10 WWE Gimmicks That Overstayed Their Welcome
2. Erin Go Blecch
Hornswoggle (February 23, 2007-April 15, 2014)
The name means to trick, deceive or bamboozle; a hoax. Given Dylan Postl's tenure with WWE, I'd say the definition tracks.
First crawling out from under the ring as Finlay's swindling leprechaun sidekick Little Bastard in May 2006, the gimmick had traction as he aided the underhanded Northern Irishman. He was rebranded as Hornswoggle on 23 February 2007 and the outlook on his character plummeted faster and harder than the admittedly impressive Green Bay Plunge he took from the top of a ladder at WrestleMania 23.
A feud with The Great Khali. D-Generation X's mascot. Vince McMahon's illegitimate son. The Anonymous RAW General Manager, as discovered by fellow comedy character Santino Marella. The last Cruiserweight Champion for a decade, when the division had to be rebuilt from the ground up. If there was a joke that needed a punchline or a storyline that needed to be killed, be it because the writers painted themselves into a corner or just plain lost interest, odds were good the leprechaun was getting called.
His role in the company experienced a certain level of redemption when he emerged as the mascot-slash-roadie for 3MB and culminated with an uncharacteristically great WeeLC Match at Extreme Rules 2014 against El Torito. It wasn't long, however, before he was back to dressing in cow suits and alligator outfits and acting as the mascot for thrown-together tag teams again.
Turns out his run was fool's gold, and Vince made us the fools.