10 Old School Wresting Gimmicks That Need To Return

Back To The Future.

WCW Tiger
WWE

Not all wrestling was better in the past. You don't always have to be born earlier.

WWE's decades-long monopoly over the mainstream has raised several generations of fans to accept a number of troubling norms as the "right" way to do things. This - much like WWE's initials still being the shorthand for wrestling in general - is the power that market dominance (and complete ownership) provides.

Billionaire-backed AEW is not a little engine that could or some sort of plucky upstart organisation, but by adhering to so many more long-standing tenets and attempting to create new ones, they are trying to retrain audiences conditioned to cheap finishes and dreaded "protective" booking measures. To be successful beyond its first four years, Dynamite can't be a show that leans entirely on the past. But to not embrace the elements that worked would be the sort needless negligence thankfully not yet exhibited by their booking practices.

It doesn't work every time. There is nothing - nothing - on a, say, a 1982 edition of the World Wrestling Federation's weekly television show that would stand up against just about any Seth Rollins match from 2020, and one of them included a man's f*cking eye being extracted. But that's not to say that same episode wouldn't have tight psychology worth studying, or a connection between babyface and audience a contemporary star could grab from.

The below personas have mostly been consigned to the past. But then, if wrestling's as cyclical as all the old-timers say...

10. Horsemen

WCW Tiger
WWE.com

All Elite Wrestling almost certainly won't call a new group The Four Horsemen should they reveal themselves within the next few weeks or months on Dynamite, but a new stable will be that in all but name.

But...what's causing all this?!

Every tease - red herring or otherwise - of its future existence has been laden with references to the legendary quartet. It began in the background when Cody's relationship with "coach" Arn Anderson saw Andersons and Rhodes' breaking bread for the first time. In a legendary 1994 promo Dusty once told Dustin that "the view never changes" in relation to why he couldn't trust 'Double A' in his role as Ric Flair's enforcer. He wasn't around to do that for the 'American Nightmare'.

Since then, Tully Blanchard has resurfaced from wrestling obscurity, got inside the head of Shawn Spears to target Cody (and, latterly, given him Barry Windham's black glove to get f*cking serious) and helped guide FTR to tag team glory as natural successors to his devastating 1980s double act with Anderson. MJF has suggested he might need a stable, Cody has flashed the four fingers, FTR stood for "Fear The Revelation" despite not revealing anything and on and on it goes.

The gimmick doesn't need this list to show why it's still needed - it'll soon show it.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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