10 WWE Attempts To Capitalise On Popular Culture

From his recent teaming with the lackadaisical Shinsuke Nakamura, to his ascent to the top of the card with Sheamus as The Bar, few wrestlers have succeeded in as much but achieved as little as WWE’s ‘Swiss Superman’ Cesaro. Boasting technical prowess, a powerhouse strength, and a continued level of goodwill from WWE’s fanbase, Cesaro appears to have it all, and yet has never surpassed frustrating mediocrity when searching for a solo career.

Cesaro’s lack of singles push could be attributed to his underwhelming performances in promos; a wrestler who cannot reach that imaginary brass ring because he lacks the charisma that Vince McMahon is seeking. However, a major part of the blame could be attributed to what Cesaro is presented with. On the 4 April 2016 episode of Raw, Cesaro made his return from injury with the most threadbare of new gimmicks: a James Bond gun barrel titantron and a cheap tearaway suit.

A case of spoofing popular culture for no conceivable profit, Cesaro would play espionage dress up for his entrance well into 2017, with little explanation behind the change, and no promo time to explain his persona. This was nothing new for the superstar, who, when in need of a change, has been given very little, with WWE prompting fans to create a ‘Cesaro section’ or ‘The Swiss Cyborg’ moving from trunks to quarter length trousers in search of a character.

We have heard many times of Vince McMahon’s belief that wrestlers should be an exaggerated version of themselves, but with no effort, thought or reason put into Cesaro’s Bond persona, the Swiss International Man of Mystery looked pretty silly pulling his trousers off every week, appearing to reference Magic Mike rather than Daniel Craig.