Examining Tyler Breeze's Direction, Upside and Long-Term Potential

The WWE spotlight dimmed on Tyler Breeze early, forcing the squared circle's peacock into the background, where it's hard to see the colors of his tail.

Prince Pretty has been a treat to watch as wrestling's next showy braggart. He has been an amalgam of Dolph Ziggler, Rick Martel and Gorgeous George, an athletic irritant and a man who has made the most of his gimmick.

Still, Breeze finds himself in a fixed position while others race by him.

Just four months after his SmackDown debut, The King of Cuteville is already an afterthought. He sauntered onto the main roster with Summer Rae on his arm and Ziggler in his sights. Both that alliance and rivalry fizzled out.

Breeze quietly ditched Summer. He and Ziggler had just one pay-per-view meeting.

Since then, WWE has relegated the selfie aficionado to the role of time-filler and wrestler who provides end-of-the-bench depth. Even the underappreciated Neville has to feel bad for him.

Without a rivalry, without a narrative to call his own, Breeze has been stuck taking pinfalls to boost others. He lost to Titus O'Neil on Superstars, was the punching bag in a six-man tag team match on Raw and most recently was the fall guy in the Intercontinental Championship five-man match this past Monday.

This kind of booking has left Kevin Berge of Questionable Critics, among others, wondering why Breeze isn't getting more from WWE Creative:

It feels like WWE has already given up on him. That's odd considering Breeze's potential and that it's so early in his run on the main roster.

Strengths

Breeze embodies his role. From his pursed, pouting lips to his convincing disgust for "uggos," he gives the audience plenty of reason to buy into his character.

That helps him stand out in the WWE circus. He's effectively outlandish and emphatically unique.

And there are a number of elements with the gimmick to toy with. Breeze switches out his gaudy, fuzzy ring gear often. He has implemented nice touches to the act—from sitting in a "V.I.P. section" as he scouts his opponents to adding a faux fur lining to his selfie stick.

Breeze is a fun, entertaining addition to the roster.

When it comes time to step into the ring, he can certainly hold his own. Breeze is athletic, quick and a strong seller. At NXT, he had some excellent clashes with Sami Zayn and Neville. 

Pit him against top performers like John Cena or Cesaro, and count on something electric taking place.

Obstacles

Today's WWE is flush with elite in-ring performers, and Breeze is strong between the ropes but not elite. When the company looks to divvy up high-profile matches, it can choose from a long list of in-ring magicians ranging from Seth Rollins to Finn Balor, Kevin Owens to AJ Styles.

It will be hard for Breeze to compete in that department. Prince Pretty is a really good performer trying to move past a collection of great ones.

And his gimmick is both his best and worst hope of catching on with the company.

Credit: WWE.com

The male-model shtick has allowed him to catch the audience's eye. It's a role he has thrived in. But it may be too silly of an act for him to be more than a midcarder. There isn't a long history of the more gimmicky wrestlers getting to the world title level.

That's surely part of why WWE has yet to take him seriously.

Even at NXT, he never got a real shot at being on the top tier. He more often elevated others, like Apollo Crews, by losing to them. At NXT, though, he at least hovered around contender status.

With WWE, he's been pushed down the ladder, made to be the next Fandango.

It's hard to climb out of that kind of hole. Without the WWE machine behind you, it takes a groundswell of crowd support to go from doormat to the marquee. With as few opportunities as Breeze promises to get, creating that is going to be one hell of a struggle.

Long-Term Potential 

When Breeze's WWE run is over, the narrative is destined to be one of what might have been. He is on the path to falling into the "underrated and underused" category.

Benjamin Tucker of PWTorch is among those who have lamented WWE's handling of Breeze:

Things are likely to remain that way. The roster is set to be even more crowded with talent as Shinsuke Nakamura is on his way, while Samoa Joe, Balor and Zayn are poised to move up from NXT.

Breeze is too talented to not have at least one brief stretch of success, though. Like with Damien Sandow when he was Mizdow, Breeze's antics are sure to pull in the crowd. Put in a feud with a strong story, Breeze is more than capable of getting hot.

Prince Pretty's realistic ceiling if that happens is a run with the Intercontinental Championship or a reign or two as tag team champ.

WWE has made it clear that it doesn't believe Breeze is top-of-the-food-chain material. Masterful work with his gimmick and a memorable match here and there, however, will lead Breeze to moderate success.

Afterward, there is sure to be an unsatisfied feeling among Breeze's fans. WWE won't be giving The Gorgeous One much time to flounce under the spotlight.

Be sure to check out previous editions of this ongoing series:

• Kevin Owens
• Sasha Banks
• Titus O'Neil