5 WWE Superstars who disliked their own gimmick

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Not every gimmick change is a good one!

The gimmick of a WWE Superstar is arguably even more important than the ability that a performer possesses inside a WWE ring.

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Looking at the modern-day product, for example, Elias regularly receives some of the loudest crowd reactions on Monday Night Raw, but is that anything to do with his in-ring skills? No – it’s because his gimmick is one of the best in the company right now.

On the flip side, Apollo Crews is among the most underrated performers in WWE based on his in-ring talent alone, but his lack of character progression over the last couple of years means it’s difficult for fans to fully invest in his current persona.

Simply put, gimmicks mean everything in the world of pro wrestling/sports entertainment, and it’s absolutely vital that performers build a character that the audience can connect with.

In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars who disliked the gimmicks that they portrayed on WWE television.


#5 Bray Wyatt/Husky Harris

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Bray Wyatt wasn't always as menacing as he is now

Since re-debuting on the main roster in July 2013, Bray Wyatt has been involved in five WrestleMania events, facing legends including John Cena, The Undertaker and Randy Orton along the way, and he has become one of the most well-known Superstars in current-day WWE.

It wasn’t all plain sailing early on in Bray’s career, though, as he was first introduced to the WWE audience in June 2010 as NXT rookie Husky Harris – a third-generation Superstar who was described as “an army tank with a Ferrari engine”.

Looking back at WWE’s ‘Meet Husky Harris’ video, embedded below, the gimmick wasn’t necessarily bad, but it’s certainly nowhere near as interesting as the cult-leading “Eater of Worlds” character that Bray went on to become.

Speaking out of character on The Steve Austin Show in 2014, Bray said he was a “shell” playing the Husky character and described his previous gimmick as “a blank chapter in my life”.

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#4 Wade Barrett/King Barrett

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King Barrett was the worst of Wade Barrett's WWE gimmicks

After performing as a serious heel on WWE television between 2010 and 2013, fans witnessed a lighter side to Wade Barrett’s character when he delivered “bad news” to people from a tall podium and became known as the hilarious Bad News Barrett.

However, the gimmick didn’t last long and the former Intercontinental champion was forced into wearing a comedy crown and cloak during his entrances after winning King of the Ring in 2015 – a triumph that led to the downfall of his WWE career.

Speaking recently on Talk Is Jericho, Barrett said he felt his position in the WWE hierarchy “dropped lower than ever” during his time as King Barrett, so he decided not to extend his deal with the company when his contract ran out in 2016.

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#3 Shane Douglas/Dean Douglas

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Shane Douglas and WWE wasn't a good combination

Shane Douglas became one of ECW’s biggest stars when he developed an arrogant bad-guy gimmick in 1994 and nicknamed himself “The Franchise”.

His success throughout the year caught the attention of WWE, where he previously worked as a mid-carder in 1990-1991, and he rejoined the company in 1995 with a new name – Dean Douglas – and a new teacher gimmick.

Douglas felt the character was doomed before it even debuted on television and said his second run in WWE was “the worst six months of my entire 38 years in the business”.

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#2 Cody Rhodes/Stardust

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The Stardust gimmick was never going to work long-term

In June 2014, Cody Rhodes adopted similar mannerisms and attire to his brother, Goldust, following a losing streak and began to transform into a new character called Stardust.

The gimmick initially worked as part of The Brotherhood’s storyline but it soon became stale, eventually leading to Cody being granted his release from WWE in May 2016.

Speaking on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, the former Tag Team champion said he was “like a sad clown” putting on the Stardust suit and felt he would be better presented as a character if he left WWE and “fixed himself”.

It’s certainly working so far!

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#1 Emma/Emmalina

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Emma felt more comfortable being a wrestler than a 'Diva'

In October 2016, WWE began airing promos advertising the return of Emma. The catch? She was going to “premiere” as a new character called Emmalina, rumoured to be a Diva-esque gimmick similar to Sunny and Sable in the late 90s.

After over four months of weekly reminders that Emmalina was set to appear soon, she finally made her Raw return in February 2017, telling the crowd, “For 17 weeks, you have waited for the makeover of Emma to Emmalina… Now, you will see the makeover from Emmalina to Emma.”

Explaining why the gimmick was so short-lived, Emma told the Killing The Town podcast that she didn’t want to play a Diva and said WWE “realised along the way that it wasn’t for me at all”.

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