Could Phantasio have worked?

[Spankymac is sick of the swiss]

I just got through watching the one and only Phantasio match on youtube, and it got me thinking. Harry Del Rios wasn't a horrible wrestler, and was, for a wrestler, a talented magician, so why didn't this gimmick get more of a chance? I mean, sure, it was a little hokey of a premise, but at the time, in 1995, when WWE was so kid friendly it was practically saccharine, it would have worked to have him have a minor midcard face run. Or, as is likely, am I just crazy?

[smokinvokoun]

It could have...but far could you have gone with that gimmick...is it a gimmick that could lead you to a World Title? Or an IC title for that matter. I don't know how far it could have gone...but it was an interesting gimmick.

[johnnyk9]

Everything attempted to work in 1995 so I'll say yes

[Vanilla Gorilla]

Maybe if they went for more of a Doink-like spin and make him maniacal and devious.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

I agree with Gorilla, I remember coming across an Apter mag with an article about his heel USWA(I think) persona, where he'd get a hankie, turn it into a cane to beat his opponant, turn it back to hide easily when the ref was looking, and then use the hankie to choke his opponant.

Now that sounds like something with at least a little heel potential.

[TripleMerc]

Mar 7, 2010 7:31:29 GMT -5 Futureraven: Beelzebruv said:

I agree with Gorilla, I remember coming across an Apter mag with an article about his heel USWA(I think) persona, where he'd get a hankie, turn it into a cane to beat his opponant, turn it back to hide easily when the ref was looking, and then use the hankie to choke his opponant.

Now that sounds like something with at least a little heel potential.

That's... REALLY cool.

[Deleted]

Mar 7, 2010 7:31:29 GMT -5 Futureraven: Beelzebruv said:

I agree with Gorilla, I remember coming across an Apter mag with an article about his heel USWA(I think) persona, where he'd get a hankie, turn it into a cane to beat his opponant, turn it back to hide easily when the ref was looking, and then use the hankie to choke his opponant.

Now that sounds like something with at least a little heel potential.

I'm not normally of the "make everyone a heel!" mindset, but that does sound cool.

The tricks felt very forced, unlike with Undertaker, Kane or even a Papa Shango, where they mesh well with the gimmick. If they would have given him some personality - any personality - he could have gotten over in that time. He could have been an evil magician, a prankster magician, or a scary magician, but alas, was just a magician.

[KingPopper]

It could have worked actully, I was just saying in the magician thread, that when I saw him I really marked for the guy, since it was on wrestling challenge late at night, my brother didnt beleave me that the guy was real. (Challenge was awesome, they had things like Sid joining Ted's stable, before it aired on Superstars the next morning) I actully thought he was changed into Goldust since Goldust debuted about a month later, but figured it out when I saw him wrestling in USWA.

[mongomcmichael]

His finisher was the ultimate wedgie. As stupid as it sounds, I would've root for the guy.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Mar 10, 2010 12:49:38 GMT -5 mongomcmichael said:

His finisher was the ultimate wedgie. As stupid as it sounds, I would've root for the guy.

And we wonder why Vince almost went out of business in the mid 90s.

To be honest, this could have been combined with Doink, again, running with the heel thing, either put Harry under the paint and slowly incorporate more of the magic elements, they already had the Doink clones, or put them in a tag team as a circus of horror or something. Let Doink cut the creepy promos he could do, Phantasio staying silent in the background looking freaky.