Base-Breaking Character: As mentioned below, opinion seems to be split on him. On one side, people who know of him on NXT are aware he's an incredibly talented performer and are glad his Level Grinding on NXT is finally paying off. On the other, people believe that he's green at best/mediocre at worst and is being pushed way beyond his current skill set.
While she was Fandango's dancing partner, Summer Rae already started to build up fans, especially among those who already knew who she was from NXT. This seems to have been noticed as well. While Fandango's push has cooled somewhat, Summer is still on the rise, appearing in the second season of Total Divas and having a part in the next installment of The Marine film series.
Even more Darkhorse-y is Original Fandango Girl -AKA Fandanga, Ann Dango, Fandangirl...note AKA actual trained dancer/dance instructor and college student (at least at the time) Andrea Lynn.
Fan Nickname: His female dance partners (especially the original one, because she was never named onscreen) are colloquially referred to as "Fandanga" and "Mrs. Fandango." This became an Ascended Meme during the time Summer Rae was his dance partner, as JBL did call her "Mrs. Fandango" every time she accompanied him.
Hilarious in Hindsight: During a "How Well Do You Know Your Pro?" challenge on NXT season four, R-Truth was asked what does he think Johnny Curtis could make a career out of outside of wrestling. Truth answered "Dancing or Acting".
Germans Love David Hasselhoff: While Fandango is gaining popularity worldwide, the Brits seem to have really taken off with Fandango the most. It's been speculated (even byWade Barrett) that the reason the post-WrestleMania crowd orchestrated the Fandango chants was mainly due to it having a higher Brit ratio than usual. The fact that his theme song reached #43 in the UK Singles Charts and #31 in the Scottish Singles Charts also seems to back this claim.
Narm Charm: According to WrestleCrap, Johnny Curtis's surprising devotion to a gimmick that's so completely ridiculous has sent him into an exclusive club with the likes of John Morrison and The Hurricane of "People Who Were Given Goofy Gimmicks Who Made Them Work" and has somehow risen above snark.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: The "new, improved Fandango" that debuted in 2014, swapped out his colorful outfits for basic black, his partner from Summer Rae to Rosa Mendes, his famous entrance theme for something closer to Flamenco music, and his general kooky demeanor taking a turn for the stoic and serious. This doesn't seem to have gone over well, as many felt his charming silliness was part of his appeal. He reverted to the colorful outfit and original entrance theme after WrestleMania 31, which while it didn't help on his standing in the card, made him a hit again with crowds overseas.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Regardless of his success as Fandango, some have looked back on his previous gimmick, the creepy Johnny Curtis, and found it a surprisingly entertaining, especially with his interactions with Maxine (another wasted wrestler in many's mind). It helps that their storyline was probably the only enjoyable part of an otherwise mediocre era of NXT.
Took the Bad Gimmick Seriously: Despite being saddled with a flamboyant dancer gimmick that makes it very hard to look tough, as well as a name millenials associate more immediately with an online ticketing website (and Chris Jericho, of course, has lampshaded this), one of the reasons Fandango's gotten so over is his ability/willingness to play this gimmick to the hilt, even on a couple of occasions when Jericho was pretty obviously trying to get him to start Corpsing. He's so committed to his character that he's even walked out of radio interviews when the interviewers mispronounce his name and he actually managed to avoid a WrestleCrap induction on the sheer strength of his dedication (even inspiring an entire article on "The Fandango Effect").
Wade Barrett) that the reason the post-WrestleMania crowd orchestrated the Fandango chants was mainly due to it having a higher Brit ratio than usual. The fact that his theme song reached #43 in the UK Singles Charts and #31 in the Scottish Singles Charts also seems to back this claim.