The Generic Superstar

The big news over the last couple of days has been the signing of Remi 'El Generico' Sebei to a WWE developmental contract. His final match on the independent circuit may not be too far away. It's possible it's already taken place, depending on the terms of his new agreement.
 
'The Generic Luchador' signing with WWE is good news for sports entertainment fans and terrible news for the indy scene. Generico is one of the most reliable headliners the conglomeration of small feds has had access to, routinely being booked to give shows some star power and ensure they have a killer match. In 2012 he spent most of his time in PWG, CHIKARA and Dragon Gate USA, returning to ROH after a six month hiatus to battle Kevin Steen in the promotion's last iPPV main event of the year. Big and small indy companies alike have relied on him and there is no clear successor to him.
 
In WWE the masked man would find a wealth of new opponents. If permitted to play his current character (with the obligatory WWE name change) and given time to get over via his ring work he could be an essential part of the mid-card.

Future NXT champ?

 
What should help is that there are already men on the roster who we know can have exciting bouts with Generico. Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and Antonio Cesaro are three names that leap to mind, and Kassius Ohno in NXT is another. It would be interesting to see how Generico pairs up with the likes of Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler and Adrian Neville too.
 
Something else that Generico has going for him is his native tongue. He's from Montreal, which means he's happier speaking French than English. With WWE touring Europe twice a year, as well as promoting shows in Quebec, the need for a French speaker to take part in media tours is obvious. That he already knows Cesaro, another French speaker, means the two could be paired up with a strong chance of some (Alan Partridge quote alert!) cracking banter. Showing that WWE stars are affable, funny people should, in theory, encourage ticket sales.
 
WWE has shown willingness over the last couple of years to push smaller wrestlers. The success of Daniel Bryan shows that shorter, slighter wrestlers can succeed in the world of sports entertainment. Hopefully Generico will be able to follow in his footsteps and make his years of toil on the indies pay off.