WWE: Leon Ruff can bring back the vibes of the 1-2-3 Kid
Let us take a minute to shower some praise of appreciation on Leon Ruff. The COVID-19 era of professional wrestling forced organizations to find ways to present their product to fans, without fans in attendance. In that time, some individuals were given opportunities as rosters were condensed because of safety precautions, travel restrictions, availability and more. Ruff is one of those individuals who made the most of his placement and his presence should continue long into 2021 and beyond.
Don’t ever call Ruff a “jobber, the term frequently thrown around to poke fun at the enhancement talent used to build up stars. Ruff is certainly much more than that for the WWE. Ruff made his first appearance for WWE back in December of 2019, but it would be his run beginning in March of 2020 that led him to where he is now. Yes, Ruff was losing to everyone he faced, but he did so in such an entertaining fashion that his work could not be ignored.
Ruff lost every single match up until that faithful day at NXT in November where he defeated Johnny Gargano, taking the NXT North American title off his waist. It was presented as a “fluke,” but Ruff’s work sense then proves that he belongs on this roster as much as anyone else.
What’s next for Leon Ruff?
For those that may want to discredit Ruff for his look, go back and look at his work in organizations like Evolve, CZW or Full Impact Pro. He can work with any type of style thrown his way and with the proper booking he is a believable persona in the ring. And when speaking about personality, that is another strength that Ruff has that has yet to be fully utilized on WWE programming. There are many ways he can be presented on television as he is versatile enough that he does not have to play the “underdog” gimmick forever.
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Speaking of underdogs, with Leon Ruff, the WWE has an opportunity to recreate the magic that came with the 1-2-3 Kid back in 1993 when Sean Waltman picked up a win over Scott Hall. With Ruff and Kushida losing in the second round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, it is hard to see where he will fit into future booking. But here is to hope that Ruff is used as more than a comedy act as he has much more to offer the WWE Universe.