Top 5 Mid-Card Gimmicks of All Time!

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

This one came to me when I was sitting in class a little bit ago and looked down at my test to write down the version on the scantron. It said Version 1. Wanna guess which gimmick that made me think of? lol So here's my top 5.


#5- The Impact Players(Lance Storm and Justin Credible)- The only reason why I list them by stable name is because both men were top teir talent in ECW but were never world tile material. I mean look at the guys who got the nod over them. Jerry Lynn, Rhino, Steve Corino. The list goes on but many have to wonder why these two were vever given the chance to run with the ball. Even after Storm ventured over to a monster push in WCW, he still was no less than mid-card talent.

#4-The aforehinted at Matt Hardy Version 1- Old V-1 was classic. He had a kick ass and unique entrance where it stated his likes, interests, and just fun random facts. And hearing him scream "Vee-One-a!" didn't hurt either.

#3- The Million Dollar Man Ted Debiase- Yeah, he purchased the title once, but pretty much was nothing more than midcard talent with this limitless gimmick.

#2- Andre The Giant- Always a brides maid, never a bride. Sure he cheated and won the world title once, but how often was the largest athelete in the WWF in the title picture? Exactly.

#1- Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig- What can I say, it was absolutely... Perfect. While he faced Hogan once, he really was kept at the midcard level throughout his career. Such a shame too. He had the total package. Unfortunately, his prime came during an era where bigger was perceived as being better. He was a wrestler before his time.

 

[bioshock]

First off great topic!! I swear there is a unlimited amount of just top 5 topics you can create based on everything 80s 90s WWF or WCW or ECW.

#5 The Rockers Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty - Punk rockers, grunge rockers, what ever you call it, there gimmick was all about being the best high flying tag team in wrestling and as Monsoon called em they were "tag team specialist". And they never as a team was put into the main event picture (outside of there so called tag title win that didn't count).

#4 Million Dollar Man Ted Debiase - Possible one of the best heels of all time, and one of the best gimmicks ever. But anyone can be given a great gimmick, and it never means there going anywhere. Debiase was given a great and tough gimmick (least i think) and he ran with it for the better part of almost 20 years now.

#3 Kane - He has had his fair share of main events, and 1 WWF title run that lasted less then 24hrs, in all I think he has been nothing more then a mid-carder for the past 10 years. And for the most part he has sold his gimmick as being a monster really well, though I don't agree with his current look (hes better with a mask or at least some new attire).

#2 Macho King Randy Savage - He had very fun huge main event matches under the King gimmick, most part he had mid-card matches vs Dusty or Hacksaw. And to say the least there may not be a better wrestler then Randy Savage in his prime, and not many gimmicks have been better then the King gimmick (just look at how Booker T ran with the SAME King gimmick).

#1 Jake the snake Roberts - As a kid I was a Warrior fan 1st, Hogan fan 2nd, and Roberts fan 3rd. During his WWF run from 1987-1992 he never once sniffed a main event, or a title, and only a few select times did he ever team up with guys like Hogan (which always had high profile matches back then). When Jake was a face he was in the top 3 EASY, as a heel he was in the top 5 EASY, can't say that about many. And who else could sell a gimmick about a reptile or animal and who could sell a rare move like he could "crowd chants DDT DDT DDT" not many could do that. It's a pure shame he never had a chance at the IC or WWF Championship.

 

[FlexBuffchest]

This one came to me when I was sitting in class a little bit ago and looked down at my test to write down the version on the scantron. It said Version 1. Wanna guess which gimmick that made me think of? lol So here's my top 5.


#5- The Impact Players(Lance Storm and Justin Credible)- The only reason why I list them by stable name is because both men were top teir talent in ECW but were never world tile material. I mean look at the guys who got the nod over them. Jerry Lynn, Rhino, Steve Corino. The list goes on but many have to wonder why these two were vever given the chance to run with the ball. Even after Storm ventured over to a monster push in WCW, he still was no less than mid-card talent.

#4-The aforehinted at Matt Hardy Version 1- Old V-1 was classic. He had a kick ass and unique entrance where it stated his likes, interests, and just fun random facts. And hearing him scream "Vee-One-a!" didn't hurt either.

#3- The Million Dollar Man Ted Debiase- Yeah, he purchased the title once, but pretty much was nothing more than midcard talent with this limitless gimmick.

#2- Andre The Giant- Always a brides maid, never a bride. Sure he cheated and won the world title once, but how often was the largest athelete in the WWF in the title picture? Exactly.

#1- Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig- What can I say, it was absolutely... Perfect. While he faced Hogan once, he really was kept at the midcard level throughout his career. Such a shame too. He had the total package. Unfortunately, his prime came during an era where bigger was perceived as being better. He was a wrestler before his time.

Hey, awesome idea dude. I'd like to throw my 5 in if you don't mind. I'm also going to try to mix it up between TNA, NWA, WCW, among others.

#5 Rick Steiner(NWA and WCW days). Rick was an awesome talent with a cool gimmick. I love the monicker "Dogfaced Gremlin" He had many great matches and for that time, was decent on the mic. Whoo, whoo!

#4 I'm putting a team here. Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond. The ultimate rivals of and in my view, had alot to do with lauching the careers of The Rockers. They feuded for what seems like eternity, but managed to look great every time.

#3 Sorry, gonna add another team. The Hollywood Blondes. I'm a huge fan of Brian Pillman, and almost any other person who wrestled for Stampede Wrestling. And Austin has always had great Charisma. I'm not saying Austin never got pushed, but he and Pillman were pushed down when they were together and never really attained the status I had hoped they would in WCW.

#2 I'd have to agree with . "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig. Sure, he was the AWA champ but never got his due anywhere else. He was brash, cocky, and very skilled in the ring and on the stick. He had great feuds with Jerry Lawler and Nick Bockwinkel(Ifeel so old).

#1 Owen Hart. Yes, Owen. Slammy awards, European champ, the list of accomplishments is long. Was he ever pushed really hard though? I don't think enough. Someone in one of these forums made an arguement that in his final days, he was getting a huge push. As a cartoon character maybe. As a world champion? Not a chance. Owen was equal in ability to Bret Hart but in my opinion, had double the charisma. He was one of the best heels WWE has ever had and should have risen to World champ status. He and Bret had feuded before, but wouldn't everyone have enjoyed a few slobber-knockers between the two for the title?

Hope at least a few people agree with me on Owen.
Flex out.

 

[bioshock]

Owen did have a great "King of Harts" gimmick, "The Rocket" and "Black Hart" I thought was average or sucked. As the King of Harts he did have a few main event matches, and from 1994 (high point of the Harts feud) to 1995 I think he should of been pushed as a main event heel in 1995 (instead you get Mable & Bob Backlund) and in the least 1996 (instead Bulldog, Sid, Vader, Mankind). HBK vs Owen Hart would of been so great, but instead it was HBK-Bulldog (and others listed above) feuding for the WWF Championship, but that was great too. Still a shame for Owen.

 

[FlexBuffchest]

You know, I forgot about Mable at that time. Do you remember ever seeing a match Owen vs HBK? You're right, that would have been awesome. I've had the chance to see all of the Hart brothers live, and I can't remember any of them having a bad match actually. All were great storytellers in the ring.

 

[bioshock]

Only Hart brothers I've seen was Owen & Bret, but I've seen the whole hart foundation. And Owen and HBK did have a few 1v1 matches. It was during the time when HBK had his injured head and owen would always hit that inzagury (dunno how its spelled) but he would kick him in the back of the head and knock him out. But it was never when HBK had the WWF title. Also they had some tag matches while HBK & Diesel had the tag titles.

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

You know, I had forgotten about the Macho King and Owen Hart. But I do feel a need to point out that The Macho Man's King reign was different from every other King (other than Lawler) that followed as he won his Kingship from Jim Duggan after Jim Duggan won it from King Haku, who superceded King Harley Race. wow, I just named alot of mid-card guys with great gimmicks who didn't crack the upper shell in WCW or WWE. Especially Jim Duggan. He was always one of the most popular guys in wrestling, but never got a bigger nod than being US champ in WCW.

 

[bioshock]

Yeah and the funny thing I think it was that Randy Savage had won the King of the Ring in I think 1987 or so, but didn't carry the King gimmick until years later. I guess meaning as good as the Macho King gimmick was, it could of still been so much better, and lasted so much longer.

But hey the King Duggan, King Haku & King Harley Race was sweet gimmicks. Then you had King of Harts & King Mable, from then on it amounted to nothing until King Booka. Hope it's not another 3-5 years before the King gimmick means something again.

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

Yeah and the funny thing I think it was that Randy Savage had won the King of the Ring in I think 1987 or so, but didn't carry the King gimmick until years later. I guess meaning as good as the Macho King gimmick was, it could of still been so much better, and lasted so much longer.

But hey the King Duggan, King Haku & King Harley Race was sweet gimmicks. Then you had King of Harts & King Mable, from then on it amounted to nothing until King Booka. Hope it's not another 3-5 years before the King gimmick means something again.

The downslide of the King of The Ring title began with King Ass. When Billy Gunn won the King of The Ring, it served as a low point and effectively took away the meaningfulness and momentum of the King of The Ring title. I can see Mr. Kennedy being a legitimate King of The Ring. Perhaps even ECW's John Morrison taking it to a new level with the talent exchange. I'm not sure that I see any Smackdown wrestlers doing the King title justice other than Edge or MVP though. And frankly, Edge doesn't need to win the King of the Ring to be in the title picture.

 

[bioshock]

Thats why I didn't bring up King Ass. And yeah I'd like to see Kennedy as KOTR. But they need KOTR as a PPV, or at least put it on Raw.