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The most important ingredient of a successful WWE Superstar is their gimmick. Some people say a gimmick makes a superstar, while others claim that it is the man that makes a gimmick.
The Undertaker is a case study often used to support both assertions. His whole shtick is so well-defined and supremely executed that we could just as easily wind up thinking anyone would have made a success of out it. At the same time, you can’t overstate Mark Calaway’s hand behind its longevity and relevance.
Often, the debate is fuelled further by examples of superstars who make it big, indelibly testifying to their commitment and their ability, and yet have a pockmarked history with bad gimmicks before they hit a home run with one.
So was it their fault that they couldn’t figure out the nuts and bolts of how to make it work earlier in their careers or can we chalk up the failure to the unconvincing nature of the gimmick itself? It’s one of the many questions in pro wrestling that we can answer around, but never hit the bullseye on.
As you contemplate that, here’s a list of six WWE Superstars who had to wade through ridiculous gimmicks to reach the promised land.
#6 Cody Rhodes - Stardust
Cody Rhodes had a successful first run in WWE, but was never able to realize his full potential. While his run as a member of Legacy and as 'Dashing' Cody Rhodes got him a few championship victories, it seemed that he would never be able to make the jump to the main event.
But in 2014, WWE decided to repackage Cody as Stardust, a character very similar to the one played by his step-brother Goldust. Both WWE and the superstar put in a lot of effort to make the gimmick work, but it just wasn't meant to be. Here's what Arn Anderson had to say about the gimmick's failure:
"Cody put everything he could into the Stardust gimmick but that's not who he is, that's not who he ever is going to be. The biggest mistake I would tell any young guy in this business is a guy playing a character. If you are you being you and the more you take being you down, the worse it is. You have to take the real you and make it a little louder, colorful and intelligent, it's hard to screw up being you. That's who Cody wanted to be, even though he gave it 120%, he still wanted to be Cody." [WrestlingInc]
The failure of the gimmick was followed by Cody leaving Vince McMahon's promotion in 2016. He went to the independent circuit and reinvented himself as The American Nightmare, returning to WWE as a bigger star than he left. Given how his current presentation fits him, it was no surprise when Cody requested the management to never see the Stardust gimmick ever again.
#5 TJ Perkins – Suicide
It is almost ironic that the first-ever Cruiserweight Champion (after WWE decided to bring the division back) wrestled for TNA under the name of Suicide. Not at all PG, is it?
Naturally, they re-packaged him completely as TJ Perkins (pronounced TJP) dressed him in multicolored garb right out of a comic book and decided that he would be accompanied to the ring by 8-bit entrance music.
And in the riveting backstory that he is scripted to narrate, replete with near-insurmountable obstacles and unexpected twists, of how he finally realized his dreams, they conveniently left out the fact that he was once a masked man setting TNA’s X-Division alight.
#4 Naomi – Funkadactyl
Today, Naomi is one of the top names in WWE's women's division. A former SmackDown Women's Champion and former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion, Naomi has come a long, long way from where she started.
There was a time when she was part of one of the most ineffectual, ridiculous, and dumbfounding ventures of the noughties – Funkasaurus and his Funkadactyls.
Why did they convince a legitimate powerhouse like Brodus Clay to act as Barney the Dinosaur’s WWE avatar was befuddling in the first place. And the conviction behind the gimmick, with his own entourage comprising of “Funkadactyls” who would dance with him to the ring, was truly sad.
However, Naomi was able to move on from the gimmick, and her "Feel the Glow" gimmick has done wonders for the African-American superstar.
#3 Triple H – Terra Ryzing
Terra Ryzing – Terror Rising. Got it?
Cringe-worthy to say the least, right? Not to mention that there isn’t anything terrifying in the least about that flowing golden hair or the faintest trace of credibility about his ring gear either.
In a nutshell, Triple H’s stint in WCW was a disaster.
He didn’t get anywhere with the gimmick and was soon repackaged into a snobbish French aristocrat who incidentally couldn’t speak French.
It was only when he crossed over to WWE that he gained any sort of traction in his pro wrestling career. Hunter Hearst Helmsley was born and soon abbreviated into Triple H, who quickly climbed the ladder of success.
Must Watch: Former WWE writer recalls how he came up with 'The Game'
#2 WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry – Sexual Chocolate
In a lengthy WWE career that has braved discrimination, racial profiling, and the mire of the mid-card, perhaps one of the worst disservices that Mark Henry was on the receiving end of was the ’Sexual Chocolate' gimmick that was thrust upon him.
It wasn’t the gimmick itself, in theory, that was bad, but the disgusting storylines that accompanied it. The lowest point of Henry’s gimmick was his relationship with Mae Young and the eventual birth of their love child – a hand. Yes, a hand.
It was truly distasteful and a far cry from the highlight-reel-worthy Hall of Pain storyline that would later serve as the crowning glory of his WWE career.
Suggested: Mark Henry on his new career choice, AEW The Hardy Boyz & more
#1 Fandango – Johnny Curtis
This entry makes it on the list, but barely. Fandango would likely have propped up a recollection of gimmicks that utterly failed had it not been for the revival of sorts that he enjoyed as one-half of Breezango before his WWE release.
But even before he was packaged as the suave dancer and given a monster push (that saw him defeat Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, no less), Fandango paraded his wares on SmackDown under the name of Johnny Curtis briefly.
Doesn’t ring a bell, does it? Exactly. That’s how forgettable it was.
And to think that he was only promoted to the main roster after winning the fourth season of NXT and thoroughly impressing the management in the process. It seems that back then, even the NXT wasn’t what it is today.
