7. The Employment Of Anachronistic And Outdated Gimmicks
WWE went back to the past in 2006, and not in a good way. For some reason, WWE presented a lot of out-of-date and borderline offensive gimmicks that were, to be honest, old hat decades ago. Tatanka returned, Shelton Benjamin brought in his 'Momma' and a savage Islander called Umaga burst on the scene. These gimmicks were derivative and belonged in another time. Tatanka hadn't been seen on WWE TV in over a decade when he returned with exactly the same character as he had before. Shelton Benjamin's new mouthpiece was supposedly punishment because he insulted a road agent. As for Umaga, well, uh, it was better than being a member of Three Minute Warning, I guess? Yes, Umaga did eventually find success in feuds with John Cena and as Vince's charge in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23, but the other outdated gimmicks failed to get over and some of them bombed badly. Jimmy Wang Yang? Really, WWE creative? No single gimmick stands out as being particularly stupid or anything, but having so many shoddy gimmicks at one time certainly didn't help the product and actually lessened WWE's rep in the eyes of their own fans.