10 Terrible WWE Gimmicks That Were One Tweak Away From Perfection

5. Nailz

Marc Mero
WWE.com

Nailz was only short the logical extension of his backstory (and perhaps a great deal of wrestling talent, and not being so short tempered with Vince McMahon, and not requiring a voice modulator every time he spoke) from being a persona that ultimately could have shone beyond his original feud.

He told the world that he'd been locked up and abused by the Big Boss Man for a crime he didn't commit, causing deep depression during his oppression. WWE never bothered to acknowledge it, but the timeline actually matched up with their internal continuity.

Boss Man debuted in 1988 as an evil prison guard intent on using the same brand of violence he'd enjoyed as a bully cop, but turned babyface in 1990 thanks to his time in his new profession. The man Nailz remembered was that guy, not the fun-loving 1992 babyface he assaulted and abused for most of the summer.

Terrifying and believable before a rather simple and relatable explanation, this humanising quirk could have fleshed out a rather one dimensional gimmick beyond his jumpsuit and prison patter.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett