10 Wrestlers Who Couldn't Pull Off Interesting Gimmicks
9. Waylon Mercy
When WWE's greatest "what ifs" are brought up, Waylon Mercy is usually near the top of the list. In 1995, veteran Dan Spivey returned to the company and was given the Mercy character, a soft-spoken Southern maniac who was capable of extreme violence in the ring. Based on Robert DeNiro's portrayal of Max Cady in Cape Fear, the character would go on to inspire Bray Wyatt's gimmick.
Mercy was pushed hard, beating midcarders and going on to compete against some of WWE's top stars, including Bret Hart and Diesel. His performances received rave reviews as well. Given the darkness of his character and his size, one can only assume a feud with The Undertaker was on the cards.
In Mercy's case, the gimmick didn't fail due to any sort of ineptitude. Rather Spivey - who was 42 when he first donned the Hawaiian shirt and tattoos - was simply in too poor a physical state to continue wrestling. After only four months as Waylon Mercy, he was forced to retire due to accumulated injuries, putting the gimmick out of action permanently.