10 WWE Gimmick Reboots That Saved The Wrestler's Career

8. Thurman "Sparky" Plugg/Bombastic Bob To Hardcore Holly

Bob Howard started in the WWE in 1994, right in the thick of when Vince McMahon was booking job gimmicks for his wrestlers. There was a wrestling dentist (more on him later), a wrestling plumber, a wrestling trashman, and unfortunately for Bob, a wrestling racecar driver. He was packaged as Thurman "Sparky" Plugg (and later renamed to Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly). Howard actually had an auto racing career prior to coming to the WWF, so his past unfortunately didn't work out for him. Despite being a tag team champion and almost being an Intercontinental Champion, Holly's career as "Spark Plugg" was hardly anything to be proud about. Howard had to go through a couple of bad gimmicks (the new Midnight Express, The JOB Squad) before settling on a gimmick that would have some serious staying power: Hardcore Holly. After the establishment of the Hardcore Division in late 1998, Holly fought with his fellow JOB Squad member Al Snow over the title, and became Hardcore Holly. He was able to show his toughness in these brutal matches. Hardcore Holly allowed Howard to stick around in the WWE another nine years until 2008.