Michael McGillicutty - Future WWE Champion?

[Kaneanite]

I'm not sure where this should go, since NXT Season 2 is over and I have no idea if he is going to RAW or SD!. I'm sorry if that is actually known and it slipped my ears at some point. Please place thread where it should be. Thanks!



In the season finale for NXT Season 2, Kaval was victorious over Michael McGillicutty and Alex Riley. I personally thought Riley was going to win. He was the most involved in the current WWE out of all of them and what I mean by that is that he was coming out during RAW and beating up Daniel Bryant with the Miz, shown hanging backstage, and whatever else. With the way things have been going for this Miz guy lately I thought Riley would definitely win. I was wrong and he was eliminated first of the 3.

I then definitely thought Kaval was going to win simply because it seemed like Michael McGillicutty didn't have a real uniqueness to him. I hadn't watched any other episode from season 2 so I definitely missed a few of his promos or whatever else. He just didn't look like something unique. Just a standard pretty big dude with no tattoos (i dont think) and standard attire.

I was right that Kaval would win, but I was wrong in thinking McGillicutty was dry. Sure, his mic skills were absolutely terrible. But we've learned in the past with tons of superstars that such a skill can in fact be achieved through hard work. With that in mind, McGillicutty seemed to almost be like the Wade Barrett of this NXT minus the NXT Winner title. I didn't know he was a heel until he started making fun of Kaval and then when he came out and seemed to lead the other NXT superstars to beat up Kaval I definitely saw some life in his character.

With that being said, I also remember a small text wrote by Jim Ross saying that McGillicutty, win or lose, would become a great WWE Superstar. It read something of that nature.


So what do you guys think? I know it's really early to tell but I'm sort of torn on this guy. Great in-ring, horrible on mic, highly touted, has potential.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Christ... and I thought the WWE was in trouble with the idea of The Miz or Jack Swagger being a World Champion, and here we have a fan advocating someone even worse?

Michael McGillicutty aka Joe Hennig is a bore on the mic, and for that reason alone I don't think he'll ever be a great WWE Superstar, as great WWE Superstars have historically been fantastic talkers.

The day Mr. Mediocre wins a championship, especially this early in his career, and considering how green he still is, is the day I renounce whatever is left of my WWE fandom.

 

[Remix]

In the season finale for NXT Season 2, Kaval was victorious over Michael McGillicutty and Alex Riley. I personally thought Riley was going to win. He was the most involved in the current WWE out of all of them and what I mean by that is that he was coming out during RAW and beating up Daniel Bryan with the Miz, shown hanging backstage, and whatever else. With the way things have been going for this Miz guy lately I thought Riley would definitely win. I was wrong and he was eliminated first of the 3.

He was on Raw because he won an NXT challenge. If Kaval, Cannon or Harris had won they'd have been on Raw too. Fact is the right man won NXT both times.

I then definitely thought Kaval was going to win simply because it seemed like Michael McGillicutty didn't have a real uniqueness to him. I hadn't watched any other episode from season 2 so I definitely missed a few of his promos or whatever else. He just didn't look like something unique. Just a standard pretty big dude with no tattoos (i dont think) and standard attire.

Correct. Hennig was and stil lis nothing spectacular. Certainly not ME ready.

I was right that Kaval would win, but I was wrong in thinking McGillicutty was dry. Sure, his mic skills were absolutely terrible. But we've learned in the past with tons of superstars that such a skill can in fact be achieved through hard work. With that in mind, McGillicutty seemed to almost be like the Wade Barrett of this NXT minus the NXT Winner title.

No. Just no.

I didn't know he was a heel until he started making fun of Kaval and then when he came out and seemed to lead the other NXT superstars to beat up Kaval I definitely saw some life in his character.

That would be because he was pretty much a face/tweener. And the fact that you weren't sure means he's obviously a great guy at portraying a character.

With that being said, I also remember a small text wrote by Jim Ross saying that McGillicutty, win or lose, would become a great WWE Superstar. It read something of that nature.

JR may be right. But if Hennig becomes a star it wont ber for a few years yet.

So what do you guys think? I know it's really early to tell but I'm sort of torn on this guy. Great in-ring, horrible on mic, highly touted, has potential.

he's mediocre, bland and unremarkable. Maybe one day he'll be a star, but I won't hold my breath.

 

[Kaneanite]

hahahaha my hype for this guy really stems from what JR said about him. If I hadn't read what he said, I probably would have just ignored him.

In regards to the Miz, I couldn't agree with you more. I don't want to turn this into a Miz thread but no believe me I'm with you I don't see what is special about the man at all.

Swagger? I think he's great in the ring and I love the ankle locks return. I don't mind him. He has fallen off a bit, though.

 

[Kaneanite]

The reason why I didn't know if he was a heel or a face was because I hadn't watched this season at all. My nights were packed. Caught the finale, though. And from what I saw maybe JR wasn't so far off. Though his mic skills were absolutely atrocious and I'm sure you guys have seen more of him than I have, which is why I asked. All I've seen of this guy was the finale.

 

[The Viper Orton]

The only way he is bland is because.... he has no gimmick. The guy's idea was to come as a reality character with better wrestling ability (and family) than others from NXT. I mean kaval went from being a warrior in is first week to guy that jumps around with Laycool, and A riley copied Miz more and more as the time passed, I cant see why McGuty isn't seen very good by other ppl (sure he is not near wade barret)

I actually concentrated on his promos and what he says is good, but he needs to make it clearer for the viewers and shorter. He also needs to as intense in his gimmicks as he is in his matches. And the most important thing is he needs a "gimmick" to take him to the top.

I will give you one thing, when this guy wrestles you can see the joy in his eyes like no other one. And people blame him for not naming himself Mr.Perfect?! I call that the first step into being successful when ur 2nd or 3rd generation superstar. You don't belive me, look at the Rock as Rocky Maivia (one of the worst face characters you can see), or now Ted Dibiese, and look at the legend killer randy orton (don't tell you you had a doubt that he might be one of the top guys in the company, cause it was clear).

The bottom Line is if Michael McGilicutty can pull off a good gimmick for a champion, he will be one, cause he loves the buisness as much as older ppl do (not nowdays, you can't see that passion)

 

[Remix]

The only way he is bland is because.... he has no gimmick. The guy's idea was to come as a reality character with better wrestling ability (and family) than others from NXT. I mean kaval went from being a warrior in is first week to guy that jumps around with Laycool, and A riley copied Miz more and more as the time passed, I cant see why McGuty isn't seen very good by other ppl (sure he is not near wade barret).

Because the other's progressed. Kaval was a stonefaced, unentertaining warrior at the start. By the end he was clowning around with LayCool. Stoicness is bad in the traveling circus that is WWE. McGillicutty had a head start when crafting a gimmick, and he still wound up behind Kaval.

I actually concentrated on his promos and what he says is good, but he needs to make it clearer for the viewers and shorter. He also needs to as intense in his gimmicks as he is in his matches. And the most important thing is he needs a "gimmick" to take him to the top.

Bullshit. He's flat out unentertaining on the mic. Sure he can improve, but he didn't. See: John Morrison.

I will give you one thing, when this guy wrestles you can see the joy in his eyes like no other one. And people blame him for not naming himself Mr.Perfect?! I call that the first step into being successful when ur 2nd or 3rd generation superstar. You don't belive me, look at the Rock as Rocky Maivia (one of the worst face characters you can see), or now Ted Dibiese, and look at the legend killer randy orton (don't tell you you had a doubt that he might be one of the top guys in the company, cause it was clear).

I don't blame him for changing his name. I blame him for being bland and unentertaining. He was a slightly better Lucky Cannon. And his name was irrelevent to that. He was simply not good enough to win, and he didn't.

The bottom Line is if Michael McGilicutty can pull off a good gimmick for a champion, he will be one, cause he loves the buisness as much as older ppl do (not nowdays, you can't see that passion)

He's not going to be a champ any time soon because he might have the passion but he doesn't have the tallent.

 

[Avitus25]

I have to say I agree with most of the people here who say that they don't see much in McGillicutty at all. I honestly don't know why he stayed in the competition for so long. Sure he's ok in-ring, but he wasn't significantly better than Riley or Watson, and on the microphone he was more often than not, really bland. I was worried for a moment that he might have won NXT, because that would have been a travesty, and I'm glad that WWE decided to make the right decision.

As to whether he could be a future WWE Champion? I wouldn't hold my breath in waiting, and I'll be surprised if he appears on either show without a MAJOR character revamp. He'd be the kind of performer who needs a mouthpiece, and couldn't get far without it. I honestly don't think he'll ever be anywhere near the Main Event. In fact, I think he's more likely to be future endeavered during 2012.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Being Mr. Perfects son will draw unfavourable comparisons. Curt Henning was very good, so his son should be at least average. Unfortunately he's more of a David Flair or Ted Dibiase Jr. than a Randy Orton. That said, David Flair would probably be a world champion in this era and Ted Dibiase will probably be a multi-time world champion within the next two years. WWE reward below-averageness.

 

[X]

Being Mr. Perfects son will draw unfavourable comparisons. Curt Henning was very good, so his son should be at least average.

Was Hennig really that good now Jake? Not really. Outside of matches with better workers like Bret Hart and Tito Santana, he really wasn't very memorable after about 1993. He was simply awful in WCW.



Anyways, on the topic of McGillicutty, it is FAR too soon to be making any kind of judgments about where his career will go. He's decent enough in the ring, but he's absolutely dreadful on the mic as evidenced by his unintentionally hilarious promo that he cut on the finale of NXT. He's green, so he'll need alot of seasoning but in a few years time I could see him being in the same spot as guys like Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase are right now, upper midcarders. He has quite a ways to go before he's ready for any kind of world championship though.

 

[MOExecution]

Alright, good I am happy to see that I am not the only one who does not see much in Michael McGillicutty. When it was all said and done I really thought that McGillicutty should have got eliminated before Alex Riley because everybody said that they felt Alex Riley should have won and I heard a couple of Kaval's as well, but I barely heard any McGillicutty's. As for future World WWE Champion... I don't see it. He may be a top contender to be reckoned with, but there is just something about him that doesn't grab me. It's like he is missing something. I don't know what it is either. On top of that he is boring on the microphone. He is good in the ring, but I think those two factors will keep him being held back. I honestly don't know how he survived that long in the competition either.

 

[The Doctor]

More like Michael McGillicutty - Future endeavored! Eh? Eh?

Seriously though, outside of the ring, McGillicutty is bland as all get out. He's fairly terrible on the mic, boring in his look and personality, and there's really nothing special about him at all. Let's be honest - if it wasn't for his father, we wouldn't care about him. And now you're advocating him to be a WWE Champion? Puh-lease.

He would never be able to carry the WWE Championship. He's like Ted DiBiase - generic, boring, and highly overrated because of his famous father. I'd rather see Husky Harris become champion over Joe Hennig. At least Harris has charisma, even if he isn't the best on the mic.

However, I don't want to condemn Hennig too quickly. He could quite easily work on his promos and improve himself, just like Kaval did. At the beginning of the season, Kaval was also bland and unentertaining outside of the ring. By the end of the season his mic skills had improved tremendously and he was showing some real personality. McGillicutty should take notes.

In summation: terrible idea, and unless he can learn to make himself interesting, it'll never happen.

 

[JuviJuiceIsLoose]

I think a guy like Joe Hennig would be better suited in a Tag-Team.

He's not really that remarkable on his own, but I think he could be really good if the WWE teamed him back up with Brett Dibiase after he heals, or if he teamed up with Windham Rotunda aka Husky Harris.

If he was on his own, and he made the kind of promo he made at the end NXT on Smackdown or Raw, he'd be in big trouble.

The desperately needs Good Tag-Teams, and I don't think he's ready to be a Single's star.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

With that in mind, McGillicutty seemed to almost be like the Wade Barrett of this NXT minus the NXT Winner title.

Wait.. Did you really compare this guy to Wade Barrett? If it wasn't for Bryan Daniel (or whatever), many more people would've pegged Wade as the winner in just his second week. The guy has been just awesome from his NXT start.. And Wade just continues to be awesome.


McHennig's matches don't stand out. He doesn't look like a big deal. He shouldn't be allowed to talk. If it wasn't for his real last name, no one would be raving over him because there is nothing to rave about.

 

[LSN80]

In the season finale for NXT Season 2, Kaval was victorious over Michael McGillicutty and Alex Riley. I personally thought Riley was going to win. He was the most involved in the current WWE out of all of them and what I mean by that is that he was coming out during RAW and beating up Daniel Bryant with the Miz, shown hanging backstage, and whatever else. With the way things have been going for this Miz guy lately I thought Riley would definitely win. I was wrong and he was eliminated first of the 3.

He showed up on Raw because he was Miz' rookie and seeking Miz' approval, nothing more. Riley was and is a punching bag, both for the rookies and the pros. He couldn't get it done in the ring, or on the mic, and was the right guy to go first.

I then definitely thought Kaval was going to win simply because it seemed like Michael McGillicutty didn't have a real uniqueness to him. I hadn't watched any other episode from season 2 so I definitely missed a few of his promos or whatever else. He just didn't look like something unique. Just a standard pretty big dude with no tattoos (i dont think) and standard attire.

You're right, there is nothing special about McGuillicutty/Hennig. Hes a bore on the mic, and a bore in the ring, plain and simple.

I was right that Kaval would win, but I was wrong in thinking McGillicutty was dry. Sure, his mic skills were absolutely terrible. But we've learned in the past with tons of superstars that such a skill can in fact be achieved through hard work. With that in mind, McGillicutty seemed to almost be like the Wade Barrett of this NXT minus the NXT Winner title. I didn't know he was a heel until he started making fun of Kaval and then when he came out and seemed to lead the other NXT superstars to beat up Kaval I definitely saw some life in his character.

I dont see ANY similarities whatsoever between Hennig and Barrett. He wasn't a heel on NXT until the season finale when he was eliminated. Barrett carries himself with supreme confidence in the ring and even moreso on the mic. Hennig does NONE of that.

With that being said, I also remember a small text wrote by Jim Ross saying that McGillicutty, win or lose, would become a great WWE Superstar. It read something of that nature.

I remember the blog you're talking about. Even Jim Ross can be wrong. This guy will have a place on a roster, but I see "career midcarder" written all over him in every way.

So what do you guys think? I know it's really early to tell but I'm sort of torn on this guy. Great in-ring, horrible on mic, highly touted, has potential.

Anything's possible, I guess. Nobody thought John Cena would become a big-time WWE Superstar when he debuted, and hes just the face of the company and a 9 time champion. But I don't see history repeating itself with Hennig. I see no proof to your claim that he is "great in-ring". I watched every episode of season 2, and he was very mediocre in ring. His swinging neckbreaker feels more like a set-up move then a finisher. I just dont see what you see in this guy, I guess.

 

[Morpheus101]

Give the man a break, really. Pass judgment on him when he's been on Raw for more than a few hours. No charisma? I seem to recall people voicing the same complaints about Randy Orton a few years ago. I'm all for giving people a fair chance, not only in terms of sports entertainment, but in real life too. Give McGillicutty a chance and let's see what he can do. Bringing him into Nexus is a good move, for starters. Boot out Heath Slater, who simply isn't a good fit.

 

[McGillicutty]

Absolutley , he has the size , look , in ring skill , promo skills , heritage , everything. He reminds me of Randy Orton at the same early point in his career.

 

[Remix]

Absolutley , he has the size , look , in ring skill , promo skills , heritage , everything. He reminds me of Randy Orton at the same early point in his career.

One problem. Randy Orton at the same stage in his career as McGillicutty was 22. McGillicutty is 31. And since when has he posessed mic skills? Sure he improved leaps and bounds over what he was doing in FCW but he sure as hell wasn't good on the mic. At all.

As for whether or not he'll be a world champion, I doubt it. I think he's got the ring skills but not the personality for it. He's simply insanely bland. He may get a transitional reign or two, but that's it. In essence he's upper midcard enhancement tallent at best.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Definitely too soon to make any sort of call on Michael McGuillicutty. Generally speaking, I haven't seen much of anything all that special about the guy. He's solid in the ring and on the mic, but I've found him to be pretty bland overall.

I think if McGuillicutty is given an actual character instead of being just another member of Nexus at this point, he might have a chance of becoming someone to watch at a later time. I know some people hate the term potential, but I do think he has it and could be a star. Whether or not he's World Champion material is another story altogether.

 

[D-Man]

Definitely too soon to make any sort of call on Michael McGuillicutty. Generally speaking, I haven't seen much of anything all that special about the guy. He's solid in the ring and on the mic, but I've found him to be pretty bland overall.

I think if McGuillicutty is given an actual character instead of being just another member of Nexus at this point, he might have a chance of becoming someone to watch at a later time. I know some people hate the term potential, but I do think he has it and could be a star. Whether or not he's World Champion material is another story altogether.

This couldn't be more true.

However, I must disagree with giving him an "actual character" to start. Everyone starts somewhere. Batista was "Deacon Bautista", Randy Orton was a random jobber, John Cena was a nobody when he first began... and the trend continues. Sometimes, WWE management and fans needs to get acquainted with a new wrestler before an actual "gimmick" is created for them. In time, I'm sure that McGillicutty will find his nitch (and hopefully change his name), but for now, Nexus is absolutely the perfect fit for him and has become a great revolving door for upcoming talent.

 

[Marky-Marc]

Christ... and I thought the WWE was in trouble with the idea of The Miz or Jack Swagger being a World Champion, and here we have a fan advocating someone even worse?

Michael McGillicutty aka Joe Hennig is a bore on the mic, and for that reason alone I don't think he'll ever be a great WWE Superstar, as great WWE Superstars have historically been fantastic talkers.

The day Mr. Mediocre wins a championship, especially this early in his career, and considering how green he still is, is the day I renounce whatever is left of my WWE fandom.

....but if he was in TNA, he'd be the next AJ Styles right?

It's way too early to make any kind of judgement on him. He's involved in a stable and has been for what, 4 weeks, and you already want to say how much he sucks? You're ignorant dude.

Waaaayyyy too early to pass any kind of judgement. In-ring skills seem okay but clearly NXT superstars are held back as they have to seem like rookies in the ring, the wrestling on that show is always bad as well as the promos, I think that is done purposely.

He has to be given a character and hopefully nothing that has to do with his father whose character will far exceed anything they could come up with for McGillicutty anyway. Mic skills are bad but maybe they come over time. Randy Orton was bad on the mic before he joined Evolution, now he's nothing special but certainly fits the bill.

You can't rule anybody out for being a World Champion 4 weeks into their career. He has a good look and I hope one day he does become champion for two reasons:

1. because his father unfortunately was never given the chance
2. so IDR can be wrong again.

 

[The Encore]

Don't get me wrong, I like Joe's look and all. But I would hate to see him be some Main Eventer. Sure it has only been four weeks. But I think he could be built up and one of those High Midcarders. I could see him very well in time being a Chris Benoit type of guy. Great in ring, but on the microphone he's decent but has been given no character truly once so ever. I predict that in his future he will be a Multiple time US/IC champion and Tag champion unless things after nexus pick up with this man and he gets a stellar character or something he could play off.

As for something for this guy can play off of, How about him claiming that he doesn't want to remain in the shadow of his father, how he will surpass perfect? Or how nobodies truly perfect. I can't think of anything to be honest.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Too early to tell, he obviously has the heritage...didnt realise he was already in his 30s though?! Thats really surprising.

I say give the guy a chance to establish himself, and whether you think his initial impact is underwhelming or whether you think he is the best thing to happen to wrestling in years, just let him settle into the roster and then judge him after a few months of being on the main stage.

I think he will do ok, initial reaction is that he wont be a world champion, but after his initial debut (injuring his opponent), that Edge would be a ten time world champion, or that Jeff Hardy would ever win the big one. Or Bret Hart as a charisma-free tag team wrestler. Or Stone Cold as the Ringmaster?? Noone

But over time they grew into their roles, got over and reached top. Hopefully McGilliHenning will do the same

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Well lets start from the beginning. His name is Michael Mcgillicutty. That sounds like the name of a cute little squirrel if you ask me. I've not been impressed by him so far. Sure as D-man and Jack Hammer pointed out, there are guys like Batista, Orton and Cena who were nobodies to begin with but Hennig Jr was given a better stage to show his potential. He was a part of a show that was exclusively designed for rookies. At this point in their careers the likes of Cena and Orton were not even on TV in most of the shows.

His promo in the finale of NXT 2 was extremely weak in my opinion. He has shown a bit of potential in the ring but there are quite a few guys in the history of this business who could have claimed to have similar talents in the ring but could not convert it to superstardom due to their ineptitude with the mic.

But I guess there is a long way to go as far as his career is concerned. But he seriously needs to change that name of his. Can you ever imagine saying Michael Mcgillicutty and World Champion in the same sentence?

 

[Dagger Dias]

I think it's a bit early to be deciding whether or not McGillicutty is a future world champion. Shouldn't we wait until he has survived his first year of being on the roster at all? Sure the guy has potential, but it's far too early in my opinion. If I had to answer then I would say yes because not only does he have the look and the in-ring talent, but he also is the son of a legend so he has it in his blood. Whether him winning a world title happens or not is up to WWE and we'll have to wait (a long time) and see, since the guy is still a rookie.