Best Gimmick in the WWE today?

[TSG]

So, I think this is pretty self-explanatory. Out of all the gimmicks today in the WWE, what do you think the best one or best few are? Here are my votes.

The Miz- I like the whole reality star, I'm better than you, pop culture gimmick. He is very good on the mic, and makes many pop culture references like on RAW where he made the cooments on 12 Rounds and Tool Time:

Your right, I can't see you Cena, because your movies aren't in theaters long enough.

and...

He may not be Tim Allen, but it's about to be Tool Time

He plays the gimmick very well, and he makes you hate him. One of the better gimmicks.

John Morrison- The Doors gimmick rocks. He looks very much like Jim Morrison, which makes him such a good fit. He is an obvious amazing talent in the ring, and I think he is pretty good on the mic. I'm not sure how much mic time he gets as I do not get SD!, or what he says for that matter. Anyway, I'm not sure if he includes it, but a few Doors references might not hurt. He can really play the rock star type, but I like him better as a heel. Still, great gimmick.

Undertaker- A timeless gimmick, the undead man with supernatural powers is perfect. I've always loved the gimmick, and it never hurts to dissapoint. And those rare times he does get on the mic, I love it, even though he speaks few words. This is probably one of the best gimmicks in history, and one of the best today.

Anyway, that's my opinion, so...yours?

 

[Spaceman Spif]

I would have to say Orton is the best gimmich right now personally. I love the whole cold as ice, no conscience, do whatever it takes to win and the fact that he doesn't care what happens to anyone but himself. He's cold, calculating, the perfect heel. You love to hate him, at least I do, even though I don't really boo him at all. lol. Plus the "Voices" entrance them fits him perfectly and adds a lot to the gimmick. So for me it's the best out there.

 

[Sasori]

I like a couple right now:

Jack Swagger: I love this dude's over-confident, better than you, Jock gimmick! He plays it so well! Plus his move set really complimentshis gimmick, and he has the jerky Jock look going on too, its per fect for him!

CM Punk: I like the Straight Edge and hard work and discipline gimmick. CM Punk has inspired me to become Straight Edge myself. If it can move me that much it should be a pretty good gimmick! A gimmick hasn't moved me like this since Bret Hart's 'Hit man' gimmick!

Christian: What can I say? He's smug, talented, accomplished, he's Captain Charisma! This is one of my all time favorite gimmicks! It never gets old and Christian's quick wits just compliment the gimmick sooooo much and I personally like him better as a heel with the Captain Charisma gimmick, like from the Tyson Tomko 'Problem Solver' and Trish Stratus days.

Undertaker: Timeless, and legendary...

HBK Shawn Michaels: AHH AHH SHAWN! He's the Heart Break Kid! And Shawn Michael's has shown he is still capable of breaking hearts even in his older days! The sexy boy gimmick will never die! (NO HOMO)

 

[scabooshmoo1]

jack swagger- cocky, confident and the way he comes to the ring jumpin around punching his heart sleeve it reminds me of kurt angle

john morrison- i love the way he goes about things and when his on the mike as a heel and thinks he is better then anyone it cracks me up. his look suits his personality.

santino- LOLLLL the only thing which worrys me about this is when he speaks sometimes he sounds like BORAT not santino.

 

[Cracka Jack]

The Miz is hilarious, but I think Taker still has the best gimmick today. Also, Zach Ryder's is great, as he plays the role of a club-hopping douchebag perfectly.

 

[The Doctor]

Zack Ryder - The only thing that would make his gimmick better was if he entered to "What is Love".

'Taker - Obviously. My brother still can't understand how he got over. He took a gimmick of being "Dead" and ran with it to become legendary.

Abraham Washington - I had heard a lot about how the guy was supposed to be a "BArack OBama" type character, but a heel. His ECW debut impressed me for a first promo, and I love his theme, gimmick, and look. I found it funny.

 

[WOLFPACK0524]

I watched ECW for the first time in a long time since the normal shows my wife and I watch are in re-run. I have not been a fan of the new ECW but I gave it a look-see. I was surprised at the FCW guys being brought up and was interested in Abraham Washington. As the guys above me said...I have to wait and see. His character is a talk show host with bad banter and attempted comedy. Last night the crowd had no reaction and no build up. So jury is still out on that gimmick. Shamus too. He's really pale BTW. So he is a gimmick of Finley mixed with the Highlanders? Okay, still developing...

So on to favorite gimmick:

Miz- fresh and love the truth about Cena...props to Cena to let the writers say that about him since that is what we are thinking.

 

[brochester8]

Orton - I'd say Orton because to me he is "The Man" right now this is truly the age of Orton. He is being called the viper and I really love it when he "slivers" into the ring just before he hits his RKO.

Chris Jericho - Jericho has always been one of my favorite wrestlers from the beginning of the Lionheart days. With that I like him better as a heel. He knows how to get fans to hate him. Just look at the attack outside the building a while back. Jericho is one of the most talented wrestlers and entertainers in the industry. I really like his codebreakers that he brought in when he returned. Its one of those moves he can hit in many ways.

Edge - I really do not like that they have given him the belt 9 times in the period of 3 to 4 years. However the ultimate opportunist gimmick has been great for him. To me I knew Edge would one day be a top star in WWE. The gimmick makes since, always working out a way to get what he wants. We've seen him cash in MOB 2 times, join elimination chamber at the last minute and win, get put in tag match last minute and win, he "married" the GM to get what he wants. That's what matters.

Hart Dynasty - I know they are new but I believe this group will do something on Smackdown. I have always liked David Hart Smith and I don't know how WWE will treat them on Smackdown but I know they have the ability to make an impact.

 

[Milkyway!]

Not really much to say on this topic, because theres only really one gimmick in the WWE thats going strongly right now. So heres for a short post!

You know I never really noticed this until a few days ago when I was reading a Lord Sidious post. The guy hates me, but hes a pretty dang smart fellah. seven eighths of these people on this list you have listed, aren't even gimmicks. They are personallies, its as simple as that. The only strong gimmick going in the WWE is The Undertaker, otherwise its pretty much all personalities. Its something that sparked in the attitude era, when they found out through Austin, and the Rock people can relate to personalities, gimmicks not so much.

 

[davy190260]

gotta be dolph ziggler. as his music says, he is perfection. future world champion and i think he is quite similar to a young ric flair/mr perfect

 

[Chris in SC]

Current -
Randy Orton - Cold, calculating and heartless has been done, but the fact that he doesn't even care about his posse and doesn't try to hide the fact makes this work.

Up-and-Comer -
Zach Ryder - He really does make me want to slap the shit out of him, so the gimmick is working.

Lifetime Acheivement Award-
Undertaker - Who else could make that gimmick work for two decades. Or even work for that matter?

 

[CJ The Pirate]

Shamus too. He's really pale BTW. So he is a gimmick of Finley mixed with the Highlanders? Okay, still developing...

Ugh, that is just like saying John Cena is just a bit like The Rock, Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Triple H... Because they are all American. Sheamus is Irish, not Scottish or even British. The Highlanders have nothing to do with his character. As for Finley, since when has being Irish been a gimmick?

As for gimmicks, Chris Jericho's current character is brilliant and in being paired up with the very similar Edge is a masterstroke. I am hoping for a long run for them as a team but also cannot wait for the inevitable combustion and feud they will have. I'd hope for Edge to play the face in that but I can't see either of them making a full face turn.

People praise the Undertaker gimmick. I only really enjoyed the Lord of Darkness. As has been mentioned, Taker is hot on the mic but rarely speaks. During the tenure of The Ministry of Darkness he spoke a lot as a heel, reminding me of Skeletor speaking from behind his minions in Snake Mountain and throwing them into battle first. It was awesome to watch and I am crossing my fingers for him to be in another buried alive match so that he can be revived once again.
My issue with the Dead Man thing is that it's the same thing. The same promos. You will rest in peace. Crazy taunt. Lights go out and he appears or disappears. In recent years the only fresh Undertaker matches have been The matches against Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton. Orton for the whole Legend Killer gimmick, you got the uneasy feeling that he was actually gonna pull it out the bag at times. And Shawn Michaels pretty much for him getting inside the Undertakers head, especially the Lord of the Light entrance and promo he used on Smackdown and at Wrestlemania. The reoccuring theme is that it wasn't The Undertaker himself that made them interesting but his opponent doing things that made it interesting. I hope they do something awesome for his inevitable retirement. I know it could be 3 years away if you believe Jim Ross but that gives me hope that his character could change again before it happens. This is the longest he's actually stayed in one persona since he joined the Company.

 

[The Legendary 23]

I think that the best gimmicks today in the WWE are ones that reflect people you deal with in real life. It makes their characters much more believable and tangible.

Jack Swagger: The ultra-athletic, cocky jock who beats on the little guys. Every team/school has a couple, and Swagger uses well the persona.

The Miz: The annoying and over-confident pretty boy. The person who, no matter what happens, thinks that they are best at what they do, and know they are better looking than you.

Zack Ryder: Believe it or not, this guy, in my opinion, has the best gimmick in the business today. His extremely flamboyant persona is powered by his uber douchebag personality, and I can see this attracting some major heat in his future.

Funny that all these characters are heels.

 

[TheGreatSPAMbino]

By far the best gimmick going today is The Miz, he is an arrogant douchebag and i love it. This character draws so much heat and it is the perfect gimmick for modernized wrestling.

Chris Jericho also has a great new gimmick and it has work wonders for him and turned him into the top heel in the business today. He was able to adapt and form an intriguing new character which is a testament to his talent as a performer.

Zach Ryder, reminds me of the guy from the My New Haircut video, which is awesome. This is another douchebag heel that i love. He also has the best tights in the history of the wrestling industry. Woo woo woo.

 

[scoobyjrg1974]

Now come on folks there are some fantastic new gimmic's out there.
From Santino to The Miz, But I have to say that my favorite right now is little Horny, Hornswagle!
I love the fact that a Little person can still be a part of this product.
If your old enough to remember there used to be lots of little people in the old WWF days, remember Dink the Clown, Doinks sidekick.
Sky Low Low, Or how bout when King Kong Bundy Squashed them.
Bring in a few more little people for the fun factor, I used to love wating the guys run around the ring and most of them actually could wrestle the normal sized person and win.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

As I have alluded to in other threads, I actually dispute on whether we truly have "gimmicks" anymore, or if we just have wrestlers with personalities.

I don't consider The Miz a gimmick. I consider him a personality. I don't really see him pushing the "Reality TV star" angle as part of that character. All he does is come out and mouth off on the mic, challenge John Cena, etc. His personality is comprised of conceit and arrogance. Again, I don't really consider him a gimmick, per se.

Examples of the lonely few people who still have gimmicks on the WWE Roster:

Goldust
Hornswoggle
Undertaker (however even his Dead Man gimmick has been greatly, greatly toned down, and he is basically an MMA fighter once the bell rings)
Kane- (although, no longer a monster, but rather a psycho now)


and I think that's about it.


Examples of past "Gimmicks", just so people can see what I truly classify as a gimmick are:

Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase- wealthy, arrogant and nasty Millionaire out to prove that "Everyone has a price!"

The Honky Tonk Man- cool, cocky, bad Elvis Impersonator

"American Dream" Dusty Rhodes- son of a plumber, common man who sticks up for the Little Guy.

Brutus the Barber Beefcake- babyface barber who gives each of his opponents a haircut after his matches.

The Genius- the World's Smartest Man

The Barbarian, The Warlord, The Berzerker- all self explanatory

The Big Boss Man- former Prison guard dressed in correctional officer gear who beats his opponents with a billy club

Gangrel- gothic vampire

Billy and Chuck (w/ Rico)- Gay gimmick



Do you see how all of those characters are uniquely different to what we see today and why I don't call basically anything you see today as "gimmicks"? Because there basically are no gimmicks in the WWE anymore.

And since WWE has so little focus on doing storylines anymore and instead opt to focus on only the actual wrestling ... and since there aren't really gimmick characters anymore in which the talent relied on their gimmick to get over ... that is why, in my opinion, talent has such a difficult time getting over with the audience.

It isn't the fault of the fans, like so many people want to get on these days. They blame the audience for the lack of ovations. I don't blame the audience at all. I blame Vince and Creative, for not giving the audience enough reason to actually care about these people to actually cheer or boo them.

If you think about it, why should I boo someone like a Shelton Benjamin or a Charlie Haas? Why should I boo Ricky Ortiz? For what reason? There is no reason, and that is especially why these guys, despite their wrestling ability (mostly referring to Shelton) can't get over and why the crowds could care less about them.

On the other hand, why should anyone cheer Goldust? For what purpose? Same with Christian. Why should I cheer for Christian?


WWE needs to address the apathy amongst their crowds today and I would strongly suggest they find a way to either do one or both:

1) Incorporate more storylines across the board for each of their talents, including those in the Midcarder and some in the lower Midcarder divisions to give the people a reason to give a reaction to them

or ...

2) Go back to more gimmick-based characters, if WWE is too lazy to create storylines for them ... so that way the talents can go back to relying on their gimmicks for a reaction.