Angles Could Kill Any Career

[Ruthless-RKO]

I was just thinking, what if Rock, Hogan, Austin, HBK or Taker were given some of the crap that other workers (some more talented) were given. Some of the stuff that they were told to run with despite it's chances of failure. Here our some angles that fit with this.

"Mama Benjamin"

How horrible was this for Shelton? most gifted perfomer outside of HBK has to push around his "mama" who is really a comedian. If this was Austin, would we still take him seriously? Chugging them beers and pushing his mama. "Push Mama/Raise Hell/Leave"

"Katie Vick"

Lucky for Glen Jacobs he is a creepy guy so it didn't really effect his career. For others, I only shudder to think how Mr. Wrestlemania would be viewed in the aftermath of such a storyline. If HBK had sex with a corpse, he probably would of been about as much of a threat to Undertakers Wrestlemania streak as Santino would be.

 

[The Brain]

I think your answer is in your own example. Taker was given a crappy gimmick and a bunch of ridiculous angles. He made them work and got over. It may seem strange to think of Taker as a crappy gimmick because of the success he's had but if you actually think about his gimmick for a minute you'll see how bad it could have been. If someone is talented, and more importantly, driven, then they can get over despite being given a bad gimmick or angle.

 

[Chokeslam Fan]

You know who else was given a bad gimmick? Mankind aka Mick Foley. I understand that people who already knew who Foley was were just excited to see him in a WWE ring, but for those newer fans to an era before Attitude, Foley's character was dark, disturbing, and a little too crazy, especially for the younger fans. But Foley, one of the best promo men in the business, was brilliant enough to make it work...

Or how about Goldust? Here he is, son of a legend, and a good worker/talker. They could have given him a more badass character, or at least one that posed more of a threat by sheer physicality. Instead, Dustin Rhodes accepted the character, and used his promo abilities to turn the character into something that was a huge part in helping the WWE adjust into the attitude era and pushing the limits on WWE TV.

And The Brain was exactly right with The Undertaker. I think it was a horrible gimmick, but Taker made it his own, tweaked it when it needed to be tweaked, and made it into one of the most successful gimmicks of all time.

The fact is, in most cases, it's not a case of a bad gimmick. It's a case of a wrestler accepting a gimmick, and making it his own. Talent can overcome almost any gimmick in the world...

 

[Jimmy Carter]

"Katie Vick"

Lucky for Glen Jacobs he is a creepy guy so it didn't really effect his career. For others, I only shudder to think how Mr. Wrestlemania would be viewed in the aftermath of such a storyline. If HBK had sex with a corpse, he probably would of been about as much of a threat to Undertakers Wrestlemania streak as Santino would be.

Not to doubt your logic, but it would appear on the surface that HBK raping corpses would be seen as the gravest threat to the Dead Man yet. Heaven help him if Shawn ever laid him down in a casket. How's that for a last ride?

 

[Jaffa]

Dolph Ziggler is prove you need the right gimmick because if the spirit squad didn't get pulled as quickly as it did by late 2006 would anyone take Nicky the male cheerleader seriously as a future World Heavyweight Champion?? Luckily for Ziggler then put him in OVW and FCW til the time was right and most people would forget who he was and if they did not care anymore case in point he isn't getting his old name chanted eg Albert. It depends on the circumstances some people recover from bad gimmicks and angles but the lower down in the card you are and the less you have been around the better chance you have.

 

[whoopin' ass]

a bad angle can kill a career, no doubt about it. take Santino for example. people love him as comic relief but you can never take him as a serious threat now. guys like Taker, HHH, etc are lucky in that their bad angles were not as bad as they could have been. but what is worse - a bad angle or no angle? you look at the number of guys who were given pretty much no angle, no personality, etc and just kind of were there. happens today a lot. are they any better off?

 

[exitingarm]

I agree that Kane is a good example of talent overcoming bad character pitches, for example: He was a dentist and a fake Kevin Nash before becoming the mainstay character he is now.

 

[HBKperfect23]

I think your answer is in your own example. Taker was given a crappy gimmick and a bunch of ridiculous angles. He made them work and got over. It may seem strange to think of Taker as a crappy gimmick because of the success he's had but if you actually think about his gimmick for a minute you'll see how bad it could have been. If someone is talented, and more importantly, driven, then they can get over despite being given a bad gimmick or angle.

Can you imagine that initial meeting?.....OK Mark, this is what we have for you: We are going to call you the Undertaker, and your going to walk around and pretend to be dead. Were going to put you with a manager and call him Paul Bearer (get it ....because your the dead man?) and you are going to be controled by an urn that he carries.

If this gimmick was given to a shitty wrestler, the Undertaker gimmick would have not existed by the mid 90s.

 

[Rulk25]

No I dont think so you can rise above if you are really great see Oz/Kevin Nash, Issac Yankem/Fake Diesel becoming Kane) but it can really derail ones career. Dolph has taken a long time to recover from Spirit Squad but that is mainly due to him being immensely talented.... Look at Albert...I mean Tensai...who despite many the years is still known for his Pierced Ways and thus has flopped in his return

 

[The Average Guy]

Daniel Bryan even took a bad gimmick and ran with it. At first he was a nerd that though always competitive couldnt win a match. He then gets fired and comes back and turns into a vegan character. A slow heel turn takes place and he becomes a little cocky prick (who I love) that turned the word "yes"into a damn gimmick (that took the universe by storm). He's getting cheered to much as a face so they have him take his word yes and start saying "no" (which again gets over). Now he is doing comedy skits and "hugging it out" with Kane (which the fans loved)

Most superstars given a gimmick like this probably wouldve flopped at the vegan part,so no angles and gimmicks dont control if you have a successful career or not. If you have "IT" you will get over regardless.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

You know who else was given a bad gimmick? Mankind aka Mick Foley. I understand that people who already knew who Foley was were just excited to see him in a WWE ring, but for those newer fans to an era before Attitude, Foley's character was dark, disturbing, and a little too crazy, especially for the younger fans. But Foley, one of the best promo men in the business, was brilliant enough to make it work...

Or how about Goldust? Here he is, son of a legend, and a good worker/talker. They could have given him a more badass character, or at least one that posed more of a threat by sheer physicality. Instead, Dustin Rhodes accepted the character, and used his promo abilities to turn the character into something that was a huge part in helping the WWE adjust into the attitude era and pushing the limits on WWE TV.

And The Brain was exactly right with The Undertaker. I think it was a horrible gimmick, but Taker made it his own, tweaked it when it needed to be tweaked, and made it into one of the most successful gimmicks of all time.

The fact is, in most cases, it's not a case of a bad gimmick. It's a case of a wrestler accepting a gimmick, and making it his own. Talent can overcome almost any gimmick in the world...

I actually beg to differ on Mankind and Goldust. These two characters came in and took the wrestling world by storm due to their controversial natures. Mankind was a sadomasochistic freak who not only got off on inflicting pain, but receiving it as well. His finishing move was to ram his index and middle finger (bound by a leather covering) down his opponents' gullets. He would squeal and shriek with delight while beating the crap out of his opponent, or conversely when he was getting a shit-kicking. He would also pull out clumps of his own hair when he got frustrated!
Goldust on the other hand, was a freak of a different nature. He repulsed his foes with flamboyant gestures, but it wasn't long before the fans caught on that this was a brilliant psychological ploy. From my understanding this character was actually Dustin Runnels' brainchild - not Vince McMahon's. Having his voluptuous valet (wife at the time) Marlena accompanying him and sitting at ringside smoking a cigar was a great touch as well. He fancied himself a film buff, and his promos were amazingly delivered in the context of famous movie quotes.
Agreed, though, that lesser talents would not have known what to do with these types of gimmicks. It took the brilliant minds of Mick Foley and Dustin Runnels to take the ball and run with it.

 

[theBec2101]

I think a certain gimmick can kill a person’s career. But to be fair I think some people also can take any gimmick and make it work, maybe not for their entire career but for a little. There have been people with crappy gimmicks that overcame the gimmick and had great careers. There have been wrestlers that did the opposite. Had great careers switched it up and had to go back cause of the result of it not succeeding.

 

[HBsam31]

It depends on the wrestler. If you are good enough I think you can rise above it. Stone Cold was stuck with The Ringmaster Gimmick. Nash has some bad ones(Oz, Vinny Vegas). Kane played a dentist, and a fake Kevin Nash/Deisel. I guess it too depends on if the highers ups will give them a chance to tweek the gimmick and let them have more time to get over. I think worse yet is when a guy is given nothing, and becomes that random guy kinda like a Curt Hawkins or JTG. It kinda shows management isn't that interested in you, and you just get squashed and given no time to talk. That I think is worse than being given a bad angle or gimmick. With that at least you are given the tv time to potentially overcome it.