10 WWE Gimmicks That Just Aren't Working

What do you with one of your finest technical wrestlers and a midcard act that caught on with fans? Nothing, absolutely nothing apparently.

Chad Gable has been loitering in the WWE undercard for years. The former Olympian is an incredible athlete with great ability and ring awareness. He's also a solid promo and can make for a likeable babyface as his NXT days in American Alpha showed. Instead of playing up any of his many strengths, WWE went with constantly harping on about his being under 6 feet in the height department.

To the shock of no one, Shorty G did not catch on...

After a brutal squash against Lars Sullivan, a deflated Shorty G was repackaged as the heel coach figure he plays to this day. Not the best way to start a fresh gimmick to say the least.

Otis, meanwhile, turned into a surprise fan favourite on the main roster. His comedic chops and dynamics with Mandy Rose and tag partner Tucker were a hit. While Otis didn't exactly scream main eventer, it was clear he could be a very solid mid to upper midcard hand for the company.

After an unexpectedly heavy push in 2020, the rug was pulled out and Otis lost literally everything. As part of Alpha Academy, he wasn't even allowed to keep his beard or personality. The pair have languished on SmackDown throughout 2021, doing very little of note.

In both cases, talent is being severely wasted. Otis should've never been split from Tucker if WWE wanted him to remain a tag wrestler. Gable, meanwhile, should at least be in the IC/US title scene by now. Instead, two potentially great stars have been all but forgotten by creative.