'Tweener or Wiener?

[Mustang Sally]

I got to thinking about Cesaro the other day.....is he a face or heel? One might figure a wrestler can be defined only as good guy, bad guy or 'tweener, yet I don't think any of those categories apply to Cesaro, so I'm naming a new one.....'wiener.'

A wiener is a wrestler who isn't doing anything to either curry favor with the fans......or trying to alienate them. On the other hand, a 'tweener is actively doing good things and bad to get folks to alternately boo or cheer him/her, based on their deeds at the moment.

Randy Orton is a good example of a 'tweener because you can never figure on which side he's going to land. This lends an air of unpredictability to his act that simply booing him as a bad guy couldn't fill. It also explains why fans were fascinated with Stone Cold Steve Austin.....who might have been the first true 'tweener.....because he was a good guy who constantly behaved as a heel.

Then there's Cesaro. The man's identity in his early days with WWE featured him as a wiener because the only way we could determine whether we should cheer or boo him was based on the opponent he was facing at the moment. At first, he fought only good guys, so we presumed he was a heel. But how could we really tell? He wrestled exactly the same against heels or faces. He's always displayed an air of arrogance as he worked, which seemed heroic when he wrestled a bad guy.....and obnoxious when he fought a face.

Yes, of course there were times he displayed legitimately aggressive tactics that made us boo him when he applied them against a hero, but for the most part, he works the same repertoire in every match, with little to tell us what he's about.

Perhaps this is why it's been so difficult for Cesaro to establish an identity of his own.....and why Vince McMahon seems to think so little of him.

What do you think of this 'wiener' category? Would you agree that a performer who 'just wrestles' without giving us a clue as to who he/she is qualifies as a wiener (or wienerette?)

Do you think this is part of Cesaro's problem? Can you think of other performers who featured as wieners?

 

[Navi]

Half the roster could be considered wieners, especially when they get onto social media, but I'm sure that's not the question you're asking.

I feel sorry for Cesaro. Pound for pound, he's probably one of the best wrestler's on the roster today. His freakish strength and technical ability have been totally wasted by the WWE. He is lacking a bit in the charisma department, but then I don't think he's been given a fair chance. If he had half the chances that someone like Reigns has been given, Cesaro would be well on his way to being a main event star.

It could still happen, but I'm doubtful. The fans really like him, and he has moves that would win over the crowd in a heartbeat. Too bad he can't use them in the WWE. Why they've held him back I have no idea, but I would call him a wasted opportunity.

 

[Pedigree1]

Cesaro a Wiener?? The King of Swing? I suppose you do bring up an interesting point,i think the Tyson Kidd injury has hurt him big time.. He really is stuck in the mud right now and winning the Inaugural Andre the Giant Battle Royal did him more harm than good..

I have always given him high praise and thought of him as the strongest P4P guy on the roster but obviously Vinnie Mac for whatever reason has next to faith in the guy.. The guy is talented and can clearly wrestle and is good on the mic.

Its too bad he is being wasted as Vince clearly IMO refuses to change with the times.. I think its a little soon to call him a waste,but its looking like he is headed in that direction very quickly if something doesnt happen. The fans like him,a lot,im sure he is respected by his peers,and by us.. I dont understand the problem

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'm not saying anything derogatory about Cesaro. I think he's a terrific performer and don't understand what Vince McMahon sees wrong with him.

But what I'm getting at is that he doesn't really show heel or face characteristics; he wrestles the same in either role....and I wondered if that hasn't been depriving him of a true identity to call his own.

Also, I was wondering if anyone else on the roster could be described as a 'wiener'....again, not meaning they're cowardly or ineffective, but simply don't feature as 'good guy' or 'bad guy' and whether that hurts their appeal.

 

[Prince Vee]

This is an interesting topic. WWE universe and the IWC loves Cesaro for his inring skills and unhuman freakish strength than anything else. To answer the Op about the new category of Wiener, the first name that came up to my mind is Bobby Lashley. In TNA he was the World Champion while aligning with the heel stable alongside MVP but people loved him. So he must be one in this category. Jack Swagger is another name. Ah how can you forget the partner of Cesaro in the Real Americans?

Cheers!!

 

[SHAGAMANIA 3:16]

I don't like Cesaro, I find him boring.

Him and Tyson Kidd worked pretty well as heels but they suck as babyfaces.
It's only the smart fans that pop for them thery have zero charisma as babyfaces, although this is the norm problem with WWE's midcarders, there not given enough time to devolpop a character so the fans care about them. Ryback and New Day are the only midcarders getting mic time.

 

[Reflection]

Interesting term. Let's culture our wieners for a bit...
A wiener seems to be a character for whom creative has nothing, for the moment. The writers are undecided about where to go next, and they are just letting things carry on without interference, until they can find something. It mostly happens after a wrestler has been changed from a face to a heel (or vice versa) often because he was getting good reaction from the crowds, but the transition doesn't go well, and the interest dies.

Other names that I can think of, are Wade/Bad News Barrett (multiple times)- they change his role as soon as people start loving him, and it doesn't always work.
Ryback (2013-14)- he was hot as a face but they turned him heel and was effectively turned into a wiener (he'd probably beat the crap out of me if I was typing this in front of him ) by the time he became a part of Rybaxel.
Los Matadores- they shift between good and bad depending on whom they are facing, but mostly they're nothing.
Adam Rose, Fandango and Heath Slater- Not surprising, because their only purpose is to lose.
Mark Henry- This is an odd and bold choice... But he is neither a face, nor a heel. Doesn't get cheered much, doesn't get booed much. Not in any fixed storyline, and changes role every other time we see him.