Brodus Clay is a Refreshing, Standout Gimmick that Will Do the WWE Some Good

The “Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay has brought a wonderful element of fun back to the WWE product. His funky (and catchy) music, his sexy dancing valets, and his overall ability to entertain is a joy not seen in the WWE for some time.

Now I will admit I was a little uncertain at first. For weeks fans had been taunted with the return of Brodus Clay, a mammoth monster built around destruction and “the fall of humanity”. His re-debut was postponed, however, due to him causing some displeasure among WWE officials. Anyhow, I figured (along with countless other fans) that he would soon make his appearance and would show us a brutal, uncanny display of domination much like that of stars such as Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. Well, we did end up seeing a big man with fierce power and strength, but not so much in the way we expected.

On the January 9, 2012 edition of Monday Night RAW, we were told that Clay would finally be making his debut later on the broadcast. I was excited and, again, expected him to charge out to the ring like an angry buffalo and demolish some low-card opponent in a typical squash match. Instead, the ring announcer introduced him as “the only living, breathing Funkasaurus in captivity” right before some swinging disco music started playing. One again I’ll admit, I was a little disappointed upon the realization that the WWE had decided to make Clay a funny character rather than a monster heel. I like a big, monstrous bad guy as much as the next person, and that’s what I was geared up to see that night. I watched his match and was pleased to see that once his opponent slightly agitated him, the fun and games were done and the real nature of the monster was unleashed. Still, after Clay had finished his match and the show went to a commercial break, I was left feeling somewhat insulted by what I had just seen. I felt that the WWE needed a superstar that meant serious business, not more silliness and antics that took more time than even the match itself. I was not impressed to say the least.

As each week has gone by, however, the Funkasaurus has gradually grown on me. I have come to the realization that the WWE does need a star with such a gimmick, and that as long as Brodus dominates inside the ring, the dancing and happy-go-lucky shenanigans are just fine. In fact, those shenanigans are now making me cheer when I know that he is about to make an entrance!

Each week since Clay returned he has participated, as could be expected, in nothing but squash matches. His respective opponents get a hit or two in at first, but Clay quickly takes control and puts them down with a series of powerful moves. This is good as it firmly establishes that Brodus is a legitimate force beyond the likes of the low-card individuals he’s faced. We see more and more each week that this guy may be one of the most powerful men in the WWE right now. That being said, however, the squash matches need to come to an end in the very near future. They will start to get boring and overly predictable sooner than later, and that could be detrimental to the evolution of the big man. I’d say within the next month it would be wise to have Clay take on a more formidable foe. The Great Khali, Jack Swagger, and Mason Ryan are three people that come to mind. More importantly, I’d like to see Clay in an actual rivalry soon, perhaps even for a championship like the United States title or Intercontinental Championship. All of these things will help Clay grow into more of a high-card status and will just be flat-out entertaining. Brodus Clay is good, but exactly how good is he? It’s not that difficult to overcome the likes of Heath Slater and Tyler Reks, so we just don’t really know. Put him up against more challenging foes and we’ll have our sure-fire answer. It would be quite interesting.

So, in a nutshell, Brodus Clay’s new gimmick and persona is working so far. It is fresh and it stands out. The WWE just needs to make sure he continues to evolve and doesn’t just remain someone that’s all show until he finally fizzles out. As for now, I like it. I can dig Brodus Clay, and if that’s a bad thing, well, somebody better call my mama.