10 Wrestling Gimmicks That Weren’t Supposed To Last Long

Bray Wyatt's doing alright for himself at the moment.

The 'Eater Of Worlds' has found a comfort zone in the bosom of Matt Hardy's Broken/Woken Universe, scoring Tag Title gold with the legendary North Carolinian just months after disappearing into his 'Lake Of Reincarnation' after losing their passable 'Final Deletion' tribute on Monday Night Raw.

'Ultimate Deletion' didn't quite deliver as promised in ridding the company of the knackered character, but it did give it a hard reset at least. Inoffensive as a doubles performer (even if trapped in a laughable rivalry with fellow losers Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas), the stench of Wyatt's unanimously awful creative can't hurt those around him anymore than WWE's own woeful mismanagement. Unlike the main event (where certain fans, mystifyingly, still believed he should have been), the division can absorb the damage of his dumb drawl.

To this end, he may somehow last yet another year in the gimmick. This time last year, he was entrenched in a feud with Finn Bálor that nearly killed the aura of 'The Demon' and 'The Man'. Before that he locked Randy Orton in a literal 'House Of Horrors' that stretched the believability of both to breaking point. Years earlier he was ruining pay-per-views with John Cena. Or Dean Ambrose. Or Roman Reigns. Pick your favourite performer, and Bray probably poisoned them.

And yet he quietly survives, extinguishing lanterns long after the light guiding his path to superstardom went out.

He's not the only one to stick at it...

Like several others before and since, Damien Sandow was sort of getting over as a complete geek in WWE in 2014 by at least being aware he actually f*cking was one.

The company have in recent years made such a habit of killing the cool factor of their talent that 'losers-done-good' has become as common a trope as 'American Hero', 'Anti-Authority babyface' and 'Problematic fave' on the main roster.

Sandow had been parodying various other wrestlers and local sports stars when he spent a night as The Miz' 'stunt double', but he was so effective mirroring Miz' every move that it became a permanent arrangement - and got over huge.

Mizdow was inarguably the hottest act on the entire show, playing brilliantly off of his indignant and obnoxious boss. The two even won Tag Team gold, despite Miz often barely acknowledging his existence as a ringside accomplice.

The very gradual rise in tensions between the pair was uncharacteristically staggered for WWE, which became more mouthwatering when 2014 became 2015 and WrestleMania loomed large. The programme deserved a stage as grand for its payoff, but the two instead were confined to splitting in the closing moments of a pre-show battle royal eventually won by The Big Show.

Sandow had taken mulch and made it money, but without his foil he was sadly without further motivation. Retiring young (though, it is wrestling...), the period as the 'A-Lister's doppelgänger may prove the highlight of his career.