10 Most Overrated (And Overused) WWE Gimmick Matches

3. Handicap Match

Evolution Roman Reigns Handicap Match
WWE

The Handicap Match is booked with such veracity in WWE, that the original concept beyond the gimmick is long dead, leaving behind a tragic shell that just pointlessly ensures contests between mismatched numbers of opponents will occur in perpetuity for the next thousand years.

So that's a slight overstatement, but you'll allow the mind to wander when reminiscing the latest pay-per-view offering that saw the heel Dolph Ziggler lose against babyfaces Apollo Crews and Kalisto, only to take both men out in the aftermath for the vaunted last word on things.

This inanity has become the norm in the handicap setting, with the once-heel favouring gimmick now used as a tool of vindictive authority figures, and often in a way that even doesn't get the job done.

Heel GM's set their lackeys up like bowling pins, ready for a babyface to burst down the lane and invariably score a strike. Babyface bosses 'punish' the dominant heels by feeding them swathes of idiot good guys with a collective capability in negative equity even before another pointless mauling.

No matter if you're the victim, the beneficiary, part of the bigger or smaller group, or booked the thing yourself - everybody suffers for their art in a handicap match.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett