A Serious Debate: Bo-Dallas, Impotent or A talent getting wasted?

[Prince Vee]

This is the third post of the series, "A Serious Debate!!

Bo Dallas, A guy who can get connected with a crowd so easily. He is young, just 24, and he still got a plenty of time to groom into a great star. But it seems like WWE had dropped balls on him. I can be either wrong or absolutely right, I'm not the backstage booker or creative writer anyhow. He's decently good in the ring, a natural entertaining heel magnet, natural in the mic and more than just an entertainer.

But since his debut in the main roster, he was getting crappy and crappy. He limited his moves to just a Clothesline and The Running Bo-Dog. He put on some weights around his belly and he started to look not good as how he should be for his age.

His Undefeated streak was just a disdain against all the jobbers in the Roster (Yeah that absolutely includes Jack Swagger and Mark Henry).

Then he got injured.. Unfortunately it came in a pretty wrong time. But this time the complain should be on Bo-Dallas. Wade Barrett injured his shoulder and was out of action for more than 4 months and when he came back he had the "holy cow is that really him??" look! But look at Bo-Dallas!! He got more crappy (albeit not talking about his beard). He got more fat and got a belly (correct me if I'm wrong in this). Has he got complacent with himself? He's just 24, he got a long career. He should've worked more on his looks than just changing the way how his face looks.

Is he really impotent? Or is he a talent getting wasted? Let's start this debate! Cheers!!

 

[Thriller Ant]

Bo is, and should be, a modern day Honky Tonk Man: the midcard heel that gets a bunch of heat, but never moves too far up. He was the top guy in NXT for a while, but that type of character isn't one that can rise too far on the main roster. However, he can get heat like few people can, and that is valuable for both himself and any babyface he takes on. As long as he can talk and wrestle at competent match, he'll have a place on the roster.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I haven't really seen the guy a whole lot and I don't really understand his gimmick, Ive liked his family through the years and don't think we have seen his full potential would kind of like to see him join his brother in a new Wyatt family faction group.

 

[CaptainObvious]

I was really enjoying his run before the injury. But since he's come back something about him just doesn't sit right with me. And I think the OP pointed it out. He has put on some weight and that god awful facial hair. I feel like he could be a really good mid card heel. Maybe tweak his character a bit. I'd give him what I call a "Marty McFly complex" where if someone calls him "chicken" or something like that, it sets him off. I feel like that kind of gimmick could suit him.

 

[MartialHorror]

Erm, so WWE is wasting Bo's talent because he can't perform in bed? Suddenly, the WWE is making a lot more sense to me...

I think Bo can be fun as a mid-carder. He does his heel persona well, but I feel the Swagger storyline derailed his career. It just didn't work and instead of WWE looking towards its own writers, they blamed Swagger and Dallas instead.

 

[AustinHartLesnarHBKTaz80]

Sorry but Bo sucks. Midcarder, for life. Better yet, off TV for good please. And please Bo, go hit the gym and work out.

 

[Hem]

He isn't main event worthy by any means. With the recent elevation of the US and IC titles I guess he will never be a solid mid card guy either. He isn't too bad to release as he is a fairly comedic person and basically the new Santino.

I would have said that the best thing to do with him was to have him join The New Day but recently they have been doing awesome. I thinking acknowledging him as Brays brother isn't a good idea either. So what else is there, right?

My belief is that this is exactly what the WWE creative are thinking. So heres an idea that I'm split about -- Why not make him the mid card Seth Rollins?

By that I mean that Bo Dallas should be the biggest heel in the mid card but he can't do anything without his helper(s). My idea is to have him take Eric Rowan and Mojo Rawley and have them be his security or his followers who BOLIEVE. He could get a few wins and eventually get the US title and defend that.

 

[OYDK]

Eh Bo's alright. He's a solid lower-midcard hand. He can get a reaction from the crowd and put on a decently good match. I could see Bo being used as a helping hand for some big programs throughout his career, similar to Edge/Christina/APA's role in the Ministry or J&J's role in The Authority. He'll never be the focal point, but he can add something here and there.

 

[Mustang Sally]

His BO-LIEVE gimmick nauseates me.... yet, when you think about it, isn't that exactly what it's supposed to do? I sometimes have to remember to not confuse a performer's program with his/her skill as a wrestler.

Still, I'm not sold on Bo Dallas. I truly dislike that roll of fat around his middle; he's too young to have it. He's got good size and decent ring skills; it's not as if he doesn't know what he's doing during a match.

I agree with several of the other folks in this thread; he can be a useful midcarder, yet he doesn't seem to have what it takes to make it to the top. Not that there's anything wrong with that; a performer can make a great living in the middle.

In all, it seems he might fit in better with the revivalist leanings of New Day than as a serious wrestler. I never saw Bo on NXT and don't know how he would function if they weren't having him play the fool. If he can't get anywhere with his current gimmick, maybe we'll yet be finding out.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

Almost everyone on this thread has said "well I haven't really seen him on NXT" and then continue to say "midcarder at best" which to me makes absolute sense. These responses are completely generated from how Bo Dallas has been treated on the main roster. If you want to see his potential, if you want to see his ability, watch NXT. We've seen Neville we've seen Zayn and if you watch NXT you'd know their potential, but if you just analyze their performances on the main roster they are "midcarders at best".

That's not a fair judgment, because Bo was one of the few NXT champions for a reason. His mic work is extremely solid, has already exhibited natural charisma and poise but for some reason WWE has chosen to make him more like Santino Marella than the 2000 Kurt Angle who I thought this gimmick was originally imitating. It's hard to take him seriously because they've legitimately made him a jobber, no different than Heath Slater. In my opinion, that is a HUGE waste. He is a 3rd generation machine who was bred for this business and could actually put on great matches if given time, which he has yet to receive. No star can really succeed without a decent amount of time in their matches and Bo has yet to receive that. I think at this rate his image will be damaged so poorly they might have to repackage him to ascend up the card, but IMO he definitely has the potential to be even better than his brother is. They could possibly be the next real life brother feud over the WWE title, ala Bret and Owen, but it all depends if WWE creative can stop making Bo look like a jobber and Bray look like a fool (constantly talking trash to top stars/legends only to lose every time).

 

[DCLXVI]

I don't dislike Bo, but he definitely did not translate well into the WWE. His gimmick kind of grew organically in NXT with the small crowd, where he was a Face the crowd hated so he gradually found that role/character as a Heel.

He is young, so time is on his side. He's 24, 3rd generation wrestler whose brother is being groomed to be the next Undertaker.

Right now he is the "token jobber" who comes out, makes challenges and gets squashed. Including interrupting Sting. That isn't a horrible place to be, considering they will always need a guy to do that. I've also seen shades of more anger and seriousness in tone lately before he gets to the "BO-LIEVE!" schtick which has already worn out its welcome... so who knows what will come of that.

If we are talking making him a "serious" competitor - he is missing a few pieces of the puzzle. He has the most boring ring gear you can possibly have, a shitty finisher (worst in the company), the name "Bo Dallas", and he isn't big or defined. Dean Ambrose is in better shape and wrestles in a t-shirt. He wrestled Ryback and it looked like Ryback was wrestling one of the random jobbers he used to beat every night.

He had a confusing introduction to the main roster and they horribly botched his return from injury (unless the goal was just to make him a jobber), so we'll see what happens from here.

 

[boozinjedi]

Some here have noticed that when he got squashed by Ryback.....out comes big brother for the save,so to say....
Are they going to have the 2 Rotunda boys working together more??
Will Daddy show up somewhere back stage?
How many will get that "inside" joke?

Curiouser and curiouser

 

[Navi]

I've never really known what to think about Bo Dallas since he debuted. They made a huge deal about the 1 and Bo and the 10 and Bo and so on and so forth. Once he lost though, out the window with that little gimmick. He isn't in the most fantastic shape for a guy his age, you would think if he's wrestling without a shirt he might want to be a little more cut.

Thinking though it just might be because he looks so much like his brother, especially now that he has the beard. I'm not a fan of Wyatt and it's kind of turning me off Bo as well. Creative is clearly at a loose end with both of them, and putting them together, well that won't work either. Bray Wyatt might elevate Dallas to the mid card, but Dallas will bring Wyatt down a peg or two. Yea I have no clue as to where he's going, it's not like there is a shortage of wrestler's for him to wrestler against either.

 

[Alastor]

He is paying his dues on the main roster right now. Most if not all of the wrestlers on the main roster are talented. Sometimes it isn't that the guy not getting pushed is not talented, but WWE is invested in other wrestlers at the moment.

The joker heel jobber role can be shared between Slater and Bo at the moment so he has his place on the card. Bo is at least more interesting than Adam Rose.

Just look at Cody who's just 29 going 30. He is much better than Bo and is stuck at doing the Stardust gimmick for almost a year due to the cluster at midcard.

 

[kadroan]

This is the third post of the series, "A Serious Debate!!

Bo Dallas, A guy who can get connected with a crowd so easily. He is young, just 24, and he still got a plenty of time to groom into a great star. But it seems like WWE had dropped balls on him. I can be either wrong or absolutely right, I'm not the backstage booker or creative writer anyhow. He's decently good in the ring, a natural entertaining heel magnet, natural in the mic and more than just an entertainer.

But since his debut in the main roster, he was getting crappy and crappy. He limited his moves to just a Clothesline and The Running Bo-Dog. He put on some weights around his belly and he started to look not good as how he should be for his age.

His Undefeated streak was just a disdain against all the jobbers in the Roster (Yeah that absolutely includes Jack Swagger and Mark Henry).

Then he got injured.. Unfortunately it came in a pretty wrong time. But this time the complain should be on Bo-Dallas. Wade Barrett injured his shoulder and was out of action for more than 4 months and when he came back he had the "holy cow is that really him??" look! But look at Bo-Dallas!! He got more crappy (albeit not talking about his beard). He got more fat and got a belly (correct me if I'm wrong in this). Has he got complacent with himself? He's just 24, he got a long career. He should've worked more on his looks than just changing the way how his face looks.

Is he really impotent? Or is he a talent getting wasted? Let's start this debate! Cheers!!

I haven't seen much of him to make an accurate judgement of him. It's good he gets a reaction. From the little I've seen of him, he could be like The Miz, versatile wrestler who can fit in multiple roles - midcard and tag.

I wish him and Bray would do work together. I think they'd be great.

 

[DCLXVI]

I wish him and Bray would do work together. I think they'd be great.

I have to disagree here. Keep them as far away from one another as possible. Slapping Bo on Bray just because they are real life brothers does him no favors. Bray is on a different planet in terms of playing that character. They used to tag when both worked as Faces in developmental. I've seen a couple matches, including one against Sandow and someone else... wasn't anything special. Although Bray was Husky Harris at that time in all fairness.

Harlem Heat were real life brothers but Stevie Ray was never going to be a singles champion (other than that angle where he was defending the belt in WCW for his brother out of jealousy while Booker T was injured, lol). Keep them separate and let each carve their own niche.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Something seemed to change for the worse since his return. In terms of character he has definitely regressed, from being the "motivational guy" to a darker, nastier, snark...

From a physical standpoint you could say his look has regressed, but bear in mind his genetics, neither Mike Rotundo, Barry Windham, Blackjack Milligan or his brother have been chiselled out of granite...

I think all of the recent issues are heading to a "family" reunion with Bo joining Bray as a member of a new Wyatt family. I could see Bo going out and finally "losing Bo-leif" in himself and Wyatt being the one to give him a direction.

The one thing the ESPN doc showed well is that it is only too late, once it is too late... they have nothing to lose by letting him loose or trying something new with him.

But you also have to accept that some guys ARE going to be jobbers... that's not a bad thing. A 10-15 year jobber career on $250k is worth more than one year as the World Champion if it doesn't last... I liken Dallas to someone like Rick Martel or Jacques Rougeau, and his own father... never going to go to the top but a safe pair of hands on your roster in that lower mid-card spot. Dallas, Adam Rose, Heath Slater... all are perfect in that role and can be for years to come... if they think "the push" is coming for them, then that's where they will fail and do something silly. If Santino hadn't been hurt he would STILL be there... that's what Dallas should be going for...

Think about it, how much money did Mike Rotundo make in his 20+ year career without being a World Champion? Answer is MORE than Uncle Barry who was a World Champion... same applies to Dustin and Duthy...

 

[whoopin' ass]

Honestly, his character is boring. If he was Kurt Angle type character - someone known with a legit background - then this could be interesting as he talks about how good he was because he Bo-lieved in himself, how Bo-lieving in himself earned him a medal, etc. You have that self-absorbed heel who thinks because he was successful, people should imitate him(not that it will make them successful since they are not him but they should still imitate him). But we don't have that. Instead we have just another guy saying how good he is and how people should Bo-lieve in him for no real reason. It is just a generic heel so why would anyone want to get behind him? It is another case of X-Pac heat - they don't boo because he is a heel, they boo because the literally don't like the character and would rather watch anyone else. As well, the look is off. He should have short hair and stay clean shaven. The character is supposed to be that sort of all-American jock and when you think of that classic look, it isn't long hair. In the end, it is a character based off of one idea - the name. Since his name is Bo, "go out there and tell them how you Bo-lieve in yourself" but that is about as much character development as they did. He may be good as a wrestler but we all know that it is the character that determines how you wrestle and right now, he is a dud.

 

[CalciferBoheme]

I understand him not being a main event guy. Not everyone can be and it's time we stopped looking at midcarders as something worthless. When I was a kid, everyone had something to offer and most people had favorites from all over the card.


What bothers me with Bo currently is that he's not being allowed to put on competitive matches. He connects great with a crowd, but he needs to stop getting destroyed whenever he starts crap with people. That keeps happening and it won't matter how entertaining his promos are. It's one things for a guy to pop him in the mouth and have him retreat when it's not a match. But from bell to bell he needs to fight back.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I sometimes get the feeling that Dallas' use in WWE is part of him paying his dues. At 24 years old, he's been involved in wrestling since he was 18 years old, but his entire career was spent in FCW and NXT before he came to the main roster. He as no reputation on the indie circuit that he could parlay into a better spot, he had no experience or standing in places like ROH, New Japan, All Japan, Noah, AAA, CMLL, TNA, etc. so the argument of Dallas not deserving a big push or spot at this time has some significant weight behind it, in my opinion. Besides, if he was getting a huge push, was about to get one or had already gotten one, you know there'd be complaints from the locker room, dirt sheet writers and fans that he wasn't ready.

When you look at his character, I think it's fairly obvious that he's probably not gonna be a big deal because he's just too harmless. He's good for a laugh, he's good for getting under people's skin, but he's no credible threat to anyone. There's a ton of time for Dallas to be repackaged at any given point and I could see him making his mark in the mid-card and tag team scenes over the next 5 or 6 years, possibly heading into the main event picture depending on how things go.

 

[Wald]

I honestly like the guy and feel they should have run with his undefeated streak. In fact, given how obnoxious his character is, I'd still go with that and have the guy come out and say his won - loss record is reset for some bogus reason and that from here on out he will remain undefeated. The really obnoxious thing I'd do with him then is to have constantly fight enhancement talent (no name jobbers) on Raw, Smackdown and Main Event so that he started building a win streak, but obviously a very tainted one.

Eventually I'd have him face off against someone like Big Show or another monster wrestler, have Bo beat him and turn him in to a Boliever. Bo now has a bodyguard to help him bully and beat more established names and build his 'undefeated' streak up.

Lot of money in that as a midcard angle but WWE don't really do midcard angles any more.