Walder's World of Wrestling: Bo Dallas Will Make "Bo-Lievers" of the WWE Universe

The time is now to jump on the Bo Dallas bandwagon before there’s no more room to stretch your legs as several “Bo-Lievers” resurrect “tebowing” in salute to the 23-year-old upstart.

Dallas is set to appear on the 05/21 edition of “Friday Night SmackDown.” His opening promo and match against Sin Cara have already been leaked online, which you can view by clicking here.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen him in this position, though. One year ago at the first-ever Royal Rumble fanfest, Dallas won a tournament to earn himself a spot in the Royal Rumble, lasting over 20 minutes in the match. He defeated Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett the following night on “Monday Night Raw” in a non-title bout that ultimately amounted to nothing.

That was the last we heard of him for quite some time. Dallas was sent back to NXT developmental for more seasoning after failing to impress in his short-lived run.

He was bland, humdrum and extremely generic. Fans weren’t able to connect with his character because he wasn’t offering the viewing audience anything new or different. He had the long flowing hair with a pretty boy smile that would make any lady swoon, but that was it. Good looks can only take you so far. If you can’t elicit a response, you’re doomed.

That quickly changed upon his return to NXT. Fans were completely turned off with Dallas, despite him not changing his character. His youthful exuberance and use of silly puns in promos had fans literally turning their backs on him during shows.

His face run was a huge flop, so in an ingenious move, Dallas transformed into a gullible and utterly oblivious optimist with little understanding of what was going on around him. He was under the impression that the NXT Universe adored him, when in reality, all they wanted to do was boo him out of the building.

It was perfect. He was generating levels of heat that no one in developmental had ever seen before. The more Dallas turned a blind eye to his negative reactions, the more fans would shove their point of view down his throat until he became aware.

Dallas went on to have the longest-reign ever as NXT Champion at 280 days after defeating Big E on May 23, 2013. WWE wouldn’t have put the strap on him for so long had they not at least had some shred of faith in his gimmick getting over.

During the post-WrestleMania XXX edition of “Monday Night Raw,” the first vignettes for Dallas’ return debuted.

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. Don’t be afraid to shoot. Even if you don’t score, you’re already a winner in the most important game of all. Just BO-lieve in yourself.”

It was cheesy and self-righteous, but entertaining at the same time. Dallas was the face who was really a heel but thought of himself as a face anyways.

Inspirational quotes and imagery were the focal points of all his remaining video packages. Teenagers jumping off a cliff to overcome their fears, parents encouraging their children and businessmen standing tall atop the highest cliff as “Shoot for the Stars” echoed in the background.

Even if you didn’t get the concept, you couldn’t look away because the promos were so well done and orchestrated, making Dallas look like a million bucks.

For those who are unaware, Dallas (real name Taylor Michael Rotunda) is a third-generation superstar; his grandfather is Blackjack Mulligan and his father is Mike Rotunda (I.R.S.). Kendall and Barry Windham are his uncles, while Windham Lawrence Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) is his brother.

The wrestling business is in his blood. He was raised in an environment where back body drops and clotheslines were a way of living. Having such brilliant minds at his disposal just by sitting around the table for family dinner is an invaluable asset.

WWE Divas Champion Paige has had an underwhelming run with the gold, doubts continue to cloud Adam Rose and Rusev is being overshadowed by his leggy manager. NXT continues to send talent to the big dance, but the results so far have been very poor. These things take time, but patience has never been a virtue of those calling the shots backstage.

Perhaps Dallas will be the one to change all of that.

I’m a “BO-Liever.” I’m drinking the Kool-Aid and going all in. This kid is going to be a star. You just have to give him a chance.

If all else fails, he could just grow a beard and “Follow the Buzzards” like his older sibling, right? I don’t think it will come to that, though.