2013 Pro Wrestling Thread

Dave Batista could be making a comeback soon. Not sure where he'd fit in at this point, but it'd be damn good to see him back.

 

The return of Botchtista would be awesome. I used to mark out for him big time. Sometimes, you just like to see a big guy kick the shit outta people. It's what I hoped we'd get out of Ryback. Batista's also got kick-ass music. I hear that music and want to start a bar fight.

 

Batista vs. Lesnar would an interesting program. If anything, I'd like to see Batista come in and put Lesnar over, since Lesnar has already lost to Cena and Trips. Then that can set up Lesnar for Rock and/or Undertaker.

 

Not sure when filming will begin (I think it's supposed to be June but they're still doing some casting), but he's been cast for the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie. I could see him maybe returning for a short run, leaving to film, then coming back for a longer run after that. Would help promote that movie next year (it'll be out right around next year's SummerSlam).

 

Anyone see Fandango trolling Everton FC (British soccer team) on Twitter? I'm in full on mark mode now.

 

I'm almost looking forward to seeing if WWE does anything with Fandango's music on Raw this Monday.

 

The real fun is going to be next Monday when Raw is in London. It was the British fans that kick started this Fandango phenomenon. All parties have been encouraging it, from the looks of things.

Rangers played his song at Ibrox today. Bet Drew McIntyre loved THAT

 

I'm looking forward to seeing the Onion run the headline "Fandago's theme music gets WWE title shot."

 

Does creative believe Fandango is really over, or are they wise to the fact that fans are mocking and shitting all over this awful character? I'm amazed that in 2013, there are still gimmicks like Fandango at all. Are we still expected to suspend our disbelief so much as to really think a ballroom dancer has decided to become a wrestler?

 

I think the Fandango character is in a weird, possibly unprecedented place. On the one hand, smarks hated him until a week ago (Cena's fans aren't the ones to start "You can't wrestle!" chants, and Fandango has been the only one getting them). But booing him gives WWE exactly what they wanted. They could just ignore him and not make noise at all, which they do with plenty of guys they don't like. Instead, they started singing his theme song, which sounds on the surface to be a sarcastic response, except the fans really looked like they were enjoying it -- as deliriously happy drunk fans, not hipsters wearing their trucker caps with ironic smugness.

And whether intentional or not, the fact they played his theme music for like nine years in intro promos before he ever made an appearance put a bug in fans' ears. It's REALLY catchy, though it's also dangerously close to the Bewitched theme. But hey, name the guy after a movie ticket website, might as well pattern the song after a beloved 60s sitcom.

I think if anything, the pendulum has swung back in the direction of unique characters. Just as Stone Cold was the reaction to the likes of Duke "The Dumpster" Droese and Skinner, guys like Fandango and the Funkasaurus are reactions to the gaggle of anonymous, interchangable wrestlers they have now. I think fans want to have fun, and they're a lot more likely to have fun with Fandango than they are Curt Hawkins or Wade Barrett.

For what it's worth, Fandangoing may not be this year's YES YES YES. It may be WWE's first honest-to-goodness viral sensation. It's a lot less labor-intensive than the Harlem Shake, at any rate. But it also puts the character in a shit-or-get-off-the-pot spot. Either he makes something big out of it, or it goes into cold storage with Johnny Curtis back in NXT because viral memes have really short sell-by dates. Which takes away the thought I had about him a few days ago, that as long as he shows the dedication to the character and improves in the ring, he could have carved a Disco Inferno-like niche for himself. But with Houston Texans cheerleaders and PETA Fandangoing, that may not be an option.

 

The theme has been around for nine years?

 

Texans cheerleaders doing the Fandango:

If this thing sparks the next wrestling boom, God help us all.