[Stardust]

Its a simple thread.How can a wrestler make himself look good and get over in today's wrestling world, especially in the WWE? Imagine you are a wrestler and are given a Zack Ryder type gimmick. You're told what to say on mic, and how to carry yourself in the ring. Can a wrestler get a push purely on wrestling ability, its not that it hasn't happen, (Benoit) but not that often. How much his backstage actions and "connections" can help him?

My point is in today's wrestling scenario,what does a wrestler has to do get a push or get over, when almost your every move is doctored by the backstage people?Would Stone Cold have been allowed to say whatever he wanted on the mic today? I guess not. The same thing with The Rock.Yes, there's a thing called charisma, but thats not enough. How much of a success of a wrestler initially depends on himself, when he is told how to and what to do in the ring?

[LWC]

To me, and what I have seen, takes a combination of a few things:
1. The Look
A wrestler has to have a certain look. If they are the scary Taker/Kane/Khali figure, they need to look it. If they are the pretty-boy, the muscle-man, the diva, etc... gotta have a certain look.
2. Charisma.
Self-Explanatory
3. Character Vision
All the time stories are told of wrestlers that have an idea for a character, take it to McMahon or one of the writers and it happens. Stone Cold is a great example.
4. Legacy
Many guys like Orton and Rock may have never had a shot, if it wasn't for legacy. It is not essential, but it sure helps.

There are goofy characters that end up changing and making it big (John Cena is a great example) so a guy like Zack Ryder can make it.

Takes a lot of luck, a lot of skill and a lot of hard work to make it.

[Stardust]

^ Good list