Top five worst WWE gimmicks
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WWE superstars have struggled to win over crowds with “new and improved” gimmicks, leaving their reputation to be received negatively.
As an avid World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE) enjoyer, I have seen my fair share of gimmicks capable of winning over a crowd and some that have done the opposite. There have been far too many gimmicks that have caused the WWE Universe to overlook the talents of a superstar because of their doltish nature. For viewers, it is a lack of effort by the creative team.
Giant González (1993)
El Gigante, famously known as Giant González, was billed as the eight-foot monster from the “wilds of Argentina,” González took on the ring in a full fur body suit that featured airbrushed abs and muscles. In 1993, González battled The Undertaker in one of the most awkward matches I have ever seen. Due to González’s size and previous experience in the ring, his movements were very lackluster and looked ineffective, leaving The Undertaker to make his blows look more effective than they already were. It was an embarrassing performance, even for Undertaker, who put more effort into selling González’s hits. Of course, Undertaker won, continuing his streak of wins at Wrestlemania.
I don’t think Giant Gonzalez should have been a character to make an appearance on the main stage. Vince McMahon has shown us why wrestlers should not debut solely for their size and weight. Their size is useless if they cannot ensure the safety of their opponent in the ring, let alone make it look like their opponent was in danger to begin with.
Stardust (2014-2016)
Cody Rhodes adopted a variety of interesting gimmicks during his time with WWE. He was introduced to the WWE universe as the “Dashing” Cody Rhodes, and at some point, he wore a clear face mask covering the upper part of his face. One of his worst gimmicks was Stardust. For those who do not know, Cody’s half-brother, Dustin Rhodes, famously known as Goldust, plays a unique role in the WWE. Goldust regularly sported a black and gold jumpsuit that looked incredibly uncomfortable to wrestle in and would walk to the ring in a long black and gold coat and a platinum blonde wig with bangs. To be honest, it is not a look most people could pull off, but Goldust made it work for nearly 20 years, and his character was popular with the crowd.
Imagine my surprise when the “Dashing” Cody Rhodes appeared before the crowd as Stardust, teaming with his brother, Goldust, to compete for the WWE Tag Team Championships. Stardust wore colors similar to Goldust’s and had an exaggerated persona. It was most definitely weird and out of character for him. Cody Rhodes, who rebranded as “The American Nightmare,” shared that he felt embarrassed by the gimmick. It stalled his career and left him uncomfortable with the WWE universe until his return in 2022.
The Mexicools (2005-2006)
The Mexicools included a group of three talented luchadores: Super Crazy, Psicosis, and Juventud Guerrera. The concept of Mexicools had the potential to be exactly what it intended—cool—but it was clear that these superstars were grouped to push a facetious stereotype. When their theme song surrounded the venue, they would wear overalls and ride lawnmowers to the ring—this was WWE’s dreadful attempt at bringing more Latino stars into the wrestling scene.
It worked, but only for a short amount of time before their popularity lost traction with the crowd. Some members were dissatisfied with how their characters were portrayed and brought it to the creative team’s attention, but their concerns were dismissed.
Simon Dean (2005-2006)
Simon Dean debuted in 2004. His character was obsessed with fitness, weight-loss infomercials, and ultimately living a healthy lifestyle. Dean often mocked the audience and other superstars for their weight and unhealthy eating habits in an attempt to promote weight-loss supplements and protein powders. His gimmick worked for a little, but it fell flat with the crowd at some point.
Muhammad Hassan (2004-2005)
Marc Copani’s Muhammad Hassan gimmick is by far the most alarming use of a character I have ever witnessed. Copani debuted as an Arab-American wrestler who criticized the WWE universe for their Islamophobia that persisted after the 9/11 attacks. This was ironic because his character was regularly received through a terrorist angle by his random attacks on other superstars. At the time, he made for a good villain that the crowd could hate.
On an episode of Smackdown! (1999- ) in July 2005, Hassan and five masked men in black shirts, camouflage pants, and ski masks beat and choked The Undertaker out with a wire. The attack was meant to be jarring to watch. Three days after the episode aired, the London Bombings occurred—four suicide bombings resulting in the deaths of 52 people and injuring over 770 others. UPN, the company broadcasting WWE at the time, pressured WWE to keep Hassan off of their network, which resulted in his character being permanently removed from television altogether.
Some of these gimmicks had the potential to be something greater, while others only caused harm to superstars. In worst cases, they cause fans to react out of pure hatred for a person or group of people because of a fake storyline or gimmick. It was dangerous; I hope WWE does better for their superstars in the future.