5 most unlikely WWE superstars

WWE has always been the land of the giants, with superstars from Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan to The Rock and The Undertaker dominating the landscape on a weekly basis. Vince McMahon himself was a bodybuilder and has the nickname of the 'genetic jackhammer', with Steve Austin himself often remarking that Vince was always in better shape than he was. That being said, WWE has taken unlikely wrestlers at points over the years and given them storylines and long tenures.

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#5 Gillberg

The enigmatic Gillberg

Duane 'Gillberg' Gill was part of the WWF 'Job Squad' along with Al Snow and Bob Holly, essentially losing every week whilst providing comedic relief from the often violent other storylines.

As the 'Attitude Era' was ushered in, Gill beat Christian for the Light Heavyweight Championship and soon was given the gimmick of 'Gillberg', a complete parody of WCW's Goldberg. Although being 6ft and over 220lbs, Gilbert did not have the physique of a typical wrestler and continued to lose matches. Although Light Heavyweight Champion, Gilbert only won 1 match in WWF but managed to keep the title for 15 months due to stipulations and time off from the company.

#4 James Ellsworth

Ellsworth even had his own t-shirt

James Ellsworth has been a professional wrestler for over 14 years and even owned his own promotion in Maryland, but it was an innocuous appearance as an enhancement talent on WWE Raw in 2016 against Braun Strowman that shoved James into the spotlight.

Due to his unique look and plucky promo, fans really bought into the Ellsworth character and he was subsequently asked back for several little bits on WWE TV. This was then amplified massively by appearing in the Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles world championship storyline, gaining 3 victories over the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Styles and gaining a SmackDown Live contract.

James would go on to eliminate Braun Strowman from the Survivor Series match and technically win the first-ever women's Money in the Bank ladder match before giving the briefcase to Carmella. Not bad for a jobber!

#3 Hornswoggle

Hornswoggle making HHH laugh in-ring

Hornswoggle entered the WWE in 2006 as Finlay's little helper, becoming involved in matches and helping Finlay beat down opponents and eventually capture the US Title from Bobby Lashley. With his 4ft 5 frame, 'Swoggle was always up against the odds to be successful in the land of the giants but was featured on WWE TV for 10 years, being the illegitimate son of Vince McMahon and later Finlay, having WrestleMania moments, winning the WWE Cruiserweight Championship and being named as the Raw Anonymous General Manager.

#2 Spike Dudley

Little Spike Dudley

Prior to becoming a wrestler, 5ft 8 Spike Dudley was a 3-grade school teacher but decided that ECW was the perfect place to become a wrestler. Becoming one of the Dudley Boyz half-brothers, Spike would wrestle for ECW for 5 years and win the ECW Tag Team Championship with Balls Mahoney.

Once the Dudley Boyz had made the jump to WWE and ECW had folded, Spike followed and soon became involved on a regular basis with top storylines, intervening in the TLC match at WrestleMania X-7 and soon becoming a WWE European Champion, 8-time Hardcore Champion and WWE Tag Team champion with Tazz. Despite not looking at all like a wrestler, Spike was beloved by fans and really held his own in the land of the giants.

#1 Zach Gowen

The plucky Gowen vs The Beast

The most unlikely WWE Superstar was not only a skinny, 179lb kid, but Zach Gowen wrestled with one leg. After having a leg amputated due to cancer at 8, he decided not to use a prosthetic and wrestled by hopping in the ring. After joining the WWE, Gowen was immediately thrust into the limelight as a part of the Mr. America storyline with Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon. Zach would be offered a WWE contract if he joined the 'Kiss my Ass' club but instead attacked Mr. McMahon and subsequently had to face the Big Show. Winning the match further infuriated McMahon and eventually faced Gowen at Vengeance 03, beating the plucky underdog.

Zach wouldn't be around for too much longer, having a brief storyline with Brock Lesner before leaving the WWE in Feb 2004.