Now that Dexter Lumis (even in keyfabe) can be called a Raw wrestler, what should we expect for his future on the main roster?
Having a “dumb” character, I think it was a very smart choice to put him in the path of someone like The Mizas well as that of involving the storyline too Gargano. Of the first we know well both the skills of talker, and the value in giving life to segments away from the ring, so given the background of the feud between the two with segments filmed at home and secret shots in pubs, he was the right villain to oppose.
Even the choice of Johnny Wrestling it was a winner. He too gets along well on the microphone and can cover Dexter’s silences, also thanks to his presence it was possible to create a bridge with what happened between them at NXT. The yellow show has often been seen as a world of its own, to be reset once an athlete lands on Raw or Smackdown, however in this case the past has been considered. Maybe we haven’t gone into the previous dynamics too much, but they haven’t at least pretended that the two didn’t know each other, and also the fact that Lumis was fired (and therefore without salary) has become an important part of the story.
The narrative between the two, with The Miz hiring Dexter to create something to talk about about himself, was a bit contrived, but certainly guaranteed unpredictability (I defy any of you to say that you could have foreseen a similar conclusion at the beginning of the feud). Furthermore, not at all obvious, it seems that the consequences of this storyline will have repercussions on the following ones. Lumis got angry with The Miz because he didn’t pay him anymore, from which we conclude that the latter has financial problems, which justifies his need to create that ploy to attract an audience. And did you see the last episode of Raw? He wanted to participate in the poker tournament organized by JBL and JBL accused him of giving him a fake Rolex. There is an internal consistency that we are not used to.
Returning to Lumis, what can we expect in his first stint on the main roster now that his first feud is over? Not everyone can be a main eventer, so for once we don’t have to let our imagination fly by imagining the current talent fighting at Wrestlemania and winning the world title. I truly believe that Dexter is and will always be a midcarder, a role that there is nothing wrong with covering, on the contrary. Sometimes the episodes of Raw seem endless to us precisely because of the lack of care in the less important areas of the show. Having someone like him can help raise the average quality of the episodes.
I say this because Lumis has managed to carve out a unique character of its kind. Even those who watch the show in an infrequent way memorize a similar face, the psychopathic expression that he assumes combined with his silence distinguishes him from any other wrestler. The key is that the character is handled in an ironic way. Dexter’s gimmick is that of a psychopath, but he’s treated not as something evil that’s supposed to scare the audience, but as a weirdo that’s fun to watch heels scare. The fact that he can pop up at any moment also makes him unpredictable and makes for irresistible comedy segments.
Over time, he too will have to evolve a bit so as not to get tired, but now that he has just arrived, let’s let him enjoy that large part of the public who didn’t watch his exploits at NXT and therefore don’t know him. It will be fun.
Sergedge – EH4L
