10 Wrestling Gimmicks That Went Way Over Everyone’s Heads
7. Waylon Mercy (Max Cady)
What People Thought: 1995 experiment Waylon Mercy was never properly explained. The deceptively big Dan Spivey assumed the role, one most thought reeked of the dreaded 'jobber to the stars' presentation, and he did his best to make the gimmick more than it first appeared. Sadly, as with most of the examples on this list, he was sorely let down by creative.
What He Actually Was: Mercy was actually one of the most interesting, multi-faceted characters the WWF had created in years. He wasn't a simple heel, nor was Waylon the kind of character fans could predict. At least, that's how Spivey tried to spin things during his performances. He could be a kindly Southern gent one minute and a sadistic son-of-a-b*tch the next.
Think Max Cady from 1991's Cape Fear. That was the obvious inspiration behind the gimmick to movie buffs, and Spivey's erratic psychological nightmare of a man played up the same unnerving instability as Robert De Niro's criminal sociopath.
It went way over everyone's heads.