On the 25 June, WWE announced another mass release of talent in their company. This included the Bollywood Boys, Tony Nese, Tyler Breeze and Fandango. Tyler Breeze was a huge loss, as he was an integral part of the WWE Youtube channel “UpUpDownDown”. He and Austin Creed (Xavier Woods) have each posted Instagram posts about how much they will miss each other. Fandango, his tag team partner, is also a huge loss and I think Fandango to AEW is a must have signing.
Fandango to AEW?
Fandago should be the next big signing for AEW. Some may argue that the AEW is bloated and is overflowing with talent, but I disagree. While AEW has some of the best in ring talent in the world (Kenny Omega, Andrade, Christian Cage) they could do with some extra wrestlers who have mastered character work.
Fandango, whilst also being great in ring, is one of the best characters in WWE in the last 10 years. From dancing with Summer Rae, to his ill fated heel turn, to his incredible tag team with Tyler Breeze, and to the legendary Fashion Files, Fandango has been one of the most entertaining men on the roster. His consistency in his character has been incredible too, with the Fandango character instantly recognizable in just his mannerisms.
So, lets look at the reasons why Fandango should be AEW’s next big signing.
Character Work
Even though he won’t be able to use the Fandango name, Fandango has mastered the art of his character in WWE.
He entered the WWE as a contestant on the awful NXT gameshow version as “Dirty” Johnny Curtis. Fandango played an early incarnation of the Fandango character, where he was still a sexual deviant character, but without the constant gyrating. He has such moment such as when he Chloroformed Matt Striker and hid him inside of a box once he was passed out.
Becoming Fandango changed everything. He returned before Wrestlemania 29, and beat Chris Jericho at that years show. It was via roll up, and Jericho later got his win back, but his arrogant dancer character was a natural evolution from the Curtis character.
His later team with Breeze would show his real acting chops. The hugely entertaining Fashion Files showed his skills as a comedic actor. Playing the ditzy, stupid but incredibly confident character suited Fandango to a tee. He retained the “Sexual Deviant” traits from Johnny Curtis, but somehow transitioned into a policeman while retaining them.
Being the Elite
The Fashion Files has shown how much of an asset he would be on Youtube shows like “Being the Elite”
The 10 minute short on Smackdown in 2016/17 was the highlight of WWE all week. Breeze and Fandango solved mysteries like “Who threw the pie at Kevin Owens” and “Who stole Fandango’s horse Tully?”.
Fashion Files were the highlight of Smackdown in those golden years of Smackdown. I stayed up late many a night, til 3 am to see what Breeze and Office Dango would get up to.
They even managed the impossible; making The Ascension entertaining the watch.
The fact that the Fashion Police never got the tag team gold on the main roster is a crime, and one that will go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in wrestling history.
Fashion Files showed that Fandango could achieve the same success of AEW’s vlog series, such as Being the Elite and Sammy’s Vlog. He has the comedic timing and creativity to make anything hilarious, and would be an asset wherever he is sued.
Ring Work
While Fandango might not be pulling off classics like Dusty Rhodes vs Ric Flair, he is still a solid in ring talent with lots to offer.
His stint in NXT with Breeze showed that he could go with the best of the talent in WWE. They performed well in great matches against the likes of Imperium, Undisputed Era and Burch and Lorcen.
They briefly held the NXT tag team championship proudly and showed everyone why they are one of the premier tag teams in the world.
So, what do you think? Should Fandango be the latest man Tony Khan signs for AEW? Let us know in the comments!
Written by Hamish Woodward of Atletifo Sports.
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