Enzo Amore is most definitely one of pro wrestling’s most controversial stars. He’s been labeled a bad boy of the industry and many would say there’s very good reason for that, but Amore, who doesn’t always play well with everyone, is nearing the stigma legend status of say a Mickey Rourke in the pro wrestling business, and in the end, it seems to be working out for him.
Legends are born, yeah, but legends also get seasoned over time, despite reputations, and for Enzo Amore this bad boy persona he’s developed may just have landed him the perfect gig…a booking with NJPW, and for Enzo, the booking couldn’t have come at a better time, and the possibilities in his mind are endless. Here’s some of what he had to say while speaking to the good people over at Busted Open Radio:
“I just want to thank Rocky Romero, thank Hiromu Takahashi, thank you for putting this event on, respecting and knowing that in the greatest Cruiserweight champion, including every Luchador for sure…
So when you put the main event on Monday Night RAW with just the microphone and the cruiserweight title, or when you put the actual Cruiserweight Title in the main event of Monday Night Raw, when you people pull a 3.0 rating, 2.0, 4.0, every time you’re on f******g TV, that’s when you can come speak to me about this thing that we call the great cruiserweight wrestling division that I ran. 205 Live, that sh**’s done…
If I get an opportunity here from Rocky Romero to go out there and do what I do, I guarantee you I end up over in Japan in the Tokyo Dome in front of 100-f******g-thousand people and taking everything that I deserve that should be f******g mine.”
Amore, alongside Big Cass (who currently wrestles as Big Bill in AEW), had one of the more successful tag teams in WWE. Together, they had more crowd participation during their run than most and their popularity could have been likened to the success of such teams as The New Age Outlaws and The Dudley Boyz. Their run was a special one and despite detractors, they delivered in terms of great matches and entertainment.
Both men would fall to terrible instances in their lives, but both men seem to have risen out of their low points respectively and are still after the dreams they set out to achieve.
Notoriously, Enzo once crashed a WWE event (Survivor Series 2018), after his release from the company. The release was due to sexual assault allegation(s) that ended up being nullified due to a lack of evidence.
-via The Shield TV RDS on YouTube
But while Big Bill got bookings at indie shows as well as being signed to Impact Wrestling and as of this last year or so with AEW, many were wondering about Enzo and where he was at; he seemed unable to land that spot with one of the major promotions.
Legendary wrestler, Bully Ray had this to say on the phenomenon that is Enzo Amore and why he’s been having trouble getting booked by a major promotion, or rather possible reasons why:
“I think the real reason Enzo doesn’t work for anybody is he cannot be controlled and we live in an industry these days where they want to be able to control you at all times…
I personally think that if any company were to take a chance on him, he would do some decent numbers and some decent business for him.”
As Eric Bischoff once said: “Controversy creates cash.” Indeed it does and not only would Amore be bringing with him the aforementioned controversial stigma, but a great in-ring acumen and ability to work the crowd. I mean does anyone else see possibility of big numbers in reuniting him with his old partner?
It seems like a lot of people in the industry are missing the mark. It reminds me of all the years Guns N’ Roses lost, all those years not releasing music, not touring, and all because they couldn’t get along.
In the end it’s a miss…missed opportunities at creating what Bully Ray called “decent numbers.” In the end I think they’d make great numbers and together they would be a great addition the AEW’s tag team division. But for that to work Tony Khan would have to let this little bird fly of his own volition, and these days bookers, promoters and owners seem to have a wee bit of a problem letting go of control.
It’s funny because the greatest era in wrestling was the Attitude Era, and it was in that era that wrestlers were allowed to fly off the cuff, so to speak, and the numbers in that era were astronomical.
We’ll see what happens from here, dear readers, but for now I’m extremely happy about Amore’s new opportunity and we should all be anxious to see what he does with it and what comes of it.
