Wretling gimmicks in 2009

[zhangmeijie 0]

Is there any point in having gimmicks at all these days? Is having a gimmick dead weight in 2009? Would you rather watch nothing but pure wrestling with maybe a storline but with no characters like Kane, Umaga, Abyss or even the Undertaker or would you rather have a mix of Angles and Punks & Boogeymen and Khalis? Now to a certain extent (almost) every wrestler has at least a basic gimmick but most don't let their career rest on it. Angle, Nash, Steiner, Cena, HHH, Orton and so on all have gimmicks but you just don't really notice most of the time because it's in the background.

 

In wrestling past, but since WWE is my first love here in particular, there have been many gimmicks, some extremely stupid and some good but you all know that.

 

Gimmicks no matter how massive they may seem grow stale after a time Taker, Sgt. Slaughter, Kane, Bradshaw (pre JBL), Mankind and even Hulk Hogan (Yes he was a gimmick The All American) all lived by a gimmick, but most outstayed their gimmick (& some were thankfully changed like Bradshaws.)

 

Wrestling wouldn't be what it is or what it was without gimmicks like Hulkamania & Cenacrapola (The new official name for Cena's fan following) but at the same time Gimmicks only attract a certain type of fan the long term fans want real wrestling first & Gimmicks second.

 

 

 

I do care in a way about gimmicks (almost) Everyone needs a gimmick. If everyone just showed up, got in the ring and wrestled it wouldn't be very entertaining for long. one could say even that would be boring No gimmick build up, no gimmick character devolopement, & possibly even no explaination for the match.

 

I love gimmicks when they are done well it makes a wrestler more watchable Mankind for instance, if he had no gimmick back in the day, people would have said "Why does he do that stupid mouth thing (mandible claw)?" But with his character it makes sense because he was sadistic and 'mental' (at the beginning).

 

There would be reason for much of anything in Pro wrestling / Sports Entertainment if not for the gimmicks.

 

Yes, a lot of the time there are stupid ones, but there are also so many good ones to balance the equation. I am convinced People do enjoy characters, not just anonymous faces wrestling.

 

So to answer my own question, yes even in 2009 having a Gimmick can still get you a long way.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

I believe there are two sides to this argument. One is that wrestlers now-a-days aren't charismatic enough to use gimmicks properly and two, the writers don't know how to use a gimmick character properly. While most gimmicks and characters seem silly at first, if the wrestler can do it properly, it'll get over.

 

It's always been said that the best gimmicks are just an extension of the wrestlers personality...but the problem with this is that now every wrestler is just themselves. Randy Orton is angry and sadistic, HHH is angry and sadistic, Edge is angry and sadistic, Kane is angry and sadistic, Matt Hardy is angry and sadistic. And it's even worse for faces because they seem so bland. Kofi Kingston smiles and jumps around a lot, Rey Mysterio smiles and jumps around a lot, CM Punk smiles and jumps around a lot, Fit Finlay smiles and dances around a lot. What separates these guys?

 

But then the other side is the writers don't know how to use gimmick characters. What happened with Boogey Man? He got his character over because of his charisma, they used him on and off and finally released him. How about all the failed characters? Kizarny? Mordecai? The writers like to throw people out there, push them for two weeks and then cut their legs out from under them.

[White Stripes Sabin 0]

The audience is different and times are different and because of that some gimmicks work and other do not. I believe that is it honestly in the execution as TONS OF SILLY GIMMICKS have gotten over because the marks love them and the smarks become marks when those gimmick wrestlers come out. I don't know about some of you but I loved Pirate Paul Burchill swinging down from the Smackdown stage on a rope, I loved the silly moments and promos produced by Hurricane and Too Cool. I will never get tired of gimmicks, just dumb gimmicks and a promotion that is overun with gimmicks that aren't fully developed or aren't trying to be developed at all (TNA I'm looking at YOU!).

[zhangmeijie 0]

I believe there are two sides to this argument. One is that wrestlers now-a-days aren't charismatic enough to use gimmicks properly and two, the writers don't know how to use a gimmick character properly. While most gimmicks and characters seem silly at first, if the wrestler can do it properly, it'll get over.

 

It's always been said that the best gimmicks are just an extension of the wrestlers personality...but the problem with this is that now every wrestler is just themselves. Randy Orton is angry and sadistic, HHH is angry and sadistic, Edge is angry and sadistic, Kane is angry and sadistic, Matt Hardy is angry and sadistic. And it's even worse for faces because they seem so bland. Kofi Kingston smiles and jumps around a lot, Rey Mysterio smiles and jumps around a lot, CM Punk smiles and jumps around a lot, Fit Finlay smiles and dances around a lot. What separates these guys?

 

But then the other side is the writers don't know how to use gimmick characters. What happened with Boogey Man? He got his character over because of his charisma, they used him on and off and finally released him. How about all the failed characters? Kizarny? Mordecai? The writers like to throw people out there, push them for two weeks and then cut their legs out from under them.

Well to be fair to the writers Kiz and Mord sucked, a month or so was all those characters deserved. I can see what you mean about cookie cutter heels and faces though. Something needs to change there.

[haws bah gawd 0]

I believe there are two sides to this argument. One is that wrestlers now-a-days aren't charismatic enough to use gimmicks properly and two, the writers don't know how to use a gimmick character properly. While most gimmicks and characters seem silly at first, if the wrestler can do it properly, it'll get over.

 

It's always been said that the best gimmicks are just an extension of the wrestlers personality...but the problem with this is that now every wrestler is just themselves. Randy Orton is angry and sadistic, HHH is angry and sadistic, Edge is angry and sadistic, Kane is angry and sadistic, Matt Hardy is angry and sadistic. And it's even worse for faces because they seem so bland. Kofi Kingston smiles and jumps around a lot, Rey Mysterio smiles and jumps around a lot, CM Punk smiles and jumps around a lot, Fit Finlay smiles and dances around a lot. What separates these guys?

 

But then the other side is the writers don't know how to use gimmick characters. What happened with Boogey Man? He got his character over because of his charisma, they used him on and off and finally released him. How about all the failed characters? Kizarny? Mordecai? The writers like to throw people out there, push them for two weeks and then cut their legs out from under them.

Well to be fair to the writers Kiz and Mord sucked, a month or so was all those characters deserved. I can see what you mean about cookie cutter heels and faces though. Something needs to change there.

 

I still can't get why they had Mordecai cut a promo in his cathedral calling-out then WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero? I believe it was a week later they put him in a match with Rey Mysterio (which is a fucking AWESOME match, BTW), jobbed him clean, and he vanished. I've always been one of the first around here to defend Kevin Fertig. Supposedly the reason why he was sent back to OVW after debuting the Mordecai character was because he was "too careful in the ring". I can see where that would cause a little trouble, but I would think Vince would hold him in high regard for going the extra mile to protect himself and the guy he was in the ring with. That's just me though. I even enjoyed the Kevin Thorn character until WWE stripped-away the Vampire character and put him in a jobber singlet.

 

Sometimes one has to wonder if Vince intentionally gives some of these guys shit gimmicks, just to justify that they "aren't ready for TV". Then gets pissed if they get over with the crowds. Look at Paul Burchill with the Pirate gimmick. He was getting pretty over with the crowds, and I don't think Vince ever intended for that to happen. So, he fed him to Mark Henry in a squash match, where he soon vanished from TV for over a year. When he finally returned, he was put in a pseudo-incest angle with his "sister" Katie Lea, which was dropped after a couple weeks.

 

Boogeyman was an interesting case as well. I don't think they intended for him to get as popular as he did. He had a very unique style of moving around the ring, and his mannerisms made the gimmick work. They even had him squash JBL in about 3 minutes at Royal Rumble 2006, then go on to squash Booker T at Wrestlemania 22. Then the injury bug bit him again, and again.

 

You guys are right though regarding everyone more or less having the same gimmicks and mannerisms. Kofi Kingston jumps around and smiles, as does Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. The only things really separating them are their appearances and move sets.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

One thing that could help differenciate more wrestlers, IMO.

 

LESS WRESTLERS WEARING MOSTLY BLACK RING ATTIRE!!!

 

That's one thing that I will like about the 80s/early 90s more than Attitude or today, at MOST only 50% of the roster wore black ring attire. Now 90% of the roster does so.

 

Angle was my personal hero in the Attitude era for NEVER wearing black...until WrestleMania X8.

 

It's just a personal frustration of mine though.

 

It's also something I miss from recent times. Orton, Batista...hell even Hunter for a while...all wore different colors to the ring. Now...primarly black.

[zhangmeijie 0]

One thing that could help differenciate more wrestlers, IMO.

 

LESS WRESTLERS WEARING MOSTLY BLACK RING ATTIRE!!!

 

That's one thing that I will like about the 80s/early 90s more than Attitude or today, at MOST only 50% of the roster wore black ring attire. Now 90% of the roster does so.

 

Angle was my personal hero in the Attitude era for NEVER wearing black...until WrestleMania X8.

 

It's just a personal frustration of mine though.

 

It's also something I miss from recent times. Orton, Batista...hell even Hunter for a while...all wore different colors to the ring. Now...primarly black.

Can't say I have ever noticed the colour connection before, now that you mention it though... ...It's actually true.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

Pirate Paul Burchill was getting over and was undefeated...until his first loss on Smackdown to a freshly turned heel Road Warrior Animal.

[White Stripes Sabin 0]

I always hated when 90% of the roster wears black. It really brings down the visual presentation of the show. I remember in 1997 WWF everyone and their mom was dressed in black and very dark theme colors and ROH currently has the same problem. Gimmicks are being pretty well done on the indy scene especially in CHIKARA.

[Silence 0]

Speaking of lack of color, what about PPVs just having all red, blue, or black ropes instead of something like red, white, and blue during old school WWF?

[zhangmeijie 0]

Speaking of lack of color, what about PPVs just having all red, blue, or black ropes instead of something like red, white, and blue during old school WWF?

I loved the old wwf Attitude video game, where you could change the rope and mat colours.

[daileyxplanet 0]

You speak truth. That was single-handedly the best thing about that game.

[White Stripes Sabin 0]

ROH should take note and come out of the 90's. The whole setup is so ECW and that's not a good thing.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

I always hated when 90% of the roster wears black. It really brings down the visual presentation of the show. I remember in 1997 WWF everyone and their mom was dressed in black and very dark theme colors and ROH currently has the same problem.

That really stuck out for me during the Legacy beatdown of Triple H on Raw this past Monday. Their ring gear looked identical, with the same basic shape, same basic color, etc. Their physiques all looked similar too. It was like watching four clones, at varying stages of development.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Speaking of lack of color, what about PPVs just having all red, blue, or black ropes instead of something like red, white, and blue during old school WWF?

I loved in early 2007 when WWE busted out the all white ring ropes for big PPVs...like Royal Rumble and WrestleMania

[Scroby 0]

Gimmicks: I think silly over the top cartoony gimmicks are done. Unless a wrestler is wearing a mask. Today's fans just don't buy into gimmicks like that. They buy into normal people. Even if that person has a gimmick name (i.e. Diesel, Earthquake, Tugboat, Animal, Hawk.) as long as fans can identify that person as just being a normal person and not a cartoon character.

 

I think that's why a gimmick like the Boogeyman wouldn't have ever worked or stayed around for very long unless maybe he was under a mask. For some reason masked wrestlers seem to get away with a lot more gimmick wise when it comes to fans. As a regular person, fans will just start wondering why they should buy into someone who acting like he's having a seizure on a regular basis. The Undertaker gets away with it because he started his gimmick at a time where the generation of fans still bought into the cartoony gimmick, so even as the generations of fan change, Taker's gimmick will still work because that generation, even though they grew up, still love it and don't want it changed.

 

Black Wrestling Gear: This needs to change as well. I agree to many people where black and then whatever is written on their tights or trunks are in a different color. But I think for indy wrestling at least, Black is the neutral color. Black = no affiliation with anyone. While another color could = affiliation with someone.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

...indy wrestling companies are color coded?

 

...*debates on going with the blue and white ring attire scheme I had planned.

[cabbageboy 0]

I enjoy gimmicks but they need to be done for a while and then a guy drops it once he's fairly established and becomes more realistic. Or sometimes a gimmick can be so good that it becomes the guy's actual persona, like the Million Dollar Man with Ted Dibiase.

 

As far as the ring ropes go, it's time to go back to the old school red, white, and blue ropes again full time. One reason I've actually seen some mediocre GAB PPVs over the past few years is that on that PPV they at least use the real ropes.