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| From WWE |
By
Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Lord Tensai has been on WWE TV for the last two weeks. I've got to assume he will be on Raw again this evening, making it a third time fans will get a look at the repackaged Prince Albert/A-Train superstar. I'll be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of Albert's back during his first stint with the WWE, teaming up with Droz and later Test and eventually even the Big Show before making a run as Intercontinental champion.
Tensai has spent the last few years mastering his craft in Japan. From all the reports I've read on line he's had a lot of success overseas and has developed as a wrestler. So far, I'm not 100% on board with this new character. I haven't noticed a whole lot of differences yet. That could be more apathy on my part than a lack of development by Tensai.
His first match on Raw a couple of weeks ago was a squash against Alex Riley. Remember him? He's the guy who beat the Miz last year about this time and was seemingly on his way up the ladder. Looks like that's all but over now. Then just last week, he destroyed Yoshi Tatusi. In both matches Tensai won when the referee declared that his opponents were too incapacitated to continue. I'm not sure how I feel about that either. If he refuses to pin his opponent and keeps beating on them, wouldn't that warrant a disqualification? Am I being too critical and reading too much into this? Probably so.
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| Tensai destroys Riley (WWE) |
Tensai means "disaster" in Japanese, and I get that is the whole point of these squash matches right now. My concern at this point is what's the long term big picture look like? And by that I mean even the next few months. In a way, Tensai reminds me of the repackaged Jamal from Three Second Warning a few years ago. Remember when Umaga came to the ring and just tore his opponents apart?
Some positive things about Lord Tensai, I like the fact that they are acknowledging he had a past with the WWE. While I haven't heard them say Albert or A-Train, the commentary team has at least said he's wrestled in WWE before and went to Japan to hone his skills. Secondly, I like the idea that this is another character type wrestler. I personally am sick of the cookie cutter blue print of much of the current roster. Many of the guys either wrestle under their real name or have a fictitious name that sounds real. Not everyone has to be a character or a gimmick, but it's nice that they're adding more of that to the show. I also like that he has a manager, another old school element that is missing from today's product. I'll be curious if we ever actually hear from Sakamoto. I'm not even sure if at this point it's safe to say he is Tensai's manager. Only time will tell I suppose.
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| From WWE |
Right now I don't see him climbing much higher than the mid card, but I could be wrong. Sure he has the potential, but I don't know how long fans will want to endure squash match, after squash match with the big guy before they're hungry for something more. It'll be interesting to see who he crosses paths in terms of a big time challenger. I will admit though that I like the idea of a strong monster heel push. I'm just not sure if Lord Tensai is the guy I'm ready to get behind. Before I totally dismiss him, I'm going to give him some more time.
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