Doing the Light Fandango

When I first saw Johnny Curtis wrestle on NXT season four I thought he had the size and height to be a success on the main roster. He could talk and wrestle well too. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to get a call-up back then.

Curtis won his series of NXT. That was supposed to entitle him to a main roster gig and a shot at the WWE tag team titles alongside his pro from the series, R-Truth. The heel turn of ‘The Suntan Superman’ put a stop to that: Curtis was left without a partner and his title shot was quickly forgotten about.

His short stint on SmackDown, which started several months after he’d won NXT, got off to a surprisingly promising start when he appeared in a backstage segment pouring milk all over himself. He appeared in several similar vignettes, each featuring some sort of play on words, over the course of the following months. It seemed as though WWE had decided to introduce him with a minor push as a member of the mid-card.

That ended up not being the case. In Curtis’s in-ring debut he was squashed by Mark Henry, becoming just another victim of ‘The World’s Strongest Man’s’ startling rise to the main event and the World Heavyweight championship. The Curtis push had been for nothing.

Following that JC became a regular on the never-ending NXT Redemption. He made a couple of appearances last spring when the show was restructured into its current format before disappearing. He continued making non-televised appearances on house shows and at TV tapings as Johnny Curtis, before finally being repackaged as Fandango in late October.

Before I address the Fandango gimmick it’s worth pointing out that not getting a main roster spot at any point over the last two years has probably helped ‘Dirty Curty’. Had he been promoted to RAW or SmackDown (the separate roster era was in its final throes at this point) Curtis would have been quickly forgotten about and sunk down into an enhancement role. At best he could have cobbled together a Zack Ryder-esque spot for himself, but that’s not what most wrestlers aspire to. Being held back on the NXT and dark match circuit allowed Curtis to keep improving.

 

Faaaaaan... daaaaaan... goooooo!

 

The Fandango gimmick is tremendous. It’s exactly the sort of thing WWE should be doing right now (and no, I’m not being sarcastic). The slow building nature of the push, the multiple delays with regards to the in-ring debut, and the story of the character wanting to have his named pronounced correctly (you've got to let the vowels breathe), are great.

The best thing about the persona is that Curtis doesn’t look or sound like anyone else on the roster. Everything from his ring gear to his entrance music sets him apart. At a time when the majority of WWE stars all look and sound like one another being distinguishable is incredibly useful.

There’s still time for things to go wrong. Ideally Fandango will win his debut match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania but it won’t be disastrous if he loses. What will be disastrous is if Fandango suffers a quick loss to ‘Y2J’. Losing quickly after such an excellent build-up would be the Mark Henry incident all over again.

NXTweet 19.09.12

Why Rick Victor was chosen as an opponent for new NXT champion Seth Rollins I cannot say. He looks like an enhancement talent from the days of Heat and Velocity. While Rollins is clearly destined for the bright lights of the WWE roster at some point Victor is not.
 
The first man to try to make a name on the new champ should have been someone with an equally dazzling future. Associating Rollins with a guy sporting a dated look and working such an uninspiring style does him no favours at all.
 
Had Victor been made to look like a potential star by the encounter then I'd understand the decision but that wasn't the case. The match wasn't bad but it wasn't especially good either. It stank of mediocrity. Importantly it was not the sort of bout we've come to expect from Rollins. As the league's figurehead he should be moving forward with dynamic encounters every week.
 
There was some enjoyment to be found in the match. As I mentioned above it wasn't bad, and the nonsense about Victor being the last graduate of the Hart family dungeon (an accolade also given to Tyson Kidd before now) was amusing. The crowd seemed lively enough and JR was on commentary so at least there was a good atmosphere. The wrist biting gimmick was gold too.
 
The highlight of the show for me was the brief Kassius Ohno outing. His two wins, both via kravat, over a random jobber showed how good he is despite not lasting long. I can't write enough that Ohno should be KOing guys on the main roster rather than ploughing through nobodies on NXT. Still, we have his showdown with Richie Steamboat to look forward to. I expect that to be very enjoyable considering how good both men are.
 
Finally I feel I should mention Trent Barreta. He returned to action after six months recovering from injury. While I'm not one of the (seemingly many) people that think Barreta is tremendous and deserving of an upper mid-card spot I do appreciate he's sound in the ring (and wears good tights). WWE should be making use of guys with any level of popularity. That includes Barreta. It was nice to see him back and I hope he's put to good use.

Opening credits

Tweet 1: NXTweet.

Tweet 2: Someone mentioned the other day that Byron Saxton sounds like Joey Styles. I hadn't noticed before. I'm hearing it immediately now.
Tweet 3: Rollins v Rick Victor. Um... Wow?

Johnny Curtis v Trent Barreta

Tweet 4: Oh hey, Trent Barreta.

Tweet 5: The once promising Johnny Curtis there. I wish they'd used him properly on the main roster.
Tweet 6: Trent looks very skinny. I'm sure he's big compared to average guys but in WWE he's going to struggle to make an impact.

Nice to see this dude back

Tweet 7: Curtis using the AA there.
Tweet 8: Clumsy sunset flip. I didn't notice it the first time it was shown. I think that proves that replays aren't always a good thing.
Tweet 9: More wrestlers should wear tights like Barreta's.
Tweet 10: Barreta's winning move looked like a Sick Kick. Is he secretly a member of the House of Truth?
Tweet 11: Judging by that graphic Alicia Fox doesn't have a problem with fur.

Alicia Fox v Paige

Tweet 12: Why is Paige so over with the NXT crowd? #notcomplaining #justsaying

Tweet 13: I don't like this ref. He's shifty.
Tweet 14: I think Fox just botched an uppercut. At least I think it was an uppercut. I'm not sure. It was THAT bad.
Tweet 15: I wish ECW Cyber Slam '00 was online. I think Saxton's voice has made me think of that.
Tweet 16: "Alicia Fox is top notch" - William Regal

Conor O’Brian v Jimmy Uso

Tweet 17: My laptop has just started showing Game of Thrones. Oh wait... hang on. It's just The Ascension.

Tweet 18: Conor O'Brian looks like a cross between a ferret and a goblin.
Tweet 19: How can a tag team have an enforcer, Byron? A stable, sure, but not a tag team. Fool.
Tweet 20: Another win via kick to the face? This is shoddy booking.
Tweet 21: They don't do it quite as well as The Eliminators used to be I like The Ascension using Total Elimination. It's a good, believable finish.

Michael McGillicutty interrupts the pontifications of Bo Dallas

Tweet 22: Briley Pierce looks familiar... #Dolphsbrother

Tweet 23: Michael McGillicutty didn't display much conviction during that promo interruption.

Kassius Ohno v Oliver Grey

Tweet 24: It's Kassius... OHNO!!

Tweet 25: This was billed as a sparring session but it's just a regular match.
Tweet 26: Johnny Saint reference.
Tweet 27: Ohno wins by kravat. Little nod to fans of a guy named Chris Hero there...
Tweet 28: Chris H... Sorry, Kassius Ohno wins again with the kravat. And now here's valiant babyface Richie Steamboat.
Tweet 29: I'm looking forward to the inevitable Ohno v Steamboat match.

Leo Kruger vignette

Tweet 30: It sounds like Leo Kruger is doing a very bad (and very racist) Indian accent.

Tweet 31: "Tata" - Leo Kruger

Rick Victor v Seth Rollins

Tweet 32: Rick Victor looks like he belongs on Velocity.

Tweet 33: You know you're watching an NXT main event when you hear Jim Ross.
Tweet 34: Rick Victor was the last graduate of the dungeon? I thought that was Tyson Kidd.
Tweet 35: Guys will be debuting in twenty years and be claiming they've been trained in the Hart dungeon.
Tweet 36: Young boys is trending. #puroresu
Tweet 37: Rick Victor biting his own wrists there. He wants Kruger's madman gimmick.
Tweet 38: "This guy's obviously very talented or he wouldn't be on NXT" - JR, with a comment that doesn't make too much sense if you think about it
Tweet 39: Rollins loves to fight. Like Finlay.
Tweet 40: Rollins gets the predictable win with a Black Out. I'm slightly disappointed by that match. Rollins is usually far better.

NXTweet 22.08.12

This week’s NXT differed from the norm in several ways. Firstly there were features on what’s been happening on the main roster, specifically all the fun and frolics that were had at SummerSlam Axxess. Videos were also aired to promote the importance of becoming the first NXT champion. Featuring the likes of Daniel Bryan, Santino, Ted Dibiase and John Cena, it was as though the people who’d put it together had gone out of their way to find as disparate bunch of stars as possible.

The show was also notable for two post-match run-ins. The first occurred after Tamina Snuka had beaten Sofia Cortez. The second was Richie Steamboat saving Vader junior from a beating at the hands of Kassius Ohno. Both were done to set up feuds, and there’s nothing wrong with a simple run-in.

The trouble was that they were booked to happen one after another. NXT is usually so tightly booked that the repetition was far more noticeable than it would have been on a more haphazard, anarchic show like RAW.

The final segment of the show was given over to an in-ring interview of the two Gold Rush tournament finalists. Hosted by NXT commentator Byron Saxton is was a predictable affair. Rollins spoke about how he’s always wanted to hold a WWE championship and guaranteed that he’ll accomplish his boyhood dream on next week’s show. He had presumably been watching some Shawn Michaels tapes form 1996.

Jinder Mahal sought and received some cheap heat by comparing Rollins to the underachieving fans. There was nothing fancy about this approach, but there didn’t need to be. It’s a simple feud for a simple show. That’s not intended to sound disparaging. NXT’s appeal lies in its basic approach to presenting wrestling.

The interview naturally descended into chaos, Jinder striking Rollins first so that the babyface could retaliate without looking unsportsmanlike. The two shouted and postured their way off the air. As an segment designed to heighten interest in the tournament finals it was very good. Yet another example of why sometimes a simple approach is the best.

Derrick Bateman v Antonio Cesaro

Tweet 1: NXTweet

Tweet 2: Did Regal just call Derrick Bateman "Dave" Bateman?
Tweet 3: Antonio Cesaro. Heeeey!! #veryEuropean
Tweet 4: They didn't acknowledge Cesaro's US title win at SummerSlam. He's not even wearing the belt. #tapedelay
Tweet 5: If you glance at Aksana and then look away quickly enough she kind of looks like Ricardo Rodriguez.
Tweet 6: I think William Regal is the only one who calls it the Gotch Style Neutralizer. Everyone else calls it a Neutralizer. Regal's great.
Tweet 7: A fan in the front row went NUTS for Cesaro's win. Probably an ROH fan...

Is that Aksana or Ricardo Rodriguez?

NXT championship video

Tweet 8: And now for a video hyping the NXT championship.

Tweet 9: Daniel Bryan, in full on face mode, believes that there are thousands of people who would like to be NXT champ.
Tweet 10: There's the obligatory Cena appearance. He doesn't even know what NXT is.
Tweet 11: It doesn't matter how much they talk up the championship, it's still a fugly belt.

Sofia Cortez v Tamina Snuka

Tweet 12: Anyway, it's time for a Divas match. The inexplicably over Sofia Cortez versus Tamina Snuka.

Tweet 13: Tamina looks like her dad. That's not a good thing.
Tweet 14: "The Samoans just love the physicality, they love to fight. They're a race of superpeople" - William Regal on Samoans
Tweet 15: "Was that not impressive or what?" - Byron Saxton with an attack on grammar
Tweet 16: Raquel Diaz looks like a cross between Beyonce, Lady Gaga and someone I can't quite put my finger on... #Eddiesdaughter
Tweet 17: That was a decent match. The prospect of a Diaz v Snuka match is less than appealing though.

How do you get heat in 2012? Use lipstick to draw an L on the head of a tepidly popular babyface

 

Jake Carter v Kassius Ohno

Tweet 18: It’s Kassius… OHNO!

Tweet 19: Jake Carter is Vader's son and still gets the "already in the ring" intro.
Tweet 20: I've assumed incorrectly regarding that intro on NXT before. I won't bet against Ohno though. He'll win. Hopefully via KO.
Tweet 21: Ohno matches always make me think of the ROH on HDNet show. Nobody agrees that this show feels the same. They're wrong. All of 'em...
Tweet 22: Ohno has borrowed Daniel Bryan's beard for the evening.
Tweet 23: Ohno won via the rolling elbow. Regal referred to it as the Dreamkiller. That's not a bad finisher name.
Tweet 24: A second post-match run-in? That's two matches in a row. Who's booking this?!

SummerSlam Axxess video

Tweet 25: Another hype video. This one for SummerSlam Axxess.

Tweet 26: Sheamus looks like like he's hiding something with that hat.
Tweet 27: Piers Morgan says he's a Lesnar fan. He's just sayign that to be cool.
Tweet 28: More from Be A Star. Naturally David Otunga is present.

Another NXT championship video

Tweet 29: More wrestlers talking about the NXT title. Cena says they need to rise to the occasion.

Tweet 30: And there's a random appearance by Ted Dibiase Jr.
Tweet 31: It's obvious from Cena's generic comments that he is unfamiliar with NXT.

Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel v Michael McGillicutty and Johnny Curtis

Tweet 32: Kidd and Gabriel were being presented as a regular team months ago but they're still getting separate ring entrances.

Tweet 33: Jim Ross calling this match is A Good Thing™.
Tweet 34: Breaking news (on a taped show): Steamboat challenges Ohno to a match! It's all kicking off!
Tweet 35: Curtis is very good. He should be on the main roster. Perhaps he could become the new tag partner of Curt Hawkins.
Tweet 36: Referee sliding along the mat like a shark there.
Tweet 37: Kidd well and truly messed that springboard up. I'm surprised the fans didn't get on him for it.
Tweet 38: Double team Blockbuster FTW! No mention of Buff Bagwell, sadly.

Briley Pierce interviews Kassius Ohno

Tweet 39: Briley Pierce looks familiar… #Dolphsbrother

Tweet 40: Kassius Ohno, throwing some elbows after his match. Fine, no... that's fine.
Tweet 41: Kassius accepts. He WILL face Richie Steamboat. I expected nothing else.

Interview segment with Jinder Mahal and Seth Rollins, hosted by Byron Saxton

Tweet 42: Byron Saxton is hosting an interview segment with Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal about the NXT belt.

Tweet 43: I'd like JR doing it but it's nice to give someone else a chance. Byron needs to be groomed for a main roster commentary spot.
Tweet 44: Jinder Mahal is 'The Punjabi Nightmare'? I thought that was Khali.
Tweet 45: JINDER MAHAL’S PERSPEX BOX!!
Tweet 46: Just a warning: promos aren't Rollins' strong point.
Tweet 47: Will he put over the ROH title? Doubtful.
Tweet 48: Rollins has wanted a WWE belt since being a kid. #childhooddream
Tweet 49: Jinder is going for the traditional heel promo, insulting the audience and saying he deserves the belt because he’s better.
Tweet 50: Very camp body language followed by a punch to the face. Mahal can do it ALL.
Tweet 51: Show finishes with the two opponents shouting at one another, kept apart by referees. Decent build I think.

Dynamic Duos

Yesterday I stated that WWE retooling their tag team division would be a good way of allowing underutilised performers the chance to get themselves over (read that here). I listed a number of wrestlers currently working on the main roster (or ready to advance to it from NXT) and would now like to go a step further and discuss some pairings.

The first team that suggests itself is Jack Swagger and Johnny Curtis. Those two would complement one another nicely. Swagger is a (mostly) reliable worker who lacks the charisma needed to establish himself in any meaningful sense. Curtis meanwhile always strikes me as being a little basic with his repertoire but very good when it comes to getting his character over (especially impressive considering how little time on TV he gets).

Pairing ‘Dirty Curty’ and ‘The All American American’ would allow them to cover each other’s weak points. It would perhaps allow them to learn from one another too. It would also give the doubles scene a classic big man-small pairing. The two could have some solid clashes with current champs Kofi Kingston and R-Truth.

Another potentially interesting tandem would be Drew McIntyre and Michael McGillicutty. The son of Mr Perfect made it to the main roster in 2010 as part of the Nexus angle but ended up being sent back to developmental in early 2011, either because the creative team were losing interest in Nexus or because it was decided he wasn’t a good enough worker (or maybe both).

McIntyre received a very strong push back in 2009. He was given the Intercontinental title (which is a fairly worthless belt these days but it was a nice gesture) and was permitted to share screen time with Vince McMahon. He was even dubbed ‘The Chosen One’ by the boss! There’s an indication that a guy’s headed to the top of ever there was one.

But the Scot didn’t progress beyond the mid-card. His push faltered then stopped completely and he has spent much of the last two years drifting aimlessly. Teaming him with McGillicutty would allow two guys of similar ability the opportunity to reinvent themselves and contribute to the company’s programming in a more meaningful fashion.

That’s two heel tandems and no babyfaces so far. How about pairing up Ezekiel Jackson and Mason Ryan? That may sound like a recipe for disaster but there’s a reason I’d suggest putting them together: both have shown signs of being able to get over as fan favourites in the past.

If you think this is exciting wait until you see him do a scoop slam!

Mason Ryan (formerly Goliath on ITV’s Gladiators revival) swerve-turned on Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero in the autumn of last year, which started a brief feud between him and ‘The Show Off’. While Ziggler carried Ryan through all of their matches it cannot be denied that fans rallied behind the Welshman.

Similarly Jackson had some solid fan support during his Intercontinental championship feud with Wade Barrett last year. During some matches he even managed to get crowds cheering his multiple scoop slams. Yes, scoop slams.

I think that putting Ryan and ‘The Personification of Domination’ together would create a team that could get over as big, powerful babyfaces. They’d need to be protected with short squash wins but if booked right they could get over as a Road Warriors-esque unit. Ryback has proven that fans will still get behind a squash artist.

Yoshi Tatsu and Derrick Bateman could be booked as plucky underdogs. Their size would allow them to appear more sympathetic than the other teams suggested here, and work a quicker, more athletic style that would help to set them apart.

JTG and Trent Barreta would be the last two guys left. They could work as either good guys or bad guys and would be another big man-small man combo to use. These two have so little going on right now that being paired up could only be an improvement for them.

Creating these five teams would require much work and wouldn’t stop them appearing in singles bouts on Superstars. They could simply have a tag partner with them at ringside when they appear on the show.

The main roster currently has only a few teams of note. Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth are joined by Epico and Primo, the Prime Time Players, the MidCard Mafia and Hunico and Camacho. That’s not much of a division.

What I’ve proposed above would immediately double the size of the tag ranks, creating plenty of options for the booking team. They could even start using Sakamoto as a wrestler and pair him with Tensai. The Ascension are ready to be promoted from NXT too.

WWE has plenty of options when it comes to tag team wrestling. As I explained in my previous post there are plenty of reasons to start making better use of the doubles ranks. With RAW currently at three hours there’s ample time for promoting these renewed acts and giving them the chance to get over. The company has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

New Direction

NXT’s sixth season was a long time coming but it finally started airing on Wednesday 20^th June. The fifth season, dubbed Redemption, seemed at many points as though it would never end and will forever be remembered as the season in which the focus of the show changed. It started out under the old rookie-pro dynamic and finished up as pretty much another “weekend show” (in the style of Heat, Velocity and Superstars) that could easily be missed, safe in the knowledge that nothing important would be shown.

There were positive things about the programme but essentially it was not performing its core function: namely, introducing new names and faces to WWE television. A core roster of performers were used as regulars on the show, which was a good thing, but they were methodically jobbed out on the rare occasions they made an appearance on SmackDown or, even more rarely, RAW. There was no feeling that you were watching the future stars of the company at work.

The show’s relaunch has brought with it a fresh feel and a different focus focus. Debuting wrestlers are being booked to look like stars during their matches and are being introduced with the tried and tested video package formula.

Two approaches were used during last week’s show. Leo Kruger and Richie Steamboat were highlighted in videos that spliced in-ring footage from FCW with specially recorded sitdown interviews with the men in question, in which they talked about their hopes for their WWE careers and their love of wrestling. It was refreshing to see this on WWE programming, as was seeing wrestlers wearing something other than their own merchandise.

Bray Wyatt was the recipient of the second approach, a traditional vignette which introduced the man and his gimmick. We heard a promo from him and caught brief glimpses of him preaching to a small crowd along with random shots of street signs and woods. It accomplished the same thing as the sitdown interviews (introducing a new talent) but also gave us variety so there was no chance of boredom.

Truth be told any wrestling fan, no matter their feelings on WWE, would be hard pressed to be bored by NXT. The show set a frenetic pace from the start and kept it up until the end. In a show that lasted less than forty-five minutes without ads we saw an impressive seven matches. True there were several squash matches in the mix but those matches were clearly designed to introduce one new regular star that is going to be a featured performer on NXT.

Jim Ross was predictably superb on commentary. He enhanced the product with his knowledgeable comments and was clearly doing everything he could to make the wrestlers appear as stars, just as he would with the established names on RAW or SmackDown. Byron Saxton and William Regal were both enjoyable too, and worked nicely alongside the veteran play-by-play man.

Seth Rollins (formerly Tyler Black in Ring of Honor), Leo Kruger, and Richie Steamboat were treated as the stars of the episode. All three should develop into talents who can be depended upon to generate the desired reaction if they are used in this fashion every week. In time I could easily see all three appearing on RAW and SmackDown. Rollins in particular is someone I can see achieving great success in WWE, mainly because I saw how good he was during his time in ROH.

I think Seth Rollins will benefit from the NXT revamp

Elsewhere on the show we were treated to matches featuring main roster performers the Usos, Antonio Cesaro and, wait for it, Jinder Mahal (sadly there was no sign of his perspex box). While they don’t benefit from an NXT appearance as much as the newcomers do it’s nice to see WWE dedicating time to wrestlers who have yet to solidify their position in the organisation.

The Derrick Bateman v Johnny Curtis main event was a good note to finish on. Both men have been regulars on NXT for over a year and have earned the right to wrestle in the show’s headline match. While it was nothing memorable the contest they put on was enjoyable and showed that both warrant a promotion to the main roster. They’ve done all they can on show and deserve the same chance that fellow NXT veterans Darren Young and Titus O’Neil have received.

The emphasis on wrestling matches, lack of backstage silliness and plethora of fresh faces are great to see, and a promising sign that WWE is serious about using NXT as a platform for its next generation of stars to begin making names for themselves. This enjoyable approach, along with the NXT debut of Kassius Ohno (also known as Chris Hero), should be enough to convince you to give the show a try next week. You won’t regret it if you do.

Hero's Welcome

After months of anticipation WWE has finally signed Chris Hero to a developmental contract.

For those you who are unfamiliar with his work Chris Hero is a guy who’s been working on the US independent wrestling scene for around a decade, and has also completed multiple tours for Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH. He cuts a great promo, has a well-defined persona, and puts a lot of strikes into his matches, most notably the rolling elbow. Want some examples of his matches? I can oblige. Click here for Chris Hero v Delirious; here for the Kings of Wrestling v the Super Smash Brothers; and here and here for Hero v KENTA.

It was originally thought he would sign last Autumn alongside his Kings of Wrestling partner Claudio Castagnoli. The delay is apparently due to Hero’s unnaturally high testosterone levels. They caused him to fail various WWE medicals and held up the signing process. Yep, he’s possibly too manly for WWE but they’ve signed him anyway.
Castagnoli signed in mid-September and was immediately posted to developmental league Florida Championship Wrestling where his ring name became Antonio Cesaro. This is the treatment almost everybody signed to the company can expect and Hero isn’t likely to be any different. FCW is meant to polish wrestlers and help them prepare for the WWE style of working, as well as ensuring the wrestlers on the main roster see the newcomers as having “paid their dues.”

The name change protocol exists in order to give WWE legal rights to its performers names. Were Hero to make a name for himself in WWE using the Chris Hero ring name he could theoretically leave and use the exposure to help further his career on the independent circuit or in rival promotion TNA. By forcing a name change WWE ensures they have the legal rights to whatever name Hero (real name Chris Spradlin) becomes famous under. In short it’s all about WWE making sure they’re the only ones who can make money.

The question now is will Hero and Castagnoli be reunited as a unit in FCW? If WWE were serious about rebuilding their battered doubles scene putting Hero and Castagnoli together would be a great first step. That is, of course, if the creative team (and Vince McMahon) could swallow their pride and let the two replicate their Kings of Wrestling act in a WWE setting. A new team name would, obviously, be a necessity but their characters and teamwork would enable them to be a fine centrepiece for the tag scene.

Are the Kings of Wrestling future WWE tag team champions?

WWE’s only other tag team of note, Air Boom, would be great underdog babyface opponents for the rechristened Kings. In an ideal world each team would be built up for a few months with the goal being to have them clash in an upper mid-card position on a pay-per-view in May or June. If they’re treated as stars as the tag team titles are shown to mean something to all four men then fans could be persuaded to care again.
Sadly we don’t live in a perfect world and the chances of WWE calling Hero and Castagnoli up to the main roster as a package and using them correctly are slim. It’s more likely that they will be called up separately as singles guys and find themselves niches in the middle of the card for the next year or so. In today’s WWE nothing moves quickly, especially if you have a reputation as a favourite of independent wrestling fans. Both men will have to earn themselves new spots.

The good news is that both men have done it before. They can play either good guy or bad guy convincingly and have the size and look that WWE tend to like in their superstars.

I expect Hero will be in FCW until the summer at the earliest but make it to RAW or SmackDown by the end of the year. Hopefully he’ll be given a fair shot at making it and not used senselessly, as was the case with Johnny Curtis last year. If he’s allowed to play a character he’s comfortable with, ideally ‘The Young Knockout Kid’ ROH fans are used to seeing him as, or a variant on it at least, then Hero could be a top guy in WWE in a couple of years’ time.

Hero v Punk at WrestleMania XXX? Don’t rule it out yet.

Glowering Under Spilt Milk

On last week’s episode of SmackDown this happened:

My first thought was that Johnny Curtis had returned to TV to embark on a no-nonsense feud with milk, or perhaps even dairy products in general. Then he jobbed out to a tray (not a glass or a bowl, but a tray) of milk, and I realised WWE had far grander plans in mind for the liquid. Curtis will have to make do with a mid-card spot by the looks of things. Perhaps the milk will go on to form a team with Sheamus: skin tones make them natural allies.

Joking aside, this was clearly intended as a way of reintroducing Johnny Curtis to WWE programming. What was less clear was whether he would be a face or a heel. Last time we saw Curtis he was the babyface winner of NXT season four (defeating Broadus Clay in the finals) on March 1^st. As he said in the video, that win was supposed to entitle him to a tag team title match alongside R-Truth. But, as ever in WWE, plans are changed with frightening regularity. You can never be sure of anything, especially announcements stated as categorical fact and repeated multiple times.

R-Truth is embroiled in a feud with WWE champion John Cena. He won’t be demoted back down the card just so he can help to elevate a newcomer, nor should he be. But, at the same time, Curtis won NXT and hasn’t done anything since. While the runner-up appeared at WrestleMania and Extreme Rules and has wrestled multiple times on television Curtis has been overlooked and left with nothing to do.

Curtis’s rapid dismissal from TV presents WWE with several options on how to reintroduce him. He is distinctly non-chipper in the video above which makes me think a heel run is likely. It’s very easy to imagine him blaming the writing team, or “management”, for not using him despite him being chosen by fans as someone they wanted to see more of. Such sentiments, presented in the right way with enough arrogance, could easily turn Curtis into a whining heel that feels he’s loved far more than he actually is.

Another, far less likely, alternative would be to have Curtis attempt to find himself a new tag team partner to use his tag team title shot with. With WWE’s disinterest in the tag ranks I don’t think this is likely, nor do I think it would be in Curtis’s best interests if it went ahead, but it would offer viewers a storyline that is easy to follow and hasn’t been done by the company for years.

Of course the act of pouring milk over himself, while odd, seems to indicate that Curtis sees all the WWE superstars as crybabies. While his allusion to the phrase “crying over spilt milk” was painfully clear, his point was less so: it could have done with one final line to emphasise whatever point was supposed to be made. The fake crying only confused matters.

Ultimately, I think the point will be that he was forgotten by “management”. At this very early stage (based on less than fifty seconds of footage) things look promising. New characters are what WWE is in desperate need of, any attempt to create a new star is better than no attempt at all. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this results in a decent push for a man who has the look and skills to make a valuable contribution to the SmackDown roster.