NXT Star Being Repackaged As A Gay Character?

[Jack-Hammer]

According to the main page and a few other sites, officials are toying with the notion of repackaging NXT star Kalisto. While reportedly pegged to the masked star to take over for Rey Mysterio, something Vince McMahon has been hoping to find for years now, there's talk of changing Kalisto's gimmick to that of a gay hair stylist.

The report states that NXT officials recently tried Kalisto in the role and were said to be very impressed with the results. As a result, there's said to be some serious consideration for repackaging him as with this new, unmasked, gay hair stylist persona.

I'm of two minds on this really. First of all, with homosexuality becoming more and more accepted in American society, the notion of wrestlers portraying "gay" personas may become more common as time goes on. Homosexuality has been openly accepted in just about every form of American media, it's becoming more accepted in mainstream sports and gay marriage is legal in over half the states in the country. If done right, it could be an interesting novelty.

However, a gay character would also generate some degree of controversy partially because it's pro wrestling. While NXT is low on the radar compared to WWE, NXT is still a WWE creation. This could possibly lead to some mainstream media attention, which we all know Vince likes, but there are some potential problems right from the start. Aside from a black gang member, is there anything as stereotypically cliché as a gay hair stylist? Also, I can't imagine them not resorting to falling back on the outdated notion of using prejudice against gays as part of this gimmick. You know, sort of sexually harassing his opponents, doing all sorts of various "gay stuff" to sort of creep them out, etc. More often than not, the few gimmicks with gay undertones usually devolve into the wrestlers being used for laughs primarily such as we saw with Goldust off & on during the 90s, like with the tag team Billy & Chuck in the early 2000s, like with Orlando Jordan in TNA several years back, etc.

Personally, I think I'd just rather them stay the course with Kalisto because I don't see the novelty of such a character working for very long. I think it'd do well in NXT, but it'd be disastrous if he came to the main roster with it. On the main roster, he's in Vince's hands and we all know that Vince has a lot of trouble resisting the use of outdated stereotypes.

 

[OYDK]

Seriously, what the almighty fuck are these people thinking... The higher ups in WWE drinking bleach or something? For godsakes, why can't somebody in NXT debut with the gimmick that got them over? It's like; HHH: "Yeah, I think Kalisto is great in his role right now. He could be our next Rey Mysterio, if he wasn't JUST missing something, yknow?" Vince: "I got it! Let's take off the mask and try him out as a gay hairstylist!" HHH: "Uh...sure?"

See what I mean... where does that even come up? Anyway, I'm kind of shocked that they're going to give a talent like Kalisto such a throwaway gimmick. I guess it's always possible that he could revert back to the mask and his old gimmick eventually, but I would much rather the Lucha Dragons debut as a tag team since there is an obvious lack of depth in the division right now. Also, I think Kalisto has a much better chance of getting over in a good tag team, than getting over as a gay hairstylist... call me crazy.

It's a jobber gimmick. There's really no other way to put it... it's Rico 2.0 and Rico was actually pretty decent in his role, but he was a joke. Hopefully same thing doesn't happen here.

 

[laodaron]

My thoughts on this subject are pretty minimal. Stop using stereotypes, whether they are about race, gender, orientation, religion, etc. These gimmicks inevitably cannot succeed, because WWE Creative does not have a strong backing of minority wrestlers.

You already have a publicly openly gay wrestler in Darren Young. He's got a very nice look for a pro-wrestler, and he can definitely bring some positive press to the WWE, if you're trying to appeal to a homosexual demographic in the business sense. Changing a guy into a parody of reality, a gay hairstylist, is offensive and blatant attempted pandering, and I think that it would be seen as that.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

My understanding is Vince isn't happy with the success of NXT, apparently he doesn't like that show outshining RAW. So it's no surprise that Vince repackages the NXT guys as a way to 'put them in their place"

 

[Navi]

While I have nothing against gays, this is just ridiculous. First of all, not all hairdressers are gay, and not all gay men are hairdressers. Just the notion that a gay man should be a hairdresser in this day and age, shows just how out of touch Vince is. He's an idiot.

I do agree that he's pissed with NXT and wants to ruin every wrestler that comes up as soon as he can. At least that's what it looks like with the stupid gimmicks he proposes. The sooner he is out of the picture the better.

 

[Prince Vee]

See, I don't have any or problem with the Gay gimmick or anything regarding homosexuality or the things which would attract a huge media attention. But why are you giving it to Kalisto? Yeah, you already got a Gay in the locker room Darren Young and he's kinda well known and got good in ring skills. I'm not sure about his Mic skills but he's good in the ring!

On the other hand if you take Kalisto's case, WWE doesn't have a Luchador in their Roster. Well okay the we Sin Cara. But he's 37 years old and out of shape. So they might need a Luchador gimmick for Kalisto not a Gay Hairstylist!!

 

[Alex]

If this is true the writers, Vince or both seem to have had a lobotomy recently.

I don't watch much NXT (only the specials really) and Lucha Dragons are pretty good. Good old fashioned lucha wrestling which is great. I'd understand tweaking Kalisto a bit to give him some sort of memorable trait (unfortunately being a cool lucha doesn't count) But gay hairdresser?!?!

It didn't work with Rico and it won't work now. It has a short lifespan for one thing and comes across as insulting to gay people. If they want to appeal to a gay market have Darren Young do something. He's actually gay and it could help somewhat with the BA Star thing they've got going on that it doesn't matter what ethnicity or orientation you are. Of course they'd probably cock that up if they had the chance.

 

[GeminiGarlord]

Pretty much exemplifies why RAW is now basically the B show and going to it is probably a demotion.

Admittedly the Lucha Dragon title run wasn't all that great.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

About as likely as those Mighty Mouse rumours. A gay flamboyant gay character in PG WWE? Unlikely in my book. Anyway, WWE don't need a gay character when they have a gay wrestler they do nothing with.

 

[LionheartY2J]

Maybe they'll take this original idea and create an ambiguously gat tag team, and have them get married Live, on RAW. Which would be very original. Because they've never done it in the past few years.

 

[L@RISANO]

When I saw that headline about an NXT star, I immediately thought of Tyler Breeze coming up with such a gimmick.


I can't quite understand why they'd break up the two masked guys' tag team, especially given that Rey is all but finished in the WWE. With the tag division crying out for more new faces, you'd think that Sin Cara and Kalisto would be a lock to come up to the Main Roster soon, and given Sin Cara has been on TV more, I though that was the plan, and maybe they'd debut at/or after Mania 31.


With HHH's assertion that they try to appeal to all demographics, it is not surprising they'd try such a gimmick, but honestly, there is Breeze as a candidate, and then Darren Young, who is gay, could also be considered given he has been out for so long any way.

 

[rge2010]

I think this is a wonderful idea and something that excites me. WWE is really lacking in 'gay characters' and I think this move will be enjoyed and loved by many.

Not sure Kalisto is the correct man for the job though given Rey is about to retire - he should be primed for that role. Maybe someone like Keith Owens when he gets his roster call up would suit best?

 

[rbv13]

What's next, Kidd and Cesaro in black face? Having some portray such an outlandish stereotype is going to cause a major backlash.

 

[sMark]

3 things that wonder me about this decision:
1) why you need to repackage a guy who is already fan favorite?
2) if he suppose to replace Mysterio as Mexican Icon, why you remove his mask?
3) I can be wrong here, but i don't think even 10% of mexicans are gays, so why you take away everything that make the guy more common for mexican fans?

 

[brochester8]

I think if they want to create a gay character why not go with someone that already is. Such as Darren Young. he's openly gay so I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem. I'd hate for them to do that to Kalisto and it not work or even work and then he'd have the backlash of trying to be taken serious later on down the line (Now, I have not idea if Kalisto is gay or not and if so maybe it's ok to go this route)

 

[BeastFromTheEast]

My thoughts on this subject are pretty minimal. Stop using stereotypes, whether they are about race, gender, orientation, religion, etc. These gimmicks inevitably cannot succeed, because WWE Creative does not have a strong backing of minority wrestlers.

You already have a publicly openly gay wrestler in Darren Young. He's got a very nice look for a pro-wrestler, and he can definitely bring some positive press to the WWE, if you're trying to appeal to a homosexual demographic in the business sense. Changing a guy into a parody of reality, a gay hairstylist, is offensive and blatant attempted pandering, and I think that it would be seen as that.

^^^^ This 100%!!!! Darren is openly gay and does have a good look. He can cater to that demographic just fine without even having to mention his sexuality on WWE television. I believe he could be quite a good role model and a huge baby face star given the right push. There is no need for this nonsense of bringing in such an offensive parody gimmick.

 

[Vader]

You're going to have some stereotypes in wrestling so long as you have gimmicks. Gimmicks are necessary for story-lines to create heat, which is integral to the entertainment factor.

If wrestling were somehow real, then you would have believable natural heat over simply wanting to be more successful than your opponent that you have in UFC. Being that this isn't the case with pro wrestling, you have to build heat to make fans more interested.

Goldust got played homophobic vibe, but that was nearly 20 years ago. While most wrestling fans are going to be straight males, for the WWE to create a flamer character to play on that same vibe would get them a lot of negative PR. Negative PR for a publicly traded company is a bad thing. Especially during an era where judges across America are deciding same sex marriage for their states.

But as we all know wrestling has been garbage for about 10 years now so nothing would surprise me. If I were as young as most of the posters on here I probably never would have became a fan in the first place.

 

[Thejock83]

As for the typical "Damn Vince McMahon" "I heard he wants to sabotage NXT" replies, here's a widely known fact for you: the NXT roster by and large come up with their OWN IDEAS for character development ie Leo Kruger becoming Adam Rose.

Vince McMahon ZERO input on character development in NXT.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I'm at work so here's some brief notes:

- This originated from a MetsFan4Ever post on R/SquaredCircle. I'm allowed to repost it as news because I'm not getting paid for it but he seems to be the source for about 50% of 'leaks' spread online today. He's normally reliable, mind you, with a few notable exceptions.
- WWE still hasn't figured out ethnic minorities or women. If you think they'd be able to sensitively portray a homosexual character, you've got another thing coming. That Kalisto would supposedly be a hairdresser - presumably knocking his opponents out and then giving them frosted tips - is telling.
- Kalisto is the next Rey Mysterio. It's not hard to see the marketability. That such a preposterous rumour has come out makes me pretty sure this is just a wind-up.

 

[Papa Pillman]

First of all, not all hairdressers are gay, and not all gay men are hairdressers. Just the notion that a gay man should be a hairdresser in this day and age, shows just how out of touch Vince is. He's an idiot.

This.

What's next, Kidd and Cesaro in black face? Having some portray such an outlandish stereotype is going to cause a major backlash.

And This.

The level of bad dated stereotype that is being proposed here...

If this is true, I can see now how it went down...

Triple H: Vince we've got Kalisto down in NXT and he really seems ready, I think its time we bring him up. He is the perfect man to fill our void for a Latino star. No one could be more suited to be Rey 2.0

Vince: I've really been thinking that what we actually need is a Rico 2.0, you say this kid's ready? Let's try it with him.

Wrestling fans:

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

This seems absolutely stupid.

NXT is the place for young guys to hone their craft and develop a gimmick they are comfortable with, get over with it and then bring it to the main roster when they are ready. Kalisto has been successful in his current role, WWE are looking for a replacement for Rey Mysterio to appeal to the Mexican audience and Kalisto looks like he could do it...so why change something before even trying it? I can't fathom why WWE would want to do this.

He wears a mask, so even if the attempt to promote him as Rey's replacement failed...they could easily unmask him and try something else, and most of the young fans wouldn't know it was the same guy. I think it would be a stupid move for WWE to slap this gimmick on him without at least trying him out on the main roster as the new lucha high-flying sensation.

To be honest, The Lucha Dragons should come up as a team, Lord knows we need some new tag teams on the main roster.

 

[rbv13]

If this gimmick actually happens it will be a matter of time before Kalisto is back under mask. As in wearing a mask in public to hide his shame and humiliation.