Everyone has to start somewhere.
In a recent interview on Chris Jericho's podcast, Rusev recalled a genie gimmick that Dusty Rhodes pitched him during training. Had the American Dream gotten his way, Rusev would have materialized in the ring after his manager rubbed a magical lamp. Rhodes even had Rusev cut genie promos for three weeks in preparation for the role.
Sometimes an awful gimmick actually makes it to television, and the poor wrestler has to go out there and do his or her best--like when Mike Halac debuted as Mantaur, a man-beast who would moo at his opponents; or when Harry Del Rios debuted as Phantasio, a magician with Dollar Store magic tricks.
It's funny to watch today. But it was no laughing matter to the performer. Gimmicks like these could destroy a promising career if they didn't work.
Thankfully, many WWE wrestlers had the skill, charisma, and sheer luck to overcome their early, awful gimmicks. They would then go on to become the beloved, iconic Superstars we know today. Here are some notable examples.
7. When The Rock Was Rocky Maivia
When The Rock first debuted, he had the body and the bloodlines for success, but he didn't have the right attitude. He called himself Rocky Maivia, after his father Rocky Johnson, and after his grandfather "High Chief" Peter Maivia. Rocky Maivia was a smiling, optimistic babyface, and the commentators took pains to play up his third generation roots. But because he debuted during the Attitude Era, the fans did not embrace this earnest, bright-eyed schtick.
And eventually, the writers decided to roll with the hate instead of fight it. They turned Rocky Maivia heel by teaming him with the Nation of Domination. The Rock, as he now called himself, started developing the trash-talking jock persona that would make him famous. When he turned face, fans were now ready to love him, and there were no more "Die Rocky Die!" chants for the People's Champion.
6. When Dolph Ziggler Was Nicky The Cheerleader
Before there was NXT, there was Ohio Valley Wrestling--a Kentucky indie promotion which served as a development pipeline for WWE talent. Among the WWE talent who worked their way through OVW in in the early 00's were John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, Batista, and Dolph Ziggler. And according to OVW promoter and co-owner Jim Cornette, Ziggler was a natural with all the talents necessary for a main event title run.
So what did McMahon do with this prodigy, who had been earmarked for runaway success? He stuck him in a stable of male cheerleaders called The Spirit Squad. Dolph Ziggler was Nicky, and today, he is the only stable member who's still under contract with WWE. He was forced to face his past last year, when The Miz invited Kenny and Mikey onto SmackDown and staged an impromptu reunion.
5. When Al Snow was Leif Cassidy
The original Rockers were one of WWE's most popular tag teams. But the duo split for good after Shawn Michaels hurled Marty Jannetty through Brutus Beefcake's barber shop window. In 1996, WWE tried to recapture the old magic by forming The New Rockers. It was comprised of Jannetty and newcomer Leif Cassidy (David Cassidy + Leif Garrett--get it?). But this was not The Rockers of old; WWE booked The New Rockers as a couple of irritating chuckleheads who behaved like they were from the 1970's. Jannetty left the company due to the creative direction. Cassidy was released soon afterwards.
It was then, however, that Cassidy got hired by ECW. And there, he became Al Snow, an unhinged lunatic who talked to a female mannequin head. When he returned to WWE in 1998, the Attitude Era was in full swing, and Snow fit right in with the company's Hardcore division.
4. When JBL Was Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw
When JBL debuted on WWE television in 1996, he was Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw. Like wrestling legend Stan Hansen, he was a hard hitting Texan, and he dressed the part too--fringe jacket and cowboy hat included. He even carried around a "brand," which he used to mark the opponents he defeated. This was an acceptable midcard gimmick, but it was also typical and stale.
Bradshaw played a variety of hard drinking, hard hitting Texan roughnecks over the next several years. But in 2004, Bradshaw finally made his gimmick original by playing an outsized version of himself. He referred to himself as JBL (Jonathan Bradshaw Layfield), and rather than playing a working class good ol' boy, he dressed up in a suit with a cowboy hat. He reigned as WWE champion for close to 300 days.
3. When Bray Wyatt Was Husky Harris
Like The Rock, Bray Wyatt is another man with the right bloodlines. His grandfather was Blackjack Mulligan and his father was Mike Rotunda, better known to WWE fans as Irwin R. Schyster (I.R.S.). But Wyatt did not have the physique of his elders, and when he debuted on NXT, he was known as Husky Harris. He took part in the Nexus invasion on Raw, but didn't make any waves.
Harris was almost fired. But Triple H intervened, and a year later, Harris re-debuted as Bray Wyatt, a silver-tongued backwoods cult leader. It was this gimmick that rocketed him to the main roster, where he became both a tag team champion and a WWE champion. Currently, Wyatt is involved in a high profile feud with "Awoken" Matt Hardy, which will hopefully push both men to greater heights.
2. When "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Was The Ringmaster
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is such a natural at playing the blue collar redneck character he's famous for, that it's hard to imagine him as anyone else. But when he first debuted in WWE, he was The Ringmaster, the crown jewel of Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Corporation stable. The Ringmaster was booked as a cold, emotionless ring prodigy, who had "mastered" every possible way to beat his opponent senseless.
Austin hated the gimmick. He dropped the "Ringmaster" moniker and came up with the "Stone Cold" Steve Austin character--a beer drinking, take-no-prisoners heel. He put forth the image of a rugged individual rather than a follower of Dibiase. And when Austin won King of the Ring (1996), he cut his "Austin 3:16 promo on Jake "The Snake" Roberts, which would define him for decades to come.
1. When Kane Was Dr. Isaac Yankem, D.D.S.
Vince McMahon is a hands-on boss, and the company reflects his eccentricities. For example, because McMahon hated the dentist as a kid, he wanted an evil wrestling dentist character, who would come to the ring serenaded by the sound of a drill.
The narrative build to debuting this evil dentist was ridiculous, even by WWE standards. After losing a "Kiss My Foot" match to Bret Hart, Jerry "The King" Lawler had to go to the dentist to get his mouth cleaned. And so, Dr. Isaac Yankem D.D.S., played by Glenn Jacobs, debuted as Lawler's personal dentist at SummerSlam, where he fought (and lost) to Bret Hart via disqualification.
Fortunately, WWE saw Jacobs' potential despite the dead-end gimmick. Two years later, Jacobs was repackaged as Kane, the psychologically damaged brother of The Undertaker, and the rest is history.
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