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In WWE, there is no shortage of great gimmicks throughout history.
From the American patriotism of Hulk Hogan, to the cocky demeanor of The Rock, to the loud-mouthed Eco Warrior recently with the new Daniel Bryan, gimmicks are the backbone of professional wrestling.
But for all these great gimmicks, there are just as many bad gimmicks that failed to leave their mark with the crowd.
There are some that instantly failed to get over, and are only remembered by the most fervent fans for how bad they were.
Here are five gimmicks in WWE that flopped instantly, and how the company reacted to these blunders.
#5 Tensai
When Lord Tensai made his presence felt in WWE, the company certainly tried to give him a huge push.
Defeating John Cena with seeming ease on RAW in 2012, Tensai and his oft-forgotten manager Sakamoto were supposed to be a huge deal
There's just one thing WWE didn't factor in: smart fans.
As soon as he appeared, fans chanted 'Albert', referencing Tensai's former gimmick in WWE, before he left for Japan where he became a much bigger star.
Though commentary at first said Tensai was a force unlike any seen before, they eventually relented and said how "some fans" may recognise him as Albert.
With the character now seen as a joke by the fans, it wouldn't take long for Tensai to fall far down the card, turning face and forming a tag team with another monster that had been re-written into a comedy character, Brodus Clay.
You know WWE have nothing planned for you when your WrestleMania match is cut from the card without any notice.
#4 Emmalina
If you believe in alternate realities, then there's probably a world out there where Emmalina was a huge success.
As segments began to air in late 2016, it seemed that former NXT star Emma was ready to return to the main roster, this time as the fashionable Emmalina.
Unfortunately, these vignettes kept going on and on and on, until it became something of a recurring joke with the fans.
Eventually, in February 2017, Emmalina finally made her debut, but at this point, after so much time-wasting, the character was already dead, and the Aussie Superstar returned to being plain-old Emma almost immediately after the character's introduction on Monday Night RAW.
Having her last WWE match against Asuka later that year, Emma would leave the company after and fair much better in Ring of Honor.
#3 Sister Abigail
When Bray Wyatt began cutting promos about a 'Sister Abigail', fans were hooked.
Also the name of his finisher, Abigail had always been a mystery to the WWE Universe. They only knew that she was connected to Bray and had a huge part in shaping the Eater of Worlds into the man he was.
As fans pondered if we would ever see Sister Abigail appear in person (perhaps a female call-up from NXT), this didn't go how many thought.
During his 2017 feud with Finn Balor, Wyatt would wear a veil and speak in a tuned high voice that made him sound more like a South Park character than a credible threat.
Revealed as Sister Abigail, this idea was universally panned by the WWE Universe, and despite a tag-title reign, Wyatt has been rarely seen on WWE TV since.
#2 Michael Cole's heel turn
When Daniel Bryan joined WWE in 2010, Michael Cole was not a happy man.
Lambasting the future YES! Man for being a vegan and not owning a TV, Cole would become a huge fan of The Miz, Bryan's NXT pro who similarly loathed the indie star.
This eventually became a fully-fledged heel character for Cole, and though heel commentators weren't new (Jerry Lawler, Paul Heyman etc), this was something different.
Cole was supposed to be the play-by-play guy, and his constant heel antics, including unrelenting digs at his fellow commentators, made listening near-impossible.
It got even worse when the former war correspondent entered a feud with Jerry Lawler, bringing up The King's recently deceased mother.
Somehow ending up in a match together at WrestleMania 27, the cherry on top is that Cole would accidentally win via disqualification.
#1 Batista's 2014 run
At the 2013 Slammy awards, WWE gave a huge shocker, when they announced Batista would be returning to WWE.
After nearly four years away, it's clear that the company had huge plans for the Animal, despite the crowd remaining loyal to Daniel Bryan.
As the WWE Universe began to worry about WWE pushing a part-timer over Bryan, fans quickly turned on Batista.
Regardless, the company pushed on, having the future Drax the Destroyer win the 2014 Rumble, being booed out of the building.
From there, the stage was set for Batista Vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania 30, though WWE eventually relented and put Bryan in the match.
Despite this gesture, the damage had been done to the Animal, and after leaving in June that year, it'd be a long time before he set foot in a WWE ring again.
