2 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE NXT (Jan 11, 2017)
2. A Stark Drift In Quality
The only thing Elias Samson is drifting towards, tediously, is an entry on a “Worst Gimmicks Of The Decade” list three years from now.
Is it the very worst? The Shooting Stars tandem is the most inexplicable, to be sure. Even Duke ‘The Dumpster’ Droese, arguably the New Generation’s most naff occupational gimmick, was grounded on some logic - he was gonna put his opponents in the trash! - but Messrs. Primo and Epico are just tourist guides for an area mainland Americans are apahetic towards. It’s not as if they’re imploring people to go to Russia. Alberto Del Rio’s short-lived Mexamerica schtick ran a close second - but Samson’s caterwauling is top five, at least. He can barely sing - but even if he could, the act is much too atonal for wrestling. His droning is far, far removed from The Rock’s hilarious strumming disses.
His short match with Jonathan Cruz was never likely to amount to anything beyond a squash - but its raison d'être was undermined by the character’s unrelenting awfulness. We were meant to receive him as a destroyer - but the only thing the man is destroying is the firm bond fans share with the brand.
The Full Sail crowd are notoriously annoying - but their chant of “You’re not cryptic!” was hilariously on-point.