23 replies to this topic

[stro]

I was always a fan of Norton as a kid, mostly because if he was on TV, he was going to be murdering dudes and bouncing. He was huge and scary and had an awesome move set for Revenge. Over the years of actually covering wrestling, I've come to develop a great appreciation for him.

 

Not only was he an incredible bruiser with wonderful powermoves, but he tried so hard with his bumping and selling, going way beyond the level of a normal guy his size, and often his own talent levels. He was so earnest in his attempts that he could be a genuinely sympathetic FIP while being a barrel chested monster who could snap people in half. His work, particularly from around 1992-1997, both in WCW and NJPW, is a real treat to watch. He just tried so hard that it's impossible not to like him. He and his wife are also very nice people to fans on social media. I have a large collection of Norton gifs, and I'd like to open up discussion on what people think of him in comparison to other big men of his era, or just good memories of Scott Norton.

 

 

 

I'm not going to say he's an all time great or anything, but man, he's a guy I'm going to consistently enjoy pretty much against anyone, because I know exactly what I'm going to get from him and I'm going to love seeing dudes get splattered. The running gag of him coming out and beating the shit out of The Cat for months is one of my favorite WCW side angles of all time.

[Loss]

Good topic. I'm going to move it to The Microscope, which is more a folder for threads about specific wrestlers.

[NotJayTabb]

Every time I think of Norton, I think of that Cat angle. I remember loving the time that the NWO B-team decided to tell Norton that Miller was calling him out, when he was actually doing no such thing, just because they enjoyed watching him beat Cat up. Then the Cat knocked him out with loaded slippers. Such a fun angle

[Grimmas]

I loved Fire & Ice and Vicious & Delicious, both teams didn't get the runs they deserved.

[stro]

Vicious and Delicious was a perfect mid card team. Buff was a perfect mid card heel before the neck injury.

[KawadaSmile]

His match against Goldberg sometime around 1998 is one of my favorite short matches ever, and I legit think it's one of the best sub 10 minutes ever.

[stro]

 

That one?

[Childs]

I've always liked Norton in New Japan. He and Hash matched up well. I don't think his legacy was helped by his stint as the 13th guy in the NWO (give or take), but that's not his fault. 

[gordi]

http://www.si.com/ex...ing-north-korea

 

There are quite a few awesome Norton tidbits in that story. Well worth reading. 

[MikeCampbell]

As a young mark in the late 1990's, my buddies and I were always convinced that Norton was the toughest dude in the world.

 

I'm with NJT as far as loving that whole angle with The Cat. it starts with Miller just talking his usual smack, and Nash decides to tell Norton that Miller called him out, so Norton kicked his ass. The next week, he really did call him out, and Norton kicked his ass again. By the third week, Miller came prepared and KO'd him with a pipe.

[stro]

That angle actually went on for about 4 months. It kind of died off, Norton went to Japan for a month or two, then came back and resumed like nothing had happened. 

[KawadaSmile]

That one?

Yep. Amazing stuff for a match that short.

[Coffey]

I got to see Scott Norton Vs. Goldberg live at a Thunder taping, which was pretty cool. I was also the high vote on Scott Norton in the GWE voting & people thought I was crazy... but I've always been a mark for him. I have always been a fan of the big bruiser style. It's part of why I like Braun & Rusev nowadays. Scott Norton is one of those guys where he might not have the best match but if he comes out, I'm not changing the dial until whatever he is doing is over. He was so ox strong it was sick & everything he did looked like death. Shoulder-Breaker, Powerslam, Powerbomb... even his chops. Dude is a beast.

 

Also when I was in high school lifting weights (which seems many years and many pounds ago for sure) Scott Norton looked like what I aspired to look like. His chest is just ridiculously massive. He was also a legit arm wrestler.

 

I think my favorite kind of pro-wrestling match is when it's a big bruiser against a wrestler that has to try to outwit or outmaneuver him. Eddie Guerrero Vs. Brock Lesnar being a good example. In those matches, my favorite part generally tends to be when the monster cuts the plucky wrestler off & finally gets his hands on him. The Giant was pretty good at it too but Norton had this aura about him, where when he finally got his hands on someone, you felt like it might just be over. I remember genuinely feeling bad for The Cat when Norton chopped his chest & busted all of those blood vessels.

 

Norton has some pretty good matches too. I mean, he's no Big Van Vader but I don't think the distance between him & guys like Bam Bam Bigelow, John Tenta or Big Boss Man is that vast. He's also decent in tags where he's the guy the babyfaces don't wanna see get tagged in. 

[El-P]

Hirose Hase & Kensuke Sasaki vs Rick Steiner & Scott Norton sometime in 1990 is an excellent match and a thousand times better than the überoverrated Dome show match from the same year. The fact Norton subbed for Scott gave the match a whole new dynamic instead of just being a stupid Steiner spotfest, and it turned into the natives vs two gaijin monsters. Hase being the worker he was back then, and Sasaki being game as hell made it a most surprising quality match. Probably best Norton match ever too.

 

And yeah, that Cat running gag was quite funny. Then again, The Cat was gold. Always liked Norton too.

[Justtxyank]

Late to the topic, but I was also a big fan. I liked his team with Hercules.

 

One thing that I always enjoyed was the way he would go over the top rope to follow a guy to the outside. He had a unique way. Instead of stepping over he would often...I don't know, bounce? off of it and slide to the outside?

[Britwresdvds]

I really enjoyed his short WCW run in 1993, when he was absolutely killing people on Worldwide every week.

[broke]

Norton's a guy I've come to appreciate over the years.  I think they could have done a lot more with Vicious and Delicious.  

[Memphis Mark]

 Has  anyone seen Scott Norton 's  Portland run ? I really don't know how much footage exists ?

[KB8]

Every time I see Norton I like him even more. He really feels like an under the radar pick for one of Hashimoto's best opponents. I mean, he had the strikes to match up in a way that a lot of Hash's New Japan opponents didn't really have, he had the aura of a guy who could conceivably crush most people, he could fling Hash around, and he was willing to take the ugliest brainbusters possible (evident from some of those gifs up top).

There's a Norton/Tenzan v Hashimoto/Ogawa tag from 2002 - might actually be Hashimoto's last appearance in New Japan - that I had no real expectations for and it turned out to be completely awesome. I had no idea Norton had much of anything left in the tank at that point, but he was totally great in it and took a completely fucking insane bump off an STO/leg sweep double team. It's a killer match and a super performance from Norton.

[flyonthewall2983]

I'm surprised WWF never gave him a shot, unless what they were offering wasn't comparable to what New Japan was giving him.