Popular gimmicks in the WWE

The WWE, over the years, has witnessed its fair share of gimmicks. Some are well-received and made legendary, whereas others just fell flat on their face and were forgotten. Gimmicks are perhaps what completes the term ‘sports entertainment’. Wrestlers have always gone all out to promote themselves and earn a reputation with the fans. Let us have a look at some of the wrestlers whose gimmicks are remembered even to this day.

1) Undertaker

The Undertaker would probably top any WWE gimmick list ever made. Portraying a dark character, he has terrorized opponents in his vast WWE career. Initially, he was clad as a Western mortician, a zombie-like powerhouse donned in black attire with gray accessories. He then began appearing as a mystic, chilling superhuman represented by cool colours, replacing the gray with purple and using blue fog for the first time. He made more changes later on by appearing as the Deadman who was reborn once again, this time as the gothic “Lord of Darkness”.

2) Goldust

What do you do when you are unable to get a footing in this business and are desperately looking for alternatives? Simple! Wear gold paint, sport a wig and act weird. That is exactly what Dustin Runnels did and has never looked back since. A character obsessed with films and the colour gold, Goldust wore a black and gold coloured jumpsuit while wearing black and gold face paint and a platinum blonde wig over his short platinum blonde hair, with his appearance modeled after an Academy Award statue. Bizarre as his tactics were, he deliberately attempted to creep out his opponents through lewd and flirtatious mind games.

3) Sgt Slaughter

Representing the U.S army, standing at 6ft 4 inches, weighing at around 300 pounds, we have Sgt Slaughter. The gimmick of an army sergeant was well-received by the fans who started flooding arenas to support ‘Sarge’. Slaughter was a firm fan favorite until he made a drastic heel turn supporting Iraq as a part of his storyline, leaving a sour taste in everybody’s mouth. Sarge, however, made the face turn ever so easily and is now a WWE Hall of Famer.

4) The Boogeyman

‘A boogeyman is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour’. Who would have thought this would make an epic gimmick? Smashing an oversized alarm clock over his own head before crawling out on all fours, The Boogeyman“terrorized” everyone. He appeared in unexpected places backstage (closets, vans, etc), reciting different nursery rhymes and holding up clocks before screaming his catchphrase ”I’m The Boogeyman and I’m comin’ to get’cha!” and laughing manically. Boogeyman did bizarre things like eating worms live on camera and spooking out superstars. His gimmick, though disgusting, was a hit.

5) The Big Boss Man

Playing the role of a prison guard, The Boss Man was one of WWE’s most successful characters. The post-match routine of his gimmick often included handcuffing his defeated opponents to the ring rope and beating them with a nightstick or ball and chain. After the success of his gimmick, it appeared that Boss Man gave up the prison guard business, and took on a bodyguard gig for Vince McMahon in the Attitude Era. The Boss Man, unfortunately, expired at the age of 41 due to a heart attack.

6) The Hurricane

‘Stand back, there’s a hurricane coming through’. Rings a bell? Yup, how can we forget one of WWE’s finest superheroes, ‘The Hurricane’. Gregory Helms has wrestled under many names in the WWE, but none more famous and successful than The Hurricane. Wearing a green costume with green dye and a mask, the Hurricane became an instant fan favourite, feuding with the likes of the Rock. He teamed up with Rosey (whom he claimed to see great ‘super hero’ potential in) and won the tag team championship. The pair was one of WWE’s most entertaining tag teams, but they disbanded after losing the titles, and Helms, too, unfortunately put an end to his superhero gimmick in 2006.

7) I.R.S

I.R.S. (or Irwin R. Schyster if you prefer) played the gimmick of a tax collector. Multiple feuds of I.R.S. were based on wrestlers not paying their taxes. He took non-payments of public citizens really personally and often harassed the faces and fans, scolding them for not paying their taxes. He is, however, known for his stint in Di Biase’s Million Dollar Corporation. Last but not the least, IRS probably has the most annoying wrestling theme song ever.

8) The Godfather

A pimp by profession, The Godfather gimmick took the wrestling world by storm. A character that was constantly surrounded by “hos” – usually girls from local strip club, the Godfather would offer his opponents the right to use these girls for “any purpose” if they would forfeit the match to him. The gimmick proved to be costly for the WWE with the Parents Television Council (PTC) complaining against the Godfather’s pimp gimmick, claiming that it was inappropriate for young audiences. The Godfather then resorted to interrupting weddings before leaving the company.

9) Val Venis

If you thought the Godfather was controversial, then this gimmick goes a step ahead. Sean Morley played the gimmick of a pornstar named Val Venis in the WWE. With a white towel draped around his legs, he would often engage in extramarital affairs with some of the women in the company. To be honest, Val Venis never made it big in the company, but he carved a niche for himself, following the footsteps of the ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude.

10) Gangrel

Gangrel was a wrestler whose gimmick was derived from a vampire clan from the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade. The gimmick involved an entrance which saw him rising from a ring of fire on stage, followed by a slow walk to the ring set to a sinister instrumental music theme. He also carried a goblet of “blood” with him and, during his entrance, would stop on the ring steps, take a drink, and spit it into the air. This was supposed to imply him drinking the blood of his many former victims as a practicing vampire. He also formed a gothic faction called The Brood with Edge and Christian, who became known for their “blood baths”, which involved the lights going out for a moment; and when they came back on, the targeted wrestler was covered in blood. The three temporarily joined up with The Undertaker and his Ministry of Darkness faction before parting ways later on.

11) The Honky Tonk Man

Originally pushed as a fan favorite wrestler with an Elvis impersonator gimmick, the Honky Tonk man was the greatest intercontinental champion of all time. He held the title for a record 454 days. With flashy outfits and a guitar as his accessory, Honky Tonk man catapulted to fame singing his Elvis-like country songs and resorted to beating up opponents with his guitar. He remained a heel throughout his wrestling career, but he had a charm like nobody else.

12) Doink the Clown

Basically portraying the character of a clown,the Doink character resorted to playing tricks on the fans and wrestlers. His made his in-ring debut in the WWF in 1993, originally wrestling as a technically sound villain. Doink played cruel jokes on both fans and wrestlers in order to amuse himself and put them off guard.Wearing a blue and green clown suit, Doink made an impression with the fans as both a face and a heel gimmick. Many superstars have successfully portrayed Doink, including former WWE superstar Eugene.