Konnan was one of those talents in WCW who always interested me. When he first arrived in the promotion in 1990, he was in a team with Rey Misterio Sr as part of the Pat O’Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament at Starrcade 1990. From the little you saw of him there was something there.
It wouldn’t be until his return in 1996 that you got to see more of what K-Dawg could do as a singles wrestler. That is if you hadn’t seen him in CMLL, AAA, ECW, or Promo Azteca. First of all, the ring gear: loved it. As a heavyweight, it made him stand out similar to Hugh Morrus, Randy Savage, or Mortis.
In the ring, Konnan was no joke in his first year. Even after going to the Dungeon of Doom and the new World order, K-Dawg was still a threat because he could do it all. He had some acrobatic stuff in the bag but he could go on the mat and absolutely shined as a brawler.
Later on, in his WCW run, we would see that the guy had chops on the mic as well! Seriously, Konnan can spit on the microphone in a way that he didn’t early in his WCW return. I chalk this up to him being portrayed as a respectful, luchador who was there for competition. That’s a bit boring, honestly. When h became one of the bad dudes, he became cool as hell.
The thing is that he was never in the upper reaches of WCW, the new World order, or nWo Wolfpack but was one of the best talkers on the mic! He could get a crowd hype.
Salvaging Konnan in WCW
It looks like he had all the tools to make the main event run. At least he should’ve been in the mix if WCW continued. Picture him in the mix with DDP, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, Goldberg, and Booker T over the World title. However, things in WCW we’re complications from the booking end and the network end.
I mean, that roster was bloated and there were too many names at the top that made that glass ceiling a plexiglass ceiling. The thickest plexiglass, chief. For his position on the card, Konnan needed no salvaging but he could’ve easily been that star that really reeled in the Latino viewers if WCW weren’t going to pencil Rey Mysterio or the eventual WWE talent Eddie Guerrero in that spot.
Again: talented wrested, could pick up the Latino demo in the late 90s or early 2000s, ambiguous heavyweight, great look, could go back to tights or a singlet if needed. He just needed that big program to generate interest and place him on another level.
I don’t know how it could’ve been worked out but a feud with either Booker T, Jeff Jarrett, or Diamond Dallas Page could’ve done it. Hell, the guy could have a surprisingly exciting storyline with Kanyon towards the end of WCW’s run and get on some radars as a potential big-match player in the U.S.
What do you think? Could you see Konnan as a bigger name in WCW? Let us know down below!
CHECK IT OUT: To get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE! Also, subscribe to Daily Soap Dish on YouTube for reality TV news and views and hit the bell icon for updates!
