**MERGED** Fandango Discussion (Keep it in here!!!!)

[Steve-O-Matt]

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So here it is, Johnny Curtis' new gimmick. Now I don't about you guys but I like the idea. Now now, calm yourself, don't get angry... Put the computer monitor down. It might just be me, but I like silly gimmicks, only at first though. Let's look at guys like Brodus and Santino. At the moment I just find myself fast forwarding their parts, it's annoying. When Brodus came to the ring for the first time as the Funkasaurus, I was coloured interested.

The reason why I think the Funkasaurus is failing, is because they're not letting it grow on it's own. Forcing people to watch that long ass entrance every week is just draining. If they did it for the debut and gave him a shorter entrance since, then I might even like it. But by making it long, winded, dancing at the end, Brodus can't develop the character naturally.

Now, I don't want this to happen to Johnny Curtis. Have a nice big entrance for his debut but after that, have a shorter one. Also, give him a few signatures, I'd like to see Fandango dance a little bit in the ring, like how Flair was stylin' and profilin', I wanna see Fandango do a little jig when he's winning. All I'm asking is they don't rub it in our faces. What do you guy's think?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

My first instinct is to hate this. I mean flat out, 100% despise it. When I saw the very first little mini vignette for Fandango, I got this sinking feeling in my stomach.

However, in all honesty, I think that's one of the IWC's biggest problems as a whole. It seems that internet fans can't wait to start hating on something without giving it a chance. A lot of net fans are only happy with very narrow parameters for a wrestling gimmick. For instance, a lot of them feel that the only good characters are the morally ambiguous tweeners and think that every wrestler should be that sort of character no matter how stale it gets. A lot of them basically want the ultra tough guy that talks a ton of smack like Stone Cold or The Rock or just about every other top guy in WWE during the Attitude Era. You think Wolverine would've been the standout character from the X-Men if every other character on the team was, more or less, just like him?

My first instinct is to hate Fandango but I'm not going there just yet. Personally, I actually like to wait and see what someone has to offer before I crap on their gimmick. I will say this though: Fandango does seem like it's something completely different from anything else that's in wrestling. That doesn't mean that it'll be good, but it is different.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Personally, I hate it when the IWC does what it typically does. Jump to conclusions hastily and prejudge a gimmick or a particular wrestler without giving it a chance to even get out of the starting gates. Automatically label something as a failure before giving it a chance to even see how it may play out, how there could be a potential upside to an otherwise suspect scenario. The IWC does this all of the time, and generally speaking, it annoys the hell out of me.

Which of course makes be a card carrying hypocrite. Because I see the whole Fandango character as being absolutely assinine, a gimmick and a storyline which is doomed to failure and has absolutely no chance whatsoever to result in anything positive for Curtis himself, for the folks at WWE, or for the fans. From the very first vignette, I already hate this guy, but not in a "well, he's a heel, you're supposed to hate him, so I guess he's doing his job well" sort of way. I think he's destined to be a channel changer, a sleep enhancer, a guy who will get booed out of the building who at the very most can hope to be a novelty gimmick, a slimmer version of the already nearly extinct Funkasaurus.

Gilberti achieved some "success" (I guess) as the Disco Inferno, but that was a different era and in front of less jaded and more patient fans. I just cannot see Johnny Curtis achieving any success with this role, unless he's an absolute ring technician, which I doubt is the case. The whole scenario leaves me wondering, what the hell did Curtis do, or who did he piss off, to be saddled with such a Titanic-like gimmick?

 

[Leveller]

The only way I believe this gimmick can work is if Curtis sells the s*** out of this. He has to really put everything he can into it. Do I believe it can work? I dunno.

Just take a second though and think of some of the other gimmicks that probably seemed awful at first glance. Goldust, Undertaker, Kane, Mankind and of course Santino.

I can almost guarantee that these ideas looked terrible on paper. We really won't know how good the gimmick will be until Curtis goes out there and does his thing. But after seeing Curtis really work some of the creepy roles I think this could potentially work.

 

[Boourns]

My first instinct is also to hate this gimmick but, considering it's a heel gimmick I really look forward to doing so.

 

[Azane]

These are the kind of gimmicks that get people type casted and ruin their competitive careers as nobody will be able to take them seriously. (Santino is probably the best example of this now, The overhaul required to make Glen Jacobs go from a demented dentist to Kane is an example of someone moving out of that mold)

That's kind of why I don't like it. It works rarely, but the superstar has to put in so much more effort to get over with it.

The Funkasaurus was a rarity, in that it actually gave Brodus some life, and a lot of what made it awesome was an accident.

Best of Luck to the man, as from what I've seen of him, he can make it work but it's going to require some real talent to keep this gimmick from making him into a joke.

 

[SacredMesa]

i'm not going to dismiss it namely because I can actually see this working, IF he is done as a heel. Now hear me out before you dismiss me as the usual IWC nut who wants his tweener/heels. The reason I can see this as a heel is I can see him as an arrogant, cocky bastard that has a whole "I can kick your ass and look fabulious while I do it" type of persona. All the words used to describe him in the promos could easily work toward this goal and it would be a nice contrast to the whole over the top face dancing blah blah we've gotten from Brodus.

I see the potential for it to work let's hope WWE does as well.

 

[Jdulemba1001]

SacredMesa, you took the words right out of my mouth. If Fandango is a heel, i can see this working. I would have him winning his matches, and while hes doing it, dancing in the ring, and calling out what the letters in his name that we have seen mean....they can get this gimmick over as a solid mid card gimmick if they work it right.

 

[D-Man]

My first instinct is to hate this. I mean flat out, 100% despise it. When I saw the very first little mini vignette for Fandango, I got this sinking feeling in my stomach.

However, in all honesty, I think that's one of the IWC's biggest problems as a whole. It seems that internet fans can't wait to start hating on something without giving it a chance.

Personally, I hate it when the IWC does what it typically does. Jump to conclusions hastily and prejudge a gimmick or a particular wrestler without giving it a chance to even get out of the starting gates. Automatically label something as a failure before giving it a chance to even see how it may play out, how there could be a potential upside to an otherwise suspect scenario. The IWC does this all of the time, and generally speaking, it annoys the hell out of me.

Both of these guys have unknowingly echoed a point I made in the "Shield" thread. In the past, I've been so quick to reject a new gimmick involving an up and coming talent. I really ate my words after CM Punk and Daniel Bryan trail blazed through the WWE and onto the WWE and World Heavyweight championships. I made a promise to myself never to do this again.

However, I don't think I could ever go along with this starter gimmick. What is interesting about a ballroom dancer?? Seriously??? Unless there is more to him than tangos and waltzes, I have zero interest in his "character." On the other hand, I'm willing to keep an open mind about how he will do overall. He's proven to have charisma during NXT and since his debut on Smackdown. Hopefully, he can continue using those traits to make something of himself.

I believe he is just going through growing pains with his first "gimmick" and it will only be a matter of time before he sheds it and becomes something that we will give a shit about watching. (Just like Brodus Clay,) once this stupid, initial, cheesy gimmick is shed, Johnny Curtis / Fandango should have his moment in the sun.

 

[Dagger Dias]

This gimmick does seem strange, but I'll give it a chance. At least he will stand out from the rest a bit. Besides, there have been worse gimmicks by wrestlers who have gone on to be successful. Dolph Ziggler comes to mind. He was once a golfer and then a cheerleader before he began his current persona, now look at him. Strange gimmicks are not always going to hold someone back. If Curtis takes this and does his best with it, he should be fine. I can see why a lot of people are being negative toward it before anything relevant even happens, but I'd say give it a chance. It can't be any worse than the Spirit Squad.

I personally would rather he have kept the sarcastic pun gimmick. The promo where he started crying after he spilled his milk in particular was hilarious. Speaking of Curtis' past.... Is he EVER going to get that Tag Team Championship shot with R-Truth? Just have Fandango get put into a match with Truth against Team Hell No at the Royal Rumble or something. They don't have to win, it would just clear up an inconsistency. Barrett got a WWE Championship shot. Kaval got an Intercontinental Championship shot. Kaitlyn got a Divas Championship shot, which while it took forever for it to happen she still got it. Curtis won a title shot he never got, so I would support him getting it as Fandango.

 

[Rayne]

This gimmick is a classic, and I'm glad to see it's already achieving its purpose.

YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. This is Disco Inferno, Mark VII. The idea is to get people to have a gut reaction to the gimmick and hate the character because of it. "A ballroom dancer?!?!?! On WRESTLING?!?!?! Booooo!!!!"

Before people go "I don't see how this gimmick is built for long term success", it doesn't have to be a gimmick that makes him a world champion. You can always adapt a gimmick; it's been a long time since we've seen HHH eat caviar.

 

[XXJJ]

I'm not sure about debuting another dancing gimmick this soon after Brodus Clay. I guess it all depends how well Curtis pulls it off. I never really envision him being anytime more than a midcarder at best.. So I guess its not a bad thing for him to try.

 

[enviousdominous]

If they're going to use a "silly" gimmick, they still have to take it seriously.

Look at Brodus. They put him out there, to punish him I'm assuming, but apparently they didn't give him any dance lessons. We all remember how Rikishi was a big guy that could cut a rug. Brodus was just a stupid looking big man, the two hot ass ladies he ran with being the only reason the gimmick lasted as long as it did.

Look at 3MB. These guys were put into the gimmick of being a band, none of them have shown ANY musical talent. It's like Van Hammer shat an even worse gimmick than his own.

If Johnny is going to go out there as a Samba/Ballroom dancer, he better tear that ring up with some impressive footwork. Silly stuff for a wrestling show, but dancing for twenty minutes will leave you pretty damn sore.

I hope that his opponents sell properly to him, this could be a great gimmick.


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[rasslin]

Any gimmick can be good with the right guy doing it and decent writing, I'll give it a chance.
...but I think Doink started out awesome and Simon Dean was hilarious. I like odd gimmicks, so I'm actually looking forward to this one.. and like the post above says, I hope he actually can dance and incorporates into his wrestling or else it's just like Brodus Clay, and that's not good.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

During, I think, the last Fandango vignette on Raw last night, it was announced that Johnny Curtis and his Dancing with the Stars inspired character will be making his debut this coming Friday night on SmackDown!

I have to admit that I'm both intrigued and skeptical at the same time. The character will almost certainly be extremely flamboyant and it wouldn't surprise me if the character has some effeminate qualities as well. Based on what I've read about the character from appearances based on house show reports, I don't think the character has a lot of staying power. Fandango is different, though that's not always a good thing.

I think WWE needs to try and make a strong first impression with Fandango this Friday. I think they need to attempt to generate buzz that will cause people to, possibly, reconsider their negative stance on him.

 

[Captain Morgan Freeman]

It's a bit hard to predict how Fandango will turn out seeing as he hasn't even wrestled a match yet but the idea of a ballroom dancer gimmick doesn't exactly strike me as something with the potential to make it big in WWE.

Hell if i was to guess id say that Fandango will just turn out to be a comedy jobber, someone ridiculous the crowd can laugh at while he gets his ass kicked by Ryback, Sheamus, Orton etc.
If he does turn out like that i won't be complaining they need more clear cut jobbers rather then have guys like The Miz, Wade Barrett and Cesaro trading wins and losses every week and ultimately going nowhere.

 

[Olan]

Not a fan of the gimmick. What I would like to see if they pull an anti-Brodus swerve. For weeks they vignetted Broduas as a monster and then had him debut with a dancing gimmick. Would love to see the opposite and have Fandango, after having the dancing vignettes, debut as an old school heel. No gimmick just an old fashioned heel.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

I'm not a fan of this. Remember DJ Gabriel? I was in the minority when I said that I enjoyed his gimmick because I found him hilarious. But, look what happened. He got scrapped and released sooner than later. I'm skeptical about another dancing gimmick when there's already Brodus Clay and Tensai doing that. With WrestleMania coming, a new character at this time might not reap attention. People are far more excited about what's happening now with current characters. It's such a clutter right now. But, I won't make any real calls until I've seen him in his first match. I just hope he doesn't have a shitty finisher.

 

[Johnny Scumm]

Not looking forward to this at all. He's probably going to end up facing Brodus Clay in a match where he ends up losing. Not to mention, Johnny Curtis never got his Tag Title match for winning NXT, does that all go out of the window? Yet another thing never tied up by the WWE.
I couldn't really care for the character, unless he ends up being mildly interesting.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I always like to see wrestling companies trying something different. I'm reasonably high on Curtis after seeing more of him in WWE youtube shows, he seems like a funny guy. As for whether it will get over...

Vignettes have no definite track record of success. In recent memory, we've had Tensai, Alberto Del Rio, Kharma, Sin Cara all using vignettes before their debut. It's a mixed bag. The track of how well this goes will ultimately be placed on Curtis himself. If this gimmick is supposed to be serious, I think he comes in as a heel and I'm a bit dubious of how well that does. If it's a comical character I think Curtis might have a better chance of doing well because Curtis' strength seems to lie in that department. WWE have placed the emphasis on Curtis now by giving him this new character and the video packages, so unless he hits the ground running and lives up to his billing it'll be considered a flop, and that's strike 2 for Curtis when it comes to main roster call-ups. This might be his last chance saloon.

 

[Mr. HD]

Fandango looks like he has some potential. I would hate it if he came in as a face. He seems like more of a heel, douche bag type of guy who goes around stealing people's girlfriends because he can. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if Fandango debuted with his own valet and did the Salsa all the way down to the ring.

I put money his first feud is with Brodus Clay. Fandango would love nothing more than to teach Brodus Clay about real dancing.

 

[Pedigree1]

Like everything i do in life i shall give this a chance but im not too high on it to be honest. The name alone kinda makes me cringe when i think of Fandango i think of the site where you buy movie tickets from. Maybe thats the point to see a show in his character.

Johnny Curtis is a talented performer and really up to this point hasnt been used properly in my opinion. I just dont think he is gonna get over with the crowd i hope im wrong. This very well could be his last chance to make an impression i hope he takes the ball and plows over everyone in his way. Its the only chance this has of working IMO

 

[cole phelps]

Not a fan of the gimmick. What I would like to see if they pull an anti-Brodus swerve. For weeks they vignetted Broduas as a monster and then had him debut with a dancing gimmick. Would love to see the opposite and have Fandango, after having the dancing vignettes, debut as an old school heel. No gimmick just an old fashioned heel.

Now i know how this is going to sound but i agree with this. No i'm not one of those guys who only like's heels but to be fair if wwe did a better job of making more likable babyfaces i'd cheer them.

I like Sheamus,Ryback and Cena. However after watching for 3 years i'm kinda finding it hard to take cena seriously. I still like him but the way he talks now when cutting promo's...... He sounds like his joking alot of the time. Sheamus and Ryback are great. Sheamus needs tweaks but overall he carry's himself better than cena IMO.

My point is fandango is going to suck if his just a generic smiling babyface. It just doesn't work for me. I personally enjoy Tensai and brodus clay dancing very much because it's fun and funny. The Tensai shovel is the GOAT dance move.

That why i don't feel fandango is needed. If he was a heel he would be an arrogant,cocky, ******** who gets all the girls and thats the kinda gay you would really love to hate. Make him back up his claims in the ring and never run away and i'll want him dead in no time.

That would be a great heel to me. You want nothing more than for someone to kick his ass but they can't his too good. Have him start dancing after the match and it should work. Even have him beat heels that the fans like ( cm punk) that will really piss people like me off

The biggest problem is it needs to be believable. That's why this gimmick is soooooo hard to pull of. You need people to believe you're an arrogant ******** not just playing the character

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

I'm imaginging a gimmick similar to the gimmick Rico had when he was teaming up with Charlie Haas. Which I'm not looking forward to.

But i'm going to sit back and wait, maybe they can make something work out of this.

 

[TheBadGuy92]

I feel like alot of you guys are being wayyyy to hard on the guy. Not every gimmick and superstar have to go to the main event scene, WWE is short on mid-card talent e.g. the reason they wanted to bring back morrison carlito and TWGTT just let him debut as a gimmick mid carder and let him stay there, i see nothing wrong with it...who knows, he could win a US title, or maybe get a similar gimmick partner and feud with Tensai and Brodus for the Tag titles after Hell No breaks up. Just a thought.