10 Terrible WWE Reinventions

10. Barry Windham > The Stalker

When Barry Windham returned to the WWF in 1996, he did so on increasingly wobbly knees. Years on the road and multiple surgeries had left his body somewhat worse for wear, so a killer new gimmick to help mask his ailing mobility was just what the doctor ordered (though not any medical ones, who probably would have advised packing it in).

Well, he got that 'killer' gimmick. Kind of. As The Stalker, Windham was disguised in camouflage facepaint and a jaunty beret to help him blend into the environment (from which he was billed), as he hunted WWF superstars. In particular, the former 'Widowmaker' was to make a widower out of Marco Mero by kidnapping Sable and then, presumably, murdering her a bit.

As you might imagine, Mero wasn't massively keen on the idea of his wife being slaughtered, and rejected the angle. The Stalker debuted as a babyface instead. A do-gooding stalker, hiding in plain sight. Or standing in plain sight, since he was patently obvious.

Mankind debuted around the same time; Foley told how McMahon seriously believed Windham's new persona was going to be a merchandising moneyspinner.

It wasn't.