OSJ Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 44 minutes ago, Eivion said: Weird, I sort of liked Otunga but never really saw him as a future star. Great physique, bright, articulate guy with a famous mainstream gf. How is that not a recipe for success? Simple, be David Otunga and in seven years fail to improve your ringwork one iota and leave whatever charisma you once had in the drawer that stupid bow-tie came out of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SorceressKnight Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 11 minutes ago, OSJ said: Great physique, bright, articulate guy with a famous mainstream gf. How is that not a recipe for success? Simple, be David Otunga and in seven years fail to improve your ringwork one iota and leave whatever charisma you once had in the drawer that stupid bow-tie came out of. Even then, being fair, it should also be mentioned that when they say some guys were "20 years too soon", David Otunga was probably 20 years too LATE to be a huge star. Put someone like Otunga in 1990, where being a great in-ring worker wasn't as important? He probably ends up a huge star. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 40 minutes ago, OSJ said: Great physique, bright, articulate guy with a famous mainstream gf. How is that not a recipe for success? Simple, be David Otunga and in seven years fail to improve your ringwork one iota and leave whatever charisma you once had in the drawer that stupid bow-tie came out of. He was never good in the ring, didn't have much charisma, wasn't a great talker, and his famous wife was never going to participate on the show. It was sort of obvious he wasn't going to be big unless his wife got involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caley Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Didn't Otunga also have a decent catchphrase right from the get-go? It was something like"If you don't know, Google me" and he said it so confidently that he looked like a definite star. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I have no memory of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS81177 Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 1 hour ago, Web Conn said: Found the battle royal. Otunga was real good there with Santino at the end. And he did get his leg caught up in the ropes on his way over the top. What struck me though was yeah it was five years ago and alot of guys in the battle royal but alot of guys are still employed. There was 25 men in the battle royal. 11 of them (Santino, Tyler Reks, Ted DiBiase, Yoshi Tatsu, Drew McIntyre, Justin Gabriel, Ezekiel Jackson, Alex Riley, Derrick Bateman, Precy Watson and Camacho) are all gone. 12 of the guys (The Uso's, Tyson Kidd, The Shinning Stars, Heath Slater, Darren Young, Titus O'Neal, Hunico, Fandango, Curtis Axel and Otunga) have been on the roster the whole time. And Hawkins and Mahal have been fired and rehired. Isn't Percy Watson doing something in NXT now? Announcer, backstage interviewer, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Googled it, Percy Watson is a color commentator. I did not know that. I don't watch NXT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodzillaPerez Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I remember Otunga's promo video on the debut NXT show being really good and he came across as a star. Then a minute later he "wrestled" Darren Young and never really recovered. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSJ Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 1 hour ago, SorceressKnight said: Even then, being fair, it should also be mentioned that when they say some guys were "20 years too soon", David Otunga was probably 20 years too LATE to be a huge star. Put someone like Otunga in 1990, where being a great in-ring worker wasn't as important? He probably ends up a huge star. I think you hit the nail right on the head. Picture Otunga in a stable with Kabuki and some other guys managed by Gary Hart who are limited workers but look awesome (like Al Perez) and he's over in the clover. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 36 minutes ago, OSJ said: I think you hit the nail right on the head. Picture Otunga in a stable with Kabuki and some other guys managed by Gary Hart who are limited workers but look awesome (like Al Perez) and he's over in the clover. And I would argue Otunga ends up exactly like Al Perez. A guy with a good look but lacking the spark to be anything more than a relative footnote during the era he was in. In the 80s and early 90s Otunga still probably ends up with the same career he had in the current era. Maybe some regional tag team title runs in a bland "Good looking guys" tag team (Al Perez and Wendell Cooley in Mid-South), maybe a title run in a dying territory where he has his hand held by a manager that can talk (Al Perez in World Class), half-hearted low midcard runs when he jumped to a larger pond (Al Perez in Crockett), a jump to the biggest stage that never gets off the ground (Al Perez in WWF), maybe one last shot in an upstart league that shows promise but fades away quickly (Al Perez in GWF) and then quietly disappearing into the ether, MAYBE returning to WCW as a warm body to fill out WCW Saturday Night tapings in 96 and 97. Looks were more important 25-30 years, but personality was still needed. Bland and boring still never made it to the top of the card. And in the rare occasions it did, promoters and bookers pulled back fairly quickly when it didn't take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Does that mean Otunga plans on a shooting on a champion to win their belt? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peck Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I pray that the Owens-Goldberg match is not a 90 second squash match. Even if its five minutes, give Owebs some offense and make him look strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 If it goes 90 minutes and is still a squash... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I am actually hoping for a match where Owens lasts exactly 5-10 seconds longer than Brock, and then runs around until Wrestlemania bragging that he lasted longer than "The Beast, The Conqueror" Brock Lesnar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetrolCB Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Whatever the match length may be, just pray he doesn't blindly kick Kevin like he did the Hitman. Last thing we need is that stupid idiot injuring another Canadian hero. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurningBeard Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Tyler Reks. Now there's a guy who I thought had the 'it' factor and a great look but never really amounted to much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReiseReise Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I might misremember, but I recall Reks claiming John Cena politicking against him in some shoot. As I said, might be a memory flub on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuerrillaMonsoon Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Admittedly, wasn't he told to stop using a top rope version of Cena's finish and kept doing it anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Green Meanie Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 1 hour ago, ReiseReise said: I might misremember, but I recall Reks claiming John Cena politicking against him in some shoot. As I said, might be a memory flub on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 So that would make the list of guys who claim Cena ruined their WWE careers (via "politics") are Tyler Reks Kenny Dykstra (though that one might not even count anymore since he was brought back) Alex Riley Possibly Ryback (he is a crazy person and weeding through who he does and does not hate on his Podcast is so very draining) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 2 hours ago, RolandTHTG said: Admittedly, wasn't he told to stop using a top rope version of Cena's finish and kept doing it anyway? He was using an inverted AA, a burning hammer set-up into a slam. It was too much like the AA so he was told by someone to stop. Having to change your finisher probably won't derail your career if you have good things to offer but all I remember of Reks was his short lived team with Hawkins toward the end of the never-ending last season of pre-Network NXT and even then I don't remember what he looked like or anything about his in-ring work. So his short used finisher is the only thing I remember about the guy so I guess it might have been all he brought to the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyJ Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I remember listening to some random podcast interview with Reks once. He was going on and on about some youtube cartoon he had and how the office shut it down because it had a benoit reference or something. Just imagine how low you are on the wwe totem pole that you make a benoit reference and nobody cares. you don't get fired over it and nobody on the internet even cares about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 Per Meltzer - Cena is working through Mania and then will be off "for awhile" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victator Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 in 1990, Otunga would be Curtis Thompson and Chris Walker. Never seen a guy in wrestling so afraid to take a bump. If he wrestled Ron Garvin, he would probably start sobbing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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