10 WWE Gimmicks That Worked For One Wrestler (But Not Another)
2. All-American Amateur Wrestler
Worked for: Kurt Angle
Didn't work for: Jack Swagger
Jack Swagger had so many chances to get over, so many opportunities to get people to care about him. And he never quite could make it.
This could be chalked up to a variety of factors - his wooden microphone ability (coupled with his obtrusive lisp), his reckless tendencies in the ring, or the fact that his apparent amateur wrestling skills could not make up for a minimal grasp of pro-wrestling psychology. But no matter what the reason may be, Swagger was never much more than a catchphrase in WWE.
Getting over was not an impossible task for the All-American American, though.
See, in 1999, there was this guy named Kurt Angle, who also came from a fairly impressive amateur background (you may or may not have heard of him). Angle got over as a heel exactly how he should have - by being an obnoxious "good guy" who became haughtier over time, assuming superiority over others because of his Olympic gold medals.
Angle didn't start as one of the company's all-around best - he became one of the best by developing his character. Perhaps Swagger could have done so as well if given enough time. I suppose we'll never know now.