WWE: Salvaging Tensai and Brodus Clay Through Vince McMahon's Displeasure

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has reportedly soured on the Brodus Clay and Tensai characters. According to a report from WrestlingInc, McMahon is considering putting an end to both gimmicks. There is also talk of a repackaging for both according to the same report.

Brodus Clay debuted his “Funkasaurus” character after several weeks of vignettes that had nothing to do with the character at all. The jovial, dancing Clay was met with mixed reactions, but he soon became a favorite amongst the kids in the audience.

Tensai returned following WrestleMania 28 in an Asian inspired gimmick, playing to his history and success in Japan. Despite an early win over John Cena, the character never gained any traction.

Tensai, like Clay, has been merely used as an enhancement talent in recent weeks. Brodus Clay was defeated by United States Champion Antonio Cesaro in less than two minutes on the most recent edition of Raw, and Tensai lost two straight matches to Ryback.

Fans shouldn’t look at the likely removal of these characters as a condemnation of their abilities. The men behind the gimmicks possess a tremendous amount of talent—it’s the gimmicks that are holding them back.

But there is an easy solution to rebuilding both characters in a way that solves another issue the WWE is addressing—the tag team division.

From The Prime Time Players to Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara to Team Rhodes Scholars, the WWE is putting forth an effort to revitalize a division that many old school fans hold near and dear to their hearts.

Tag team wrestling is responsible some of the most decorated singles competitors of the modern era of wrestling, including Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Edge and several others. Even recently, two of TNA’s top talents—Bobby Roode and James Storm—came to prominence through the tag team division as Beer Money.

The best use of both Brodus Clay and Tensai is as a tag team. Despite the development of eight teams for the ongoing No. 1 Contenders Tag Team Tournament, there is no “monster” team. Clay and Tensai could fill this role, and the build would be quite simple.

The recent failures of Tensai can bring the veteran to a point where he states, in a backstage interview, that it’s time to regroup. As Josh Matthews questions his meaning, Tensai simply walks off, grabbing a towel and wiping away the now familiar Asian characters that are painted on his skull.

Clay’s moment would come at ringside, following another loss. He can become visibly upset at losing once again, forcing Naomi and Cameron away. He’ll storm off, audibly claiming that the “Funkasaurus” is dead.

Backstage, Tensai can approach Clay, immediately asking him to call him Albert. During their conversation, Paul Heyman enters. Heyman quickly closes the door , keeping the conversation away from the camera’s view.

CM Punk would have a big match in the main event of Raw. We’ll make his opponent Ryback for the purposes of this experiment. Ryback can be on a roll, having clotheslined Punk down. In the midst of his “Finish It!” routine, in comes Brodus and Albert to cause the disqualification and save Punk’s reign (not to mention Ryback’s streak).

Just like that, a monster tag team is formed. They have immediate credibility by being aligned with CM Punk and Paul Heyman. Should Heyman leave or the team turn against their heel authority, it would be easy for the WWE to turn Albert and Brodus into a present day version of the Acolyte Protection Agency.

In wrestling, the easiest solution can oftentimes be the best. If the WWE feels that Tensai and Brodus Clay aren’t working in their current form, and the company wants to rejuvenate the tag team division, the development of a monster tag team makes perfect sense.

In this case, the whole could definitely be greater than the sum  of the parts.

You Decide: Would you be more interested in an Albert and Brodus tag team than their Tensai and “Funkasaurus” singles runs?

Greg DeMarco is a wrestling fan of over 28 years and has also worked on the independent circuit as a promoter, announcer, character and booker. More of his work can be found at www.411Mania.com. Greg also hosts a weekly radio show found at www.blogtalkradio.com/gregdemarco and streaming worldwide each weekend at www.vocnation.com.

Facebook, Twitter, email and more can be found here: www.about.me/gregdemarco