The title is as straight forward as possible. Who do you prefer? I, personally, have to most DEFINITELY go with KO, I used to love him as Chris Hero, why in the blue hell doesn't he use that name now? Also, I believe the time for him to be called up is now, he is DEFINITELY ready. I think KO has more charisma AND he is more of a brawler than Cesaro, which I prefer over the technical style of wrestling, which Cesaro gets the edge in IMO. Chris Hero>CC>KO>Cesaro. So, what do you guys think? Why? Let me know!!!!
Hero knew that when he came over to the WWE that he would have to get a new name before ever debuting on the main roster. That is just a fact of life. So to combat any potential character/name combination that the WWE may give him that would potentially hold him back(McGillicutty says hello) he instead came up with the Kassius Ohno name and character himself and pitched to the WWE upon his signing. They were impressed with his fore-thought, and allowed him to run with the character. It really is a small change from what he was prior, and in fact Kassius Ohno is based-on and a play off of his "Young K.O. Kid" persona.
As for comparing the two. First Claudio owes a great deal of his technical prowess to a longstanding partnership with Hero that basically acted as prolonged training period. Hero is as well versed in every facet of the art as any current worker in his age/experience range. From that standpoint, he is comparable to Punk and Bryan. It is a bit of a stretch to call Claudio a protege of Hero, but in a way it is also quasi-accurate.
Hero is a more complete in-ring worker, with more knowledge, experience, and a much better feel for storytelling. Claudio is definitely the flashier of the two due to the things he can perform because of his ridiculous strength level and above average athleticism for his size. Chris obviously doesn't have the same natural physical gifts.
Hero is also a superior mic worker. I know alot of people think that Claudio's "Cesaro" gimmick is limiting, because it is clearly defined how the character should talk, the types of things he should say, and how he should carry himself. But, that type of character helps Claudio because he can perform comfortably inside a box and not risk having to stretch himself beyond what he may be capable of. Hero on the other hand needs no limitations on the types of promos he can cut, and will be able to evolve his character however is needed over the course of time he will spend on the main roster.
The reason is quite obvious why Claudio has been pushed on the main roster, while Hero hasn't cracked the NXT midcard or really threatened to be called-up yet. That reason? Look. Claudio is an impressive physical specimen, you can't help but take notice when you see him. Hero, while having the height and other positive assets to his look, has always been somewhat "loose" or "flabby", atleast by WWE standards.
For the TL;DR crowd...
Claudio has the better look. Hero is far more seasoned in the ring and has the superior charisma/mic skills.
Preferably I would have loved to see them remain a tag team. They were the best in the industry just a short time ago. I also think being the main mouthpiece half of a tag team may be Hero's best way to get his foot in the door of the main roster.
I am confident that once Hero has found a way to ascend the ladder he will manage to get himself over. I would have loved to see him as an original part of the Shield angle. Hopefully he isn't destined to rot in developmental.
Also, I think that Hero's eventual future is as the head trainer at NXT, but hopefully he gets a nice, long, successful run with the big dogs first.
