10 Best Gimmicks In WWE Right Now
Realism rules WWE's 'New Era,' but bold characters are still important.
Of all the components required to build a successful WWE superstar, a strong character might be the most important. A performer can be the best athlete in the world, but they'll find lasting main event success hard to come by without the right gimmick, even in the modern era.
The company have largely moved away from the outlandish gimmicks of old, but this is still 'Sports Entertainment,' not traditional wrestling. Personality is key, but it's no longer enough to saddle a wrestler with a paper-thin concept and send them out on television. Nobody demands Sopranos-esque levels of character depth, but today's audiences are smart, and won't stand for the one-note gimmicks of old.
WWE are wise to this, and while they don't always succeed, they've at least attempted to turn the bulk of their roster into multifaceted, engaging characters. There are plenty of duds (Jinder Mahal), and a handful of great gimmicks gone wrong (Bray Wyatt), but that doesn't detract from those at the other end of the quality spectrum.
WWE's inconsistent creative team miss more than they hit, but they're absolutely nailing these characters at the moment, and they stand as the best in the company.
10. The New Day
The New Day came dangerously close to running out of steam a few months ago. Their lengthy Raw Tag Team Title reign became a joyless march towards breaking Demolition's long-held record by the end, and things got even worse when they finally dropped the straps. WWE hadn't a clue what to do with one of their most marketable acts, and they became staler than month-old bread, cutting identikit weekly promos as they bounced from one incomplete lower midcard angle to another.
Moving the trio to SmackDown in the Superstar Shake-Up was a masterstroke. Placing them in a brand new environment has completely rejuvenated their act, and while the New Day gimmick isn't as fresh as it used to be, the past few months prove it still has legs.
This is largely down to The Usos, whose heelish malevolence has given Big E, Kofi, and Woods a perfect set of antagonists to bounce off, but the trio have held up their end of the bargain too. Yes, the pop culture references can be annoying, but they still know how to keep the crowd entertained three years into their gimmick's lifespan - no mean feat in this era of frighteningly short attention spans.