10 Stupidest Gimmick Changes In WWE History

Many times, a talented wrestler can fail to connect with the audience for a variety of reasons: Maybe his mic work isn't up to par, or his style doesn't translate to television, or his in-ring psychology needs work.

However, sometimes a wrestler's character just simply isn't clicking, necessitating a change in direction.

This has given us many legends from the past: The Ringmaster turned into Stone Cold Steve Austin, Rocky Maivia became the Rock, Hunter Hearst Helmsley became Triple H, and Rocker Shawn Michaels became the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels.

But, for every successful gimmick change, there seems to be about 100 failed changes. History tends to remember the successful transitions but the awful ones get flushed down the proverbial toilet, never to be seen again.

Fear not, dear reader, this list will cover some of those failed gimmick changes and remind you of their silliness all over again.

Terry Taylor was an extremely talented wrestler when he rolled into the World Wrestling Federation in 1988. He had held numerous NWA regional titles around the country and was fresh off a successful World Class run in the Von Erich's territory.

So, when he came to New York, fans had some pretty high expectations for the talented young worker. According to Bruce Prichard, McMahon took one look at Taylor and had the perfect gimmick in mind.

He was going to be a rooster, pal.

McMahon didn't literally mean that Taylor should act like a rooster but was inspired by the fact that Taylor carried himself like he was the "!*$% of the walk" and was better than everyone else.

Taylor, who wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, took the gimmick literally and began strutting around like a bird and pecking. He even styled his hair into a red rooster comb and began crowing. The entire thing screamed "bush league" and made Taylor a laughing stock before his departure in 1990.