What about D'Angelo?

[Pedro08]

I've been reading about Kaz wanting to be released from TNA over his frustration with the creative direction of Suicide and I got to wondering if anyone has heard about Elijah Burke (D'Angelo Dinero)?

Last I heard, he went home the day of Bound for Glory to address a family emergency. Obviously my sympathy goes out to him and his family for whatever they are going through, but I have not heard anything about him since or if/when he's coming back to TNA.

He was is a good feud with Suicide (Kaz) when he left, so obviously the angle was dropped, so I can understand Kaz frustration. He's a talented wrestler and I glad he didn't go though with getting his release...yet.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I haven't heard anything, but whatever happened was unfortunate, because it's thoroughly killed that feud. Even if he were able to come back soon, it'd be awfully difficult to try resurrecting much with him and Kaz.

Shame, too. I was really hoping he'd finally be the one to unmask Suicide.

 

[Junior]

Yeah this one one fued i enjoyed in TNA...and i hope Dinero comes back soon bc he was ona war path n i feel an X-title was very close in his future...he is really over with the crowd even tho they trying to make him a heel the crowd is just down with teh pope and so am i...deff think its a better gimmick then the boxer eligah burke crap he had going for him in wwe....but i think its time to get rid of susicde bring back Kaz or tna is going to lose the both of them!

 

[info62]

I'd be a liar if I said I was disappointed by this, since honestly Kaz and Elijah are two of my least favorite wrestlers. I still felt bad for Burke that he had a family emergency though, and especially with Kaz almost leaving the company I guess Elijah's put in a crappy position with this feud.

I think they should just end the feud and Burke would be better off. This situation is kind of similar to the Matt Morgan/Tomko feud a while ago. It was just starting off (Morgan was nobody special back then), and then Tomko leaves the company and the feud came to an abrupt end. Yet look where Morgan is now.

One dud of a feud caused by family issues and a possible release may slow down Elijah's momentum but I really don't think it will put his position in TNA in any jeopardy. As for Kaz I don't have any idea if he'll end up going through with his release but I wouldn't be too broken up about it if he did.

 

[ToughGuy]

I really wish he would get a real finisher instead of the Elijah Express. It's a good setup move but, IMO, its missing the big impact a finisher should have.

 

[Dangermartin]

To be honest, i'm glad that Homicide is going to be the one to unmask Suicide. To me, it makes more sense. Seeing as Burke came to the company after Kaz "retired" and wouldn't 'kayfabe' know who Kaz is. Whereas Homicide was obviously with the company at the same time as Kaz, so it makes sense.

I'd like to see D'Angelo kept in the mix of that feud. I think they'd put on some excellent three way matches. Throw Red in there too, and that will be X-Division heaven!

A four way ladder match for the strap... imagine!

 

[PEP3]

It looks like D'Angelo is completely forgotten about by Suicide. It's all about Homocide and Suicide now, with Suicide's mask apparently hanging in the balance.

Personally, I'd love for TNA to keep the Suicide character going longer. I love dark, moody, atmospheric characters like that. It reminds me, to some degree, of Raven's early character.

As for D'Angelo Dinero, I wish I didn't hate the name so much. Elijah Burke might not sound gimmicky, but it sounds like a real name...and I happen to like that. Hopefully when Dinero returns from his family emergency, TNA puts him right back in the thick of the X-Division title picture. He's over enough with the fans to merit the push and can go with the best in that division.

Where Dinero's concerned, I think TNA has the chance to take a WWE cast-off and turn him into a bona fide star.

 

[The Dewbliners]

Firstly, let me just get this off my chest: I can't stand Elijah Burke. Nothing about him says "Future main eventer". He's got lackluster mic skills, isn't very proficient in the ring, and is just generally boring to watch. Added on top of that, the current "Pope" gimmick should be dropped, as it basically glorifies the stereotypical 1970's pimp character from the Blaxploitation movies.

That said, I've heard he's taken care of everything he needed to, with the emergency, and should be back to work relatively soon. Which, I guess, good for him. He can start earning money again, to support his family. Where does the current storyline between "Suicidey" and Homocide leave him? I'd say he'll probably walk right back into it, as a supporting act. Face it, TNA's moved forward with the plans, so that's the best he'll get out of that feud. Who knows, they could turn him face, to help Suicide. Either way, he won't be fired anytime soon.

As for the Kaz sitch, I'm hoping he doesn't get revealed, as that would basically kill all momentum he's built. The public just doesn't care about "The Future", which is a shame. He's a solid worker who, with a mouthpiece like Don West, could be a force.

 

[PEP3]

Dewey, the funniest thing about "The Pope" gimmick is that I went to his personal website just to see what the guy is like out of character, and boy did his blogs surprise me. They were filled with worse punctuation, grammar and spelling than most of the posts on this site, and that's really saying something! His blaxploitation gimmick might not be so far from the truth. That shit was ghetto!

 

[NSL]

As far as I know, he's still away for "personal reasons", but it's looking more and more like they just ran out of ideas for him. He has no character. Face it: He's never actually explained what he is or what he does. He's just a "street preacher", who has yet to preach.

The matches with Suicide were better than I expected, but neither were going anywhere. With Suicide/Kazarian being off TV, there's no reason for D'Angelo because he has nothing to base a feud off of. If they bring him back, they need him to cut a solid promo, working something, and then decide who to have him feud with and why.

 

[NSL]

Seems like we found out what's up with D'Angelo.

He thrust himself into a last minute match for Turning Point, aligning with Hernandez and Matt Morgan, the two fastest rising guys in the company. They're simply taking his backstage issues, and putting them on-screen. He's working against the older guys, trying to get over, and is hoping his work with the two big men will help.

This is his last chance to prove me wrong, and give himself some depth. He's being handed the ball, he needs to run with it.

 

[INDYjon22]

I like D'Angelo in TNA, they are deffinently using him better then WWE was. His promos are some of the best I have heard in a couple years and it really is a breath of fresh air. Does he remind anyone else of The Godfather with this whole pimp thing he is doing. I couldnt help but notice him saying pimp after or in everything he said tonight. Regardless of that I like him a lot and my tune for TNA is begining to change because of him and others stepping up their games.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Not sure how I feel exactly about him being the "third man" in the Morgan/Hernandez v. ECW Old Guard (Rhino & Team 3D), but I do appreciate the face push they're giving him, considering the feud with Suicide is over.

I chuckled in his promo when he said the reason he wears sunglasses when he talks to everyone is because the future of TNA is so bright, and I like his character, but does he really fit this particular feud well? I'm really not sure, to be honest.

Thoughts?

 

[Dangermartin]

He gave Brother Ray a black eye, which means I went from hating this guy, to loving him in a matter of seconds!

I like his character, he cut some good promos on iMPACT! and I like that he is getting a good face push. I hope he doesn't screw himself over. Personally, i'd like to see him feud with Joe. They'd have some good matches.

 

[PopeIsPimping]

Pope would look good with gold. I'd say have Amazing Red drop the X-Division title to Homicide, which seems inevitable anyway, and then have a Pope-Homicide feud over the title. With that said, i definitely don't want Red buried, he's one of my favourite guys on TNA, but Pope is destined to be a success as a face, and Homicide is drawing some heat atm.

 

[mayhem]

Pope just signed a new deal with TNA and he was wasted potential by the WWE and TNA have benefited. He has a unique charachter and has charisma and can work in the X Division as well as compete for the World Title.

D'angelo Dinero looks like he has a promising future in TNA. Expect him to win the X Division title because he has been introduced into it and has performed very well.

 

[johnbragg]

Not sure how I feel exactly about him being the "third man" in the Morgan/Hernandez v. ECW Old Guard (Rhino & Team 3D), but I do appreciate the face push they're giving him, considering the feud with Suicide is over.

I chuckled in his promo when he said the reason he wears sunglasses when he talks to everyone is because the future of TNA is so bright, and I like his character, but does he really fit this particular feud well? I'm really not sure, to be honest.

Thoughts?

I think he fits as well as Morgan and Hernandez. The theme is exactly what Rhino's been saying, New Guys being given breaks and emphasis at the expense of the Old Veterans who are being phased out.

Pope's future is bright. Rhino's, not so much. So I think it works.

 

[NSL]

Well damn. I'm not sure how to judge his performance tonight. At the start of the match, he wasn't working well, barely landing shots with a garbage pail lid. Then he got it together, and landed a few nice shots, and was in a race to one-up his partners in speed and athleticism.

I like this from him. It's making me ignore that there's no character, and letting me watch his matches for face value. He'll need a character eventually, but for now, this is good to see.

 

[NSL]

His match with Angle might have been match of the night. He really impressed me. I'm still not sold on Dinero as a mic worker, but if he can continue to impress in the ring, at that level, I'd be a fan of his.

Of course, he was working with Angle, so I'm not going to read too much into yet. Angle could work with just about anyone, and pull off a decent match. Angle has managed to master the art of putting guys over, while still picking up wins too...

 

[PopeIsPimping]

His match with Angle might have been match of the night. He really impressed me. I'm still not sold on Dinero as a mic worker, but if he can continue to impress in the ring, at that level, I'd be a fan of his.

Of course, he was working with Angle, so I'm not going to read too much into yet. Angle could work with just about anyone, and pull off a decent match. Angle has managed to master the art of putting guys over, while still picking up wins too...

I was similarly impressed with that match, but I don't think it was purely Angle. He brought a great deal of energy to the match, and I think he is genuinely a very good ringworker. The "Pope is pimping" chants at the start were a nice touch, and he is clearly over with the fans. Trading german suplexes with Angle was pretty cool as well. I wish the draw of the TCS was different, so that maybe Pope picked up a W first round, then lost to Angle, because we haven't seen a great deal of his in ring work yet, but what we have seen has been impressive. he better keep those sunglasses on, because his future in TNA is very bright.

 

[EStreet]

I find it very hard to get behind guys with that extreme a gimmick.
With that said, I do think he brings plenty of energy to the ring and mic.

Enough with the stupid money falling though.

 

[Freddy4190]

So far he's been pretty solid in the ring. I always liked him as Elijah Burke. He's a good talent, just was underutilized. His finished is beautiful. So simple, yet so effective. I'd like to see him grab ahold of a tag belt, maybe the X-Division title. He's pretty cool. Him and JoMo buy shades at the same place. He need to really get into a feud, not just bounce around pointlessly.

 

[NSL]

His TV time tonight was pretty good. The segment with Suicide was short, and worked well for both people. Running down to save Suicide seemed predictable, and then Suicide returning the favor was even more predictable. I know that TNA is in "lame duck" mode, but do they have to be this lazy in the booking?

I'm thinking that Dinero will be the "star" of the PPV match, but I don't think they'll give him the win, or even have him as a "survivor". that should go to Morgan and/or Hernandez.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

It's lame, NSL – that's for sure, but I'd rather them use the "lame duck mode" as they are now with something this translucent for a reason – it's easily disposable, and if the Hogan thing really takes off as many are hoping it will, it's going to need to be. I never saw much of a long-term feud coming with DD/Morgan/Hernandez and the ECW Old Guard anyway. Just seemed like a rehashed version of MEM v. Frontline which was a rehashed version of Millionares Club v. New Blood.

2010 should be a new start for a lot of these guys, and with guys like Morgan and Dinero, a brighter spotlight is in order. I don't see them getting much of that in a feud with the ECW Old Guard.

 

[TooDarkMark]

It's lame, NSL – that's for sure, but I'd rather them use the "lame duck mode" as they are now with something this translucent for a reason – it's easily disposable, and if the Hogan thing really takes off as many are hoping it will, it's going to need to be. I never saw much of a long-term feud coming with DD/Morgan/Hernandez and the ECW Old Guard anyway. Just seemed like a rehashed version of MEM v. Frontline which was a rehashed version of Millionares Club v. New Blood.

2010 should be a new start for a lot of these guys, and with guys like Morgan and Dinero, a brighter spotlight is in order. I don't see them getting much of that in a feud with the ECW Old Guard.

This mini-feud is to establish the fact that TNA wants to push younger wrestlers. That's it. Hey 3D, we need you to put these 4 "young" guys over (including Jessie Neal.) This is an angle as old as pro-wrestling itself, and different from the Millionaires and MEM stuff because this isn't about the top guys vs younger top guys. This is about a philosophy of creating new main eventers.