So is Fandango getting pushed?

[MartialHorror]

When Fandango made his return after vanishing...which happened after he became a jobber of Heath Slater proportions, there was a decent amount of build up. He then went on a minor winning streak, beating Justin Gabriel and...er, Justin Gabriel. Yet it seems like he doesn't show up on TV that much.

Contrast him to Adam Rose, who got pushed pretty heavily upon his debut and even when it was apparent that fans had lost interest, would stay on TV seemingly every show. But Fandango only makes sporadic appearances.

But when he gets into a confrontation with Roman Reigns and was promptly destroyed. Was this a burial on par with what Adam Rose received from Kane? Probably not, but it does raise the question of what the plan is with him. On one hand, it was kind of cool seeing Roman Reigns make his return by defeating someone who was getting some form of a push. He won and re-established himself, but Fandango didn't look weak and probably got a nice rub for simply being in the ring with Reigns. Furthermore, they're actually kind of making Fandango into a badass by having him actually face Reigns.

When Jericho confronted him, I thought it was odd because Fandango stared him down while Jericho bullied Heyman (who was supposed to be the heel?). I kind of want to see a Fandango push because I like the guy playing him, but I also believe WWE should focus on fleshing out the character. Focus on his vanity and ego, because the dancing gets old...and yet for some baffling reason, the dancing seems longer and more drawn out.

So do you think he's going to get a push? Or now that his slow burn rise has somewhat been deflated by Reigns that he will immediately become a jobber again. WWE is sending mixed signals.

 

[The Yes Guy]

Fandango is like the uppercard jobber. Fed to the uppercard guys.
I do like Fandango. He's got the looks, decent in the ring, can be a nice Jericho level guy.
They should take the comical nature totally out of him.
Make him a serious sorta heel, keeping the gimmick intact (which imho, is terrific if done well).

 

[kadroan]

I don't think WWE management knows what they want to do with Fandango. Obviously they hadn't gave up on him to give him air time with prominent wrestlers since he returned. I don't expect him to compete for a title. I think he'll be a comedy character again.

 

[BRAT]

I want him to become at least a mid card superstar but he doesn't getting a push,in my opinion. Every superstar who returns has some wins only to make a small impact for two or three weeks.
A nice idea is to have him team up with a guy and win the championships some day. But first,the creatives should change his gimmick

 

[MartialHorror]

Maybe he should be paired with Bo Dallas when he returns. Or Adam Rose.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I hope not. The character, like so many other gimmicks recently, has run its course.

The guy is talented, though. I would send him away for a bit (again) and bring him back as a less gimmicky character. He has the talent, he doesn't need the cartoon stuff.

 

[The Captain]

I dont think the "repackaging" was as bad as the announce team constantly reminding us he's the "new and improved Fandango." He's not a shark vaccum... same thing with "The Vigilante" Sting and "Big Red" Rowan. Its so freaking obvious when the announcers have been instructed to jam a nickname or tagline down my throat. Bingo

 

[OYDK]

When Fandango made his return after vanishing...which happened after he became a jobber of Heath Slater proportions, there was a decent amount of build up. He then went on a minor winning streak, beating Justin Gabriel and...er, Justin Gabriel. Yet it seems like he doesn't show up on TV that much.

Contrast him to Adam Rose, who got pushed pretty heavily upon his debut and even when it was apparent that fans had lost interest, would stay on TV seemingly every show. But Fandango only makes sporadic appearances.

But when he gets into a confrontation with Roman Reigns and was promptly destroyed. Was this a burial on par with what Adam Rose received from Kane? Probably not, but it does raise the question of what the plan is with him. On one hand, it was kind of cool seeing Roman Reigns make his return by defeating someone who was getting some form of a push. He won and re-established himself, but Fandango didn't look weak and probably got a nice rub for simply being in the ring with Reigns. Furthermore, they're actually kind of making Fandango into a badass by having him actually face Reigns.

When Jericho confronted him, I thought it was odd because Fandango stared him down while Jericho bullied Heyman (who was supposed to be the heel?). I kind of want to see a Fandango push because I like the guy playing him, but I also believe WWE should focus on fleshing out the character. Focus on his vanity and ego, because the dancing gets old...and yet for some baffling reason, the dancing seems longer and more drawn out.

So do you think he's going to get a push? Or now that his slow burn rise has somewhat been deflated by Reigns that he will immediately become a jobber again. WWE is sending mixed signals.

You're really reaching here my man. Fandango is the exact same character as before, except with the moniker, "New and Improved", which he's not... Beating Justin Gabriel two nights in a row does not constitute a winning streak, I can't even remember the last time I saw Justin Gabriel on a WWE TV screen.... nobody is going to care that Fandango beat Gabriel, much less the WWE brass.

As for Roman Reigns; he's not John Cena... you don't get a rub by just being in the same ring as him, especially not in a glorified squash match. Also, I don't really get how you can see him as a badass when he got his ass handed to him. I mean, am I a badass for fighting Brock Lesnar? Nooo, I would just be stupid.

One of his BIG problems is that I cant understand a damn word he says when he talks. Does NOBODY in the back not tell him to speak up or enunciate? I agree with you on one thing however: I do like Curtis Hussey, I just think he desperately needs a gimmick change because Fandango suckssss. If he stays in this gimmick I don't even see him lasting two more years.

 

[MartialHorror]

You're really reaching here my man. Fandango is the exact same character as before, except with the moniker, "New and Improved", which he's not... Beating Justin Gabriel two nights in a row does not constitute a winning streak, I can't even remember the last time I saw Justin Gabriel on a WWE TV screen.... nobody is going to care that Fandango beat Gabriel, much less the WWE brass.

As for Roman Reigns; he's not John Cena... you don't get a rub by just being in the same ring as him, especially not in a glorified squash match. Also, I don't really get how you can see him as a badass when he got his ass handed to him. I mean, am I a badass for fighting Brock Lesnar? Nooo, I would just be stupid.

One of his BIG problems is that I cant understand a damn word he says when he talks. Does NOBODY in the back not tell him to speak up or enunciate? I agree with you on one thing however: I do like Curtis Hussey, I just think he desperately needs a gimmick change because Fandango suckssss. If he stays in this gimmick I don't even see him lasting two more years.

- I honestly couldn't remember if he had fought anyone else outside of Justin Gabriel, so my bad for saying 'streak'.

- Reigns isn't Cena, but WWE is trying their absolute hardest to make him the next big thing. So having an actual match with him, and not a two second squash a la Ryback/Bo is kind of a big deal...especially considering Fandango's recent opponents.

-I don't see how it was a 'glorified squash match', but either way, these days WWE prefers cowardly heels. Guys like Rollins, Bray, Lesnar, Show, Rusev and pretty everyone except Kane (oddly) tends to back out from a fight- if not outright flee. ESPECIALLY when going against a powerhouse like Reigns. Fandango stood his ground and once again, this was especially in contrast with Jericho, who spent the night bullying an old dude.

 

[Mustang Sally]

He's comic relief. That they've slightly changed his entrance means nothing; just giving him a new jacket doesn't mean he's being pushed. Plus, Creative has taken a "nothing" performer in Rosa and placed her with Fandango, which means......absolutely nothing. (One positive: it keeps us from having to watch her wrestle).

There's nothing wrong with all this. A jobber with an unique gimmick at least looks a bit different from other jobbers, which is a plus.....a minor plus, but a plus.

Imo, the chances of Johnny Curtis ever becoming a star are over, although he might stick around longer than other jobbers because of his gimmick; a concept we've seen before with 3MB.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Fandango is a weird case. They were clearly excited enough about the guy to let him debut with a win on WM, but then his first run was a total flop and the only thing we really got out of it were 2 heel Diva jobbers in LayRye. (OK I just made that up but that actually sounds better than I expected it to ) So they took him off TV for months despite being 100% healthy/no wellness violations/suspensions/w-e, just to bring him back as the same failed gimmick with a new jacket+different lady? Oh look and it looks like he's feuding with Jericho again! This has to be a recipe for success!

I was hoping for kind of a "do over" like they did for Ryback recently, even though I don't think Fandango's all that great in the ring or the mic least that could've been interesting. But to just bring him back almost exactly the same as before is.....puzzling to me. The Reigns thing I wouldn't read much into it, Reigns will be squashing his way to WM31 and possibly beyond since they need to make up for the time he missed, so Fandango won't be alone in the "squashed by Reigns" department for long. And since Sally reminded me of 3MB if they were still around I bet Reigns would've squashed them all in a 3 on 1 match too.

As for Fandango himself, eh....I'm guessing they're just trying to build him up slightly for Fandango v Jericho 2 before eventually giving the win to Y2J, not that winning that feud would do much for either man's career at this point.

 

[RedRegan1005]

What i'm about to say isn't towards The wrestler Fandango AKA Johnny Curtis, but towards Fandango, the character.

The only thing that was getting over about Fandango was his entrance music, and they changed his character slightly and took that away from him so now that character in my opinion is dead in the water. He went from a ballroom kinda dancer, to a salsa dancer. . .GENIUS WWE once again was able to use their creative brains to make another superstar!!!. . .Obviously that was sarcasm. I laid it on extremely thick. I like Johnny Curtis and think he could do some good stuff in the WWE, but not as Fandango. He is currently being used to job to Reigns and give him someone dependable to work in the ring with. After that though, I have no idea what they plan on doing with Fandango. I'm guessing he'll have an appearance in the Royal Rumble, but after that he'll sadly fade into the back of the crowd again. I doubt WWE will have a spot for him on the WrestleMania card, unless they have some kind of Battle Royal. So with WWE putting all their attention from February to April on building Mania, Fan-dan-go will fall to the waste side.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I don't think WWE has sent any mixed signals with Fandango at all, he got his big shot at WM 29 but got injured shortly after when he was supposed to win the IC Title at Payback & has been a solid enhancement talent ever since.

& I really don't think his career would have been any different if he didn't get injured either. It was really Jericho & Fandango's entrance music that got Fandango as over as he was the night after Mania 29 & WWE was just basically letting him ride out that wave of momentum, which was seemingly starting to fizzle out even before he got hurt. I really don't think WWE had any long term plans for Fandango besides him having Curtis Axel's IC Title reign, which most people seemed to hate anyways.

 

[The Mattitude Era]

The thing about Fandango is, yeah, he may be stuck in jobber territory right now, but the guy playing Fandango has shown that he can make the character work. You can say that the only thing over about him was the music, but I think he has a charisma about him that gives him the ability to pull off a comedic heel-type character.

 

[BuriedByCena]

Fandango needs a new moveset and new finisher because I honestly have no idea what he does in the ring. I can't even picture a Fandango match in my head. He is very forgettable. I can picture his entrance. I can picture the dancing. Then I draw a blank.

That is a bad sign seeing as I have watched him a million times over the past 2 years lol.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I highly doubt it. Fandango is ultimately gonna remain where he is on the card, basically as fodder to be used for wrestlers higher up on the card. If Fandango scores a victory, it'll be over guys who're on a similar level to him on the card like Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Sin Cara, etc. and it'll usually happen on Superstars.

The thing about Fandango is that while an interesting gimmick initially, it's run its course. Plus, in all honesty, it's not like anyone ever really took the guy seriously in the first place. Judging by how things were looking before he was out with a concussion & Curtis Axel was placed in the match with Miz & Barrett instead, he was probably gonna be IC champion. Axel's primary problem lay with the fact that he's not the performer his father was and the fact that he was overshadowed during Heyman's feud with CM Punk. Fandango's problem is that the guy's ultimately comedy relief as nobody's gonna take a guy who's gimmick was influenced by Dancing with the Stars seriously as a threat to anyone's championship.

 

[Stan Hansen]

No way is he getting a true "push" at the moment. Isn't he on Total Divas quite often?

He's not over, never truly was over, and this 'new' Fandango stinks worse than the 'old' one did. Johnny is a good talent but the gimmick is a waste of time.

 

[Ultimate Randy Savage Fan]

The guy does have talent and u can see charisma beneath the terrible gimmick....I know its a long stretch to even compare him to Rick Rude but if they ditched the dancing crap they could go the Rick Rude style gimmick ie cut the music while I take off my robe so all u fat out off shape sweat hogs can see what a real man looks like.....just a sugestion

 

[Navi]

Okay Fandango, Jesus what a horrible horrible gimmick. Instead of getting me one bit interested in him, it's a total turnoff.

When I first saw the new and improved Fandango the first thought that went through my mind was some terrible lounge lizard act in a cheap Las Vegas motel. You know someone who couldn't make it to headline one of the big hotels on the strip. I'm afraid Fandango will remain just that will this gimmick is in place. He'll just be a mid carder who some women in the crowd will find exotic and handsome.

It's a shame, because he is a solid in ring worker with some good moves. The WWE has totally ruined him.

 

[Smackdown]

Fanjobbo isn't getting a push.

 

[Dirk]

Fandango is an AMAZING wrestler and I think the gimmick still has a lot of potential - a good sissy character can go a long way.

It's just that people (WWE creative included) don't always seem to understand the difference between a comedy character and a joke character.

Maybe he should be paired with Bo Dallas when he returns. Or Adam Rose.

Yes! Something cheesy like "The ladykillers" or something like that.

 

[MartialHorror]

Nope, Fandango has vanished after being crushed by Roman Reigns.

 

[Bockwinkel's Class]

Okay Fandango, Jesus what a horrible horrible gimmick. Instead of getting me one bit interested in him, it's a total turnoff.

When I first saw the new and improved Fandango the first thought that went through my mind was some terrible lounge lizard act in a cheap Las Vegas motel. You know someone who couldn't make it to headline one of the big hotels on the strip. I'm afraid Fandango will remain just that will this gimmick is in place. He'll just be a mid carder who some women in the crowd will find exotic and handsome.

It's a shame, because he is a solid in ring worker with some good moves. The WWE has totally ruined him.

Fandango's gimmick reminds me of when WCW did The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Iaukea gimmick lol

 

[DCLXVI]

I can see Johnny Curtis/Fandango as a Rick Rude style character, he just might need a mouthpiece as Heenan was to Rick Rude. I would abandon ship with the dancer gimmick as it is awkward as fuck (but he manages to not look like a moron which is a feat in itself). Part of the blame also falls on his "dancing partner" at any given time which seems to have the chemistry of oil and water. His finisher blows (top rope leg drop) and hopefully they give him another chance because the re-deployment of the same character, but "new and improved" just confused people.

 

[Wyatt_Promo_God]

He's getting pushed on total divas maybe where he walks around at partys and eats brownies or something. The guy's career in the WWE has been a joke and it's all because his gimmick. The guy behind the gimmick is ok I guess but it's just such a dreadful gimmick to be given. I put Fandango in the same boat as Adam Rose. Just a goofball who might have a catchy theme song, may appear fresh at the beginning but quickly die down. Fandango's career is going absolutely no where he's just a comedy act jobber at this point.