Would you push #11: Curtis Axel

[CultOfPersonality123]

Curtis Axel is the current IC Champion. He is the newest Paul Heyman guy and has lost to Punk trying to protect Heyman. Hell he might not even be the Champion right now if it wasn't for Fandango's concussion. He could just be wandering around the mid-car like Miz with nothing to do. He must be liked in the back if he went over Triple H and John Cena even though it wasn't clean victories. His former self (Michael Mcguilicuty) was a former tag team champion and member of the Nexus. Down to buisness. Would you push Axel even further? Would you have him get beat and lose the title and let him go down to a jobber? Lets add a bonus question. Would you have changed him to Axel and put him with Heyman? Would you have let him be a jobber as Michael.

 

[CaptainZaltan]

Axel is exactly where he needs to be. He's a solid, reliable wrestler who has yet to come into his own as a marketable personality. He's now been paired with arguably the best heel in the business, and is being given a chance to develop as a character while receiving a decent push. I would put him in exactly the position he is in now, and see where he is able to go from there.

 

[nightmare]

He is fine and will be around for quite some time so he does not exactly need a bigger push than he already has now. He does not deserve a shot at the big 2 titles yet, Heyman or not. Maybe after a feud or two with some more solid guys & we can see if he even deserves more than what he has now at the mid card.

Take off the rose colored glasses and quit expecting him to be a huge star\draw. 'He deserves it because his dad should have been' is not gonna cut it. If the kid deserves it, he will make a name for himself and maybe do what Curt could not. It is still too early to tell.

 

[Snikez]

I was initially pissed off when I saw that Heyman picked Axel as his newest client, and I'm still pissed off. Consider Heyman's successful clients....CM Punk and Brock Lesnar. Both of these guys have the IT factor, which you need if you want to be successful. CM Punk is great on the mic and Brock Lesnar has a great look. Axel has neither of these qualities. I have heard him speak on the mic and he is nothing special. I have seen him wrestle quality matches but wrestling quality matches alone does not make a star.

There's a reason they paired McGillicutty with Heyman. They know McGillicutty doesn't have what it takes to get over with the crowd, so they give him Heyman to help. You want to know why McGillicutty even has a job with the WWE? His father.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

I like the Axel persona even though he is cheesy as hell on the mic on occasion. That is clearly why the pairing with Heyman fit well. I think his in-ring ability is very solid and I think he is exactly where he belongs holding the best mid-card title. They gave him a lot of hype by getting the gold and writing him into the MITC main event, etc but now they have cooled off with him and I am a fan of that too.


I would push him...I think the next feud or two (his first legit one) will be crucial. He needs to cleanly retain the belt over a credible face. Kofi Kingston? Cody Rhodes? Somebody. In fact...if Cody isn't getting a run at the WHC I would LOVE to see a Rhodes/Axel feud. I think they could put on some great matches.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As Curtis Axel is WWE Intercontinental Champion, doesn't that mean he's already getting pushed?

Curtis Axel is exactly where he needs to be at this point in time. As I've said in several other Axel threads, he's doing a good job as a solid, heel mid-card champion. He's not setting a new standard or anything quite so dramatic, but he's doing what's to be expected. I'm certain some will say that he's a failure because he's not on a certain level or that he isn't doing epic things at the moment. I never understood the kind of mentality that's developed in the minds of some fans in which doing a "good job" = failure due to not setting the bar at an all time high.

IF, and I do mean IF, there were initial plans to move Axel into a main event feud then, Fandango's concussion may have been a blessing in disguise for Axel. Axel isn't ready for a main event push and if the WWE brass thought otherwise at the time, I think they've come to see it now. Maybe he'll be ready for one later on down the line or maybe not but, either way, I think they should take their time with Axel. He's only been back on the main roster for, what, not quite 3 month yet? He's been IC champ for 2 of those months.

 

[GameOver]

as others said he's at the right spot atm for him to grow, he's already done a very big swing from where he was heading "nowhere that is" the name is stupid but it's better then Michael McGuillicutty

atleast he can talk and having Heyman by his side is a plus for everyone.

So no i wouldn't push him any further then he already is, he needs to grow as a mid card contender and champion, maybe after WrestleMania next year he may be ready to go further or get sent backwards.

 

[rb286]

Pretty happy where he is at the moment. He's talented enough in the ring to hold the IC title, especially with Heyman at his side. I'd say don't push him too quickly and let him develop his persona and mic skills for a few years in the midcard, he's still young enough to not get pushed to the moon too quickly.

 

[Cole Mine]

This guy has no charisma, no mic skills, he's very boring in the ring and has a terrible name. No way would I even have brought this guy up from nxt. Heyman can't even make this guy interesting. Every time he or Heyman say "Perfect," it's just like Barret saying "Barret Barrage," it automatically destroys the whole promo even if it had been going well beforehand. This guy has none of the attributes that made his father great. He should have gotten a gimmick instead of a terrible name change. Can't push him until he does something interesting.

 

[Mustang Sally]

As Curtis Axel is WWE Intercontinental Champion, doesn't that mean he's already getting pushed?

Plus, when the outset of your career under a new name involves beating up John Cena, Triple H and Chris Jericho, isn't that a mega-push? Personally, I consider it a boost of such epic proportion that I'm almost surprised he hasn't won a world title yet. Still, if he's such an irresistible presence, why was he kept in the basement of the roster for so long?

However, things have cooled off considerably since that incredible beginning. We saw Axel pinned cleanly much earlier than I would have thought possible, and even as his wins over Cena involved Axel getting much the better of the action in their two matches, he's been scripted as being far less impressive in recent efforts.

Look, it's understood that WWE has to create the stars of tomorrow from the crop available today. Still, I fear for the future if the best they can do is Curtis Axel. Yes, he can work a match; so can many, many other guys. His physique is odd and unappealing (in the future, Axel is going to have a gut like Dusty Rhodes....wait for it) and his heel attitude comes off as forced and stilted; the company was wise to have Paul Heyman accompany him wherever he goes.

Then, there's his name. What's this "McGillicutty" and "Axel" stuff? As soon as he emerged as Curtis Axel, we were informed for the first time that he was Curt Hennig's son. Since Hennig is an honored, third generation wrestling name, why on earth don't they call him that?

Still, in building tomorrow's leaders, let's hope there is something out there more impressive than Curtis Axel. The next John Cena is out there somewhere. Maybe he's now too young to have come to the attention of the pro wrestling world, just as Cena himself was too young back when we were wondering who would replace Rock and Steve Austin......but if guys like Curtis Axel and Dolph Ziggler are the ones chosen to lead us into tomorrow, the WWE road agents better look a little harder.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The biggest problem he has is that he is not like his dad but his grandad... Curt had a look and skill that outshone his own father Larry, who was a brawler journeyman in reality. Joe looks like Larry. wrestles like him and that's not Mr. Perfect...

He's up against kids like Richie Steamboat, who look and wrestle like their famed fathers and guys like Bray Wayatt who have charisma enough to make a character work unrelated to their lineage.

Breaking it down and taking the Hennig thing out of it, you have a strong, talented brawler who COULD become better over time - but due to his name he is always going to be expected to be of the quality of his father. He didn't have his father to learn from at the crucual stages, had he done so he might be one of the biggest names already, but like Harry Smith he is doing what he can with what he has almost inspite of who he is...

IC title was a little soon for him but he hasn't blown the opportunity, he's worked hard to improve and that's all you can ask... Would you push him to the next level? Not right now, maybe in a few years he'll be ready, maybe he'll be like his dad and take 10 years to hit the main event if ever... but calling him a failiure cos he isn't Curt is disrespectful to both he and Curt...

 

[Snikez]

but if guys like Curtis Axel and Dolph Ziggler are the ones chosen to lead us into tomorrow, the WWE road agents better look a little harder.

What is wrong with Ziggler? He's a great in-ring worker, funny/entertaining (something Axel is not), and is good on the mic as well. In fact, I would say that he is at least as good a talker if not better than Bryan, and just as good a speaker as the Miz. I cannot believe people do not see huge potential in Ziggler... it is baffling.

 

[Redemption-2012]

I would say yes, Axel so far has impressed me. He seems to be improving the mic and whilst he does not have "great size" like a Brock Lesnar and he not have "the mic skills" of a CM Punk but he has raw talent which is ready to be exploited. He does however have the greatest manager in the history of the WWE, period.

 

[MCMG]

Curtis Axel is in a good position right now. From not being on TV a few months ago to being involved in a feud with Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. Fucking Brock Lesnar!! Moreover, there is a good chance that he will have a PPV match with CM Punk which will allow him to show his talents.

In the long run I'm not sure what he does. Personally, I think he needs to drop his IC belt at some point, possibly after WM30, in order to move his career beyond the mid-card. He can definitely hold the World Heavyweight Championship and if he sticks with Heyman he can be a big star.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

Axel is doing fine and being IC champ and bringing prestige back to the title has already been a big year for him. I don't like how he's come off as a lackey as of late rather than someone who can go bell to bell with CM Punk. Axel needs to feud with Punk after SummerSlam and go over w/some help from him World Famous Manager, Mr. Heyman. I say at WM 30 kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Have McMahon pick Axel to represent him in a match against HHH and have The Game lose to Axel. It'd be a great way to build Axel and provide him with some credible victories.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Curtis Axel lacks the charisma and appeal of his father Curt Hennig. I personally hate the fact that he can't win matches using the perfect plex. It cheapens that significant move. Add the fact that he has yet to establish a consistent finisher and you've got a Mid-Carder that still has ways to go. I mean, just last year this guy was jobbing to Zack Ryder. Just because he's been reintroduced doesn't mean I'll be able to quickly forget what he was doing prior. Sure, he's got his victories over Triple H and John Cena, but he has yet to enter a real feud and prove that he belongs on the top card. By winning the Intercontinental Championship, it accomplishes two things on his part; 1) he's wearing his dad's title and 2) he's in position to restore some prestige back to the title. The problem? WWE isn't doing anything with him or the title. This could of course all change quickly if the WWE decides to avert CM Punk's attention to Curtis Axel once his skirmish with Brock Lesnar is over. If CM Punk faces Curtis Axel next and somehow decides to pursue the Intercontinental Championship as well, then you've got double advantage (although it's highly doubtful). Curtis Axel is a solid in-ring competitor. He has good moves (I love that rapid murder back suplex he does). He's decent on the mic. He just needs to convince me into believing he is capable of beating opponents cleanly. That is, legitimate Main Eventers. Until he does that, he's not any different from who he was before. He needs to develop naturally and find his distinction.

 

[Christian Faith]

The Rock trained with him prior to his wrestling comeback and tipped him to end the streak. So far though I have seen nothing that impresses me with him although I do like his music.

That said though if WWE stop pushing him (and the IC belt) to one side and give him a real feud he could yet become a star.

Triple H did try.....