15 EXACT Moments Failed WWE Attitude Era Gimmicks Actually Got Over
10. D'Lo Brown (June 2, 1998)
D'Lo Brown was not a failed gimmick per se; he was just a guy the WWF saw something in and used to stock up the Nation of Domination.
He had personality, but was mostly confined to the background - until, in a different era in which the WWE wasn't over-produced to a brutal death, he started to really go over-the-top with his strut and wobbly head crowd appeal. D'Lo was one of the better workers in the wretched 1998 midcard, and he was a charismatic dude who knew how to dominate the screen and grab your attention, but he needed something else. The more comedy-leaning '98 Nation of Domination was led by the Rock; consequently, through little fault of their own, they were thought of as the guys who stood next to the star. However, in the Attitude Era, wrestlers were encouraged to go out and get themselves over. D'Lo had put himself in the mix with his head wobble and his willingness to bump big for Steve Austin in early test runs of vehicular stunts, and was paid more creative attention deeper into 1998.
On June 9, 1998, D'Lo Brown lost to Dan Severn via an abdominal stretch/leg trap submission combination. Said to have suffered a torn pectoral muscle, this was storyline pretext to give him a gimmick: the chest protector. This was a golden bit. It allowed D'Lo to play a disingenuous heel who was not actually that injured, which further brought out his dormant personality. Moreover, it enabled the babyfaces to display their intelligence by targeting D'Lo's back when performing aerial moves.
A really fun bit that actually became funnier as a running gag the longer he wore it but blatantly no longer needed it.