10 Great Wrestlers Who Started Out With Terrible Gimmicks
1. Kane As Isaac Yankem DDS
Glenn Jacobs has competed under a number of guises during his 21-year WWE career. He debuted as Mike Unabomb in 1995, but this gimmick was canned after just a handful of matches. A few months later, he re-emerged as Isaac Yankem DDS, Jerry Lawler’s personal dentist, and the company immediately placed emphasis on his imposing size (and rotting teeth).
Yankem was to be Lawler’s instrument for removing his longtime rival, Bret Hart, from WWE. As with most occupational gimmicks, however, Isaac Yankem quickly sank like a stone. He had a handful of matches with Hart throughout the rest of the year, but his push rapidly dwindled, and the gimmick was eventually put on the shelf halfway through 1996.
Jacobs’ next move wasn’t much better. He was tasked with playing the infamous “Fake Diesel” role shortly after Kevin Nash’s departure for WCW, and this remains one of WWE’s most widely-criticised angles of all-time. Jacobs looked absolutely nothing like Diesel, the fans recognised it was a clear insult to their intelligence, and they rejected it entirely. Fake Diesel died at the 1997 Royal Rumble, and three months later, Kane made his legendary debut.
Kane fast became one of the most iconic characters in WWE history, but his run hasn’t exactly been flawless either. From Katie Vick to the Fake Kane feud, Kane has been involved in just as many creative misses as he has hits, which makes it borderline miraculous that he’s lasted this long...