5 WWE gimmicks that were actually Vince McMahon's creations

WWE is currently one of the biggest global media corporations in the world, boasting well over a billion followers across social media. Vince McMahon's company has been churning out weekly content for several decades now, and is home to some of the biggest Superstars in the industry.

One aspect of pro-wrestling that makes or breaks careers is a 'gimmick'. The character that a wrestler portrays on-screen, decides whether fans would cheer for them, boo them out of the building, or straight-away reject them.

The storied history of pro-wrestling has seen countless gimmicks being created and brought to life. Some faded into obscurity, while a select few have gained legendary status. In the following slideshow, we'll take a look at five gimmicks that were the creations of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who's widely regarded as one of the greatest minds in the history of this business.

#5 The New Day's Preacher gimmick

Back in 2014, The New Day was formed and the careers of Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods would never be the same again. The trio came together when Woods confronted Kofi and Big E following a loss on RAW, and told them that it was "their time to shine". Six years later, The New Day is one of the most successful factions in the history of WWE. The stable has won the Tag Team titles on 8 different occasions.

Fans might remember that The New Day was originally portrayed as dancing preachers, which was a gimmick that the WWE owner came up with.

“So we’re just sitting there smiling and nodding at Vince. But we can all hear each other in our heads, like, ‘NOOOOOO! This is never gonna work!’ What are you doing?!?! Preachers, nooooo!’ We’re just smiling and nodding, like, ‘Yep! We’ll take the opportunity, Vince!’ Like, the biggest contrast in what was happening.”

The gimmick was corny and didn't thrill the fans one bit, leading to the trio turning heel, and the rest is history. The improved characters of The New Day were received well by the audience and the trio soon turned into three of the most hilarious acts on WWE TV.

#4 Matt Morgan's stuttering gimmick

One of the most intimidating wrestlers to ever step foot in a WWE ring, Matt Morgan had tons of potential. He didn't do much of note during his WWE stint though, which lasted around three years. Morgan returned to WWE TV in April 2005, after being on the sideline for over a year. He donned a new gimmick which saw him stutter while cutting promos and get defensive over the same.

Years later, Morgan opened up on Vince McMahon coming up with the idea and stated that even though he hated it, he had to go ahead with it because it was Vince's creation.

As for the stuttering thing, I did say in that office, and not talking back or anything, but you know, Vince sold this to me as he's always wanted to put this stuttering character on one of these bigger, super impressive looking guys."

I wasn't a fan of it, but when Vince comes up with an idea, you gotta go with it.

Morgan was paired with Carlito, and he helped him defeat The Big Show at Judgement Day 2005. The association didn't last long and Morgan was released by WWE in July.

#3 Konnor's Rat gimmick

Konnor and Viktor, dubbed as Ascension, were a promising duo in WWE NXT, but weren't used to their fullest potential when they moved up to the main roster. Fans who witnessed Konnor's run in NXT when he was a part of the third season of the show, might recall that he portrayed the gimmick of a rat! As expected, the gimmick didn't last long and he was later paired with Viktor.

Konnor recalled in an interview that he was having an awkward meeting with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and it ended with Vince giving him the character of an actual rat.

I was like oh my god this is it. I’m done. I’m finished, and he goes, ‘can you talk nasally?’ And I go, ‘what?’ [He goes], ‘nasally.’ I’m like man what is he talking about? He’s like, ‘can you talk like this?’ I was like oh my god. What is happening here? So lieu and behold, that’s how the rat character came about. It was something that Vince envisioned. Whether it was a rib, I don’t know. Hell of a rib.”

You can check out the clip below that shows Konnor's character in action:

Viktor and Konnor were released by WWE in late 2019, thus ending Konnor's nine-year stint with the promotion.

#2 Val Venis' controversial gimmick during the Attitude Era

The Attitude Era was, hands down, the most exciting time to be a pro-wrestling fan, as both WWE and WCW were pushing the boundaries when it came to producing edgy content on a weekly basis. One such character that fit the bill and was well received by the fans during the time was Val Venis. His non-PG act immediately became a hit with the WWE Universe at the time and he enjoyed several Championship runs, that included a European title reign.

Venis has discussed his character in the past, revealing that Vince McMahon was the person who created it.

Vince McMahon came up with the name 'Val Venis' and the general idea of the character.

It was in development from day one and continued to evolve. It took a long time to really develop into the towel-wearing, 'hello ladies' character that ultimately it blew up into.

He also donned a corporate gimmick on WWE RAW during the Ruthless Aggression Era, as he was appointed "Chief of Staff" by then-RAW GM Eric Bischoff. Venis was released by WWE in early 2009, after working for the promotion for over a decade.

#1 The Undertaker

There's little argument when one describes The Undertaker's character as being possibly the greatest gimmick in the history of pro-wrestling. It came at a time when goofy characters were a thing, and the gimmick of a Deadman with supernatural powers was the right fit for that era. The Undertaker was more than a flash in the pan though, and went on to enjoy a three-decade career in WWE.

Shane McMahon once revealed in an interview that Vince McMahon was the one who came up with the gimmick. During a discussion with Paul Bearer, Vince learned that he was a mortician. Vince came up with The Undertaker character and paired Mark Calaway with Paul Bearer.

The Undertaker went on to win several World titles, and has only been defeated two times at WrestleMania. He is a guaranteed future Hall of Famer, and will be remembered for donning what many considered a goofy gimmick, and turning it into a top WWE attraction. Fans can check out The Undertaker's latest WWE Network special named Undertaker: The Last Ride for a behind-the-scenes look at his career.

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Edited by Alan John