10 Best WWE Gimmicks Of 2017

6. The Fashion Police

fashion police
WWE.com

Stars of the surreal Fashion Files vignettes, the lowly Tyler Breeze and Fandango are two of depressingly few stars on the SmackDown brand to exit 2017 more relevant than they entered it. In a further incrimination of "Please Hit The" Road Dogg, they barely wrestled onscreen, instead opting to amuse themselves in nominally throwaway segments that, shockingly, will hold up as the most memorable aspect of a show that plumbed 2011-levels of critical condemnation.

Their act is a pure Zoolander ripoff - but the warmth behind the tribute, and the brilliant performances, combined to elevate it well above pastiche. Breeze was a delight as a lobotomised lost puppy, Fandango perhaps even more entertaining as the eternally bluffing, posturing nimrod. The TV and film spoofs, and the insider references, yielded a spate of gags both wry and genuinely funny - Tye Dillinger's Strangerer Things cameo was particularly inspired - and the winning nature of the running gag compensated for the aimlessness of it all.

Thrust into the ring, the act bombed as a result of weird 50/50 booking and broader, significantly less funny physical comedy - which proved, somehow, that the blue brand writing staff couldn't get an over act over.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!