WWE: 9 Unforgivably Stupid Gimmicks That Ruined Great Characters

1. Finlay Gets A Leprachaun

There are few men in all of wrestling (or perhaps roaming the earth) tougher than Dave "Fit" Finlay - various wrestlers have said he's one of the men in the locker room that you wouldn't want to mess with. During a match in WCW in 1999, Finlay proved his toughness when he almost lost the use of his leg when he lacerated a nerve in it during a match. That should have been the end of his career, but he was able to return within a year. Amazingly, despite being in his late 40s, he debuted in WWE in 2005. Now simply known as Finlay, he quickly developed into a great mid-card heel who just loved himself a good fight. Imagine Sheamus without the cheesiness, and a bit more toughness and you'd have Finlay. Things were going great for him, until he got a leprechaun. Initially known as Little B*stard, the future Hornswoggle joined Finlay's side by hiding under the ring and attacking his friend's opponents. The gimmick was just ridiculous, horribly stereotypical and hurt Finlay's tough guy persona. Why was he hanging out with a littler person, who could only grunt and would dress as a fictional creature? Little B*stard was a comedic act that the announcers (and Vince McMahon) just loved, but everyone over 10 hated. Eventually, it was revealed that Finlay was the B*stard's father. There was really no way of recovering from that. A demotion to ECW later where Finlay was used to wrestle with more inexperienced wrestlers was the beginning of the end for him. Meanwhile, Hornswoggle has somehow now surpassed his"father's" entire tenure in the WWE. That's magically awful to think about. Which other awful gimmicks ruined great WWE stars? Share your own picks below in the comments thread.