hogan, performing like Goldberg and being respected like Scott Steiner. Over time that may come.
"For the young guys it's not just about being part of the company, but rather a case of growing with it. It's like a 50 yard dash. Everyone will race and compete, but the few who excel and literally run away with the race will be the leaders of the future" Said Miller "It's one thing to be in the race and another thing to compete and win. We will get better WCW will get better. We will continue to improve. I really like working with the younger guys, because I enjoy encouraging them to do whatever task they attempt. We're working towards the same star in the sky- success."
"We need to start developing the younger guys now" added second generation star Shawn Stasiak. "That means we should incorporate everyone, old and young. I've been around wrestling my whole life, and I knew that you have to have a look, talent, character, personality. Also you need the support, or the push as it's called. I believe my time will come, and when it dose, I'll be ready for it."
Developing new talent is never an easy task. No one knows for sure who will be accepted and who won't. The fans answer that over time. Take, for instance Kwee wee, whose alter ego is the real worlds Allan Funk, a lifelong wrestling fan. He is living his dream working on Monday Nitro and travelling the road with Nash, Goldberg, Steiner and other legends. Will he be the breakthrough sensation in 2005? Will Kwee wee of all people, a one-time wardrobe worker in WCW's storyline, be the next rock? It's seems scary now, but quite possible. Or maybe it'll be Reno, He of bizarre hair? Or maybe it'll be Skipper, the incredibly athletic primetime player.
"I think all of us have what it takes, barring attitudes from certain individuals, "said Kwee wee. "I think we're going in the right direction. Knowing each other helps in the ring. We used to be pretty tight group, having trained together for two years. We all experienced the same growing pains along the way
Balancing exposure and experience
Will the mega-push translate into mega-contracts and mega-attitudes? And how dose the younger cast get along with the veterans? "Paying yours dues" can be a touchy subject in wrestling.
"This has always been a dream of mine, so I definitely respect all of the veterans," Said Kwee wee." I don't think some of the (younger) guys realize the opportunity they are being given. When you're in a match alongside guys like Nash, Sting and Booker T, some of the younger guys don't seem to appreciate the fact that they are there with the Babe Ruths, Joe DiMaggios and Mickey Mantles of pro wrestling. It's a shame that some guys don't seem to appreciate or understand what they have going"
"It would be great to have thing slow down a bit so (the younger guys) could get the exposure and the experience, yet not end up in a situation that we cant handle" added LeRoux. " Hopefully that won't happen. You don't ever want to be put in a position and fall because of inexperience. I think we're performing as well, if not better, then we are expected. Anytime you bring in this many athletes, it takes some time to establish credibility with the fans."
The pressure is enormous for WCW's rookies, but the PowerPlant crew is dominating WCW television only 6 months into it's run in WCW. Years ago, after 6 months in the business, wrestlers would be working independent shows, and it would be 6 or 7 years before most had an opportunity to shine
Not in 2000.
"If everyone pulls together, dose the right thing for each other, then we've got no where to go but up" said LeRoux.
"We're taking over. It's our time now" added Skipper. "Others have had their time. Now it's the time for those of us from the PowerPlant. We're gonna do what we have to do to get on top and stay on top. We're doing now what we've been doing all along in the PowerPlant; now we're doing it on television in front of millions of fans.
