8 Gimmicks From The Past That Wouldn't Work In Today's WWE

The world of today is a lot different to the world of yesterday in many ways and these societal changes have been equally reflected in the wrestling business: from women's equality to eliminating racial stereotyping.

Wrestling has also reflected society's stance on sexual orientation. Darren Young is an openly gay wrestler on the WWE roster and, rather than incorporate it into a gimmick like TNA did with Orlando Jordan, WWE thankfully took the high road and greeted his announcement with a statement of support. If that had happened 20 years ago, chances are he would have been handled in a far different manner on-screen.

For proof of such, look no further than the Goldust character. As the androgynous heel, Goldust channelled America's inner homophobe and pushed the boundaries of the gimmick to generate serious heat as a result. Inappropriate derogatory terms would regularly soundtrack his matches and his advances towards his opponents - e.g. Razor Ramon - became so close to the line that Vince McMahon had to reign the gimmick in.

Prior to Goldust, wrestlers like Adrian Street and Adrian Adonis also employed the effeminate heel approach to great effect. Nevertheless, it's hard to imagine a gimmick like this being accepted in WWE today.