10 MORE Attempted WWE Repackages That Failed Miserably
4. 'The Stalker' Barry Windham
One of the most under-rated professional wrestlers of all time, Barry Windham was a tremendously versatile performer who starred in one of the sport's most successful periods, but ultimately harmed his legacy by wrestling well beyond his prime. The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and Four Horsemen member wasn't quite a spent force by 1996, but his destructive third run with the company ultimately signalled his demise, and it started with this ghastly gimmick.
Instead of booking Barry Windham as, well, Barry Windham, WWE had him clad in camouflage face paint, a beret, and military fatigues. He was billed from "The Environment," and with his first vignette featuring the big man sneaking up on tiny lizards in a dingy forest, the quality bar was set incredibly low from the get-go.
More creepy videos followed, and WWE's idea was to have The Stalker feud with Marc Mero after, wait for it... slitting his valet Sable's throat. Seriously.
It bombed. Windham's meandering hunting-themed diatribes failed to catch on, and he worked less than a dozen televised bouts with the gimmick, eventually reverting to wrestling under his real name.