Charlie Haas' new gimmick(s)

[Father:_Polley]

Well over the last few weeks, it would appear Creative have finally found a way to get Charlie Haas over with the crowd by taking other gimmicks and using them to get the crowd to cheer. I was shocked when I heard Haas actually manage to get a reaction.

The irony is...Charlie Haas has actually managed to make this gimmick work unlike the Big Show's attempt to do the same thing several years ago.

Is a win over JBL the start of a mini push for a man who has floundered shockingly since his seperation from Shelton Benjamin?

 

[Shock]

In my opinion, this is great. Charlito was okay. The John Cena thing was great. But the JBL... it makes me want to buy his product. Charlie Haas is a good wrestler anyway and is hopefully getting a push.

 

[Rug3r]

This gimmick won't last long, it will get old quick. After that, Haas needs to step up his business and form a real good character because I don't see how he can survive without this gimmick.

 

[Twanfusco]

It was ok for the cena impersonation cos it got a cheap pop and the fans thot it was him, and it was ok for jbl cos he's hated and any1 taking the piss out of him is good but who next? Theres no left to impersonate that would continue this gimmick, batista maybe. I agree tho that this could be a stepping stone and the way i'd do it is have him impersonate another huge heel like say jericho or orton, and the retaliate by beating the crap out of him and sidelining him. Then at some point down the line he takes his revenge (leaving the gimmick behind) and costs said heel a match/title. The next step wouldnt necessarily be to enter into a feud with a huge star like jericho but perhaps one of their associates like dibease, rhodes or cade. Thenhe would be teaming with main event faces like michaels, batista, punk ect. Im not suggesting that haas shud be promoted this high as others a more capable of this same path i.e kofi kingston but this is where i would go with the gimmick bcos it doesnt have longevity at all and will become very stale and boring very quickly. If the fans love it, and orton kick to put him out wud only generate more heat for orton but if the fans hate this gimmick the i guess a face would have to put haas down, like i guess a returning cena but heres hoping this gimmick doesnt last that long.

 

[RosiePosieRock-n-Roll]

I have really been enjoying his new gimmick. I had totally forgot that Haas was a wrestler until 3 weeks ago. I actually watched his last few matches and I realized that I really liked him. I also have always enjoyed the comedy gimmicks right now cause lately raw has been week. And right now if it was not for people Haas or Santino I would not be watching Raw at all.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

Yeah, it's sad to say these but this is the first time Haas has been over in a while. He is a really great wrestler but the guy just cannot seem to connect with the fans as himself. Now people are starting to respond to him, while he is in a different character. It might just be pure comedy fun, and if so atleast he's getting a reaction now. I personally don't really like it, and feel it's going to have a limited run, but if he fans cheer Haas then I guess I'm for it.

 

[klunderbunker]

This gimmick screams 2 month run at me. Eventually, he's going to run out of people to parody, or it'll stop being funny. Haas is a jobber, plain and simple. He can go in the ring, but no one cares at all about him. Last night was one of the funniest things I've ever seen in months. He nailed it. He did the same the previous two weeks, but eventually he'll be Charlie Haas again and no one will care less about him. These parodies can only take him so far. They're getting a reaction out of the people though, so at least that's something. He's a funny guy, maybe this is what he needs to let people see that.

 

[Miko]

Yeah I have to agree with the general consesus, its funny now but I doubt it will be for all that much longer, but hey whatever gets the dude on TV.

The thing about Haas is he isnt bad on the mic, he has showed that he can talk at least and this is why I think they are doing this with him, hopefully they are just testing him to see if he can carry off a different gimmick with more talking involved or something like that as I really like him, he seems to be improving and has (from what Ive heard) made efforts for his own improvement.

Hopefully he Haas (bad I know) got a bright future with the WWE.

 

[Showtime]

Yea, I agree. I totally love the Charlie Haas parody gimmicks. What I love most is how he nails them almost perfectly, the moves in the matches, the mic work, hell I think he even shaved his eyebrows a bit to look more like Cena, that's dedication to detail. However, I don't see the longitivity in it. Sooner or later, he's going to run out of good people to imitate. It's a shame, because Charlie Haas is a talented wrestler, but he just hasn't been able to connect with the fans until now. But perhaps now that people are starting to notice that Haas is actually talented on the mic and funny, maybe he'll start to get a real push, a push where he can play himself. Vince I think should realize that maybe not everyone can be singles stars. Maybe Haas should just be that person who is always in the tag team picture. I would love to see him team with London (two multiple time tag champs with different partners, and hey, WWE isn't doing anything with London anyway, why not have them team up and help the tag division) or Regal could be a good partner if Haas were to ever go bad again. Either way, I enjoy the gimmick and look forward to watching everyweek until it dies out, hopefully never, but probably by next year. Hey imagine the speculation of who Haas would be if they had a gimmick battle royal at WM, I'd laugh so hard if he came out as himself.

 

[Lee]

Is a win over JBL the start of a mini push for a man who has floundered shockingly since his separation from Shelton Benjamin?

Honestly...No. I can't see this happening, whilst the gimmick seems to be pretty 'over' I can't see it lasting. As you pointed, Big Show had this gimmick and my personal favourite, Stevie Richards had this gimmick. Both fell flat.

At the end of the day there's one thing to look at; it's Charlie Haas, and whilst we may like his current gimmick, and I personally like his in ring and mic skills, I can't see it happening. Raw doesn't need another comedy guy, we have that in the poor excuse that is Santino Marella.

A win over JBL did nothing, JBL was still in the main event, it's the same as Eugene's win over Vince, or the Hurricane's over the Rock, it happened, but really it's not seen as a 'proper' victory.

I can see this getting old, fast.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

I just freakin' love it. Although I am a bit miffed about his pointless yet endearing mask gimmick failing to get over, it's nice to see Haas get a push again, however small. The parody of Carlito was right on the money - had I heard only his voice, I'd have thought it was the real deal! The Cena one was pretty good as well, but what'd have really put it over was if after taking a beating for 90% of the match, he'd do the super-human comeback thing and FU his opponent (I can't even remember who right now...was it D'Lo?) just like the real thing.

But CHL. Man, that is one of the most hilarious things I've witnessed on Raw in recent times (not counting Santino's stuff) and while the voice imitation wasn't perfect, his smile was dead on. And guess what? The fans were actually cheering for CHL. Okay, so everyone hates JBL, even most of the smarks, and virtually anyone can get over by dissing him, but I really felt like the fans connected with Haas during that segment.

Granted, it might just be a flash in the pan and will end whenever he runs out of people to parody (when we get to Hardcore Haally, it's time to stop.) but it's definitely good both for us fans and Haas himself. It's not gonna elevate him to anywhere, but at least he's been given something to do. Haas is a very talented performer, and one of the most underrated guys to ever be in WWE, in my opinion. It wouldn't take a lot of effort to turn him into a badass "wrestling machine" Dean Malenko type character, with which I think he could be very successful. But the main point here is, Charlie is finally getting over slightly. That's improvement right there. And entertainment.

 

[GNR8701]

Well, there are more people to parody, and it is good to parody people who take themselves serious and would take offense to it. Carlito and JBL are serious about who they are and even though Cena would enjoy a good laugh, he was not there. Guys like Orton, Rhodes, Dibiase, Santino, Jericho, Kane, Snitsky, Jamie Noble, William Regal, and Lance Cade would all definatly take offense to this.

That being said.... Everyone so far is right and this will not and can not last much longer. There is only one reason why this may work and that is because Haas is desperate. Stevie Richards and Big Show didn't need a gimmick like this, but Haas does so he will try harder to make it work.

No Chance in hell it reaches Survivor Series.

 

[Manjmonkey]

This gimmick is good not great. It's entertaining so far and its nice to see haas get a mini push but...it can only last so long before he runs out of decent people to copy and the crowd starts to ignore him again

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

I think its very entertaining. I laughed all three times we've had a chance at seeing it. I do agree though, with the people that say its eventually going to get old. But he's talented, so, how can they come out of this with a win for Charlie Haas?

I say, continue doing it and booking him against heels...even if he loses the majority of the matches. This way, the fans can cheer him. Santino is already a great heel comedic character, so the fans won't really get into booing Haas. Plus, we already have enough heels in the midcard on all three shows. Having Haas come out as a comedic face who the fans cheer by default allows them to get behind the guy even if he loses (which also maintains the "credibility" of the heels he faces). Have him come out on all three shows, not just Raw. That way, you can get him to impersonate a lot of other people, like The Brian Kendrick. Eventually, put him in an actual feud with one person in particular. JBL would've been perfect for it, but they've done it already. Then, when the fans are rooting for CHARLIE, not the impersonation, allow him to go back to just being Charlie Haas. Hopefully the fans stay with it and he's earned enough vigor to really keep the crowd involved and cheering him. Then, voila, you've got a legitimate face in the midcard out of Charlie Haas. Then its up to him to climb the ladder.

 

[salomon1080s]

I really don't see how this is any different then little petey pump or black machismo jay lethal. Now charlie haas has a gimmick by stealing other people gimmicks. Now this gives the guy a cheap pop and a weak personality. Like other people have said they are going to run out of people to parody and nobodies going to care about him again.

 

[Vagrant]

I absolutely love this idea and it's my personal highlight to look forward to on Monday nights. The Charlito character was extremely well parodied, the John Cena was well done (though I was hoping for another original name) and the CHL was absolutely brilliant. The moment I heard someone screaming from the trunk I knew it was him, and the entire segment had me laughing up a storm. I however am concerned with the longevity as well. I think there are enough superstars to parody, and maybe a good feud between one of them, but I don't know if fans will start cheering Haas when he returns back to his regular character. Only time will tell though, and til then I'll enjoy what we're being given.

 

[Darkshot77]

I say its a good gimmick and it could last if it is played right. I say they take his most succesfull one CHL and have him go on a winning streak with it. Make it become a semi-perminate character. I say take CHL and run with it.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

While anything that involves the individual being used on television weekly should be considered a push, I can almost guarantee it won't come equip with any Championships. I think Charlie Haas against Santino, with Haas dressing up AS Santino might be one of the best mid-card ideas yet.. but not in a 'serious' manner.

The thing with this gimmick is it's been done before. Stevie Richards did this way back in 1999 I believe. I remembered him dressing up as a member of the A.P.A. with a U.P.N. logo on his chest. Maybe that's all he did, I guess I'm not sure. But what I do know is this will be funny to the fans for as long as Haas can continue mocking people.. but sooner or later he'll run out of wrestlers off the roster.. and the gimmick will die.

Someone else mentioned they couldn't believe seeing Haas get over with a reaction. Well, technically this wasn't the first time a goofy gimmick got him over. Anyone remember Rico? When Haas and Rico formed a Tag team.. it actually got the type of comic reaction Santino gets.

It's sad because in the end, a guy as talented as Charlie Haas has the charisma and personality of a doornob. For now, it's slightly entertaining and worth a decent laugh. But it's not lasting beyond the end of the year, short of him being traded to another brand.

 

[chrisgod]

While this gimmick has been funny I think creative will need a plan to continue this push if they are planning to use Haas a serious wrestler anytime...

Haas is a talented one, so it shouldn't be a problem to start giving him more wrestling time so he can start stealing some move sets from his opponents, because since getting this gimmick the only 2 moves he has got were the intended F-U and an intended five knuckle shuffle...

For roster depth to be parodied I think he still has a lot to work with, as there is a HHH, Undertaker, the hardys, finlay, shelton benjamin... and eventually he could get a feud with someone who gets really pissed for the parody...

Anyways this only could be short lived and then Haas will have to work on his own persona...

 

[Mattyboy]

Sadly the gimmick will get old sooner rather than later, but its doing Haas so much good. Getting good crowd reactions shows he has some charisma to match his wrestling ability. I think they can push Haas to be like Angle or Benoit-a wrestling machine whos over based on his ability and a bit of mike work. Thats the logical next step for me, and i i think he'd be better off on Smackdown with the rest of the up and comers.Have him battle Shelton.

 

[Father:_Polley]

The thing is though, they tried to do that with Haas, pushing him for his ability and it led to the 'Haas Pop'. The guy is absolutely dead otherwise.

As for his mocking other wrestlers - it's hilarious and I actually laughed hard about the JBL imitation, and Charlie Haas has never got a reaction from me before. Ok, it's a short-lived gimmick, much like Show's attempts before, but for Charlie Haas, well the guy has tried everything he can to get over, including a mask. All has failed and if it works to get him going, well then I'm happy for the guy.

 

[donutman]

I really don't see how this is any different then little petey pump or black machismo jay lethal. Now charlie haas has a gimmick by stealing other people gimmicks. Now this gives the guy a cheap pop and a weak personality. Like other people have said they are going to run out of people to parody and nobodies going to care about him again.

You know how many wrestlers stepped through the WWE? They have countless of wrestlers that Charlie could parody. I wouldn't be surprised if he did TNA guys like King Booker or Kurt Angle. Although, I doubt Vince would want to give TNA any kind of acknowledgment. Still though, all those countless gimmick from the 80s and 90s will work. Seriously, I can see The Haas, as a matter of fact, I can SMELL what the HAAS is cookin'!!

 

[Mattyboy]

Even so, creative should make longterm plans with Haas, at the very least he's a credible IC challenger, and this gimmick wont last forever.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

He must have very similar skills to Shelton but never got any kind of push other than tag runs, and then he married Ms Jackie. The he disappears and comes back over and over.

I wish they'd run with the luchador mask gimmick. Sure it's very 'Super Eric' but it's better than regurgitating a gimmick that both Big Show and Stevie Richards have used, that was ripped off when Stevie did it originally in ECW anyway.

I'd like to see everyone at least get the opportunity to show their skills with title holders of any level, but NOT in squash matches. Hate them with a passion. Total waste of the ticket holders money

 

[Rusty]

I must say, I love Charlie Haas new gimmick. His impersonations of John Cena and JBL were great. 2 weeks ago, it literally took me 5 seconds or so, to realize that it was Charlie Haas impersonating Cena as I thought it actually was Cena himself! It is a very entertaining gimmick that has gotten the fans attention in a quick amount of time. Very few wrestlers can do that. He is getting over as a face quickly which is great. Haas would make a very good mid-carder. An Intercontinential Title run will do wonders for him. He deserves it, in my opinion.

I would personally love to see him feud with Santino Marella for the title. A Snitsky feud would also gain my attention. But there aren't a real lot of heel mid-carders on Raw, unlike Smackdown which is full of them. However, theres a problem with his current impersonating gimmick. It will get old and repetitive very quickly. He can't keep doing this for the rest of his career. He should only keep this gimmick for a few more months so he can then drop it to focus more on his wrestling ability. Hopefully by then, he will be over with the fans regardless of not using his impersonating gimmick.

So hopefully the Haas jobbing days are over. The guy deserves better and definately deserves a mid-card push and possibly an Intercontinetial Title reign. He has average wrestling skills and average mic skills. Theres nothing wrong with being average. Haas has been loyal to the WWE for many year and it's about time he gets a decent push for all his hard work over the years.