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In the world of Sports Entertainment, WWE has ruled the roost with the likes of John Cena and The Rock headlining multiple marquee events for Vince McMahon over the years. Their brand value is evident by the fact Fox Sports invested $1 Billion on arguably WWE's second choice brand, SmackDown Live. As part of this initiative, the brand split will come to fruition with ploys such as the Wild Card being nullified in the process. The battle with two brands has always been an intriguing one with Survivor Series generally hosting their contests.
The build-up to such a marquee event raised the stakes with dream matches and pairs being the key attractions. A significant part of this and the WWE creative, in general, is the gimmick of a particular individual. Although there are two variations of a gimmick - heel and face, the minute details of a superstar depend on his gimmick. Over the years, the WWE Universe has been enthralled by several entertaining and binge-worthy gimmicks that have often raised the standards and expectations of the company.
There are times when a gimmick correctly pushed has reaped rich dividends in the case of Daniel Bryan and his Yes! Movement a couple of years ago. Another classic example is that of the Undertaker, whose fear-inducing gimmick is still rated one of the best in WWE history. All in all, a unique or relevant trick could make or break a WWE Superstar's career in the company. On a similar note, here are five gimmicks in WWE right now which are deemed to be the best and most successful in terms of characterization, the reception of the WWE Universe and the scope of the gimmick.
Notable Mentions: Shayna Baszler, Elias and Lacey Evans
#5 The Demon King
Ever since his debut on RAW in 2016, Finn Balor has been a fan favorite among the WWE Universe. The first-ever Universal Champion has enjoyed a decent run as a singles competitor as well during his tenure. Destined for huge things after his Universal Championship win, his push was derailed by an injury he sustained during the match. Since his return from injury, Balor hasn't featured much in the main events with only one appearance alongside Brock Lesnar in this year's Royal Rumble PPV to his credit. Much to the disappointment of the fans, the WWE creative hasn't been able to find anything concrete for the former NXT Champion over the last few months.
Nevertheless, Finn Balor owns one of the most intriguing gimmicks in WWE history - The Demon King. He won his only World Championship with this gimmick, which also comes with a killer entrance as well. The WWE creative has handled the Demon King very cautiously with Finn Balor only putting out the gimmick on a few occasions.
His high-flying moves complement the gimmick perfectly with Finn Balor being undefeated as the Demon King on the main roster. Riding on the past successes of larger-than-life characters such as Kane, WWE have another such gimmick on their hands along with Woken Matt Hardy and quite recently, The Fiend.
The fact that Vince McMahon only pulls out the Demon King on special occasions gives an idea of how highly rated the gimmick is. Although Finn Balor hasn't featured on the main roster of late, he will forever be remembered as the Demon King, which makes it one of the best gimmicks in the WWE.
#4 Kevin Owens
One of the best on the mic, Kevin Owens is a household name with a Universal Championship reign also to his credit. Apart from a couple of US and Intercontinental Championship reigns, he hasn't enjoyed much success as a singles competitor. His only World Championship reign came as a heel alongside the charismatic Chris Jericho, which is still regarded as his best work so far.
Quite recently, Kevin Owens turned face while entering a feud against Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. Although the idea of 'Authority vs WWE Superstar' has been used consistently by the company, it is the gimmick that Kevin Owens has adopted, which is making the most noise. He has been given the freedom to cut his own promos, which is quite rare in WWE.
His trademark 'Fight Owens Fight' chants are also on the rise with the Canadian showing Stone Cold-esque qualities in him every time he shows up. In fact, he has even adopted the Stunner as a finisher move to show the faith the company has in him in the longer run. With all the pieces in the perfect place, Kevin Owens is indeed on his way to a big push due to his current gimmick, which makes it one of the best in 2019.
#3 Becky Lynch
There was a time when Becky Lynch was considered to be the most irrelevant of the Four Horsewomen with Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Bayley going on to win gold quite early in their careers. For the better part of 2017 and 2018, she was involved in mediocre storylines with the likes of Mandy Rose, Carmella, and even James Ellsworth. However, SummerSlam 2018 made all the difference in the world for her and the women's roster.
After a supposed Face vs Face Match for the SmackDown Women's Title which had Charlotte go over her, Becky Lynch turned heel, much to the delight of the WWE Universe. Ever since then, Becky has adopted a vicious character who would go face-to-face against the best in the world. Her win-at-all-costs attitude and the moniker, 'The Man', has propelled her stocks to unforeseeable heights in the women's roster. Her wins at the Royal Rumble and the main event of WrestleMania solidified her status as the face of the company.
Since WrestleMania, she has continued in the same vein while getting over Natalya and Lacey Evans. She is currently involved in a feud with Sasha Banks with her Raw Women's Championship on the line at Clash of Champions this Sunday.
#2 Velveteen Dream
A former WWE Tough Enough competitor, the Velveteen Dream turned a new leaf in his short career in 2018 when he adopted a Prince-like character. His first major feud in the business was against the fearsome Aleister Black, where he cut cryptic promos revolving around Black hesitating to "say his name". Their battle in the ring was as entertaining as their promos which elevated the Dream to stardom in NXT.
Consequently, he would go on with his unique gimmick with his mic-skills being regarded as one of the best in the roster with the likes of Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano falling short on the mic against him. The character portrays a lack of humility which serves him well against more established superstars with the Dream being the current North American Champion as well.
The manner in which Dream carries his character around has turned around a lot of heads. He even came out to unique entrances in PPVs with his supposed Hulk Hogan cosplay last year. With his charisma and ability to walk the talk as well, Velveteen Dream's gimmick is one to watch out for the future in the main roster. Given his current run in NXT, a main roster call-up isn't too far for him.
#1 The Fiend
Since his debut, Bray Wyatt was regarded as one of the best on the mic with ability in the ring complementing his character as well. Over time, his once fearsome promos had become monotonous with Bray Wyatt suffering due to poor writing. Although the former NXT competitor won the WWE Championship in 2017, he lost it rather quickly to Randy Orton.
With a lot of scope for development within the gimmick itself, Bray Wyatt was paired with several superstars over the years such as Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman and even Matt Hardy. His storyline with Woken Matt Hardy was also a promising one with both superstars going on to win the Tag Team Championship as well. Unfortunately, an injury to Matt Hardy put the storyline off. Since then, he didn't get a chance to prove his credentials with his stocks dwindling down rather quickly.
2019 has given him a new lease of life with WWE reportedly very high on Bray Wyatt. His His Firefly Funhouse segments have been brilliant with Bray Wyatt giving clues and hinting at upcoming feuds as well. But it was his introduction of The Fiend, that has genuinely propelled his stocks. His fear-inducing entrance against Finn Balor was a testament to how he is regarded by the WWE creative. He is even next in line to compete for the WWE Universal Championship which could be perfect for this character arc.
With Undertaker's retirement, there hasn't been any superstar who could carry his mantle with the same authority as he did. But with The Fiend's development and alter-ego promos also ruling the roost, he could be the next big thing in WWE, which makes this gimmick arguably the best in 2019.
