Thanks to Chris Featherstone for sending the following:
Former WWE star Aldo f.k.a. “Adam” Rose was the latest guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. He had much to say about his run with the WWE, and a number a mistakes made by the company regarding his character. An optimistic Rose also talked about his excitement in competing in the indies for the first time ever in the United States, and one wrestler who he would like to compete against. Here are some highlights:
Adam Rose would debut on an episode of NXT on March 6, 2014, and was immediately received by the fans. His infectious character, combined with energetic music and party of “rosebuds” made him one of the most must-see superstars on the NXT program. However, this rapid response also did some harm to his growth, as he was called-up to the main roster instead of given time to grow the Adam Rose gimmick on NXT to championship heights.
“We produced him rather quickly on to NXT, and then on to the main roster,” Rose explains. “I think in NXT the character was closer to what me and Dusty has visioned. And once it got to the main roster, I think it became somebody else’s vision and we unfortunately had went from having sort of an edgy vibe to it, to being Sesame Street. And I said that to Paul (Triple H) directly, that it is Sesame Street, and he said, ‘it’s funny, because you become someone’s interpretation of the character instead of the character that was actually produced.’ So that is how it all broke down.” He adds, “I wish we had stayed in NXT longer. I definitely think it had legs there, and to run some sort of course there. It never actually ran any course in NXT because it was pulled up so quickly. But I think it’s my fault and the WWE’s fault that we were called up that quick because we had all gotten into the same place; either go up or leave, at this point, because I had been in developmental for so long and I’m not getting any younger. I had said directly to [Triple H], either let’s do something or let me go, because I have a family to support, and if I’m not going to go anywhere, than let’s leave it.”
During his run on the main roster, Rose never really had the opportunity to gain any steam for a considerable amount of time, and his popularity in NXT unfortunately was not mirrored on the main roster. As a result, WWE Creative decided to turn him heel and feud with the Bunny character. Rose was unhappy from the start that his character debuted on the main roster as a babyface, as he thought being a villain would work better initially.
“I did a commercial, and once I did the commercial, I realized that we were going down the wrong path,” said Rose. “I think on the main stage, it needed to be introduced as a heel, because it was so quirky and so different. I think if it was introduced as a heel, then people wouldn’t have felt forced to love it, and then I felt that they would have naturally fell in love with certain parts of the quirkiness, and it would have naturally evolved to something or someone who people liked. I think that was a big mistake.” Rose adds, “I think one of the hardest things to do in this industry is to get over as a babyface. Some people have a natural connection with the audience. [Someone] like Sami Zayn has a natural connection with the audience. I don’t think Adam Rose had any with the audience because he was completely quirky and over-the-top and ridiculous. And I think that’s why it would have been better introduced as a heel because your automatic reaction to seeing someone like that is not to like it.”
At the conclusion of Adam Rose’s WWE career, he was placed in a misfit group named the Social Outcasts, along with Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, and Heath Slater. Rose admits that he had no idea about the group until he was given the idea only a few hours before the show started.
“We had no idea,” said Rose. “I think we were told about 5 o’clock on a Monday night that we were now going to be a group. I think we were four guys who the company saw had something, but we were doing nothing. So I think the idea was like, okay, let’s put them together collectively in a group, and these are guys who don’t know each other really well. I think the awkwardness of it was actually one of the reasons [why it worked]. You get all these well-polished teams, and the idea was for the faction to not be well-polished, and the idea was for us not to get along, to almost be bumping heads and trying to one-up each other the whole time. I think the Social Outcasts has talented individuals in it. I don’t think the Social Outcasts is going to be a deal loss; I think it is going to be, given the right structure, could take off. But, it’s all a matter of where you put it.
On May 23, Adam Rose was released from WWE for domestic issues after already being suspended due to violating a wellness policy. While this may be viewed as a major setback, Rose is actually excited about what is to come.
“It not the end,” states an optimistic Rose. “It’s just the beginning of a different journey, it’s a reset, and some people would look down upon working the independents, but I view it as an amazing experience to get to do that, because I never got to do that. Coming from South Africa, I missed that entire experience, from wrestling in the Congo to wrestling in FCW. So that’s something I’m really excited about. And there are some talks with other companies, so it’s not over yet, and this isn’t the last you’ll see of me.”
When asked about three wrestlers he would like to compete against who he never had a chance to while working for WWE, one name mentioned was the indy sensation and former Lucha Underground and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Ricochet.
“Just for the opportunity to see if I could hang,” said Rose. “I would love to see if I could hang, because there’s a lot in the tank that I never delved into, and now I get an opportunity to delve into it. And I think the audiences might be surprised of actually what’s left in the tank and what they’ve never seen.”
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