Could a blank slate character work?

[sonofblaine]

If WWE took a new guy, no real gimmick, basic name, and put him in a match one night with no build up. He gets a jobber entrance, put up against some midcard talent, so he just seems to be a local guy jobber, but instead, he manages a win. He gets to come back, presumably because he impressed the higher ups enough.

From there, instead of forcing a direction for him, he steers face or heel, slowly, based on crowd reaction(assuming he gets a reaction).

Could this be a good way to introduce someone?

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

You mean like Goldberg's debut?

[Deleted]

Didn't Snitsky's on screen deal equate to him being signed for killing a baby?

What a dude.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Most of the OVW/DSW/FCW debuts on Smackdown where they'd throw guys out there with no plan in the few years up to it dying as a unique brand suggest it won't work, it just seems like a handy way to kill a career. The WWE audience is trained to see a lack of a gimmick as a sign not to react to a guy as they won't be around for long and their role is to be a punching bag.

It'd be a throwback to the 80s and 90s jobber squash days where they'd have a colourful superstar go up against a local guy with a thinning mullet in a black singlet. It's something which is a lot cuter on paper than it would be in reality as it'd be excruciating to see a talented NXT guy get saddled with a career killer. Imagine Adrian Neville called up to be Jeff Loggins, blank slate, it would be agonising to watch.

[Abdullah]

The title made me think of Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" where the wrestler would be almost robotic until he/she is programmed with a new character.

That'd be great.

[Deleted]

Didn't Cena kind of do this by challenging Kurt Angle?

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Mar 27, 2015 6:49:20 GMT -5 Abdullah said:

The title made me think of Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" where the wrestler would be almost robotic until he/she is programmed with a new character.

That'd be great.

So Randy Orton between pushes?

[xCompackx]

Sounds like the MyCareer mode on 2K15. But I'd watch.

[Yamashita Enforcement Division]

It would only really work if the talent had the talent to manage to get a crowd reaction with the blandest material possible. Part (Most, if not all) of the problem with that bit is that, unless the guy gets a reaction, up or down, he's just a bland guy in a sea of bland guys that don't get any writing depth. Because of that, a blank slate character wouldn't work because the norm is to have no character for people the audience is trained not to care about (every single person on the roster, save a very select handful).

It would work if the writing didn't make people already not give two shits about your product.

[sonofblaine]

Mar 27, 2015 7:52:13 GMT -5 xCompackx said:

Sounds like the MyCareer mode on 2K15. But I'd watch.

The thought actually came to mind because in 2K14 I created a plain singlet Japanese import mechanic named Rush Karuga, put him in NXT, disabled him for the main title, put him as bottom rank for secondary title, and let the game book him and sim matches without my intervention. As he got put in rivalries and went up in rank, I doled out costume, moveset, and attribute improvements like RPG leveling. When he eventually won the NXT Heritage title,I put him at the bottom of the main title rank and designed a logo for his gear.

Works on a game and on paper, but as pointed out in good posts by Dysco Inferno and others, not real life. The wildcard would definitely be the fans and their reaction.

[avenger]

They did this with Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon. Debuted them at Survivor Series with no build up, had them eliminate three men between them (including the then Tag Champs Owen & Davey Boy), and despite them being entertaining to watch, they didn't get over at all.

[Mozenrath]

Mar 27, 2015 6:50:49 GMT -5 @akeem said:

Didn't Cena kind of do this by challenging Kurt Angle?

Yeah, he came in with no gimmick and in trunks/shorts.

Hell, this is more or less how a lot of blue chippers are.

[Throwback]

Santino?

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Mar 27, 2015 8:07:36 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Mar 27, 2015 6:50:49 GMT -5 @akeem said:

Didn't Cena kind of do this by challenging Kurt Angle?

Yeah, he came in with no gimmick and in trunks/shorts.

Hell, this is more or less how a lot of blue chippers are.

I wonder what Cena's career would have been like if he didn't dress like Vanilla Ice for Halloween.

[Honeybear Lyder]

Wasn't it a common practice in Japan back in the 80s and 90s? The "young boys" wouldn't be allowed to wear gear other than plain black tights and were booked to be beaten by the veterans with simple moves until they got some experience and learned how to work the crowd and get over.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Drew McIntyre? His gimmick was basically 'Vince likes this charisma vacuum.'

[Amazing Kitsune]

This was Snitsky.

[Squirrel Master]

Mar 27, 2015 6:04:03 GMT -5 Jedi-El of Tomorrow said:

You mean like Goldberg's debut?

I too thought of Goldberg immediately. But one look at him and I thought, this guy is no Herb.

[TGM]

I would love to see this happen.

[Allie Kitsune]

I think it would have to be more like a bizarre sideshow "choose your own adventure" gimmick. You put the guy out there in nothing but a green t-shirt, green trunks, brown boots (and a green hat for his entrances).

Certain things will happen involving him, a poll will be put on WWE.com or the WWE App on how you want him to respond. Even his finisher will be determined through a poll.

And the evolution of the gimmick is basically decided entirely by WWE App votes; a cypher who becomes whoever they vote for him to become on the App (over time).