Worst current wrestling gimmicks

[JMA]

tonyschiavone said:

Hot teacher or librarian, preferably w/glasses >>>>> Dean Douglas rehash.

Exactly.

Also, Ron Killings as a movie star is just terrible.

[Ace Diamond]

jma said:

tonyschiavone said:

Hot teacher or librarian, preferably w/glasses >>>>> Dean Douglas rehash.

Exactly.

Also, Ron Killings as a movie star is just terrible.

It's so terrible they stopped with the posters, so i'm wondering whether he even has a job. Seriously TNA should stop jerking his chain and just let him quit.

[JMA]

Killings should be an upper-midcarder in TNA, but instead they have him do bad comedy. It boggles the mind.

[MGH]

Killings was one of the most consistently over guys in TNA when they used him. I don't get the deal with their push/depush system they've used on him for a long time.

[Reverend BTY]

To answer why Ron Killings isn't doing anything, last I heard he was injured.

As for bad gimmicks...
Hogan- The fact that you look like a cartoon character doesn't make you worth note. Screw you old man.

[Danimal]

Acting like Macho Man is lame but his impression is so spot-on and Nash's whole "Black Machismo" gimmick is so funny that it manages to work. Kind of like Helms as Hurricane.

I don't mind Expose actually, I'm a devoted fan of nice, well-shaken ass.

VKM lacks direction and I wish they'd use Hoyt more. I liked him better with Killings. IMO they should put Hoyt and Killings in the tagteam-belt chase. They could put-on awesome matches with LAX.

Umaga does nothing but go-over familiar territory. Being that he is basically WWE's answer to Joe I wish they'd have made him a more original character like Joe rather than a retread of the "savage Samoan" schtick.

Lashley is too boring to even really have a gimmick or character. He is just a totally generic monster-face.

[Aya Reiko]

dinobotbprime said:

p93 said:

I hate when people mistake catchphrases for a gimmick.

The gimmick is that he's 'cool', hence the name Carlito Caribbean Cool. Or so I heard from sources. And the fact that he is in fact, less cool than Lance Cade, he fails at his dumb gimmick/character.

I think that's the point. Unfortunately, it only works when the character is a heel.

[John Oates' Moustache]

danimal1 said:

Acting like Macho Man is lame but his impression is so spot-on and Nash's whole "Black Machismo" gimmick is so funny that it manages to work. Kind of like Helms as Hurricane.

Agreed, if it was any less spot-on, it would be really really stupid, and I mean REALLY stupid, but the fact is, he does it so well, that it's not wrestlecrap.

Yet.

We'll see what happens with that.

[amishassassin]

Ric Flair the midcarder...just retire already
Kevin Nash...what is his gimmick again? pick on smaller guys? we saw enough of that in WCW
Marcus Cor Von...should've given him a crazy name, had him never talk except jumping up and yelling "POUNCE" after he destroys someone
Eugene...time away and a repackage/ new gimmick
Shane...people want to cheer him really bad...turn him face against his dad, please!
AJ Styles...awful as a heel
the division formerly known as the cruiserweights...hire some high fliers and let them go nuts

[Old School Heel mark4Morishima]

ck3count said:

Kevin Thorn

QFT.

[Josh DELUXE]

I hate almost any gimmick that involves a wrestler being pushed mainly as a "technical wrestler". A billion independant promotions are guilty of this. It's basically a way to cover up the fact that is guy is ultra bland as a character. Not only that, but a good portion of them aren't necessarily "technical wrestlers" either.

[Old School Heel mark4Morishima]

This thread is the worst current wrestling thread. Either everyone's parroting cliches that just aren't true (Samoan monster doesn't work anymore) or they're picking on things they don't like that aren't actually gimmicks (Flair's age).

To get down to brass tacks:

* Every single minority gang/thug tag team. Everywhere from Cryme Tyme to Homicide and LAX. The whole point of a gang is the members don't stand out, they just blend into the mob. The whole point of a gimmick is to make a worker stand out. No one has ever gotten over on a gang gimmick, and no one ever will.

* The good-looking kid who's arrogant about it. (HBK, Johnny Nitro) You can't hate a heel too much for being proud of something that's true. And male audiences can have a hard time getting behind a pretty boy face (pun semi-unintentional). So either way, if a wrestler is good looking, you shouldn't make too much out of it. Doesn't draw much heat and can hinder a guy getting over.

The gimmick that really works is an ugly guy who thinks he's wicked good looking, like Gorgeous George or Adrian Adonis. I'm not aware of anyone working that one today.

* Masked monster. If the carny-days promoters understood anything, it was that ugly = cash. Modern promoters understand this too, but they're ashamed of it. So if they get a homely guy like Mick Foley or Glen Jacobs or Chris Justice, they slap a leather mask on his face that says "hey audience, this guy's real ugly" while leaving the marks innocent of the details. Masking a monster is never a good idea. Let ugly be ugly.

* Understated bruiser. I don't care if it's BobbyLashley or Chris Benoit or Bob Holly. If the guy's gimmick is that he's a powerhouse in the ring but doesn't need to brag a lot on the mic, he should find a new gimmick or get a new job.

* Canadian heel. I don't think there's one working in the majors at the moment, but it's a bad idea anyways. Canada is like the least hated country in the whole world. There's been studies on it. Ineffective way to draw heat.

* Cowboy/Country Star. Like those two in TNA who do all the screaming in Cornette's office. Or Jarrett. Only has regional appeal. And most of the regions it appeals to are already solid wrestling markets anyway. Waste of time.

[mcmahonfan85]

hsquat said:

* Every single minority gang/thug tag team. Everywhere from Cryme Tyme to Homicide and LAX...No one has ever gotten over on a gang gimmick, and no one ever will.

really? i'm pretty sure The Rottweilers got over

[Ace Diamond]

hsquat said:

This thread is the worst current wrestling thread.

Well you're definitely not going to get people to listen to you with THAT attitude

[Old School Heel mark4Morishima]

mcmahonfan85 said:

really? i'm pretty sure The Rottweilers got over

How long did Homicide have the belt for?

[mcmahonfan85]

hsquat said:

mcmahonfan85 said:

really? i'm pretty sure The Rottweilers got over

How long did Homicide have the belt for?

how long did the Havana Pitbulls have the belts for?

[Old School Heel mark4Morishima]

mcmahonfan85 said:

hsquat said:

How long did Homicide have the belt for?

how long did the Havana Pitbulls have the belts for?

Serve me right for being a smartass. But anyway, it hasn't historically worked that way outside ROH, and to the extent it works at all it works best for tag teams, not solo workers. To get to the top you gotta move beyond the gang thing, like Booker T. from Harlem heat to KING.

[JMA]

futureproof said:

I hate almost any gimmick that involves a wrestler being pushed mainly as a "technical wrestler". A billion independant promotions are guilty of this. It's basically a way to cover up the fact that is guy is ultra bland as a character. Not only that, but a good portion of them aren't necessarily "technical wrestlers" either.

QFT

That type of gimmick only works if the wrestler really is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world (like a Benoit or Hart).

[Ultimate Reality]

danimal1 said:

Acting like Macho Man is lame but his impression is so spot-on and Nash's whole "Black Machismo" gimmick is so funny that it manages to work. Kind of like Helms as Hurricane.

I'm enjoying it. I just wish he'd turn on Nash and Pillmanize his knees with the flying elbow, then be a vicious mega-heel.......but working straight comedy matches.