The art of selling a gimmick is one of the most critical components to a professional wrestler's success. For some, they are fortunate to be assigned to a fairly simple gimmick, while others are handed a much more challenging moniker to display to the fans.
For instance, Stone Cold Steve Austin was given a gimmick in which he had to portray a tough, beer drinking redneck from the sticks of Texas. Well, that was pretty simple for Austin, considering the gimmick nearly mirrored the person who Steve already was, to begin with.
However, when he was 'Stunning' Steve Austin, it was a much more difficult task, primarily because he was not the yuppie from Hollywood that he was forced to pretend he was.
Some wrestlers are blessed with the ability to sell their character with much more ease than others. It's just something that they have inside, sort of like the ever elusive "x-factor," you either have it, or you don't. Nevertheless, the pro wrestling gimmick is a vital part of the aura, or the storytelling which goes into the sport.
Also read: Worst WWE Gimmicks of all-time: 5 Worst gimmicks from the Ruthless Aggression Era
Wrestling is much more than just having a good guy face off with the bad guy. Wrestling is the most extreme type of storytelling known to man.
With professional wrestling, the stories are told with the bodies of the talented men and women who we call superstars, because, quite frankly, if someone has the skill needed to convert their body into an element in a story... well, that person is indeed a superstar, in every sense of the term.
When it comes to the gimmicks, there have been many. Some we have seen, and immediately rolled our eyes in disbelief that something so cringe-worthy actually made it to life. Then, there are others who simply leave us in awe at how amazing the character actually is.
In this article, we are going to focus on ten gimmicks that should have been a huge flop, but turned out to be money.
#10 Fandango
Now, I am well aware that the Fandango we all watch now, is not exactly setting the world on fire. Personally, I believe he's just experiencing some terrible booking decisions, which he has no control over. However, the original Fandango was epic and still can be, if they simply let him go back to what put him over to begin with.
At Wrestlemania 29, Fandango defeated Chris Jericho, in what was Fandango's main roster in-ring debut. The following night, something incredible happened. Despite being a heel, the entire crowd got behind Fandango, and they began dancing and singing along to his music.
This would be the start of a huge movement for Fandango. I can remember watching one particular episode of Raw, when they were in London. Fandango made his entrance and as soon as his music dropped, the entire crowd was on their feet, "doing the Fandango."
I seriously doubt anyone expected that type of response, but from there, it only got bigger. Every town, every arena, the whole world was behind Fandango, and they were all dancing along to his music. In fact, at one point, the Fandango entrance song was at the top of iTunes best seller list.
Why the creative team has decided to essentially bury Fandango, is beyond my understanding. I do believe this guy still has untapped potential, and he can still go out and provide that much-needed entertainment value that he is very much capable of.
#9 The Boogeyman
I'd like to meet the person who decided it would be a good idea to have a man spit a mouthful of live worms into another man's mouth. Actually, I take that back. I'm not at all interested.
The Boogeyman is a very dark, vile character, one who's sole purpose is to terrify you.
This notion was successful, as The Boogeyman scared kids and adults alike, all over the world. Everything from his entrance, the way he walked, talked, down to his actions inside the ring, it all came together perfectly to create the most disturbing persona ever known.
The Boogeyman didn't need championships in order to fulfil his purpose. All he needed, was fear and the elusive shock value, which he had an abundance of.
#8 Tyler Breeze
I'll reference back to Fandango on this one. The current Breezango duo should have never been thought of whatsoever. They have ruined opportunity, after opportunity with two guys who have already shown they can deliver a quality performance.
I'd like for you to think back to NXT, back when Tyler Breeze was absolutely dominating the roster. During the time when he was the number one contender, Breeze gave us some magical moments. All while portraying a charismatic, fluffy boot wearing metrosexual with a selfie-stick. Seriously, a selfie-stick.
Despite initial reactions, Tyler Breeze took a character that never should have seen the light of day, and he made it work. Not only did he make it work, but he made it an enormous success. It would be nice to see them let him get back to what worked in the first place, Prince Pretty.
#7 Val Venis
I guess considering he got started right in the beginning of the Attitude Era, it wasn't too surprising to see a porn star gimmick being introduced to the audience, but was it supposed to actually work? I guess we all have our own thoughts on the destiny of the Val Venis character, but at the end of the day, he made it work.
For over a decade, Val Venis remained a common fixture on WWE programming. This alone is enough to celebrate, but Val actually had some accomplishments of significance to speak of. In 1999, Pro Wrestling Illustrated listed Val Venis as number 25 in the PWI 500 for that year.
Not only that, but Venis captured a few titles along the way as well, including the European Championship, tag titles with Lance Storm, and the Intercontinental Championship, which he won twice.
#6 Doink the Clown
In a world of larger than life superheroes, who would've ever imagined that a clown....a CLOWN would ever see the light of day in the WWE? Well, in 1992, the late Matt Osborne took on the role of Doink the Clown.
However, the Clown was just a crowd roaming jester at first, going around the arena, pulling pranks and joking with the fans. The following year, Doink would make his in-ring debut as a heel. Doink would also pull small jokes on his opponents as well, such as the squirting flower, amongst other random gags.
During an interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bruce Prichard stated that the original idea for the Doink gimmick, was the brainchild of Road Warrior Hawk.
After Osborne left the company in 1993, the character continued with 5 other people playing the part of Doink. Once Matt found his way back onto the independent scene, he continued to work as Doink the Clown, all the way up until his untimely death in 2013. Osborne was 55 years old at the time of his passing.
#5 The Honky Tonk Man
The Honky Tonk Man was hated by almost everyone, but respected by them also. But, the idea of an Elvis impersonating gimmick was enough to make The King himself rollover in his Graceland cemetery. Nevertheless, The Honky Tonk Man was destined to make this thing work, and while he had plenty of doubters, he let his work do the talking for him.
The Honky Tonk Man not only worked out just fine but would go on to become arguably the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all-time, holding the title an incredible 454 days, with just one run as the champion.
#4 Bray Wyatt
Some may want to credit Waylon Mercy for being the original mysterious, cult-like performer. However, if you put them side-by-side, you'll notice several distinct differences. A lot of the Bray Wyatt persona is influenced by the film Cape Fear, and the Max Cady character, who was portrayed by Robert DeNiro.
Bray deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the way he rebounded from the Husky Harris character. The way he was able to go back to the drawing board, and come back as Bray Wyatt, and absolutely nail it, it was nothing short of magical.
Wyatt has proved to be one of the greatest repackaging stories in wrestling history. Armed with the in-ring talent needed to get to the next level, along with his dynamite mic skills, Bray Wyatt is set for a very bright future as a top-tier superstar for many years to come.
#3 The Godfather
I can only imagine if this character would've waited until today's era to debut. I'm fairly certain things would not have went over as well as they did in the Attitude Era.
What a lot of people don't realise, is that The Godfather was actually a character that originated while he was known as Mustafa, in The Nation of Domination. As he became known more and more as “The Godfather" of The Nation, he was eventually tagged with that very name.
It wasn't until after the demise of The Nation of Domination that the true colours of The Godfather began to shine.
Once he reverted back to a solo run, the attire started to become more outlandish, the music changed, and of course...who can forget the Hoooooooe Train?
The Godfather became one of the top fan favourites, and he was outstanding in interacting with the audience, making them feel like they were a part of the show. This was a major reason why the gimmick was so successful.
Despite having multiple successful personas like Kama, and Papa Shango, it's The Godfather that fans loved the most, which is the reason why he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, class of 2016, as The Godfather.
#2 Goldust
Dustin Runnels is no stranger to changing gimmicks on a regular basis. Throughout his legendary career, Dustin has worked under roughly 10 different names, or gimmicks. However, once his career finally comes to an end, it'll be Goldust that fans will always cleave to.
Looking back at the inception of Goldust, it makes one wonder if this was some sort of disciplinary action taken against him.
After all, the man is the son of The American Dream, a man's man! Yet they decide to cake him up with gold makeup, squeeze him into a big gold onesie, give him a robe, and top it all off with a wig? But, in true Rhodes family fashion, he not only made it work, but he OWNED the gimmick.
Goldust is undoubtedly nearing the end of his storied career. Through it all, he's been a solid, consistent source of quality entertainment and I have zero doubt that the WWE Hall of Fame has a place reserved for The Bizarre One.
#1 The Undertaker
This one speaks for itself. Granted, he's evolved into one of the, if not THE greatest of all time.
But, let's just imagine we were privy to be involved in the first creative meeting when this idea was pitched. "Um, well I got this idea. How about we have a dead guy character? Well, not really dead, but we call him the Dead Man. He'll wear a trench coat and work in a funeral parlour!"
In all seriousness, the gimmick originated from Bruce Prichard. However, he got the idea from some people on the set of Suburban Commando. Bruce claims that some of the people there kept saying that he looked like "an old-timey funeral director." From there Bruce went with it and in the end, "Mean Mark Callous" became The Undertaker.
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