D’Lo Brown’s WWE tenure took place during the Attitude Era when mid-carders had the chance to break out more frequently. WWE and the fan base rarely discuss Brown today, even though he did a lot of great things at the time. The Attitude Era specifically featured many massive stars from the main event picture, to the mid-card, to the tag division.
Brown has become one of the more overlooked talents deserving of more recognition. WWE had D’Lo working closely with respected names like Ron Simmons, The Rock, and X-Pac in various ways. The growth of Brown saw him becoming a valued member of the roster. D’Lo’s career deserves another look back at just how many great things he did in the Attitude Era.
D'Lo Was The Most Underrated Nation Of Domination Member
WWE found multiple future Hall of Famers when forming the Nation of Domination. Ron Simmons, Mark Henry, and The Godfather have already all been inducted for their contributions. The Rock is easily going to get inducted one day when he approves the timing. D’Lo Brown is probably the only long-term member to not have the same fate, but he deserves as much credit, if not more than his fellow stablemates.
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Things started off slow for Brown in the original incarnation of the group as one of the lackeys meant to add a numbers advantage. However, the group cutting out unnecessary weight saw D’Lo sticking around and finding his ideal role. Brown got to show more personality and get some promo time when the others were in the ring with him.
WWE also trusted D’Lo to have stronger matches than most of the other members. Rock was green, Simmons had witnessed a decline after some injuries, and the others were limited. Brown was one of the few who could have a two-segment match without losing the attention of the audience or harming the overall story being told. The Nation would not have worked as long as it did without D’Lo involved.
D'Lo Was A Good European Champion
WWE went hot and cold with the European Championship when it was created as another mid-card title. The Intercontinental Championship was still a bigger deal, but this added another title for the other mid-carders or main eventers moving down a little to have something to compete for. Names like Davey Boy Smith, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H were the first to hold the belt and help create some momentum.
D'Lo Brown deserves to be mentioned with any of them when ranking the best title reigns with the European Championship. WWE enjoyed the momentum of Brown enough to have him win the Intercontinental Championship as well to hold both titles at the same time. D’Lo had noteworthy feuds with X-Pac, Jeff Jarrett, and Mark Henry during this time. All three names eventually joined the WWE Hall of Fame, and Brown was getting title wins over them.
The matches of D’Lo and his fun persona made him the ideal mid-carder when WWE badly needed some guys to step up in the Attitude Era. WWE’s main event picture was loaded, but the mid-card needed more depth with Brown helping there. The European Championship reign was the most memorable part of D’Lo’s push.
He Has An Underrated Legacy
The Attitude Era was the most popular time for WWE and the entire roster deserves credit for the success. Many of the storylines and segments are hard to watch back today with the creative becoming outdated, but the performers made it work. D’Lo Brown could have been fine treading water as a secondary Nation of Domination member. However, he wanted to make his impact and accomplish more.
Fans don’t talk about the contributions of Brown enough due to how fast he fell off in WWE. The end of the European Championship run saw him struggling to find the right role. D’Lo tried his best in tag teams with Mark Henry, The Godfather, and Chaz, but none of them made sense for the characters. WWE got into a bad habit of trying to force wrestlers in need of a new push into makeshift tag teams.
The rather weak ending to Brown’s time in WWE saw him trying his luck in TNA and working the independent circuit. D’Lo is now a valued producer and color commentator for Impact Wrestling after retirement. The career of Brown deserves so much more attention and respect for his best moments. No one will accuse D’Lo of being as big as Steve Austin or The Rock, but wrestlers like him provided the depth needed for WWE to thrive in the late ‘90s.
