An Adam Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell Just as Foul

A “Russell Brand meets Austin Powers” gimmick performer who walks to the ring with beautiful women and a guy dressed in a bunny suit should have no problem getting over on the main roster, right?

Wrong.

Adam Rose isn’t the deepest or most thought-provoking character WWE has ever put on television, but it’s fun and kooky enough to where it should have had some sort of longevity as a comedy act in the lower-to-mid card.

So much for that. It appears that management has pulled the plug on Rose and yanked the tires clean off of his Exotic Express.

“The Adam Rose Experience” began on the March 6 edition of “NXT” at Full Sail University. Coming down to the ring with his Rosebuds wearing colorful and outlandish outfits, Rose electrified those in attendance with his unique entrance and catchy theme music.

The NXT Universe ate it up because it was something they had never seen before. Rose would climb up to the middle rope and fall backwards onto his Rosebuds as they’d carry him around the ring like a Party God.

The immediate reaction to his debut was mostly positive, if only for his entrance. His in-ring work (which isn’t awful) took a backseat to the way he entered the squared circle, which can be taken as both a negative and a positive. You want to stand out amongst the herd, but having a solid blend of both wrestling ability and charisma can help shed the inevitable label of being “one-dimensional.”

No matter how many picture-perfect spinebusters Rose executed, all anyone wanted to talk about was the entrance.

Working in a smaller venue really helped Rose’s cause as the noise levels and crowd chants he generated came off very well on television. It was only a matter of months until Rose got the call to appear on “Monday Night Raw” on May 5.

It was a downward spiral from there.

Crowd support didn’t carry over to the main shows, Rose’s entrance lost its thunder and the booking of his segments came at times where fans were emotionally drained, resulting in lethargic reactions.

Rose wasn’t designed to be the next challenger for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, nor was he meant to be paired with top talent on the roster. He’s supposed to make you sing, dance, jump up and down and have a good old fashioned time.

After failed attempts with similar gimmicks in Fandango, Tons of Funk and R-Truth/Xavier Woods, fans had grown tired of silly characters who would rather prance around the ring than make a name for themselves fighting for championship gold.

Some of the blame needs to fall on Rose’s shoulders, though. Truly great performers take the gimmicks they’re given and roll with them until they’re huge success stories. That’s not the case here.

The problem with Rose is that so much attention to detail was put into his entrance and not his persona between the ropes. As soon as the bell rang for his matches, fans zoned out. They couldn’t have cared less from that point onward.

Rose hasn’t appeared on an episode of “Raw” or “SmackDown” since July 28 when he defeated Damien Sandow, another superstar who has struggled to find a niche of his own. You’ll see plenty of Rose at WWE Live Events, as well as episodes of “Superstars” and “Main Event,” but that’s about it.

Patience has never been a virtue with those backstage. They expect immediate payoffs and crowds to adore anything they throw their way. Certain expectations were thrust on Rose that he never had a chance to deliver on. Fans at Full Sail University hyped up the Rose character to no end, resulting in a faster than usual call-up to the big time.

Could he have used more seasoning in developmental? It’s hard to say. Rey Leppan, the man behind Adam Rose, had spent years in Florida Championship Wrestling/NXT as Leo Kruger, a deranged South African mercenary who enjoyed inflicting pain on his opponents. Once the change was made from Kruger to Rose, WWE became infatuated with the possibilities the gimmick could have, rather than taking their time and making sure all the right pieces were in place.

It’s never a good omen when the likes of Heath Slater and Los Matadores can find time to compete on a Monday night while Rose is on the sidelines pulling the curtain.

What a shame.

“Don’t be a lemon. Be a Rosebud.”

Too late. That train has left the station.

Choo-Choo!

QUESTION: Is all hope lost for Adam Rose? Has WWE ruined the character before it ever had a chance to pick up steam?

 

Christopher Walder is a staff writer for WrestlingRumors.net. You can also find his work at Bleacher Report, SB Nation and several other online outlets. Follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports. 

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