Monday, March 18, 2013
Fandango : Yes or No?
Hooray! Johnny Curtis has finally graduated from NXT and can now be seen on WWE SmackDown. But wait! What's this? The WWE Think Tank have given him a new name and image. He's now being called Fandango and he's supposed to be some kind of obnoxious ballroom dancer. Seriously, WWE? This is the best your people could come up with? I, for one, am not thrilled. What about you aficionados of wrestling beefcake ? What do you think of Fandango? (Read Bleacherreport.com's take on Fandango here and here.)
And they've got this ridiculous schtick where he won't wrestle until the ring announcer or his scheduled opponent pronounces his gimmick "correctly". And he doesn't even say in right. It's fan-dan-go, not fan-dang-go, though he gets the vowels more or less correct.
ReplyDeleteI've been sort of interested in seeing how he does, but if they keep this up I might lose patience. And his "opponent" this last week was the Great Khali. Unless he's much better than he looks, that seems a bit ambitious to me.
Just browsed through your earlier posts about him. Maybe Khali ain't such a challenge as I thought.
ReplyDeleteI just hope they don't make just another piece of beefcake fodder for the bully behemoths, as they've been doing to so many of the handsome hunks, face AND heel, recently.
I was pleased that after a long hiatus, at least on TV, Rhodes and Ziggler (twice) won some matches.
And while I don't care for either Ryback or Henry, I was sort of looking forward to their match just to see a good match-up for them both. I was hoping that Ryback would consume Henry. If theyre going to have all these super-sized guys id rather see them used against each other. (I tend to think they should have a show of their own, theres so many of them. The "jobber" destroyed bit is getting real tired. i mean theyve even jobbed Randy Orton a couple of times, for crying out loud!) Then they ruined it with interference from the Shield.
Another trend I could do without: the gang of bullies, which is not only on WWE, but on TNA (Aces and Eights), and even on Prime Wrestling. I don't have a problem with the concept so much, per se, but all the promotions are over-using it.
Where have my automatic caps and apostrophes gone all the sudden?
I decided long ago that it's morons with less than a third grade mentality that write the shite that's shoveled out weekly from WWE TNA and most of the rest. What amazes me most is the number of people who actually spend money to attend those ridiculous shows.
ReplyDeleteI think Fandango still may work out as a cocky Rick Rude-style heel -- I am going to wait a bit longer and let this gimmick play out. They're teasing us right now with Fandango's refusal to put his flesh on the line, to get in the ring and risk pain and punishment as if he's too good, too beautiful, to actually wrestle anyone. He's like the classic coward who slips out of the ring repeatedly, driving the audience wild by refusing to give them what they crave: wrestling. Some of the hatred and venom directed at Fandango is sexual frustration with gorgeous Fandango in the role of a cocktease. You hate him because he won't give you what you want, and that is the ideal Heel. They've invested a lot of time into this one -- I can't imagine they'll let Fandango fade away without some spectacular push...
ReplyDeleteThey certainly have him looking sexier than ever! His body is superb. I have long since given up worrying too much about the stupid, inane gimmicks the WWE "creative dep't" (what a lie that name is!!!)come up with. My only frustration with Fandango is that he hasn't actually wrestled yet. They have overplayed that. A week or 2 was OK but now get him in the ring. I want to see that great body at work.
ReplyDeleteApart from the fact he is one of the hottest wrestlers who looks stunning in his wrestling trunks, it's criminal to give him tights to wear! but...
ReplyDeleteYes, it is good news is that Johnny Curtis is back ...and hopefully wrestling soon.
But I dont understand, he won NXT as the freshfaced, beefy, friendly, joker - then they rebranded him as a creepy character - now we get Fandango.
He is one of the more talented and believable wrestlers, if anyone could make this character work then Johnny could, but I prefared his original NXT character and even creepy Johnny seems a better idea than a 'yet another' dancing wrestler.
...but let's not forget, this is the WWE 'creative(!)' team
I found two matches of Curtis in his Fandango persona. One is a full match in MN against Jamie Noble, with a distant camera. The other is a match in Hamburg chopped up into four really short highlight vids against Ted DiBiase, Jr. Curtis wins in both YouTube vids, though only the first is worth watching.
ReplyDeleteThere are other matches where he wrestles as Johnny Curtis. However, the WWE NXT video quality is remarkably bad for a company that supposedly should have professional quality standards. And most of his more interesting victories are apparently unavailable.
I wonder if the WWE "gods" aren't really interested in making him a success. He certainly seems to have the raw material and tools to be one if they'd put some effort into the project.
Johnny Curtis is so sexy and very talented, full of charisma and potential. But he is one of the only people who could pull this off. I just don't think it's going to do anything for his career, whether it gets over or not. I agree with an above poster in that he should have just kept the creepy gimmick, maybe altered a bit. I do like the "I won't wrestle until you correctly say my name" aspect of it, but I hate the dancing...and the lack of trunks. This man needs trunks. P
ReplyDeleteAn image was linked to a bleacherreport article (which I couldn't read in its entirety) remarked that the WWE wants Curtis, having signed a 6-year contract, but don't really know what to with him. Truer words, I think. Another article said much the same about Brad Maddox (who I've been hoping to see in the ring since he first appeared in a dress jacket that barely contained his biceps).
ReplyDeleteI think that happens to a lot of wrestlers in the promotion, new and veteran. I think it just demonstrates how arid and unimaginative it has become, though I don't think it was ever its greatest strength.
I add my voice to the chorus of disapproval. Fandango is a gimmick and will not help Johnny Curtis' career. I loathe the flashy tights. Curtis is one of the most handsome and charismatic men in wrestling: he does not need silly costumes and razzamatazz. He is a serious athlete who looks best stripped to minimal trunks and has a body to die for. Why cover it up? He should be himself.
ReplyDeleteI was thrilled to see Johnny Curtis resurface, and I, tooo, will reserve judgment on the gimmick for a little while longer (hoping that any minute now, someone will drag him to the ring, and knock hiim senseless). I'd prefer him in trunks, too, but he could make the tights work (John Morrison sure did). Meanwhile, there is something about his chest that just captivates me.
ReplyDeleteSaw Fandango on SmackDown this week -WOW! The guy attcked Chris Jericho after his match. He looked absolutely stunning. What a beautifully muscled body - especially that magnificent chest!! Can't wait to see him in action again!!
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