WWE should repackage Curtis Axel as Joe Hennig
Curtis Axel has a mild success after joining the WWE back in 2007, he would make his WWE debut in on the second season of NXT back in 2010 as Michael McGillicutty, Axel was apart of The Nexus with CM Punk, but then went back down to NXT before reemerging in 2013 as Curtis Axel.
He has held the WWE Tag Team Titles with David Otunga, and also been WWE Intercontinental Champion but as Curtis Axel a name that pays homage to his father Curt Hennig, and Grandfather Larry “The Ax” Hernnig he has not found his niche to connect with the fans.
The WWE had put Axel with Ryback and Paul Heyman to try and start to get him over, but that has yet to really appeal with the WWE fans as well. Axel has proven he has charisma, microphone skills and the ability to work a match.
It might be that the WWE would probably respond more if Curtis Axel reverted to his actual name of Joe Hennig and pushed him more as that than the current direction. The WWE then could potentially start to invest some more time in getting Axel over with the fans and cash in on the popularity his father and his grandfather once had.
This could also have them work on a suitable gimmick for Joe Hennig to start to get over, as both Michael McGillicutty and Curtis Axel have failed to really gain any sort of momentum and they need to do something.
The alternative for the WWE is to release him and let him get some momentum of a gimmick on the indy scene before having him come back. It has worked in the past for some, Shannon Moore had left the WWE and went to TNA before finding the Prince of Punk gimmick, coming back to the WWE but they failed to catch on there and he went back to TNA.
Matt Morgan also found a way to get over after leaving the WWE, but as soon as he left TNA he left the business altogether. It’s time for the WWE to look at something that is going to make the character to start to take off with the fans, and also for them to be able to push forward.
At present the Curtis Axel is just going through the motions hasn’t really been in a good feud or storyline for a bit and seems to be going nowhere. The WWE had tried the Social Outcasts but that didn’t seem to really catch on and after the brand split it was soon forgotten.
Most of the social outcasts have struggled to find themselves a spot within the company of late, though Heath Slater and Rhino have had a good run on Smackdown, the rest not so much. Bo Dallas pops up from time to time but gets mown down.
Even Fandango who started off with a bang and looked to be going places has started to become forgotten after the feud over Summer Rae and Layla had come to an end. He and Curtis Axel ar ein need of something to refresh them.
Fandango had a good storyline on NXT when he was feuding with Derrick Bateman, before his main roster call up he was also doing a bit of gimmick before he became Fandango and that was soon forgotten. Bateman now appears in TNA as Ethan Carter III and has been thriving now that he has been given a massive chance within the company.
Both men are in severe need of a new direction, new gimmicks, and feuds and storylines that are going to take them forward. Johnny Curtis had himself a good storyline going with Bateman who now appears on Impact as Ethan Carter III. But became Fandango on the main roster, where he had a feud with Jericho for a bit, and feuded with his valet as well.
With the new roster split it could open up new doors for these two but they needed to be repackaged and then the WWE cane being trying to get them both over under new guises. It’s quite possible that both men could become released when the WWE starts it’s next round of releases.
But Joe Hennig has a lot to offer the WWE if they would make him become Joe Hennig and find a way to push him based on his wrestling heritage. It would be a shame to see him released from the WWE.
