10 Movie Characters WWE Should Base New Gimmicks On
2. Raoul Duke (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas)
Paranoid, frantic, and hedonistic beyond recovery, Hunter S. Thompson's funhouse mirror version of himself, Raoul Duke, is a caricature ripe for picking. And WWE needs to harvest some of that fruit.
While the more drugged-out facets of Thompson/Duke's character might not fly in today's PG product, a fast-talking, bug-eyed, neurotic personality would be a welcome boon to the roster. He'd add a truly unpredictable element to the show, unlike Dean Ambrose's wise-cracking tough guy who still uses the "Lunatic Fringe" nickname, despite acting about as wild and crazy as the Festrunk Brothers from Saturday Night Live.
In fact, there's your first feud. The Raoul Duke inspired character comes in and genuinely acts like he's out of his mind, mumbling gibberish and hallucinating wacky stuff during his promos.
Guys like Michael Cole constantly insinuate that Duke-ish is a wacko, but he insists he's not. He says "guys like Ambrose are the crazy ones, because he's always telling people he's crazy, and what's crazier than that?!" Then he attacks a trash can because he thinks it's a ninja lobster. You know, stuff like that.
Played with the right blend of comedy and creepiness, it might find the sweet spot Mankind did all those years ago.