Is Otunga Growing On You Guys?

[MoizH28]

When Nexus first debuted I had said that Otunga would be the second biggest star of the group behind Barrett and over time he would even become not better than but "more popular" than Daniel Bryan.

Otunga is getting backstage segments now and is usually in a televised match a week given he's been losing but is getting in more offense and beat Santino on SD so hopefully thats a start. So is David Otunga growing on you guys yet?

I think his offense has gotten better as well as his mic work. I believe he has a marketable look and he is someone you want to see get hit in the face on a weekly basis which is exactly how the "smart heel" character should be in my opinion. Your thoughts?

 

[Azane]

No, he still can't wrestle well enough to be in the big league. His attorney gimmick doesn't fit him well(even though it's an actuality), and he's only being televised because he has a good body and look, and his wife is somewhat famous.

He has a long way to go before I prefer him over most the roster that gets neglected each week. He needs to take some lessons on how to show emotion, rather than give the basic Otunga stare he does when he's trying to "act".

 

[josh4worldchamp]

No not even a little hes boring he cant perform he cant talk hes a HUGE waste of time and should disappear id actually rather watch alberto del boring and i cant stand him either

 

[The_Natural85]

Otunga is growing on me he is getting better in the ring and on the Mic and he gets a good amount of tv time and he beat santino on SD so that's good

 

[GameOver]

Not even close, he's just an average fish in a big pond of average talent.
Proved nothing more in ring or on the mic, sure he's far from crap but he hasn't changed one bit other then being more confident in his Lawyer character.

 

[xBANEx]

Have to say I agree with the masses here. While he isn't the worst, mic or in-ring skills, he certainly isn't the best. He hasn't improved (in my opinion) in either department since he was first on NXT. Honestly, if he was married to who he was he probably would've been fired already.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

He has improved slightly, and his lawyer gimmick is definitely something that suits him, and is bound to make the fans hate him and get him some heel heat.

However, the guy just cannot act. He is dull and boring when he talks and is painfully average in the ring. He is someone I dislike because they suck, not because of their character they are playing (even though the lawyer is annoying).

If I had the choice of seeing him get his ass kicked on Raw or simply never seeing him again, I would definitely choose to see him future-endevoured.

 

[baldjedi]

No. I think his wrestling is slowly improving, which is good, but he doesn't have very good mic skills. I would rather him turn face and turn again John L. Also, do we really have to hear him slurp on coffee every week? Get a friggin straw or something.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

No. I think his wrestling is slowly improving, which is good, but he doesn't have very good mic skills. I would rather him turn face and turn again John L. Also, do we really have to hear him slurp on coffee every week? Get a friggin straw or something.

Yes, you do. Because being a coffee drinker is a cliche of any office worker like a lawyer. And it's sort of like his signature right now. Not to mention a way to draw heat.

Personally, I think Otunga is absolutely horrendous in the ring. He's protected as well as he can be by being put mostly in squash matches and tag team matches. He still can't wrestle for shit and it shows in those matches even.

His mic skills are limited. He started out as one of the best in NXT but has yet to really improve in any way.

All that being said, I think he's found a decent little niche as Laurinitus's legal assistant. As limited as he may be, that role really doesn't demand much of him. As far as professional wrestling goes, he's probably the best guy to play that role, being that he has a legitamite background in it. Does he REALLY look like a lawyer? No, but at least he can somewhat talk like one. And being in this position still gets him TV time while not highlighting any of his glaring in-ring flaws. I actually like where he's at right now.

 

[Mustang Sally]

At least he has a unique gimmick, which is something a lot of other guys on the roster wish they had. Otunga's "clubhouse lawyer" persona gives him something to present that no one else is doing, so that in itself is good.

In many ways, he's the second coming of Clarence Mason, except that Otunga can also perform in the ring. Yes, he's no Bret Hart when it comes to technical wrestling, but he's a presentable opponent when one is needed. As a mouthpiece for other performers, he's obviously no ball of fire, but I find David to be a useful addition to the roster. He's not going to carry a scene by himself, but he's not bad when complementing others.

True, this is not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it? Still, there's a place for Otunga in WWE. He can function as an expert in contract law who occasionally gets hit in the mouth for his trouble......and that's something, at least.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

He has finally found a niche with the character he plays but he basically went from his tag team with McGillicutty that was boring as hell to a mini feud with the King to off TV for like a week then back on and he had the new gimmick. Not once in that run did I say hey this guy is growing on me. I'm a bit upset that he is the one who is on TV and not Henning, who I feel is a better worker, though still not great.

The best part of his current run is when Big Show cheap shot him on Smackdown a few weeks back.

On a side note I would like him more if he used that coffee thermos as a weapon once or twice

 

[boywithbluehanger]

The only true flaw I find in Otunga's current role is that he is AND John Laurinaitis are BOTH very soft-spoken people. It's can be difficult to hear either of them in backstage segments even when the crowd booing is at a minimal. That alone makes it very hard to sell a character to us. If we can't hear Otunga, then basically all we have to go on are his match losses and lapdog tendencies.

It doesn't help that his entire persona is now heavily leaning on his ability to speak. Either he needs to learn to fake some bass in his voice to be heard more effectively over the boos (a-la Cody Rhodes) or the technical crew will need to turn up the volume on the microphones when he and JL are speaking. It shouldn't take 4 months to recognize such a recurring issue.

 

[Nico]

I don't think so. The guy really doesn't got talent in the ring.. they should give opportunity to GOOD rising superstars and fire that joke. Sorry, but that's what I think.

 

[akrassikauda]

He's starting to grow on me. He has a gImmick that fits him plus he is getting more ring time and slightly improving. I like his new finisher he used on Santino last week on Smackdown. He only speaks briefly and the coffee bit is his shtick don't fix what's not broken. The guy is smart enough to seek help from others to help him along the way. The Cena line about Otunga is priceless, he's Carlton Banks with muscles.

Now for you smarks out there who seem to know everything about everything without knowing anything. You sit and judge guys without giving them time to work on their craft. For those who remember and for those who don't HHH sucked in WCW, he couldn't cut a promo to save his life and was meager at best in the ring. The Hardy's remember them, when they first started they were your average jobbers who were used in squash matches. Dolph Ziggler was Nicky from The Spirit Squad where most of the attention was put on Kenny Dykstra, now the IWC is on his dick like a hooker at daybreak needing one last trick. Bottom line is you need to give these guys time. Smarks want everyone to be a wrestling and microphone God. It takes years of hard work nothing happens overnight. When David Arquette happens then get your pitch forks out.

 

[Rcole83]

He is growing on me. For the longest time he just wasn't improving in the ring...and we were never really given a reason to care about him before.

While I'm far from being a FAN of Otunga, I can at least get into his character. The bowtie and the coffee mug have become part of who he is, as well as legal advisor to John Laurinaitis has given him a role that is somewhat meaningful. So he's doing what he can with what they give him, and he seems to enjoy doing it...and his ring work, while still not stellar, has been getting better too.

 

[#hamler]

He's grown on me a bit from his days in Nexus although he still doesn't possess anything to get him over with me. His acting is incredibly horrid for someone who's featured prominently in back stage skits. Otunga needs a good month or so of acting classes so he can learn to portray his character a bit better. Otunga is getting a fair amount of heat it seems like. I think the WWE needs to focus a bit more on David Otunga's lawyer gimmick to get him more over. Imagine selling those Coffee cups with Otunga's picture on the side or even his bowtie. Mix that in with a good month or so of acting classes and he’s ready for Raw’s midcard. His ring skills are questionable, but I see no harm; he’s a big, strong looking dude and he should be utilizing these types of moves.

When I look at David Otunga, he reminds me a lot of John Cena from 2002. Not much direction, good looking body and a questionable gimmick. Otunga needs to dust off some of that charisma and needs to get noticed. Who knows, we may even be looking at the next John Cena. There are tons of ways Otunga can improve before he’s considered over with me but I'm almost positive, we're not seeing everything he's got just yet.

 

[d3thRoW]

I would say yes. I see a lot of potential with Otunga, he has a ways to go but it's there. People have to remember that these new guys are gonna be learning on the job basically since there isn't a real territory system for them to hone their skills in. So understand that's what we've got in wwe before you label somebody as complete garbage. Baby steps...and patience are needed with most of the roster. I think they dropped the ball on getting him over twice so far. Once was the the teasing of him turning on Barrett and going full fledged face, could have been good imho...and when Jerry Lawler was burying him and and Hennig as super boring, I felt like that should have led to Lawler being involved more, on maybe a managerial level with them, and they could still be a presence in the tag division now, as they were champs at the time. This lawyer gimmick is suiting him well though, and I am interested to see how he improves going forward.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

At this point, Otunga is actually in a pretty good spot. He's solidly mid-card talent, yet he's getting consistent T.V. time and that's a really good place to be in at this point. The lawyer gimmick is a good one for a heel who doesn't have to be too physically dominant. Yet, he can still get in the ring and be, if not amazing, at least decent.

The thing is, I see more potential to him and his current character than is being used right now. He'd be in a good position for a new version of Right To Censor. What with the whole SOPA thing going on and his annoying (and overbearing) lawyer gimmick, it's a natural as far as I'm concerned. Plus, Skip Sheffield (or Reyback or whatever they end up naming him eventually) is back. These two were an excellent tag team in the beginning of Nexus and with Otunga representing the over-legalistic side of things, Skip could step in as the religious right, Christian fundamentalist part. Instant heat, especially if Laurinitis is backing them, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

As far as Otunga goes...he's growing on me as a minor villain. They keep this slow build going, he might actually get somewhere.

 

[trashboy]

Uh, nope. Thank you! He annoys me with his slurpin' of the coffee. His mic skills aren't very good. He sounds way too scripted. His wrestling skills are nothing special. He's just boring. I really thought after the Nexus ended that he'd be dropped to jobber status and eventually released. I'm still waiting on his future endeavors.

 

[lilnev2009]

Otunga aka virgil 2.0 is starting to grow on me a little bit. The guy physically, is right up there with anyone and he might as well use the fact that he is a harvard graduate to his advantage. Who would have thought he would be the guy from nexus to still be around? But he has managed to find his role, get his ass kicked every now and then and bring back the bow tie to the WWE universe (also a virgil staple). Also a random little tid bit, how many outfits has he already gone through in his short time on the show? it seems like every month he has new wrestling gear. But anywho, he is starting to grow on me as long as they dont ask him to give any promos in the ring, he should be fine.

 

[klunderbunker]

Yes and for a simple reason: he's doing something that's natural for him. He doesn't have to pretend to be a Harvard educated lawyer. He IS a Harvard educated lawyer. That's something that is missing from WWE so much today: characters that are natural aspects of the guys using them. Think about it: Otunga was a boring guy who was the A-List or whatever, which sounds like something from a small indy company. Here, he's in a gimmick that probably wouldn't have been thought of without his background and he's a natural in it because he's naturally a Harvard educated lawyer. Do that more often and things can work better, with Otunga as an example.

 

[Daniel]

Yes. Otunga is doing fantastically in his current role. He's John Laurinaitis Jr., which is perfect for him in terms of grabbing some heat. People expecting Otunga to be exciting are clearly just missing the point. He's supposed to be straight-laced and serious - it's fundamental to his gimmick.

Uh, nope. Thank you! He annoys me with his slurpin' of the coffee. His mic skills aren't very good. He sounds way too scripted. His wrestling skills are nothing special. He's just boring. I really thought after the Nexus ended that he'd be dropped to jobber status and eventually released. I'm still waiting on his future endeavors.

That's exactly the point. He's a heel. He's supposed to annoy you. Do you think he's sipping that coffee in that manner because it's something to do? No, he's doing it to annoy people. To get people to dislike him. To get people to boo him.

 

[Ryberg]

I'd rather have the computer/email GM on than see Otunga or hear him personally. That should say something. It's a MIRACLE he gets face time when others are on Superstars who actually HAVE TALENT. It goes to show it's who you know not what you know.

 

[ThinkinSmart]

No, go back and watch the match from raw, he looked like a rookie in the ring with Brian and Punk and Ziggler. He was sent out to job and than would tag Ziggler in to, you know, actually wrestle. The guy was sped through developmental and onto tv because me was getting married to some b list actress and WWE wanted people to hear about it and tune in to see her husband. He's not ready to be on tv yet, which is probably why he rarely even is in matches that aren't squash matches any more. Sure his character is working on the show but that doesn't change the fact that he can't work a good match.

 

[trashboy]

Yes. Otunga is doing fantastically in his current role. He's John Laurinaitis Jr., which is perfect for him in terms of grabbing some heat. People expecting Otunga to be exciting are clearly just missing the point. He's supposed to be straight-laced and serious - it's fundamental to his gimmick.



That's exactly the point. He's a heel. He's supposed to annoy you. Do you think he's sipping that coffee in that manner because it's something to do? No, he's doing it to annoy people. To get people to dislike him. To get people to boo him.

That's problem with wrestling these days, I can't just hate someone because they truly are annoying to me. if I hate someone and they happen to be a heel, the answer is always, "they're heel, if you hate them, they're doing their job, blah blah blah." No, i like plenty of heels and some faces. Others just literally annoy me. Like Zack Ryder, you're supposed to like him because he's face, but I can't stand the guy, he's annoying. Same goes for Otunga, whether he's heel or face, it doesn't matter. I just don't like the guy. He bores me. He annoys me. I wish he'd leave my TV for good and never return.