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

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Guy does his character extremely well and it's unique. He gets really over because of it. I bet a lot of IWC people had it and its hilarious. I love it. He does what you need. Every aspect, his music, gear, the way he talks, walks, and wrestles, all fits his character. From the moment he comes on screen to the moment he's off, he's never anything but Fandango. That's why he's over. People believe in him and embrace the character.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

A lot of you miss the point. The guy is kinda creepy. How self obsessed he is, the look on his face. I think it's absolutely believable is he wins a wwe title. What's more intimidating? A guy like Ryback grunting and flexing and beating your ass like you'd expect, or a ballroom dancer obsessed with his own name beating your ass?

Fandango has a lot more "crazy" than strictly "comedy" when I see him. If you've ever seen American Psycho, that's essentially how I'd end up booking him. Funny because of the ridiculousness of what's going on, but insane self absorption that leads to intense violence. Might be hard to pull off, but the guy does the character extremely well.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I don't get why people are so high on this guy. I turn the channel whenever that homo dances onto the television screen. It's crap like that, that makes me tune out. Thank god for PVR!

So you're homophobic. Good to know. When people like you breath, I wish you didn't. His character is about 100 times less gay than Shawn Michaels and DX in general. He dances. Awesome. Ric Flair dressed up like a 70 year old woman with his feathery robes and hair. Rock constantly talks about his penis and sticking things up a guy's ass. You seem out of touch with the times (based on your homophobic tone) and so it's no surprise you don't get the character.

 

[Swiggs]

Curtis has been amazing for so long he lives for these weird gimmicks, watch any of his old NXT backstage segments or even on Santino's Foreign Exchange the dude is hilarious and just thrives in the situation he is in right now.

 

[TheBadGuy92]

So you're homophobic. Good to know. When people like you breath, I wish you didn't. His character is about 100 times less gay than Shawn Michaels and DX in general. He dances. Awesome. Ric Flair dressed up like a 70 year old woman with his feathery robes and hair. Rock constantly talks about his penis and sticking things up a guy's ass. You seem out of touch with the times (based on your homophobic tone) and so it's no surprise you don't get the character.

OWNED!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways im pretty high up on FAAANNNN DANNNNN GOOOOO i enjoy saying his name, hes entertaining in the ring and he is owning his character. And besides im always humming da da...da da da da da ...da da.. daaa da da da

 

[Thedancingheel]

The whole concept of the character is ridiculous but it takes a great performer to turn ball room dancing wrestler into someone the fans are interested in.

 

[Mustang Sally]

'Course, you realize that the only one dancing is the girl, not Curtis. He does a semi-graceful turn every so often and thrusts his arms to his sides, but I'm surprised they haven't taught him a few moves to further sell the character. On the other hand, as long as he has her to twirl, it probably isn't necessary.

Better he work on his wrestling moves. I've seen him do better work on Superstars as Johnny Curtis than what he's shown so far as Fandango. He seemed sloppy at times against Jericho at WM. Maybe he's working too hard on his adopted persona and letting his ring repertoire go.

But, hey! The guy's got something good going here. Aren't we reading a forum topic with 130 responses to date?

Must be doing something right.

 

[The Butcher]

Fandango and just this whole thing going on here around him would make a great research project. The IWC and the zeitgeist of the IWC are something to behold. It's like a school of fish or a flock of birds. Nobody came out and said, "let's all get interested in Fandango," yet somehow, he's the hottest thing in the world of pro wrestling. And for what? I'm still trying to figure that out, myself. A few weeks ago the very concept of Fandango making his debut at 'Mania vs. Y2J had most people around here doing their best Chicken Little impression.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see where this goes. WWE is pushing him hard, so I doubt it'll be another Zack Ryder situation; yet, he's a gimmick with a limited repertoire, so I doubt it'll be another Daniel Bryan situation. Guess we'll all find out (and mark out or spew venom) together.

 

[Ovelesky]

There are many types of standing out. He stands up in the obvious way. Hell, WWE tries to make him stand out too hard. The entrance, the glitter, the pyro. That's not always a good thing but it works for him, for now.

If Fandango is to be a fad and someone to be around in the mid-card then fine. Have him around. But Main Event or anything serious? Not a chance.

Fandango can't be taken seriously. Yes, he beat Jericho but regardless he doesn't seem like a force to be reckoned with, in the ring. Yes, the entrance is flashy and it takes longer than most of his matches. What else you got?

Where are the good promos? Where are the good matches? Does this dude have anything but an entrance?

That's my issue with him. Dance around and act as feminine as you want. HBK did it and it worked for him. The difference is that once the bell rang HBK kicked all sorts of ass and him being flashy was a nuance, not THE defining characteristic about him.

HBK was flashy because he was GREAT. Take away HBK's entrance and you still have HBK.

Fandango is flashy because if it wasn't for that entrance and the hype put on him, this dude would get a Kofi Kingston reaction out of that NJ crowd.

When the people are humming your theme and not chanting your name, you know you fucked up somewhere. I've said this before - lipstick on a pig. That's all it is.

Fandango, Clay, Tensai, Ryder, pick one.

For the record, it was fun seeing the crowd react to him. He is fun in a way. But calling him great, a cult hero and amazing? Please, know his role (thanks Rocky!). Comparisons to Goldust were made as if Goldust was the Undertaker. Goldust is a joke. He always has been. Not because he's talentless, but because that's his position on the card, to be a joke. They all have their moments of glory just like 2 Cool did, but in the end this is yet another whacky character added to the likes of Al Snow, Goldust, Perry Saturn (in his moppy days) and numerous more.

Dude's an entertainer, not a wrestler. Entertainers have an expiration date, great wrestlers do not.

really good post

I also concur that Fandango needs to enhance the gimmick to fit in the main event. But as of now he is doing the right things, saying the right stuff.

Also I think the standout "thing" that WWE is trying to build up for him is resilience. He was battered and bruised at WM29, yet came out on top. During Raw he was again crucified by Y2J and yet he ended the segment with calling his name right almost as a sign of defiance.

I believe, IF that is the strategy that E is applying for him, it might work - and work big. All of a sudden you have a resilient new guy who just won't die - problem is how do you keep this gimmick heel?

Next show with him will be of high interest, to see if the singing + cheering he got this past raw sticks or doesn't.

 

[flawd101]

I agree with the comparisons to ryder, tons of funk, and even santino. the difference is that he is a heel. comedy midcard guys need comedy heels to face. the nj crowd singing his song might have saved his career. It is way to soon to start talking main card.
I think he will play a part in introducing some new female heels. there are a couple good ones in nxt. they might as well use him while he is hot.

 

[Alastor]

I havn't seen much of Fandango to get an impression yet. Thankfully his gimmick of not wrestling is finally over with it. Have to agree the Wrestlemania crowd at Raw probably saved his career because the not wrestling gimmick can only last so long. If he follow the Santino comedy heel run path he should have decent air time to perform in the near future.

 

[Roskell]

I'm quite surprised that people are thinking that he is “Over”, the only thing that is “Over” is his Theme music not him.

 

[Thedancingheel]

He's not over until we have seen this weeks episode of Raw. A few fandango signs would be nice to see and them humming his entrance music would be showing he is getting over but no gets over till vince says you are over and I will push you.

 

[Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.]

I still find it funny that the "smarts" are the ones getting really upset about Fandango's not wrestling thing. You think it would be these fans who understand the basics of getting heat, but I continue to be surprised.

 

[kittysgotclaws]

I loved Fandango when I first saw him. I thought..."well this guy is either going to flop considerably or people are just gonna really hate him"...and while all my friends were thinking he was just gonna be forgotten about I was cheering him on. Hell I was thrilled when Jericho put him over on Sunday (and even predicted it beforehand to the chagrin of my friends).

My one friend asked me why the hell I liked such a stupid gimmick.

"Because," I said, "he's the best troll the WWE has ever seen and all he has to do to get heel heat is say his name and arrogantly proclaim he won't wrestle."

And then I went to RAW Monday night, and suddenly everybody loved Fandango. My friend who asked me why I loved that "stupid gimmick" even texted me during the show to tell me

"Yeah, you're right, Fandango's awesome".

I'm proud to be a Fandango hipster.

 

[Thedancingheel]

the best thing for Fandango is that he is all of a sudden popular but wasn't Brodus Clay popular once and WWE messed with the dancing and now he is just meh. Lets hope they actually push Fandango to a respectable level.

 

[Dysturbed]

the best thing for Fandango is that he is all of a sudden popular but wasn't Brodus Clay popular once and WWE messed with the dancing and now he is just meh.

That could be the extent of the similarities. The differences are what can probably help determine things. When Brodus debuted with the funkasaurus gimmick he did weekly squash matches. He was popular but it quickly became apparent that we knew that the routine was going to last for awhile before they changed it up. Changing it up was basically losses. His gimmick wasn't/isn't generic, but still had the same basic principles that a lot of big men have when they debut so people knew exactly what to expect.

Fandango did the same shtick for a few weeks of refusing to have a match but now that he is having the matches, it is probably say that each one will have at least something different about it, unlike some of Brodus's earlier ones. That alone may help him sustain things.

 

[Thedancingheel]

That could be the extent of the similarities. The differences are what can probably help determine things. When Brodus debuted with the funkasaurus gimmick he did weekly squash matches. He was popular but it quickly became apparent that we knew that the routine was going to last for awhile before they changed it up. Changing it up was basically losses. His gimmick wasn't/isn't generic, but still had the same basic principles that a lot of big men have when they debut so people knew exactly what to expect.

Fandango did the same shtick for a few weeks of refusing to have a match but now that he is having the matches, it is probably say that each one will have at least something different about it, unlike some of Brodus's earlier ones. That alone may help him sustain things.

Brodus does seem not be able to go outside of the box and make himself popular but now he all of a sudden paired with Tensai is rediculous because these are 2 stars who should dominate superstars instead they dance. Fandango won't go down this route we hope aslong as he keeps getting heat.

 

[Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.]

I think it's super odd that there are comparisons made with Brodus and Fandango. It's like someone thought "Gee that dude dances, and that guy dances... so they must have the same exact career path ahead of them". I'm not sure where the real correlation is between them.

Brodus is awesome, Fandango is awesome, and that is where the comparisons stop IMHO.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

The "Fandanogoing" thing was a grass-roots "movement" and went viral. The WWE then completely makes the thing "uncool" by going out there and trying to milk it for all its worth last night. They completely fucked it up by having Lawler go out there and basically try to tell the audience "hey, this is a craze, so make sure to keep it going when Fandango comes out"....then the crowd doesn't play along. It was fucking pathetic.

 

[Mustang Sally]

That the Fandango fad has picked up mainstream attention is what surprises me most. Apparently, the theme song has people outside the wrestling business dancing to it.

The thing is, since "no one" watches pro wrestling, how are people hearing about Fandango in the first place?

But....the Fandangirl last night was a different lady than the one we've been seeing, no?

How come? I like the first one.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

The "Fandanogoing" thing was a grass-roots "movement" and went viral. The WWE then completely makes the thing "uncool" by going out there and trying to milk it for all its worth last night. They completely fucked it up by having Lawler go out there and basically try to tell the audience "hey, this is a craze, so make sure to keep it going when Fandango comes out"....then the crowd doesn't play along. It was fucking pathetic.

You sound surprised. What did you expect? The WWE did what they thought they should do and capitalize on the excitement. It's this stupid notion that the fans are always right and that the fans in New Jersey will translate to other arenas. It lead the WWE to stop telling a story and just throw shit at a wall. Now we really don't know who Fandango is or how we are supposed to react. He shouldn't be playing around with the audience. He should be putting the audience in it's place. He should be a clear heel and let his debut and early career run it's course.

So the WWE has called it the best crowd in the history of RAW. See the link below. Not one wrestler or anyone associated with the company has made a complaint. In fact, its been quite the opposite.

The only complaints come from holier-than-thou keyboard philosophers who take wrestling way too damn seriously.

http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-04-08/izod-center-fan-chants-26106482/page-2

Who takes wrestling way too seriously?

Btw, congrats on your town's Little League World Series success.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Btw, congrats on your town's Little League World Series success.

Ha. Good job outta you. Todd Frazier (Cincinnati Reds) was on that team when they won in '98.

And when I said "taking it too seriously" I specifically meant those who were saying that the fans were out of line by doing random chants and not following along w/ the script.

I don't think that my criticism of the WWE's approach to "capitalizing" on the Fandangoing thing is me "taking it too seriously".

 

[JustB]

The "Fandanogoing" thing was a grass-roots "movement" and went viral. The WWE then completely makes the thing "uncool" by going out there and trying to milk it for all its worth last night. They completely fucked it up by having Lawler go out there and basically try to tell the audience "hey, this is a craze, so make sure to keep it going when Fandango comes out"....then the crowd doesn't play along. It was fucking pathetic.

EXACTLY what I was coming in to say. The dancing and humming was funny and entertaining because it happened on its own out of nowhere. It was one of those surreal spur of the moment things. But then all night they go "Fandango's coming up soon, I wonder if the crowd will Fandango along with him like they did last week??" Then they send 98 year old King of all people in the ring and go "Hey, EVERYONE is Fandangoing lately! It's the latest thing! Hint hint hint!".

It just killed the fun of it. It reminded me when you were younger and parents/teachers would pick up on a slang term and start using it. All of a sudden its not cool anymore.

 

[enviousdominous]

Time has passed, and I still hate this gimmick. My hatred has nothing to do with the personal style of the character.

The WWE does this all the time. They know that if you present a performer at a supposed creative apex of their gimmick, the crowd will boo with disapproval at how something is being forced on them and they have no choice but to stomach it.

If a performer can accentuate their debut with some form of a spectacular physical feat, Undertaker's role walk for example, or deliver a promo so insightful and penetrating that the crowd can't shake the power of it for weeks, then they are worthy of debuting as something that deserves a flaming outline suspended over the ring for the entire night.

Johnny Curtis must have made a really stupid producer very happy. I don't see very much room for his gimmick to grow. Maybe the gal that nobody cares about betrays Fandango, and we get a year of that kind of drama.

Either way, I hoped that his dancing would at least be impressive. Johnny Curtis tangos like Jessica Simpson with rigormortis, he's fucking terrible in his gimmick.


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