5 gimmicks WWE should copy from elsewhere

3. A new incarnation of a masked character

If different people can wrestle under the same gimmick in Japan and in Mexico, why can't the same work in WWE?

Several of the most famous masked wrestlers in history aren’t actually from Mexico – where lucha libre and the importance of masked is central to booking – but from Japan. From Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger, to Tiger Mask to Black Tiger, these masked wrestlers made bigger names for themselves in Japan than in Mexico.

Moreover, some of these masked characters were so popular that multiple people played ‘incarnations’ of the same gimmick. There have been at least five different Tiger Mask characters, seven Black Tiger characters, and in Mexico, several characters have been presented as ‘the son of’ a famous masked wrestler to continue the tradition and image of that same wrestler.

With WWE still searching for another wrestler to fill the void left by Rey Mysterio, it would make sense for them to take one of their current stars and put them under a mask. If they were to then push that character, not only would they have a new star made, but they could also greatly increase their merchandise revenue by selling more masks.

Picture the following scenario: Paul Heyman comes down and announces that he has a new charge: a new masked wrestler that he promises will be the new ace of the cruiserweight division. For this example, let’s use the name and gimmick of Japanese wrestling legend Hayabusa.

Heyman introduces this new incarnation of Hayabusa, who then proceeds to dazzle the audience with his in-ring abilities. By booking that wrestler in this way, he gets over with the audience through his wrestling skills, and his weaknesses are concealed under a mask and by having Heyman speak on his behalf.

This way, a new star can be created without every single top guy (and girl) having to go through the exact same process as they do with their current set of top stars.