10 Ridiculous Wrestling Gimmicks Which Are Actually TRUE
5. Dean Douglas
In 1995, Troy Martin - better known by his ring alias Shane Douglas - had the wrestling world at his feet. The Pennsylvanian native had shirked off being a decidedly uncool WCW dude to effectively establish Paul Heyman's brazen, trend-setting vision of ECW, famously - or infamously, depending on your persuasion - denigrating the NWA belt and everything the historic organisation stood for. Duly, the nationals which had wasted him so badly before beckoned once more.
Superstardom didn't follow; The Franchise cashed-in on a WWE move, only to quickly find himself stuck in WWE detention, lumbered with the moribund 'Dean' Douglas gimmick - a wrestling teacher who would disparagingly assess his fellow performers.
Like many before him, Douglas made the crucial mistake of letting Vince in on his background. Knowing there were no guarantees in wrestling, Martin had obtained a teaching qualification from Geneva College, and it was this, not his apparently irrelevant wrestling acumen, that the WWE honcho immediately honed in on.
Although the 'Board of Education' - a paddle he'd spank opponents with - was inspired, the 'Dean' schtick unsurprisingly failed to make the grade. Still, Douglas theoretically had everything in his locker to make a terrible idea work. Unfortunately, how to gain the approval of a rival backstage faction, hellbent on your failure, was one thing that couldn't be taught.