Better Re-Packaging: Funkasaurus or Lord Tensai?

[Pay Per Ghost]

SO this wrecking ball who was working in the ME/Curtain Jerker of ADR vs Edge last year. True he has not wrestling but just being there was a huge coup for the rookie. Slowly he was being built as a monster heel and then it all dropped and back to Superstars/NXT it was for him. However, in a few months this tub of a man went from his NXT Rookie days as an unstoppable monster, a suplex-machine of sorts to...

Well it was fun. I liked the absolute stunned silence it brought, then the moves and gyrating was funny, and then he was put in a good feud and now he can perform. And I do believe he can perform well. Here is a talent is just balls out fun but you can also get a smash-mouth in your face match that can deliver. The man is charismatic to boot, and I do think he will get more over.

And then we have-

He had a forgettable run. First as Trish's bitch, then as a heavy for two too-old cruiser-weights, ending with ginormous back hair and a meaningless Taker feud. Best we forget. So he takes his break, goes to the oriental and does re-invent himself as reported by the more informed of us. Basically, A-Trainsun had arrived!

With tricks! His character has now made its first impact by picking up a CLEAN, mind you it was NO DQ, victory over Cena. He has had the chance to hone is craft and is bringing something different to the table rather than a generic big-man villain. The entrance, gear, tattoos and Little Side-Kick all give it an air of uniqueness.


And then there is Clay. With dancers...


Whose made the bigger impact?

Who excites you more?

And who will have more longevity?

 

[mdj2010]

Great question! These are two superstars who have been repackaged to avoid the obvious, the clichéd and the 'nothing'. I was instantly a fan of Brodus 'Funkasaurus' Clay. Not because it was brand new, but because it harped back to a time in wrestling where characters were allowed to be fun, but still be serious competitors in the ring. The obvious inspirations are there: 'Akeem', 'Dusty' and 'The GodFather' and wrestling fans are starting to get it. They are popping louder and louder each time he comes through the curtain, because they know they are going to get a few minutes of fun and laughter, with 60 seconds of ass kicking sandwiched in-between.

As for Tensai? Well, it's hard to say. It is interesting that his time in Japan actually creates the same kind of 'legitimacy' they are focussing on as part of Lesnar's return push. However, the element of legitimacy is lost in this case, as people just can't help but think of Prince Albert: about as graceful a character name as Bastion Booger, thanks to its phallic connotations.

So, I would have to say that the Brodus repackaging has worked the best.

 

[cmm8749]

I think WWE has done great with both characters however if there is one thing I would change, it would be Brodus Clay's ring gear. Having a logo that kind of looks like 3 condoms attached to a base really does not go well for WWE's PG crowd.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

Even though both characters are a bit over the top for my taste nowadays, I'd have to say Brodus Clay's repackaging has worked best so far.

It looks like WWE is trying to go back to the 80s style of over-the-top cartoonish characters with these two. As someone who grew up watching wrestling in that era, I kinda dig it. But I also like the gritter, more "real" wrestling characters nowadays, so I'm wondering if this is a good move by WWE.

I admit that I wasn't a fan of Brodus Clay when he first came in through NXT, and I thought this "Funkasaurus" character was pretty cheesy at first. Now, I think it's starting to catch on a bit. I see a lot of the red T-shirts in the crowd (I kinda want one myself). Plus, they finally took him out of basic squash matches against jobbers (now that he fixed his game a bit) and put him into a program with "Swaggler." Curious to see how it goes.

I think it's still a bit early on in the process to really gauge Lord Tensai (Matt Bloom/Albert), being as he's only had a few matches. But, apparently, they have enough faith in the character to put him over Cena barely a month into his run. I've never been a fan of Bloom in any of his incarnations and hope he isn't immediately thrust into the WWE title picture, but I'm willing to give him some rope to see what happens.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

Brodus Clay is the bastard son of Flash Funk, Rikishi and Ernest "The Cat" Miller, all three of which I found MUCH more entertaining than Brodus Clay.

Lord Tensai (Regardless of what Michael Cole and WWE.com says, "Tensai" means "Genious" or "Prodigy", NOT "Destruction" or "Disaster") has some potential, but I'm getting less impressed by the week with his character, and his look once he take to kimono and mask off is... laughable, not frightening.

 

[aza1294]

Tough to say at the moment with Tensai only recently re-debuting, but I'd give the edge to the funkasaurus as he is crazy entertaining. RAW is mainly a serious show except for Santino so it is nice to be amused for a small part of RAW before the important parts of the show resume. On the other hand Tensai shows promise but the way i see him now he seems like the early version of Umaga (with the manager,can't recall his name) which I HATED. I may have my mind changed in the future by good ol' fat albert, but for now i give it Brodus

 

[mike1215]

Tensai is hilarious and can wrestle his ass off. Clay can be funny, but normally he's not. And he can't wrestle. They are both where they should be right now.

 

[BigRedPunk]

Whose made the bigger impact?
As of last night on RAW, Lord Tensai has technically made the bigger impact due to somewhat cleanly pinning John Cena. And he probably wont' have much if any squash matches anymore.

Who excites you more?
I'm still giving Tensai chances but as of right now Brodus Clay excites me more.

And who will have more longevity?
Well since Tensai looks like he will be a main eventer he may be around longer but the crowd still doesn't seem all that interested in his bland and stiff style and neither I'm I.

 

[jrichardson25]

Tough to say at the moment with Tensai only recently re-debuting, but I'd give the edge to the funkasaurus as he is crazy entertaining. RAW is mainly a serious show except for Santino so it is nice to be amused for a small part of RAW before the important parts of the show resume. On the other hand Tensai shows promise but the way i see him now he seems like the early version of Umaga (with the manager,can't recall his name) which I HATED. I may have my mind changed in the future by good ol' fat albert, but for now i give it Brodus

Umaga's manager= Armando Alejandro Estrada!

Now for a response:

I'm giving the edge to Clay simply because he's been on TV longer at this point. Tensai has the ability and they have enough faith in him and the character to already put him over Cena (already noted). My fear with Tensai is they might try to just push him to the title way too soon. I feel like he needs to burn for a while. Destroying opponents everywhere would be a good place to start. I mean that in terms of credible stars not "jobbers".

Clay is legitimately entertaining when he comes on screen. I dislike his ring gear but that's just a personal thing... not really the point... He comes out and the fans love it, myself included. I think that Clay can eventually get a US/IC title and possibly flirt with the main event. As far as much more than that.... unsure.

 

[Cabana]

Clay, because he's actually getting over with the crowd. Tensai's a cool idea, but it's being played off wrong. The idea is that Albert reinvented himself in Japan? So, have the guy give an interview where he explains that he was stuck in the midcard here, went to Japan and learned it all over again from the ground up, became a WORLD CHAMPION (Japan is distant enough that WWE can recognize its prominence) and is back to conquer the biggest mountain of all. Be sure to include pics/footage of his Giant Bernard run, and make it clear to the fans that this guy is a main eventer now, and guys in the back who are in the know (Punk/Bryan would be perfect for this) are scared to death of him. Also, ditch the kung fu arm motions. That's just a little too over the top. Presto! You've got yourself an upper-midcard Tensai. You could even make him the muscle of the People Power stable (Otunga + Tensai: Tag champions, Lesnar the lead guy.)

 

[samyouwell]

I like both gimmicks quite alot.
I liked the shock value of when Brodus came back and just how brilliant the reaction to him and i enjoy how well he interacts with the crowd. I think he will be a very good mid-card dominator who also is a fan favourite.

Tensai's 'return' or 'debut' has been very good in my opinion. He started two matches with squashes but seemed very powerful in those matches. He then got a clean win over Cena, which is a smart move by WWE to give Tensai main event action straight away, otherwise he will just be another mid-carder with way too much potential.

 

[celtics342]

Define "clean win". otunga distracted cena then tensai spit in his face to win. That was probably less of a clean finish than any of Daniel Bryans matches

 

[S.J. Maximus]

definitely Lord Tensai, seeing as how I had NO RESPECT for him in the Attitude Era as Albert and none as A-Train. This Tensai character is unique and he seems to be playing it well mostly because he doesn't speak too much and "big Japanese heels" seem to be successful in WWE regardless if they're actually Japanese or not (see Yokozuna).

As for Brodus, I haven't enjoyed either of his characters. While the Funkasaurus is definitely better than being Del Rio's bitch, his lack of rhythm and mic skills make his character look entirely unbelievable. He just doesn't have the charisma of Too Cool or the rhythm that Rikishi had when they were given a similar gimmick. He often looks out of sync and out of place during his entrance and every mic segment he's had so far (which hasn't been many thank god) has shown him trying way too hard to be cool. Apparently Road Dogg has been working with him but I find that hard to believe since Road Dogg is one of the best to ever hold a mic and Brodus sucks

 

[rerun406]

Whose made the bigger impact?

well Tensai is coming off the big win over Cena (not clean .. since Otunga interfered and tensai had to use Green mist) so he gets the edge here

Who excites you more?

Clay. i admittedly hated him at first, but he's starting to grow on me

And who will have more longevity?

I see Clay lasting longer, comedic gimmicks can be proven successful in the WWE (look at Santino) and most of all people react to Clay

you can't say the same for Tensai, the most reactions he got were for a former character he played. I don't see a major player/main eventer lasting long with the crowd largely indifferent on him. To be big time, people need to care about you, and unfortunately Tensai doesn't have that yet, but it's only 3 weeks and he did just beat Cena.

**if Brock goes on to feud with CM Punk, that takes away from a potential spot Tensai could have had, but we'll see how things develop.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Define "clean win". otunga distracted cena then tensai spit in his face to win. That was probably less of a clean finish than any of Daniel Bryans matches

No DQ.

Now then, I felt this was the best ti to ask ths question as Tensai was not really generating any roll and a week prior it would've been all Clay here. Last night changed everything. The man is entertaining with his arsenal and antics. Kinda not happy with his bright gear and all and his shape but lets see.

 

[vampirek]

The thing is the character of Lord Tensai will burn out quickly, a couple of losses here and there and he'll be in the midcard lost. He'll just replace the role Kane has been for many of years, a believable strong guy that 9 times out of 10 loses in main event matches to push over the faces.
Clay on the other hand, whilst the gimmick is nothing new in terms of the dancing, has that little edge that he can go serious in the ring and I can't see it burning out as quickly due to that. He is a slow burner and currently unique, given the right storylines he can be a credible midcarder. Plus he appeals more to the crowd which is always a good thing.

So in essence Lord Tensai will be nothing more than what A-Train was whereas Clay has evolved to actually becoming more with this gimmick than just being a heavy hitter.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Whose made the bigger impact?
Lord Tensai. He defeated John Cena who is the "Face" of the WWE.

Who excites you more?
Lord Tensai. He actually wrestles and doesn't dances like a ******. Brodus Clay is a waste of time.

And who will have more longevity?
Lord Tensai. People don't care about the goofy characters much and easily forget them For example Look at Disco Inferno, Ernest "The Cat" Miller,etc.

 

[FightOwensFight]

I would say I am enjoying the Funkasaurus better than Tensai. It is just tough to reintroduce someone that everyone clearly knows was someone else. Tensai made a name for himself as Albert/A-Train (at least enough of one that people chant it when he wrestles). With Clay he never really established himself as anything so it is easier to except him as the Funkasaurus. The same could be said for Sheffield/Ryback. You aren't hearing "Brodus" chants when Funkasaurus is out and you don't hear "Skip" chants when Ryback is in the ring.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

You aren't hearing "Brodus" chants when Funkasaurus is out and you don't hear "Skip" chants when Ryback is in the ring.

Because Brodus Clay is his name. Funkasaurus is just his gimmick. He is "Funkasaurus" Brodus Clay not just "Funkasaurus"

Ryback (Skip Sheffield) is on Smackdown.Smackdown is taped and they edit all the cheers, boos, and chants and replace it with fake sounds.

 

[tomthebodz]

Whose made the bigger impact?

Tensai, although Brodus has been around longer. Tensai has one 2/3 matches by referee's decision. It's made him look more destructive. He has a better move set. He seems to be a more serious contender for titles.

Who excites you more?

Brodus. He seems more athletic in the ring and in NXT he had a brilliant move set. He just needs to drop the Funkasaurus gimmick,and use the Tonga death grip choke slam again.

And who will have more longevity?

Brodus. Tensai has been in WWE before, they tried to push him and he never got over. I just can't see him getting over as Lord Tensai.

 

[rerun406]

No DQ.

Now then, I felt this was the best ti to ask this question as Tensai was not really generating any roll and a week prior it would've been all Clay here. Last night changed everything. The man is entertaining with his arsenal and antics. Kinda not happy with his bright gear and all and his shape but lets see.

just because Tensai-Cena was no DQ/Extreme Rules doesn't mean it was a clean finish. Tensai had outside help from Otunga who broke up a submission attempt and the finish came after green mist to Cena's eyes

but a win's a win and clean or not Tensai pinned Cena

as for Brodus Clay, he is more known for the dancing and other antics but I think he has a ton of upside and maybe down the line his character can be tweaked so he can be taken more seriously down the line

 

[#heel420]

I like them both. Brodus Clay's gimmick is like Flash Funk and Taz had a baby. And Lord Tensai can be a great monster heel if he is pushed right and that victory over Cena last night was a good start.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

Brodus Clay. Why? He's over witht he fans
Before he was probably more boring than a divas match.

Lord Tensai is still about as over as A-Train was, just with a fresher gimmick

 

[Rockyfolifebo!!!]

Me personally, I'm going to go with Clay. I hated Clay during his first run. I thought he was boring, and another clone (just bigger) to the roster. Then they come out with this fresh new character! Walking out dancing, yelling out his moves, sexy dancers on his side, addicting funky theme music. It's all cool! Plus he's actually pretty good in the ring for a guy his size. I said it earlier, he actually reminds me of Rikishi. (that's a compliment!)

As for Lord Tensai, I gotta say I'm a little disappointed. I don't know why, but I feel that he needs a better gimmick. Why couldn't he just be Albert again?! Plus he's not getting over with the crowd, WWE is constantly collecting "Albert" and "A-Train" signs from the crowd. His gimmick is just cheesy to me. I'll take him more serious if his gimmick changes.

 

[Tully]

I like Clay's Funkasaurus more than Albert's Tensai. The Funkasaurus WORKS (see: every crowd pop he gets when his music hits). His flabby gut is part of his gimmick and works.

Tensai OTOH has a decent entrance, etc....but then he takes off his mask and outfit and it's just another Big Fat White Guy. Gone is the illusion that he's some sort of "Lord" or has any 'Oriental' background. It's just flabby Albert with a fat belly.