10 Rotten Gimmicks Played By WWE Hall Of Famers

6. Not Exactly Hitting The Bullseye

A longtime servant of the WWF, Tito Santana had been working for the McMahon family since 1979, but in 1991 he was repackaged as 'El Matador'. Wearing pink boots and playing the role of a bull fighter, Santana has remarked in interviews since that he was in line for a main event push, as the promotion were looking to expand into Mexico. Interestingly, Tito claims the WWF chose Canada first, which is why Bret Hart got his first top line run. Santana was somebody everyone could rely on for a solid match, regardless of his opponent or the time allotted to them. Simply put, the guy was the very definition of a stalwart, and a great hand to have on the roster - so good was Santana at working the style McMahon wanted, that he was often placed with newcomers on house shows, in order to fully integrate them into the way the WWF did business. Regardless of his aptitude for wrestling, the 'El Matador' gimmick wasn't the best, and is a tough sell to any audience. The creative team felt the man would be cheered for his bravery, and fans would instantly perceive him as tough, due to his many years of bull-fighting, but longtime fans already knew Santana from before, and newcomers didn't really see him a top name. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OceR-sWNKm0 Departing in 1993, Santana has barely been seen since, and it's a shame that such a great performer had to go out with a lame-brain gimmick like this one!