Success, Bust or In Between: 'The Pope' D'Angelo Dinero

[It's Damn Real!]

Success, Bust or In Between Series
Brought to you by IDR

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You know the series by now, I'd hope, but for those of you who don't, here's the run down:

• Former talents of TNA are to be critiqued regarding their work with TNA, and only their work with TNA for the basis of these polls.
• Any work from the performer that was not done during his/her tenure during TNA should not factor into your vote.
• You can vote them either a success, a bust or in-between if you don't feel they deserve either extreme.​

In addition to your vote, I'd like to know why you feel the way you do. Why was this particular character a success, a bust or in-between? Remember, these are still NO SPAM threads, so spam replies will not be accepted, and will be warned/infracted over to boot. Take the time to formulate an answer that people can get behind or debate.

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Next in the series is…

'The Pope' D'Angelo Dinero

Years with TNA: 4 (2009-2013)
Number of titles runs: N/A​

Notable Feuds:

• Suicide (2009)
• Team 3D, Rhino & Jesse Neal via Matt Morgan, Hernandez & Suicide (2009)
• Desmond Wolfe (2010)
• AJ Styles (2010)
• Mr. Anderson (2010)
• Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff & Jeff Jarrett via Kevin Nash & Sting (2010)
• Immortal/Fortune (2011)
• Abyss (2011)
• Samoa Joe (2011)
• Devon (2011)​

Other Accomplishments:

• Debuted in TNA in 2006 at Destination X (he made his IMPACT debut on March 18th as Jeff Jarrett's bodyguard)
• Won the first-ever 8 Card Stud tournament in 2010​

Previous Polls:

Success

23. Angelina Love – 95.12% Success, 4.88% In Between, 0% Bust
01. Christian Cage – 87.72% Success, 12.28% In Between, 0% Bust
07. Awesome Kong – 82.61% Success, 13.04% Bust, 4.35% In Between
25. Velvet Sky – 82.14% Success, 10.71% In Between, 7.14% Bust
24. Mick Foley – 77.78% Success, 14.81% In Between, 7.41% Bust
22. Alex Shelley – 75.00% Success, 0.00% Bust, 25.00% In Between
08. Christopher Daniels – 68.97% Success, 20.69% In Between, 10.34% Bust
19. Kevin Nash – 67.57% Success, 24.32% In Between, 8.11% Bust
05. Senshi – 66.67% Success, 28.57% In Between, 4.76% Bust
04. Gail Kim – 61.54% Success, 19.23% In Between, 19.23% Bust
20. Ron Killings – 57.58% Success, 6.06% Bust, 36.36% In Between
26. Scott Steiner – 46.67% Success, 35.56% In Between, 17.78% Bust
21. Ric Flair – 44.00% Success, 28.00% Bust, 28.00% In Between
15. Sabu – 43.59% Success, 33.3% Bust, 23.08% In Between
14. "The Franchise" Shane Douglas – 35.90% Success, 35.90% Bust, 28.21%% In Between


Bust

09. Consequences Creed – 80.77% Bust, 19.23% In Between, 0.00% Success
13. Johnny Devine – 79.31% Bust, 17.24% In Between, 3.45% Success
18. Matt Hardy – 67.02% Bust, 26.60% In Between, 6.38% Success
12. Traci Brooks – 61.29% Bust, 25.81% In Between, 12.90% Success
06. Monty Brown – 54.05% Bust, 27.03% In Between, 18.92% Success
11. The Naturals – 48.00% Bust, 28.00% Success, 24.00% In Between
02. Booker T – 46.43% Bust, 33.93% In Between, 19.64% Success


In Between

16. Homicide – 62.50% In Between, 21.88% Success, 15.63% Bust
03. Petey Williams – 52.50% In Between, 35.00% Success, 12.50% Bust
17. Jay Lethal – 52.38% In Between, 38.10% Success, 9.52% Bust
10. Sheik Abdul Bashir – 44.00% In Between, 44.00% Bust, 12.00% Success

​

Have a request?

Send me a PM with the wrestler, manager, etc. you want to see in the series and if I feel it'll spark discussion I'll do it.​

 

[midgensa]

Well IDR ... some of these are no brainers ... and this one falls in that category as well.

Elijah Dinero was a total, complete and utter bust while in TNA.

This guy clearly does not get along with people backstage and clearly thinks that he is hot shit because his talent alone should keep him near the top of the midcard, but somehow he always finds himself in the dog house for extended periods of time and has all but pittered his career away.

He has such promise after the 8-Card Stud tournament and he had a solid feud with Suicide, but outside of that nothing ever came of old Mr. Burke's run in the second federation.

I thought for sure while he was climbing the ranks that we had a main eventer in the making. A star. Someone the WWE might have actually missed the boat on ... but alas ... the E was once again proven to know what it was doing in cutting someone who clearly cannot get himself over without believing all the hype himself.

I would like to think maybe a revival in ROH could help. He could come back as The Pope in TNA in a year or two ... or maybe even as Burke in the WWE, because for some reason every time you see this guy you think ... "What a shit ton of talent he has!" ... but in the end ... it will be the same story ...

What a waste of talent.

 

[Dr.Shades]

Sadly, I have to vote bust. I really feel the really dropped the ball on Pope. The fans liked him, he could talk, and his ring skills were...hit and miss. He had some great matches and some not so great matches. But I do feel he could have been really successful in TNA but much like in the WWE was given time then had it yanked away. just another case of TNA dropping the ball. of course WWE dropped the ball on this one too so really its both of their faults.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The hell else could he be but a bust? The biggest accomplishment of Dinero's career in TNA is winning the 8 Card Stud Tournament and that was damn near 3 years ago.

Before disappearing from TNA television altogether, he spent about a year just generally being someone that the company used to fill up air time. That goes especially for that 6+ month long feud he had with Devon.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Not buying the bust talk. This guy got way too hot way too fast for me to call him a total bust. He's the clearest case of in between I think we've covered thus far throughout the series, to be honest, but I'm sure a lot of that will come by means of my bias for being such a fan of his.

Those of you calling him a total bust, I strongly suggest you go back and re-visit his run in 2010, culminating with the main event Lockdown match with Styles for the WHC. The guy was on top of the world in TNA at the time. He was working crowds like a pro and had a ton of fanfare (the falling money during his entrance, the "charismatic, pimptacular, hand clappin', foot tappin', pimp slappin', blingin' attire, always on fire, POPE that is D'Angelo Dinero" line, the "Pope is Pimpin'" catch phrase he let fans finish for him, etc.). There's just no way you can call a guy a bust when he gets that hot, even if his finish with the company was unceremonious.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Well, I went with the ever exciting choice of "In-Between".

This is mostly due to the fact that I was never too high on "Elijah Burke" to begin with, but I thought TNA did a great job of packaging him and "The Pope D'Angelo Dinero" character really seemed to fit who he was as a personality.

I thought at the beginning they got more out of the Pope then I ever expected they would. They really seemed to get him over, which is a credit to both the booking and obviously the Pope himself.

In the first year or so he was a bigger success than I expected he could be, and it really seemed he would have a part in the company's future. After that it was steadily downhill, and the last year and a half were a complete Bust even when he was healthy.

Even though they definitely dropped the ball on the Pope, the initial run he had was enough to salvage an "in between" vote in my eyes.

 

[DX Mols]

I'm going to have to say bust. He definitely had the potential and the mic skills to be a big time player in TNA, but sadly they never did anything with him. Every time he picked up steam, he'd get injured and disappear from TV for awhile.

I hope he comes back to WWE as the Pope character. Elijah Burke would never have worked either.

 

[BigBombB]

Looking at that list of feuds genuinely makes me cringe. He was so bad, I have no idea how he lasted so long in TNA (well, other than the fact people might have recognized him from WWE as they flipped through the channels...but who channel flips anymore?). When he switched his character there was a brief moment I had hope that he would breakout from his...mediocrity? I can't even call his wrestling career mediocre, I have never seen a wrestler so consistently unwatchable last so long.

He didn't have a big name, he didn't have a good feud, he couldn't handle any of the numerous undeserved pushes he received, he may very well be one of the biggest BUSTs not only in TNA history but in wrestling history in general. He is neck and neck with Ken Anderson for biggest disappointment since the turn of the century. I want to say Anderson is worse simply because of how far he fell, from nearly being World Heavyweight champion in WWE to being the worst TNA Heavyweight champion in history and being unbearable to watch, but at least Anderson WAS relevant at one time. I can't say the same about Burke.

 

[6timehitta]

I hoped I could vote, but didn't get outta class fast enuff -_-

That being said I think Pope was an In Between for this series.

When he came out of WWE he was a very bland, Elijah Burke, a supposed cocky boxer who had a ridiculous record while in college or some shit like that. But while in TNA he created this "Pope" character and it showed how much charisma this young man had. Yeah, he had the body of a china doll, but the man was talented and did show it when he was giving the opportunity.

As far as TNA not having anything for him, or not able to put him in a storyline before his contract expired, I think that's a crock of shit. DeAngelo Dinero was a very strong character in TNA, but didn't have a solid feud that "made" him. While the Joe feud was decent and even the Devon and his boys angle wasn't all that bad, none of that showed Pope for what he is, a great interview and a good wrestler.

Pope could have done something for TNA, but injuries, inconsistency, and overall ineffectiveness shut his career down.

 

[fenderjapan]

Bust...in the sense that he was underutilized, not in the sense that he wasn't good.

This guy is in the prime of his career, he can work and cut promos but he wasn't given the chance to be the main event player he deserved to be. He's better than what he got...watching guys like D'Angelo at the bottom of the card and not being given a chance (or off the card altogether) is disappointing, especially working for the distant-second TNA. They could have made him a face of the company but felt like pushing the geriatrics and chronic drug addicts instead.

Hopefully he'll get a chance elsewhere. Sad.

 

[Wolf Pac]

In-Between.

His WWE run was a total bust, at least in TNA though he got the chance to show off his true talents and was on top of their world at one time. How his run ended wasn't his fault, it was TNA's for not continuing to utilize him. Simple as. If they didn't have anything for him in the World, TV or Tag Titles division, they most definitely could've used him for the X-Division, what feuds he could've had with guys like RVD and Kenny King, would've spiced up the division again a little bit.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I can't vote against this guy, he didn't have the best of runs with TNA.. But I liked his feud with AJ Styles back in 2010, just when Styles turned heel, Pope was really over at the time, I was really pulling for him in the Lockdown match.. If it wasn't for the 2010 feud with AJ, it would be a bust.. But, iI'mnot going to say that.. Also, he had one of the best entrance themes...

[YOUTUBE]8Tsm-DS2evY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Rayne]

Bust. Not because he wasn't good, because he was tragically underutilized. Maybe he was a douchebag to the wrong person backstage. Maybe he slept with someone's underage daughter. (I've used that joke before, but it was good enough for seconds.)

He got hot, people started to get behind him, and then he vanished. It was like his hot spell had never happened; TNA never even tried to build upon it. I liked the guy, but it's not hard to figure out why he didn't re-sign.

 

[HBsam31]

I had to go with in between just because of how under utilized he was. He was on in 2010 when he won the 8 card tournament, and I honestly thought he had a shot a winning the TNA title. When he was on he was on. I loved his promo work, and in the ring I thought he did well. It isn't his fault TNA didn't push him farther after that initial title shot. I can't say he was a success just becuase of how poorly they used him, but I don't think it is fair to say he was a bust either because when he was used he took advantage of it and had a pretty good fan following.

 

[Lowdown]

In-between for me. Though I only caught Pope from mid to late 2010 on, he seemed to be a crowd favorite. Things started to take a nosedive after he lost to Abyss in a casket match. At that point it seemed he was walking the tweener line somewhat, then he got into the forever feud with Devon. Injuries played a factor as well. But the man had talent.

 

[Cereal Killer]

In between.

This is because of how he had some decent times in TNA when he faced off with the likes of AJ Styles, Desmond Wolfe, Mr.Anderson, Suicide and even Hulk Hogan when he was aligned with Kevin Nash and Sting, the trio knew that Hogan was up to something (Immortal). Just with teaming up with those 2 put him in the spotlight, I know Nash and Sting left afterwards but Pope was almost like their "successor" afterwards which didn't work out well as the anti-immortal group was lead by guys like Matt Morgan, RVD, Samoa Joe, everyone that overshadowed Pope as they stayed in the group, faced off with higher members of the group like Hardy where as Pope was fending off Abyss, Pope stopped feuding with the group shortly after. That is one thing that held him down.

He did have some decent talent and that was one of the good things about him but after the whole Immortal scene had gone from TNA, he was definitely misused. He was booked in some crazy storylines with Devon and his sons and also Samoa Joe. These were boring and had nobody hooked. Then he was brought back last year into the BFG series where he hardly wrestled, had two matches that were on IW and the rest took place at the house shows. He lost most of them and then they stuck him in another ridiculous story line where he was injured by the Aces and Eights.

Why though? I mean they just bought back a guy they hadn't used in ages, a wrestler that fans want to see and then they bring him back to do worse than Robbie E? I don't get it. If it was because they wanted him to feud with the Aces afterwards, why not just do that after the BFG series?
Like the time when Magnus, Kurt Angle, Sting and Eric Young were all laid out by DOC.
They could have done it then and they should have. Not only because he would have feuded with the Aces doing something but he would have been back on T.V for a few months and he could show off his talent. Pope was a man that TNA needed, not only because fans wanted him and he is talented, but also because of the age crisis TNA have at the moment. In about 5 years, they need a whole lot of new talent as guys like Bobby Roode and James Storm will already be 40+. They need younger guys and Pope was a guy they could have utilized on.

So IDR, I'm saying in between because of how he had some great times in TNA like almost winning the TNA title until he got stabbed in the eye with a pen to the times he was down in the dumps; from using two teenagers (Devons kids) to help him out till his lame BFG series run.

 

[AmerikanWolves619]

I voted In-Between
"The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero is spectacular on the mic (hell he learned from the best in Dusty Rhodes, correct?), oozing with charisma, connected with the crowd and they returned the favor in spades whenever he was a face, talented in the ring, the guy had it all. He had a good run in TNA; however, the fact that for all these great attributes, he did not provide titles to his resume and had a problem with backstage execs/management to the point where they either buried him or "creative didn't have anything for him (which I feel is complete BS...if you're a wrestler with that much going for you and the fans love you, creative/writers SHOULD have a way to build for him). I for one LOVE his character and really hope that this is just a way to swerve us into believing he is gone so that he can be brought up in the Aces and Eights group. Just my hope.

 

[Jaffa]

I voted in between for a few reasons. Yes he was a bit of a waste of talent but he did also do reasonably well he got a world title match at Lockdown 2010 and if memory serves me correctly Styles didn't win cleanly he used a staple gun or something. He was also dare I say and it makes me feel slightly disturbed their number 2 babyface at the start of the immortal angle after only Ken Anderson. He was also involved in a few good feuds during his day one of his matches against Samoa Joe at final resolution 2010 I think it was, was a very good match.

On the other hand other for the last year or so seeing as he got hurt and was onscreen taken out by Aces and Eights at Hardcore Justice. However, ever since his feud with Devon that ended at Genesis ironically he did nothing at all, seriously I don't think he even won a match in the Bound for Glory tournament before being written off.