10 Insane Wrestling Gimmicks That Morphed Into Another Level

9. Rowan

Undertaker Lord Of Darkness
WWE.com

Rowan's WWE career is as out-there as his former cult leader thinks he is.

Starting life as a brainwashed backwoods henchman for Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan - his first name followed the buzzards, as many do - played an ostensible dumbsh*t monster with a mind trained only on carrying out orders. This is the smartest thing Bray Wyatt has ever done, for how does one wash such a brilliant brain?

Divorced from the Wyatt Family, in a development literally everybody not named Vince McMahon knew was bound for disaster, Rowan rediscovered his intellectual spirit. He was a polymath genius; a classical guitar prodigy and a f*cking vintner, Rowan excelled in all areas of recreation. Despite his savant ability to solve a Rubik's cube, Rowan was unable to solve the puzzle of winning a pro wrestling match. He later partnered up with Harper again under the guise of the Bludgeon Brothers, and exists now as Daniel Bryan's "intellectual peer" in a rare display of WWE continuity - and it's typical of WWE to recycle this, and not unscripted promos or things that, generally, aren't a disaster unfolding in front of our very eyes.

He also briefly developed a fascination with Renee Young, who he deemed "Pretty" in a proto-Otis gimmick if, in fact, we're still doing that. Since Heavy Machinery were not featured on TV this week, we have no earthly idea.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!