10 Wrestling Gimmicks That Weren’t Supposed To Last Long
6. The Hurricane
Few elements from WWE's troubled 2001 WCW/ECW Invasion storyline linger fondly in the memory of those that actually had to suffer through it week-to-week, but the night Raw's closing segment morphed into a self-preservation pity party for Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of the few that managed to cut through.
Austin's milk bath courtesy of Kurt Angle remains the most replayed moment from the skit, but an off-kilter interaction between the maniacal leader and his Alliance underling Shane 'Gregory' Helms inadvertently gifted the former Cruiserweight Champion a green gimmick worth its weight in gold.
Acknowledging the Green Lantern tattoo on Helms' arm, Austin assumed his role as his subordinate's new hero but in doing so unlocked an interest in the genre that would serve the future 'Hurricane' for most of his career.
Only briefly working as a heel from that point onwards, The Hurricane was less of a bumbling fool and more the discerning children's favourite with genuine heroic qualities. The 2018 Royal Rumble saw the character make a return home a year after a stumble into Broken Matt Hardy's 'Lake Of Reincarnation' brought the gimmick back from the depths.
As a heel, he can escape the cape - but his babyface persona still requires the fabled mask.