10 Wackiest Wrestling Gimmicks That Actually Worked

6. 'Crow' Sting

According to Sting himself, it was a massive risk to completely change his character in 1996. Influenced by Brandon Lee's 'The Crow' movie, Steve Borden took the advice of Scott Hall and changed up his look drastically. Gone was the spiky, bleach-blonde hair and the garish, colourful outfits. In their place sat long, black locks and a monochrome style that was instantly striking. Conceived as retaliation to what the New World Order had done to his beloved WCW, this new 'Crow' Sting was immediately vibrant despite the lack of colour. Often seen hanging around in the rafters of arenas around North America, Sting would wait an awful long time to strike out at the leader of the nWo, Hollywood Hogan. The angle was tremendous, and the gimmick change worked out for the better. Even so, it was a huge gamble for Borden. As the 'surfer' version of Sting, he had been a staple at the top of WCW cards for years. There was no guarantee this new vigilante-style gimmick would connect with the core audience, but it did. In stunning fashion, that fresh incarnation of the character has become the most fondly-remembered of the Sting guises.