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Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 14,766
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Meet the New “Hoss”
This past Monday commemorated the second time that former UPW wrestler and OVW Developmental Wrestler John Heidenreich appeared as a fan of Stone Cold Steve Austin on WWE Raw. I, for one, recognized him right away, however, I know that there are fans that are not as familiar with the WWE developmental system as I am, and didn’t know who he was either time. However, it kind of saddened and disappointed me to read in the Lords of Pain forums that Jon got such a negative reaction.
Many fans were talking about Jon as just another hoss for Vince to shove down our throats. In many ways, they were implying that being a hoss, he has no talent, and is just a waste of money and a waste of TV time, without ever actually seeing him wrestle. I would have hoped that the posters in the forums would be a little more open minded and would have at least acknowledged the fact that we all know very little if anything about John Heidenreich and that it is wrong to make a blind judgment about a wrestler with such little knowledge about him. However, who can blame them right? After all, the WWE does have its fair share of “hosses” that get unwarranted pushes and undeserved wins. People like Albert certainly come to mind. However, it’s usually the stigma these days for a big wrestler, that he is called a hoss. Personally, I hate the term. It’s like the word “Mark”. I can’t stand either one of those terms because not only are they thrown around too much, but there is also a huge negative connotation to both terms. It’s almost as if just because Jon Heidenreich is a certain height or has a bigger build, he is a “hoss” and is therefore untalented, again, a waste of time. I, for one, refuse to pass judgment on John Heidenreich before I see him perform. And I understand why some of you want. You are concerned about the product that you take time out to watch and support. It is totally understandable to show concern about a new wrestler who seems like he may damage the credibility and entertainment value of the shows and product in general. However, let’s, for a second, weigh John Heidenreich’s chances of making his WWE stint a worth while experience:
First off, one of the major things that Heidenreich has going for him is his training. Not to sound repetitive to my last column, but Heidenreich is one of the many people from UPW to make it to the main roster of the WWE. Now, that may not work in his favor, because as I proved in my last column, the UPW and WWE relationship is very hit or miss. However, two of the latest UPW alums that have grown into respected, well received wrestlers: John Cena and Victoria. Also, there is one major miss, but we’ll come back to that guy later. The point is, based on where he is coming from; he does have a fair chance of making it, and being a worth while wrestler in the WWE. Another thing he has going for him is his size. Unfortunately, because he is 6’7”, 300 lbs, Jon Heidenreich will likely get a decent sized push to begin with. That is a thing that goes in his favor. Vince McMahon tends to favor the larger wrestlers, that’s no secret. So, in the beginning, he will probably get a decent sized push. What I urge is that you watch a few of his matches and get to know his character before you label him and claim that he is being “shoved down your throat”. There is no avoiding it, due to his size; he will probably get some attention. Deal with it. In the mean time, think about this… Big Bad John, as he is called in OVW, has been a mainstay on their shows and have evolved into a legitimate enforcer character in the Bolin Services faction… a faction which once employed the services of Rico, Mark Jindrak, Sean O’Haire, and yes, even John Cena. In the mean time, the fact that he such an enigma to us, lends the fact that his character has many different possibilities that can be presented. My personal hope is that he adopts a psychotic fan type of character, much like Kathy Bates’s character in the movie Misery. Make him the slightly psychotic fan of Stone Cold Steve Austin, and allow him to harm Steve when he does not live up to his expectations. Anyone who outright attacks Steve Austin is bound to be booed. In the mean time, the fact that he is such a big guy can work to the advantage of the character. If he attacks Stone Cold, it’s believable that Austin will be hurt, or at least hurt enough to not fight back.
Finally, Heidenreich has a finely tuned athletic background. There was once a day that when it was laughable for a legitimate athlete of the NFL to become a wrestler. Now, not only is it conceivable, but hell, you could be the World Champion! Heidenreich has played in 4 different professional football leagues: The NFL, The CFL, Arena Football, and NFL Europe. Not only that, he also has a background in martial arts. He has a black belt in Shotokahn karate. He has earned his slot on a Super Bowl winning Washington Redskin team, and is a former teammate of Mr. William Goldberg… the champ. So, Jon Heidenreich is carrying along with him a fair amount of legitimate athleticism.
HOWEVER
There still is a distinct possibility that Jon Heidenreich may be a bust. Like I said, the UPW way is not a guaranteed hit! After all, the last hoss the UPW has sent along to the WWE was a major miss, and that is Nathan Jones. If history repeats itself, we could easily see Heidenreich as a major bust. That very well could happen. What leads me to believe that it could happen is the fact that Heidenreich has a tag team history with Nathan Jones. Perhaps they were paired together because of their size, but what I fear is that it’s because of similar styles… which does not fare well for Heidenreich. Also, Heidenreich is one of the only people I can remember who was released from his WWE developmental contract at one time, only to be re signed. What does that say about Jon Heidenreich? In some ways, it means that he has improved considerably from once being not good enough to be kept on the developmentals, to being a part of the main roster. However, I really think it says a lot that he was released in the first place. That’s definitely something you don’t want on your resume.
I don’t want to come off as the representative for Jon Heidenreich, and I have clearly showed that he has just as much chance of succeeding that he has at failing and becoming just another “hoss”. I simply urge you readers to at least give him a chance. It disappointed me that fans of our forum were passing judgment on a wrestler that they have never seen. So, in the mean time, watch him. If you don’t like him, fine. If you do, don’t be taken back to admitting that you like a “hoss”. Similarly, if he ends up being a bust, I will acknowledge that. I am not for or against him, simply clearing the air and trying to give him a fresh start. It is up to him to take his ball and run with it.
from some column at LOP
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