3 Gimmicks That Saved Wrestlers' Career

#1 Rocky Maivia - Nation of Domination

The Nation of Domination

Before becoming the People's Champ and ruling the wrestling industry with his charismatic promos, The Rock used to play an overbearing do-gooder character called Rocky Maivia who was getting thrust to the main event scenes. The character was a disaster, to say the least, and was downright rejected by the crowd.

The gimmick was hiding his talent as a top star of the company, but it didn't stop management from elevating him towards bigger things. He was the sole survivor in his debut match at Survivor Series and won the Intercontinental title in less than a year after debuting. But, it was clear that fans would never accept him as major competition, so WWF finally decided to drop the ball with him in 1997.

After returning from a legitimate injury a few months later, the creatives decided to use the hatred towards him in turning him heel. He joined the already established stable, The Nation of Domination and became their mouthpiece. The role helped him in showing his charismatic side to the audience and soon the hatred and disappointment started turning into genuine heat.

Nobody from the crowd to interviewers were safe from his insulting promos and he soon became the biggest heel of the show. He went on to have more success and recognition as Corporate Rock or People's Champ, but this gimmick helped him in saving his career and showed his true potential to the world.