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| Photo Credit: LindseyHauser/Sunset Flip Photography |
Well, the dream had to die somewhere, right? The hope that was given on his first NXT appearance in his old gear when he danced with Brodus Clay was false. El Generico has unmasked. This is a hard pill to swallow for fans who have been following the man for as long as I have, and even moreso for those who've been following him longer. Still, I don't necessarily think that I'll be wallowing in this sadness for too long. I mean, the mask may be gone, but really, was that the reason why we all loved the artist formerly known as El Generico? Baise non.
The beauty of Generico was that he wasn't so much the best babyface wrestler on the independent circuit, but he was more of the elemental good guy, the avatar of babyfacedom if you will. The moment his theme hit, he struck instant rapport with the fans. He was energetic, interactive, fun, spry, and sympathetic. When he got his ass kicked in the ring, he really got his ass kicked in the ring. When it came time to come back, the dude hit fast and strong, always with a nod to the crowd who had gotten him back up to his feet. I don't wanna make a generalized statement or throw shade on people who think the way I'm about to describe, but if you only liked Generico for the mask, I might find you a bit, I don't know, shallow?
That doesn't even begin to get into what he brings to the table as a wrestler. Obviously, he won't be doing the things that brought his own brand of sizzle on the indies in WWE. It's just too high-impact for their liking. However, it wasn't just the BRAINBUSTAAAAAAHHHHH!!!s and the half-n-half suplexes that defined Generico as a wrestler. If you want a taste of it, seek out PWG Death to All but Metal and watch his main event with Ricochet. Or check out Chikara's Hot off the Griddle and that main event against Sara del Rey. Both are amazing displays of psychology, things that translate over to the WWE ring just as easily as a straight punch or a short kick.
Anyway, he wrestled under his real name of Rami Sebei last night, which is also more than probably not permanent. WWE doesn't like to let a guy wrestle without owning the name, and even they're not THAT callous that they'd copyright his birthname right from under him, right? Right? Even more awesome, he teamed with Kassius Ohno, a reunion of sorts (although I'm not sure if they ever were on the same team in the indies... can I get a fact check over here?) against the Wyatt Family, which included Luke Harper. As an aside, Sebei rocked a damn fine beard, one that catapults him up the leaderboard for best wrestling beard with, coincidentally enough, Ohno and Harper among others. Is there anything he can't do?
Well, I'll tell you what I think he can't do, and that's fail. You can have your doubts as to whether taking the mask off him is a good idea or not. I'm not a mind reader or a Nate Silver-level projector. I can't begin to tell you whether Sebei, under whatever name the NXT Name Generator gives him, will succeed or fail in WWE. What I will say, though, is that if I were a betting man, I'd have to say the odds are greatly in his favor for success. I wouldn't bet against him, and no matter what duress you'd put me under, I would never give the advice to anyone to place chips against him. The man is a born wrestler, and born wrestlers like him find ways to make it, whether with a familiar mask or not.
The beauty of Generico was that he wasn't so much the best babyface wrestler on the independent circuit, but he was more of the elemental good guy, the avatar of babyfacedom if you will. The moment his theme hit, he struck instant rapport with the fans. He was energetic, interactive, fun, spry, and sympathetic. When he got his ass kicked in the ring, he really got his ass kicked in the ring. When it came time to come back, the dude hit fast and strong, always with a nod to the crowd who had gotten him back up to his feet. I don't wanna make a generalized statement or throw shade on people who think the way I'm about to describe, but if you only liked Generico for the mask, I might find you a bit, I don't know, shallow?
That doesn't even begin to get into what he brings to the table as a wrestler. Obviously, he won't be doing the things that brought his own brand of sizzle on the indies in WWE. It's just too high-impact for their liking. However, it wasn't just the BRAINBUSTAAAAAAHHHHH!!!s and the half-n-half suplexes that defined Generico as a wrestler. If you want a taste of it, seek out PWG Death to All but Metal and watch his main event with Ricochet. Or check out Chikara's Hot off the Griddle and that main event against Sara del Rey. Both are amazing displays of psychology, things that translate over to the WWE ring just as easily as a straight punch or a short kick.
Anyway, he wrestled under his real name of Rami Sebei last night, which is also more than probably not permanent. WWE doesn't like to let a guy wrestle without owning the name, and even they're not THAT callous that they'd copyright his birthname right from under him, right? Right? Even more awesome, he teamed with Kassius Ohno, a reunion of sorts (although I'm not sure if they ever were on the same team in the indies... can I get a fact check over here?) against the Wyatt Family, which included Luke Harper. As an aside, Sebei rocked a damn fine beard, one that catapults him up the leaderboard for best wrestling beard with, coincidentally enough, Ohno and Harper among others. Is there anything he can't do?
Well, I'll tell you what I think he can't do, and that's fail. You can have your doubts as to whether taking the mask off him is a good idea or not. I'm not a mind reader or a Nate Silver-level projector. I can't begin to tell you whether Sebei, under whatever name the NXT Name Generator gives him, will succeed or fail in WWE. What I will say, though, is that if I were a betting man, I'd have to say the odds are greatly in his favor for success. I wouldn't bet against him, and no matter what duress you'd put me under, I would never give the advice to anyone to place chips against him. The man is a born wrestler, and born wrestlers like him find ways to make it, whether with a familiar mask or not.