Why Was Sable (Rena Lesnar) So Over?

[DitchMarner]

Don't link Brock to this thread...


But yeah, I never understood why she was so big. I was never into her. I didn't find her particularly sexy or attractive or likable. For me she was just kind of there. But she was definitely over. If you go back and watch shows from the Attitude Era, the crowd loves her. She receives pops that male wrestlers who have been pushed hard have failed to garner.

What's to love, though?

She wasn't a great worker and apparently did not want to be a legitimate wrestler period. She wasn't exactly loaded with personality or charisma. Her characters weren't anything to get excited about, either. At first she was just a pretty lady who accompanied guys to the ring. Then she was a sympathetic pretty lady whose boyfriend (or was Mero portrayed as her husband on-screen? I don't remember) was a jealous dickhead. After turning heel, she was a generic conceited and entitled diva.

Even in terms of looks, I don't think she was that great (not enough to justify the lusting of the horny boys and men who drooled over her at least). As much of a train wreck as she is now, Sunny was sexier back in the day. If you like blondes, Torrie Wilson blew her away. Personally, I had a thing for Ivory and young Stephanie McMahon in the late 90s.

Are there other examples of women or men who were similarly over despite being thoroughly lackluster?

I mean, with guys like Hogan and Warrior, at least they had energy and/or charisma and the type of booking that could get them over. Same with Cena to an extent. With Rena, I can't think of anything other than looks that could have made her as big as she was and I don't think she was that great in terms of appearance.

I remember one time when I was in grade eight and my class was using the computer lab for research for a project and these guys were searching for pictures of f***ing Sable online... lmao.

Click to read more...

 

[Finster8]

Sable was a beautiful woman with a body that didn't quit. We all have our own opinions but she was basically eye candy. Stephanie Mc was not in the same league as far as looks + body go.
I will agree that Torrie Wilson had legs up to her shoulders and had a good character.

 

[JackSlater]

the lusting of the horny boys and men who drooled over her

That's why.

 

[JaegerDice]

Sex appeal?

We all have types, but Sable was objectively attractive and fit as hell.

Critically, WWE was putting her out there in her underwear and barely-there-bikinis (or less), and spike heels. They were basically putting the first song of a strip show out on free TV when no other shows were really doing the same. It was a novelty at the time, and obviously the teen/college crowd that made up the bulk of their audience at the time was going to eat that up.

Had they done the same thing 5 years later, nobody would have cared, cause free internet porn was ubiquitous and widespread at that point. Showing people tits wasn't going to bring you ratings.

I also don't agree that Torrie blew her away. Hell, at almost 50 years old, when Sable came back to WWE and had an angle with Torrie, they had a bikini contest and Sable objectively looked better. Nobody would kick either out of bed.

 

[CDJ]

Boobs.


/thread

 

[koyvoo]

This is for the men who come to see me and the women who want to be me

 

[McRpro]

I can think of two reasons.....

Personally my young self was way more into Sunny than Sable.

 

[DitchMarner]

Critically, WWE was putting her out there in her underwear and barely-there-bikinis (or less), and spike heels. They were basically putting the first song of a strip show out on free TV when no other shows were really doing the same. It was a novelty at the time, and obviously the teen/college crowd that made up the bulk of their audience at the time was going to eat that up.

Had they done the same thing 5 years later, nobody would have cared, cause free internet porn was ubiquitous and widespread at that point. Showing people tits wasn't going to bring you ratings.

You're probably on the right track. At the height of her popularity, the audience couldn't get enough sex. Really, I guess almost any attractive female could have gotten over with similar booking during that time. It seems she had an odd relationship with McMahon and the WWF. She let the company make her into a star and then filed a lawsuit based on sexual harassment.

 

[JackSlater]

I can think of two reasons.....

Personally my young self was way more into Sunny than Sable.

Ah yes, I was very confused at the time when it came to why Sable was so much more popular that the far more talented and better looking Sunny. Maybe because Sable "peaked" later on when wrestling was more popular. Sunny was great though, with Sable there was nothing I enjoyed.

 

[Brodeur]

I was more a Sunny guy as well, but I think she started having backstage issues which probably hampered her push. I think she turned down the Playboy offer as well whereas Sable went with it. In a time when most were still on dial up Internet (or possibly still not online), being in Playboy was a bigger deal back then. I think Vince liked Sable and thus pushed her accordingly.

 

[DitchMarner]

Sunny's fairly... Rainy these days unfortunately.

 

[Unholy Diver]

I can think of two reasons.....

Personally my young self was way more into Sunny than Sable.

You might have called it a pre-Bella Rack Attack

 

[joestevens29]

I was more a Sunny guy as well, but I think she started having backstage issues which probably hampered her push. I think she turned down the Playboy offer as well whereas Sable went with it. In a time when most were still on dial up Internet (or possibly still not online), being in Playboy was a bigger deal back then. I think Vince liked Sable and thus pushed her accordingly.

I thought the whole Sunny turning down playboy was a myth. She was never offered it I thought.

 

[joestevens29]

Sable was just someone that took the Diva or whatever the hell they were called back then to a whole new level.

It was always "i wonder how little she'll be wearing this week".

Like many others in life she saw her chance to gain fame and money, and ran with it. At the time a lot of it was deemed morally wrong, but she didn't care.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

She looked like a late 1990s pornstar (blonde, big fake boobs, very fit body). The Jenna Jameson look. The Pamela Anderson look. She was the DEFINITION of that look... at the right time.

Just like the rest of the Attitude Era, Sable was a product of the late 1990s.

 

[dahrougem2]

Personally, I had a thing for Ivory and young Stephanie McMahon in the late 90s.

With Rena, I can't think of anything other than looks that could have made her as big as she was

These two points basically answer your question. You'd be in the minority during the 90's for preferring Ivory/Steph to Sable, and it was 100% her looks that got her over.

Hell, segments were dedicated to just sexualizing the woman. Just stand there and have people look at her lol. Vince would probably be enjoying himself while that was going on.

 

[Ozz]

I absolutely hated her every second of the way, because I was never into the over-the-top sexual stuff (because I felt it would lead to the downfall of many things as we pretty much saw), but I can't deny that was also the exact reason she was over.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Which of these wrestlers have the prettiest faces?

• 1. Stacy Kiebler
• 2. Lana
• 3. Alexa Bliss
• 4. The Bella Twins
• 5. Maryse
• 6. Torrie Wilson
• 7. Trish Stratus
• 8. Peyton Royce
• 9. AJ Lee
• 10. Rosa Mendes

 

[Sheppy]

Which of these wrestlers have the prettiest face?

• 1. Stacy Kiebler
• 2. Lana
• 3. Alexa Bliss
• 4. The Bella Twins
• 5. Maryse
• 6. Torrie Wilson
• 7. Trish Stratus
• 8. Peyton Royce
• 9. AJ Lee
• 10. Rosa Mendes

Yikes, that's tough.

Alexa, Stacy, Torrie are my top 3 i think.

 

[JackSlater]

Which of these wrestlers have the prettiest faces?

• 1. Stacy Kiebler
• 2. Lana
• 3. Alexa Bliss
• 4. The Bella Twins
• 5. Maryse
• 6. Torrie Wilson
• 7. Trish Stratus
• 8. Peyton Royce
• 9. AJ Lee
• 10. Rosa Mendes

I've thought for a while, since the Eden days, that Brandi Rhodes is probably the best looking woman in wrestling history.

 

[Sheppy]

I've thought for a while, since the Eden days, that Brandi Rhodes is probably the best looking woman in wrestling history.

Anna Jay is a bombshell too.

 

[JackSlater]

Anna Jay is a bombshell too.

Her little neck bowtie thing weirds me out. I'm not quite at Jim Ross hoping for wardrobe malfunction level.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Why?



^
That's why.

 

[Megahab]

I also don't agree that Torrie blew her away. Hell, at almost 50 years old, when Sable came back to WWE and had an angle with Torrie, they had a bikini contest and Sable objectively looked better. Nobody would kick either out of bed.

Lol come on, she was only in her mid 30s.

I think Sable's importance in the Monday Night wars is understated. She was super over and I'd say she helped move TV ratings and PPV buys and was one of their top draws for about a year (maybe less, can't remember the timeline). But I think Sunny would have been the bigger star if she had stayed on TV consistently. She was really the first diva of the attitude era. I also think she was hotter than Sable and she could talk. Nobody cared about women's ring work back then so that's not a factor. Whatever it was (drugs? Politics?) that led to Sunny getting less TV time and eventually leaving WWE, Sable took the ball and ran with it.

What did Sable have other than looks and being probably the first one to show that much skin? Nothing I think but in 1998, that was enough.

 

[BruinDust]

Which of these wrestlers have the prettiest faces?

• 1. Stacy Kiebler
• 2. Lana
• 3. Alexa Bliss
• 4. The Bella Twins
• 5. Maryse
• 6. Torrie Wilson
• 7. Trish Stratus
• 8. Peyton Royce
• 9. AJ Lee
• 10. Rosa Mendes

Some very solid choices there (Alexa, Maryse, Torrie, Peyton, Trish) but I'll take Stacy Keibler as the prettiest of the bunch.