Is Otunga Growing On You Guys?

[Mr. Artistic guy]

In the way that Ivy grows on the outside of a house, yes I suppose it looks sort of nice and it's not really doing me any harm but I'm still not happy about it.

See my concern that, as KB brought up, Otunga is only part character, he's got a fair bit of real life basis from which to work. Wrestlers on average are better when they can infuse a degree of their own personalty into their character, it's more or less a common consensus. My concern is, in that light, Otunga may be as good now as he ever gets.

Let's be honest, getting this character is a blessing to him and it's allowed him to evade the deadly superstars spiral down to FCW. He's probably wont have another opportunity to show what he can do more apt than now. And if this is all he's got, he hasn't got that much. If I'm really seeing Otunga at full pelt right now, then I don't think he's got enough to make it. That remains to be seen I will concede but it is my biggest concern with him as he is now.

 

[J.D Lethal]

No,and im sad for that i had high hopes for Otunga... his moves are better mic work on a kofi level in my timeline i had him goin for the US title while Swagger and Ziggler moved up....idk if he fueds with Kofi or Mark Henry or Ron Simmon's trains him i see him on the F/E list within by this time next year

 

[The Crock]

You know, I don't mind David Otunga. He's got a decent gimmick going on -- the whole lawyer deal -- and, most importantly, he's getting TV time. The best way for me to start enjoying him more is to keep seeing him, week in and week out. He's very rough at this point, nowhere near what he could be, but he possesses some star power, I'd say. I remember when he took the mic a few times as a member of the Nexus and I was very impressed. He was excellent, but he showed command and I saw loads of potential. Yes, potential doesn't mean anything if he can't develop it, but the WWE is firmly behind pushing him and allowing him to grow.

I'm fine with what he offers as a whole. He may be a bad actor, he might be nothing special in the ring, and he might be raw on the mic -- but how many guys with limited experience are better than him? He's adapting to his new role well and he's got name recognition with people outside the WWE (whether it be because of his wife or because of his reality show career), I see no reason to jump on his throat.

 

[Da Solo]

Honestly, I like everything about David Otunga except his wrestling skills. I've said that from day 1. And even then, his in-ring work is surprisingly getting better every match. He still isn't up to par yet (Even Santino can out-wrestle him), but he's getting there ever so slowly. I still think that, out of all Nexus members, he came out the 3rd most successful right behind Barret and Bryan.

 

[The12thMan]

Who cares about his wrestling? WWE sure doesn't. As long as you have a look and a few moves you will be a star in WWE. Besides he playes a good character on tv.

You people and your ring of honor and japan wrestling mindset. Stop watching WWE if this stuff bothers you because trust me...the wrestling will only get worse. This is sport entertainment....not wrestling. Guys like Samoa Joe, Tyler Black, Chris Hero etc will not only NOT make a lot of money wrestling, but never make it to WWE.

 

[Notorious718]

David Otunga is an interesting case. The man does have a unique gimmick that is based on his actual background which is something we don't really see often in professional wrestling nowadays. It's not over the top like say Brodus Clay's current gimmick, but interesting and based on actuality. But while the gimmick is interesting, David Otunga simply is not. He's still painfully average in the ring and has shown even less charisma now than he did during his stint on NXT. Which I'm guessing is the point. As mentioned earlier, he's like a younger version of Johnny Ace. Just as bland.

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.

I agree with this. One of my biggest problems with Otunga strangely is the fact that I can barely hear the man when he speaks. This is especially true during backstage segments. All in all, Otunga is a guy I'm pretty mixed on. On one hand, he's still a fairly young dude who can still improve with time. On the other hand, as The Artist mentioned earlier, I feel that this gimmick is the only thing that has kept him from being sent to FCW or future endevoured. There's that possibility that this is indeed the best we'll ever see out of him.

Whatever, he's still got a sweet bow tie.

 

[WunNightStan619]

as a wrestler no...as an entertainer yes. I like the lawyer gimmick they gave him and it fits him well. The only thing is he cant really wrestle. I see him being in more of a Virgil type roll. By that i mean being a manager for the most part, but also getting physical from time to time

 

[jssellen]

He is growing on me. I didn't like him at the start in NXT, but I'm slowly beginning to like him. I like that he changed his wrestling trunks - his first ones were awful - and his physic seems more toned to me. I also like that he now dresses with more style and not that silly hoodie he used to have.

 

[(your ad here)]

I've always liked David Otunga (but he'll never be one of my favorites.)

3 things he has going for him

1. his wife is jennifer freaking hudson.

2. his gimmick suits him well (in my opinion.)

3. i think he has the ability to improve.

3 things he doesn't have going for him

1. he's not good on the mic atm.

2.he doesn't really show personality.

3.his in ring skills are worst then they could be.

 

[Amarillo del Bosque Verde]

Who cares about his wrestling? WWE sure doesn't. As long as you have a look and a few moves you will be a star in WWE. Besides he playes a good character on tv.

You people and your ring of honor and japan wrestling mindset. Stop watching WWE if this stuff bothers you because trust me...the wrestling will only get worse. This is sport entertainment....not wrestling. Guys like Samoa Joe, Tyler Black, Chris Hero etc will not only NOT make a lot of money wrestling, but never make it to WWE.

Really now? That's funny. Really funny. Because Tyler Black WORKS FOR THE WWE right now. And he's considered the top guy in developmental, along with Dean Ambrose, another indie dude. And they're both gonna be called up soon. So much for never making it to the WWE, huh? Chris Hero is supposed to join WWE soon. The only reason he hasn't yet is because he failed a drug test. And Samoa Joe would be there, but people backstage don't want him. John Cena, Stone Cold, CM Punk, and a few others want him there though.


To the OP, Otunga sucks. Period. He has pretty good mic skills and a good character. But he's one of the worst in the ring. He looks like he never even took the time to learn how to wrestle. Sigh.

 

[Martin Gabriel]

David Otunga is an interesting case. The man does have a unique gimmick that is based on his actual background which is something we don't really see often in professional wrestling nowadays. It's not over the top like say Brodus Clay's current gimmick, but interesting and based on actuality. But while the gimmick is interesting, David Otunga simply is not. He's still painfully average in the ring and has shown even less charisma now than he did during his stint on NXT. Which I'm guessing is the point. As mentioned earlier, he's like a younger version of Johnny Ace. Just as bland.

I think that's mostly a combination of the character he's playing now and his inexperience. I can't say why because he hasn't really impressed me as of yet, but I really think he can be a top heel over time. I just think it's going to take him a while to get the skills. He has the look, the potential, and I think he has 'it' he just needs to use that potential and improve his skills.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

I'm definitely not his biggest fan but hes somewhat gained a foothold in my interest. He has a gimmick which draws alot of heat whenever he comes out you can bet the good guy is about to get screwed which draws even more heat. He has some talent in the ring tho barely good enough to warrant a match with santino who also sucks but sucks worse than otunga.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Absolutely. Has from day one. Astoundingly good look, natural charisma and promo ability that is off the page, for someone so young in his carreer. Easy to hate. If he develops the ability to put on an even semi-competent match, he will be a main event mainstay. Anyone who doubts this may only look as far as the got-damned Miz being in the last match of WrestleMania last year for their proof what im saying is true.

Love the slurping coffee thing. That is one of my absolute biggest pet peeves on this planet, its a nice subtle little thing the WWE has put in that they know many people absolutely hate.

 

[Martin Gabriel]

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.

I can't agree with your comment regarding volume, I've scarcely ever had a hard time hearing his speech. Getting drowned out by cackling fans isn't uncommon, that even used to happen to Vickie, who's obviously not short of volume. Maybe it's easier for me since I normally watch SmackDown online and have good, stereo headphones.

 

[Peep]

I really like Otunga. Seriously. I do.

The fact that so many are complaining about him really speaks to the IWC's ability to portray its own worst stereotypes. Everyone just HAS to fit a mold, don't they?

First of all, Otunga is a much better speaker than some of you are giving him credit for. Of course he speaks softly and sounds incredibly scripted. He's a LAWYER. Have some of you never met a lawyer? Do you not know anyone that went to law school? Otunga is a fairly accurate representation ever since he's been given this realistic gimmick. Also, what is up with a few of the comments saying he doesn't even look like a lawyer? I'm going to be totally honest: That sounds a little racist. Yeah, I played the race card (and no, I'm not black). What is a lawyer SUPPOSED to look like? White guy? Cheap haircut? Plain suit? C'mon. He dresses in a business-casual sweater vest, caries around a coffee thermos and has a Harvard law degree in real life. Otunga is portraying the character just fine.

Secondly, I will grant you that I don't necessarily look forward to David Otunga wrestling matches. He's not good. He's not "OH GOD, TEAR OUT MY EYES AND SHOOT ME!!!" either. However, it's not as if he's alone in this category when it comes to the WWE. Let's face it, there are other guys on the roster who can't wrestle 5-star matches (Ezekiel Jackson, for example).

But here's the thing... Otunga has a character that doesn't revolve around in-ring performance. He is, in fact, primarily a backstage character. Can he wrestle every couple weeks? Of course. I had no problem with his SmackDown match with Randy Orton or Santino. When called on by Johnny Ace, he can be a lapdog and go wrestle someone. But that should only be 25% of who he is. The rest of it should be as the smug-faced, coffee slurping heel he portrays backstage that is, whether some of you like it or not, drawing heat from the general audience.

Is that going to progress his career? Is it going to help push him into a title picture in the future? Probably not. But does it have to? The way he's currently being used justifies the WWE paying him money. It gives him a role in the company and in the on-air product. The general audience hates him (in a good way) and his character has proven to be useful, especially as Johnny Ace has gotten more and more over as a heel general manager.

THAT justifies him having the job, appearing on-air, and, occasionally, wrestling a match on television. And THAT is why Otunga has, admittedly, grown on me.

 

[Scofield]

Obviously the guy isn't a Benoit/Angle like in-ring technician but I do believe he has some degree of talent as to what that specifically is right now....I don't even really know but I feel the verdict remains out on this one.

Keep him as a singles competitor, maybe show a little more visciousness in-ring & don't turn him into a comedic heel. The verdict is out, I'd love to see Otunga prove people wrong the way The Miz did.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

Otunga is totally growing on me, he's become entertaining if not, at least, interesting. The "Assistant to the Exec" role is a pretty good gimmick especially for someone like Otunga. His promos have improved tremendously in my opinion and in the modern-day WWE, you don't need in-ring talent to be a star.

 

[jeritroll94]

The good thing about Otunga is his gimmick. We haven't really seen this kind of gimmick for a while and I've been a fan since 2000. It is unique and I think a few matches on Superstars will start to develop his in-ring abilities as well. Since this gimmick with the exception of a few matches, he has been in either squash matches or joke matches like the Miracle 34th Street Fight (And I Quote "HO HO HO" - Randy Orton). But this guy could become a good mid-carder this year if used correctly.

 

[dark_heart1983]

No. I see him as a less entertaining WWE version of Carlton Banks. Hell I catch my self chanting "Lets go Carlton, Lets go..." just for kicks and giggles

 

[JWGunslinger]

I can definitely say he is, whether it was planned this way or not I feel like what they've had him doing has been great and really building his character. When he first joined us as one of the Nexus boys he was able to get by as one in the crowd, he had an impressive physique but that was about it. I saw no personality in him and his ring work was mediocre, all he was to me was Jennifer Hudson's dull hubby who didn't deserve the spot he had. This continued with his run as a tag champ alongside McGillicutty where the only reason he didn't look like absolute shit was because his partner was already doing that. Since then he has been steadily growing as a singles competitor, his ring abilities are getting much better and now with his lawyer character he's got personality. He went from a Mason Ryan like guy to a guy that I actually respect as a performer, well done Otunga.

 

[AustinHartLesnarHBKTaz80]

i liked OTUNGA ever since he got more air time as a member of the NEXUS.

he was the second best mouthpiece of the group behind barrett, and when punk ran it for a few weeks.

although his ring work could use more polish, his mic work was great.

i see loads of POTENTIAL in otunga. he's got the talking ability, the character, the look, the wrestling could use some work, definitely, although we've all seen dudes get OVER based on those 3 qualities alone (hogan, sid, nash, etc)

he just needs more exposure, longer matches, and a bit more experience---- and i can totally see him as a future singles champion. his association with jennifer hudson could help him with future storylines as well

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

I could see him facing off against the likes of Triple H, Foley or some other big name at WM28. Otunga has been getting pushed for the better part of the last 5 or 6 months. Its been a very slow push, but its helping to get him over, establish his mic skills, and showcase his in ring work.

Otunga has a great look, he's good on the mic, and his in ring work isn't terrible. I think a year from now he could be playing a bigger role in the WWE. His lawyer heel character is working great, the fans hate him and all he needs to do is to continue to build off of that heat and improve his in ring game and he could be a main event star somewhere down the line.

 

[Eye Contact]

I'm gonna be honest, I always thought that David Otunga had a good appeal in terms of look and mic skills.
His ring skills are getting better so he can only grow from here.

I like his recent gimmick, it's a real gimmick, he is a real lawyer so he can back it up.
Otunga in my mind can be a midcard champion, if WWE gives him a good solo chance, I can totally see him getting some good tv time and lets be serious, the guy has a good body, he is jacked so he can back it up in terms of believability.
He is doing a good job, let's just wait and see.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I've liked Otunga ever since NXT season 1. He was horrendous in the ring at the time, so he has shown a little improvement there. He's still pretty bad, hopefully he improves more over time. Otunga did great in promos when he was a part of Nexus and always showed potential to go far if more focus was placed on his promos than his actual matches. The lawyer character is a great fit for him and so is the new theme music he inherited from the short lived tag team with McGillicutty.

I can see great things for Otunga in the future. He could become a GM or a heel manager. They need to keep the focus on his promos until he can improve more in the ring, his matches have yet to show anything significant. I like the guy though. The lawyer character is awesome and would be a perfect fit for a heel GM some day in the future because he has shown he can draw heel heat when he makes heelish announcements. If only he were just a bit better in his actual matches.... Only time will tell how far he truly goes, but he is on the right path.

 

[AwesomeRko]

I like him actually I think as many have mentioned he suits the lawyer role perfectly and has actually contributed a decent amount of humour to the segments hes been involved in. The smarmy, know it all type attitude hes portraying is dead on for his character and I think hes good at conveying personality through the mic.

Although he still needs some work in the ring with his physique and status in the celeb world I think its inevtiable he will rise to be at least a mid card champion.