Missing The Boat on The Pope

In the words of the man one time known as Elijah Burke, I sure wish I could put 4-upside the head of Vince McMahon for "future endeavoring" the new No. 1 Contender for the TNA Championship, "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero.

The former leader of the New Breed is now at the forefront of TNA's push for a ratings war. Some say he's the next Rock. Others think he's a cheap imitation of The Brahma Bull. Only time will tell.

As a quick summary of D'Angelo Dinero's mainstream career thus far, he entered WWE as part of an odd-ball tag team, paired with MMA veteran Sylvester Terkay. As Elijah Burke, he was the mouthpiece, Terkay was the muscle. With red and gold colored beads holding back his braids and his hands taped up C.M. Punk-style, Burke played a legit boxing character, one with vicious striking abilities to go along with a powerful Elijah Express running double knee strike to prone opponents with their backs turned in the corner. It wasn't an especially impressive finisher, maybe a nice transition move as it relied too much on spotted position, but since Rey Mysterio's overly contrived 619 remains wildly popular, I guess I can't complain too much.

Burke was moved to ECW when the brand was launched and named the leader of the New Breed by Vince McMahon, who at the time saw unlimited potential in the charismatic youngster. That luster must have worn quickly as WWE never pushed the mish-mash New Breed and let the aging ECW Originals run over them in a storyline that culminated in a multi-man tag match at Wrestlemania.

After putting on a series of strong matches against C.M. Punk for the ECW Championship, the creative staff pushed him aside in favor of the newly-named John Morrison, the latest hot up-and-coming heel on company's third show. The Morrison push proved well worth it, as was the subsequent push for Jack Swagger as ECWs top heel. The Chavo Guerrero push and feud with C.M. Punk may have provided some good matches, but as the recent never-ending painful battle of attrition between Hornswoggle and Chavo proved, Punk was the only person to benefit from the feud.

Burke's last appearance on WWE television was in November 2008 at which time he changed his character as an attempt to show the creative staff that he had what it took for a push. He pulled out his braids and let his nappy hair go wild. It stuck out in different directions. He wore a white undershirt, a pair of jeans and dark sunglasses. He carried a goblet that was called a Pimp Cup. He was a Harlem street preacher. He called the character the Black Pope. This character worked out at a few house shows and there was significant buzz around the IWC regarding when Burke would re-debut with the new image. Instead, he was sent packing.

Partially due to his relationship with SoCal Val, (I hope) mostly due to his talent and potential, TNA scooped him up. He started off slow as a low-card heel act, showing off a refined version of the Pope character he created during his time with WWE. The Orlando crowd started to react to the catch-phrase spewing, smooth-talking character that only spoke in the third person that enjoyed making fun of the interviewer holding the mic (often referring to Jeremy "JB" Borash as "BJ).

If this type of character sounds familiar, it should. Dwayne Johnson ran the same type of personality to the top of the world as The Rock. Whether it was any of his numerous catchphrases or his hilarious exchanges with Kevin "Hermie" Kelly in the back during an interview, the Most Electrifying Man in the History of Sports Entertainment truly was the biggest draw in the world. Dinero borrowing from The Rock's schtick doesn't make him a joke. It makes him brilliant. Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels borrow from Ric Flair. HHH clearly has modeled much of his style and character after the Nature Boy and Harley Race. These are some of the greatest of all-time learning from the greatest. For that, I credit Dinero for taking points from a legend's style and making it his own.

Now the question comes whether or not "Vince blew it." At this point in his career, D'Angelo Dinero has not drawn a dime. Very few if any of those that bought TNA's Against All Odds PPV did so in order to see The Pope compete. As of now, he's nothing more than any of the numerous names TNA has cycled through the main event scene. He's accomplished less in TNA than Ron "The Truth" Killings aka R-Truth or Rhino. Until Dinero wins the title, which likely won't happen anytime in the near future since Styles' reign just began, the jury remain out. Even if he does earn the gold, unless that reign translates into higher ratings and increased PPV buys, he'll be no better than any other WWE cast-off that TNA scooped up to give a push.

On a personal note, I do believe Vince missed the boat on this character. If properly pushed, The Pope could be one of the most popular stars in the WWE today, possibly on his way to superstardom. What gives me pause when discussing the potential of Dinero is the fact he is in TNA and the lack of success the promotion has had in the past of creating it's own stars. I would truly give TNA credit for creating a star in this case, despite his previous employment in Stamford, CT. The Pope is a character that never appeared on WWE Television. It's a different scenario than any previous WWE cast-off that has received a main event push with TNA. If Dinero goes on to be a household name that helps re-ignite the Monday Night Wars, than TNA gets full credit in my book for creating a superstar in this instance.

Until then, The Pope will keep Pimpin' and I'll keep watching.