Scouting Report for New WWE NXT Signee Bu Ku Dao

WWE plucked a spark plug from the independent circuit, signing Bu Ku Dao to the NXT division.

Heart and a high-flying style will be his key to overcoming his small stature. The man who calls himself "The Situ Asian" is a fun wrestler to watch and will soon get a chance to prove that he can flourish on a bigger stage.

PWInsider reports that Dao is "signing a WWE developmental deal and will report to NXT shortly."

As the report notes, he wrapped up his run with WildKat Sports & Entertainment on Sept. 13 at the "Bu Ku or Die" show. That Louisiana-based promotion has been Dao's primary wrestling home in his young career.

He's far from a big name like Kevin Steen, Fergal Devitt and Kenta (now Hideo Itami) were when they got the call from WWE. Dao instead comes to WWE developmental with little fanfare and a stiff challenge ahead of him.

Key Info

Age: 26

Height/Weight: 5'0'', 152 lbs

Debut: 2012

Ring Skills

If Dao is going to get people talking about his skills rather than his height, he's going to have to lean on his passion and energy in the ring.

Those are his biggest assets thus far. There's something infectious about the way he carries himself, how he plays to the crowd or roars before his matches.

Once the battle begins, his boots do much of the work. Dao utilizes a variety of kicks in his offense. In hitting dropkicks or taking foes down with an enzuigiri, he shows off good agility and leaping skills. 

One of his impressive weapons is his tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown transitioning into a crossface. As seen in the promo video below, his arsenal includes several moves where he flips, flies and rotates in the air:

He's not as breathtaking a performer as men like AR Fox and Ricochet, but he's fluid and does well to entertain with a high-energy style.

However, Dao is not nearly as fast as one would hope for a high-flyer. Watch him charge toward Hardbody Harper here:

That's not Adrian Neville-type speed. He's quick, but not electric.

His storytelling skills may help counteract that, though.

Dao is a fine seller, unlike many of the indy workers more concerned with wowing fans with acrobatics alone. He showed that skill off in a match against Alex Reigns.

The majority of the bout featured Reigns pounding on the smaller man, paying special attention to Dao's arm. Dao screamed and squirmed effectively. He also sold the damage once he was out of a hold by clutching his limp wing or else trying to shake it back awake. 

It's clear that Dao is a showman, something that separated himself enough from the pack to get WWE's attention.

Mic Work, Charisma

A big personality will aid Dao in his career as well.

He comes off a likable guy. He's funny and spazzy and will likely be an intriguing presence on TV.

In an interview for WildKat, he talked about winning the 2014 Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion Horizon Award. The result is a display of his darker side:

His aggression and intensity pops off the screen. His accent doesn't get in the way of his lines. It instead actually adds an interesting element to his total package.

Overall, there's a spark to his personality that translates to the ring and helps him make a connection with the crowd.

Dao got to show off some of that rapport before a clash with Wes Adams. In the following fan-shot video, one can see him playing to the fans and their vocal response to it:

It's one thing to get a crowd that size chanting your name, but something else entirely to have a packed Full Sail University, much less a large arena, doing the same. That will be among Dao's many missions in the near future. 

Final Thoughts

Although men like Daniel Bryan have made it to the top of WWE, size is a major issue with Dao.

He's smaller than Rey Mysterio and Jamie Noble. That's going to limit WWE's options with how they book him. Can the company believably have a 5-foot wrestler knock off the monsters and warriors that populate the roster? 

On the plus side, he's a handsome, personable guy who has the unique position of reaching the Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American demographics. WWE has featured Japanese wrestlers, but Vietnam is essentially an untapped market.

NXT already has a number of high-flyers on the roster. Neville and Sami Zayn may soon be heading to the main roster, but then Dao is going to have to compete with Devitt, Kalisto and the next wave of stellar athletes.

Dao enters WWE developmental as an underdog. His is already a success story since he has made it this far, but in order to arrive at a happy ending he will have to make it through a tough journey.