7 Gimmick Changes WWE Tried In 2017
The man with three H's would be proud of Matt Hardy right about now...
Look at the expression on the face of Kevin Owens in the above picture. He looks disgusted, doesn't he?
Perhaps that's just Owens doing his job, mugging for the cameras and letting WWE fans know he hates their guts. Or, perhaps he was flat out bored with the lame 'Face Of America' character creative concocted for him early last year.
He can't be blamed for that, because the idea didn't last long, barely made any sense (he was feuding with fellow Canadian Chris Jericho when it started) and disappeared pretty much overnight. That'll be that, then; we're unlikely to see KO wax lyrical about standing up for Americans everywhere again.
Did any of WWE's other gimmick tweaks and changes work in 2017? Well, you be the judge. They sure tried with a lot of wrestlers, and the end result was a mixed bag of ideas that either borrowed from the past or tried to break new ground.
In the case of the latter, it was akin to throwing something (anything) against the wall to see what might stick - souring a legend's comeback in the process...
7. Drew Gulak
In 2017, Drew Gulak went from nondescript Cruiserweight heel to a more colourful character who might have legs, if he wasn't hidden away on the 205 Live show. The Geography teacher look suited Gulak, as did his often hilarious desire to bring Powerpoint presentations to WWE programming. It's just a shame, then, he was buried once Enzo Amore came along.
At least WWE and Gulak tried, we'll give them that. It would have been easier to plough ahead with Drew's generic heel gimmick (during which fans were never clued in as to why they should be booing the man), but someone identified that Gulak had a dry sense of humour. That's been used to good effect, when creative have let it.
There's hope for Gulak in 2018, provided WWE don't lose interest and move him onto something else just for the sake of it. Fear the worst though, because Drew's Jewish background may lead to something horrendous. Religious backgrounds and WWE?
They don't really go well together.