You're the head writer - Help Antonio Cesaro!

[The Voice]

((Quickly, I couldn't find a thread on him, if I missed it please merge and accept my apologies.))

Here we have a guy - real name Claudio Castagnoli - who has brilliant in-ring potential but is being fucked up by a shitty gimmick. Seriously, isn't this whole "anti-america" thing a bit old now?

Any wrestler who isn't American seems to - at some point or another - have to do this whole anti-America bullshit.

How would you book Cesaro?

Personally, I would have Cesaro as a guy who is not the strongest, but the smartest. Like taunting his opponent into hitting him with a chair so he retains on a DQ, or handcuffing his opponent to the ring post on the outside so he gets counted out.

Just my opinion, don't dwell on it if you hate it, so just give me your opinions good people.

 

[The_Vigilante]

Seriously, isn't this whole "anti-america" thing a bit old now?

Any wrestler who isn't American seems to - at some point or another - have to do this whole anti-America bullshit.

Firstly, I disagree with this point ^ Not every foreign wrestler has had an anti-american gimmick. Has it been over used? Not in my opinion, I think it gets re-hashed every now and then, but it's the kind of gimmick that it easily freshened up and the majority of Americans are always going to give their hero in a nationality feud a big pop.

As for Cesaro, I would have liked to see him replace the U.S belt with a new European title, even if only temporarily and build up a decent feud with somebody (everyone keeps saying Jack Swagger but I personally don't like the guy) and have the american face win the feud and bring back the U.S title. They've already misses the opportunity to do that though, they would have had to have done it when he first won the strap.

I like your idea of having him cheat/get DQ'd/counted out to win matches, but there's no need to have him do that too much because he's a good athlete, I think the main problem is finding someone to work with him in a feud. Maybe they should have him drop the U.S title and have him go for the I.C belt, a good feud with Kofi could be the making of him. The only downside to that is that he's making the U.S title look good and I don't know what they'd do with the strap if he dropped it and moved on.

One thing is for sure, The guy has a lot of potential and in my opinion I can see him having a pretty good run in WWE, I'd even go so far to say that he could be main event material, but it's really still early days.

 

[Steve-O-Matt]

I agree with you, the anti-American thing is so annoying, even if they haven't done it in a while, doesn't mean they should. As I live in the UK, I also find it so annoying that Europeans are all so bad and Americans are all so good... The whole 'USA' chant is so stupid, I also think it's quite ignorant. It's like they're holding themselves up on a pedestal and if you're not from America, you're below them, I've never liked that. And it also seems if you're not from North American and you're a face, you have to be goofy in some way, I don't like that, think about it. Santino, Yoshi, Regal when he was GM and had a picture of the queen in his office; do you remember the McCalisters? Rory and Robbie were entertaining, but I'd much rather people not bring up the fact they're from a different country at all.

There's nothing wrong with when they announce the participants of the match and they say "From bla'h bla'h", that's fine, I don't even mind when wrestlers go in the home country and say, "Hey, I'm home". But when Antonio is saying stuff like "An American can never beat me" and R-Truth is just chanting "USA!" I think they're both being asses.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The anti-American heel gimmick has been used over and over again, but you have to face facts, it's an easy way to get heat, and get over as a heel. Just jump on the mic for a few minutes and run down America for being fat, lazy, and inept, while portraying the snobbish foreigner. You're almost guaranteed a chorus of boos, and a bunch of "USA!!!" or "you suck" chants.

I don't have a problem with Cesaro's current gimmick. The match with R-Truth at Survivor Series was dull. I mean really dull, and as far as uninteresting Survivor Series 2012 matches go, it gives the Kaitlyn/Eve match some serious competition, and that's saying something.

But overall, Cesaro has been a solid US Champion. I'm glad he finally got away from the using five words in different languages stuff with Aksana. It was good for a few chuckles at first, but it became pretty annoying really fast.

All in all, Cesaro is in a good place right now, and I don't see a real reason to change anything.

 

[dotty_84]

Help Antonio...i'd give him someone other than R-Truth someone who needs a title or is likely to go further Truth is past it, in my eyes. What else is there to offer he doesn't have anything that could benefit getting Cesaro over, i think there are bunch of younger guys who could do a better job, keep Truth to being low card or tag partner for the odd pairing tag team.

Justin Gabriel would be nice to see in this fued and drop the Euro v US stuff.

 

[MTL722]

I personally think Antonios current gimmick is just fine. The problem is not the gimmick, its the lack of competition and meaning behind his matches. The anti-america gimmick is a tried and true way for newcomers to garner heat. It works, why not keep using it?

In my opinion, Antonio has yet to have a match that matters in any way. Title defenses don't matter when the title is basically meaningless. I have no respect for that title anymore.

That being said, whats a way for Cesaro to have a meaningful match while also possibly giving meaning back to the US title? A feud with a face Jack Swagger. The All-American American vs the Anti-American US champion basically sells itself. If you can get the crowd behind the face, and in this case American fans are basically obligated to cheer Swagger, the heel is going to get serious heat

Cesaro is fine with the gimmick he has. He's an outstanding in-ring performer that could seriously help carry the mid-card. All he needs is a REASON for someone to watch him. Who cares about R-Truth vs Cesaro? Nobody, Why? Because nobody had a reason to

 

[justinsayne]

Personally, I would have Cesaro as a guy who is not the strongest, but the smartest. Like taunting his opponent into hitting him with a chair so he retains on a DQ, or handcuffing his opponent to the ring post on the outside so he gets counted out.

How is getting yourself hit with a chair, so you can retain via DQ smart? If he wants to retain via DQ, he could be the guy dishing out the chair shots not begging for his opponent to dish them out on him. That's just dumb.

I have no issue with Cesaro's current gimmick, he's just starting out & since his debut they've already fixed most of the issues I had with him initially. Namely fixing the god awful music & getting rid of fucking Aksana, it's only a matter of time before they tweak his gimmick away from the Anti-American shit.

 

[Albert T]

I would like to see them embrace his footballer roots more and have him be obbsessed with competition. Book Claudio/Antonio as an overly -aggressive jock rather than the passive sap he's slowly turned into. Have him headbutt planted fans to get heat rather than the rambling of anti-american rants. Make Antonio into someone so intense that you'll either think the world of his athletic abilities or be annoyed that his character has no time for levity. That's what I'd like them to try.

 

[Mr. HD]

I like the Anti-American gimmick he has. If nothing else, it gives him some personality and not just some guy who's carrying the United States Championship. He doesn't need to be Muhammad Hassan 2.0. Although I would LOVE that, it won't happen. If people find Punk & Heyman mocking Lawler's heart attack distasteful, they're not ready for another Anti-American character like Muhammad Hassan.

I may not say it, but I really like Cesaro and his in-ring ability. He really just needs that one feud to put him over. His program with Truth has potential. All they need is one nice promo segment with each other to give this feud some life. Sitting at the announce table during each other's matches just doesn't cut it for me.

Have Cesaro come out one night on RAW, give him a couple minutes to run down American and cue R-Truth. He comes out and says the usual, "It's time somebody shut you up." So on and so on and then have them go back and forth on the mic and see how good it can get.

The only person that can probably get a good feud out of Cesaro is Christian. When he comes back, I see a Christian/Cesaro feud being built right into WrestleMania. Christian can bring the best out of Cesaro.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Maybe make him a real heel? Talking shit will only get you so far, have him really do some heelish things, like when he won the title from Santino. So far he has done nothing for me heel wise, he plays the bad guy with wins over faces. But I never see him doing anything outside of talking crap, to make me hate him.

How to help AC? Make me hate him...

 

[One to Remember]

maybe he could reinstate the european title and retain the U.S. title at the same time and always hold the EURO belt over the U.S. belt on his waist? the anti American gimmick is fine and i dont plan on seeing Cesaro as a face anyways becAUSE he doesnt have the attributes to be a clean lovable face.. Kofi is not anti American, Santino is not anti American, Sin Cara isnt either. Nor was Khali. Or Sammartino.. since hes a heel why not make him the heel of heels i guess.

 

[Foshinzo]

Bring Ric Flair in as the new GM. Make him the heel boss and give him a stable of enforcers: Dolph Ziggler/Wade Barrett/Randy Orton, etc. as the top card member, but add Cesaro as the midcard member; like Shamrock was to Rock in the Corporation. You can also add like, PTP as the tag team. Put them all in suits and have them feud with Punk & Heyman, and Cena. The real heat between Flair and Heyman would probably make for some really good TV.

Cesaro just needs to get more involved. Right now, he doesn't actually do anything, and his schtick has worn it's course. It's typical WWE booking: they bring in some good talent, put a mediocre gimmick on them, and then never get them involved. I'm not saying Cesaro will be some all-time great talent in the WWE (though I did try to keep up with RoH during the KoW v WGTT feud and I don't know why they didn't bring in the Kings to revamp the tag division), but I do think that he can be a lasting midcard champ.

 

[akathelaw]

There's some good ideas here already, but I have a different, simpler one. The story would be that Antonio Cesaro constantly appeals to management to have United States title matches cancelled, because he feels that the competition hasn't done enough to earn title matches. Perhaps with the assistance of a manger, possibly Eve, Vickie or Heyman, Cesaro instead convinces the GM to hold a #1 contender match.

For instance, when Cesaro was scheduled to face R-Truth at Survivor Series, he could have went to the GM and brought evidence that Truth's win/loss record isn't strong enough to warrant a title match, and another wrestler is just as worthy of obtaining a shot at his US title. R-Truth goes out to the ring for his match irritated over losing a title shot, and has to face Tensai for the #1 contender spot. Tensai ultimately defeats Truth, and is now the new US title #1 contender.

On Raw, Tensai demands his US Title match immediately, only to have Cesaro come forward with a case for why Tensai doesn't deserve a US Title match. The GM (Vickie) would see Cesaro's point and yet again Cesaro talks his way out of defending his championship. Eventually fans would feel Cesaro is a coward who's afraid of losing his title and would anticipate a major face taking the title away. When he does drop the title, his profile would be raised and could easily insert himself into an IC, World or WWE Title feud.

 

[Uncle Sam]

It's quite simple really. I'm the head writer, right? Well, here's what I'd do:

I call all the other writers into my office. It's time for a stern chat; they're going to buck up their ideas. I look them in the eye and-- what are you all laughing at? What's that warm and sticky thing on my neck? Vince has put his balls on me while I wasn't looking again, hasn't he? Mr. McMahon, no, that's fine - by all means, leave them there. No, sir, I wasn't questioning your authority. Yes, sir, "low hanging fruit" is a funny name for your testicles. You're right, sir, we have been giving Antonio Cesaro too much exposure.

I dunno - just give him some more TV time and have him feud with someone good.

 

[Headman]

I would say turn him loose and let him do his own thing. He's a talented enough guy to get over on his own, but he seems very restrained and bogged down with his current gimmick. I hate to say it, but comedy his Claudio/Cesaro's strong suit. Maybe he should embrace it. I mean sure he may turn into another Santino but then again he might become another Daniel Bryan. Who knows?

 

[Dagger Dias]

While I do agree that the anti-american gimmicks have been a bit too common over the years, I like the way they have been doing Cesaro's promos. His use of multiple languages helps him stand out. It's something different. I'd honestly keep him on the same path he has been on. This United States Championship reign needs to last a bit longer. It will be good for the belt as well as for Cesaro to keep having retentions when he puts the belt on the line in title matches. Then he should keep coming out to brag about it in each of his languages during his promos. This then keeps going on for months.

After a few more months have passed, most likely around May or so after having retained at Wrestlemania, I would have Cesaro lose the belt. By then he could have been built up more and could enter a push for either Money In the Bank or even attempts at World Championship matches. He'd need a little more time before winning a world title but he can get there. More likely the World Heavyweight Championship as opposed to the WWE Championship, although I am not against the idea. The promos in multiple languages need to stay a focal point of Cesaro's character. The more you stand out the better and this is something he offers as a heel that most cannot. He's not bad in the ring either so he could make it far once all is said and done.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

As I've said in other threads involving Antonio Cesaro, the foreign anti-American gimmick is over-played and not culturally relevant in this day and age. I won't say that our culture's days of bigotry are behind us, but rather the intolerant have changed focus. The last guy I think REALLY got heat for being anti-American was Muhammed Hassan, and that was only because he was perfectly placed following the United States' occupation of Iraq. So much so that UPN ended up forcing him out of his job, pretty much. There was real-life hatred for Arabs and Arab-American people during that time; to an extent there still is. But what is Cesaro? Swiss? Nobody hates Swiss people. Few people even hate Anti-Americans, because their grievances - although often misplaced at the people rather than the government - hold water. Hell, most Americans these days can't stand Americans...

Here's the bottom line: his gimmick is only going to get him so far. We're at a point where he's been champion for several months, and people know who he is. He may not be over, but his moveset (dat uppercut!) has certainly made him credible. If WWE is serious about making him a big time bad guy - which I really think they should - he needs to BE bad, not just TALK like he's bad. Enough with the "blah blah blah America sucks and is fat" promos on the way to the ring. More action. More beating the hell out of people. He's already the champion, all that needs to be done is to get him in people's minds. When Cesaro comes out, 9 times out of 10 I think "Oh yeah, Cesaro is wrestling tonight." That should not be the case.

Have him drop the title. The whole point of good heels is, eventually, to put over good faces. He can't lose matches with the belt, nor can he fight main event faces in non-title matches; WWE doesn't do that anymore. At every pay-per-view without fail, if a champion is fighting in a singles match, the belt is on the line. It's kind of generic, but it is what it is. Here's a list of guys Cesaro could work with, that would benefit him:

The Miz: The newest face on the WWE roster. It would be a big step for Cesaro, and probably a small step backwards for the MIz, but that happens when you're a face sometimes. You have to step down and take challenges from all comers. Cesaro needs one legitimate opponent. His fight with R-Truth was a step in the right direction, but it has to keep going. He's got to have programs, instead of just one-off matches to establish him as a baddie. He's there. We get it. Boo the man. But now they need to give me a reason to care. Miz has the potential to be a very good opponent.

Kofi Kingston: Let him go after the IC title for a month. Maybe even keep the belt on him so this can happen. I'm not an advocate for unifying all the belts, but a Champion vs. Champion feud could be pretty cool.

Brodus Clay: They had a one-off match on Raw this week, and while it was nothing to write home about, the Neutralizer was awesome. A huge show of strength. People love Brodus, and a win over the big man would give Cesaro that heat he's been looking for. Plus, Brodus needs something to do. Gosh darnit, I like the big guy.

 

[xavyer]

What i would like for Cesaro to do is become dominant, smash mouth, an a** hole like heel, have no mercy on his oponents, in other words, a real heel, he has the talent to pull it off, a good way to put him over, is precisly this feud with R Truth, out of nowere have him beat Truth with out mercy, take him out, and have the next oponentm, get him to have a match with Cena or Orton, i'm not saying they shoud start a feud, but a good solid match against one of those two where Cesaro has most of the ofence can really get him noticed, and after that, give him matches or feuds with more upper mid card talent, like Kane for example, and really go the distance, he has the size and talent to do it, and he's also strong, i remember how he lifted Brodus Clay, i sure hope that the WWE really doesn't drop the ball with this guy, because in my opinion, they really have a main event waiting to happen with Cesaro.......

 

[jonfostersucks]

I would slowly turn him into a face, but a likeable, funny, bad ass face. I would have some really hot feud, like everyone wants, with someone like a returning Swagger. It doesn't matter really; just get a really over face who is either American or happy to be in America. You can do the whole lame ass "America Fuck Yeah" thing and have whoever it is, beat Cesaro. Then have Cesaro just feel so down and depressed and make everyone feel bad for him. Then I would have this "American Hero" take Cesaro under his wing and try to assimilate Cesaro to American culture. You could shoot little segments, similar to the Team Hell No anger management segments. It would be a riot. Have him in silly American assimilation classes. Have him exploring American Landmarks in each city he visits. Make him likeable. But make him feared by his opponents. I would have him so likeable and respectful that his opponents would laugh at him. Have him shake hands before each match. Maybe hug his opponents. But when the bell rings, he is a monster. And for fuck sakes, let this dude spin opponents with no hands on his shoulders. That would get him SOOOOO over!

 

[The_Reptile_]

The answer to the Cesaro problem is actually quite simple and in fact can be used for pretty much everyone on the mid card:

1. Distinctive character. And no, Anti American Foreigner is not a distinctive character. Apparently he used to be a Rugby player who got expelled for being too aggressive on the field, yes? Work that into his character. Have him brutalize his opponents instead of just beating them. Give him anger issues that that tie into said brutalizing. Simply just having go out and talk in different languages and spiel out anti American propaganda does not a character make.

2. Give him promo time to help establish this character. I'm not talking 5 or 10 minutes a week either. I remember a while back there were these false, 30 second ads for Otunga about his 'law firm'. Things like those are small but very very helpful in showing who you are, and when introducing a character to an audience it's very important to get who they are and what they're about over in a quick and clear manner. WWE has the time to do these things with the extra hour, instead of just wasting it with extra commercials, recaps and overly long matches you could be getting people over like this.

3. Give him some actual feuds. There is a distinct difference between having a few title defenses against a guy and having a feud with him. With a title defense you simply have the title on the line, but with a feud you also get a feeling that there's something between the two opponents that makes it feel like their pride is at stake and it makes the matches between them seem more involving.

 

[GoColts]

If Cesaro is going to continue with the anti-American gimmick, he needs a feud with someone who is passionate about defending the US. Maybe a face Jack Swagger? So far, none of his opponents have been pro-USA much at all.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Two words. Paul. Heyman.

Cesaro needs someone to speak for him and put him over. He can speak five languages, but if you don't understand what he's saying, what does it matter? Cesaro's a damn fine wrestler and in the old school days, would have a manager like Bobby Heenan or Paul E. put him over like crazy.

He's having great matches and has a great look... all he needs now is for someone to convey how great he really is and that he's the next great thing in pro wrestling. And the only person with that kind of pull in the WWE is Paul Heyman.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Cesaro is just fine with the gimmick he has but as for how I would build up Cesaro even more is by having him replace the WWE United States Championship with the European Championship bringing it back to the WWE by having a trash can in the ring and throwing the WWE United States Championship into the trash can and unveiling the new WWE European Championship

Also he just needs more competition

But he needs to be built up more as a dominant WWE United States Champion/European Champion, which means carrying the old belt which would become the new European belt for a really long time before dropping it to a really over American face

 

[Allstar]

I actually don't think he's anti-American enough! He could always come down to the ring with the Switzerland flag or refuse to speak in American and only in switzerland or French or whatever one he chooses.

I do like the idea of him bringing back the European title but another idea is just stick the switzerland flag symbol on the front ( like lance storm in the wcw days )

Also like everyone else,he needs a personal feud with someone to make us relate to him abit better.

 

[JVel]

Cesaro is an excellent in ring competitor but he really needs some sort of personal feud to get the crowd invested in him. There needs to be more to the Cesaro character and more reason to want to boo him other than "oh he called Americans fat." Otherwise he's just going to end up like the mid card version of Del Rio where the crowd just gets sick of seeing him when he sounds like a broken record for 6 months.

Cesaro is making the most out of his character but until he gets an actual feud and more depth to his character from said feud, he's just not going to get over. I mean when he came out at Survivor Series, you could almost hear crickets.