7 Gimmick Changes WWE Tried In 2017

1. Matt Hardy

Right at the tail end of the year, Bray Wyatt was finally given an opponent to match his eccentric showmanship. Matt Hardy succeeded where Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor had failed, and he somehow managed to out-weird Wyatt with his 'Woken' gimmick. This must come as quite the trip for those who didn't see his 'Broken' persona in TNA.

Once Impact Wrestling dropped any claims to owning the character, Matt was free to switch from nostalgic tag act with brother Jeff to a wide-eyed madman who shouts in a most peculiar voice. The nostalgia gig was starting to fade anyway. After all, with Jeff out injured, there was only so long Matt could continue peddling the Hardy Boyz schtick on his own.

A change was needed, and this one was 'most excellent'. It also gave Wyatt something to do that fit his own gimmick. That has to be considered a good thing; he was treading water terribly during the second half of 2017, after embarrassingly putting a sheet over his head and pretending to be Sister Abigail.

When put like that, Hardy's chants of "Delete" seem normal.

Did you like any of WWE's attempts to tweak or change gimmicks in 2017? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!