10 Best WWE Gimmicks Vince McMahon Had Nothing To Do With

9. Diesel

Everyone reading this can agree that 'Big Daddy Cool' is wearing quite the studded denim jacket in the pic above. If that sounds like a needless digression, then spare a thought for poor Shawn Michaels. His promising singles run suffered a weird detour in 1993 when the WWF tried to shunt ill-fitting screecher Luna Vachon with him as valet.

That didn't suit the future 'Mr. WrestleMania', and he sought something that'd take his heat as a heel to the next level. This is where Vince comes into things, right? Not quite. McMahon didn't headhunt Vachon's replacement; Shawn did.

One day, Michaels tuned into WCW TV and clapped eyes on Vinnie Vegas, played by towering cool dude Kevin Nash. After asking mutual pal Rick Steiner if he could speak to the big man, Michaels was pleased to hear that Nash had handed in his WCW notice and was WWF bound.

Vince's son Shane was the one who named the incoming behemoth too, gifting him the moniker 'Diesel' (partly because of Nash's Detroit roots and partly, according to Bruce Prichard, because someone who looked cool was said to be 'Diesel' in '93).