WWE: 9 Unforgivably Stupid Gimmicks That Ruined Great Characters

7. Shelton's Momma

Shelton Benjamin is a fantastic athlete: in college, he was a two time All-American heavyweight wrestler, and he had some of the flashiest moves in the WWE during his time there. After his tag team with Charlie Haas ran its course, he was given a big singles push and almost broke out as a star. After being drafted to Raw in 2004, Shelton was booked in a one-on-one match with Triple H. It seemed obvious that Hunter would go over, but he was upset by the new arrival. After that, Shelton took on the rest of Evolution, until he came up short against Randy Orton in an Intercontinental title match. An injury took him out of action for a few months, and upon his return fans remained hopeful that he could get his momentum back. Instead, he went to a new low when WWE must have decided that he needed show more of his personality. He was first booked in a losing streak, which never seem to work out. This was all part of a story, as Benjamin's frustration and losing ways led him to be paired with his "Momma." Of course, this wasn't his actual mom, but it was actress Thea Vidale who had her own ABC sitcom years earlier. Right from the get-go, it was clear this wasn't going to work. Momma was an overbearing, obnoxious character who proved that her son was nothing more than a momma's boy. Why would fans cheer for him? Since this failed horribly in making Benjamin more popular as a face, he was turned heel and had Momma interfere in his matches. Again, this also sucked, and Momma was given storyline heart problems and never returned. Unfortunately for Benjamin, the damage was already done, and he never got close to regaining his former popularity again.