10 Wrestlers Who Couldn't Pull Off Interesting Gimmicks
These guys weren't The Undertaker, that's for sure...
At the 1990 Survivor Series, many fans were undoubtedly shocked to see the debuting Undertaker - an old west-style mortician who moved like a zombie and seemed to feel no pain. Still, imagine how surprised they would have been to know that 'Taker's character and career would still be a part of WWE more than 25 years later. It's a testament to Mark Calaway's ability and charisma that the gimmick got to live up to its full potential.
Had a different man been chosen to play The Undertaker - like, for instance, wrestling journeyman John Nord, who played the Bruiser Brody-inspired viking character known as The Berzerker - it's very likely that The Undertaker gimmick ultimately would have been a short-lived flop. Today's WWE would look very different if that were the case.
Most of wrestling's top stars have been great workers with great characters. Some of the characters were more realistic than others, but they still connected with audiences and had the talent to get (and stay) on top. Unfortunately, though, it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes, great workers get saddled with terrible characters, and sometimes good ideas are wasted on wrestlers who can't make them work.
Here are 10 wrestlers who couldn't pull off interesting gimmicks. This isn't to say that in better hands, one of these characters would have been the next Undertaker, but it's still interesting to think about how much higher the ceiling could have been.
10. Drew McIntyre
The gimmick that Drew McIntyre had when he first debuted on SmackDown wasn't particularly original - he was Vince McMahon's "chosen one," a superstar who had been hand-picked by management and earmarked to succeed, much to the frustration of the babyfaces who had to deal with him. Still, the character would have been enough to make a capable wrestler a top heel in the company.
McIntyre himself wasn't really to blame - the Scottish star had no big-time experience when he was christened a "future world champion," but he was still thrown out to sink or swam. Though he would eventually develop into a very talented star, he initially sank. His ring work wasn't good, and while his promos were fine, none of the fans watching took him seriously. In feuds with Matt Hardy and Kofi Kingston, he looked like he was in over his head.
The push was dropped, and McIntyre appeared on Raw and SmackDown less and less. When he did improve, he was put into the Three Man Band, which was a waste of his talent.