10 Gimmicks WWE Refuse To Give Up On
1. Pissed Off Veteran
In 1997, Bret Hart (WWF's established top dog at the time) had been quite vocal about his disliking of the company's Attitude Era seeds being planted and this ill feeling was pushed on screen as he started to lambast the fans for their new love of all things Attitude.
It led to one of the most controversial moments in wrestling history when Hart left this new frontier to join WCW, after it became clear that the chairman wouldn't be able to afford to fulfil his 20 year contract that he signed a year prior. Yet, some good came from that toxic screwjob ending.
A new gimmick - the entitled, pissed off old veteran - was born and the likes of Randy Orton and Batista have turned on the fans that once cheered them in an act of frustration over how they have been unappreciated in the company.
In the last year, Orton and Chris Jericho (admittedly outside of WWE) have taken it upon themselves to exact revenge on the current crop of stars as a way of finding retribution for their lack of support/respect from the fans and higher ups.
The gimmick helps extract a couple more competitive years out of ageing superstars and also gives younger performers a chance to share the stage with bonafide big timers. Hence why WWE continues to re-use it.