I Don't Think We're Gonna Make Darren Young Great Again

[Jack-Hammer]

The more I think about this and the more I keep remembering what happened on Raw last night, the more I feel that Bob Backlund is going to be the real star of this thing with Darren Young. I know that it's still quite early, maybe too early to form a solidified opinion, but my gut feeling is that Darren Young is going to be completely overshadowed by Bob Backlund's crazy antics.

As we all know, Backlund's crazy character is what we've seen out of him since the mid 90s, which is a persona that Backlund's actually pretty entertaining much of the time. Darren Young comes across as the straight man in this somewhat comedic pairing, and yeah I know it's funny having an openly gay man as the "straight" man in a comedy bit. Again, it's still so early that's difficult to really gauge how this will come out, but I can't get over the feeling that this won't benefit Darren Young all that much in the long run because Backlund's over the top antics will steal the spotlight.

I'd like my hunches to be wrong here. Young's a hard worker and I'd like to see him break through with some sort of personality to go along with a good look and pretty solid in-ring ability. It's just that with the WWE Draft coming up next week, new stars from NXT on their way up, the brand split coming up and what that potentially means for booking going forward, I just see Young & Backlund quickly becoming a mid-card comedy act.

 

[Navi]

Yea I kind of have to agree. Darren Young, good looking young guy, very well built and half decent in the ring, but, there is always a but, he is in a word lackluster. He's okay on the mic, but lacks that oomph to put him over the top, so to speak.

Backlund on the other hand is batshit crazy and hilarious to watch. They almost come off like Young is the older of the two, while Backlund is young, dynamic and someone you want to see. Young not so much.

The only thing is is doing is making Bob Backlund great again, which I don't think was the point of it all. Mind you if it helps Young then fine, meanwhile I'll enjoy Backlund while he's doing what he does best.

 

[stingray11214]

It was great to have a Manager with someone like Darren Young. He could have a mouthpiece to set the table for him. Problem is Howdy Doody, er, Bob Backlund is NOT that man. Backlund's character now is Santino on an acid trip. He is going to overshadow Young, and make things much more harder for Young in the future. I agree with Navi: This is doing more for Backlund than it is for Young.

 

[ghost94]

The more I think about this and the more I keep remembering what happened on Raw last night, the more I feel that Bob Backlund is going to be the real star of this thing with Darren Young. I know that it's still quite early, maybe too early to form a solidified opinion, but my gut feeling is that Darren Young is going to be completely overshadowed by Bob Backlund's crazy antics.

As we all know, Backlund's crazy character is what we've seen out of him since the mid 90s, which is a persona that Backlund's actually pretty entertaining much of the time. Darren Young comes across as the straight man in this somewhat comedic pairing, and yeah I know it's funny having an openly gay man as the "straight" man in a comedy bit. Again, it's still so early that's difficult to really gauge how this will come out, but I can't get over the feeling that this won't benefit Darren Young all that much in the long run because Backlund's over the top antics will steal the spotlight.

I'd like my hunches to be wrong here. Young's a hard worker and I'd like to see him break through with some sort of personality to go along with a good look and pretty solid in-ring ability. It's just that with the WWE Draft coming up next week, new stars from NXT on their way up, the brand split coming up and what that potentially means for booking going forward, I just see Young & Backlund quickly becoming a mid-card comedy act.

All of this and I have a strong feeling that he's going to get hit with a suspension for roiding. Looks bigger, tighter, veiny all during this big comeback/push.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

There's just too many characters in WWE and NXT that are better than Darren Young. Problem is, WWE tends to push guys like this until there's no gas left in the tank at all. I'm on the fence, he can easily get overshadowed on a strong brand or get undeservingly pushed to the Intercontinental Championship or U.S Belt resulting in a strong mid card wrestler. There have been other Darren Young types in the past that have made a good career after a strong push or six.

 

[OYDK]

As an openly gay black man, the first ever in the industry if I'm remembering correctly, Darren Young is a marketing dream for a company like current day WWE. It would be almost stupid for them not to give him a chance to, at the least, become a weekly mainstay with whatever roster he gets drafted to. That being said, giving him a manager is the only way he's going to get over at all. I haven't seen much charisma out of DY since he debuted and Bobby Backlund is overflowing with it, even at nearly 70 years of age. When I first heard of this pairing I was kind of shocked, but they seem to be working just fine. If you'll remember, the fans were chanting for Darren Young after the Battle Royal, not Bob Backlund.

I won't demonize this team yet because firstly, it's only been one week, and secondly, they did very well together in their debut. They did exactly what they were supposed to do and than some, and that's make a lasting impression. This team is just so out there and ridiculously unique that it may actually surprise a lot of people. Shit, they surprised me after just one appearance.

Is it possible that Backlund overshadows Young? Definitely. But if they can find that fine line, and if WWE continues to give Young wins, this pairing may make some surprising waves somewhere down the line. Big ifs though.

 

[Blade]

Darren Young seems to lack the charisma needed to connect with the audience. Or rather, he lacks the avenue to show off any charisma that he might have. And until that's changed, then he won't make it much further. He is an intriguing contender for the Intercontinental title though, especially with the Miz as one of the best IC champions we've had in a while.

 

[enviousdominous]

History tells us that managers are hardly ever a permanent thing, even the wickedly entertaining ones like Bob Backlund.

There's a faint glimmer of hope for me in terms of seeing the potential for Darren Young to change his character. I'm glad that he's not a stereotypical gimmick based on his natural traits of being Black and Gay, but he's been very basic as a result. The glimmer of hope I'm seeing is; what happens if Darren out-crazies Bob?

I think about what would happen if Darren achieves big things all thanks to his mentor Bob, and then he starts losing. He starts to lose big, and he can't explain what's wrong. Bob comes out with his non-sequitur howlings about how the Status of Liberty didn't go to the moon just to give Benedict Arnold permission to sink the Lusitania, when Darren just SNAPS.

Darren launches into a rant about how his Earth Mother Gaia is telling him that Bob is really just the incarnation of Legion and that it's now his duty to complete a paternity test based on the idea that Bob isn't his real step-uncle and that everything he's saying ties into the crux of existence which is that Steve Allen is the true Mothman and that he created mankind out of divine nutella. Bob stands wide eyed and runs away screaming in terror.

The program then becomes Darren stalking Bob because he feels that Bob is the one true avatar of Vishnu sent by Buzz Lightyear to rid Saturn of Communist tight-rope walkers.

Promos are cut based on Darren Young either going on similar rants of outlandish buffoonery or just flat out screaming at the top of his lungs while staring down his confused opponent.

Oh and...

As an openly gay black man

You made me spit out my coffee, then I realized you were referring to Darren Young.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Coming from a Darren Young fan, can you makes something great again that was never great to begin with? I love Darren Young, and really like that he's getting a huge push because he deserves it. But let's be real, even in Prime Time Players, he wasn't exactly that great. He was the first member of the Nexus to be exalted from the group, and even though he had a huge pop after coming out, it didn't help him at all... even with the "Black Cena" comparisons.

And then, in Prime Time Players, he was just the guy with the hair pick trying to be funny. Sure, he came out as an openly gay African American but what's WWE done with him since then? A mediocre tag title run? Job him out to nearly everyone else on the roster? Have Stephanie in an interview openly say Darren Young the character isn't gay? Also, WWE had a gay black guy who was leaps and bounds above Darren Young. His name was Orlando Jordan, and they fired him.

Although, a team up of Young and Jordan could be a nice one.

 

[OYDK]

Also, WWE had a gay black guy who was leaps and bounds above Darren Young. His name was Orlando Jordan, and they fired him.

Although, a team up of Young and Jordan could be a nice one.

Different time and different era. Plus OJ wasn't open about his sexuality when he was with the WWE. Plus plus, he sucked just as much as Darren Young does. Those guys are actually like, clones of each other now that I think about it.

Plus plus plus, I don't think you know what the concept of a fan is. You love Darren Young yet you rip the shit out of him in a post and say he basically sucks. If Young's fans are like this than I change my stance, guy's friggin screwed.

 

[Rayne]

I don't think this is the Start Of Great Things for Darren Young, but rather it's one of those programs that the WWE puts together to remind you that a guy exists so that it seems a little more important when he gets used in the 'jobber' role later. (Which again and as seemingly a requirement every time I say the word 'jobber'; it is used as a term of respect and is a necessary and vital role in any professional wrestling company.) Prior to this MDYGA thing, I'd be willing to bet a lot of you weren't even sure if he was still with the company.

So he'll get a nice program and the WWE will fill fifteen minutes of airtime per week. If they've got long term faith in Darren Young, maybe he'll wear the IC or US strap for a couple of months. But I don't think the intention here is to make anyone great.

 

[BuriedByCena]

The biggest issue/head scratcher for fans is "How can he be great again if he was never great in the first place?"

That is what makes the whole thing fall apart. I can't get over that and it's hurting D-Young. I look forward to Kevin owens, Miz or Jericho pointing this out because we are all thinking it.

 

[Azane]

Darren Young is always the weakest link wherever they have him.
We saw it with Nexus, when he was just a random cronie
We saw it with The Primetime Players, when Titus came out ahead
We see it now, where Backlund is overshadowing him, without even being an active competitor.

There's also that whole thing where he avoided the releases because WWE is afraid to fire him because of his lifestyle choices.

 

[Bischoff's Knob Slobberer]

Coming from a Darren Young fan, can you makes something great again that was never great to begin with? I love Darren Young, and really like that he's getting a huge push because he deserves it. But let's be real, even in Prime Time Players, he wasn't exactly that great. He was the first member of the Nexus to be exalted from the group, and even though he had a huge pop after coming out, it didn't help him at all... even with the "Black Cena" comparisons.

And then, in Prime Time Players, he was just the guy with the hair pick trying to be funny. Sure, he came out as an openly gay African American but what's WWE done with him since then? A mediocre tag title run? Job him out to nearly everyone else on the roster? Have Stephanie in an interview openly say Darren Young the character isn't gay? Also, WWE had a gay black guy who was leaps and bounds above Darren Young. His name was Orlando Jordan, and they fired him.

Although, a team up of Young and Jordan could be a nice one.

Oh the nicknames I could come up with for a tag team of Jordan and Young?

Bottom line is once again the shitty WWE booking is stealing from something we have already seen. This is nothing more than Vince's way of supporting that piece of human dog poo Donald Trump. I turn off the tv in protest when and go "please" myself instead. Much funnier!!!!!!

 

[thekooljt]

Two (2) trains of thought here.
A) I think we have already seen the best of D. Young. As someone stated earlier D. Young is probably a low to mid carder. Tag Champ yes (already accomplished), U.S. Champ? A VERY big maybe. IC Champ? NO.

B) I've always said that WWE needs to create a title for the Heath Slaters, Curtis Axel, and Darren Youngs of the industry. As I stated a WWE TV title can really elevate those workers the WWE has fallen out of favor with.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

Honestly, if Darren hadn't staged his coming out for TMZ, I think he would've been a part of that year's roster cuts, and he knew it.

He doesn't have any attributes that significantly set him apart from anyone else on the roster, i.e. he was very replaceable. Becoming openly gay basically saved his WWE career, because he made himself the poster boy for B.A. Star and also told WWE that they would get a huge public backlash and/or defamation suit if they fired him within the next couple of years of his coming out. Even when he was injured for a long period of time.

But that left them with the question "what do you do with him?"

Personally, I think this gimmick is incredibly dumb. It feels not unlike so many Attitude Era gimmicks where they just needed to find something, anything, to do with someone. Which is how you ended up with things like Beaver Cleavage, The Union, Lo Down, etc. Not unlike what the Social Outcasts are now.

I do think it's a good thing, that his gimmick isn't based on his sexuality, but I feel like they could do something better with him. In the short term, I think this actually will work for him, as evidenced by the fact that the crowd chanted his name for the first time ever on Monday. But, they've gotta find a way to give it more depth, and eventually evolve Backlund out of the story, preferably without turning Darren heel...Maybe have Bob tell him "he taught him everything he needs to know to be great, but he's always only a phone call away" or something, because Darren really needs to a face for this to work. Right now, I worry this has Zach Ryder written all over it, where they make you think it's going somewhere and he's back to Main Event/Superstars in 2 weeks, but I'm optimistic for him at the moment.

 

[Stonz]

Hey, the guy got buried once he came out. Yeah, he was "still on the show" for a few more weeks, but where has he been since then?

This little bullshit program is just gonna "keep him on TV" but it isn't gonna get the guy ANYWHERE. They are basically just showcasing the legend Backlund. Darren hasn't gone anywhere since he got there, and he isn't gonna go anywhere now. Look to see him soon........ but only in some of those WWE cuts where they get rid of the dead weight like him and Heath Slater, etc.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

I was at Raw on Monday and I can say aside from Cena, Enzo/Cass and Rollins, Darren Young got the biggest pop. As long as Backlund stays at ring side with him I think Young can get over.

 

[Stonz]

Yeah but nowadays everyone cheers "that gay guy" but in the back of their mind...... Not bashing anyone or anything at all, just stating the status-quo.

 

[ShinChan]

When was Darren Young great at the first place?

Never. He was never great and won't ever be great in future too.

He hasn't done anything impressive enough to guarantee the title shot. He is just par in the ring and I have never listened him so can't tell about mic skills.

If Young wins the IC Title at Battleground, it would be a terrible booking decision.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Plus plus plus, I don't think you know what the concept of a fan is. You love Darren Young yet you rip the shit out of him in a post and say he basically sucks. If Young's fans are like this than I change my stance, guy's friggin screwed.

No buddy. Just no. Everything I stated about Darren's career being the afterthought thus far has been accurate. Fan or not, it doesn't change that. In fact, it actually makes me more of a fan to realize what he's done in WWE and recognize how WWE hasn't given him anything that fans can relate him to. And since you couldn't come up with one good reason as to why he was ever great, it solidifies my point even more.

 

[OYDK]

No buddy. Just no. Everything I stated about Darren's career being the afterthought thus far has been accurate. Fan or not, it doesn't change that. In fact, it actually makes me more of a fan to realize what he's done in WWE and recognize how WWE hasn't given him anything that fans can relate him to. And since you couldn't come up with one good reason as to why he was ever great, it solidifies my point even more.

I'm not a fan of Darren Young. Guy sucks in my personal opinion and he hasn't ever been great. Far from it. Which solidifies MY point. If I'm wiling to give DY a chance more than his so-called "fans" are, who all seem to be hung up on this stupid catchphrase, he's screwed. Basically means nobody's pulling for him.

After reading the majority of posts, I don't think Young has a chance in hell, at best he's completely up against it. It seems like people are done with him and won't even entertain the idea that he may be able to make this work. The only reason I was optimistic was because it hasn't even been a week yet and I'm usually in the business of waiting it out before I drop the axe.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I'm not a fan of Darren Young. Guy sucks in my personal opinion and he hasn't ever been great. Far from it. Which solidifies MY point. If I'm wiling to give DY a chance more than his so-called "fans" are, who all seem to be hung up on this stupid catchphrase, he's screwed. Basically means nobody's pulling for him.

I never said I'm not willing to give him a chance. Nor has any of the people who are his fans here. All we've stated is that he never was great. You can't redo something when it was never done in the first place. Darren, as much as I love his in-ring skills, was never great. So you can't "Make Darren Young Great Again". See my point?

I'm all happy for him getting a push, just wish they wouldn't be so blatantly obvious in supporting Donald Trump.

 

[BaconBits]

If Young wins the IC Title at Battleground, it would be a terrible booking decision.

Yet it would still be light years better than (Ball)Zack Ryder winning the IC title at Mania out of nowhere.

In Darren's case, it would be the culmination of an actual storyline. Is it gonna make him relevant? Who knows. But it's worth a shot.

 

[ShinChan]

Yet it would still be light years better than (Ball)Zack Ryder winning the IC title at Mania out of nowhere.

In Darren's case, it would be the culmination of an actual storyline. Is it gonna make him relevant? Who knows. But it's worth a shot.

That was a terrible booking decision, Just incredibly terrible.

But this is also terrible. A guy who hasn't been on Raw since a long time wins a battle royale out of nowhere and challenges The Miz for the InterContinental title. The Miz shouldn't lose this match.

I hope that this is infact a filler match and feud. And Youbg isn't gonna win InterContinental title. Still I have doubts that he mught win.