In a recent appearance on the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast, Dirty Dango (known in WWE as Fandango) discussed how his run in WWE was primarily comedic and character-based with little emphasis on wrestling. However, he now wants to end his career on a serious wrestling note, and his current stint with Impact Wrestling and on the independent scene allows him to showcase his wrestling abilities. He said,
“Not saying I was as good a wrestler as Norman Smiley but he was a great wrestler; catch-wrestler and he got to WCW, he didn’t really wrestle at all… Exactly (Norman wiggled in WCW) so, not my whole run but most of my run in WWE was kind of more comedic and not a lot of wrestling. It was more character-based so now being back in IMPACT Wrestling and being on the independent scene, I think it gives me more of an opportunity to get in there with guys like Nick Aldis (at Dungeon Wrestling) and really show what I can do which is kind of fun. I kind of wanna end my career, my body of work on more of a wrestling serious note, kind of checked the comedy box.”
Dango also acknowledged that doing comedy could lead to being typecast in that role, but he appreciates the opportunity given by Bret Hart and others to have a good wrestling match in a marquee position with someone like Nick Aldis. He added,
“The thing is if you do comedy and you can do it well — I think a guy like R-Truth, it’s like playing Kramer on Seinfeld. You’re almost typecast into that role and then people only book you as a comedy guy so, Bret (Hart) and the guys up here in Calgary having the faith in me to go out in the main event and have a good wrestling match with a great wrestler like Nick Aldis, it means the world to me and I really appreciate it.”
And finally, Dango also shared how his developmental years in FCW were criticized as he was perceived as a good wrestler with no personality, and how his main roster call-up led to him becoming Fandango, which was an entirely different direction from what he knew in wrestling.
“I was in developmental for years in FCW and the whole critique on me was just, he’s a good wrestler with no personality, and then I got called up and they put the Fandango character on me and Vince (McMahon) is like… ‘You’re not a wrestler, you’re a ballroom dancer. I have a whole locker room full of wrestlers’ so, everything that I kind of knew in terms of in between that 20 x 20 was thrown out the window.”
