What do you do with someone like Cesaro?

[CyberPunk]

I am not planning to make a series of 'What do you do with someone like...?', but this question has been popping up in my mind for sometime. So here I go...

Antonio Cesaro (or Claudio Castagnoli, whatever suits you) made his debut sometime after Wrestlemania in 2012. Within 4 months of his debut, he won his first singles title in WWE i.e. the US Championship. He then went on to successfully defend it throughout the year. Eventually, he lost the title to Kofi Kingston early in April 2013, ending his US title reign at 240 days. He continued bouncing back and forth between NXT and the main WWE roster. He was then paired with Jack Swagger and started working with Zeb Colter. He's currently part of the Real Americans and looks like they're in midst of a push as tag team.

Soon to be 33, Antonio Cesaro is not exactly young, but he's still pretty new on the WWE roster. I haven't included anything he's done outside WWE because the question is about his WWE run. A very experienced indie worker, he is a genuinely strong man and excellent inside the ring. So, how do you use his talent?

I like Cesaro, I really do. Apart from the Wrestlemania season, he had a fairly strong US title reign. For whatever reason, I liked his 5 language schtick. While he is amazing inside the ring, I have hardly heard him talk, so I really cannot make up my mind about his mic skills. He and Kofi put some excellent matches this year. In fact, he is someone who can put strong, physical match with anyone (remember the neutralizer or the Cesaro swing on Khali). But again as is the case with so many of our current mid card champions, the US title reign didn't really get him over with the fans.

For some reason, I think he could be a very good face. I watched an interview of Cesaro sometime back on youtube, and I found him to be a very likeable guy. His strength alone can be used to showcase him. He has the look and the size, plus everytime he pulls out that swing, I've heard people cheering. It's almost like people want to cheer for the guy.

So what do you guys think? What would you do with Cesaro at this point? Should he win the tag team title and be built in the tag team scene? Should he part ways with Jack Swagger and go face/solo? With Ohno gone, KOW went out the window.

No spams please. Let's have the best discussion possible.

 

[The Brain]

I am definitely on the Cesaro bandwagon. He's one of my favorite guys to watch right now. The beginning was a little rough with Aksana and that ridiculous yodeling gimmick. Than God that didn’t last long. He had a decent run as US champ and I think teaming with Jack Swagger has been a good move for him. Being involved with Swagger has given him the opportunity to get on tv more often and become accepted by the fans. I say give the team a few more months and then split them up right after mania.

For some reason, I think he could be a very good face. I watched an interview of Cesaro sometime back on youtube, and I found him to be a very likeable guy. His strength alone can be used to showcase him. He has the look and the size, plus everytime he pulls out that swing, I've heard people cheering. It's almost like people want to cheer for the guy.

So what do you guys think? What would you do with Cesaro at this point? Should he win the tag team title and be built in the tag team scene? Should he part ways with Jack Swagger and go face/solo? With Ohno gone, KOW went out the window.

I agree. I think he could make a good face some day. Hopefully not for another year or so. I'm looking forward to a Cesaro vs. Cena main event feud. It would be a good feud for right after mania. I think those two can have some great matches and Cena can bring Cesaro to the next level. I would like to see Cesaro get another manager besides Zeb. I guess Heyman would be ok since there isn't anyone else but someone new would be nice. I don't really see Cesaro as the champion but I think he woud make a great challenger. After feuding with Cena and maybe Punk, Bryan, or Sheamus I could see Cesaro turning face and having a good upper mid card run.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I am perfectly fine with Cesaro being right where he is now. At first the tag team with Swagger made absolutely no sense. To be quite honest, it still doesn't. However once I looked past that I started to really enjoy The Real Americans. Both are very talented in the ring and Zeb takes care of all the promos. The tag team division needs stronger teams in it and I like this team so I would keep Cesaro exactly where he is now. Perhaps a run with the giant pennies at some point.

Some might argue he should be pushed solo or turn face. Why? His gimmick of speaking multiple languages was better than a face version of his Real American persona would be. Even if he did a face version of the multiple languages gimmick, I'd prefer that he stay with Zeb and Swagger. The team should stay together as the tag team division needs them. Swagger and Cesaro are both better off together at the moment than they would be solo. They both had a singles run, let's let this team run its course for now. Disregarding how little sense their initial alliance made, they should not be split up for a Cesaro solo run.

 

[GeneralKarim]

I dont even want to get my hopes up.After the DB fiasco I cant even allow myself to think " O yea I cant wait for him to feud with....Cena - cause he's basically the only one - so he can bring him to the next level" when I know very well what will happen.Thought about that when Ziggler was feuding with Cena.Thought about that when Bryan was, thought about it when Sandow started to after his cash-in.

But as to what they shoudl do with him. He has some very nice moves that people in the crowd always react to.So he would be a good face when it comes to that.He looks like a role model type guy, at least to me.Atm he is doing fine with Swagger and Zeb.Thank god for that cause he is getting some much deserved TV time. I have this feeling Sheamus is gonna feud with The Real Americans and will bury them both.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I would keep The Real Americans together for a good while longer. Get rid of Zeb Colter and have Swagger & Cesaro go on a dominant winning streak where they decimate everyone in front of them, and get the WWE Tag Team Championship on them as quickly as possible.

 

[kumarjtk]

cesaro is good wrestler. But he has no charishma to attract tv viewers. he use his swing move for no reason. After using swing move he lost the match. People likes the move but how many days?. He do the jobber work right now. in my point of view put cesaro has a single competater and make him as best mid carder. Bcos now his whc title Run is big ?

 

[Softcore Holly]

As already said I would keep him with Zeb and Swagger for the time being. Tag division is very low on good tag heels, especially since Shield/Wyatts seem to be focused on DB/Punk instead of the titles.

Have them go in a back and forth feud with the Rhodes, those 4 guys put on some great matches. Rhodes are going to waste without a team to feud with so this works out well for both teams and the division. If the RA can get a title win at a PPV that would be great for Cesaro.

 

[Limitless]

I actually di not like him and Swagger together, but they have grown on me. I think Cesaro has the "look" and that is about it. I am scared that if he were to face cena, that he would be buried and pulled down the card. Cena does nothing for nobody but himself.

I personally think that he should stay with this tag team for a little while longer and capture the Gold. When they break up, I would push Cesaro after Langston to help both guys. I think Cesaro will be a midcard guy for a while, which is all I see. He reminds me of Barrett who I like also, but never seems to go beyond the midcard level. I actually like Barrett better on the mic too, but WWE never pulls the trigger.

Cesaro in the Inc. Title picture will be great, and having him chase the WWE title would just be a filler and cause him more problems. The "Big Swing" doesn't help either. I know people like it, but WWE could very well use him as an "act", it is not a move that screams main event lol.

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

His only problem is the lack of charisma along with the lack of mic skills. I just don't see the WWE going all the way on this guy, I see him being another Dolph Ziggler where they will "attempt" to push him but will give up after they realize that he lacks charisma to be a World Champion. It's a shame because I do like him despite him being the type that you really have to warm up to.

 

[indianfanboy]

I wouldn't mind seeing Cesaro get the kind of push Edge got. It was late, but it was effective. I like how Edge was in the mid card for the first 7 years of his career. It gave him time to establish himself. And then we know how important a main event player he became for the WWE.

Cesaro could very well go down that road. The question is if he'll be allowed to. My biggest concern is his ability to cut a promo on mic. His 5 languages gimmick was quite frankly lame and I thought he'd end up being one of the jobbers like Santino or Drew McIntyre.

If he gets to work on that or if he gets to work with a manager who'll cut the serious promos for him (*cough* Heyman *cough*), we could very well see him holding the heavyweight title in time to come.

PS: I don't think he is getting to the main event picture because the "family" said that he was boring. You need to have their blessings to do well in this biz.

 

[M]

This guy is a lot of the reason I still keep RAW, Smackdown and NXT on auto-record so I can skip most of the crap and watch this dude amaze me every week.
What I'd do with him is a bit of a mixture of his current "We the people" gimmick and the thing he was doing for a little while where he was saying that he liked America but hated the people in it. It's a bit hard for me to explain, but the barebones version of what I'm trying to get at is a completely over the top delusional "America, fuck yeah" gimmick - or pretty much what he's doing right now but on crack, separated from swagger, and allowed to talk freely a bit more.

I also have a feeling that the apparent lack of mic skills that people say he has is due to more of a situation of having to stick strictly to a script, which leads to a lack of emotion in the promo than just him not being able to talk. The reason being for this is that his promo work on NXT is actually quite good and that NXT apparently is a lot less constrictive of what the wrestlers have to say, which leads me to believe that either the script is oppressing his mic skill freedom, or that the stuff he does on NXT is a random fluke and the guy's average at best on the mic.

 

[RKOrob]

He gets a great reaction and some of his moves would lend perfectly to him turning face. My idea would be this:

Real Americans and The Miz vs Usos and Kofi. Kofi gets the pin on Cesaro to win the match. Afterwards, Miz and Swagger beat down Cesaro. Zeb Colter then cuts a promo, suddenly deciding Cesaro is an "illegal immigrant" or something and kicks him out of the Real Americans and replaces him with The Miz. I dunno, just a rough idea

 

[MCMG]

His limitations on the mic means he probably won't get rise to the very top. I know Del Rio did it but even he is better than Cesaro.

I am really liking The Real Americans at the moment. They are putting on fantastic matches and Coulter is superb on the mic. It is a fantastic team that are delivering every single week. Therefore, I think Cesaro is fine where he is - teaming with Swagger and having Coulter as a moutpiece. Now I could envisage a situation where he competes as a singles superstar but still under the banner of a "real american".

There is a different thread about a anti-american stable. I think that could be somewhere where Cesaro shines as a singles star with many guys around him. And Coulter of course.

 

[Pedigree1]

Im thankful that bullshit angle with the yodeling crap ended that was a horrible angle. Anyway,Cesaro im a huge huge fan of his. Guy is the strongest pound for pound they have on there roster right now. Cesaro is fine where he is right now,he was a great US Champion,this time next year though,i would love to see Cesaro in the Main event picture.

He has all the tools,relatively young,very strong,and athletic. He is a great wrestler and would be very believable as a world champion

 

[The Eighties]

Cesaro is probably my favourite in-ring performer in wrestling right now and the way he is actively encouraging the pops for the Big-swing I'd say is a case of management testing out a potential face turn.

I agree with what most are saying though, right now he needs to stay as a tag team with Swagger until at least after Mania. The Shield and The Wyatt's are headed on a collision course and we know Cody vs Goldust is likely to happen next year, so The Real Americans are perfectly positioned to take the titles off The Rhodes and have a run with them, and if WWE are as serious about putting tag team wrestling back on the map then that could mean a spot on the Mania card, the ultimate showcase.

If WWE decide to keep Cesaro as a heel and push him as a singles guy next year I'd love to see him as the next Heyman guy. I can just hear Paul E selling him as a wrestling machine throwback and pound for pound the strongest man in the WWE. The potential feuds with Cena, Bryan, Punk, Big E and the soon to face turn Roman Reigns are all great prospects IMO.

 

[Diet Soda]

If WWE decide to keep Cesaro as a heel and push him as a singles guy next year I'd love to see him as the next Heyman guy. I can just hear Paul E selling him as a wrestling machine throwback and pound for pound the strongest man in the WWE. The potential feuds with Cena, Bryan, Punk, Big E and the soon to face turn Roman Reigns are all great prospects IMO.

Seconded. I enjoyed watching his debut singles run as United States champion solely for his moveset and athleticism, the only thing that let him down was his talking skills. Personally, I think Claudio has a certain charm, but that may be because I'm European myself, and I'm not sure how well the majority audience would take to him going solo again. I can't see him cutting the kind of promo like Cena or Edge or Jericho that not only keeps the crowd's collective attention, but also fires them up.

Step in Paul Heyman, who goes without saying is one of the best talkers in the business. Of course, Zeb Coulter is filling this role just fine right now, but with the Real American gimmick Coulter is a bit of a one-trick-pony, whereas Heyman has provided the audience with a variety of nuanced performances over the years. Cesaro would be the ideal next recruit for a Paul Heyman guy, especially so after Curtis Axel failed to set the world alight and the perpetual disappointment that is Ryback.