10 Weirdest Ways Wrestlers Got Their Gimmicks

10. Abe “Knuckleball” Schwartz

As The Brooklyn Brawler, Steve Lombardi became professional wrestling’s prime jobber. Though this took three runs to truly make an impact. In between which he adopted gimmicks such as the baseball/The Warriors inspired MVP, Doink the Clown, a Knight, and Kamala’s handler Kim Chee.

His second go at a baseball gimmick perhaps has the weirdest origins.

Pop culture has always had a place in the entertainment side of wrestling, nonetheless, Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz was niche (at least for international fans and those revisiting classic WWE) and out of place. The gimmick was inspired by the 1994 MLB strike, which concerned a decrease in profits and a proposed cap on players’ salaries. Knuckleball was a heel who blamed wrestling fans for the strike, reasoning that the competition led to a cut in baseball crowds.

The aesthetics of the gimmick were cheesy even for the time period with Knuckleball having his face painted as a baseball (to a child birthday party standard) and entering to a carnival rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game. These measly efforts gave predictable results, leaving Lombardi to continue onwards in his jobber lane.