>>6325516>How did Bob Backlund do it?He didn't become a character guy until the end of his career when he was well over the hill. That's how he did it.
It's patently dishonest to pretend Backlund was always a character guy. His career had two phases: the sports-based presentation championship amateur athlete which is how he was presented for his peak in Vince Sr's WWWF and the goonish, geeky heel in the New Gen days under Vince Jr. There was never really any overlap between the two, and it's probable that Backlund became a character guy in response to his declining body and his inability to work up to his old standard.
