5 bizarre WWE gimmicks that were really fun

While the era of unusual gimmicks is now gone, for the most part, that doesn't mean we can't look back and appreciate some of them.

Sure, many were misguided attempts at improving ratings by Vince McMahon, but every now and again we saw a few gems that got over with the WWE Universe despite everything that we thought we knew about professional wrestling.

A handful of the entries on this list are going to fall into that category, whereas the others are just personal preferences that we believe deserved better.

There's no right or wrong way to view the career trajectories of these guys, so the best course of action is probably to just view them through your own eyes instead of from an analytical perspective. Got it? Good.

With that being said, here are five bizarre WWE gimmicks that were really fun.

#5 The Boogeyman

If you keep getting asked back to make special appearances every few years, then chances are you made an impact - and that's certainly the case for The Boogeyman.

While he was obviously never going to ascend to the heights of winning the WWE Championship, Boogeyman's persona was crazy enough and weird enough to work in the realms of the WWE Universe.

He didn't exactly evolve over the course of his tenure, but in many ways, he didn't really need to. The guy had a niche gimmick that only made sense when put in certain environments, but he always seemed to get a pretty fun pop from the crowd.

Oh, and if you feel like grossing yourself out this evening, go and check out his infamous segment with Jillian Hall.

#4 Goldust

While we're using the past tense for the majority of these entries, we do still find ourselves enjoying Goldust's act whenever he pops back up on WWE television.

The man himself will tell you that he never saw a scenario in which Goldy would get over with the crowd, and yet after years and years of hard graft, he's one of the most respected veterans in the business today.

It's been a rocky road for Dustin personally, and for Goldust, it's been even more bizarre. He seems to have been able to outlast some seriously talented superstars over the years, and he's managed to maintain his relevancy despite many believing that he wouldn't last.

It'll be a sad day when this man retires, and we hope that it doesn't happen for at least another few years.

#3 Adam Rose

For those of you who are 'NXT historians' of sorts, you'll know that Leo Kruger was one of the most interesting characters in developmental back in the day. There was no guarantee that he was ever going to be a success on the main roster, but he felt unique, he felt effective, and his promos were really interesting to watch.

Then, Adam Rose came along.

Contrary to what many people thought about him, we actually enjoyed his work. Yes he was a little silly and yes he was never going to be anything other than a jobber, but at the end of the day, he served as a slice of comic relief on a week to week basis.

Plus, throughout all of his Rosebuds, many went on to become high-level superstars on the main roster.

#2 Papa Shango

You may know him as The Godfather, but back in the day, Charles Wright was better known as Papa Shango. He was one of the creepiest characters we'd ever seen, engaging in some seriously messed up segments that had many fans quaking in their boots.

Others considered him to be a little bit too silly, but in many ways, he was exactly what WWE needed back in the day.

He was an effective heel because everybody wanted to see him lose, and the facepaint just completed the look. He was just the right amount of 'spooky' in our book, whatever that's worth these days.

We aren't suggesting he would've gone on to win a world title, but more could've been done with him from a storyline perspective.

#1 Mordecai

While the man behind Mordecai may have undergone several changes throughout the course of his time in professional wrestling, we were big fans of what he was able to do in a short amount of time under the white robe.

He felt like the perfect guy to portray the 'anti-Undertaker' gimmick of sorts, and he seemed to be gaining momentum before he was suddenly shelved.

Professional wrestling is all about suspending your belief in everything that you know so that you can get caught up in the pageantry of the business. Superstars like Mordecai, and yes, The Deadman, are perfect for that.