Adam Rose

[2.0] "So Leo Kruger was a pretty cool character, basically a South African Kraven the Hunter. For several reasons (the big one being Ray Leppan just isn't a very good wrestler) he was never really involved in any big storylines or matches in the early Full Sail days. He was repackaged as Adam Rose, with WWE taking advantage of being in the time period after Russell Brand became practically a household name but before he went batshit during Covid, and Rose did a great job with the character. Adam Rose's entrance during his debut is still one of my favorite moments from that time period in WWE (and then a few weeks later WWE replaced his theme song with a proprietary knockoff, which I'm still butthurt about). Once he got called up to the main roster, like so many other developmental wrestlers at the time, he floundered, never really being given anything to sink his teeth into. His heel turn and "party pooper" gimmick had potential but again, his lack of in-ring skills kept him from making it memorable. Even as a part of the Social Outcasts (the physical embodiment of "why have the best when you can have the rest"), Rose never really made anything of himself. And then there's all of his personal stuff, which I won't delve into too deeply but suffice to say that Ray Leppan the person is a massive piece of shit. Luckily he's one of those few wrestlers who actually wasn't able to recover from being outed as a scumbag and we haven't heard anything about him in years, and nobody minds. If I had to sum it up in one sentence: He was a wrestler who was given multiple good gimmicks but was too awful as an actual wrestler for anybody to enjoy or even care about his above-average character work. 2.5 rounded down."

[9.0] "Adam Rose was one of the most interesting NXT call ups of the early early EARLY days of the black and gold era. Some may say he walked so other could run, and he was a fairly decent hand in the ring too. Some of his FCW stuff with Roman Reigns (or Leakeee) was interesting to watch, and overall I think he's a very much "what if" in the wrestling infustry of what could have been had the cards been lain a different way."

[4.0] "You remember Adam Rose and think "oh yeah, that is why WWE signed all the independent guys, it was to hide their utterly failing developmental factory". To be fair one look at the most recent 'mania card tells you that developmental is still failing in producing any sort of stream of talent."

[1.0] "An absolute waste. His gimmick in NXT/WWE was awful and the nadir of the company's dreadful midcard throughout the 2010s, but there was maybe a wrestler in there (people clearly saw potential in him) and he was just totally unable to translate that into anything tangible or worthwhile."

[3.0] "It's just hilarious (and sad at the same time) to me that this guy had a gimmick which produced several huge names and stars compared to his own career which completely flopped in the WWE, more on that in a minute but yeah; Adam Rose in WWE was nothing more than a gag meant to make fans happy and joyful. But of course, the biggest problem to his gimmick was that some of the wrestlers who were the "Rosebuds" ended up becoming much bigger stars than he did, talking about Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Braun Strowman, I could go on and on and on. Good for those names I mentioned but it made Adam Rose's legacy seem laughable. Besides that, his in-ring work was rather subpar and he was more of a "punching bag" for other wrestlers at his timeframe."

[1.0] "He sucked. Straight up he was very bad in the ring, character wise he had potential but the potential never led to anything. His Leo Kruger character was decent, but the Adam Rose character had A lot of potential.. it just turned out really bad overall."

"An alright wrestler with a good look and a handful of odd gimmicks, Rose was a solid mid-card competitor at best but could be annoying at times. While many people hate the jobber party gimmick, it was good enough for WWE to do the exact same character with No Way Jose years later. His promos sounded funny when he was trying to be serious, and were often too childish when he was trying to be funny. I don't blame him for being green on the mic as he wasn't given too many opportunities to speak alone. Overall, I rate him a 6 out of 10 for being an average worker who did better than you expect for his up and down run in the WWE which represented what was wrong with the PG-Era writing and management."

"Separating all real life events and blemishes from this rating. I thought adam rose was cool as shit and really, really fun and humorous. Good wrestler, great look, and super fun personality, him in WWE in his initial main roster run i found to be great. Loved seeing him on TV and has a kickass theme song to boot. 8.0"

[6.0] "Adam Rose was a decent worker and a good jobber, who in his last years in WWE could win only a couple of television matches in a whole year. He started out as a mystical character, becoming the dominant force in the NXT, but after that he was repackaged into a party lover, who later did a heel turn. And I don't think it was a bad decision to abandon Leo Krueger - Adam's character was unique and, although he didn't achieve much success, he, as for me, character was pretty memorable. Rose visually changed a lot, starting to perform on the indie scene, where he won several titles, but soon ended his career. Unfortunately, with all my interest in Rose's gimmicks (including an alliance with Brad Maddox, with whom they tried several different unique roles), he sank into oblivion and ended his career without achieving anything on a major stage, being a charismatic and quite gifted performer."

[3.0] "Goofy comedy heel. Not very good in the ring. Wasn't going anywhere and eventually left the company. Heard the pressure was getting to him. Hope he is doing better."

[5.0] "Adam Rose is not very appreciated in the wrestling world, but I will try to protect him. I agree he is very limited in the ring, he has a not very interesting moveet, he also had a very mediocre finisher in WWE. I also agree that the "party" gimnick was mediocre at best and burned out quickly. But Rose had advantages too - Social Outcasts showed that Adam could be funny, and he had one moment he could start shining but WWE didn't develop it: in 2015, after the party gimnick ended, Adam started attacking a mascot dressed as a rabbit (in fact it was Justin Gabriel), if WWE had gone in the direction of rivalry - maybe psychological or a little twisted it would be cool. Unfortunately, Justin left WWE, and the federation itself was not interested in giving the mascot role to someone else, so we'll never know if that would be a good thing."

[2.0] "bad in the ring, one of the most boring gimmick. Not really good at the microphone either. his Kruger gimmick was mid."

[4.0] "Had potential as Kruger: even if the "bounty hunter" gimmick was cheesy he managed to pull it off somewhat and was a good promo. With a few extra years of development he could've been good for a low card act given that he was a perfectly fine wrestler that could be taken to above average bouts with the right talent. Sadly, he was shoved up with a gimmick that was never really over and quickly died off. It was never going to be a main-event quality sort of thing but whatever potential he had was cut off, and he was stuck being thrown into a lot of random short-term stuff, from his participation in the Social Outcasts (a weak J. O. B. Squad imitation) to his "no fun allowed" heel persona to him spreading rumors about wrestlers. While these were varied none of them stuck, and the more he was switched around the less the general audience cared, and the death-spiral just kept going until he was out of the door. Definitely needed some tuning-up but could have been just fine in a niche spot."

[2.0] "Stupid gimmick plus lack of ring skills leads to a forgettable wrestler who failed really badly, I can't remember a single match he was in"

[4.0] "Disappointing to watch. Just basic moves. His Adam Rose gimmick was overrated. Sad that an awful gimmick can plague his career."

[2.0] "Two points for being willing to try various gimmicks, but nothing he did ever stuck or worked with me. Any time he showed up in WWE it felt like a chore to get through, and his behavior on the indies seem to point to him being a real low life. Hard to want to see anything from him again."

[5.0] "Not sure what happened to this guy after WWE let him go. It seems like he fell off the face of the planet. Seems like a sad story, especially after you watch the ESPN special that was done on him. He tried to find his footing in NXT for so long... finally got the Rose gimmick over to his elation ... then failed miserably on the main roster. Obviously NXT talent who go to the main roster have Vince woes to contend with, so part of me wonders if Rose would have ever stood a chance with that character if Vince was not in the mix. I think there could have been something to play with there, but I guess we'll never know."

[4.0] "Towards the end of 2015 Adam Rose began presenting short segments on WWE TV called 'The Rose Bush'. In these, Rose would report on gossip doing the rounds in World Wrestling Entertainment in the most disinterested of ways, backed up more often than not by some questionable photoshop work. The segments achieved nothing other than moving Rose further into irrelevance and showcasing once again that Vince McMahon and humour may very well be complete opposites. Rose would close these segments by reminding his dwindling numbers of viewers that 'the dirt is always in bloom', but it was clear that Rose's work as the Party Pooper was making sure his career wouldn't be blossoming anytime soon. Salvation was found as part of the Social Outcasts, but this would all come to an end with his suspension in April."

[4.0] "Adam Rose had a lot of potential at the beginning of his NXT run. He was quite good at character work and had a good look as Leo Kruger. A combination of sub-par in-ring work and an awful gimmick really plagued his career in the ring. Rose has since "retired" from the ring and his potential has left the ring with him."

[5.0] "There are many conflicting stories in regards to the release of Adam Rose but from what I gathered he was screwed out of a career in WWE. His work as Leo Kreuger was awesome and if they stuck with it he would have been a 2x US champ by now probably. However, his dancer gimmick was dead on arrival and never was anything more than a running gag with the creative team. Outside of the ring, he's actually a really inspiring guy and I suggest watching the short documentary that WWE made about him."

[5.0] "I have to say that while I am aware of his work as Leo Kruger I have never seen it so I can only vote on what i've seen which is the disaster that was Adam Rose. The gimmick had a very short shelf life and honestly he never had an outstanding match that made me like him, he was always decent to good on the mic though."

[4.0] "Man, WWE really let us down when it came to Adam Rose. When I first started watching NXT a number of years ago, he was still Leo Kruger, and the gimmick fit him well. Now, I'm not saying not being Kruger killed his career, but if they had met in the middle and done a combo of Rose and Kruger almost a split personality half party animal/ half crazy hunter, it might have been cool. Rose didn't seem to have the support of the crowd or the higher ups, and it's a shame no one will remember him in the years to come, cause he was pretty decent."

[7.0] "I won't say he is a terrible wrestler. He can handle on his own in the ring, that's for sure. It his gimmick that bothers me. His run as Leo Kruger was great, but then either WWE or he decided to change it into this Party Head Adam Rose which turned out to be awful."

[4.0] "Adam Rose really thrived back in 2012/2013 when he was known as Leo Kruger. Then He got a new gimmick which is a guy that likes to party with a bunny and changed his name to Adam Rose and thats were his carrier started spiraling down. He was average in the ring and on the mic and was a fairly good seller. But his in ring abilities are not enough to keep this guy from getting a low rating and the suspension and arrest does not help much either."

[5.0] "I can see why Rose was made to drop the Leo Kruger gimmick, but in hindsight I don't think it was the best idea. As Adam Rose he was successful in NXT, but Kruger would have been less of a flop on the main roster. That said, Rose's booking wasn't his fault, and honestly, he came off as interestingly sinister while portraying Kruger. He wasn't a terrible athlete in the ring, either, though neither was he anything to write home about. As a brawler he was serviceable, and he could actually fly fairly well too when given the chance. The man had some potential, and it's unfortunate that he chose to squander it the way he has."

[1.0] "Rose is one of the least impressive wrestlers of WWE's modern era. His only decent angle was with the bunny, and we never found out who the bunny was. Other than that his WWE run was incredibly forgettable."

[3.0] "Probably the most unconfident wrestler in portraying a character on the WWE Roster right now. Quite annoying as a character and very unengaging ringwork. Can instantly generate a face reaction anytime their opponent hits them. (At one point he got Corporate KANE a pop for beating him up while Adam Rose was a face... that is sad)"

[5.0] "this boy has a lot of talent but he is being held down by the wwe. adam rose is one of the worst gimmicks in wwe history. bring back leo kruger"

[8.0] "He was very talented... but Adam Rose gimmick was not getting working in wwe main roster but if he go back to developments and once again work on his character as leo kruger.... i will sure he will be the best heel in wwe. But wwe wasting him clearly."

[5.0] "Gimmick change needed BADLY! Adam is a good wrestler and he is given no chance to show off what he can do on the main roster! Please don't waste him!"

[2.0] "I liked Leo Kruger but the Adam Rose gimmick is one of the most cringe worthy characters in WWE history. This character has created some of WWE's worst moments ala the Kathy Lee & Hoda segment, matches with the Bunny, and that terrible Oculus segment."

[7.0] "It's too bad. The guy can wrestle, no doubt about it. His spine buster is vicious and he has a streak of mean moves that look just as painful as he hopes. However, his gimmick, the Party guy Adam Rose, is god awful. The fans are not into it, and unfortunately, I think it is going to cost him his job in the company. What I will say is that since his heel turn, Adam Rose has been a lot more interesting. Now that his "Rose Buds" are scared of him, and he believes he is a God, I think his character's interest has grown trifold. Here's to hoping he gets a second chance."

[5.0] "Adam Rose is nothing I haven't seen before. He may have had a hot streak, but that doesn't change the fact that he's just average. The reason I'm saying this is the "hot" streak he had, was with terrible matches, and beginning wrestlers. He has had no matches that are worth watching because most of the fights I've seen, the only way he one was with a surprise pinfall. It's no surprise that he was unable to defeat Kane on the 15th year anniversary on Smackdown, because he's just a basic wrestler."

[5.0] "I don't know who made the call to change this guy's character, especially considering how well the "big game hunter" was working for him, but they made a mistake. Sure the Adam Rose gimmick worked in NXT, but now he got called up to the main roster and is being outshined by a guy in a bunny suit. Free Leo Kruger!"

[3.0] "Adam Rose is a really annoying character. He's been on the main roster for about 5 months and the act has gone stale. He has had a few good matches on NXT but on Raw, Smackdown, Superstars or PPVs his matches are rubbish."

[2.0] "I don't think words can adequately sum up how much I dislike Adam Rose. His gimmick is terrible and his wrestling is inadequate. I didn't particularly like him as Leo Kruger but this current run is fully WrestleCrap."

[2.0] "The man behind the gimmicks plays them well, but the latest invention by mr. mcmahon or whoever it was has ruined his entire reputation, leo kruger > adam rose pretty much, this gimmick that he was forced to present just to make it to the biggest picture is absolutely horrendous... what kind of man sucks on a lolipop and spanks other wrestlers in their rear ends? it's queer like, its absurd in a wrestling product to be whitnessing such atrocity. Give this man a solid gimmick or else you will only get 2 points. These two points go solely for how he plays his gimmick, the rest is history."

[5.0] "Leo Kruger, the deranged South African hunter character, was brilliant, creepy, and excellent in the ring. He had potential to be a great threat to heels AND faces, simply because he was so fearsome. Why they scrapped that excellent gimmick for the character of Adam Rose, I'll never know. Adam Rose is the kind of gimmick that will be looked back upon with laughter 5 years from now. You simply can't take him seriously at all. I give this talented wrestler 5 points because, underneath his circus act, there beats the heart of a dedicated hard worker. I'd rate him even higher if he were still Leo Kruger. One of the great lost opportunities in recent memory."

[4.0] "Nothing special - one of these wrestlers, that wear tights. When WWE gave him gimmick of "Leo Kruger", I was at a loss - how his sugary face can be relevant for this gimmick?"

[6.0] "Adam Rose is a strong worker, as proven by his NXT matches, I'll have to see where this gimmick goes, but for now, his "Rosebuds" are the only highlights for me."

[6.0] "Kruger certainly plays his gimmick well outside the ring, and I love the idea of someone with a Kraven the Hunter gimmick in WWE. My biggest problem with him is that he isn't all that interesting once the match actually starts. His matches tend to be dull unless he's in there with someone like Cesaro or Sami, and he doesn't communicate his gimmick well in the ring. Still, I like Leo, and I think WWE should be able to find a role for him at some point."

[10.0] "Leo Kruger is one of the more interesting wrestlers in NXT. He has an old school style, consisting of a very slow, and methodical pace, and an intense usage of in-ring psychology. Kruger's style is along the lines of his gimmick, which is very interesting to say the least. He matches are always very fun to watch, and are a great throwback."

[7.0] "I watched him at NXT and I think that he has a lot of tings to capture the gold. Abilities, body, micro, gimmick..."