10 Bizarre Times WWE Stars Experimented With Their Gimmick

5. Emma - Emmalina

Cody Rhodes
WWE.com

AEW shouldn't exist.

There's hundreds - literally triple figures! - of examples a wrestling fan can point to from WWE's output as a cover image for a hypothesis entitled "How WWE Blew Their Monopoly". Stuff just happened on television for years and years and years; things that once would have been laughed out of creative meetings for tearing at narrative fabric or abusing the loose rules of the universe that mattered just as much as any other show.

Emmalina's one of them, and if the above paragraph seems like a bit of a hyperbolic run-up to a gimmick that was introduced and dropped on the same night (!), consider the timescales in play and the aftermath of this grim little chapter.

WWE had botched yet another beloved NXT favourite in Emma during a 2014-15 stint on the main roster, and hadn't done much better with the repackaged heel that returned. No matter, because on October 3rd 2016, vignettes ran for a relaunch as "Emmalina". New name, new shtick probably, and new chance for a new start. Better than bad, at least.

But the vignettes just kept airing with no end in sight. "Soon" became a parody, as, worryingly did the rebadge. 133 days later in February 2017, she finally arrived...and immediately killed the character to re-relaunch herself as Emma. She was released that same year.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett