10 Gimmicks So Bad They Didn't Even Make It To WWE TV

9. Bob Holly: Space Man

HBK Biker
WWE.com / WhatCulture

Ground control to Major Bob.

Take your...protein pills and put your helmet on.

And then go and beat everybody!

Bob Holly was such a delightfully ornery presence that it's a miracle he didn't punch whichever f*cker said he should be called 'Sparky' in the first place. He was a racing mark, which explains the gimmick, and he was also a really hard and abrasive bastard, which explains the whole Hardcore Holly deal subsequent to that. He never did evolve beyond that persona. Why would he? He was over. And more to the point, who'd ask him?

Some very brave WWECW staffer, evidently, since there was an idea to reinvent Bob Holly as an astronaut on the C-level brand. Per the surrounding apocrypha, he was to be renamed 'Spacecore Holly' and would travel through space and time in a loose thematic link to the SciFi channel which, you know, could have just paid for some original science fiction programming.

Better yet, there was additional monkey synergy; an actual monkey was planned to be his sidekick. Amazing. Imagine Holly fake-smiling through all that. Imagine the inevitable threats to kick its f*cking little ass.

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!