10 WWE Gimmicks Saved By The People Playing Them

9. Eugene

When Nick Dinsmore wrestled gimmick-free in the old OVW developmental territory, he earned rave reviews for his promos and in-ring performances. To illustrate how well thought of Dinsmore was, he captured the OVW Heavyweight Title a staggering 10 times, and was also an 11-time OVW Southern Tag-Team Champion.

It must have been dispiriting then to find out that he'd be playing a mentally handicapped character called Eugene on the main roster. The character was naturally offensive to some, but Dinsmore must be credited for putting his all behind the persona and turning it into a lovable babyface fans wanted to see succeed.

WWE were treading a fine line when they introduced Eugene as Eric Bischoff's nephew in 2004. The experiment could have been disastrous had they leaned too heavily on jokes at the expense of those with disabilities. Whilst those were prevalent, Dinsmore somehow shifted more focus onto his own relationship with fans.