10 Ridiculous Wrestling Gimmicks That Should Never Have Worked

3. The Hurricane

Coming over from WCW to WWE as part of the latter promotion's purchase of the Atlanta-based group, Shane Helms knew he needed something special in order to stand out from the crowd and make his mark on a bloated roster. In 2001, WWE already had a lot of talent, so the thought of even more coming over from WCW made it a tough task to get yourself noticed. Enter The Hurricane, one of the most ridiculous characters to ever make a splash in wrestling. Somehow, hiding under a mask (to conceal his identity, of course) Helms found huge success with the superhero gimmick: combining comedy and uniqueness with great in-ring skills and a propensity to ham it up, the performer was well-fitted to the role. Portraying The Hurricane worked perfectly for Helms, he was able to leave an impression on WWE; something he may never have done as plain old Shane Helms in the Cruiserweight Division.