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Post by Joe Neglia on Dec 31, 2010 13:55:22 GMT -5
not "cool" or even well done, but something beyond that; something that tapped into pure genius in how witty they were in their creation.
"The Big Shot" Bob Holly - I'm no Holly fan, but for a very brief time, he was one of the most entertaining things in WWF, and given that time period, that's saying something.
This short-lived gimmick, which gave way to the blander Hardcore Holly, was great and unique. The "smaller" (by some WWF standards at the time, at least) guy who thought he was way bigger and tougher than he actually was charging headlong into insurmountable situations, getting his ass saved by the Big Show Paul Wight, but never really catching on that he (Holly) wasn't the one that was truly kicking ass. All the while Wight has to follow him to make sure he doesn't get himself killed.
No offense to Crash Holly, but once they introduced him as part of the gimmick, it stopped being as fun and unique.
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Post by White Trash Lucha on Dec 31, 2010 14:27:37 GMT -5
The Genius
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Post by Tyfo on Dec 31, 2010 14:33:16 GMT -5
I thought The Brian Kendrick was a great gimmick and could have gone places had they continually given him mic time and backstage vignettes.
It was a genius gimmick that they dropped the ball on after a month or two.
Same thought on Sean O'Haire's devils advocate gimmick in 2003. Apparently it was more his inability to cut promos that hurt the gimmick rather then creative. But that gimmick could have been amazing. The little we got to see of it was very good.
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Post by poi zen rana on Dec 31, 2010 14:48:51 GMT -5
The Brian Kendrick and his current gimmick in TNA
Lance Steele(s)
Bobby Dempsey with Sweet and Sour Incorporated
Mike Awesome's Career Killer gimmick in WCW
Kurt Angle milk enthusiast/role model
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Post by Lance Uppercut on Dec 31, 2010 17:29:01 GMT -5
Original Mankind.
The obvious pun/symbolism with his name. The entrance and exit music.
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Post by Cela on Dec 31, 2010 17:35:06 GMT -5
Goldberg, unstoppable juggernaut against overwhelming odds.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2010 17:43:11 GMT -5
Lionheart Chris Jericho. the Paragon of Virtue, the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla.
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Big L
Grimlock
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Post by Big L on Dec 31, 2010 18:13:40 GMT -5
The Undertaker and Kane
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Post by neal on Dec 31, 2010 21:11:50 GMT -5
Waylon Mercy
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Post by Joe Neglia on Dec 31, 2010 22:31:52 GMT -5
ok, one the ones that are just listing names...how and why. what makes these "genius"?
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Post by DiBiase is Good on Dec 31, 2010 22:38:45 GMT -5
Gillberg.
I know it's lowest common denominator stuff and designed purely out of spite, but it was done really well... The crappy sparklers as 'pyro', using fire extinguishers in place of a smoke machine, the fake piped-in "GILLBERG" chants in that monotonous drone and the "streak" were all really funny. Duane Gill played it so OTT, he made it work. It was really over as well.
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Post by DASH 243✅ on Dec 31, 2010 22:58:24 GMT -5
The boogeyman. Marty wright was full out awesome at this gimmick. Such a simp;e gimmick but smashing clocks on his head and eating worms. He was just full out creepy
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Post by Alex Shelley on Dec 31, 2010 23:16:08 GMT -5
I'm actually kind of surprised I wasn't the only person who thought of Kendrick when I read this thread.
I really do think the man is a genius when it comes to gimmicks.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2010 23:33:26 GMT -5
It's hard to say any gimmick idea itself is enough to warrant the label "genius", I think execution of it that makes it great. On paper the Undertaker's gimmick sounds retarded, but the execution made it one of the best of all time.
Bret "Hitman" Hart: The vexed hero - My favorite wrestling character of all time is Bret Hart from 1996 to 1997, and his heel/face swap with Austin is a thing of beauty. He was the self proclaimed best there is, was and ever will be, and did a darn good job backing it up. Took a substantial pay cut to stay with the company/fans that he loves. Then comes Steve Austin, who makes Bret's life miserable while the fans eat his misery like candy, then become outraged when Bret decides he doesn't want them around anymore. It doesn't even feel like a "wrestling gimmick", Bret's downward spiral just comes off as a real person reacting to a real struggle in his career. He's human and at that point he had enough.
Goldust: Mysterious pervert movie buff - Especially early on in his WWE career. Coming in while WWE was between family entertainment and attitude definitely helped because it just made his presence that much more uncomfortable. Was he really gay? Or is the flamboyance just a ploy to get a psychological advantage? We'd later figure out as time went on that he's just a nut. Despite the ridiculousness of his persona there were(and are) layers to him. I like to think that he's just an eccentric that had two passions in life, performance art and wrestling and just decided to combine them.
Gene Snitsky: Foot loving, baby killer - Took part in one of the most offensive wrestling storylines in wrestling history. Vilified for hitting a rapist demon in the back with a chair and knocking him into his pregnant victim. I love the Kane/Snitsky feud for the same reason I love the Room or any bad movie that's so bad it becomes great. It's just so outrageous I can't help but applaud whoever came up with it. His special passage at Edge and Lita's wedding is one of the funniest things I've seen and heard in wrestling.
Lance Storm: Boring man, awesome wrestler - Now I'm not saying this is absolute, pure genius and this is more of a retrospective pick. But I think there was something that could have worked with this storyline. I watched a shoot interview with Lance Storm where he said he could sort of see where WWE was coming from with this angle if they booked it in a way that told us that Storm was an INCREDIBLY talented wrestler, but just didn't have a personality. But I just brought this up because I found Lance Storm's in-ring letter reading so awesome that I think this gimmick could have been great if he kept that up. "If you're looking for bells and whistles I suggest you attend a circus." Could've worked if the character never caved(or at least waited a little longer) to the fans' demands to be more entertaining.
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Post by DiBiase is Good on Dec 31, 2010 23:35:10 GMT -5
I notice that a lot of people haven't actually read the opening post.
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Post by Chuckie Finster on Jan 1, 2011 2:13:41 GMT -5
I second the Boogeyman. Despite being 40+ years old and having no concernable wrestling ability, he was able to make it work for a while. Even Little Boogeyman was alright for a while. Wish he was still around making random apperances.
Matt Hardy Version 1.0. In real lifer Matt seems vexed that Jeff became the big star and a bit of a delusional asshole. Such why V1.0 worked so well was that it played off Matt being all about the internet and full of himself.
LAX. With Konnan not afraid to say anything and a tag team which complimented each other, it just took off. Probably the best gimmick TNA has ever done as it tapped into real life with the growing Hispanic audience. The LAX-entrance, the Spanish ring intros, the use of the flags and spliced intro video was all fantastic.
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Post by johnpricesuperstar on Jan 1, 2011 5:47:57 GMT -5
Doink the Clown as a Heel- Matt Bourne made it work. Always wished he had stayed.
Superstar Billy Graham- ahead of his time with the wild colours, biceps and poses.
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DeathRay
Don Corleone
about to kick your head in... with a DON!!!
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Post by DeathRay on Jan 1, 2011 8:33:36 GMT -5
The Flying Elvis Impersonators
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2011 8:56:01 GMT -5
Adrian Street's gimmick. It wasn't even that he was flamboyant or "homosexual" but the idea that, underneath all the glitz and mind games, he was a European style wrestler that was a bit of a powerhouse. Someone here once gave the brilliant description that Street was like "William Regal doing Goldust's gimmick" and it works. Street would do these promos claiming that he was looking for a "real man", "Where were the real men in (insert promotion)?" he would say. On one level, he was a pioneering "gay gimmick" but, on another level, he was parodying the whole thing by being a tough man who would kick his opponents in the head and make them put on make-up; an utter psycho, a real tough guy, who just happened to dress like a glam singer and do his own songs and was looking for a tough guy, a guy just as tough as he was, to destroy. It was brilliant.
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Post by SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman on Jan 1, 2011 9:02:10 GMT -5
Doink the Clown (the heel version, naitch). That was an Attitude era gimmick before there was an Attitude era. I'm sure this gimmick would still work if they brought it back nowadays.
The idea behind Nailz was very simple but very good. Too bad it was awfully executed. I'm shocked they didn't try it again later.
Oh and, how could I forget Delirious? Lucha libre + insanity = most awesome gimmick ever.
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