10 Crazy Wrestling Gimmicks That Should Have Never Worked (But Did)

10. Disco Inferno

Disco Inferno "Disco is dead" has been a common refrain from... well, pretty much the point disco died. And Disco did die in the ring, over and over again as a jobber in World Championship Wrestling, at least for a little while. Though he started out as a heel (because disco, you see), the more oblivious, humorous aspects of his character began to win fans over, such as when he would forget how to apply his own finishing maneuver and had to resort to a diagram mid-match. From his start in 1995, Disco Inferno's tenure lasted until the time WCW shut its doors as a part of AOL Time Warner, when the then-WWF purchased their rival. During that time, his star would rise, allowing him to join the nWo Wolfpac and become a founding member of the nWo Elite, effectively placing him squarely above such members of the "B-Team" in the nWo hierarchy as former Harlem Heat member Stevie Ray, Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, and The Giant, better known to WWE fans today as The Big Show. His success didn't just come in who he got to hang out with, either; Disco's accolades include one run as the WCW Cruiserweight Champion, twice as the WCW Television Champion, and nearly held the WCW Tag Team Champions with partner Alex Wright as The Boogie Knights before being sidelined with an injury. Though he did not join WWE in the WCW Invasion, Disco did continue to work for World Wrestling All-Stars, TNA, and the independent circuit until a few years ago. Earlier this year, an episode of WWE Countdown took a look at the most "infamous gimmicks," and ranked Disco in 6th, with fellow WCW alumni William Regal, Bill DeMott, and Scott Armstrong defending him and noting that he fully embraced the gimmick and got it over with the fans.
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Former Nintendo Power writer, current Nintendo Force writer. Wrote the book on Mega Man (The Robot Master Field Guide). Was once fired by Vince McMahon. Dabbles in video games, comic books, toys, and fast food curiosities. Once had a new species of exotic bird named after him. It died. You can find more of his writings, musings, and other such things on his websites at Nyteworks.net.