On Monday night,WWEunveiled a new superstar to our screens whenEl Grande Americanomade his debut onRAW on Netflix. The grainy footage of this mysterious luchador revealed that he was on top of the world at one time, becoming an international sensation - only to have his career upended by his rivals. After being blacklisted from the sport, he had been in exile for years. But now, he’s ready to unleash his skills on his fellow competitors in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Of course, this is all very facetious, as fans are well aware that the story of Americano is a made-up character with a carefully produced ‘history’. Underneath the facade isWWE veteran and former Olympian Chad Gable, who has gone through a lucha libre ‘transformation’ according to his current storyline. On-screen, however, Gable vehemently denies being the man under the mask, going as far as presenting a medial certificate that ‘proved’ he could not compete during the night.
Seeing Gable, a legitimate amateur star and one of the finest technical wrestlers in the world,embracing the comedy aspect of professional wrestling has been refreshing. Over the past few years, he has played an almost geeky, overtly awkward character on WWE programming. But this alter ego - built around a true rivalry with some laughs weaved in -could very well be the biggest break of his career. At the same time, it could be a boon for WWE, as well.
A Great In-Ring Performer, He Needed to Add a New Wrinkle to His Persona
As mentioned, Gable could likely wrestle circles around just about any of his contemporaries. However, he’s never really had the look or the hook to get him over the hump as a character. This current angle is a chance for him to evolve completely as a character, with the Mexican wrestling angle being played to the hilt.
It’s a fork in the road for Gable, 39, who is in the midst of his prime years as a performer. After initially being booked as a tag team standout with former partner Jason Jordan, his career trajectory got thrown a curve after Jordan was permanently injured and retired from in-ring action. Since then, he’s led a couple of factions and had one unfortunate foray into an alternate character withone of the worst ring names ever.
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Sidelined with one of WWE’s worst gimmicks ever as Shorty G, he was mired in the lower to mid-card during the end of the Vince McMahon regime. After that dreadful persona was ditched, he has worked steadily as a mid-card heel ever since. His teaming with Otis and forming Alpha Academy helped solidify him as a much better orator than many originally believed. However, Gable still notably lacks accomplishments, ashe has never won a singles championshipduring his WWE tenure.
Considering that he proved without a shadow of a doubt that he has both the in-ring skills and the ability to cut promos and entertain on camera, Gable’s lack of championships or main event spots has led to a well-deserved definition of underrated. Now, he’s ready to take a huge step forward. Or, in the case of this high-flying luchador, a gigantic leap.
For all his incredible achievements, Gable has yet to find a lot of singles success. He’s transformed from a tag team specialist into a more than capable one-on-one performer. But due to several factors - most notably his size - he’s never been viewed in the same way the company saw fellow OlympianKurt Angle. He hasn’t been penciled in as ‘the guy’ ever in his entire WWE tenure.
Recently, he has garnered a lot of television time simply by being the annoying manager of his latest charges, American Made. Now, he’s become obsessed with the aura of lucha libre and why he’s been so confounded by fellow stars like Rey Mysterio Jr. and Dragon Lee.As Gable has grown more as a performer, he’s shown that he has the acting ability and comedy chops to pull the whole thing off.And for WWE right now, he’s much more valuable if he can prove that he can pull this gimmick off. If he does, it will be one of the most refreshing (and humorous) angles we’ve seen in the promotion for a while now.
The WWE Needs a Great Comedy Act More Than Another Champion
Gable Has Shifted From a Pure Technician to a Capable Character
During WWE’s highest points of success, the company has always presented its product with a mix of both sincerity and satire. Yes, they want you to respect the performers for their talents and the action in the ring, but they have always embraced moments where they can sprinkle in a little bit of levity. This tongue-in-cheek approach has been effective, as it lets the crowd ‘in on the joke’, so to speak.
Whether it was Mick Foley embracing multiple personalities orSantino Marella transforming into a slapstick act(and a female, at times), the promotion has always focused on developing characters who can make the audience laugh. At the same time, that’s made those characters much fonder in the hearts of fans. Santino is the perfect example, as his popularity with audiences duringthe Ruthless Aggression Eraand later was at the level of main event stars.
Basically, the WWE audience loves to chant “This is awesome” during a great in-ring performance, but they also love getting a nice laugh.In Gable, WWE has a star who can provide both, and he’s already shown that he can get a reaction from the audience. The next step in his journey will be heavily influenced by what happens next with the El Grande Americano character. Like his predecessors, he has the chance to show that he has more value to WWE than just any other technical wrestler.
At the same time, this is the type of character that fans can get behind and the type that’s lacking in the current ‘serious’ environment of WWE. Triple H has been lauded for his focus on true-life stories, hard-hitting action, and some modern classic matches. However, the entertainment aspect is still there in the title, and a good comedy character can only improve the current product. Champions come and go, and their success mostly relies on how well they are booked, but good comedy and entertainment can make anyone a star.
For wrestling fans to have a bit of fresh air once in a while, you need characters likeGable’s El Grande Americano persona.So sit back, grab your remote, and get ready to yell,Olé,Gracias, andViva El Grande Americano!
