Top Wrestlers Least Like Their Gimmick/OnScreenCharacter IRL

[Super Nintenjoe KBD]

So we've all heard it time and time again that guy/gals get their greatest success by finding a character that's just an extension of themselves, "turned up to 11."

And while this is true for many, others can click with something nothing like their real life personalities, playing it perfectly to the point that fans are surprised to learn that they are not really like that.

I want to know who were the most successful with gimmicks nothing like their real life personality.

When I thought of this thread the first person that came to mind was Kane, terrifying huge fire video game monster dude (when he debuted at least) portrayed by the mild mannered business/politics/economics guy we've come to know and love!

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

Baron von Raschke. Mild mannered Midwestern jock and all around good guy who rose to fame as a creepy looking Nazi who shouted all the time.

[Alice Syndrome]

Alexa Bliss: Bitch
Lexi Kaufman: Sweet angel

Chris Jericho: Douche
Chris Irvine: Smartest man in wrestling

Knight Dynasty: Entire family of D-bags
Patrick Bevis and Julie Hamer: Found the one restaurant in Norwich that did decent vegan food and treated me to a meal with them as a retirement gift. (However, Zebra Kid is still a douche)

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

I mean.... Kamala?

[Super Nintenjoe KBD]

Dec 16, 2016 14:13:55 GMT -5 Alice Syndrome said:

Chris Jericho: Douche
Chris Irvine: Smartest man in wrestling

I would have put Jericho in the camp of people who epitomize the "turned up to 11" thing!

[MolotovMocktail]

Do we count all those foreigners who were either American or from an entirely different country?

I'd like to specifically mention Nikolai Volkoff. On-screen, he was a Russian devoted to the USSR. In real life, he was from the former Yugoslavia, and was an outspoken anti-Communist.

[543Y2J]

Adam Cole is a legit gentleman to meet outside of the ring. Completely opposite to his arrogant character

[Super Nintenjoe KBD]

Dec 16, 2016 14:27:06 GMT -5 MolotovMocktail said:

Do we count all those foreigners who were either American or from an entirely different country?

I'd like to specifically mention Nikolai Volkoff. On-screen, he was a Russian devoted to the USSR. In real life, he was from the former Yugoslavia, and was an outspoken anti-Communist.

Yeah they're fair game, so long as they played it really well.

I suppose another way of putting what I'm looking for is wrestlers who arnt playing an extension of their personality but if you didn't know any better you'd think they were. So an American with a crappy, clearly fake Russian accent wouldn't qualify!

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

Big Bossman: Most petty, evil heel in the history of late 90's wrestling.

Ray Traylor: Sweet, gentleman who went out of his way to be nice to small kids so they wouldn't be freaked out by how big he was.

[Porky's Butthole]

Tatanka was not actually a buffalo.

[魔界5号]

Contrary to popular belief, EVIL is not actually EVIL at all, and pretty good at giving hugs.

[Honeybear Lyder]

Adrian Street and early Goldust, both straight and legitemately tough guys.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

Abdullah the Butcher. In kayfabe, "the madman from Sudan." In real life, a money grubbing prick.

(I'm being somewhat comedic with my choice of words, but I'd bet money that I'm not the only person who would use them.)

[MC Blowfish]

Cactus Jack. An insane wildman in the ring. Outside of the ring, he loves amusement parks and Santa.

[The Thread Barbi]

Owen Hart character - whiny, spoilsport, serious prick
Owen Hart person - funny, sweetheart, loyal friend

[Mozenrath]

Yokozuna in the ring was an uncaring beast of a man who took pleasure in crushing people.
Out of the ring, he once hid from on of his aunts, I think it was, after accidentally destroying her furniture with his size.

Undertaker's the Dead Man, usually a loner, heartless.
Mark Calloway is a man very loyal to his friends who has had the unfortunate distinction of having lost many of his closest ones. (Bearer, Yokozuna, Viscera) He's also pretty protective of the gimmick and doesn't like to spoil the magic, either by explaining too much or confirming/denying some of the urban legends surrounding it.

Kevin Owens plays a very convincing dick, but Steen is a family man who just seems to think it's really funny to play an absolute misanthrope, something he's perfected.

[hossfan]

George "The Animal" Steele

[BorneAgain]

Scott Levy is such a witty yet goofy guy in every shoot interview; wholly different from the bitter and angsty Raven character.

[Brood Lone Wolf Funker]

Eddie Guerrero comes to mind

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

Dec 16, 2016 20:38:47 GMT -5 BorneAgain said:

Scott Levy is such a witty yet goofy guy in every shoot interview; wholly different from the bitter and angsty Raven character.

I do love him consistently referring to the late 90's as "The Forgotten Years" due to his substance problems.