WWE NXT: Tino Sabbatelli Is A Classic Trope Done Right
WWE NXT is home to some of the best heels in wrestling, with the two most prominent being Tommaso Ciampa and NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler. But if you want to keep tabs on a rising star lower on the card, look no further than Tino Sabbatelli.
We’ve seen this gimmick done thousands of times. Stupid handsome dude with washboard abs and an unbelievably symmetrical face comes out and does nothing but try to absorb heat. The “heel that looks better than you and knows it” trope is almost overused in wrestling, but when it’s done correctly, this simple gimmick can be a home run.
Tino Sabbatelli is succeeding as a heel where other recent versions of this character, such as Tony Nese, have failed in WWE. Whenever Tino steps out with partner Riddick Moss for another inconsequential match on WWE NXT TV, all you can hear are boos and jeering for Tino. The crowd can’t stand this guy, as he surveils them, wipes his abs, and starts waving them off as he walks towards the ring with a hateable grin on his face.
Heck, Sabbatelli even has his own chant, as the fans can’t help but bellow, “Tino Sucks!” as he parades around, pompously showing off his physique and reminding the fans that they just aren’t even on his level. His theme song, which is shared by him and Moss, says it all, “Compare my life to yours, yeah it’s sad, huh? You just mad, bruh, cuz you ain’t never had one.”
That’s exactly the kind of attitude Sabbatelli showcases with every step and every breath he takes both in and out of the ring. There’s something so eminently dislikable about him that fans can’t help but feed him massive amounts of heat. There are only a handful of wrestlers in NXT that have Sabbatelli’s heat, and it’s the former NFL safety’s ceiling that makes that heat all the more intriguing.
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Sabbatelli isn’t an experienced wrestler by any means, as he only made his television debut in October of 2016 after signing a developmental deal just two years earlier. Since the fall of last year, Sabbattelli has grown quickly, making noticeable improvements in the ring.
At first, it was a real chore to watch his tag matches, but, lately, they’ve become more entertaining as Sabbatelli has started to piece everything together. His recent TV match alongside Moss against Heavy Machinery was quite good, and Riddick and Moss have become an integral part of NXT’s tag team scene in 2018.
It’s easy to flop when your character is an oft-used trope, but Sabbatelli nails his role so perfectly.
Now that his selling has improved, it makes everything come together, too, because the crowd can joyfully absorb the beatings Sabbatelli takes when he bites off more than he can chew.
An arrogant, one-percenter recently joined NXT, and EC3 is already one of the company’s best promos and heels. EC3 hasn’t quite made his mark on the brand despite an amazing introduction and a yeoman’s performance at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, so fans are wondering if he could brand himself on the company (to make it “NX3”, as he said in a backstage interview) by taking Sabbatelli and Moss under his wing. The physical comparisons to EC3 make sense, as do their characteristics such as their arrogance and contempt for the crowd.
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The wrestlers lower on the card in NXT are always worth a close look, and Sabbatelli is the type of performer who readily resonates with the audience as a heel. If he continues to make strides in the ring with his elite athleticism and garner sizable reactions from the NXT Universe with his douchey character, Sabbatelli could make a real rise up the ranks at some point in the near future as one of NXT’s surprises.