Curtis Axel

[AZUCAR!]

So, Michael McGillicutty is no more, they've re-packaged Joe Hennig as Curtis Axel and paired him with Paul Heyman as the newest Paul Heyman Guy. With obviously the Curt part of his new name paying homage to his father 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig and the Axel part paying homage to his grandfather, Larry 'The Axe' Hennig.

So yeah, what are people's thoughts on this pairing?

At first I was expecting someone big to be announced as the newest Paul Heyman Guy. There were rumors of RVD being at Raw and going onto being announced as the newest Heyman guy, but RVD can't play a heel so I was quite relieved when it wasn't him. If they're going to bring RVD back to WWE, they can have him a singles wrestler and not be paired with anyone in a group. But getting back to the topic, I was quite suprised & burst out laughing when Hennig walked out, especially because he's been on the main roster now for a few years and WWE haven't really done anything decent with him. He's been on NXT, Superstars etc, but I think this pairing has the potential to work out.

He's got a really good speaker in Heyman who can do all the talking for him if necessary, he wrestled his first main event on Raw against Triple H as well last night and faired well & he got a win too, all be it through a count out, but still, he won on his debut against Triple H (not many people i'm sure can say that). The future does seem bright for Curtis Axel working with Heyman, and then he can potentially end up working with Punk when he ends up returning from his break and Lesnar if possible too.

One thing that interests me is will he continue to work with Triple H until Lesnar returns again, and we get 1 possible final match between Lesnar and Triple H or will he work with someone else? Time will tell...

 

[Troy]

Finally they got rid of that ridiculous name. Not completely sold on the new name yet but at least it hints towards his legacy. He has been given a great opportunity though to be teamed with Paul Heyman and to start off with a match against HHH. Heyman as his mouthpiece is a great move since his promos and personality have never been his strong point. Heyman has a great track record managing and will be able to teach him a lot and hopefully get the best out of him. Gives him instant heel heat and hopefully they can create something out of him.

 

[We Are Legion]

I'm really not buying it and I seriously doubt this run is going to work. For one, this guy hasn't been seen on television in months, and now he suddenly appears next to Paul Heyman and I'm supposed to believe this guy is a legit contender just because he's a third generation wrestler? I'm not buying it and I really doubt many other people are going to buy him either. This whole thing was just handled so wrong.

Maybe if he was around for a month or so prior to joining Heyman, quietly but steadily picking up wins and this whole thing wasn't completely out of left field, I'd probably be able to buy it more. But I really doubt he'll have any more success than Drew McIntyre did because this is essentially just WWE saying once again "This is who you SHOULD be taking seriously" all of a sudden, without any prior track record. That has never worked and it won't just magically work now. It didn't even work with Rocky Miavia ffs. No one wanted to see this guy his entire WWE career up to this point. And when you look at the likes of Ted DiBiase Jr, DH Smith, Natalya, the Usos, and Snuka's kid (can't even remember his name), having a good pedigree doesn't really help you automatically, but for some strange reason WWE thinks it will this time.

Pretty sure this is just a temporary fix until Punk returns. I bet anything that as soon as Punk does show back up, Joe Michael Curt(is) Axel MxGuillicutty Hennig will immediately become second fiddle to that equation and gradually phase out completely like Festus did in the SES equation.

 

[ThatGuyFromNukemHigh]

Great, now he has a Rocky Miavia name.

The guy has had basically nothing to do since he feuded with Kidd on NXT, so I am glad that they are doing something with him. Hopefully Heyman can teach him how to build an effective promo, because honestly, that's all he needs to learn at this point.

I cant wait to see what direction they go with him, would be cool to see Punk & Lesnar with the WWE WHC, Axel with the IC, and possibly have Shield join Heyman Inc.

 

[We Are Legion]

I really wouldn't hold your breath on him getting better at promos. That is a talent that you either have or you don't and Hennig doesn't have it. By the time these guys make it to WWE television the first time, they've already had all the training and repetition they need to at least be decent at it, but Hennig is seriously on John Morrison levels of awful. The only thing he can really work on at this point is to hide his weaknesses, but that's really not something that will always be under his control. And if he ever has to share mic time with Punk... GOOD. GOD. I pray for his sake that never happens.

 

[punk13]

Meh, ok surprise, kinda indifferent to him. Hope he shines though.

 

[ThatGuyFromNukemHigh]

There are some names who have excelled at shooting after being on the main roster for a while. Dwayne Johnson comes to mind. Sometimes a gimmick change is all it takes to see the real potential.

 

[Vita]

a name change is not a gimmick change.

 

[ThatGuyFromNukemHigh]

There is more than just the name, finally they are accepting his heritage. Also, I cant really say he even had a gimmick since the New Nexus. He does now, the 3rd generation HENNIG.

 

[Rated R Superstar]

It's only one showing and match, I'd say give it time before we make any calls on it.

 

[Weez]

I hope the name will grow on me but initially, I hate this shit. I respect the nod to his parentage but god, all I can think of is Beverly Hills Cop. I understand I'm in the minority there, so it's cool.

Hennig can WORK. He's a solid hand in the ring. FFS get an new finisher. Much like the comparison to Morrison earlier, that Neckbreaker shit ain't going to cut it on REAL TV. Moonlight Drive? McGuillicutter? Whatever. Get something new lol.

But I'm willing to give the guy a chance. Funny, I remember the WWE '12 (I believe) Roster Reveal at Summerslam a couple years ago. Orton was in the ring with Cory Ledesma, and started talking about all the people in the game. I remember him just going "off script" and saying something like "Ya know, I think it's crap that we can't just call him Joe Hennig."

 

[~Fallen Angel~]

I would like him to succeed because I liked his father a lot.

 

[Jimmy King]

I liked him during his NXT run last year, and his matches with Tyson Kidd were really good.

I'm happy to see him get a chance, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with it. Plus, that theme music was pretty sweet.

 

[Luke Flywalker]

I really wouldn't hold your breath on him getting better at promos. That is a talent that you either have or you don't and Hennig doesn't have it. By the time these guys make it to WWE television the first time, they've already had all the training and repetition they need to at least be decent at it, but Hennig is seriously on John Morrison levels of awful. The only thing he can really work on at this point is to hide his weaknesses, but that's really not something that will always be under his control. And if he ever has to share mic time with Punk... GOOD. GOD. I pray for his sake that never happens.

False. Steve Austin wasn't the greatest promo in WCW but went on to be the best promo in the entire business. HBK wasn't so good on the mic really until he hit the goldmine of DX. Kane was a lousy promo in his gimmicks before becoming Kane... he especially made great strides during his World Heavyweight Championship run. Undertaker wasn't a good promo, now he generally holds his own on the mic. Mark Henry used to be a complete joke on the microphone and now he's pretty damn good at it. JBL. Big Show. Edge. Christian. The Miz. Kurt Angle. It's actually the complete opposite of what you explained... generally, time and experience breeds a better promo. Also doesn't hurt to have a character that is more you than WWE creative's development of what they want you to be for them.

 

[Chris]

Not a fan of the name at all, honestly preferred McGillicutty, but I'll overlook it if it means this guy finally gets his chance because it's long overdue. He's one of the best ring workers in all of WWE, his matches with Kidd were straight orgasmic. I also don't find him that bad at promos, and now everyone's going to link me to that horrid "Genesis" one because a promo three years ago is how we should judge the guy instead of the ones he was cutting on NXT in 2011-2012 that were at worst alright, but most were pretty good.

EDIT: Also dat theme music