Are We Overlooking Darren Young?

[Hard Hit Prince]

We all know D-Young, because in some way, shape or form the guy has managed to get himself in good television spots and managing to always be overlooked. Since his early days with Percy Watson in a tag team, to his run in the Nexus and as a part of The Prime Time Players he's always been perceived as the worse part of it.

Now that's a statement!! As a part of Prime Time Players he was always no match to the physique upside of Titus O'Neil, but he sure hell is the guy with most agility in the team and it's not like he's dead weight when it comes to wrestling a match. He's proven in various outlets that he can go, specially in the midcard scene. As far as his mic ability the guy is good as he is, he's a fun babyface, he gets his jokes in the right spot and he's somehow charismatic. Maybe that's an homosexual stereotype being played to a pulp, but it sure hell looks like that.

Now he ain't main event material, but to his advantage he's been in WWE for over 5 years and he isn't being over exposed nor does he have a DVD compilation of worthy matches. But he's still (no pun intended) young. Reaching 30 years and growing at baby steps he's been giving good performances in his rivalry against Titus O'Neil, he has shown some personality and some reasons that back the fact that I think he's been overlooked.

I know Titus is the "man" to push, but if history proves me right, sometimes the "man" can't make it and it's for the surprise of everyone that the worse part of a former team is the one that gets to entertain us all. Some examples can go from Miz/Morrison and Dibiase/Cody Rhodes. You also remember that time where Gangrel was going to be the man? At the time there were a lot of reasons to believe it, but by faith of some good delivery, luck and constant work the worse part made it! Another advantage for Darren Young is the fact that he's an open gay man. I know that this should not be an advantage, but in the business world looking like a company that supports being gay is good business to create awareness - so he can have the outlet to at least stay in WWE for other 5 years and 5 years may mean better opportunities right? One should never give up as it's been stated by John Cena, many, many, many, really MANY times!!

Some people compare him to John Cena and can that be a bad thing? I don't see it that way and he's as good as the 2002/2003 debuting John Cena!! Maybe the right gimmick can help him get over, we never know in wrestling... and that is what makes it FUN!

So lets speculate on Darren Young's future!! Do you think he's gonna be released? Do you find him generic as they come? Do you actually kinda agree with me? Who knows!! Let's go, discuss guys!! Better and more constructive replies get reputation!!

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The Cena-Alike aspect probably hurts more than hinders but as Cena steps back it might work to his advantage as some of his fans "switch over" to Young...

I don't think he's been overlooked as such but to an extent since he came out, he doesn't "need" the push/attention and it's a fine line to tread. As liberal as WWE is as a company (far more forward thinking than many entertainment/sports companies, they had an openly gay man as their #2 in charge for nearly 20 years) a lot of it's fans and dollars come from people who are not as liberal. Now I'm not saying the Westboro fuckwits are gonna necessarily show up, but they could... fans of that mentality (idiots) may boycott the promotion etc... sure it's no real loss but it could stir up controversy and feed these idiots rather than help Young or WWE and I am sure they want to avoid that situation as they had all those PTC issues in the past.

Having an openly gay "Superstar" is a good thing from the GLAAD/Be A Star perspective but again, too much push and it gets dismissed as "It's cos he's gay" rather than "cos he's equal and talented" and that is then counter productive to all concerned.

They are a PG show so if they make too much reference to it then it invites little kids to have that "awkward question" moment with their parents. Some parents will of course handle this appropriately others will simply change the channel back to Sesame Street or whatever the little ones watch these days lol.

Young's problem at the moment is there isn't enough ELSE about him in the ring, on the mic or as a WWE superstar to push to the moon. Titus has the better all round skill set, but by keeping Young involved in that feud, he will get some of the reflected glory of Titus's rise and if he puts in some good matches and brings in an element of his life, but not the whole thing then people will start to look at him as more than "The Gay Wrestler" or "the black Cena". That's when he can get his own push and we see where he ends up.

They are going to take their time and get this right because of one guy... Chris Kanyon - while Orlando Jordan was openly bi he was also a complete dick backstage and brought his firing on himself. Kanyon however was gay in that locker room for a long time and felt unable to tell people and he ultimately committed suicide. Young has taken a different path already, but WWE has to be seen to look after Young after what happened to Kanyon... it wasn't their fault, but it kinda happened on (or shortly after) their watch and had a guy of Kanyon's undoubted talent been around today it would have been different for him I'm sure. Kanyon was very well liked in the locker room and no one in WWE would ever want to see that happen again, so Young will get the considered and correct push/treatment, not the rushed push, boom and bust.

 

[Mustang Sally]

So lets speculate on Darren Young's future!! Do you think he's gonna be released?

My guess is the only reason he hasn't been released already is because they need him for a brief feud with his ex-tag team partner. After Darren is crushed and Titus is launched on his singles career, I wouldn't be surprised to see Darren future endeavored.

On the other hand, he was off TV for so long after being tossed from Nexus that I thought he had already been released back then. It was a pleasant surprise to have the company finally find something for him to do. Frankly, I liked Darren more than Titus as far as ring work goes; he's a far better wrestler with a tight, compact physique. Though a lot of folks seem to be crazy about Titus, I find him to be an awkward, gangling ring worker with a pronounced gut that gives him a stride similar to a sailor's rolling gait.

Still, after his feud with Titus, I hope they find something for Darren quickly, 'cause he's gonna need to stay relevant in order to stay employed, imo.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When compared to Titus O'Neil overall, Young just isn't that special. For instance, Titus' promo last night was flat out great; we've always known that Titus is the more charismatic of the two and he's always been much more comfortable on the mic. That's not to say that Young isn't a solid mid-card guy, but I see more money in Titus O'Neil.

I don't see WWE future endeavoring Darren Young. For one thing, and we all know this COULD happen, there'd be some sort of backlash from GLAAD and other gay rights organizations if Young was released. Darren Young is the first wrestler in WWE to publicly announce that he's gay while still an active wrestler. It's gotten him some appearances on mainstream television, he's been covered by ESPN & Sports Illustrated, he's made appearances in schools talking to kids about what it means to be gay, etc. If WWE released him anytime soon, it's all but certain that someone would try to make it all about the fact that Darren Young is gay. A LOT of equal rights groups and activists frequently want to make certain issues a central theme of a controversy even if it doesn't exist. How often have we seen Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton in front of news cameras screaming racism whenever some controversy comes about if someone involved is black? I'd bet money that someone from some gay rights organization or organizations would go the same route with Darren Young. Hell, Young himself might go the route. All he'd have to do is go in front of a television camera and recount some of the times he heard someone in the WWE locker room or WWE management use the words "queer" or "******" when he was in earshot, no matter if it never even took place. All he'd have to do is make the accusation and the damage would be done.

All in all, Young coming out may well have been a smart business move for himself. I'm sure he's aware that a company as large as WWE has to be image conscious. WWE is a multi-billion dollar company, and management of companies that large MUST be image conscious whether they want to be or not. It's the downside of having the kind of success that WWE has.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's kinda smart like you say, in the same way Michael Sam is smart to come out just before the draft... if he was a lower pick this will bump him up because the teams won't want to be seen "not bidding for him"... he won't go #1 or anything but he'll get a better team and deal than before...

They won't release him for a while if at all, but they don't HAVE to push him much to keep the image side sorted... he only needs a Kofi style role, not to have titles etc...

 

[klunderbunker]

Darren Young is just not interesting. Aside from him being openly gay, there is absolutely nothing that makes him stand out.

He's in good shape, just like a lot of other people on the roster. He's passable in the ring, just like a lot of other people on the roster. He's apparently a hard worker, just like a lot of other people on the roster.

At the end of the day, he's a generic wrestler with a name that could be on any cubicle in any accounting office. There's no reason to care about him other than one reason which is far too big of a deal to just throw out there. He likely won't get released due to his orientation, but there's no reason to keep him around otherwise. That's not a knock on him as he's certainly not bad or anything, but there's nothing that makes me interested in seeing him perform.

 

[LODemolition]

O'Neil is clearly the break-out guy of the Prime Time Players. Much more physically impressive and much more charisma. He'll be the one to get the push. That said, Young will not be released anytime in the near future. Being the only openly gay man on the roster has given him great job security in all honesty. I'm not saying that's why he came out, just stating a fact. They wouldn't dare release him unless he violated the substance policy or something of that nature.

Also, I'm really glad they gave this feud a spot on the ppv. I said that it deserved it a few weeks ago, but I figured they would have it resolved on Raw or SD in typical screw-up fashion. Good move by creative to put them on the card.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

I know that Titus is by far the most talented guy in the duo and I'm excited for his future, this rivalry however can be good for both man. I don't see Young as a guy that can't add anything, because he can build his own future in the midcard scene. He's not that bad of a worker and in promos he doesn't fare that bad as most would expect in his position and his relevancy, thus why I created this thread to hear you all and I've gotta say, the guys/gals that replied here gave some good 401 on their opinions and I respect that, it makes this a lot more fun...

Obviously his sexual orientation created a safe spot for him for the time being. He can help the company and helping the company will most likely mean, help Darren Young. He's a cool kid, people in the backstage area respect him and don't have a bad thing to say about him. Politics are a factor. I'm not that really against his name like KB and if he's put into some fresh lower/midcard programs he can be a good asset. He's taking babysteps and I believe that the guy has some talent and he just needs to find himself to be more relevant - however that task can take years or just this feud to propel it - who knows? My point however of him being overlooked is not wrong, because he's always been perceived as the worse part of something and he's been proving his critics wrong, so I say, go for it kid!

 

[laodaron]

To be honest, I feel as though while Titus might be the breakout, these two could put on a several month feud that really opens up their stock options in the company. If I'm Darren Young, and I see Titus about to get his push, you better believe I'm going to do damn near everything to grab ahold and have him drag me along.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

I don't know what there is about Darren Young that would make anyone think he is overlooked.

Overlooked for what?

He's okay, but I don't see anything there that would make him deserving of being moved up in the pecking order. Other than a self-serving, "look-at-us" push that the WWE could possibly do, just to pat themselves on the back for pushing an openly gay wrestler.