10 Totally Unnecessary WWE Gimmick Changes
Terrible WWE gimmicks? Not always. Unnecessary changes? No doubt about it.
Gimmick changes are an unavoidable part of the biz.
WWE regularly tweak characters to try and freshen them up, which is fine. Sometimes, it works; John Cena going from vanilla boots n' tights pro wrestler to wannabe bad boy rapper created a merchandise-shifting monster Vince McMahon milked for well over a decade, for example.
Then, there are the flops. Who could ever forget Chavo Guerrero trading proud Mexican heritage for ill-advised racism as "Kerwin White"? That was awful, but some sort of change wasn't totally unnecessary. WWE felt like they needed to inject a little more personality into Chavo's act - they just chose the wrong path and it bit them in the ass.
Unlike Guerrero, everybody on this list was purring along just fine before Vinnie Mac's crack squad of Hollywood writers sat down to discuss how they could "improve" things. These changes were either difficult for fans to grasp or only relied on shock value. Once that wore off (which didn't take long), then WWE were in serious trouble and often panicked before switching back again.
Everyone was left asking, 'What was the point?'.
10. Sheamus (Rugged Brawler > Irish King)
The 'King' gimmick is definitely one of WWE's most tired.
Recent royals like Baron Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura suffered under the crushing weight of an idea that had long-since started to go smelly. Back in 2010, Sheamus gave the thing his best try, but it was...sh*t. "King Sheamus has a ring to it", claimed Michael Cole (who was lying through his teeth).
The main issue here is that Sheamus didn't need to change - he was still a relatively fresh character and only two years deep into his WWE run. Plus, the Irishman carried some credibility after holding the WWE Title twice during this rookie period. All of that cred went to hell once he donned the crown.
Babbling some nonsense about upholding the traditions of Celtic kings from yesteryear, or whatever it was WWE had him say, Sheamus also looked like a goof in his outfit. The rugged brawler actually resembled that jacked dude from your local gym dressing up for Halloween.