Curtis Axel: "I'm the son of Mr Perfect for Christ sake!!!"

[Navi]

Like others have said this might be more out of frustration than anything else. What Curtis Axle has to realize is he's just not as good as he thinks he is. He's not bad in the ring, but lacks any sort of charisma unless he has a really out there gimmick.

His run with Axlemania was fantastic, until it got screwed up. It was something the crowd really got into, and even at the show here in Toronto in September, there were still Axlemania chants. I believe that if he was still using the gimmick and he has Sandow they could have gone places in the tag division, but sadly that didn't happen.

To be perfectly honest you look at Axle he's boring, there is nothing that stands out about him. Looks wise he's not someone the ladies would flock too, like they do Roman Reigns. I mean shit Reigns could just stand there and say nothing and they would love him. When it comes to ring kills, Axle is okay, but there are so many more on the roster that are more exciting to watch. Cesaro, Stardust, Ambrose, Harper you get the point.

Axle strikes me as the type who is a natural born tag team guy. He needs someone to play off because he can't bring it himself. That's why he and Sandow were good together because Sandow had the mic skills and the personality to get the crowd going. Axle just sort of benefits from that, while not really putting any work into it. When you have that kind of personality and you're on your own it's never the same. Axle reminds me of those jobbers from years ago that all looked the same and were put in against recognized wrestlers. He's very generic and that's not his fault, that's just him.

At this point in his career he has his age working against him. I can understand that he's frustrated and wants more, but this is sports entertainment, and if you aren't entertaining the masses then you will be left out. Compare Axle to Xavier Woods and they aren't even on the same planet and Woods wrestles about the same amount as Axle does. Woods is entertaining, Axle is not.

In saying all that though, he is still in the Royal Rumble after almost a year, so that is saying something.

 

[Azane]

Michael Mcguilicutty and Curtis Axel both had pretty much no chance to impress me, both were boring and bland gimmicks. A great wrestler could turn either into something, but Joe just isn't special enough to do either, he needs WWE to push him, he can't push himself. This rant, if it's not a working storyline (WWE has this problem where they obsess over twitter to the point it's annoying), is pretty much the guarantee I will never care about him. During the attitude era, being a generational star meant free pushes, during this era, we're seeing legacy competitors fail when they get sink or swim treatment.

 

[Dirk]

This entitlement is annoying, but I can sympathize with the guy. In pro wrestling especially, you can be promoted without it reflecting your actual ability. A lack of professional fulfillment can be very upsetting.

However, Axel isn't held back. Like... at all. He got two mega wins in his first run under the current name. Most wrestlers will never get a win over Triple H. But the folks didn't care... He's not a bad wrestler - it takes a lot of talent and work to do what he does. However, compared to the rest of the roster, he's lucky to just be able to hang around.

It really doesn't matter who your dad is, Joe. Pointing it out only highlights how far the apple has indeed fallen from the tree. In every aspect except the wrestling bit he gets outshined by the majority of the roster and even in the ring he's behind a lot of the wrestlers higher up the card.

 

[AustinHartLesnarHBKTaz80]

Axel had his shot when he was intercontinental champion with Paul Heyman by his side and he failed to impress me and the wwe universe.

You probably only get one shot to make it big in the WWE.

Well, that was Axel's chance to make a huge impact as a singles wrestler, with Paul Heyman by his side, no less, and he failed. miserably.

I want to see the guy succeed too, but maybe he just cant cut it.

If you cant get over with Paul Heyman as your manager, then you just cant get over.

 

[Blade]

Uh, there's one slight problem. Curtis Axel kind of sucks. He has no charisma or personality. I've never seen a match from him that entertained me in any way. He's more of a piss break than the divas ever were.

But he somehow believes he's entitled to something because he had a far more talented father. The offspring of special people get handed a lot in this world, and he wouldn't have even sniffed the Intercontinental Title had it not been for his dad. Fortunately, some exposure helped us see his many, many flaws.

Put Axel in the pile with Manu and Sim Snuka as 2nd/3rd generation wrestlers who were nowhere near good enough.

 

[Aquaman6686]

If you cant get over with Paul Heyman as your manager, then you just cant get over.

100% wrong. Paul Heyman is a horrible manager. With the exception of Brock Lesnar, he's hindered more talents than he's helped. Having Paul Heyman as a manager is the beginning of the end for any other talent. A manager is there to enhance his client and get them more over. Paul Heyman DOESN'T DO THAT. He makes everything about him, and about Brock Lesnar, at the cost of ruining the wrestler he's supposed to be managing. Other than Lesnar (and to a much smaller extent, Big Show), Paul Heyman has detracted from the career of every wrestler he's managed in WWE, and prevented them from being as good as they could have potentially been. He ruined the last third of an otherwise magnificent title reign by CM Punk, he ruined Curtis Axel, he ruined Cesaro. And that's only the recent ones. Go back to 2002 (which might be difficult, it seems like most of the members on this board were toddlers at the time) when Heyman was breifly the manager of Kurt Angle. Heyman once again made EVERYTHING about himself, and screwed up the storyline so badly that Angle had to BEG WWE to remove Heyman from the storyline, leading to Heyman being written off TV before everything concluded at WrestleMania.

Paul Heyman is a good commentator, but a horrible promoter who ran his business into the ground, and one of the worst managers in wrestling history.

 

[Mudlup50]

Before I start, never really liked the guy. As a fan of Ryback if anything I dislike Axel for holding Ryback down for a while.

But come on! He has every right to be mad! He is Mr. Perfect's son, isn't he also a third generation superstar? Don't act like that doesn't mean anything. It practically started Orton's career and if it wasn't for Evolution it would have been everything Orton was. How about Cody Rhodes? I love Cody but he's been toiling in the midcard yet he keeps getting pushes because he's a Rhodes and because he makes the gimmicks work. Curtis got screwed over by the fact he couldn't take the family name. Yes he's bland but when he was given the AxelMania gimmick he was getting over.

It'd be great if it was a story though, just like back when Vince said no one was grabbing for the brass ring and Alex Riley wanted to come back...and I dreamt up a whole scenario where it would help elevate him. Then nothing ever came of it.



Bye Axel :/

 

[Navi]

But come on! He has every right to be mad! He is Mr. Perfect's son, isn't he also a third generation superstar? Don't act like that doesn't mean anything.

The thing is he could be anyone's son it means nothing, it's up to him to take the ball and run with it and he hasn't. The guy has no charisma or personality to speak of. Yes Axlemania was great, but that was it. And if he is going to make it impersonating others then that doesn't say much about him does it?

You should be able to stand on your own two feet first before living in someone else's shadow. He isn't his father.

 

[ColeMc]

Curtis Axel isn't a great Wrestler but certainly a solid midcard heel. But before ranting about Curtis Axel think about Bo Dallas. For god's sake he was jobbed out by perfection at the Halloween Episode of SmackDown! What did they just do!?

How good is Bo and you never see him tweet "I'm bray wyatt's brother for christ's sake!" If WWE creative are looking to push someone up from jobber to the midcard, I'd suggest Bo every day of the week. Infinitely more talented, better on the mic than most all of the midcard at present and willing to work with whatever stupid ass gimmick they lumber him with.

Like Cesaro to the main event, Bo would be perfect to push but for some reason WWE creative would rather sit around all day with their thumbs up their arses.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I don't know if it's some sort of work, if he's genuinely frustrated or if it's a combination of the two.

"I'm the son of Mr. Perfect for Christ sake!!!" So what? A wrestling pedigree isn't and shouldn't be a form of affirmative action. Axel is also someone who got into wrestling at a fairly old age; most guys don't wait until they're nearly 28 years of age to get into pro wrestling and while being in your late teens to early 20s isn't a prerequisite or anything, you have to consider how many guys who weren't old enough to even drink were so far ahead of Axel by the time he got into the business.

Since Axel compares himself to his father, let's start with what is obvious, at least in my own personal opinion: he isn't nearly the same caliber of wrestler that his father was. Curt Hennig is frequently regarded as being among the very top guys to pass through WWE without being WWE Champion. He was a great antagonist who could help make lesser skilled wrestlers, yet wrestlers who MAY have been more marketable, look like a million bucks. He was solid on the mic, he could more than hold his own inside the ring with anyone, is arguably the greatest Intercontinental Champion in history and even had a pretty good look. While having "the look" isn't exactly the highest of priorities when it comes to making stars, at least for me it isn't, it's just one more area in which Axel can't really compete. In the ring, on the mic, cosmetic appearance, personality, charisma or what have you, Curtis Axel isn't anywhere near his father's league.

If this is a totally legit rant, then I understand Axel's frustrations. I mean...c'mon...when failure pecker slaps you right in the face when you personally feel that maybe you "deserve" better, it hurts more than a kick in the nuts. To some degree, we've all gone through that or, at least, know someone who has. As a human being, I sympathize, but that's about as far as it goes. Axel isn't owed a legendary wrestling career based on who his father was.

Except that, Randy Orton escaped being sacked from WWE numerous times because of who his father was.

There are reports that Orton has failed Wellness in the past FOUR times (you are supposed to get sacked on three) and also trashed a hotel room, crapped in a Diva's bag etc, and has been given chance after chance because of his lineage.

 

[therockiswwf]

Except that, Randy Orton escaped being sacked from WWE numerous times because of who his father was.

There are reports that Orton has failed Wellness in the past FOUR times (you are supposed to get sacked on three) and also trashed a hotel room, crapped in a Diva's bag etc, and has been given chance after chance because of his lineage.

The poop story wasn't true. It was something like he sprayed lotion on it.

Orton has only two wellness violations. The confusion comes from two things. First, he has been suspended for conduct violation. Many people confused that for a wellness violation. The second was his name being on that Sports Illustrated list. However, his first strike was related to that and they could not suspend him again for it.

Curtis Axel's dad doesn't change the fact that Curtis Axel is boring. It is easy to see why Axel is frustrated. He is basically being benched. He doesn't get to play.

Axel can have very competent matches. As can numerous other people. He has nothing that makes him stand out. Great ones find a way to make something out of nothing. Axel never did anything like that. He never took a chance. Never did any memorable promos. He is like an utility infielder. He can do basic stuff but is not impressive in any way.

 

[TempestH]

Someone should point Curtis Axel in the direction of Zack Ryder.

Zack Ryder was in the position that Curtis Axel is in, going absolutely nowhere and on everyone's short list of imminent releases. Instead of sulking about it on Twitter, he went out and engaged the fans directly, creating a web show which allowed him to showcase himself. It worked- the WWE was forced to acknowledge his existence, and he remains employed by the company to this day. (For those of you who are about to complain, "but omg he was never world champion and the WWE hates him", eh, eat a dick. The world needs ditchdiggers, and professional wrestling needs jobbers. Jobbing pays pretty well in the WWE.)

If he wants to complain about the opportunities he should be getting because his dad was an upper mid-carder in the early 90's, he'll end up getting what a guy whose major claim is being someone's son deserves. Go out there and make your bones, kid.

Axel was perfectly content with being a jobber. The problem is that WWE barely even lets guys be JUST jobbers anymore; everyone has to be a "future World Champion megastar" or not on TV at all, like not even on Superstars sometimes. Axel was fine with the goofy AxelMania gimmick, and then he got taken off of TV for something that out of his control and had nothing to do with him: the Hulk Hogan racist scandal.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's academic in many ways - there is a harsh truth that people don't like admitting to... Mods, we will get to Axel in a bit...

Curt Hennig was never that popular with the WWE Brass!

This is a guy who started off well with them, but was never "one of their guys", he came in from the AWA and wasn't even the first choice for Mr. Perfect (Terry Taylor was) remember. He took some time to get off the ground and when they put him with Heenan it clicked, but he got hurt almost as soon as that happened and said he could never work again.

Curt's biggest backstage "problem" was linked to his Lloyds insurance policy, if he was "retired" he could double dip on that and a WWE salary to be a manager/commentator so they went with it... until Lloyds got a little bit wise that he was pretty much wrestling - and then he suddenly "came back" for an aborted run because he decided he'd rather collect the money if he wasn't getting the push... he decided this at Survivor Series 1993 and left Vince in a big tangle as he'd been advertised... so Randy Savage took his place, a guy who Vince absolutely did NOT want anywhere but the announce table.

Perfect showed up intermittently over the next year but looked bored, especially at Mania X. His lacklustre performance was as big a factor in killing Luger off as Lex's alledged drunken blurting out of results. he couldn't/wouldn't take a bump cos of his insurance so it came off as a weak finish. Imagine that finish if as intended, Luger had hit him with the forearm accidentally... much stronger finish and Luger's momentum gets saved... "he put his hands on me..." that sucked and killed the match and Luger's chance.

When he next surfaced, lo and behold, it was in WCW and he was working full time again, seemingly without issue and part of the angle that was damaging WWE the most...

Fast forward to his return in 2002, they gave him another shot as a pretty big deal...and it was more important to wrestle Brock on a plane and take drugs than to actually make it work. So he got fired and sadly died shortly after.

I hate to shatter illusions, I really do but Curt Hennig was never a model employee... indeed he was involved in a lot of backstage crap over the years, from the Dynamite Kid incident to being the guy who did the decent thing in telling Vince about Shawn lying over Jannetty, to the plane ride from hell.

The IWC canonise Hennig as the best never to win the title - but Vince doesn't... he got his HOF nod and it was deserved as was the nice DVD they did... that's Curt's deserved legacy within WWE. Compare everything above to Rick Rude, who many in the business consider the most stand up, best guy out there... he stuck it to Vince twice... no HOF nod yet... Vince has a LONG memory.

So how does all this effect Axel?

Well first off, it got him in the door, but he was made to work harder for his spot than others were. They tried with the new Nexus and it didn't work so he had to pay those dues in NXT. There's another myth that 3rd Gen guys are given it on a plate... they're not... Orton paid dues in OVW and WWE for quite a while, Rocky had to pay them and so have Bray and Bo...

When they gave him the greenlight at last, they also gave him Paul Heyman... and it tanked! Heyman NEVER tanks... but Axel did... They gave him the IC title and that was the point that his seeming "I'm the son of Mr. Perfect" attitude should have ended... he'd gotten the same title, after less time in the business, cos he was that guys son... and it tanked.

Davey Boy was much better thought of than Curt, was main event for what is still WWE's biggest foreign gate but caused some problems and HIS son was let go harshly... Randy Orton benefited from his dad being a good hand who never had a problem. Axel could never say that about Curt... his dad was a pain in the ass for Vince for most of his time with the company (and with WCW) so now displaying similar traits himself won't help him...

Now where he has a right to be frustrated is over the Hogan stuff... that was working well... and it really is poor on WWE's part that he has suffered for Hogan's sins as well as his own dad's. From a WWE perspective, they just want to make sure Axelmania is forgotten. The irony is we, the IWC, won't let it and keep going on about him still being in the Rumble etc... so yeah, he is NOW getting a raw deal for the second time, based on something not his fault. He was the guy Dwayne wanted to warm up with, cos they went back to being kids... he did that, he has done the gimmicks WWE wanted him to do even if they suck. So yeah, be frustrated... but invoking the name of a dad who was never one of Vince's favourites is not gonna help you, it's gonna see you released.

I think Hennig was great, but not THE greatest, I've always said Rude and Davey were above him... he wasn't perfect... but Joe is not his dad, as good as his dad or even close... if he is smart he will apologise and shut up, or do as Gabriel did if he is that confident in his abilities...

 

[therockiswwf]

This is a guy who started off well with them, but was never "one of their guys", he came in from the AWA and wasn't even the first choice for Mr. Perfect (Terry Taylor was) remember. He took some time to get off the ground and when they put him with Heenan it clicked, but he got hurt almost as soon as that happened and said he could never work again.

This is not true. Taylor said it started when he and Curt debuted at the same time. Taylor then said he wonders how different their careers would be if they had each others gimmicks. He was never offered the Perfect gimmick.

Lex's alledged drunken blurting out of results.

This also didn't happen. Luger said he has no idea how this rumor started. Luger said he knew months before that he wasn't winning. He had asked for tickets for his family and Vince told him that he wasn't winning the belt because Vince thought that was why Luger wanted his family there. Luger just wanted his family there because they had family friends in the area.

Now where he has a right to be frustrated is over the Hogan stuff... that was working well... and it really is poor on WWE's part that he has suffered for Hogan's sins as well as his own dad's. From a WWE perspective, they just want to make sure Axelmania is forgotten. The irony is we, the IWC, won't let it and keep going on about him still being in the Rumble etc... so yeah, he is NOW getting a raw deal for the second time, based on something not his fault. He was the guy Dwayne wanted to warm up with, cos they went back to being kids... he did that, he has done the gimmicks WWE wanted him to do even if they suck. So yeah, be frustrated... but invoking the name of a dad who was never one of Vince's favourites is not gonna help you, it's gonna see you released.

It sucks Hogan did what he did but the Axelmania gimmick wasn't going to last. I'm pretty sure a lot of people have forgotten/lost interest in the Axelmania gimmick by now. Also I haven't seen many people mention his rumble thing in a long time.

Axel helped both Rock and Lesnar. But that still doesn't change that Axel is not interesting. He can wrestle a competent match. Maybe Axel hasn't been given the best material but that still doesn't fully excuse him. He never took a chance. He never did anything special on the mic. He is nothing special in the ring. His look isn't special. He is just average in everything he does.

Take the Red Rooster gimmick. That won't get over no matter what. Axel was not handicapped like that. He was given numerous chances. The one that worked out the best for him was emulating someone else. That is very telling.

 

[TempestH]

It sucks Hogan did what he did but the Axelmania gimmick wasn't going to last. I'm pretty sure a lot of people have forgotten/lost interest in the Axelmania gimmick by now. Also I haven't seen many people mention his rumble thing in a long time.

Axelmanoia wasn't supposed to be about Hogan or Hulkamania at all. "Axelmania" was a reference to the WRESTLEMania Title shot that the Rumble winner is entitled to. WWE are the ones who co-opted it into making Axel a Hulk Hogan impersonator

Axel helped both Rock and Lesnar. But that still doesn't change that Axel is not interesting. He can wrestle a competent match. Maybe Axel hasn't been given the best material but that still doesn't fully excuse him. He never took a chance. He never did anything special on the mic. He is nothing special in the ring. His look isn't special. He is just average in everything he does.

The problem with that is that there are lots of guys, including Axel who can "wrestle a competent match" and aren't even allowed to do just that. He isn't world or even mid card title material, but he (and others) deserve a bit more than what he's getting right now.

Take the Red Rooster gimmick. That won't get over no matter what. Axel was not handicapped like that. He was given numerous chances. The one that worked out the best for him was emulating someone else. That is very telling.

Axel kind of was handicapped. Yes, he was given titles, but at absolutely no point did WWE ever try to make him look like a threat. He was a tag champ with David Otunga, yet barely saw significant TV time. Even during his "big push" with Heyman and the IC Title seem to have them go out of their way to present Axel as being an incompetent goober who didn't deserve his push and didn't belong in the ring with the people he was sharing screen time with. He was being "pushed" as a loser. Even the Axelmania gimmick was based on the idea that he's a loser.

 

[d_henderson1810]

This is not true. Taylor said it started when he and Curt debuted at the same time. Taylor then said he wonders how different their careers would be if they had each others gimmicks. He was never offered the Perfect gimmick.



This also didn't happen. Luger said he has no idea how this rumor started. Luger said he knew months before that he wasn't winning. He had asked for tickets for his family and Vince told him that he wasn't winning the belt because Vince thought that was why Luger wanted his family there. Luger just wanted his family there because they had family friends in the area.



It sucks Hogan did what he did but the Axelmania gimmick wasn't going to last. I'm pretty sure a lot of people have forgotten/lost interest in the Axelmania gimmick by now. Also I haven't seen many people mention his rumble thing in a long time.

Axel helped both Rock and Lesnar. But that still doesn't change that Axel is not interesting. He can wrestle a competent match. Maybe Axel hasn't been given the best material but that still doesn't fully excuse him. He never took a chance. He never did anything special on the mic. He is nothing special in the ring. His look isn't special. He is just average in everything he does.

Take the Red Rooster gimmick. That won't get over no matter what. Axel was not handicapped like that. He was given numerous chances. The one that worked out the best for him was emulating someone else. That is very telling.

It's funny you bring up the Red Rooster in this context, since, if the original plans were adhered to, Axel's dad would never have been the star he was. Because, originally, Curt Hennig was going to be the Red Rooster.

However, Terry Taylor, who Vince also had a beef with, got lumbered with the red spiked mohawk and flapping his arms like a rooster, and Curt Hennig got the much better "Mr Perfect" gimmick. If Hennig had been Red Rooster, I doubt even he could have made it work, and he would not be the HoF and superstar he became if he had got lumbered with that gimmick, and maybe Axel wouldn't have even got looked at as a result.

 

[therockiswwf]

It's funny you bring up the Red Rooster in this context, since, if the original plans were adhered to, Axel's dad would never have been the star he was. Because, originally, Curt Hennig was going to be the Red Rooster.

This is not true. Taylor has said as much. Hennig was always going to be Mr. Perfect. Taylor was always going to be the Rooster. Both were not given a choice between the two gimmicks. JBL even said the gimmick was created as a rib just for Taylor because he was an "office stooge." He was not well liked according to JBL.

However, Terry Taylor, who Vince also had a beef with, got lumbered with the red spiked mohawk and flapping his arms like a rooster, and Curt Hennig got the much better "Mr Perfect" gimmick. If Hennig had been Red Rooster, I doubt even he could have made it work, and he would not be the HoF and superstar he became if he had got lumbered with that gimmick, and maybe Axel wouldn't have even got looked at as a result.

Hennig would not have made the Rooster gimmick work. No one could. An undead biker zombie can work due to talent. A rooster that clucks around isn't something talent can overcome. Could someone shed that gimmick and then get over? Yes. But while in that gimmick, they can't do anything.

I think it is fair to say Axel would not have been looked at if his dad wasn't as good as he was. Axel has nothing that makes him stand out. He can wrestle a competent match but so can many others. He was given a feud with Punk and got nothing out of it. Sure, it was obvious he was going to lose and that was more of a vehicle for Heyman/Lesnar vs Punk but he still did nothing with it. Axel just doesn't have the talent.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

This has been pissing me off the last day or two regarding this topic. I think Sally already touched on it.

Axel originally chose the name Michael McGuilicutty (sp?) in the original NXT because he didn't want to ride his father's coattails to fame. I can admire that. The guy wanted to get over on his own merits, that is commendable.

When he fails for years to get over as McGuilcutty and as Axel, he bitches that he isn't pushed more based on who his father was.

Make up your mind sir.

 

[therockiswwf]

This has been pissing me off the last day or two regarding this topic. I think Sally already touched on it.

Axel originally chose the name Michael McGuilicutty (sp?) in the original NXT because he didn't want to ride his father's coattails to fame. I can admire that. The guy wanted to get over on his own merits, that is commendable.

When he fails for years to get over as McGuilcutty and as Axel, he bitches that he isn't pushed more based on who his father was.

Make up your mind sir.

This also isn't true. Axel said he was always Joe Hennig up until right before he got called up. Axel said the name came from Vince because he thought Michael McGillicutty was a strong Irish name. Axel thinks they wanted him to be brought up without the pressure of having to live up to his father which caused his name change. He was not happy with the name.

 

[ColeMc]

They don't allow new talent to come in with their own names anymore in order to maintain ownership over the merchandising rights. Lesson learned with John Cena.

 

[d_henderson1810]

This is not true. Taylor has said as much. Hennig was always going to be Mr. Perfect. Taylor was always going to be the Rooster. Both were not given a choice between the two gimmicks. JBL even said the gimmick was created as a rib just for Taylor because he was an "office stooge." He was not well liked according to JBL.



Hennig would not have made the Rooster gimmick work. No one could. An undead biker zombie can work due to talent. A rooster that clucks around isn't something talent can overcome. Could someone shed that gimmick and then get over? Yes. But while in that gimmick, they can't do anything.

I think it is fair to say Axel would not have been looked at if his dad wasn't as good as he was. Axel has nothing that makes him stand out. He can wrestle a competent match but so can many others. He was given a feud with Punk and got nothing out of it. Sure, it was obvious he was going to lose and that was more of a vehicle for Heyman/Lesnar vs Punk but he still did nothing with it. Axel just doesn't have the talent.

You're right, although I know of one gimmick, which looked a dud to begin with, and seemed embarrassing, but this person made it work, and he became a favourite, and it isn't much less ridiculous than being a rooster.

There was once the son of a Legend, who was lumbered with a gimmick of being covered in gold paint, like an Oscar, and being an adrogonous film critic. That gimmick was Goldust, and Dustin Rhodes made what could have been a disaster of a gimmick work, and it made, rather than ruined, his career. He could have sunk or swam, and while never winning the top belt, Goldust became an IC Champ, multi-time Tag Champ, and a favourite amongst fans. Now, even his brother, Cody Rhodes, has taken on a similar gimmick.

If Axel had got a gimmick like Goldust, could he have made it work as well for him?

 

[stingray11214]

You're right, although I know of one gimmick, which looked a dud to begin with, and seemed embarrassing, but this person made it work, and he became a favourite, and it isn't much less ridiculous than being a rooster.

There was once the son of a Legend, who was lumbered with a gimmick of being covered in gold paint, like an Oscar, and being an adrogonous film critic. That gimmick was Goldust, and Dustin Rhodes made what could have been a disaster of a gimmick work, and it made, rather than ruined, his career. He could have sunk or swam, and while never winning the top belt, Goldust became an IC Champ, multi-time Tag Champ, and a favourite amongst fans. Now, even his brother, Cody Rhodes, has taken on a similar gimmick.

If Axel had got a gimmick like Goldust, could he have made it work as well for him?

The "Dust" characters worked for the Rhodes half-brothers because they had someone who was as flamboyant as those characters were/are teaching them: Their father. He taught them how to make those characters work for them. Cody now has added about 10 years to his WWE career, as did Dustin. Without those gimmicks, both would be at Indy shows right now. Now, can you picture Axel in a Goldust-type character? That would be worse than Heidenreich's "Road Warrior" gimmick. Axel's problem is that he is just NOT WWE material. He is a WRESTLER. A good one at that. But, he has ZERO else. If he REALLY wants to make it in the business, he needs to go to Japan or GFW. Wrestling skill is FIRST over there, not LAST like in WWE.

 

[whoopin' ass]

To be honest, wwe has done a poor job of pushing any kid of a former wrestler with the exception of Orton. Ted jr, Harry Smith, Cody and Dustin, even the Uso's - none of them have had great pushes. For the last 2 years we were expecting Brother vs Brother at Mania and it never happened. If I didn't know better, I would think Vince is still pissed that thier dad's went to WCW and is punishing them (except for the Uso's, he just doesn't know what to do with Samoans in decent shape). I mean, they are all decent in the ring, it doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[MartialHorror]

I agree that Axel has been under-utilized. I wish they'd at least showcase him a lot more on Superstars or Main Event. Those shows should be dedicated to the lower card guys anyway. Axel has improved over the years, even if I don't see him as a main eventer.