Eugene

[The One]

I don't know...I just don't know. On one hand thank you Vince & CO for doing the right thing and not making him lose everything and allowing Nick (Eugene's real name) for doing some ring work, but I am not sure this is right. When Tajiri or TAKA play of Japanese stero-types it is kind of funny yet still they are Japanese so it isn't offensive. Nick Dinsmore is not mentally challenged so I don't know if this is right to play off sterotypes to make a few bucks...

Also I was thinking I can't wait until Eugene gets tired and Nick Dinsmore comes back with a whole new gimmick and we all have to pretend we don't remember Eugene...just like our old dentist friend... :p

[Wildcat789]

Problem is, nobody forgets gimmicks like this. Nick Dinsmore will be stuck as the retard for the rest of his career, just like John Cena will be stuck as the white rapper, and the Undertaker will be stuck...well...dead.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I beg to differ.

Firstly, they've never actually came out and said that Eugene was retarded, so to speak. That's just kind of the conclusion we have all come to using the stereotypes that we have of retarded people. Kai En Tai went around waving a friggin' Japanese flag. You KNEW they were Japanese. Eugene, on the other hand, has NEVER been referred to as 'retarded', only 'special'. Anybody can be special, retarded or otherwise.

As far as the gimmick being stuck on him, I think that if done correctly, the gimmick could eventually turn Nick Dinsmore into a brutal heel. I can't wait for the day when Eugene gets pissed off, turns his jacket the right way, and reveals to the fans that he's not what they thought he was. People will boo him like crazy.

Ya know?

[Ferocious]

Problem is, nobody forgets gimmicks like this. Nick Dinsmore will be stuck as the retard for the rest of his career, just like John Cena will be stuck as the white rapper, and the Undertaker will be stuck...well...dead.
Actually John Cena is going to be starting with his new Pirate gimmick very shortly.

Stay in the back, Long John Cena's coming through.

[Mayo]

I concur with Anybody Thrilla. This can set up a huge heel turn one day, when he tells all the fans that they fell for it all along, and felt sympathy for Dinsmore because he was special. They just cant let it go on for a really long time because then the gimmick would really be stuck on him, and fans wouldn't see the point of him playing as a 'special' for such a long time. His current gimmick shouldn't last longer than three more months, and even that is probably too long.

[HeartBreakMan2k]

Problem is, nobody forgets gimmicks like this. Nick Dinsmore will be stuck as the retard for the rest of his career, just like John Cena will be stuck as the white rapper, and the Undertaker will be stuck...well...dead.

I agree with Wildcat honestly. I was saying the same thing in the John Cena thread, there are some gimmicks that you just can't shake. Cena's is slowly becoming one (and will become one if he doesn't change it up a little). Kane, Undertaker both are, and unfortunently for Nick, Eugene is too.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I agree with Wildcat honestly. I was saying the same thing in the John Cena thread, there are some gimmicks that you just can't shake. Cena's is slowly becoming one (and will become one if he doesn't change it up a little). Kane, Undertaker both are, and unfortunently for Nick, Eugene is too.

Kane and Undertaker both are? I'm assuming there's no difference between a zombie sorta douche bag and a bad ass biker douche bag?

And Kane's hardly the same now, either.

[HeartBreakMan2k]

I don't mean their character will never change. I mean the fans will never forget that's who they were.

Look at Val Venis, Val was Chief Morley, but all the fans still considered him a pornstar. Godfather, unless you put make up or a mask on him, he'll always be the Godfather. Taker is an example, hell even Taz called him the Phenom when he was the biker. Kane will never not be Kane.

You can change the character, the name of the character, whatever but you can't change what the fans associate you with.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Well all right, but still, all I was saying originally was that being associated with being 'special' may work out to Dinsmore's advantage. He could get mega heel heat for being that despicable. Turning him a face again after Eugene, though...that could be a toughy.

[Ferocious]

Look at JR he's been stuck in the same gimmick for years.

[The Icon of Elisim]

The only way for the Eugene gimmick to be broken is to break kayfabe.

[Marty]

I think wrestlers' gimmicks can totally be changed. Most fans have very short attention spans. Examples of successful gimmick changes;

Gothic Edge -> surfer dude Edge,
Drunken Bradshaw -> capitalist JBL,
Silent Samoan Fatu -> dancing Rikishi,
Nice Guy Bret Hart -> racist Bret Hart,
Makind <--> Cactus Jack <--> Dude Love
Deadman Undertaker -> 'Badass' Undertaker,

and the biggest 2 gimmicks of my wrestling life:
Hulkamania Hulk Hogan -> 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan.
Sell Out, Corporate Ringmaster -> Anti-establishment Stone Cold

Eugene could definately pull off a character change. Why not? No-one's said he's disabled; it's all implied. It would be no more unbelievable than the tweaking of the above characters.




Godfather, unless you put make up or a mask on him, he'll always be the Godfather... You can change the character, the name of the character, whatever but you can't change what the fans associate you with.

Surely the fact you relate to that guy as The Godfather rather than as Kama/Papa Shango disproves your own point. He feuded in high-profile angles against HBK, Undertaker and Ultimate Warrior. Yet it's his most recent, arguably least high-profile gimmick that you remember. The fans had no problem associating him as a pimp although we had seen him as a voodoo and an ultimate fighter.

[HeartBreakMan2k]

Surely the fact you relate to that guy as The Godfather rather than as Kama/Papa Shango disproves your own point. He feuded in high-profile angles against HBK, Undertaker and Ultimate Warrior. Yet it's his most recent, arguably least high-profile gimmick that you remember. The fans had no problem associating him as a pimp although we had seen him as a voodoo and an ultimate fighter.

Don't get me wrong, personally I associate the him as Papa Shango. But here's what you have to realize, he was The Godfather when the WWE picked up a large portion of their fan base. No one knows he was Papa Shango, very few people realize he's Kama. And I disagree, as far as fan fair goes, Godfather was him best gimmick in terms of gaining fans.

[HeartBreakMan2k]

The only way for the Eugene gimmick to be broken is to break kayfabe.
:y:

[mitch_h]

The only thing I really like about Eugene is that it finally gives Nick Dinsmore the chance to wrestle on WWE TV. I mean he spent like what... 9 years in OVW and never got a chance because he didn't really have the "look." But he is incredibly talented and deserves to be on TV so i'm kinda mixed on the whole Eugene gimmick.

[Doink]

injure him, he's out for a few months, people start to forget about him, then bang, he wears trousers instead of trunks, he has a shaved head, and he walks properly and uses his own name, all they need to do is hype him up a bit before he comes back and people will get use to the new character and forget about eugine.

if not he is currently with william regal, he could be seen to be giving him elacution lessons and then again in a few months he can span out on his own and then heel turn or something.

also people seem to forget that tajeri was another who started out under the wing of william regal when he first started, he was only an apprentice personnal advisor to regal awho couldnt fight at first and now he's the japanese buzzsaw

so it can be done ill admit i remeber papa shango but didnt remember it was the godfather until i thought about it and now i realise it was the same guy.

like someone else said,bradshaw was a beer drinking moron now hes a racist moron so you can change the charactor even if it does make them worse than they already were

[Xero]

also people seem to forget that tajeri was another who started out under the wing of william regal when he first started, he was only an apprentice personnal advisor to regal awho couldnt fight at first and now he's the japanese buzzsaw

He was the Japanese Buzzsaw in ECW, but I see where your coming from, a WWE standpoint...

One way to turn Eugene is to have him turn on Regal, after a real Regal/Eugene friendship is established... Turn him by attacking Regal in a big tag match (Maybe at a PPV), then the next show have him come out normal and admit that he and Bischoff were working together... The only thing we'd need there is to have a reason for Bischoff to hate Regal enough to do this, and it would have to have started BEFORE the Eugene gimmick...

[Rob]

I actually think that when the time comes, there is a good storyline in Eugene turning heel when he pretends he has been a retard all along but is really a psycho. Kinda like Edward Norton in Primal Fear.

[Londoner]

You can easily change his character, it just takes some creativity to do so,and i disagree with the point that they wont forget who eugene is, people forgot who the rock was when he was in the nation of domination didn't they? Well not entirely forgot about it but it doesn't relate to his gimmick or character anymore does it?
I think the same will happen to john cena now, i saw his promo with Booker T on smackdown! and for once he wasn't actually rapping!Only thing is he was making himself look stupid and childish but managed to make Booker T look stupid aswell which is good enough i guess, but i think were starting to see a new John Cena now.
I agree with the Eugene heel turn but use his proper name and not eugene, that bit is crucial to the heel turn, im not sure whether i would leave him off screen for a few months to do it though, people might not really care if that happens. It would have to be done instantly i think.

[Doink]

He was the Japanese Buzzsaw in ECW, but I see where your coming from, a WWE standpoint...

One way to turn Eugene is to have him turn on Regal, after a real Regal/Eugene friendship is established... Turn him by attacking Regal in a big tag match (Maybe at a PPV), then the next show have him come out normal and admit that he and Bischoff were working together... The only thing we'd need there is to have a reason for Bischoff to hate Regal enough to do this, and it would have to have started BEFORE the Eugene gimmick...

didnt know about ecw name but you got my point which is a good thing!

Regal was a good european champion, maybe their feud could be something to do with regal wanting the belt to be brought back and Bischoff doesnt or the fact that he's english and bisclff doesnt like his opinions etc.

the point is eugine could heel turn and it is possible and there are many ways in which they could do it.

[.44 Magdalene]

injure him, he's out for a few months, people start to forget about him, then bang, he wears trousers instead of trunks, he has a shaved head, and he walks properly and uses his own name, all they need to do is hype him up a bit before he comes back and people will get use to the new character and forget about eugine.

:y:

[The Show Off]

First and foremost Eugene isn't offensive, he's just playing a character....

Now that that's out of the way, I got a good way to turn Eugene heel that will use a lot of what people said in this thread. I think that for the WWE to turn him heel they first have to establish the Regal-Eugene friendship, perhaps give those two the tag titles say by Summerslam. Then around Survivor Series start having Eugene start acting weird, like roaming around in the background when people are cutting promos, or during crutial backstage segments. Then you start having times when Eugene disappear every once and awhile. You have this go on until Royal Rumble where Eugene turns on Regal. We then reveal that Eugene has been spy for Bishoff to maintain control of his show, but you have Eugene stay off of television for a few weeks making people wonder if Eric is telling the truth.

After 2 or 3 weeks you have Eugene show up and say that he's been playing a character these past few months and that his name is actually Nick Dinsmore. He then goes on to talk about how he feels horrible for how he treated Regal over the past months being false to him and all. He then calls Regal out to appologize. Regal at first wants nothing to do Nick Dinsmore but finally comes out and hears him out. Regal then listens to what Nick wants to say but he just says "I'm sorry but I just can't trust you." As Regal then begins to leave the ring he's blind sided by Dinsmore.

Nick then goes on to talk about how Regal used to treat him like a joke and a little kid and he's sick of being is perverbale younger brother... thus setting up a match at Wrestlemania XXI

[6to1]

when i see him i think of george steal, his role was a bald retard that is what eugene is