10 Awesome Gimmicks Wasted On Terrible Wrestlers

6. Kevin Thorn

Papa Shango
WWE.com

The Kevin Thorn character was a reactionary creation on the part of a WWE writing staff looking to appease SyFy network, who had recently acquired rights to the relaunched ECW brand. Searching for a supernatural gimmick to fit the mold of the channel, WWE Creative dreamed up Thorn, a brooding vampire straight out of a 1996 Hot Topic catalog.

Perhaps it was the fact that he was flanked by a smoking hot vampiress named Ariel, who also happened to be a fortune teller, but Thorn was cool despite an overabundance of eyeliner and hair product.

While he was far from a bad worker, he never excelled past "solid hand" status. His failure to incorporate the gimmick into his in-ring performance certainly hurt, too. Thorn understood the theatrical significance of the character but never became the worker one would hope for out of someone who spent so much time in developmental.

In 2008, he was quietly released from his contract, his potential never released.

Had Thorn come along two years after he did, he would have been huge. Vampires were everywhere thanks to the spectacular crap show that was Twilight and Vince McMahon would have pushed him to the moon, regardless of his ability.

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Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.