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

8. Nazi Stormtrooper (!)

HBK Biker
WWE.com

You know, WWE gets a bad rap.

And sure, they pestered a widow into absolving them of being implicit in the death of the husband she had lost 24 hours prior. Yes, they rehired a man they'd thought had taken an unnatural interest in minors because he missed the banter. And yeah OK they cheaped out on safety equipment against the advice of experts, leading to the death of Owen Hart.

But they did not present a literal nazi on its programming.

A former writer - Dan Madigan - did try. He pitched a character - Baron von Bava - a cryogenically frozen Nazi stormtrooper thawed into a second life as a WWE Superstar by...the jewish Paul Heyman. Remarkably offensive before you even begin to think about how this was to work in practise - who...would Baron von Bava target, exactly? - Madigan surmised that, after the Katie Vick debacle, they'd listen to anything.

Vince McMahon, who would later volunteer to shag his daughter, was positively appalled at the suggestion.

That, or he wasn't full enough with gorged cuts of ketchup-drenched steak to be receptive to it.

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!