So, Vinnie Mac Doesn't Like Cesaro

[Torgo]

In the great interview that Steve Austin conducted with Vince McMahon, Austin asked Vince about Cesaro. His response was what I've feared all along: Vince doesn't think Cesaro has "it".
My initial reaction was, "Well maybe that's because your creative staff sucks meat sticks and took Cesaro's momentum out from under him like a rug in a pitiful heel attempt".
Thinking about it later, I can sort of get what Vince meant; Cesaro does need to work on facial expressions, but he's solid on the mic and excellent in the ring. Hell, he makes Ryback have a good match!
I was very mad when Vince says Cesaro hadn't "connected" yet, because that confirms that Vince doesn't pay attention at all to his product. When Cesaro first brought out the Giant Swing, people loved it. They counted out loud with each revolution. They went nuts when he swung Khali around with ease.
Then, as I mentioned above, they tried to turn him heel, and said no-no to the giant swing, because the crowd loved it so much. I think this is where Vince gets his "hasn't connected" thing from. Since the Heyman manager thing, Cesaro has been in limbo, jobbing to others.
Austin said it very well. He organically liked Cesaro, but after the Real Americans went down, and Heyman stepped in, he hasn't cared for him.
What's next for Cesaro? God only knows. If Vince really doesn't care for him, we might be seeing Cesaros future, permanent loser. What a pity.

Frankly, if Vince said he liked last nights RAW, he's really lost his mind, and some top-notch talent is going to suffer.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

LOL, not sure what to say about that if that's what McMahon said.

He took a guy who was red hot coming out of WrestleMania, and nerfed him. Putting him with Heyman was fine, but it quickly became apparent that there were no actual plans to do anything there. It was just a knee jerk move, and they've since killed all his momentum.

Meanwhile, fans are supposed to somehow connect with the crap that they fed last night such as that Cena/Rollins promo.

 

[Starkiller]

Out of touch old man.


Cesaro is one their stronger talents they have that is always misused.

 

[Brushfire]

I don't think he said that he didn't like Cesaro at all. Yes, he said that Cesaro lacked "it" but also that he felt the only thing Cesaro lacked was charisma. Vince basically insinuated that he'd be willing to give Cesaro more chances but for whatever reason wasn't connecting with the crowd that well. Like Austin said, that could have been very different if they had turned him face after 'Mania but with where we are right now, I can't help but agree with Vince.

One thing I will agree with is that if Cesaro lacks charisma then so does Reigns, and there is no doubt that the former is better in the ring. If rumours are to be believed then Vince obviously rates Reigns higher than Cesaro and I can't help but wonder why that is. Does Reigns get more face pops than Cesaro gets boos?

 

[Fillet Club]

I don't think it's particularly fair to say that Vince McMahon doesn't like him. He commented on what a great performer he is in the ring, but also highlighting the fact he's not brilliant on the mic (something that I don't think is a deal breaker).

But let's not get too disheartened, Vince did also state that they haven't given up on him and are actually trying to find what works for him and then push on from there. Personally taking the swing away from him and turning him heel was one of the dumbest moves of the year.

 

[L@RISANO]

I took it as more a corporate answer from Vince more than anything, and didn't bother to take Vince's crap about Cesaro too seriously.

Surely, Vince, like all of us, saw how much of a reaction Cesaro got when he broke away from the Real Americans straight up till he aligned with Paul Heyman.


More than anything, Cesaro is in limbo due to others getting pushed ahead of him. In time, he will get his push also and will build back huge momentum with the Giant Swing and all,lMO. It's not like he's been off of TV regularly anyway.


If anything, I think his "de-push" has actually been handled perfectly, such that, he is given time to have the occasional brilliant in-ring performance showing off his abilities, but still, is put to job to other guys getting pushed so that he can't quite build a shitload of momentum that would come with stronger booking.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Vince is absolutely, unequivocally right about Cesaro. He is as over with the Swing as Fandango was with his theme song. The fans didn't invest in the YES for the heck of it, it was a rallying call of injustice when Bryan lost in 18 seconds at the biggest fucking PPV of his life! It became a chant for opposing what was being presented and supporting an underdog. Go watch that Championship Ascension Ceremony for TLC last year, the fans were incredible.


I really care for Cesaro, but he hasn't made the people fall in love with him. Like Austin did, or Hogan did. Vince was so brutally honest when he said "I don't know, I don't know what we can do, I don't have a magic wand!" And he is right, Austin was supposed to be a heel, Cena, a rapper heel but it has always been the crowd that tells you what is hot and Vince is a LISTENER. He really is, he may prefer certain guys but go back to every dirtsheet report and most of them have had cliques around Vince influencing him. Someone who starts getting red hot is given that rocket up his ass by McMahon to become white hot.


He was spot on about Cesaro, I hope they come up with a storyline where the magic happens for him thats all I can say.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

but he's solid on the mic

Stopped reading right here. If your definition of solid is the consistency of Jell-O, then maybe I should've kept going and it's my bad. Otherwise, you have an extremely low standard of mic skills. That guy can't get anyone to give any sort of a shit about him if he's using his talking as his method.

Give him ring time, keep the mic away from him and book him properly. That's the only way he's going to get over currently. If you wan't an example: Ziggler right now.

 

[Torgo]

Stopped reading right here. If your definition of solid is the consistency of Jell-O, then maybe I should've kept going and it's my bad. Otherwise, you have an extremely low standard of mic skills. That guy can't get anyone to give any sort of a shit about him if he's using his talking as his method.

Give him ring time, keep the mic away from him and book him properly. That's the only way he's going to get over currently. If you wan't an example: Ziggler right now.

Frankly, I'm so used to recycled Cena promos, anything sounds good.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Frankly, I'm so used to recycled Cena promos, anything sounds good.

I see no reason why you need to make this thread about Cena, but hey, while we're here, Cesaro could use every tip on promos from Cena that he can spare. Cena's gimmick is stale, which is why his promos are repetitive and boring. Frankly, most wrestlers get very repetitive over time. Bray Wyatt is the perfect example. However, Cena is great at expression, tone, pitch, pause and any other form of verbal communication you can think of. That's why he can still hold a crowd.

Content and delivery are 2 very different things.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Like I said on the other thread... I took this more as linked to Austin's "challenge" and they very directly said that Austin was in the same spot when he joined... A "mechanic" and not rated by Vince... he turned it around.

If anything I think Cesaro was who they were aiming the "scared to fail" thing at, and Vince was giving him the nod to "try some stuff" to connect. I didn't see a lot of what Vince said as negative at all, he put him over very strongly except for the Swiss comment, which was a toe curler... He could say the same for a Sheamus or a Roman or Ryback... he was asked specifically about Cesaro so responded. Arguably because of all the guys he met that night or recently, Austin saw himself most in Cesaro...

If anything that he got air time at all is a GOOD thing... he got told what he needs to do... now it's on him to do it. Ziggler, Ryback, Sheamus, Barrett... they didn't get a mention at all...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

To some degree, I think that Vince McMahon is out of touch. He's most definitely out of touch if he thinks that the sort of story that anyone cares about involves a 35 year old South African nobody edging towards a feud with a man in a bunny costume. I think that if Vince actually allowed Triple H to be in charge of creative, I mean GENUINELY in charge instead of just holding the corporate title while he himself is actually in charge of creative, he could do something with Cesaro. I'm not saying that he could make him into the next version of The Rock or anything, but I do believe that there's potential that's there to work with that most likely won't even be attempted to be tapped into. Vince McMahon is in a pretty solid "sports entertainment" frame of mind right now, more so than probably what we've seen over the past 1.5 to 2 years. He's not full blown obsessed with it as he was in much of the 2000s, but he's definitely in a "sports entertainment" mood and has been for several months and too much, in my eyes, lowers the quality of the product.

To be fair, however, it's true that Cesaro doesn't seem to be especially charismatic and his mic skills are not exactly what I'd call solid. I do think he has potential if it's something that was worked on but, just based on what I see & hear right now, I also don't see the "IT" factor.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I keep reading about the IT factor, but does everyone HAVE to have the IT factor?

I can't honestly say that I see anyone in the WWE right now with the IT factor, and that includes Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt, and Rollins altogether. It seems that "IT" is really a codeword for the "Next Austin" or the "Next Cena". I think the WWE needs to catch a clue here: Those kinds of performers come around only once in a very long while. The rest of the time, you better be basing your business around something less ephermal than the next shooting star.

I mean, here we are, two weeks after the supposed end of the Authority storyline, and what did they serve up on RAW? A weak and awkward promo with Rollins kinda/sorta/not really begging Cena to "bring back the Authority". Call me crazy but maybe these guys should move on to the next angle. Say what you will about his promo skills but even Cena can't support weak material like that. So in that kind of an environment, what chance does Cesaro have? Seems to me people were responding to Cesaro quite well with his Real Americans music, Giant Swing, and excellent work rate. Maybe the guy couldn't cut a promo worth a shit, but that seemed to be enough for the fans.

Hell, Rey Mysterio never cut a promo worth a damn in his life, and was over almost entirely due to his physical abilities in the ring. But somehow, Cesaro's ONLY shot is if he figures out how to create a character that includes great promo delivery.

Final thought: The WWE's need to have one guy who has "IT" is probably their biggest weakness, and is detrimental to their roster as a whole.

 

[DCLXVI]

Frankly, I'm so used to recycled Cena promos, anything sounds good.

I love Cesaro but there is no way in the world he could carry those lengthy promos like Cena does. Cena may have gotten old by this point, but the dude doesn't trip on his words, is loud and clear about what he is saying, and in my opinion his promos are more entertaining and to the point than Triple H's if we are comparing guys that cut 10-20 minute promo segments.

Cesaro's in-ring skills are stellar and that is why he is in fairly high profile matches every RAW. He may lose but he is always booked to look very strong in the process. They tried to give him a little mic time when he was doing commentary around the time of the Sheamus feud. I see him as a very good mid carder. Does he "connect" on the level of a CM Punk or Cena? No. His push is coming again in due time though and hopefully they figure it out. He needs more than just the Swing next time around.

 

[Torgo]

Here's an old promo from his Claudio Castagnoli days. Not bad, really.[YOUTUBE]qcC4CXNvbhg[/YOUTUBE]

Ive heard that WWE makes foreign wrestlers use a heavier accent. Is that why his promos are not so good here?

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Here's an old promo from his Claudio Castagnoli days. Not bad, really.[YOUTUBE]qcC4CXNvbhg[/YOUTUBE]

Ive heard that WWE makes foreign wrestlers use a heavier accent. Is that why his promos are not so good here?

Also when your promos aren't so scripted you can put more of your own emotions into them. You likely won't feel or sound so much like you're reading from a script, like too many wrestlers do. Also, any promo that's recorded should be taken with a grain of salt.

Really if they want a blueprint on a good push for Cesaro, they should look at Ziggler's current push. How much has he held a mic recently? And frankly, it's not that different than how Cesaro was pushed earlier this year. They just derailed it by not turning him face and going forward.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

So basicly:

Vinnie Mac says good things about Wyatt and all Shield guys and nobody bats an eye

Vinnie Mac says that he doesnt think Cesaro has that "It factor" and sudenly everyone freaks out and he is out of touch old man



He didnt said that he doesnt like Cesaro nore did he buried him. He just said that he doesnt think that guy has that "It factor". And yes, if you want to be megastar you need to have that charisma factor. And that is his opinion that he is entitled to. He probably thought that about lots of guys but they proved him wrong. Heck, that CM Punk guy everyone talking about these days probably didnt had too much support from Vince, HHH and others when he comed to WWE but he got his chance and proved them wrong.

Point is, what he says and thinks is sometimes right and sometimes wrong and isnt the ultimate truth. Its just his opinion. All Cesaro needs to do is to take that as motivation to step his game up and to prove Vinnie Mac wrong.

 

[WimpyKid4Life]

Cesaro is 1000000 times more charismatic than Ryback and its a shame he's in the main event of Raw while Cesaro is losing on the daily. Cesaro IS charismatic, just look at him hosting the Blooper episode of the JBL show and all those final messages in the prior episodes. Check out the Cesaro/Dolph Ziggler hype video for their Heck in a Cell IC title match, it was intriguing! Not only that, but it is genuinely fun watching him wrestle. His strength is second to none and the Cesaro move-set benefits from that with spectacular wrestling skills such as the Cesaro Swing, Cesaro Suplex, Neutralizer, Cesaro Uppercuts, the yet to debut UFO ( I heard about it and I searched it up, incredible move!!!), corner big boot, etc, etc. Cesaro does have "IT"!!! Did you see all those 'Cesaro Section' signs during WrestleMania season? Did you hear the extremely loud and happy standing ovation he received when he tossed over Big Show and won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal?! Speaking 5 languages is awesome, especially when you have a certain WWE Network to sell overseas. Cesaro is a very urbane WWE Superstar with his flashy fist pumps that scream COOLNESS and the popping of the neck which signals that BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN!!! It should be Cesaro who should be headlining PPVs and Raw Main Events, NOT RYBACK!!!! Cesaro is the King of Swing, the Swiss Superman, and I know for a FACT that he does connect with the crowd!!!!! #CesaroFan4Life

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

Until they turn it around Cesaro will always be among the top of the list for all time missed opportunities by WWE. At the time he started getting over following the Real Americans split, Bryan was injured, Reigns hadn't hit the top yet, and Cena was literally the only main event baby face in the company. They had a HUGE opportunity with Cesaro who was organically connecting with the crowd and they blew it when they forced him to be heel and go with Heyman, it was like putting the square peg in the round hole.

I believe in the "it factor" but I also believe that you have to give guys the opportunity to make that connection. For example, I've been a fan of Rollins since his ROH days, but some of his promos in FCW were terrible, and now they are a million times better, you know why? Because they've given him the opportunity to hone his craft in front of an audience. Let Cesaro cut a promo at every house show then. Or here's another idea, that already worked once, give him a manager and let it work this time.

Lesnar is a physical specimen, that cuts a shit promo, so you give him a good mouth piece and he's gold. Was Bret Hart really a great talker? Is Undertaker?

I think Vince made a lot of valid points in the interview, but to say that Cesaro lacks charisma, or isn't connecting because he's Swiss, or whatever else, is total horse shit. And they can issue challenges or whatever, but the truth is, WWE is more scripted and regimented than ever, so if they won't give you the chance to go out on a limb, its not like guys can just go there and do whatever they want, they'd be fired. Cesaro has enough tools to succeed at a high level right now, if they don't know how to make the most of them and accentuate his strengths, that falls on WWE, not Cesaro.

 

[The Warlord]

In the great interview that Steve Austin conducted with Vince McMahon, Austin asked Vince about Cesaro. His response was what I've feared all along: Vince doesn't think Cesaro has "it".
My initial reaction was, "Well maybe that's because your creative staff sucks meat sticks and took Cesaro's momentum out from under him like a rug in a pitiful heel attempt".
Thinking about it later, I can sort of get what Vince meant; Cesaro does need to work on facial expressions, but he's solid on the mic and excellent in the ring. Hell, he makes Ryback have a good match!
I was very mad when Vince says Cesaro hadn't "connected" yet, because that confirms that Vince doesn't pay attention at all to his product. When Cesaro first brought out the Giant Swing, people loved it. They counted out loud with each revolution. They went nuts when he swung Khali around with ease.
Then, as I mentioned above, they tried to turn him heel, and said no-no to the giant swing, because the crowd loved it so much. I think this is where Vince gets his "hasn't connected" thing from. Since the Heyman manager thing, Cesaro has been in limbo, jobbing to others.
Austin said it very well. He organically liked Cesaro, but after the Real Americans went down, and Heyman stepped in, he hasn't cared for him.
What's next for Cesaro? God only knows. If Vince really doesn't care for him, we might be seeing Cesaros future, permanent loser. What a pity.

Frankly, if Vince said he liked last nights RAW, he's really lost his mind, and some top-notch talent is going to suffer.

Lol really??

You're the chairman of the company trying go sell your product and you 're not going to say it was a great show (despite whatever he may really think)?

That was one of his "corporate answers" that we were expecting, and rightfully so.

Theres more to a character than one move. Just like theres more to Daniel Bryan than the YES chant. We dont see everything like Vince does...and if hes working 24/7 like he has his whole life then hes seeing alot.

I think when the time is right, and with a little more experience, Cesaro will get that push again

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Fair criticism; and I'm someone who saw Claudio Castagnoli vs Matt Sydal at an ROH show, so I'm a huge fan.

I think it's stupid to say things like "well he needs a better push". "well he needs a better character". Guys like Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes get anything they're given over and make it happen. If you need a better character, better push, then you suck at character work.

That said, I don't think Cesaro sucks. He just needs to work on character work or he'll always just be a mid card workhorse.

 

[L@RISANO]

Here's an old promo from his Claudio Castagnoli days. Not bad, really.[YOUTUBE]qcC4CXNvbhg[/YOUTUBE]

Ive heard that WWE makes foreign wrestlers use a heavier accent. Is that why his promos are not so good here?

That was shit, honestly. I think he is actually better than that now, and doesn't trip on his words as much.


That said; If WWE and Vince really are waiting for guys like Reigns and Cesaro to become A+ on the mic, or even an A...then they could just keep waiting.


Actually, Dean Ambrose is the only guy out of those fancied up and comers on the Main Roster who actually has everything fitting his character(Mic work, In-Ring skill,etc.) ...Seth Rollins as well is suited as the chicken-shit heel, tho, I feel he gets somewhat of a pass on his mic work due to his high-level of in-ring skill.



Cesaro has been let down by booking more than anything and I don't ever see him being anymore than a Brock Lesnar type on the mic, nor as a guy who will ever be the top guy. He seems more of a guy who can be as I saw elsewhere, a Mr.Perfect type, where he is at the Top of the MidCard but not quite a nailed-on Main Event talent. However, unlike Mr.Perfect, I do see him getting his hands on the World title at least once if booking allows it.

Roman Reigns' Singles booking has left a lot to be desired given the momentum he had until the Payback PPV. Heavily scripted promos and being allowed to use all of 3/4 moves won't help endear him to fans at all, and it has shown. He has been getting by on that 'look' more than anything, such that his injury might well prove to have been a blessing for his chances going forward.

Bray Wyatt also has been letdown by his character becoming quite repetitive such that he had to be rebooted and put on his own. I like how the Ambrose feud is going in the past couple weeks, but his character needs to be explored alot more if he is to become the Big Bad Heel Post-Mania 31.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I thought since Cesaro first came to WWE that he was the best new wrestling talent the WWE has had for a long time and the next top superstar, I agree he can't really talk but I thought thats one of the reasons they put him with Paul Heyman so they had the perfect team of wrestling and talking,
I think they could have done more with the guy after Wrestlemania they could have given him an actual storyline and feud whilst he was at his hottest instead of floating around doing nothing of interest and appeared to mostly lose quickly afterwards in random meaningless matches which seemed to kill any momentum he had.

 

[rbv13]

Vince spoke of individuals willing to go overboard reaching for that brass. Those willing to do whatever it takes to elevate themselves. Perhaps his public statements were meant as a wake up call toward Cesaro to work on becoming a more well rounded entertainer. I'm sure this isn't the first time Cesaro has heard these comments from management but for it to be a topic discussed between Austin and McMahon shows someone wants him to be successful. There are a lot of talents that would kill for the air time he receives on a weekly basis. He needs to watch his spot if climbing the ranks is truly important to him. Then again he might not give a shit.

 

[Aquaman6686]

It's WWE Creative's fault that Cesaro is a flop. They took away his first name, then gave him the kiss of death by pairing him with Paul Heyman. Paul Heyman as a manager only works for certain guys. Cesaro isn't one of them. For Antonio Cesaro to be a success, he needs his first name back, he needs to stop using the Cesaro Swing, which is a pointless move, and he needs to win some matches. Have him decisively beat Ryback in a rematch, then put him over Erick Rowan in a quick feud, and eventually put the US or IC title on him shortly after WrestleMania.