Hey Scott,
So, it's been a few months now and just as most of us predicted the Curtis Axel experiment has been a considerable flop. They put the IC title on him and it has faded into the background with him. What I want to know is why they took a gamble on Axel in the first place. He is not particularly great in the ring, he is (I'm sure most will agree) painful on the mic, so what drove them to believe this would work when most of us quite accurately deduced it was destined to fail. Is it because HHH was tight with his father? Did they want to see if Heyman could work a miracle and get him over? Do they actually see something in him that we don't? Perhaps you could enlighten me because I don't understand it at all.
Thanks
I think it's similar to Fandango, where Vince runs hot on a guy for a time, then like a kid with a new toy gets bored of him and moves on to something else. Axel's barely on TV anymore and didn't even work Summerslam so obviously whatever big plans they had for him, we're looking at it. But hey, they tried (kinda) so that's better than they usually do with new guys.
He hasn't exactly been booked to succeed. He had the screw job win streak then he was the guy who took the beatings for Heyman and Lesnar. He did get the IC title, but unfortunately he also received the modern IC champ treatment with the title. He's been given a opportunity, but not really a chance.
ReplyDeleteEh, to me it's too early to call the guy a failure.
ReplyDeleteFandango can still be salvaged. I don't know why I believe it, but I just do. Guy's all in on his character and he's got a hot chick with him.
ReplyDeleteIt's been like 3 months. Calm down.
ReplyDeleteThis. Axel seems like a failure because he's purposely booked to look like a failure. Same with Fandango, Sandow, and Barrett.
ReplyDeleteIf you only watch Raw, I can see how you'd think Axel is no good in the ring. But he had a terrific match with Jericho on Smackdown, and has had several solid to good matches on Superstars/Main Event/NXT. Like the others said, he hasn't really been put in a good position to succeed, much like Barrett, who I think is very good on the mic and a much more complete package.
ReplyDeleteIt hasn't exactly been a promising start though, especially after the massive deal they made in his opening segment, has it?
ReplyDeleteThey should do an angle were guys think the IC belt is literally cursed and find ways to lose matches, walking out, getting DQ'd etc
ReplyDeleteFor people saying he hasn't been given a fair chance - his fair chance has been him coming out for a number of weeks and sharing the ring/mic time with Paul Heyman. He didn't look menacing, exuded no energy of note, and sucked balls on the mic. That was his chance to show he's more than just 'Michael McGillicutty' and he blew it.
ReplyDeleteHe was also put in several high profile matches vs HHH, Cena etc and while they were okay matches nothing stood out about him. He's just Michael McGillicutty with a slightly better name, music, and a heat machine of a manager who is the only redeeming quality of his act.
It's the name. It's been months and I still can't get past the stupid name. It tooks years to get used to Dolph Ziggler.
ReplyDeleteNames mean nothing.
ReplyDeleteHe has above average ring skills. Like Mike Sanders.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked Mike Sanders.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Steve Austin would have been just as big being called Chilly McFreeze instead of Stone Cold.
ReplyDeleteI know this is probably 5 years away, but I look forward to a recently fired Kofi, Barrett, R-Truth, Sandow, or Cesaro to give us an inside look on the 50/50 booking, the titles (US, IC) that force you to job, and the start-stop-start-stop pushes. How much of this stuff is a mindfuck to a performer (and most performers, by nature, are eccentric to begin with)? What reasons/logic are given to them for abrupt losses?
ReplyDeleteThey created a solid mid card heel out of nowhere. That is a huge win for WWE.
ReplyDeleteFang McFrost or Ice Dagger could've worked, though. Am I right or am I right?
ReplyDeleteAnd Otto Von Ruthless. Forgot about that moneymaker.
ReplyDeleteThe wrestling world was crying out for a knock off Mr. Freeze in 1997 after seeing how amazing Batman and Robin was.
ReplyDelete"Does anybody have a cold Icee or Frosty for Chilly McFreeze?" "If you think Chilly should open up a cooooold can of whoop-butt, give me a heck yeah!"
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty genius.
ReplyDeleteThis. John Cena had a fricking Vanilla Ice costume segment on Smackdown and he sure made the most of it. Curtis Axel had the gift of gifts given to him and did jack shit.
ReplyDeleteHe is nothing more than a solid worker, really.
ReplyDeleteYeah... it's only been three months, and starting this moment, from now…from this moment on, this will be the moment, starting now, of the genesis of Axel.
ReplyDeleteYou know how you save this? Have Axel turn on fellow Heyman guy Lesnar. His motive? Vengeance on his father's behalf for getting fired after fighting with Brock on the Flight from Hell.
ReplyDeleteWell dougie has a point. He was just as big of a troll when he went by dannytreo
ReplyDeleteAw, somebody's feeling are hurt.
ReplyDeleteThis moment?
ReplyDeleteAnd that was two or three years ago. His mic skills haven't improved, he's said some really bad clunkers on Raw when he was given time.
ReplyDeletePlus, that beard makes him look like a chipmunk.
That's just so unbelievably ridiculous and insane that I had to upvote it. That shouldn't, however, imply that it's a good idea.
ReplyDeleteYou like your men hairless?
ReplyDeleteI think of him as the opposite of Barry Windham: Barry had EVERYTHING going for him(big, great look, great worker, 2nd generation, friends with both Dusty and Flair, etc.) yet didn't go as far as he could have, probably because he didn't want to. Axel is small, average look, average worker, 2nd generation, and probably would love a push, but nobody will give it to him.
ReplyDeleteThis thread is ten minutes ill never get back in my life. Curtis Axel = midcarder 4 life brother
ReplyDeleteI will point you in the direction of Long Dong Silver.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the chances he's been given to say or do anything memorable since he's been on TV, aligned with the likes of Heyman, Cena and Punk? He hasn't made the most of it which is what Cena, Bryan etc did.
ReplyDeleteOtto Von Ruthless is fucking mint.
ReplyDeleteHey, they said the same :midcarder 4 life" thing about names like Tito Santana, Greg Valentine, The Warlord, D-Lo Brown, Terry Taylor... and yeah. Now who looks stupid?
ReplyDeleteCurtis Axel is still former Nexus V.2 flunky Michael McGillicutty. Except with Paul Heyman. Even Heyman can't polish turds to a fine sheen. See, Lesnar, Brock. Ooops, I mean, see Van Dam, Rob...crap. Oh yeah, Credible, Justin....that's the one.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly how I meant it: An idea so terrible that it's almost good.
ReplyDeleteBryan didn't for his first year or so in the company. He was cutting terrible promos throughout his initial face run. Only when he turned heel did he start making an impact. And he was a much more seasoned pro when he debuted than Axel when he debuted.
ReplyDeleteI don't think most of them care that much about wins and losses.
ReplyDeleteYes. It makes the old johnson look bigger.
ReplyDeleteLucky Cannon.
ReplyDeleteOr reich, Heiden.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with being a midcarder or upper midcarder.
ReplyDeleteAlso a great name.
ReplyDeleteBryan gets the push he deserves because he's an absolute workhorse and showed he's amazing on the mic. That's what I'm saying - why can't Axel do the same with the chances he's been given?
ReplyDeleteAnd old Johnsons? Yikes.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that they are trying with these guys at all is infinitely better than them not, sure it's usually pointless considering they never fully let each guy blossom into something tangible for the fans to get behind, but no one can ever really say (other than wrestlemania) that they rely on the old guard too much.
ReplyDeleteNot at all but im pretty confident in saying they will never get me to care about him.
ReplyDeletePunk takes the IC title off Axel at Night of Champions? I always liked the idea of putting the mid card titles on main eventers from time to time.
ReplyDeleteYeah. He could even work a nothing PPV against a face WHC with Heyman by his side. This may be damning him with faint praise, but there's not a "the Wade Barrett Experiment" post.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, anybody talking about Sandow? Or Fandango? Or Big E?
Yea. Didn't care about them, pretty sure I'll never care about Axel. Maybe they'll give him a loaded chest protector and make him shake his head side to side in a word way.
ReplyDeleteYou're clearly trolling.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with liking the Rock. And 40 isn't THAT old.
ReplyDeleteYou think CMPunk is a better name than Lucky Cannon?
ReplyDeleteBecause it took Bryan a year to get to the point where he was cutting a decent promo. So what they are saying is that its been three months for Axel and getting count out and non finishes on RAW for a few weeks isn't exactly a huge shot. Not getting a match on the second biggest pay per view of the year (supposedly) isn't a chance to break out either.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I do.
ReplyDeleteI mean, one is wrestling Brock Lesnar on one of the biggest PPVs of the year and the other never made it off of NXT.
Seriously, Lucky Cannon is a horrible name.
Interesting theory. But stupid.
ReplyDeleteName one guy who had an incredibly stupid name that ended up becoming a HUGE star.
ReplyDeleteSting. Triple H. Ultimate Warrior. Mankind. Rob Vam Dam.
ReplyDeleteNope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Completely wrong.
ReplyDeleteEvery single one of those guys was marketable. Lucky Cannon is only marketable if you're selling condoms.
You are insane.
ReplyDeleteMerchandise sales would prove otherwise.
ReplyDeleteWhy does everybody have to be a main event star within weeks or months after they've been (re)introduced? Most of the top Superstars spent YEARS climbing up the card before they were established main eventers. Even guys like Edge and Randy Orton -- who you KNEW they were grooming to be their next big stars -- didn't just catapult to the main event. Have some patience.
ReplyDeleteYour whole premise is flawed.
ReplyDeleteIf those guys were called Pierce, Terra Ryzing, Dingo Ate Your Baby, Mason the Mutilator, and Robby Van Dam Dat Ass Is Huge, those guys woudn't be the stars they are.
ReplyDeleteNow you're just being silly. Silly Billy.
ReplyDeleteThose guys were consistently on television.
ReplyDeleteBeing endorsed by The Rock and being Rock's workout buddy certainly has helped Axel's cause. I think he is fine as a "Heyman" guy.
ReplyDeleteUnless it's on WWE 2K14.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of amazed they never recycled those names for something, even if it was a Glacier parody.
ReplyDeleteDon't say that too loud. They'll lynch you.
ReplyDeleteI for one am all for Punk with the IC belt.
Sounds like a Punch Out character.
ReplyDeleteThe reverse Hardcore belt. Axel throws it in the backseat of Punk's rental and he has a car accident.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite episode of The Curtis Axel experiment was the one where Joe Hennig pretended to be a white rapper and asked that rich guy if he could crash in his pool house for a while.
ReplyDeleteHe was also endorsed by Bret Hart.
ReplyDeleteI like Curtis Axel...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, if the experiment has failed (which im not convinced it has) it's because of nights like tonight.
Instead of letting him destroy punk and ride the heat he was getting for that, he gets eventually owned by a one legged man
see how good this would be, there are so many booking possibilities
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a matter of being patient - it's a matter of making everyone on the roster look equally weak. In pro wrestling, you have the top guys, the midcard guys and the jobbers. When someone is supposed to be perceived as a top guy (like Axel) but is booked to look like a total pussy, NOBODY wins.
ReplyDeleteI want to take this idea behind the middle school and get it pregnant.
ReplyDelete