10 Wrestlers Who Visibly Hated Their Own Gimmicks

3. Dean Douglas

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"It wasn't two weeks in to my run, and I thought "I've made a f*ckin' mistake," Douglas told HannibalTV.

This ostensible rib was next-level in its creative cruelty: we can't even be bothered to teach this guy a lesson, so have the poor prick teach it to himself. Shane Douglas was a rebellious, influential vanguard of the new school in ECW, and to underscore the extent to which WWE so often gets it wrong with guys imported from elsewhere, he became the establishment...

...of an Ivy league university?

It was all so consummately backwards, and one doesn't require a posthumous shoot interview to learn that the Dean hated his lot in the WWF. Cutting a promo aimed at Diesel, to whom he graded a "big D" - how the f*ck did Vince not know what an F was, having A) devised this gimmick and B) looked at the pay-per-view revenues during Diesel's run as WWF Champ - Douglas looked silently mortified.

That promo was stunning in its lack of application, and there's a great tell towards the end. He described himself as "perhaps the next WWF Champion," immediately following which he appeared vacant for a two second moment that lasts for a lifetime. It's as if he knew how ludicrous a notion that was, and how little conviction there was in the verbiage.

"Perhaps".

"Probably not."

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!