The character of Bo Dallas has always been upbeat and motivated, but when he debuted in NXT, he was actually a babyface. Needless to say, the character rubbed fans the wrong way, and as his push grew, NXT fans began to resent him more and more. Dallas defeated Big E to capture the NXT Championship in 2013, but the backlash saw fans in attendance at future Dallas matches literally stand up and turn their backs to the ring while the champion competed. NXT decision-makers bit the bullet and turned Dallas heel, tweaking the character to make his positivity even more overbearing and obnoxious. The fans continued to hate Dallas, but it was okay - he became a fairly successful heel champion, and those who followed his journey typically agreed that he handled the turn well and it made sense on television. When Dallas debuted on the main roster, he kept the exact same heel character. This time, though, the fans weren't familiar with his personality arc, and that - combined with the fact that his promos were kept very short and were nearly identical week to week - made him seem like a generic obnoxious heel. Fans were tepid on the character, and in the year and a half since he's debuted in WWE, Dallas hasn't done anything meaningful. While he was never the most talented or charismatic NXT alumnus, it's depressing to think about just how little the company has tried to do with him since he left the developmental brand.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
