10 Most Absurdly Mismatched Gimmicks In WWE

10. Hardcore Holly Was Not A White Meat Babyface

Love him or loathe him, Robert ‘Hardcore Holly’ Howard is the very definition of glowering badass - but although he’s a tower of menacing, sculpted muscle, it’s his reputation that does the work for him.

Everyone knows that, in character and out, ‘Hardcore’ Holly is a no nonsense, stiff son-of-a-gun, big on respect and the old school traditions. That’s why it seems so utterly absurd that, faced with this dude - a former bouncer and bar fighter, built like a heavyweight boxer, who once wrestled a bear - Vince McMahon chose to give him the character of happy-go-lucky NASCAR driver, Thurman ‘Sparky’ Plugg.

Leaving the cheesy occupational gimmick aside - hey, this was 1994, and the real life Bob loves to race, so you can at least see the thought process going on - can you imagine Bob Holly as a white meat babyface, kissing babies and high-fiving college kids? You don’t have to. Here he is:

With the benefit of hindsight, you can see every thumbs-up, every flash of cheerful teeth destroying a piece of Bob’s soul. Unconvincing and awkward in the role, it took four years and a fierce performance in the car crash Brawl For All shoot tournament for ‘Hardcore’ Holly to finally make an appearance.