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Sometimes, the ridiculous becomes sublime, as in the case of these gimmicks.
It has been said that professional wrestling is the only place you can watch a wealthy aristocrat face off against a zombie. That's true enough when Ric Flair takes on the Undertaker!
The wild, unconventional world of pro-wrestling has produced some pretty outlandish gimmicks over the years. Everything from space travelers (Max Moon,) to Time Travelers (the New Breed.) While the term 'mash-up' is relatively new in the public lexicon, the fact is pro-wrestling has been doing 'mash-ups' since its inception. Where else can you see post-apocalyptic warriors face off against black separatists?
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There have been many ridiculous pro wrestling gimmicks which were poorly received and quickly abandoned, but then there are those that seem to have massive staying power, and even become insanely popular past the point of reason.
Here are ten ridiculous wrestling gimmicks that still managed to work.
#1 The Hurricane
The Gimmick in a nutshell: A superhero made flesh.
One of the few things WCW got right during its fading years was the creation of a 'boy band' wrestling trio known as three-count. Far and away, the most impressive member of the group was "Sugar" Shane Helms.
When WCW was purchased by WWE in 2001, they acquired Shane Helms's contract, but they didn't want to use the Three Count gimmick. Instead, they made the curious decision to make him into a superhero. These days, superheroes are quite popular, but back in 2001 the only superhero movies to make any money had an X in them.
Why it managed to work: First and foremost, Shane Helms's unbridled charisma sold the gimmick. Also, it was unique at the time, so he ended up getting two sidekicks to join in the fun. The gimmick was so successful that Helms still uses it to this day.
Despite languisihing in the mid card/lower mid card range, the Hurricane made the most of his superhero stint, winning the Hardcore title, the European championship and the world tag team titles.
#2 "Superheavyweights" Bob and Crash Holly
The Gimmick in a Nutshell: Two undersized wrestlers claim to be much larger than they actually are.
Bob "Sparkplug" Holly was a wrestler brought in during WWE's New Generation era, a time that saw the rise of stars like Bret "the Hitman" Hart, 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels, and Razor "Scott Hall" Ramon. Unfortunately, Holly's race car driver gimmick didn't go over nearly as well as those three other gentlemen did.
Eventually, Bob Holly became "Hardcore" Holly and started to make some pretty outlandish claims. During a feud with the Big Show, Holly would claim that he, too, was a super heavyweight, weighing in at well over four hundred pounds. Despite the ludicrous nature of the gimmick, it was a hit, and they even added Holly's 'cousin' Crash into the mix.
Why the Gimmick managed to work: Hardcore Holly is apparently an unpleasant guy backstage, at least according to some of his peers. However, he had good comedic timing and came across as an underdog. Crash's involvement certainly helped, as did the ring announcer stating that the duo weighed in at an 'alleged' four hundred pounds each.
#3 Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
The Gimmick in a nutshell: A wrestling barber who was actually pretty terrible at giving haircuts.
Brutus Beefcake has had some silly gimmicks over the years. He got his start by playing Hulk Hogan's relative "Dizzy" Hogan, which started their lifelong friendship (the two were at odds for a few years but seem to have reconciled). He has also been known as Zodiac, the Booty Man, and the Disciple.
But his best-known gimmick is undoubtedly Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake. Beefcake would use his patented sleeper hold to render his opponent -- usually, enhancement talent -- unconscious, and then proceed to give them an absolutely terrible haircut. Then he would rouse them from their slumber and show them their new 'look' in a mirror, usually to their utter horror.
Why the gimmick managed to work: Brutus Beefcake was a massively muscled man, second only to Rick Rude and Hogan himself in terms of physique during WWE's classic era, so he was believable as a man who could put others to sleep. Also, he seemed to have a lot of fun playing the Barber, and his good mood was infectious, leading to him becoming quite popular.
Brutus is a WWE Hall of Famer in his own right who was inducted as part of the class of 2019.
#4 Stone Cold Steve Austin says "What?"
The Gimmick in a Nutshell: Stone Cold Steve Austin said "What?" and the fans said "What?" Repeatedly.
Chalk this one up to the fans who bought tickets being entitled to chant whatever the heck they felt like!
Stone Cold Steve Austin was a massive babyface, but for some reason, the WWE decided to turn him heel by aligning him with Vince McMahon. In order to get Austin over as an intimidating jerk, he would scream "WHAT?" whenever someone said something he did not like.
The crowd, for whatever reason, picked up on the habit, and would then chant "What?" nearly every time someone spoke in front of the live audience. At first Vince McMahon hated it, but eventually he embraced it, no doubt aided by the millions of dollars generated by t-shirt sales.
Why the gimmick managed to work: Stone Cold Steve Austin's popularity and charisma are not to be understated. Also, it was fun to say, and the crowd still occasionally breaks it out when they don't want to hear someone speak.
#5 Brother Love
The Gimmick in a Nutshell: A televangelist motivational speaker who grated on nearly everyone's nerves.
Bruce Prichard was originally a manager in various regional wrestling promotions before being hired by the WWE in the early 1990s. One of the biggest news stories of that era was the downfall of various televangelists, Christian Ministers who would preach the gospel but wound up being disgraced by their own actions. Tim Baker and Jerry Falwell are the ones that most readily come to mind, but Brother Love was a rip-off of Earnest Angley.
Brother Love had his own segment similar to Piper's Pit, where he would interview various wrestling talents. He would often fawn and become obsequious over the heel wrestlers like Bobby Heenan, but put down babyfaces such as Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. Fans hated his guts, which is exactly what they were supposed to do.
Why the gimmick managed to work: Many people felt let down by the downfall of televangelists they had donated money to, so seeing one in effigy on their wrestling shows drew their ire. Prichard also threw himself into the role with total commitment, which always helps.
Fun fact here is that Brother Love served as the original manager of the Undertaker.
#6 Billy and Chuck
The gimmick in a nutshell: Two tag team partners developed an uncomfortably close relationship with one another.
Pro Wrestling has often been the home to gimmicks that threaten the masculinity of the audience. Gorgeous George was the originator of the idea, wearing fancy 'girlish' robes and possessed of golden curly locks. Others, such as Exotic Adrian Street and Adorable Adrian Adonis, took the gimmick one step further, as did the West Hollywood Blondes in WCW.
But Billy and Chuck were the ones to take the gimmick to its ultimate extreme, displaying affection for each other to the point where they were nearly married live on Monday Night Raw. However, that was the night the gimmick ended when the duo admitted they were just pretending to get attention and TV time.
Why the gimmick managed to work: WWE went all in on the gimmick, as did Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo. The right for same-sex marriage was a hot-button topic of the era, and the gimmick definitely played into that.
Rico, their hairstylist/manager was also added to the mix to give them the extra appeal.
#7 Goldust
The Gimmick in a Nutshell: An Academy Award statuette (also called an Oscar) came to life.
When you're the son of a famous pro wrestler, it can be hard to stand out on your own. Inevitably, you will be standing in your parent's shadow and will be constantly compared to them in every way.
This problem is even worse if your father is perhaps one of the most famous wrestlers of all time, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes. And let's face facts; Dustin Runnels looks a LOT like his father Dusty, though he was always in better shape.
In order to blaze his own trail, Dustin came up with the Goldust character. At first, he was uncomfortably homophobic but eventually transitioned into...well, into Goldust, a man who utterly defies description.
Why the gimmick managed to work: Quite frankly, there's no other wrestler who quite looks, speaks, or acts like Goldust. A completely original character is rare in wrestling, and it has propelled Dustin Runnels to a thirty-year career.
A gimmick that has stood the test of time and given the WWE universe plenty of comedic relief over the years.
#8 The Rock
The Gimmick in a Nutshell: An incredibly arrogant man refers to himself in the third person and insists he's the 'people's champion.'
Wait a minute, this can't be right; The Rock is arguably the most famous professional wrestler in the world today, a Hollywood Blockbuster heavyweight who flexes his muscle on the silver screen even more successfully than he flexed in the ring. So why is he on this list?
Because the Rock IS a ridiculous gimmick. Just take a look at him objectively; He refers to himself in the third person, has that silly eyebrow thing going on, and even his finisher is utterly ludicrous (The People's Elbow isn't any different than a standard elbow other than the long build-up and tossing of the elbow pad into the audience.) Also, before he was a babyface, he was a hated heel who insisted he was "The People's Champion."
Why the gimmick managed to work: The Rock was undeniably entertaining and full of charisma. His silly antics won over the WWE crowd and humanized him in an odd way that his 'third generation wrestler Rocky Maivia' never could.
#9 Broken/Woken Matt Hardy
The Gimmick in a nutshell: Um, it's actually IMPOSSIBLE to explain this gimmick with any sort of brevity. It's Matt Hardy, only really, really freaking weird.
Matt Hardy had struggled for over a decade to escape from the shadow of his more photogenic, more athletic brother Jeff, the Charismatic Enigma. Whereas Jeff Hardy was a rock star who happened to be a wrestler, Matt Hardy was sort of a plain wrestler.
That all changed during his run with TNA/Impact where he developed the Broken Matt Hardy Character. Speaking with a British accent, re-naming everything under the sun, and promising to 'delete' any wrestler he found to be 'obsolete,' Broken Matt Hardy actually made him into the more popular and famous of the Hardy brothers.
Why the gimmick managed to work: Part of the reason is it's just so bizarre. His propensity for speaking in riddles and cheerful yet disturbing persona is definitely a factor. Add in his innovation in how wrestling is filmed and presented to the general public and you have a dark horse hit that revitalized his career.
#10 The Undertaker
The Gimmick in a Nutshell: A wrestling zombie.
Mark Calloway, the man who portrays the Undertaker, has seen a slew of different gimmicks in his day. He was once a masked wrestler known as Texas Red -- allegedly the same outlaw Texas Red from the Big Iron song by Marty Robbins, The Punisher (not to be confused with the Marvel hero of the same name,) and Skyscraper Mean Mark Callous.
But the Undertaker is who he is best known as, and rightfully so. Despite his cheesy undead gimmick and the rather on the nose Paul Bearer as his valet, the Undertaker managed to get over tremendously, and now it's hard to find someone who is NOT a fan of his work.
Why the gimmick managed to work: First and foremost, Undertaker is a fantastic wrestler and an incredible athlete. His ability to walk the ropes and dive out of the ring is rare for a man who stands six feet ten inches. Also, his longevity helped; Undertaker was around for so long that even people initially repulsed by his corny gimmick became fans.
There you have it; Ten ridiculous wrestling gimmicks that somehow became popular anyway. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article, and as always, thanks for reading!
