10 Best WWE Gimmicks Of 2017

5. Drew Gulak

fashion police
WWE.com

Much as WWE invites criticism across virtually all aspects of its writing - the lame and childish babyface promos, the Death Valley-sized plot holes, the tedious over-writing of opening segments - the company excels at the “dorky heel” trope.

Drew Gulak is magnificent; initially signed to pad out the Cruiserweight Classic field, he has evolved into the most entertaining act on the meandering 205 Live roster. His 'No Fly Zone' schtick was a bit too ironic to truly resonate, but his Powerpoint presentation promos are something wholly unique, calibrated perfectly to put his über-earnest, unwittingly loathsome gimmick over. The problem - at least initially - is that it is only nominally loathsome; the man sh*ts an amiable strain of charisma, especially in contrast to storyline capo Enzo Amore. His sincere ripostes to Enzo's rhetorical bragging are wonderful in their pure-of-heart specificity.

One of few performers to carry great writing over to the ring, Gulak's intentionally lame '80s baddy is comic gold, too. The babyface-in-waiting celebrated Kalisto's birthday by threatening to powerbomb him into his birthday cake, screaming "It's party time!" just before he tried to pull the trigge,r like the lunatic from Silent Night, Deadly Night - only massively endearing.

A veritable meme-generator, Gulak is a pleasure - and all the more impressive, given the graveyard he fleetingly brings back to life.

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!