Tensai: What Happened?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Seeing Tensai get squashed by Khali just now just made me a sad panda. What was the point of taking him from Japan where he was making a name for himself and doing exceptionally well so he could come to the WWE for a career of stagnation? He comes in getting pinfall wins over Punk and Cena and being a dominate beast then it all died down. He went on a THREE MONTH LOSING STREAK. The first match he won after that was by DQ. Now he's a WWE Superstars mainstay. Really? I mean damn if he wasn't getting over it's probably because of the gimmick. In my opinion it's too gimmicky and over the top. Bloom isn't too moving on the mic but WWE knew this and brought him back because Japan crafted his ring skills and did more for him than they did.

So what now? Do you think there's still hope for Tensai as far success in WWE goes or is he destined to stay in the lower card? Personally, I think he should go back to Japan. He's a wasted talent in the under card right now and it's a shame because of how strong he came off in his re-debut. I rather see him where he can flourish because I've always been a fan.

Thoughts?

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Just another example of something working in Japan that would never work in the States. While I admittedly haven't watched a lot of his work as Giant Bernard, he's one of the bigger guys over there and his style works more closely to what they appreciate.

The way WWE booked him from the very start was terrible. The promos were unintentionally funny, which is never good. Even going over Punk and Cena, as you stated, wasn't going to fix a train that was already set to derail itself.

Instead of just bringing him back as Albert or A-Train, they decided to try and "pull one over" on the wrestling fans and repackage him. After the fans shit on it they talked about how he worked here before, went to Japan, yadda yadda yadda.. But the fact is the damage had already been done.

They still could have made something out of him after he lost to Cena, but once he started losing cleanly to Tyson Kidd and his cruiserweight counterparts there's pretty much no turning back. I think he's just collecting a check now while he waits to either A) be future endeavored so he can go back to Japan or B) WWE have offered him some sort of backstage role once he retires. He's certainly not getting any younger.

But no, he's one of the biggest busts the WWE has had in a long while.

EDIT: I think the right thing for WWE to do would have been to bring him in as a bodyguard role similar to what they've done with Big E Langston. They should have cut away all the traditional Japanese hoo-ha and let him be A-Train with better in-ring skills. And if they wanted to bring him in as Tensai and given him a real shot at getting over he should have been masked so he didn't get the "Albert" chants from everybody right off.

That being said WWE can still get some mileage off of him when they go to Japan, and use him similarly to how they used Tajiri toward the end of his run with the 'E. They would put him in the Main Events on Japanese house shows to draw the crowds in.

 

[hatehabsforever]

What happened? His lack of in ring skill and his inability to connect with the WWE Universe, even in a new package with a new name, a new look, and a new gimmick, came back to bite him. Let's face it, you can cover his face with tattoos, give him a new manager, and try to hype him up to the best of your ability, but at the end of the day, he's still the same Albert that was released by WWE already. There's absolutely no way they had a snowball's chance in hell of making this guy a main eventer. He simply isn't good enough and that's all there is to it.

Having said that, he does fill a necessary niche in WWE. Whenever they need a "monster" to oppose a new guy, especially a face, to put him over, enter Tensai. There's nothing lost by him losing, and the other guy can be made to look good by defeating a man of his girth. When they need some dude to get decisively beaten, he can provide this role too. Just because he isn't a main eventer and never will be, does not mean he has no role whatsoever.

 

[DirtyD79]

Like I've said before I really think a large part of the problem is they just went too far with the whole "Japan" thing. I mean his manager Sakamoto was like something off of a WW2 propaganda poster. He was a caricature, not even kids would take him seriously. The early 90s was the last time you could play a gimmick like that straight up. It's the same reason Vladimir Kozlov flopped. Instead of just pushing the whole Japan part of Tensai's gimmick they should have been playing up his accomplishments there.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

But the thing is... he's not the same Albert that was released by the WWE. His ring skills are leaps beyond what he was putting out when he got released. That's not the issue; if anything that's what got him brought back in the first place.

WWE didn't put much effort into getting him over aside from giving him victories over two top stars, and we are in a time with wrestling where wins and losses don't mean shit unless you're constantly losing, and then you are no longer relevant. They threw together some half-ass video montages and gave him a couple of good wins and said "here you go"...

If you're going to give a guy a manager because he has troubles connecting with the crowd you better make damn sure that manager speaks English and has the ability to get his wrestler over. WWE failed to do that. That's on them.

Finally, his finisher was terri-terri-terrible. The claw hold hasn't been seen as devastating since the days of Kerry Von Erich, green mist in Tensai's palm or not...

 

[The Crock]

I can't blame WWE for Tensai failing. WWE gave Tensai one hell of an initial push -- vignettes, a bunch of squash wins, matches with the likes of Bryan and Punk, and even a win over John Cena. WWE gave Tensai everything he could have wanted, but he flopped. Tensai just isn't interesting. The gimmick's unique, but it does nothing to really connect with the audience or garner any interest. His matches were an absolute chore to get through when he was getting consistent airtime -- he was ridiculously slow and boring, he could barely keep me focused long enough to get through a minute-long match -- and he wasn't exactly doing the best job of being an imposing "monster."

Sure, his skills were definitely polished up during his run in Japan, but he just blends into the crowd back in the WWE. I don't know what people expected of him, but I don't think Tensai was ever going to reach the heights some people projected after his hot start. His current role -- however minor -- is just fine. He's a lower-card guy, just like he was fifteen years ago.

 

[The Life Of Pablo Ren]

Albert happened... or didn't happen, I think the WWE went the completely wrong way with Tensai, they should've, from the start told us that it was Albert who after his first stint in WWE, went to Japan and made himself a force to be reckon with and now he's back in the big time. But no, they kept referring to him as "a former WWE Superstar"... which was a really dumb idea.

The crowd at each event new it was Albert, most of the people watching at home knew it was him, so why not just say it's Albert... back for revenge, with a new vengeance, looking to finally make himself a household name in the biggest wrestling company in the world... I think if they did that, he would've gotten over a bit more with the crowd, but again, no. It was almost like they were guessing as to who it was, though it was obvious... I blame WWE. Tensai is a solid worker.

 

[Bernkastel]

It was a mixture of bad booking, and the fact that Matt Bloom has always been an average worker. Normally something like that could have been masked with careful planning - see Kane 1997 - but not surprisingly the lazy modern WWE writers fucked that up.

When fans chanted "Goldberg" at Ryback, creative quickly switched up his booking to make him vulnerable, while still keeping him intense looking. When fans chanted "Albert" at Tensai, creative drew more attention to Bloom's past instead of Tenasi's future.

 

[BaconBits]

The Tensai gimmick is pure, unadulterated, shit. Not just Albert, but anybody would have floundered in that role. Especially some white dude who isn't exactly generic looking. It's was blatantly obvious who it was, and now you're expecting fans to just forget that he was some other dude just a few years ago?

If they just would have brought him back as Albert and inserted him into the mid card as a heel it would have been fine. There was no need to make a huge deal about him.

If I was WWE creative, I'd turn him face as Albert and have him feud for the midcard titles. It's as good a plan as any, and it would actually be *gasp* something different for those dudes. Then, after Hell No breaks up, have him team up with Santino to fill the void for comedy face tag team.

 

[prototypex89]

i have never been a albert fan or a train...or anythign else hes been called . but i blame his downfall on the writing , agreed his mic skills are sub par. but his in ring skills have significantly improved since he went to japan...but he will never be a major title holder, ic or us champ maybe...but i think tag champ is as far as he will get how anyone could seen him as a major title holder i dont understand

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

If I was WWE creative, I'd turn him face as Albert and have him feud for the midcard titles. It's as good a plan as any, and it would actually be *gasp* something different for those dudes. Then, after Hell No breaks up, have him team up with Santino to fill the void for comedy face tag team.

That could be pretty entertaining with Santino's butchery of the English language. They could bring Tensai back as the Hip Hop Hippo and have Santino butcher it like Rob Schneider trying to say Hippopotamus.

 

[Strong Style X]

Tensai failed because of bad booking. Anyone knocking on his in-ring ability are idiots that clearly have never watched any of his work outside of WWE like his classics against Tanahashi, Nagata, and teaming up with Karl Anderson as Bad Intentions. His promos aren't bad either IF he isn't censored. He did a really good shoot against Tokyo Sports and their Wrestling Awards a few years back. Should have just made him A-Train and paired him up Johnny Ace's bodyguard.

 

[Bernkastel]

The Tensai gimmick is pure, unadulterated, shit. Not just Albert, but anybody would have floundered in that role. Especially some white dude who isn't exactly generic looking. It's was blatantly obvious who it was, and now you're expecting fans to just forget that he was some other dude just a few years ago?

Actually the gimmick was fresh and unique; creative just didn't know how to book him - especially when fans pointed out his old persona. Instead of trying to draw attention away from the old Albert persona, they drew attention towards it. And fans actually wonder why the gimmick flopped.

If I was WWE creative, I'd turn him face as Albert and have him feud for the midcard titles. It's as good a plan as any, and it would actually be *gasp* something different for those dudes. Then, after Hell No breaks up, have him team up with Santino to fill the void for comedy face tag team.

If hardly anyone gave a fuck about Albert as a heel when he was at his peak, then why would anyone care about him as a face past his prime? Remember Albert the Hip Hop Hippo? If not it was because it was short lived because it was stupid.

If they just would have brought him back as Albert and inserted him into the mid card as a heel it would have been fine. There was no need to make a huge deal about him.

WWE made a big deal out of the character Lord Tensai, not Albert. The IWC found out about it and spread all kinds of dirt, but causal fans only started to care [or not care] once creative made the decision to bring attention to the fact that Tensai used to be someone else.

 

[BaconBits]

Actually the gimmick was fresh and unique; creative just didn't know how to book him - especially when fans pointed out his old persona. Instead of trying to draw attention away from the old Albert persona, they drew attention towards it. And fans actually wonder why the gimmick flopped.

Racial stereotypes bordering on blatant racism aren't fresh and unique or edgy. They're lazy and cheap and not anywhere near a good idea in a world that gets more and more PC by the day.

If hardly anyone gave a fuck about Albert as a heel when he was at his peak, then why would anyone care about him as a face past his prime? Remember Albert the Hip Hop Hippo? If not it was because it was short lived because it was stupid.

Just because you make him a face doesn't mean he's gotta be the hip hop hippo. He's a got a certain nostalgia factor and play off of that. Or, even better, make him some dude who has hated all his previous gimmicks and that's his beef and his mission is to take out all the other shit gimmicks. Hell, make Foley his manager for that one and it pretty much writes itself.

WWE made a big deal out of the character Lord Tensai, not Albert. The IWC found out about it and spread all kinds of dirt, but causal fans only started to care [or not care] once creative made the decision to bring attention to the fact that Tensai used to be someone else.

You're giving the IWC way too much credit. Contrary to popular belief by members of the, well, IWC, they make up a very small segment of the audience. The largest percentage of fans are the so-called "casual" fans, and they were chanting Albert the night the guy debuted the new gimmick. Creative made the decision to not treat the fans like fucking ******s because they already clearly knew he was somebody else they remembered.

 

[Bernkastel]

Racial stereotypes bordering on blatant racism aren't fresh and unique or edgy. They're lazy and cheap and not anywhere near a good idea in a world that gets more and more PC by the day.

Racial stereotypes? Surely you must be joking. By that definition every single non white character to ever exist in WWE has been based on racism.

Just because you make him a face doesn't mean he's gotta be the hip hop hippo. He's a got a certain nostalgia factor and play off of that. Or, even better, make him some dude who has hated all his previous gimmicks and that's his beef and his mission is to take out all the other shit gimmicks. Hell, make Foley his manager for that one and it pretty much writes itself.

You missed my point entirely. No one gave a fuck about Albert as heel when he was at his prime, why would anyone care about him as a face now? Lord Tensai was a chance for Bloom to leave the Albert character behind, but creative made that next to impossible by deciding to tether him to it - they pretty kicked Bloom into the water and didn't even offer him a flotation device.

You're giving the IWC way too much credit. Contrary to popular belief by members of the, well, IWC, they make up a very small segment of the audience. The largest percentage of fans are the so-called "casual" fans, and they were chanting Albert the night the guy debuted the new gimmick. Creative made the decision to not treat the fans like fucking ******s because they already clearly knew he was somebody else they remembered.

Oh? And how did the casuals even find out about that information in the first place? Could it be that it was the internet along with dirt spread by the IWC? Nah couldn't be - that makes way too much sense.

And your last analogy makes no sense. By that definition all wrestling fans are ******s because we watch something that we know is fake - the point is to make it so that we forget about that non kayfabe stuff and creative did the opposite.

 

[Bernkastel]

Tensai failed because of bad booking. Anyone knocking on his in-ring ability are idiots that clearly have never watched any of his work outside of WWE like his classics against Tanahashi, Nagata, and teaming up with Karl Anderson as Bad Intentions. His promos aren't bad either IF he isn't censored. He did a really good shoot against Tokyo Sports and their Wrestling Awards a few years back. Should have just made him A-Train and paired him up Johnny Ace's bodyguard.

Clearly you don't understand the booking differences between puro and wrestling in the States. A man of his stature and intensity fits in perfectly with what Japanese are looking for with their superstars - but that's not what US fans want to see. They want to see something believable and relateable to society - not something that could be portrayed as fantasy. But none of this has anything to do with a character.

If you don't understand any of this I suggest you watch more matches from the 70's and 80's and less modern day puro.

 

[Pedigree1]

Couple of simple things happened why Tensai never got off the ground. Fact is Matt Bloom for one will forever be known as A-train and the mere fact the WWE pretended he was someone else downright insults our intelligence.

Also considering Matt Bloom is just an average or little bit below average worker in the ring hurts him. He looks incredibly stiff slow and well just his skills are sub par to say the least. He is not convincing on the mic and really he is A-train minus the back hair. You can cover his face up with tats all you want but he is A-train to us and forever will be.

 

[gk11973]

This is mean Spirited I know...but I am just gonna say it. In addition to not being great in the ring and lacking charisma, the dude is just so unpleasant to look at. By no mean could he be considered attractive, and his big pale, fat body is just gross. No one appreciates seeing that big gut hanging out. None of the other big men wear so little. Big show & Mark Henry at least wear singlets that cover their bulk. Even Brodus covers it up. Serioulsy whether you are male or female, straight or gay, the man is just foul to look at and I seriously think that is part of the issue. Let's face it, people respond to how someone looks and a fat pasty white guy in red shiny underwear is not pretty to anyone.

 

[Chicago1989]

We can't forget about the "stereotypical" video he did with Sakamoto, about him not driving. I believe WWE took that as a legitimate excuse to start burying Tensai, with also the fact that he couldn't connect with the fans as a heel and his gimmick flopped. I think Tensai should've taken some time off to come back repackaged as A-Train again. That character got him over as a legitimate badass who took care of business.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

This is mean Spirited I know...but I am just gonna say it. In addition to not being great in the ring and lacking charisma, the dude is just so unpleasant to look at. By no mean could he be considered attractive, and his big pale, fat body is just gross. No one appreciates seeing that big gut hanging out. None of the other big men wear so little. Big show & Mark Henry at least wear singlets that cover their bulk. Even Brodus covers it up. Serioulsy whether you are male or female, straight or gay, the man is just foul to look at and I seriously think that is part of the issue. Let's face it, people respond to how someone looks and a fat pasty white guy in red shiny underwear is not pretty to anyone.

You must have missed Dusty Rhodes back in his glory days. He was just as obese as Tensai and Brodus and arguably one of the most over from his era. If you can wrestle and connect with a crowd it doesn't really matter what you look like physically. And speaking of Brodus Clay... that fat shaking dance he did was way more grotesque than Tensai slow-poking around in his shiny reds as you called them.

 

[Strong Style X]

Clearly you don't understand the booking differences between puro and wrestling in the States. A man of his stature and intensity fits in perfectly with what Japanese are looking for with their superstars - but that's not what US fans want to see. They want to see something believable and relateable to society - not something that could be portrayed as fantasy. But none of this has anything to do with a character.

If you don't understand any of this I suggest you watch more matches from the 70's and 80's and less modern day puro.

Who wants to see something believable and related to society? America wants batshit insane booking that makes zero sense and larger than life entertainers. Japanese fans nowadays are no different, the top people in New Japan also happen to be their most charismatic and over-the-top characters. Tanahashi is the lover who plays air guitar, Nakamura is the king of swag, and Okada makes it rain.

Tensai as a character FAILED because it was every stereotype of a Japanese wrestler that an American fan would know (Great Muta lite) and given to an AMERICAN. Who really thought this would work? This is the same kind of booking that created the Kerwin White character ffs.

And I've watched plenty of puroresu (puro is an incorrect term for it, simply means "pro") throughout the ages, from the likes of Rikidozan, to Inoki/Baba, to Tenryu/Choshu, to the 3 Musketeers of New Japan, the All Japan/NOAH Exodus, FMW, Big Mouth Loud, HUSTLE, Big Japan, UWF, BattlArts... get the idea?

Still care to convince me that your opinion is better than my own?

 

[CaptainZaltan]

Tensai is a just a ridiculous character. First of all, Bloom's a big boy, but with his current build it's hard for me to buy him as a 'monster' vs a guy with the build of John Cena, or with guys the size and power of Mark Henry or the Big Show running around. Neither was he packaged as a pure technical or submission wrestler to explain why he might be dominant. His moves are also very dull; as A-Train/Albert he used to do a lot of power moves befitting a guy of his size, whereas now it seems like he just does a lot of slaps and shoulder strikes, and that weird quasi-martial arts type of style that you often see from Asian wrestlers in North American wrasslin' (you know, the one where they spit mist and wave their hands around like kids pretending to be ninjas?).

Speaking of which, what in the hell is up with his look? Albert/A-Train used to look intimidating, but now he looks ridiculous. That facial hair, the eyebrows, the fact that he's constantly squinting.....is it just me, or does he look like someone trying his very best to look like an old comic book stereotype of an Asian person? Combine that with his silence, his 'worshipper', his tatoos, etc, and it just seemed as though WWE was trying to say that wrestling in Japan would actually sort of turn you Japanese (I really think so). It's the kind of stupidity that is bound to irritate fans, particularly if they were already irritated with the WWE's ignoring of his previous time as A-Train/Albert.

All that being said, I don't have any more of a problem with Matt Bloom than I had with Terry Taylor for being the Red Rooster. It's a crap gimmick that doesn't suit him, and that's about it. And it might still be salvageable. I'd personally be a lot more interested in an openly acknowledged Matt Bloom/A-Train/Albert having come back to the WWE after years of improving his craft, having the same bruiser style and attitude but with new smarts and skills to back it up. A Matt Bloom criticizing the WWE for holding him back, and bragging about his accomplishments in a superior organization. A Matt Bloom yelling at the fans to stop calling him 'Albert'. Really, Bloom's time in Japan should have given him a credibility and a connection with the audience that he previously lacked. As it is, it seems to be less of a help than a hindrance, and I don't see how he could possibly get over with his current gimmick regardless of who he beats.

 

[Bernkastel]

Who wants to see something believable and related to society? America wants batshit insane booking that makes zero sense and larger than life entertainers.

I'm sorry what? The Attitude Era is long over if you haven't noticed. If anything WWE has largely returned to the style they booked before everything went crazy.

Japanese fans nowadays are no different, the top people in New Japan also happen to be their most charismatic and over-the-top characters. Tanahashi is the lover who plays air guitar, Nakamura is the king of swag, and Okada makes it rain.

Japanese fans have been that way for years. They were idolizing the top guys whilst American fans loved realistic looking performers like Hogan. Not surprisingly Hogan was also huge star in Japan - I guess your idea of modifying styles and outsourcing them not being able to work is wrong.

Tensai as a character FAILED because it was every stereotype of a Japanese wrestler that an American fan would know (Great Muta lite) and given to an AMERICAN. Who really thought this would work? This is the same kind of booking that created the Kerwin White character ffs.

Modifying a foreign style and bringing it to the States isn't a recipe for disaster; nor is it stereotypical. Was Rey Mysterio stereotypical of Lucha Libre? How about Sin Cara? What about Tajiri? All three of those men were abysmal failures now weren't they

And I've watched plenty of puroresu (puro is an incorrect term for it, simply means "pro") throughout the ages, from the likes of Rikidozan, to Inoki/Baba, to Tenryu/Choshu, to the 3 Musketeers of New Japan, the All Japan/NOAH Exodus, FMW, Big Mouth Loud, HUSTLE, Big Japan, UWF, BattlArts... get the idea?

As have I, but the difference is I know enough about both cultures and their styles to know what will work and what won't - you've shown me that you don't. The idea behind the Lord Tensai gimmick was good, but the execution was so poorly handled that there was no surprise that it flopped.

 

[HBsam31]

I was never a fan of Tensai. Not as Albert, not as A Train, not as anything. That said I gave him a chance when he came back from Japan. His skills in ring did improve, but I never got why they made such a big deal about him when he returned. Like others have said he was still Albert. I just never saw him as a main eventer. Even when he beat Cena, I just didn't but it. I think they will keep him around because he is a big heel that can be used to put over new faces. I have my doubts he will get any farther than that.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Modifying a foreign style and bringing it to the States isn't a recipe for disaster; nor is it stereotypical. Was Rey Mysterio stereotypical of Lucha Libre? How about Sin Cara? What about Tajiri? All three of those men were abysmal failures now weren't they

I agree with the vast majority of what you've said... Until I read this. You're speaking apples and oranges, or maybe you just didn't understand where he was going with that... Rey Mysterio was imported using the same exact style that he always used in Mexico, nothing was modified until he came to the WWE and only then because his body had broken down. Sin Cara didn't modify anything until they found out the vast majority of workers in WWE couldn't keep up with his speed and agility, which led to most of the botching(and by the way I would offer up that he's been nothing but an abysmal failure). As far as Tajiri goes nothing really changed. The point is all of those guys were fitting for their styles because their ethnic background supports them.

The point he's trying to make is nobody is going to buy into a fat bald guy that has worked tons of different gimmicks in the United States as being this mythical Japanese God just because he went overseas and honed his craft. That's the point he's making. WWE wasn't modifying the Japanese culture into Tensai; they were bastardizing it. Instead of Tensai using power moves they had him doing weird shit that a junior wrestler would do IE: chop strikes, leg kicks, and sentons that his speed could not properly execute. Not to mention the complete bastardization of Keiji Mutoh's poison mist. Apples and oranges in your comparisons, my friend.