For the longest time I've been thinking about this series and never got around to doing it even though I thought it would be a great series. Basically the extent of this series is comparing the booking styles of wrestlers from one company to another and attempting to try and figure on why they were booked so different. Starting right out with an interesting wrestler to talk about is Scott "Flash" Norton. Norton would get his first big break in the early 1990's in New Japan. In his first run Norton would just be a tag team wrestler partnering up with both Tony Halme and Hercules, and would gain exposure through the WCW/NJPW working agreement.
Fast forward to late 1995 when Scott Norton would return to WCW on a more semi full time basis. Norton would eventually become the muscle of the New World Order after the stable formed in 1996. Though he would be apart of the hottest stable in wrestling his stock never really changed in WCW. Realistically his stock may not have rose in WCW, because he would only be in the company in between tours of Japan. However, the NWO did help his stock in New Japan during the height of the NWO in 1998 after winning the IWGP World Title from future NWO member Yuji Nagata.
A year later Norton would leave WCW and head back to New Japan full time winning the World Title again in 2001. Norton is one of only nine gaijn to hold the IWGP World Title joining names like Brock Lesnar, Vader, Bob Sapp, Kurt Angle, and others. In my opinion, Scott Norton didn't have the charisma to make it big in America, because he wasn't the best promo and with managers becoming a thing of the past it would've been hard to get him over. In New Japan though talent doesn't need to talk they just need to be able to fight and that's why Norton is a legend in New Japan and just another name in America.
Fast forward to late 1995 when Scott Norton would return to WCW on a more semi full time basis. Norton would eventually become the muscle of the New World Order after the stable formed in 1996. Though he would be apart of the hottest stable in wrestling his stock never really changed in WCW. Realistically his stock may not have rose in WCW, because he would only be in the company in between tours of Japan. However, the NWO did help his stock in New Japan during the height of the NWO in 1998 after winning the IWGP World Title from future NWO member Yuji Nagata.
A year later Norton would leave WCW and head back to New Japan full time winning the World Title again in 2001. Norton is one of only nine gaijn to hold the IWGP World Title joining names like Brock Lesnar, Vader, Bob Sapp, Kurt Angle, and others. In my opinion, Scott Norton didn't have the charisma to make it big in America, because he wasn't the best promo and with managers becoming a thing of the past it would've been hard to get him over. In New Japan though talent doesn't need to talk they just need to be able to fight and that's why Norton is a legend in New Japan and just another name in America.
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