The "Very European" Superstar has been off and on with SmackDown appearances lately, and it seems as if WWE has been having a hard time finding room on the card for him.
This is typical for a Superstar who is introduced to the WWE Universe as a heel; since fans seems to catch on to liking a debuting face more than disliking a debuting heel. With a debuting face, fans already know that they're supposed to like him, and so they'll support him in his match even if they have no idea who he is. While with a debuting heel, fans have the tendency of not really caring about them being in a match if it isn't against an already established talent.
So far, WWE decided to book Antonio into squash matches against enhancement talent. They also added him into a storyline with Aksana and Teddy Long; who are two characters that the WWE Universe seem to share a collective "Meh" about.
With this being the case, it's easy to see why fans aren't invested into Antonio's character yet. Rugby is a very unfamiliar sport to both the fans and Antonio (who actually hasn't played Rugby professionally as advertised) so it's odd that WWE decided to give him that gimmick. He is actually a former member of the Swiss Army and, in my opinion. that's much more easier to work with creatively than a Rugby player gimmick.
It also doesn't help that his entrance theme is generic and bland.
Antonio has the talent to make every match of his entertaining, so all he needs now is the right gimmick and rivalry to successfully put him over.
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The question I have for you all today is: How should WWE book Antonio Cesaro going forward?
1. Gimmick
I believe that to become a successful, heat drawing heel, WWE should push him as a comedic heel. A Superstar that the WWE Universe will love to hate. He already has brought his "Very European" catch phrase to WWE, and so I feel as if WWE should shove it down the fans' throats.
He believes that everything about Europe is better than America. Have vignettes where he talks down American football, and claims that Rugby is a superior sport. He believes that Europe is a stronger and more beautiful continent than North America, and he has Aksana to prove it. He over-exaggerates the power of the Swiss Army, while even going as far as saying that past wars were largely influenced by the help of their superior economy and military.
A gimmick as simple as this will make it simple for the WWE Universe to catch on that they're not only supposed to hate him, but also laugh at him when he fails. This will make an easier transition for Antonio to become a face, which he is much better at being, and will establish him as a viable Superstar on the WWE Roster.
...or you could just throw that all away, and just wait till Del Rey and Ohno arrive to create WWE's version of the Kings (and Queen) of Wrestling.
2. Feud
As an Antonio Cesaro fan, I see nothing wrong with inserting him into the Intercontinental Title hunt immediately. Cesaro and Christian would provide great matches, and Christian could even drop the title to Antonio if the fans like to hate (or enough smarks cheer) Antonio enough.
It would also be a brilliant idea to just put Antonio Cesaro into at least one match with Sheamus on Raw. You could start them off on Smackdown where it's advertised as just another match featuring the champ, but Antonio really gives Sheamus a run for his money. The match impresses enough to have Sheamus go over against Antonio on Raw, and reassures to the fans that Antonio is a talent to look out for in the future. I bet that he'd trend on Twitter as well.
Kane or Daniel Bryan would be great as well. Daniel Bryan and Antonio would obviously be good since they have history together and they know each others movesets well, due to working with each other all around the world on the Indy circuit. It would also be entertaining to watch AJ terrorize Aksana.
Kane and Antonio would be used to get Antonio over, and keep the spectacle that Kane still is on the card. Kane might defeat Antonio at first, but Antonio would win out in the end since Kane is more than likely going to be on his way out of his wrestling career anyways by the time WWE begins to push Antonio. A victory over Kane puts him right into a Intercontinental, or even a World Heavyweight title hunt.
Dark horse rivalries would be with Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Rey Mysterio. For those to happen, of course the above three would have to hand pick Antonio to face themselves. All three would do a remarkable job at getting him over.
As long as Antonio isn't fed to Ryback, it looks as if WWE's really taking him seriously as a successful talent that will be around for the long haul.
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So, what do you think guys? How would YOU push Antonio Cesaro?
1. What gimmick would you give Antonio Cesaro?
2. Who should Antonio Cesaro feud with?
I'm looking forward to reading your perspective.
This is typical for a Superstar who is introduced to the WWE Universe as a heel; since fans seems to catch on to liking a debuting face more than disliking a debuting heel. With a debuting face, fans already know that they're supposed to like him, and so they'll support him in his match even if they have no idea who he is. While with a debuting heel, fans have the tendency of not really caring about them being in a match if it isn't against an already established talent.
So far, WWE decided to book Antonio into squash matches against enhancement talent. They also added him into a storyline with Aksana and Teddy Long; who are two characters that the WWE Universe seem to share a collective "Meh" about.
With this being the case, it's easy to see why fans aren't invested into Antonio's character yet. Rugby is a very unfamiliar sport to both the fans and Antonio (who actually hasn't played Rugby professionally as advertised) so it's odd that WWE decided to give him that gimmick. He is actually a former member of the Swiss Army and, in my opinion. that's much more easier to work with creatively than a Rugby player gimmick.
It also doesn't help that his entrance theme is generic and bland.
Antonio has the talent to make every match of his entertaining, so all he needs now is the right gimmick and rivalry to successfully put him over.
------------------------------------------------------
The question I have for you all today is: How should WWE book Antonio Cesaro going forward?
1. Gimmick
I believe that to become a successful, heat drawing heel, WWE should push him as a comedic heel. A Superstar that the WWE Universe will love to hate. He already has brought his "Very European" catch phrase to WWE, and so I feel as if WWE should shove it down the fans' throats.
He believes that everything about Europe is better than America. Have vignettes where he talks down American football, and claims that Rugby is a superior sport. He believes that Europe is a stronger and more beautiful continent than North America, and he has Aksana to prove it. He over-exaggerates the power of the Swiss Army, while even going as far as saying that past wars were largely influenced by the help of their superior economy and military.
A gimmick as simple as this will make it simple for the WWE Universe to catch on that they're not only supposed to hate him, but also laugh at him when he fails. This will make an easier transition for Antonio to become a face, which he is much better at being, and will establish him as a viable Superstar on the WWE Roster.
...or you could just throw that all away, and just wait till Del Rey and Ohno arrive to create WWE's version of the Kings (and Queen) of Wrestling.
2. Feud
As an Antonio Cesaro fan, I see nothing wrong with inserting him into the Intercontinental Title hunt immediately. Cesaro and Christian would provide great matches, and Christian could even drop the title to Antonio if the fans like to hate (or enough smarks cheer) Antonio enough.
It would also be a brilliant idea to just put Antonio Cesaro into at least one match with Sheamus on Raw. You could start them off on Smackdown where it's advertised as just another match featuring the champ, but Antonio really gives Sheamus a run for his money. The match impresses enough to have Sheamus go over against Antonio on Raw, and reassures to the fans that Antonio is a talent to look out for in the future. I bet that he'd trend on Twitter as well.
Kane or Daniel Bryan would be great as well. Daniel Bryan and Antonio would obviously be good since they have history together and they know each others movesets well, due to working with each other all around the world on the Indy circuit. It would also be entertaining to watch AJ terrorize Aksana.
Kane and Antonio would be used to get Antonio over, and keep the spectacle that Kane still is on the card. Kane might defeat Antonio at first, but Antonio would win out in the end since Kane is more than likely going to be on his way out of his wrestling career anyways by the time WWE begins to push Antonio. A victory over Kane puts him right into a Intercontinental, or even a World Heavyweight title hunt.
Dark horse rivalries would be with Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Rey Mysterio. For those to happen, of course the above three would have to hand pick Antonio to face themselves. All three would do a remarkable job at getting him over.
As long as Antonio isn't fed to Ryback, it looks as if WWE's really taking him seriously as a successful talent that will be around for the long haul.
-----------------------------------
So, what do you think guys? How would YOU push Antonio Cesaro?
1. What gimmick would you give Antonio Cesaro?
2. Who should Antonio Cesaro feud with?
I'm looking forward to reading your perspective.