10 Wrestling Gimmicks Which Were Massive Ribs

1. Vincent

African Dream Dusty Rhodes
WWE

After growing bored with the Dusty Rhodes rib, Virgil was freed from WWE in 1994, much like he had been from Ted DiBiase three years prior. After pottering around on the independent circuit for a few years, the one-time bodyguard sought solace under the wing of his former employer, turning up alongside DiBiase as part of the expanded, diluted nWo in 1996.

WCW made a habit of always imitating, but never duplicating WWF's ideas, and apparently that even extended to cross-promotional barbs. When Virgil turned up on Nitro, he immediately became the black-and-white mob's 'Head of Security', taking on the name 'Vincent'. The execution was as effective as the implication subtle; Vincent began his WCW career with a series of victories, coming across as merely competent.

Vince Russo once more used Virgil as ammunition for the banter bazooka during his ill-fated tenure of 1999, but his wit proved blunter than a banana. He simply renamed 'Vincent' 'Shane', and left it at that.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.