Why Fandango Works: A Hypothesis

["Trickster Dogg" James Jesse]

While on the face of it, a gimmick that amounts to 'a ballroom dancer who wrestles' seems quite silly, why Fandango works, irrespective of his theme and the fans' response to it as seen this past Monday, is because the guy who was formerly 'Johnny Curtis' on WWE TV commits fully to the gimmick.

Is Fandango as a gimmick over the top? No doubt. But that's precisely why people took notice. Similaly, perhaps, that people initially took notice of Brodus Clay. Brodus Clay as a lovable babyface dancer, while promos on Raw and Smackdown hyped his return as a kind of monster heel, works against type. Because it works against type, people take notice. Fandango is over the top, but he's still played straight. There's no real irony, no peeking behind the gorilla position curtain. I think the Clays and Curtises--hell, certainly the Kanes and Daniel Bryans--of the wrestling world are able to take crap and spin it into gold.

I think it is a testament to either their talent or tenacity of these performers to get a gimmick over that on paper sounds completely ridiculous. I certainly couldn't imagine CM Punk, a wrestler I like, strutting and dancing his way down to the ring. There would be eye rolls, self-aware campiness, and it would break the illusion of kayfabe (something that 'CM Punk' as a gimmick in this day and age is all about). Such is the difference, allegedly, between the Curt Hennigs and Terry Taylors of the world. Sometimes a good talent can't get a bad gimmick over if they don't commit to it 100%, and maybe this is where the Red Rooster ended up. Whereas a good talent (and granted, Hennig I think was more than just 'a good talen) with a good gimmick can become a star.

[Deleted]

I think the fact his gimmick isn't his character makes it work.

He's not just a ballroom dancer, he's sociopathic, a little bit of a narcissist, and self involved, and he puts that over in every appearance perfectly. It's not Brodus 'have fun and dance, because that's what my gimmick amounts to' Clay.

Fandango's a great wrestling character who has a noticeable gimmick, with the role being played by a damned entertaining performer.

[Ecks Ecks Ringout Ecks Ecks]

F***in' Dango, how does he work?

[Djm Doesn't Find You Funny]

Apr 11, 2013 22:51:07 GMT -5 Ecks Ecks Ringout Ecks Ecks said:

F***in' Dango, how does he work?

I'm don't know, but I'm pretty sure the 'D' is silent.

[EyeofTyr]

Apr 11, 2013 22:20:03 GMT -5 @pauledraperously said:

I think the fact his gimmick isn't his character makes it work.

He's not just a ballroom dancer, he's sociopathic, a little bit of a narcissist, and self involved, and he puts that over in every appearance perfectly. It's not Brodus 'have fun and dance, because that's what my gimmick amounts to' Clay.

Fandango's a great wrestling character who has a noticeable gimmick, with the role being played by a damned entertaining performer.

That's the thing though that I take from the OP's point, it's because of Curtis Fandango is the way he is and is the success he is. He's literally combined Goldust with a ballroom dancing gimmick with little touches of Dirty Curty in there.

If one goes by what other talent has said in interviews leading up to Wrestlemania for the press, it's all Curtis' doing too. He was handed the ballroom dancer shtick and he transformed it into what it is now, a fully fleshed out, three dimensional character. So, had it been in someone else's hands, it likely would've been a heel version of Brodus Clay.

I've for a long time been a fan of Curtis and been championing the guy, I always felt he had the tools to be something bigger than he's been so far. And, NXT allowed alot of people to see that, and now this I think is really making people's heads turn. I mean, I could literally see him becoming a main event talent off of this run.

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2013 22:59:19 GMT -5 EyeofTyr said:

Apr 11, 2013 22:20:03 GMT -5 @pauledraperously said:

I think the fact his gimmick isn't his character makes it work.

He's not just a ballroom dancer, he's sociopathic, a little bit of a narcissist, and self involved, and he puts that over in every appearance perfectly. It's not Brodus 'have fun and dance, because that's what my gimmick amounts to' Clay.

Fandango's a great wrestling character who has a noticeable gimmick, with the role being played by a damned entertaining performer.

That's the thing though that I take from the OP's point, it's because of Curtis Fandango is the way he is and is the success he is. He's literally combined Goldust with a ballroom dancing gimmick with little touches of Dirty Curty in there.

If one goes by what other talent has said in interviews leading up to Wrestlemania for the press, it's all Curtis' doing too. He was handed the ballroom dancer shtick and he transformed it into what it is now, a fully fleshed out, three dimensional character. So, had it been in someone else's hands, it likely would've been a heel version of Brodus Clay.

I've for a long time been a fan of Curtis and been championing the guy, I always felt he had the tools to be something bigger than he's been so far. And, NXT allowed alot of people to see that, and now this I think is really making people's heads turn. I mean, I could literally see him becoming a main event talent off of this run.

Great point!

Yeah I can see that now, I guess I'm just used to hearing that most producers/creative/McMahons are control freaks over what's on TV that I didn't really consider it from that angle, but you're probably right given his character work on NXT.

[tenshi]

Question: Since when being a sociopath was a part of Fandango's character traits? Because, if his feud with Jericho can serve up as an example, Fandango's gimmick is that he's cocky and full of himself but gets angry and violent when people mock his name.

[Viva]

I don't know why you guys are overthinking it. It works because it's f***ing hilarious. The guy pirouettes and poses after hitting people. It's printable money.

[Reflecto]

Even that's kind of overthinking it. Fandango works because, if nothing else, it's something DIFFERENT. Too much of the WWE is straightforward, generic guys highfiving fans [so you know they're good guys] vs. generic, straightforward guys who...talk...slow...[so you know they're bad guys.] Anyone who gives a semblance of a gimmick [Fandango, Clay, Ryder, Sandow] in this era ends up succeeding.

[Deleted]

It works because Johnny Curtis understands the art of Sports Entertainment unlike 90% of recent additions to the roster who think that all wrestling matches should be like a game of No Mercy and that character doesn't matter.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

I'd like to see more of him before we all deem him the next big thing in wrestling.

[Deleted]

Apr 12, 2013 9:34:57 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

I'd like to see more of him before we all deem him the next big thing in wrestling.

Go back and check out some NXT Redemption

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Apr 12, 2013 9:39:27 GMT -5 @graant said:

Apr 12, 2013 9:34:57 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

I'd like to see more of him before we all deem him the next big thing in wrestling.

Go back and check out some NXT Redemption

I'm talking about in this gimmick.

I watched him in NXT and I thought he was sorta bland there honestly. Solid but bland.

[Deleted]

Apr 12, 2013 0:31:44 GMT -5 tenshi said:

Question: Since when being a sociopath was a part of Fandango's character traits? Because, if his feud with Jericho can serve up as an example, Fandango's gimmick is that he's cocky and full of himself but gets angry and violent when people mock his name.

Extreme antisocial attacks on Jericho, tied in with narcissistic behaviour, and not caring what people think of him for it.

I know in wrestling that is half the guys though, but it seems sociopathic enough to me, especially with his demeanour changing from his promo coldness towards interviewers etc. "Say my name right or I'll hurt you and cost you."

[Deleted]

Apr 12, 2013 6:47:01 GMT -5 @graant said:

It works because Johnny Curtis understands the art of Sports Entertainment unlike 90% of recent additions to the roster who think that all wrestling matches should be like a game of No Mercy and that character doesn't matter.

And I think that "character doesn't matter" thing goes back to what DeanSoDisco said. There's a "who" and a "what" for characters. Example, Steve Austin in 1998:

What is he: Rebellious, hard-drinking redneck maverick.
Who is he: Laid-back and self-confident. Prone to snapping when pushed too far, and when he does, he's all Attitude. And he never backs down.

Austin's gimmick was an angry redneck guy. But as a character, Austin was hard to predict. He didn't always get into fights with people, but he had a tendency to explode when people offended him. He liked to drink beer, but it wasn't the essence of his character and wasn't shoehorned into everything.

It's a subtle difference, but it's there, and some wrestlers do know about it, including in WWE. Johnny Curtis seems to be one of those guys. And look what it's already done for him. Guy was getting booed before his first match.

[Sephiroth]

It works for the same reasons that Goldust or Val Venis worked; because the man portraying the character is a solid hand in the ring and is taking an otherwise stupid gimmick and playing it to the nines. With that said, I suspect that if the character is not evolved over time he could end up as another Boogeyman; fun for a while but getting old very fast.

[tenshi]

Apr 12, 2013 11:45:59 GMT -5 @pauledraperously said:

Apr 12, 2013 0:31:44 GMT -5 tenshi said:

Question: Since when being a sociopath was a part of Fandango's character traits? Because, if his feud with Jericho can serve up as an example, Fandango's gimmick is that he's cocky and full of himself but gets angry and violent when people mock his name.

Extreme antisocial attacks on Jericho, tied in with narcissistic behaviour, and not caring what people think of him for it.

I know in wrestling that is half the guys though, but it seems sociopathic enough to me, especially with his demeanour changing from his promo coldness towards interviewers etc. "Say my name right or I'll hurt you and cost you."

Then again, he only attacks Jericho and that can be justified because Jericho goes far and beyond to mock his name. Fandango isn't hurting everyone who doesn't say his name right, he's just attacking Jericho because he won't stand and take the jokes going his way. He's not a sociopath, he's a condescending guy who gets angry when people mock him for playing straight the fact that he has a silly name.

[Deleted]

Apr 12, 2013 12:03:07 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

Apr 12, 2013 6:47:01 GMT -5 @graant said:

It works because Johnny Curtis understands the art of Sports Entertainment unlike 90% of recent additions to the roster who think that all wrestling matches should be like a game of No Mercy and that character doesn't matter.

And I think that "character doesn't matter" thing goes back to what DeanSoDisco said. There's a "who" and a "what" for characters. Example, Steve Austin in 1998:

What is he: Rebellious, hard-drinking redneck maverick.
Who is he: Laid-back and self-confident. Prone to snapping when pushed too far, and when he does, he's all Attitude. And he never backs down.

Austin's gimmick was an angry redneck guy. But as a character, Austin was hard to predict. He didn't always get into fights with people, but he had a tendency to explode when people offended him. He liked to drink beer, but it wasn't the essence of his character and wasn't shoehorned into everything.

It's a subtle difference, but it's there, and some wrestlers do know about it, including in WWE. Johnny Curtis seems to be one of those guys. And look what it's already done for him. Guy was getting booed before his first match.

I've often thought that one of the problems in mainstream wrestling today is a lack of gimmicks, but when you start to think about it a lot of wrestlers don't even have a character. Randy Savage is a good example. "Macho Man" wasn't a gimmick, but it was a really well defined, larger-than-life character. You could say the same about the rest of the greats, like Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and it goes on and on. They weren't mounties or zombies or clowns, but they were characters.

What is Randy Orton's character? "Angry man who talks slowly?"

I don't think the blame lies on the performers as much as it does on the creative team. When everyone has scripted promos, everyone sounds like the same person. Once a character is established, they practically write themselves. How would Bret Hart or Dusty Rhodes react to a situation? It's easy to imagine. How would Sheamus or Alex Riley react? It's not so easy now.

[Joe Neglia]

Apr 12, 2013 11:45:59 GMT -5 @pauledraperously said:

Apr 12, 2013 0:31:44 GMT -5 tenshi said:

Question: Since when being a sociopath was a part of Fandango's character traits? Because, if his feud with Jericho can serve up as an example, Fandango's gimmick is that he's cocky and full of himself but gets angry and violent when people mock his name.

Extreme antisocial attacks on Jericho, tied in with narcissistic behaviour, and not caring what people think of him for it.

But he *does* care what people think, hence the constant correction of his name's pronunciation and him getting irritated by Jericho's trolling. He's - IMHO - not a sociopath but a psychopath.

[Hit Girl]

A skilled wrestler with a good look. A distinctive flashy, eye-catching gimmick, an instantly recognisable theme, a hot babe obviously talented herself who is distinct from the typical "Divas" as a valet, and a cocky attitude, and it takes advantage of the popularity of Dancing With The Stars/Strictly Come Dancing.

It's what happens when WWE actually put some effort and thought into a wrestler's persona and show some awareness of pop culture.