5 Absurd WWE gimmicks that actually worked

The Deadman should not have worked, especially not as well as it did

#1 The Undertaker - WWE's greatest gimmick

It does not matter how incredible of a run Mark Calloway has had as The Deadman. Yes, he's a first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer. He had a legendary career, becoming one of the greatest characters in all of professional wrestling.

Looking back at it, though, it's a miracle that The Undertaker lasted a year, let alone three decades with WWE. An undead mortician who puts his opponents in body bags and coffins? Even though he came about a few years before it started, that has the New Generation Era written all over it. Cartoonish is a great way to describe it.

Still, The Undertaker is absolutely legendary. From day one, the company made sure that everyone took this seriously. It probably helped that The Phenom went from being managed by Brother Love to Paul Bearer, someone equally as cryptic and horrifying as the big man himself.

There was not a single moment where Vince McMahon and the company looked at the character and changed direction on a dime. They were dedicated to making this work, which meant making The Undertaker a legitimate threat from the get-go. In one year, The Undertaker captured his first WWF Championship, beating Hulk Hogan of all people.

Thirty years later, The Undertaker has evolved with the times and managed to stay relevant through three long decades, a nearly impossible feat for anyone. He's a seven-time WWE World Champion, seven-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 12-time Slammy Award Winner, and more. The WWE legend has also delivered some of the greatest matches and feuds in all of professional wrestling. The Undertaker is a gimmick that defied the odds.

Something that should have been dead on arrival became captivating. Something that fans should've gawked at instead made them either quake in fear or stare in awe. It was, indeed, an absurd gimmick. It's also the greatest gimmick of all time.