Why I'm worried about Enzo and Cass on the Main Roster, and why it's not their fault

[Just Zay'n]

WWE's shows have been a bit hit-and-miss as of late, examples being the last Raw, which contained atrocious booking, too many spoken segments, and was just downright boring; and the Raw after Summerslam, which was a pretty good show. But one thing that has stayed the same, and seems to be getting worse (much worse), is the 100% scripting of promos, or at least getting very little Superstar input into said promos.

This doesn't bode well for Enzo and Cass. They have gotten to the level of popularity they're at by coming out with a different unique and hilarious promo every week, stuff that they've obviously come up with themselves - until recently. Enzo just does his usual schtick, the "My name is Enzo Amore", "Bada Boom", Cass doing the S-A-W-F-T chant, etc. However they don't seem to say much else now, which is a worry.

Assuming this carries over to the main roster, they're gonna get stale, and fast, since writing their own promos is what got them so popular. Unfortunately, Superstars writing/saying their own promos seems to be virtually non-existent these days. Not to mention WWE so desperately clinging onto certain aspects of wrestlers' gimmicks and forcing it down our throats, so that it becomes nothing more than a passing fad (think Fandango).

Hopefully the reason they've stopped doing the unique promos every week on NXT is because they're saving it for the main roster, but given what's going on on Raw, I'm not feeling too optimistic.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

I'm curious to know where your info comes from about the scripting of promos? Surely it's just guessing as to how much is written and how much is off the cuff?

Some people are better at delivering the promos but it seems as though you are purely speculating as to how they will deliver their promos on the main roster.

Their most recent promo was a lot better and you can't expect these guys to deliver gold in every single promo they do. Sometimes they need to change it up, and again it could be all them, you've no idea.

 

[Just Zay'n]

I'm curious to know where your info comes from about the scripting of promos? Surely it's just guessing as to how much is written and how much is off the cuff?

Some people are better at delivering the promos but it seems as though you are purely speculating as to how they will deliver their promos on the main roster.

Their most recent promo was a lot better and you can't expect these guys to deliver gold in every single promo they do. Sometimes they need to change it up, and again it could be all them, you've no idea.

Well yeah, the whole scripting of promos thing is, as far as I know, hearsay, although comments from certain people would seem to suggest it - an example being Austin during his interview with Vince, saying something like "now you've got 30 [writers] back there". This isn't really speculation on my own part, and it can be seen with what's actually being performed each week, such as everything corporate Kane has said over the last 2 weeks, it really sounds like he's rehearsed those lines over and over.

And I didn't say anything about the quality of their promos, of whether they're "good" or "bad", but rather the fact that they're pretty much not doing them at all, aside from their standard routine. If you watch some of their promos on Youtube, you'll see that they were involved in heaps of backstage segments, and said something different and funny before each match. Not so much these days. Just the "You Can't Teach That" and "S-A-W-F-T" weekly routine.

 

[Navi]

It remains to be seen how they will be received on the main roster. They do well in the small confines of Full Sail, but in a huge arena who knows.

The only person that isn't fully scripted is Bray Wyatt I believe, but most of the others are. Too many talking segments anyway on RAW and SD. I'm sure fans don't pay a boatload of cash to watch that, they want action in the ring.

I personally like Enzo and Cass and hope they do well when they do get called up, but it's been hit and miss for the NXT so far.

 

[Just Zay'n]

Yeah I reckon they're great as well! I'm going to be bold and say that Colin Cassady has it in him to potentially be the next 'face' of the company, a la Rock, Austin, Cena, etc. He has the look, size/height, charisma and mic skills, and is good in the ring - the East River Crossing and Empire Elbow are both awesome moves, the latter reminding me a bit of Hogan's leg drop except more effective because of his height.

That is, assuming they let him and Enzo do their own promos...

 

[Navi]

Really I think Enzo is the more charismatic of the two. Don't get me wrong I like both of them, but Enzo is the one who gets the crowd hopping. Just don't think Big Cass could do that on his own.

 

[Just Zay'n]

Oh yeah, Enzo's definitely the most charismatic of the two, but I can totally see Enzo in a manager type role (while still wrestling in the midcard, and even for the tag titles) for Big Cass, if he ever gets a singles push. I think they'll be kept together even for singles pushes, not because Cass can't perform without Enzo (or vice versa), but because they work so well together.

 

[TheBadGuy92]

Enzo and Cass have major potential, ive compared them to the NAO in the way they get over with the fans with their entrance and the match against Balor and Joe showed they can hang with the top dogs. As long as they dont hold back Enzo on the mic they would be gold.

Also sidenote: i would like to see Enzo, Cass and Carmella on Table for 3

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think there are other potential hazards than just the scripted promos. The fact that Triple H doesn't use them in NXT has led most of us to believe that he wouldn't use them if he was in charge on the main roster, which I think is likely because, otherwise, why not use them in NXT in the first place?

Another problem is that Vince loves to rely on stereotyping to an almost absurd degree sometimes. Not just relying on stereotypes, but believing that certain wrestlers should be certain characters based on their physical appearance. Enzo is very charismatic and is a natural on the mic, but he's also 5'10" and about 200 pounds; he also has sort of a "funny" look with his hair style and extensive tattooing. Given his ease on the mic coupled with his lack of master of the universe type of aura/look, it wouldn't surprise me to see Enzo used as some sort of comedy jobber like we've seen with Santino Marella. Santino was a legit badass with a ton of genuine judo and grappling training under his belt, but he was a comedy mid-carder that nobody ever really took seriously. As far as Cass goes, the guy's about 6'10", 280 pounds and is also pretty charismatic himself. He's a big guy, but he definitely "looks" natural rather than juiced up; still, I could see Vince regulating him to the stereotypical, one dimensional lunk because of the fact that he happens to be a big guy. After all, Vince went that route with Big E when he first came to the roster and it could be argued that it set his career back over 2 years; Big E showed a lot of personality in NXT and had a charismatic personality going on, but Vince regulated him to the role of one dimensional bodyguard and later a one dimensional babyface because of his powerlifting background.

Vince is behind the times in terms of what modern fans are into a good deal of the time; he either doesn't know how to properly book young guys these days, he feels that people are supposed to fall in line with his views or some combination of both and the company as a whole is suffering because of it. Enzo & Cass are entertaining, they could be a genuinely entertaining asset to the roster, same goes with a lot of NXT wrestlers, but Vince seems to be locked in the mind set that only he knows what's entertaining and what's, no pun intended, best for business rather than gauging the response from the fans. I'm not saying that Vince should try to please everyone, that'd be an impossibility of course, but it just seems like good business to worry more about what the fans are personally into rather than what you personally like yourself.

 

[CalciferBoheme]

While many promos are still scripted, many guy are being given more freedom as of late. Owens has been completely himself, and I think even Cesaro has been trusted more.

Guys like Enzo and Cass are proven talkers and I don't see HHH letting anyone mess with that.

My bigger concern is that Cole and JBL trash everyone and treat the show like a joke unless they're top guys (and sometimes then). Not to mention the writers are really bad at making funny characters still seem like a threat in the ring. New Day being an obvious exception.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I liken Enzo and Cass's shtick to that of the New Age Outlaws.

Sometimes Road Dogg would throw in some extra jokes, rhymes, etc., but you always got the same "Oh you didn't know?', "Ladies and gentleman...", "If you aren't down with that..." routine out of Road Dogg and Billy every week, whether there was additional chatter that week or not. It has become much the same with Enzo/Cass and their "You can't teach that"/"S-A-W-F-T" routine.

The normal routine is over on its own, but there are also instances of entertaining additions to the status quo. But the NAO were able to keep the basic routine over for years, and they still do it when they appear today, and people still pop and recite along with them. Enzo and Cass's version of the gimmick should prove to have the same staying power, so I wouldn't be too worried about the basic premise of their self intros going stale, even when they aren't dressed up with added dialogue.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

I've wondered where this "will it translate from full sail" stigma came from. Bray Wyatt is perhaps the only example of anyone who's come from the current version of NXT (reality show version excluded) that came up with the exact same gimmick unaltered. What's hurt him has been booking, not a matter of a gimmick in a bigger or smaller setting.

That's just it though: the nature of wrestling altogether. Gimmicks start in small venues, if they work a bigger company puts them on a bigger stage, and if that works, they become legends. The NXT to WWE transition is nothing new, it's been the name of the game since men first put on tights and started grappling.

Nowadays, WWE is manufacturing that process. Instead of going through indies or territories, becoming successful and eventually signing to WWE or WCW, you go through NXT which is essentially an indie/territory Petri dish for WWE to experiment in. The higher pressure is on them now to satisfy higher expectations with developmental under a microscope.

NXT success has failed to translate when characters are fundamentally altered. Big E Langston dropped the five count face gimmick and became Ziggler's muscle, they didn't have much chemistry. The Ascension went from a dark wrecking force to obnoxious LOD rip off leather daddies. Leo Kruger became Adam Rose. Paige went from anti-diva to total diva. Others were changed and found immediate success. Seth Rollins and the others became the Shield, polar opposite to his NXT character.

Kevin Owens remained unchanged, but as I segue back to Enzo and Cass, I am reminded of what people might be worried about. KO is over and had an explosive debut. I'm glad he lost the Cena feud and I think he's right where he should be. One this he hasn't gotten over is, "fight Owens, fight."

The mantra came from his indie days under his real last name of Steen in the form of "kill Steen, Kill" and "fight Steen, fight." At full sail, the crowd ate it up, chanting "fight Owens, fight" or when he displayed heel cowardice " run Owens, run" or when he was running his mouth "talk Owens, talk."

The full sail crowd is made up primarily of regulars and wrestling aficionados who know Owens work, attend every week and come up with quirky ways to cheer or jeer him. The same applies to Enzo and Cass.

I think a lot of people are worried about their ring entrance routine won't get over on the main roster. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. Of course no one will know the words off by heart when they do debut, it's a debut after all.

Predetermining that the gimmick will fail on the main roster is counterintuitive to the entire professional wrestling development process. If it's over in the minors, you stick it in the bigs and see what goes down. People follow along to New Age Outlaws, a bearded geek from Aberdeen, Washington got the word yes over, why not Enzo and Cass? Their gimmick is infectious.

The thing working against them right now is they err on the side of comedy. You have heels that err on the side of comedy in New Day, putting the two together will probably be insufferable. 2015 is the wrong time to debut Enzo and Cass. Jersey Shore has been gone long enough, but can these guys make it with these self-limiting stereotypical gimmicks?

I think they're charismatic enough, particularly Enzo, but as others have pointed out, how long until Amore is doing comedy and Cass is cut loose to become a boring monster with an awkward voice? They're a team that's better together in a WWE that relishes breaking teams up as a formula for making Shawn Michaels's.

There's also the real possibility of career NXT guys. Breeze has been in development for ever. Who knows what kind of contract Samoa Joe has. Then there's Rhyno. Whatever happens, they need to be put in front of the large crowd to see if they sink or swim. As cheesy or potentially stale as their shtick is, they need to sink or we won't know at all. Scripted promos really are the worst of these guy's worries.

 

[Vintage]

I'm very concerned as well. The Raw writers are S-A-W-F-T
SAWFT

They would probably find a way to make them worse than the Ascension when they should be as easy to book as the Full Blooded Italians were