Report: Vince Allegedly Not High On Three Current Stars

[Jack-Hammer]

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince isn't completely sold on three current members of the roster who've been brought up from NXT. Ultimately, Vince still has the final say on everything that goes down is said to not be the easiest guy to get new stars over with. Allegedly he isn't too keen on Bo Dallas, Adam Rose and Paige. In what might be a bad sign for Adam Rose already that he didn't make an appearance on Raw this past Monday. Some say it's a sign of Rose starting to cool off and WWE producer Kevin Dunn is alleged to have buried him backstage recently.

The problem with Paige that I can see is that Vince isn't really letting her be what ultimately brought her to the dance in NXT in the first place. Paige's schtick as the Anti-Diva in NXT, combined with her in-ring ability, is what got people's attention and made her stand out. Right now, she's been cast in the light of the very young and somewhat overwhelmed rookie on the main roster despite beating everyone she's gone up against. As a result, I think it's time for Vince to ease up on that angle and let her be the Anti-Diva.

When it comes to Bo Dallas, I'm not completely sold on the guy either, but he's come a long way since his brief stint on the main roster 1.5 years ago. He's only been around a couple weeks, so I'm willing to give him time.

As far as Adam Rose is concerned, I don't really see what's not to like about the comedic aspect of his character. He's a family friendly character with his own little mini Mardi Gras following him around. He gets pretty good responses from fans, but if Vince was under the impression that he'd be the next big thing, then maybe he genuinely is out of touch. Nobody's gonna take Adam Rose seriously as a title competitor anymore than Santino Marella. It's true that Santino has had several title runs but, in all honesty, he shouldn't have. He can be entertaining with his schtick as a loveable foreigner, but he shouldn't have won a title. They've made strides forward with all the titles over the course of the past year in terms of not handing out runs to comedy mid-carders, so doing so now would be a step backwards.

 

[L@RISANO]

More than anything, Paige needs a true rival who can bring out the best in her and show what she can do in a WWE ring. Most of her matches have been her being the underdog with a great comeback.
Whilst I didn't really see her in NXT, most people's reports put her as being good in the ring, and a true rival for AJ going forward. Hope that is the case when AJ does return and we can get some decent matches between AJ,Paige,Natalya and Emma...

Adam Rose hasn't interested me at all. If his character doesn't make a Fandango type gimmick, I can see the possibility of it being labelled as a failure,tbh.

Bo Dallas is a character I am warming upto lately, but like Rusev, he needs credible opponents to really make the fans take notice of him. A MidCard title run perhaps with the US title, would do wonders for him going forward,lMO.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I can't think why you'd be sold on any of them.Paige is alright, but she's a female and they're all expendable. She's already reached the top of her division. She could leave soon and it wouldn't really matter.

Neither Rose or Dallas look like stars and neither currently has the gimmick that'll make them one. Rose was always going to be a short term comedy character. Dallas at least has potential when it comes to possible interactions with the Wyatt Family.

 

[BigGreen73]

NXT, IMO, is the best thing going on for WWE right now. The talent gets to perform and they are in front of a crowd that appreciates what they do and they seem to be a wrestling crowd. NXT Takeover was awesome.

Except for the Shield and the Wyatts, and maybe Rusev, all the NXT were way more entertaining on NXT.

Xavier Woods is a jobber

Big E is getting lost in the shuffle

Adam Rose debuts and is fueding w/ Swagger, who no one cares about

Bo Dallas BO-LIEVE gimmick is just way over the top. It's just too much. It was at a better level in NXT

EMMA, poor EMMA, has been completely wasted

PAIGE had a sloppy upset match over AJ to win the belt and has wrestled Askana a couple times (now released), Fox about a dozen times now (more focus on her crazy gimmick than the champ), and Tamina (like Swagger, no one cares about.

Vince can blame his own booking for lack of interest in these guys from the fans. Maybe if he gave these guys some time to perform and show what they can do, maybe he'd have more faith in them.

So much missed opportunity. Emma and Paige could be the Lita and Trish of this era. And in AJ when/if she gets back and you have a great foundation for a great divas division.

LOL. Adam Rose should have went after Kane. Big Red Rosebud. HA!

 

[Pedigree1]

I am a bit surprised on Paige,i know she is a diva but still she is intense and well cute.. She is pretty decent in the ring and is bringing freshness to a rather boring divas division,seeing as How AJ is on her hiatus.. I am not surprised though, on Adam rose.. He is going nowhere fast,is a short term comedy act,and will either be future endeavored soon,or start jobbing..

Bo Dallas at least has that creepy thing going for him that smile is just spooky.. They can easily turn him and have him join the Wyatts he fit in perfect.. NO hope though im afraid for Mr Adam Rose..

 

[The Eighties]

The only Diva to get really over in the last few years is AJ and she didn't get over via wrestling, she got over because she got to showcase her personality in some good angles. Paige has barely uttered a word, has no definable character and wrestles short matches with the same drone line-up of women no one has given a shit about in years.

I never saw the Rose gimmick working and I think Emma's gimmick is one suited to the much smaller NXT crowd where the interaction with fans is more intimate, like at an indie show. They are trying to same approach with Bo that they did with Barrett, hoping that repetition will eventually see him catch on with fans, but it may also be a case of his gimmick not being translatable from what worked in the NXT set-up.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I couldn't agree with this unsourced, speculative, probably untrue report any more. Well, maybe if they added Rusev's name to the report I could.

Rose just looks like money poorly spent on the bus and his entourage. He doesn't look like much of an athlete and even less of a fighter. He's a face but far from anyone I'd want to know. I'm more interested in the story behind the characters in his entourage than him. Maybe he is just vessel for WWE to debut someone in his entourage as a heel that turns on him and puts him out if wrestling. If he can do anything exceptional in the ring I haven't seen it.

Dallas is even worse. His gimmick is kind of cool but would suit someone far more plastic looking in a better way. I may even be too distracted by how I know who his biological brother is and his much they look alike. He looks less athletic and less than a fighter than Rose.

I don't get the hard on people seem to have for Paige. Beyond the fact that she is not that physically attractive compared to the rest of the roster I'm not sure where all this incredible in ring skill is hiding. I wonder if she is just someone that entertained a bit on a smaller scale and fans of NXT embraced as their own just doesn't translate to the larger arenas. Of the three she is the one that probably has the best chance to succeed but I think I'd rather sit through a Nikki Bella match (with the sound down).

 

[John Cena's Sweatbands]

Adam Rose was doing well enough as Leo Kruger. And in their infinite wisdom, WWE decided to change his gimmick to what we have now.

I understand their philosophy of giving a guy a gimmick to see what he can make of it, but it has to be something worthwhile. This Adam Rose stuff has about another month before no-one cares anymore, if that hasn't already happened. Vince doesn't seem to care, so why should we?

Give the guy his old, reasonably bankable gimmick back, give him a chance and let's see what he can make of it.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I'm suprised at Paige, but I think it's more likely that he's not sold on Wrestling over Diva's/Tits and Ass leading the division rather than Paige herself. He'd struggle to not be impressed by her conduct, skill and experience... but if she isn't what HE wants but what Paul wants...then he's not gonna invest completely.

Adam Rose was always gonna struggle with him, but I think it just hasn't worked as well. Part was the song, part is that they have just booked him badly... if every talent who Vince wasn't sold on at first was fired, most of the roster would be gone.

Bo Dallas is the one who is at the most "risk" in that he's had a go before and not been successful... but he at least has the Wyatt plan fallback, in that he can be assimilated in with his brother's faction if it really doesn't work for him... It'd be easier than repackaging Paige or Rose back into Kruger.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I'm usually very anti-Vince when it comes to his opinions on individual talent...I think it's high time the man shut up and got his nose out of the talent relations and creative aspects and just focused on the business side of things.

All that said, so far I'm not impressed with any of the three. Paige may have credibility in her own country and indies, but I've yet to see it materialize in way, shape or form in her matches in the WWE. That may be that she's just not working a WWE Diva style match well (for good or bad) and maybe that will change. I'm just saying right now: I don't see it.

The others...meh. Interesting personalities but nothing to write home about either in or out of the ring.

Still, I hate hearing about how one month after someone has debuted, the upper levels of management are already "sour" on them.

What fickle little bitches.

 

[Anti-IWC-Marks]

My impressions:

Adam Rose: His character would be so much more intriguing if he was a brash, cocky kind of guy, and not just a "oh well" party guy.

Bo Dallas: His gimmick could work if his wrestling matched his message. He's into the inspirational aspect, but then gets super intense in wrestling.. it's just a clash of personality. He should always do the good sportsmanship, honorable thing and never cheat, nor should he spastically get hulked up.

Paige: I have no idea why she's getting the push she is. She doesn't look athletic, just another girl.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Adam Rose is already a complete failure. The gimmick is absolute garbage and the fans are already tiring of his schtick. He'll be back in developmental in a few months.

Paige, I enjoy her work but I haven't seen enough of her personality to make a decision about her.

Bo Dallas, the gimmick is pretty amusing as far as comedy gimmicks go, but it's only going to take him so far. But on the plus side, he's already far more talented than his brother.

 

[J.D Lethal]

I kinda like Adam Rose,I feel like teaming v. Swagger isn't the best fued...i felt like it should of been Fandago in ur classic heel ladies man vs babyface good guy i still think there is hope for him.

Pagie is like one outfit and a couple tattoo away from being the English Lita/Ashely/Aj type...she can move but she being over shadowed by the Total Divas BS wwe is producing now.

and then there is Bo Dallas......Who really should of be Bo Wyatt IMO, the guys shtick is pale and annoying and he has a weak finisher at that...kind makes me wish a Rotunda (our how ever you spell it) vs Rhodes vs Uso storyline.

 

[New Hot Fed]

Let's face it, with Rose it's essentialy a promotion trying to sell a gay babyface to a wrestling audience. This has never worked. Just think what is the primary audience for wrestling shows. I mean it makes zero sense. I remember in the late 90s when they turned Goldust face, they had him cut all his more outlandish parts out of his act. With Rose, they even had a right-winger-type in Swagger losing clean to him. It's almost a slap in the face of your audience as JBL doing the Nazi salute in Germany. In this case it was a slap on the ass.

 

[Harthan]

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince isn't completely sold on three current members of the roster who've been brought up from NXT. Ultimately, Vince still has the final say on everything that goes down is said to not be the easiest guy to get new stars over with. Allegedly he isn't too keen on Bo Dallas, Adam Rose and Paige. In what might be a bad sign for Adam Rose already that he didn't make an appearance on Raw this past Monday. Some say it's a sign of Rose starting to cool off and WWE producer Kevin Dunn is alleged to have buried him backstage recently.

The problem with Paige that I can see is that Vince isn't really letting her be what ultimately brought her to the dance in NXT in the first place. Paige's schtick as the Anti-Diva in NXT, combined with her in-ring ability, is what got people's attention and made her stand out. Right now, she's been cast in the light of the very young and somewhat overwhelmed rookie on the main roster despite beating everyone she's gone up against. As a result, I think it's time for Vince to ease up on that angle and let her be the Anti-Diva.

When it comes to Bo Dallas, I'm not completely sold on the guy either, but he's come a long way since his brief stint on the main roster 1.5 years ago. He's only been around a couple weeks, so I'm willing to give him time.

As far as Adam Rose is concerned, I don't really see what's not to like about the comedic aspect of his character. He's a family friendly character with his own little mini Mardi Gras following him around. He gets pretty good responses from fans, but if Vince was under the impression that he'd be the next big thing, then maybe he genuinely is out of touch. Nobody's gonna take Adam Rose seriously as a title competitor anymore than Santino Marella. It's true that Santino has had several title runs but, in all honesty, he shouldn't have. He can be entertaining with his schtick as a loveable foreigner, but he shouldn't have won a title. They've made strides forward with all the titles over the course of the past year in terms of not handing out runs to comedy mid-carders, so doing so now would be a step backwards.

Tackling them in order:

Rose: Rose is a complicated guy. I think his biggest issue is that he's a guy who requires a lot for his gimmick to work, you know? He has a cadre of people following him around. He doesn't just have to get the crowd to pop - they have to party, they have to dance, they have to get into his theme music. He has a catchphrase that has to get over. On top of all that he still has to perform in the ring and get over in the traditional ways. He has so many moving parts and with there already being doubt, and let's be honest, it's not all in Vince's head, because crowds have been lukewarm on him, I just don't know about Rose in this gimmick. He can always go back to NXT and be a thing there, get repackaged, try again.

However, I'd like to say that him being on Superstars instead of Raw is probably not cause for concern because he was sporting a black eye after his injury and they probably didn't want to expose that on major TV. Given that, I think it's actually a boon he made programming at all - it shows they still care a little.

Paige: I don't see much concrete evidence for this. Paige has gotten over and run roughshod through every Diva she's faced. She may not be getting as much promo time as Alicia Fox, but that's consistent with her character. Paige isn't a talker, and she isn't a traditional Diva - she just kicks ass, and that part is definitely getting through and getting over with the emphasis on her submission finisher.

Dallas: Dallas is a little bit of a tough nut to crack. He's much simpler in terms of moving parts than Adam Rose - all he has is the catchphrase, and it's a good one, one that worked in NXT. I've had a hard time gauging the crowd reaction to him as well, but I don't think it's been awesome...but the problem is I'm not sure that people are actually getting what's supposed to be happening. Bo Dallas is essentially trying to manufacture so-called "X-Pac heat" by not attacking the crowd or any wrestler, but annoying the shit out of them. The problem may be that he's actually too nice in the process and people are wondering if he's meant to be a face. But he's a poor man's attempt at a face because if he were meant to be a good guy he'd be so utterly boring. I think Bo will work as soon as they give him a program with an established face, instead of jobbing guys out to him and having him do his thing. Pair Bo up with someone like...well, I'd say Cena, but he's too unestablished at this point to lose to Cena and get over as a result of it, and of course he'd lose to Cena. Maybe Big Show? Big Show would work pretty well actually, since Bo can overcome the odds to beat him and then be insufferable about it.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I'm not too surprised about Vince's feeling on Paige and Adam Rose, I can also see where he's coming from with Bo Dallas (although I think this gimmick will work for him in time).

With Adam Rose's gimmick there isn't really much you can do with it that hasn't already been seen by the fans. He's a dude who likes too party and says "don't be a lemon, be a rosebud" it's a very one note character that doesn't have a lot of legs on it.

In regards to Paige she hasn't shown anything that no diva before her hasn't shown. She has a different look which will help her but since she got promoted to the main roster she has just been ok, nothing to write home about. I didn't watch much NXT until recently, I heard she was the anti-diva there but I haven't seen much of that personality as of yet, to me she's just a pasty, hot, British chick.

Bo Dallas isn't the type of wrestler Vince would normally push (although that's been changing over the years) but he has a character that could really become a big deal down the road, a guy like that is perfect for a heel and the character is something Bo could really sink his teeth into and make it memorable (unlike Adam Rose). His in ring work needs improvement but that's pretty much everyone when they first start out on the main roster (even big brother Bray had that issue at the beginning). If he gets the right push Bo could be one of the top heels in a year or so easy (or at least one of the most hated).

Much like most talent that shows up on Raw (just look at today's spring cleaning as an example) they are usually underwhelming and get fired, Adam Rose could very well be on that list in a few years, Paige will probably be fine in that regard for a while but I could see Vince become a Boliever down the road.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I think with Pagie, one of the issues is that her anti-diva gimmick works best when she is a heel. They could have kept her a heel, but instead they chose to debut her against a departing AJ, who was a heel, and make her first feud against a revamped heel Alicia Fox. If they want to give her the anti-diva gimmick back and keep her as a face, it would essentially require the entire Diva's division to turn heel. With Total Divas, they won't do that. The show essentially turned the entire cast face.

You could turn Paige heel, but then you don't have anyone ready to step up right away and face her, as WWE seems reluctant to use Emma to her full abilities, so you are likely left with Paige working a half assed feud with Boob Bella. If they did that, which I wouldn't put past the higher ups, you still run the risk of Paige getting a better reaction than whoever is supposed to be the face in the feud.

Rose and Dallas are likely just an issue of Vince not supporting talents he didn't "make" himself.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

While I'm disappointed to hear Vince is apparently not high on these characters, I am not surprised to be honest. It seems that wrestlers aren't given much of a chance to get over or impress before being dumped as "failed projects", and WWE goes looking for the next one. It takes time to make a connection with the fans and find something that works. Look at someone like The Rock, he really wasn't working as Rocky Maivia, so the WWE gave him a chance to try something else, and put him in the Nation where he thrived.

Paige, Dallas and Rose all have a great deal of potential, so I hope they do get a fair opportunity to show what they can do, especially Paige as I see her as the one to help rebuild the womans division over the next few years.

 

[zwbruno]

Adam Rose should've stayed Leo Kruger and debuted on the main roster as a big game hunting lunatic. First go after Khali, then Henry, Ryback, Big E, Big Show, Kane, all the huge guys. Maybe he could've even hunted The Game, himself, one day. I think the Kruger character was much more intriguing from a creative standpoint and I consider it huge missed opportunity.

 

[Ace Amoeba]

Vince is probably not a fan of Bo Dallas' size and most likely doesn't "get" the irony behind the gimmick. I think Bo is safe for now.

As for Adam Rose Vince is going to be very critical of anyone WWE has to put that much money in every appearance with the Rosebuds as extras. The same thing happened with Flash Funk having TWO valets. Rose is very talented in the ring, but not the Hoss that Vince would prefer.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

You don't need to be high on Adam Rose. He's a fun party-goer with a catchy theme song who gets people dancing in their seats. He has a moveset which interacts with the crowd and his character is starting to warm up to the fans. He can be a very useful asset for being a talent enhancement by losing all his matches but every week, he gets the fans pumped up for his match. His gimmick allows him to reset every time he is in a match because the fans won't care about him winning or losing, they will just care about him being there to entertain the fans.

Bo Dallas is an ingenious character that needs time to develop and allow to flesh out the gimmick. You can give him a submission move and have Bo audibly tell his opponent not to give up and bolieve in themselves, despite being the person using the submission on them. You can have him cheat and never acknowledge it. You can insert him anywhere and have his ignorance take over for some comedic segments. There are lots of things and tweaks you can do to Dallas so if they aren't high on the character, tweak the character.

Paige's current gimmick makes me not so high on her either so I understand that but this isn't what brought her to the dance. Make her the Anti-Diva again and you've got months and months of television for Paige to take down everyone from Total Diva's. I mean, with Tamina out on injury; AJ on sabbatical; and Aksana being released, who else is there for Paige to face outside more repeated matches with Alicia Fox?

 

[Notorious718]

I don't believe this report but let's speak as if I do for discussion's sake. These talents have been on the roster for barely two months. How can you determine whether or not you're sold on them when they've hardly had time to get over? How do you expect talent to get over when they aren't given more time? How are they expected to get over if the rug is pulled out from under them after a few weeks? Makes no damn sense. That's what happens when you hotshot something then subsequently abandon it. The Rock didn't get over right away. Steve Austin didn't get over right away. But time and energy was devoted to these characters and look where they ended up. I'm not saying that Adam Rose and Bo Dallas will necessarily get to that level but you get what I'm saying. How can the WWE hope to continue to grow as a company for years into the future when Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn don't seem completely willing to invest in their young talent and have a vision for them?

 

[The Brain]

IT'S BEEN ONE MONTH!

Doesn't anybody have any patience at all anymore? Guess what. Nobody gave a shit about John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, Steve Austin, Triple H, or The Rock immediately after their debuts. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these guys are going to have anywhere near the success as those I just mentioned but can we please give them a little time?

Here's a newsflash. A lot of people don't watch NXT. It's not like most fans have been waiting for these guys to get the call up. This isn't like someone like Chris Jericho coming over from WCW and everyone already knew who he was. Most people probably never even heard of Adam Rose or Bo Dallas until after WrestleMania. Give the fans some time to get familiar with them before casting them as failures so quickly.

 

[kadroan]

Paige got pushed too fast. They need to have her lose the title and have her chase the title so the fans can get behind her. I wish WWE would do away with long reigns with the Divas Championship, it gets old quick.

I could see Rose being a comedy character. The fans seem to like him from what I've seen on TV and being in the crowd live.

As far as Bo Dallas, they need a new approach with him. The whole undefeated streak got old fast, especially when you got Rusev doing the same thing.

 

[Alastor]

I'm not sold on these wrestlers in their current gimmicks as well.

Still don't see anything special about Paige that we havn't seen from every other Divas in the past other than she is really really young with years to run with if she can stay healthy.

Rose is occupying the crowd-pleasing face spot in the lower card occupied by Tons of Funk/Santino/Hornswoggle etc. They usually have budget for some shenanigans so maybe the use of random local wrestlers as the entourage is 'cheaper' compared to burning money on other props like those pyros.

Bo Dallas is on his 2nd run. Not sure about his gimmick because it can make faces look bad. His lack of charisma is limiting the gimmick's opportunity to really provide entertainment. I imagine someone like Christian or even Fandango running with this can make it more fun.