How Do You Solve A Problem Like Johnny Curtis?

[Captain Morgan Freeman]

Yes you read right a thread about only the third wrestler to pull off the scarf and trunks combination.
He really has hit the heights of the WWE since winning season 4 of NXT. Making many promo appearances on Smackdown and then making his (slightly) anticipated debut against the red hot Mark Henry of all people. We haven't seen Curtis since being squashed by "sexual chocolate" so how would you revitalise the man who still has a "guaranteed" shot at the tag titles along with R- Truth.

So my questions for you are
Who would you have him feud with first?
Would you push him as a face or a heel?
How far can he go in the WWE?

Personally i would push him as a faceas there are too many heels on Smackdown and the WWE in general. For his first feud i would pick none other then Tyson Kidd. Kidd can make anyone look like gold and would ease him into life in the WWE. It would also give us a chance to see what Curtis can do. It amazes me how they had no problem giving Curtis valuable promo time on Smackdown every week yet wont even give him a match on the blue brand. I feel given some time on Smackdown he could at least be an upper mid carder be it as a face or heel.

So what would you do with Mr. Tag team title shot??

 

[Daniel]

It's weird. I think the WWE creative team have had a classic case of ADD with Johnny Curtis. He had vignettes in which he came across as a face and potentially a big player on Smackdown (enhancement talent don't get vignettes when coming up). He was then squashed by Mark Henry and hadn't really been seen since. However, if you watch Superstars (and you probably don't), you would have seen Curtis be rather heelish when teaming Trent Baretta against the Usos on the most recent episode.

I think Curtis really shines as a face. He's got a great sense of humour. Therefore, if I was WWE creative, I'd simply keep him face and stop messing about with his character. It's that simple. He doesn't need a character change, he just needs a bit of direction and TV time to get over. I think Curtis has all the tools to be a major player in WWE, just let the WWE Universe see that. I'd give him an entry level feud. Not against Tyson Kidd, if you want to get someone over, use someone relevant. Maybe Cody Rhodes? Midcard faces are few and far between on Smackdown. I think the light-hearted Curtis would be in his element against the disturbed Rhodes, who will need a challenger once he beats Ted DiBiase again.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'll tell you how to solve a problem like Johnny Curtis.

YOU PUSH HIM.

It's not rocket science, WWE. You let the guy win a guaranteed WWE Tag Team Championship match with R-Truth after he won on a show off your website but then expect all 4 of the people who watched it to forget that he still has a tag team title shot.

Then came all of the pun filled promotional videos to hype his Smackdown debut. He gets squashed by Mark Henry and is never seen again. Come on, even Braden Walker got more than one match. All you have to do is have him come back interrupting someone like Cody Rhodes in a promo. Have him retain the pun style from his promotional videos so that he has SOMETHING to set him apart from the other guys. Remind the world that he won NXT season 4 and is cashing in his tag team title shot with or without R-Truth. Rhodes (or whoever he interrupted) says something heelish, and a match starts. Build a feud from there.

I would push him as a face, especially if he is going to be sarcastic and use puns like he did in his mostly hilarious promotional videos. I think they are missing out on something here with Curtis. They also really need to use his tag team title shot. As soon as Truth and Miz get brought back, throw in Curtis' title match with Truth somehow. Miz can cost them it or something, further the conspiracy angle and Curtis at the same time. Do ANYTHING. Why have the guy win one of your shows only to not be used and then wonder why no one watches NXT anymore?

Curtis has the potential to do alright in WWE. If they do something, anything, with him. They can start by using that tag team title shot to get him into some type of angle and let him use puns in his promos. He will already be ahead of several people that have no direction.

 

[¡Roján!]

I like Johnny Curtis. There's something about him which interests me deeply. His vignettes about his debut were tacky (but in a good way) and most of them were hilarious.

Now, to solve the problem:

Well, for starters they never should have fed him to Mark Henry on his debut. Mark Henry was up and coming on SmackDown and well, he was on a destruction streak and seeing as Curtis is a face seeing him get destroyed on his debut isn't going to get much of a reaction.

Second, Johnny Curtis needs to find a niché. So, he's playing this corny pun guy but then, he debuts as a face with redneck music then turns heel on SuperStars. He needs to find a character and stick to it. Get himself over! Zack Ryder is a perfect example of this.

Thirdly and Lastly, he needs to actually appear on SmackDown. He's guaranteed a title shot but yet he only has wrestled once on a main show in the whole of 2011? That's mental. The WWE obviously put faith in him by letting him win NXT (come on, as if your votes count) but then they dropped the ball on him. And, it happens too often in the WWE and they need to learn from their mistakes.

Like I said before Johnny needs a push, if it doesn't work out that's fine by me. Release him, relegate him to Superstars or whatever but, at least give him the shot that he was promised no?

 

[D-Man]

Wait a minute... "problem"? What PROBLEM? The guy is fresh off the pro-wrestling boat. That's not a PROBLEM.



Ugh... here we go. The IWC is starting their analysis on how to "solve a problem with a wrestler" and the major consensus is the same as it's always been... PUSH HIM, right?

WRONG.

Curtis isn't even a familiar name or face in the wide world of the WWE. How can you push someone that no one is even vaguely familiar with? You can't. So, they should do what they do with EVERYONE:

1. First, get rid of his ring rust. Get him down to FCW and have him tweak his skills. After a while, bump him up to dark matches and let him get squashed. Maybe even go as far as bringing him on television so another guy like Mark Henry has someone to feed on.

2. Give him a bit of notoriety by announcing him, formally, as a name that's been drafted to a program. Include him in the supplemental draft so his name is publicly advertised on the WWE.com website and so he can be associated with a weekly television show. Then, feed him to the roster for a while.

3. Eventually, give him a few short, backstage segments that allow him to talk and confront a star of said television program and have that star squash him in a match. Then, do this with another star on the show.... and another... lather, rinse, repeat.

4. By now, about 2 or 3 years should have gone by and Curtis would've learned respect in the business and came up the way that guys like the Miz, Zack Ryder, Mark Henry, Christian, and others had come up. Therefore, maybe he might be ready to win a few matches on his respective program. So, let's let him do so. By now, the WWE Universe is familiar with who he is, what he is about, and they're behind him as an underdog of the system. Before you know it, the crowd will be chanting his name and in the blink of an eye, BAM... you've got the next Zack Ryder.

If any of this seems cruel, unjust, unfair, or whatever then maybe none of you have been watching the WWE's version of professional wrestling for the past, oh, DECADE or so. This formula is used with everyone.

You all want every new wrestler that touches a WWE ring to be pushed overnight. When are you all going to get it? It doesn't work that way! It never has and never will unless a few things happen:

1. A newer superstar is so aesthetically impressive that you can't HELP but push him. (i.e. Brock Lesnar)
2. In a short period of time, this new superstar shows everyone something completely unique and noticeable that cannot be passed up. Therefore, they get a hot push for a short while. (i.e. John Cena's thug gimmick) But, most of the time, they're back to the jobber squad within six months (i.e. Wade Barrett).

Hey IWC, read this entire post very carefully and let it sink into your head because any of you that disagree with this are either ignorant or in total denial. This is the way things are in the WWE and I highly doubt it's going to change any time in the near future.

 

[Dusty Roids]

the only thing the WWE should do with this guy is fire him. He is very annoying, can't wrestle and looks like a generic indy guy with all talent sucked out.

 

[The A]

I think its what you DONT do... Don't push him too much. The videos were stupid in my opinion and exposed his weak promo skills. I say if you want him to be big then throw him in some matches against low tier guys and have him win so that he can gain a rep in the ring, have him make small appearances in backstage segments to build personality, Sort of like what they WERE doing with drew mac a few weeks ago..teasing a push. Have him win a match against a champ then have him feud with that champ for a lil bit and his promos will be either face, or heel. That way people are familiar with him and are eager to hear him speak after seeing him in a few matches. I think the mistake the E makes sometimes is having guys get all this tv time as if they are over when they havent done anything.

 

[stefankingston]

If WWE is really rebuilding the Tag Team division, put him in it and probably pair him up with some Cruiserweight (Low Ki with his NXT winner background), or someone like Derrick Bateman will also do. Johnny Curtis in my opinion can be a good heel. His sinister smile in his weird vignettes makes me think so.

 

[Mini Bennett]

Wait a minute... "problem"? What PROBLEM? The guy is fresh off the pro-wrestling boat. That's not a PROBLEM.



Ugh... here we go. The IWC is starting their analysis on how to "solve a problem with a wrestler" and the major consensus is the same as it's always been... PUSH HIM, right?

WRONG.

Stop.

You're correct in your assessment of the stages a Wrestler generally goes through before getting some attention on the main roster. However, you're WAY off if you think Johnny Curtis hasn't gone through basically all of those stages at this point.

Curtis spent 5 years in developmental, including during the change over from OVW to FCW. He's spent different periods of time working on the house show circuit as well as working dark matches. Curtis has been a top prospect in developmental for years, and while he may not be the overall best guy in developmental right now (despite winning NXT, he still works both SmackDown & FCW part time) he certainly deserves to be on the main roster for all the time, hard work, dedication etc. he's been putting in for years now.

So yes, you are correct in saying that Wrestlers need to pay their dues, but you're wrong in saying that Johnny Curtis hasn't done these things yet.


As far as how WWE are using Johnny Curtis right now, I don't think he should be given any thing really significant but I do wish he'd at least get on TV occasionally. Besides the Battle Royals and the match on Superstars, he hasn't really been given anything thus far, which I think is a real shame.

Curtis isn't going to blow the roof off the place, but he's got such a likable charm about him. Don't prod me on this because I don't really know what he does well specifically, it's just that what he does works. He screams career job guy, IMO, but in his case it's actually a good thing. He's a guy like maybe a Sean Morley who could actually have a lot of longevity in that role. If WWE misses the boat with that I'll personally be very disappointed.

 

[D-Man]

Stop.

You're correct in your assessment of the stages a Wrestler generally goes through before getting some attention on the main roster. However, you're WAY off if you think Johnny Curtis hasn't gone through basically all of those stages at this point.

Curtis spent 5 years in developmental, including during the change over from OVW to FCW. He's spent different periods of time working on the house show circuit as well as working dark matches. Curtis has been a top prospect in developmental for years, and while he may not be the overall best guy in developmental right now (despite winning NXT, he still works both SmackDown & FCW part time) he certainly deserves to be on the main roster for all the time, hard work, dedication etc. he's been putting in for years now.

So yes, you are correct in saying that Wrestlers need to pay their dues, but you're wrong in saying that Johnny Curtis hasn't done these things yet.


As far as how WWE are using Johnny Curtis right now, I don't think he should be given any thing really significant but I do wish he'd at least get on TV occasionally. Besides the Battle Royals and the match on Superstars, he hasn't really been given anything thus far, which I think is a real shame.

Curtis isn't going to blow the roof off the place, but he's got such a likable charm about him. Don't prod me on this because I don't really know what he does well specifically, it's just that what he does works. He screams career job guy, IMO, but in his case it's actually a good thing. He's a guy like maybe a Sean Morley who could actually have a lot of longevity in that role. If WWE misses the boat with that I'll personally be very disappointed.

So you're agreeing and disagreeing with me? This is basically what I was saying. Give him television time... but feed him to the bigger stars. He needs to do what everyone else has done; job out until the audience is familiar.

As for him already paying his dues, you're wrong. NXT is not television exposure. It's internet exposure and it doesn't even draw major ratings or hits. Therefore, Curtis has been involved in a glorified dark-feuds and dark-matches.

 

[Mini Bennett]

So you're agreeing and disagreeing with me? This is basically what I was saying. Give him television time... but feed him to the bigger stars. He needs to do what everyone else has done; job out until the audience is familiar.

I'm agreeing and disagreeing. I made that pretty clear. Don't just skim over my posts next time.

No, you didn't say that. You said he needs to go through developmental for another three years, then go through the dark match circuit again and then job him out on television. As I mentioned previously, Johnny Curtis has gone through all of these stages already.

We're saying similar things, though. You're saying Curtis should be a job guy only after he's spent another 3 years of working in FCW lmao. I'm telling you he's by far and away proven himself to be a job guy on WWE television now. In your case, I'll just put it down to ignorance rather arrogance. No biggie, dude.

As for him already paying his dues, you're wrong. NXT is not television exposure. It's internet exposure and it doesn't even draw major ratings or hits. Therefore, Curtis has been involved in a glorified dark-feuds and dark-matches.

Curtis spent 5 years in developmental, working house shows and dark matches, and then he did NXT. After he won NXT he spent another 3 months working dark matches again. It was only then he debuted on television.

As far as "respect for the business" goes, from interviews and all the time he has spent working on his craft he's really come across as one of the most humble younger guys I've seen come up in a long time. Curtis is the exact opposite of the way you described him.

So yeah, I'm not wrong. You really just don't know very much about Johnny Curtis.

 

[ABMorales787]

I'm sorry. But who? I genuinely have no clue who the guy is. Rather than "push him". I suggest you just have him wrestle. I don't see how this guys TV appearances are an issue. It's not like he's gonna vanish or if there was already stock put in to his character. There's no way to fix a problem that isn't even present.

 

[D-Man]

I'm agreeing and disagreeing. I made that pretty clear. Don't just skim over my posts next time.

No, you didn't say that. You said he needs to go through developmental for another three years, then go through the dark match circuit again and then job him out on television. As I mentioned previously, Johnny Curtis has gone through all of these stages already.

Yes, I did say that because that's the way it's always been. You just keep trying to find things to pick apart in my post. The point of my original reply was that only a moronic smark would call a WWE rookie a "problem". The guy is going to cut his teeth the same way that EVERYONE cuts their teeth in the business and in the company.

We're saying similar things, though. You're saying Curtis should be a job guy only after he's spent another 3 years of working in FCW lmao. I'm telling you he's by far and away proven himself to be a job guy on WWE television now. In your case, I'll just put it down to ignorance rather arrogance. No biggie, dude.

You can put it down to what you want. Quite simply, we disagree because you're wrong and I'm right. I know... it's a tough pill to swallow.

Curtis spent 5 years in developmental, working house shows and dark matches, and then he did NXT. After he won NXT he spent another 3 months working dark matches again. It was only then he debuted on television.

But who's to say he doesn't need more practice? You seem to think that a 4-5 year time limit depicts a guy as a televised-roster type of guy. It's not about how much time you spent there... it's about if you're ready or not. Hell, even Bryan Danielson went to WWE developmental prior to going on television. And that was HIS choice; coming from a veteran of the indy circuit.

As far as "respect for the business" goes, from interviews and all the time he has spent working on his craft he's really come across as one of the most humble younger guys I've seen come up in a long time. Curtis is the exact opposite of the way you described him.

How did I describe him, otherwise? And you say he's humble... why, because of his promos? He's ACTING, man. Shit, you probably think strippers like you, too.

So yeah, I'm not wrong. You really just don't know very much about Johnny Curtis.

Actually, you are wrong which makes this more fun. Keep trying.

 

[Mini Bennett]

Yes, I did say that because that's the way it's always been.

Your EXACT words:

"First, get rid of his ring rust. Get him down to FCW and have him tweak his skills. After a while, bump him up to dark matches and let him get squashed. Maybe even go as far as bringing him on television so another guy like Mark Henry has someone to feed on."

and

"By now, about 2 or 3 years should have gone by and Curtis would've learned respect in the business and came up the way that guys like the Miz, Zack Ryder, Mark Henry, Christian, and others had come up."

You just keep trying to find things to pick apart in my post. The point of my original reply was that only a moronic smark would call a WWE rookie a "problem". The guy is going to cut his teeth the same way that EVERYONE cuts their teeth in the business and in the company.

I'm literally picking apart exactly what you have written. I agreed with you in that Johnny Curtis shouldn't be in any serious position right now. In fact, I think he's basically made for being a job guy.

You claimed he hadn't gone through the appropriate stages to deserve this. He's done everything you claimed he should have done in your initial post. If you deny this you're factually wrong and proving for yourself that you don't really know anything about Curtis. That much is abundantly clear already, though.

You can put it down to what you want. Quite simply, we disagree because you're wrong and I'm right. I know... it's a tough pill to swallow.

Your word against mine, buddy. If I was in an objective position, though, I'd quite easily take the word of someone who actually knows about the Wrestler in question than the guy who doesn't.

But who's to say he doesn't need more practice? You seem to think that a 4-5 year time limit depicts a guy as a televised-roster type of guy. It's not about how much time you spent there... it's about if you're ready or not. Hell, even Bryan Danielson went to WWE developmental prior to going on television. And that was HIS choice; coming from a veteran of the indy circuit.

No shit.

Again, the funny thing is is that you NEVER made this clear in your post. Your ENTIRE argument was based around paying your dues, learning respect and all of that. I'll repeat, Curtis has spent an extensive amount of time in developmental and working house shows/dark matches. Regardless of where he's at as an in-ring worker, "respect" isn't an issue for him. Even then, who the hell are you to question whether Johnny Curtis is ready or not?

As far as Daniel Bryan goes, you're right. He did voluntarily go to FCW, for about three weeks. After a dark match before Superstars with Chavo Guerrero, Bryan claimed he felt rusty because he hadn't had a match in a while. It had nothing to do with getting used to working the "WWE style" or anything like that. He's one of the few guys from places like ROH that knows how to both A). Include his submissions to fit into the story of his matches and B). Pace a match which is suited for a bigger crowd. WWE didn't think he needed a vast amount of time in FCW, and neither did Bryan.

How did I describe him, otherwise? And you say he's humble... why, because of his promos? He's ACTING, man. Shit, you probably think strippers like you, too.

Hah, no. To answer your question, I did not make this assessment of Johnny Curtis through kayfabed interviews.

Actually, you are wrong which makes this more fun. Keep trying.

Yeah, it's pretty clear to me that you're just arguing for the sake of arguing. You came into this thread and arrogantly talked down to users about someone you weren't/aren't familiar with at all, but when someone called you out for it you got offended and started flip-flopping your initial point in order to come out with some sort of personal victory. It would have been so much easier if you had just admitted in the first place you didn't really know about the guy in question. I also wouldn't have felt so embarrassed for you if you hadn't gotten on that high horse of yours over something that you're so uninformed about.

 

[D-Man]

Your EXACT words:

I'm really not understanding where the argument is, at this point. We both agree that he's not ready for any kind of REAL feud or position on the television shows. And I believe he could benefit from more practice in FCW while you feel that he's past all of that. Trust me, I got it. But if he's not in a real feud on TV and he's not in FCW, what should he do? Just show up to weekly shows, not wrestle, and collect a paycheck? Every wrestler's dream job, right? The guy needs to be put against established talent to see if he can put others over. Being humble is a big part of the job. I don't see why this has to be such a lengthy discussion... it makes perfect sense.

I'm literally picking apart exactly what you have written. I agreed with you in that Johnny Curtis shouldn't be in any serious position right now. In fact, I think he's basically made for being a job guy.

No, what you're doing is reading my whole post, treating every paragraph separately, and picking out specific parts of them in order to formulate a point that you have which we already agree on. Just stop.

Your word against mine, buddy. If I was in an objective position, though, I'd quite easily take the word of someone who actually knows about the Wrestler in question than the guy who doesn't.

Why do you know more than me? Because you can read Wikipedia? Get off your high horse.

Again, the funny thing is is that you NEVER made this clear in your post. Your ENTIRE argument was based around paying your dues, learning respect and all of that. I'll repeat, Curtis has spent an extensive amount of time in developmental and working house shows/dark matches. Regardless of where he's at as an in-ring worker, "respect" isn't an issue for him.

My initial point was to discuss the ENTIRE process that most every wrestler goes through when they enter WWE developmental. You're picking it all apart and trying to remind me of stuff I already know.

Even then, who the hell are you to question whether Johnny Curtis is ready or not?

Aren't you having the same discussion? Not to mention the fact that this is an internet wrestling forum; a place where things are discussed. So, to answer your question, I'm as much in a position to discuss the topic as you are to argue it.

As far as Daniel Bryan goes, you're right. He did voluntarily go to FCW, for about three weeks. After a dark match before Superstars with Chavo Guerrero, Bryan claimed he felt rusty because he hadn't had a match in a while.

Where was this report from? Did you make this up? A reason was never given for Danielson's move to FCW. As far as we all knew, he did it for whatever reasons he felt like doing it for. It didn't really matter. And yes, he went for three weeks. Coming from a 10-year veteran of the indy circuit, it goes to show that EVERYONE needs touching up... some more than others. Danielson is an established talent outside of the WWE. Curtis has only been in WWE developmental (besides being in Deep South for less than a year.) There are guys who spent close to a decade in developmental, got put on TV, and stunk up the ring. I'm no expert but if Curtis was so good, I think he'd be in a better position than he is now.

Yeah, it's pretty clear to me that you're just arguing for the sake of arguing. You came into this thread and arrogantly talked down to users about someone you weren't/aren't familiar with at all, but when someone called you out for it you got offended and started flip-flopping your initial point in order to come out with some sort of personal victory. It would have been so much easier if you had just admitted in the first place you didn't really know about the guy in question. I also wouldn't have felt so embarrassed for you if you hadn't gotten on that high horse of yours over something that you're so uninformed about.

Yup... you got me. I did it all for personal gain because I thrive off talking down to people on an internet forum. You're just like every other poster who gets ********* over an opinion that doesn't agree with yours and someone who knows how to debate. Keep trying to make this a personal battle, if you wish, but you're going to wind up looking stupid in the end.

 

[IHW]

A thread fight! Wow, lol.

Anyways, Johnny Curtis....
Really good in ring, good with promos, won NXT, HMM?? Deserve a push much?

But he wont get a push because WWE is focused to much on...
1. The Conspiricy Angle
2. Cena-Rock
3. Randy Orton and Sheamus wins.

So, i say Curtis debut at the worst time possible!

The way i'd fix this "problem" is too put him in a long term tag team, not just a few months one, but a few years!
If he wants any time on tv, he needs a Tag Team Partner...

Who should be his partner?
ANYONE who has no chance for a current singles push!
- John Morrison
- The winner of season 5 (who ever that will be, if it ends)
- Santino (hope not... but could be a true comedic tag.)
- Drew M. (he has gone away!)
etc.

But my simple answer would be a tag team partner.
He can even bring up that he never got his shot, and says that it wont be with Truth but _____.