Why do people think Tensai sucks?

[mrbananagrabber]

He sucked as Albert.
He sucked as A-Train.
He sucks as Tensai.
He has always sucked. He will always suck.

Here endeth the lesson.

[Hit Girl]

Because he does.

[Push R Truth]

After hearing for a long time that he was "awesome in Japan" and then he re-debuts as a slow, fat pile of crap that is devoid of all emotion.

[Andrew is Good]

I never had issues with Tensai in the ring. One of my feelings with people is if they don't wrestle a certain way, they're shit. Tensai is a pretty good big man, especially for his size and age, so I don't see much wrong with him.

Having him be Lord Tensai and doing this 1980s style gimmick, a very cartoony character who looked like Master Shredder. That, and WWE refusing to recognize him as being Albert on television killed him off. WWE should have done a deal where they have vignettes showing his past and him talking about it. It's a great story. He came in as a young guy back in 1999, and talk about his career being Droz's body piercer, then Big Bossman's henchman, his days in T&A, all that stuff. One week, I would have Tensai talk about how he and Big Show tried to end Undertaker's streak, and maybe have Big Show talk about him. Then do a vignette about his time in Japan and slowly re-debut him. Have him explain the Tensai name. All that good stuff.

A few other things:
-Before doing the Baldo Bomb, don't shout TENSAI ICHIBAN!!
-DO NOT spray green mist
-DO NOT do a claw hold
-DO NOT spray green mist in his hand when he does the claw hold.

[molson5]

He's pretty good, but his Japan stuff was incredibly overhyped. I think that turned a lot of people against him. Aside from the hype, he's a pretty good big guy, with a good look, but certainly has nothing special in the athleticism and charisma departments. It was almost as if the WWE bought into the internet hype. You could see it coming. He was never that great, he wasn't going to be great this time either, he'll be de-pushed, and his fans will complain forever and ever about him "not being used properly." I kind of didn't like him just because I knew from the time he debuted, I'd read message board posts with that theme for the rest of my life.

I will say though - he hasn't been BAD and I do wonder about why the WWE pulled the plug so fast. He certainly wasn't "over", but he's also not the type of guy that's ever going to compel a lot of verbal crowd reaction. That doesn't mean he can't have good matches or be fun to watch (I think the noise level of fans is a really overrated metric of success in wrestling). Big tough guys don't elicit the same reaction as smarmy wisecrackers who insult the local football team, that doesn't mean the latter is always better and you should never have the former. His matches weren't great, but there is no evidence going in that he would ever have a great match. Maybe he had an attitude, but he seems to be embracing the comedy gimmick a bit.

[klapaucius]

Jan 3, 2013 19:50:07 GMT -5 Hit Girl said:

Because he does.

came to post this.

[CourtesyFlush]

Tensai has his own brand of Wonton soup in Japan.

[mrjl]

Jan 3, 2013 20:06:19 GMT -5 Andrew is Good said:

I never had issues with Tensai in the ring. One of my feelings with people is if they don't wrestle a certain way, they're s***. Tensai is a pretty good big man, especially for his size and age, so I don't see much wrong with him.

Having him be Lord Tensai and doing this 1980s style gimmick, a very cartoony character who looked like Master Shredder. That, and WWE refusing to recognize him as being Albert on television killed him off. WWE should have done a deal where they have vignettes showing his past and him talking about it. It's a great story. He came in as a young guy back in 1999, and talk about his career being Droz's body piercer, then Big Bossman's henchman, his days in T&A, all that stuff. One week, I would have Tensai talk about how he and Big Show tried to end Undertaker's streak, and maybe have Big Show talk about him. Then do a vignette about his time in Japan and slowly re-debut him. Have him explain the Tensai name. All that good stuff.

A few other things:
-Before doing the Baldo Bomb, don't shout TENSAI ICHIBAN!!
-DO NOT spray green mist
-DO NOT do a claw hold
-DO NOT spray green mist in his hand when he does the claw hold.

why was it so important that WWE say the name. They acknowledged he was a returning star.

[crowwreak was WRONG]

because they replaced his relatively fast moveset from Japan with generic monster heel #286, and gave him Whayaaaa! motions.

[mrjl]

Jan 4, 2013 3:55:00 GMT -5 crowwreak was WRONG said:

because they replaced his relatively fast moveset from Japan with generic monster heel #286, and gave him Whayaaaa! motions.

I've youtubed a few matches of his in Japan. I did not see this supposed speed.

[molson5]

Jan 4, 2013 6:10:43 GMT -5 mrjl said:

Jan 4, 2013 3:55:00 GMT -5 crowwreak was WRONG said:

because they replaced his relatively fast moveset from Japan with generic monster heel #286, and gave him Whayaaaa! motions.

I've youtubed a few matches of his in Japan. I did not see this supposed speed.

Neither did I. And I looked. The idea that he worked "fast" and was more athletic in Japan is just mystifying to me. Can somebody post a match where this was the case?

[________ has left the building]

Jan 4, 2013 6:10:43 GMT -5 mrjl said:

Jan 4, 2013 3:55:00 GMT -5 crowwreak was WRONG said:

because they replaced his relatively fast moveset from Japan with generic monster heel #286, and gave him Whayaaaa! motions.

I've youtubed a few matches of his in Japan. I did not see this supposed speed.

It's more of his opponents creating movement than him being faster.

["Gentleman" AJ Powell]

Jan 4, 2013 10:40:07 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

Jan 4, 2013 6:10:43 GMT -5 mrjl said:

I've youtubed a few matches of his in Japan. I did not see this supposed speed.

It's more of his opponents creating movement than him being faster.

So it's an optical illusion?

Jan 3, 2013 21:00:22 GMT -5 CourtesyFlush said:

Tensai has his own brand of Wonton soup in Japan.

Don't tell Ahmed, he'll have to eat a reef!

[Above Average]

I don't think Tensai sucks, but I don't think he's fantastic either. In his first WWE stint, I was never overly interested with the exception of when he became A-Train, and even then it wasn't a huge interest.

He went off to Japan and I have to admit, I heard a lot of hype about how much he had improved in his time there, so naturally when he re-signed with WWE I was very interested to see this improvement.

Sadly, he came in and had a few matches in and around the main event scene which were appallingly bad and he was demoted soon thereafter. He has improved since then, but unfortunately for him I think the damage has already been done!

[Allie Kitsune]

Because he's an ugly, ugly man.

And regardless of what people may say about acceptance and equality, they still, by and large (of course, you'll always find the odd person out there who loves them some fuggo wrestlers), in general, aren't all that comfortable with their favored wrestlers being hideous.

[Deleted]

I think the problem was he was brought in at the end of Johnny Ace's run working for talent relations, he was probably a pet project of Johnnys, after a lackluster debut and then John leaving that role things went down hill for Tensai

[DavidArquette]

He debuted as a 'New Generation' character in an era that, while it has it's goofy side is full of more real or just flat out generic characters. He just didn't fit in. He was boring as hell and that image has kinda stuck.

[Andrew is Good]

Jan 3, 2013 22:24:05 GMT -5 mrjl said:

Jan 3, 2013 20:06:19 GMT -5 Andrew is Good said:

I never had issues with Tensai in the ring. One of my feelings with people is if they don't wrestle a certain way, they're s***. Tensai is a pretty good big man, especially for his size and age, so I don't see much wrong with him.

Having him be Lord Tensai and doing this 1980s style gimmick, a very cartoony character who looked like Master Shredder. That, and WWE refusing to recognize him as being Albert on television killed him off. WWE should have done a deal where they have vignettes showing his past and him talking about it. It's a great story. He came in as a young guy back in 1999, and talk about his career being Droz's body piercer, then Big Bossman's henchman, his days in T&A, all that stuff. One week, I would have Tensai talk about how he and Big Show tried to end Undertaker's streak, and maybe have Big Show talk about him. Then do a vignette about his time in Japan and slowly re-debut him. Have him explain the Tensai name. All that good stuff.

A few other things:
-Before doing the Baldo Bomb, don't shout TENSAI ICHIBAN!!
-DO NOT spray green mist
-DO NOT do a claw hold
-DO NOT spray green mist in his hand when he does the claw hold.

why was it so important that WWE say the name. They acknowledged he was a returning star.

Because I feel it comes across as making the fans seem dumb by not remembering him or something they want fans to forget. Plus, if they mentioned his old name, I feel it could curb the "Albert" chants if he acknowledged his past and gave an explanation for the new name.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Jan 4, 2013 10:52:25 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

Because he's an ugly, ugly man.

And regardless of what people may say about acceptance and equality, they still, by and large (of course, you'll always find the odd person out there who loves them some fuggo wrestlers), in general, aren't all that comfortable with their favored wrestlers being hideous.

One reason I actually really want Tensai to succeed is because... well, LOOK at him. What on earth is the guy going to do BUT be a pro wrestler?


The REAL reason people think he sucks is because it was apparent we were supposed to have an emotional reaction to him: awe and fear. People resented that they were supposed to feel those things, and put the guy down as a way to establish their own autonomy.
Weird ideas of racial purity also had something to do with it.

It's also possible that the main reason he was good in Japan is because he was working stiffer than is considered safe over here.

[________ has left the building]

Jan 4, 2013 11:49:48 GMT -5 Andrew is Good said:

Jan 3, 2013 22:24:05 GMT -5 mrjl said:

why was it so important that WWE say the name. They acknowledged he was a returning star.

Because I feel it comes across as making the fans seem dumb by not remembering him or something they want fans to forget. Plus, if they mentioned his old name, I feel it could curb the "Albert" chants if he acknowledged his past and gave an explanation for the new name.

It wouldn't curb them because people are going to chant Albert even if WWE did a 4 minute video package explaining his time in Japan changed him. Why? Because the Albert chants are done for irritation. Just like when they used to chant "Shave your back" even after he did that.