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It can go without saying that a gimmick is nothing without the person behind it. Just because someone has a great idea for a character, doesn't mean they will be able to pull it off. Would Waylon Mercy have worked if Dan Spivey hadn't been forced into early retirement? Who knows, but we can probably all agree that it wouldn't have hit the height of popularity that two-time WWE Universal Champion, Bray Wyatt, managed to get to.
Sometimes a really stupid, absurd, or dead on arrival gimmick can work because the performer puts their heart and soul into it, turning chicken s*** into chicken salad. It's the difference between what makes a wrestler good and what makes them great. Acts like Mankind, Kane, Damien Mizdow, Otis, and the Fashion Police all proved that great talent can make the most ludicrous gimmick work.
This list will highlight other Superstars who did the same. Let's start things off with someone who did just that, coming out of one of the most poorly booked storylines in WWE history.
#5. The Hurricane - WWE's own Superhero
Gregory Shane Helms is easily one of the greatest cruiserweights to ever step foot inside a ring. From his time as "Sugar" Shane Helms in WCW to the longest-reigning Cruiserweight Champion in WWE history as Gregory Helms, the man captivated wrestling fans with his spectacular in-ring work.
However, for some reason, WWE turned him into The Hurricane following the infamous Invasion storyline. In the role, Helms donned green and black gear, dyed green hair, and a superhero mask and cape. He even had a sidekick in "Mighty Molly" Holly, arriving ringside in their Hurri-Cycle.
It was goofy, it was dumb, and it was one of the greatest strokes of genius that WWE had during the transition into the Ruthless Aggression Era. Seriously, if you weren't around for The Hurricane, you missed out on something truly magical.
The segments he had with The Rock were phenomenal and served to turn Helms into one of the most beloved WWE Superstars of that era. Something that may have caused WCW fans to roll their eyes so hard they could see the insides of their own skull actually elevated Helms.
#4. The New Day - WWE's merchandise machine
Sadly, we just saw the New Day split up a bit, with Big E being separated from the group during the 2020 WWE Draft. While Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will keep things rolling on Monday Night RAW, Big E will have to go it alone on SmackDown.
Back in 2014, WWE began airing these priestly power of positivity vignettes that the WWE Universe immediately rejected. This came off the heels of Xavier Woods' invitation to Kofi Kingston and Big E in the middle of the ring after a horrendous losing streak. Frustrated, Woods claimed that they would no longer be "kissing babies and shaking hands" and rumors began to swirl that fans could see a new version of the Nation of Domination.
So when this popped up in November, the WWE Universe was confused. Woods, Kingston, and Big E's serious demeanor was gone. Now they were introduced as preachers serving up a message of positivity with a choir behind them.
"New Day Sucks" chants followed, and they turned heel five months into their run. Whatever their gimmick was supposed to be was basically scrapped, allowing all three men to become incredibly arrogant, aggravating, asinine, and surprisingly entertaining. The change in attitude was all they needed. They were still the fun-loving goofballs that they started as in November of 2014, but it came with such an overbearing amount of positivity.
The WWE Universe loved to hate them. However, that that hate turned to admiration as The New Day experimented with Woods bringing out a trombone, the group promoting their own "Booty-O's" cereal, and more. It was three guys just having fun, and as it turned out that through interviews over the years, that's who Big E, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston really was.
Wrestling is best when a character is just someone's personality turned up to 11, as the saying goes. The New Day turned it up to 12, and they are now one of the greatest stables in WWE history.
Part of this can be accredited to WWE's plain old stubborn nature. In recent years, fans have demanded changes or new directions as there were happy to tell the company when they're not enjoying something. Yet, WWE continued to push forward anyway.
That may have something to do with The New Day, something that was outright rejected and hated from day one.
#4 King Booker - 2006 WWE King of the Ring Winner
Talk about something that really shouldn't have worked. How many times have we seen WWE Superstars win the King of the Ring only to take the title of King a bit too far? How many times has it halted someone's momentum rather than catapult them to the top?
We're a year past the last King of the Ring tournament, and Baron Corbin is still parading around in a crown and cape with subjects carrying him to the ring. It rarely does anything to elevate the winner.
Well, that's usually the case. There are a few outliers, of course. WWE Hall of Famer "Macho King" Randy Savage managed to pull it off. However, one that doesn't get the credit he so often deserves is fellow WWE Hall of Famer and 2006 King of the Ring winner, King Booker.
To say that the moniker went to the five-time WCW World Champion's head would be an understatement. Joined by his lovely bride, Queen Sharmell, King Booker quickly took over SmackDown, with William Regal and Fit Finlay as a part of the King's Court.
While Randy Savage wore the crown, Booker T added an over the top accent and turned the blue brand into his own personal kingdom. The World Heavyweight Champion forced his subjects to kiss his ring or face his wrath, among other things. During a time where WWE was somewhat struggling to create Superstars and memorable storylines, King Booker was a welcome addition.
In fact, King Booker was such an unforgetable part of Booker T's run that he brought it back in 2018 to celebrate New Day's fifth reign as WWE Tag Team Champions.
Fans have seen this fail time and time again. Sheamus, Corbin, Wade Barrett, Mabel, and more took it a bit too far and stumbled. Sometimes something is just so bad, it's good, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that this is what the King Booker gimmick was. He took it too far, but he was so over the top that fans just couldn't help but love the King.
#2 R-Truth - WWE's resident Animaniac
R-Truth is hilarious. Sometimes, he's the highlight of Monday Night RAW. He's easily the main reason to watch RAW Talk on the WWE Network. Yet, you wouldn't think something as goofy as R-Truth's character would have seemingly everlasting value.
You'd be wrong. We would all be wrong. It's hard not to appreciate a man that made Brock Lesnar crack the biggest smile we've seen on his face since he worked with Kurt Angle in the early 2000s.
Brock Lesnar had so much fun during this segment that when they went to the back, he wanted to work with R-Truth more. WWE has a gold mine here and the company has been using him to his full advantage every time he shows up on TV.
It shouldn't work at all. A man that doesn't know what day of the year it is, grabbing a ladder and trying to win the Money in the Bank briefcase at the Royal Rumble, shouldn't work. It's a joke that should only get a laugh a handful of times.
Yet, here we are, laughing so hard our stomachs hurt whenever Truth appears. As much as can be said about whatever Truth's gimmick actually is, full credit goes to the man behind the character. Ron Killings is genuinely hysterical, and he knows that.
To think that this stemmed from the paranoid conspiracy theorist heel R-Truth introduced in 2010 is kind of insane. Honestly, if you go back and watch that run with The Miz as The Awesome Truth, or even his shot at the WWE Championship, it's hard not to marvel at this.
Ron Killings gives everything he can in his performance. For WWE, that's making everyone corpse whenever they're in a segment with him. If you give something like this to just anybody, it would fail. Facts are facts, not everyone is funny. Not everyone can make "Insane conspiracy man that sees ghost children" work.
Ron Killings can, which is why R-Truth works.
#1 The Undertaker - WWE's greatest gimmick
It does not matter how incredible of a run Mark Calloway has had as The Deadman. Yes, he's a first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer. He had a legendary career, becoming one of the greatest characters in all of professional wrestling.
Looking back at it, though, it's a miracle that The Undertaker lasted a year, let alone three decades with WWE. An undead mortician who puts his opponents in body bags and coffins? Even though he came about a few years before it started, that has the New Generation Era written all over it. Cartoonish is a great way to describe it.
Still, The Undertaker is absolutely legendary. From day one, the company made sure that everyone took this seriously. It probably helped that The Phenom went from being managed by Brother Love to Paul Bearer, someone equally as cryptic and horrifying as the big man himself.
There was not a single moment where Vince McMahon and the company looked at the character and changed direction on a dime. They were dedicated to making this work, which meant making The Undertaker a legitimate threat from the get-go. In one year, The Undertaker captured his first WWF Championship, beating Hulk Hogan of all people.
Thirty years later, The Undertaker has evolved with the times and managed to stay relevant through three long decades, a nearly impossible feat for anyone. He's a seven-time WWE World Champion, seven-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 12-time Slammy Award Winner, and more. The WWE legend has also delivered some of the greatest matches and feuds in all of professional wrestling. The Undertaker is a gimmick that defied the odds.
Something that should have been dead on arrival became captivating. Something that fans should've gawked at instead made them either quake in fear or stare in awe. It was, indeed, an absurd gimmick. It's also the greatest gimmick of all time.
