10 Most Misused Wrestlers In WWE History
5. Harley Race
How he was used: first as “Handsome” Harley Race, and then a king.
How he should have been used: A badass brawler.
At the time Harley Race joined the WWF, they didn’t acknowledge the accomplishments of wrestlers outside of their company. Unlike today where A.J. Styles and The Club are noted for their work in Japan, Race essentially came into the WWF as a new wrestler. Still, that doesn’t mean he needed to become a cartoon.
After Race won King of the Ring, he dropped the “handsome” part of his act and went full-on royalty. It was silly, and a role not fitting for someone of Race’s history and stature. There were other ways to make him a star.
One of Hogan’s most successful opponents was Andre the Giant, who didn’t rely on a ridiculous gimmick to drum up big business. He was just a huge dude that seemed impossible to beat. Race should have been booked similarly, in that he didn’t need a gimmick to fight.
He simply should have been booked as he was: one of the toughest men in the business.