10 Early Gimmicks From Famous Wrestlers You Won't Believe

7. PAC

Gunther WWE
AEW

Much like WALTER/Gunther, it's difficult to imagine PAC under a different persona because his current character, the BASTARD, is so convincing.

A thoroughly miserable and sinister man, with just the slightest hint of mischief - but then, the delight in his face is only etched at the thought of distributing an imminent sh*t-kicking - PAC conveys a man dedicated only to hurting people, deriving a twisted pleasure from it, and sculpting the perfect physique with which to administer pain. He's impossibly sharp, strong, precise, quick and skilled. Several wrestlers play with this "ultimate competitor" archetype. PAC doesn't play with it; he embodies it.

It's only a slight tweak on the character PAC played on the indies. He was never a theatrical performer or anything - just a supremely gifted all-rounder who evolved at a time when boots and trunks mat wizards were in vogue - this new version just allows him to better apply his withdrawn personality to wrestling.

Weirdly, given what little is known about the man, he experimented with the 'Jungle PAC' persona in Spain: a wee savage feller mystified by the customs of the sport with movements patterned after every cliché of an "uncivilised" character you've ever seen.

Odd, and dated, but it still looked deadly when he dropkicked people in the back of the heid.

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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!