10 WWE Wrestlers You Can’t Believe Got Over

2. Steve Blackman

steve blackman kendo
WWE.com

Steve Blackman was, in a word, generic.

His gimmick, loosely, was of a martial artist. The nunchucks were a giveaway. He also wore black baggy pants, à la Kane circa 2015, and possessed essentially zero attributes required to get over in North America at the turn of the millennium. He wasn’t a great talker, possessed little in the way of charisma, and didn’t have the technical flair to truly steal WWF mid cards away from the turgid likes of Mideon and Gangrel.

What Blackman did possess, in addition to his tribal drumbeat of an awesome entrance theme, was a stoic believability and what must have been 0.01% body fat. The man was ripped, and looked profoundly capable of beating the sh*t out of you. That crucial lack of personality even created scope for comedy; as Al Snow’s reluctant tag team partner, the man was a deadpan delight.

Suspension of disbelief is the prerequisite for wrestling success, and in the absence of any other marketable characteristic, Blackman made it his very essence.

He was, to use a more appropriate word, a badass.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!