WWE: Dibiase's Face Turn Leaves Him Standing Still on Friday Night SmackDown

It doesn’t feel right.

Ted Dibiase had a good little match on WWE SmackDown this past Friday night against Tyson Kidd. Teddy looked good in the ring and had the crowd behind him.  He’s got a great smile and a good look.

He seems to have it all.

And, yet it just does not feel right.

The smile seems forced.  His entrance theme, proclaiming “I come from money,” is more suited for a heel than a baby face and so far there’s not been much going for Ted besides his short-lived heat with former tag team partner Cody Rhodes.

Let’s face it.  Ted is not a face.  It‘s not him.

One razor sharp glare from Ted, along with that emotionless scowl that we are so accustomed to seeing on his face, that is what I expect from him.  That’s what suits him.

Instead, we’re getting this watered down Alex Riley push that so far has done a whole lot of nothing for Dibiase.

Actually, when I think of Ted, he does remind me of Riley, in terms of his overall push and what he brings to the ring.  Although Ted seems more fundamentally sound than Alex in his skill set, the truth is they’re both young with generic gimmicks and have become nothing more than cookie cutter WWE Superstars.  

Ted’s initial face turn from Cody was indeed very reminiscent of Riley’s turn on The Miz, but with one huge difference.  

Riley’s was well timed and very well done, while Ted’s was just convoluted and weak in the execution.  Despite that, Ted’s star has not exactly fallen on SmackDown.

Of course, it hasn't risen much either.

While Ted is much better as a heel, another problem exists for him on the Friday night program.  
Ted’s heel gimmick is that of the arrogant, cocky heel who’s better than everyone else and is supremely confident in his ability.  That’s good, it does work for him and he plays the role nicely.  The problem is, that character is already being portrayed in a sense by Cody Rhodes, who is currently getting a main event push against Randy Orton.

It’s basically one of those “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us” situations.

If WWE creative—arguably two words that do not always belong together—insist on making Ted a baby face then something needs to change.

First off, the music needs to go.  Again, it does not fit now, as WWE is attempting to move Dibiase past the spoiled rich kid gimmick that made him so hated in the first place.  So, how do you separate him from the shadow of his old man’s gimmick?

Perhaps the most obvious way is the best way.  If Junior is now face, maybe Senior should now turn heel.

Ted Sr. could be disappointed in his son’s progress, especially when comparing him to Cody Rhodes, the man he turned on in the first place.  Disgusted at Junior for not achieving his full potential, he could even threaten to cut the young Superstar out of the will.

How would a newly minted baby face respond to a threat such as this?  “You know what?  Keep your money.  You’ve been holding that over my head my whole life.  I’m making my own way now, and I’m going to do it without you, and without your bank account.”

Ted Jr. emerges squeaky clean, and lays to rest all of the negative aspects of his character.  A clean slate means a fresh start, and perhaps that would elevate him a little more in the minds of the fans.
If that doesn’t work, there’s always the Tony Stark gimmick.

Tony Stark, for all you non fan boys out there, is Iron Man, played perfectly by one Robert Downey Jr. Stark, the son of a billionaire, inherited his riches and his father’s head for business.  He’s a ladies’ man and bad boy, shrewd, but very likable, and deep down is a good guy just trying to do the right thing.

This would fit Ted Dibiase Jr. more than any other edge his character has ever had.

It’s not the end of the world for this kid.  Just because he’s not doing much right now does not mean that he can’t do something in the future.  So, there is no need to dismiss him as unimportant or believe that he is just going to fade away.

However, I do believe that he is capable of more than what he’s being allowed to do right now, and with the proper storyline and approach to his character, Ted could wind up having a potentially great WWE career.

Bank on it.