Can any wrestler pull off any gimmick?

[HBK-aholic]

One could even make the argument that any wrestler could have pulled off his gimmick.

This post inspired me to make this thread. An argument can be made for either side of this, I'm interested in what people think. Vince McMahon is ultimately the guy who makes a wrestler, in my opinion anyway. Most successes are down to him.

The above quote is in relation to Stone Cold. I don't want this thread to turn into a debate about him, there's one of them already. But I think he's a good example of someone who suits a gimmick. No one else would have been able to use his. And I think that's the same for most. To be successful you have to pull off your gimmick and only certain wrestlers can pull off certain gimmicks. For example, I think Shawn Michaels would be awful at Austins gimmick, as Austin would be awful at Shawns.

Some wrestlers may be versatile. Mick Foley, for example, has pulled off many gimmicks. Is it because the gimmick suited him, or because he made the gimmick his?

I've used the word gimmick so often it doesn't sound right anymore.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Something that I hear from time to time, and I truly believe in, is the idea that the best wrestling gimmicks are those that take a peice of the individual's personality and blows it up tenfold. Sure, anyone can technically PLAY any gimmick, but that doesn't mean they can do it effectively.

Take The Undertaker for example. Any large guy could have played the role of "The Dead Man." But Mark Calaway was an avid fan of dark metal, gothic arts, and motorcycles. His manager, William "Paul Bearer" Moody, owns a funeral parlor and is a professional embalmer. These roles weren't great because of the roles themselves! These roles were great because the men who played them became a part of them, and they were able to carry them out so naturally.

This is why Matt Stryker plays the obnoxious "teacher" gimmick better than Dean Douglas did. This is why Steve "Austin" Williams plays the redneck badass better than CM Punk would. These gimmicks don't ask these "entertainers" to reach for a role or stretch what they are capable of - they are asked to be themsleves, but dramatized many times over.

That is why not anyone can play any gimmick effectively.

 

[klunderbunker]

I would say no they can't. As IC said, can you imagine someone else playing Taker? Maybe, but there's no way it would last nearly 20 years. Seriously can you imagine Hogan playing that character? Of course not. Often times, characters work or don't work due to the levels of charisma someone has. Hulk Hogan absolutely oozes charisma. He could talk about frying pans and you would get excited listening to him. Then take someone like Dean Malenko. Could there be a more boring person to listen to or look at? If Malenko had the same moveset and strength as Hogan, he wouldn't have a job. He's just dull as far as his personality goes. You can't fake that, which is why no, not every wrestler can pull off every gimmick.

 

[Gelgarin]

I think what it comes down to is simply the fact that, when the chips are down, we're not dealing with the cream of the acting crop here. If we ever find ourselves in a position where people like Matt Damon and his cohorts suddenly decide to become pro wrestlers then yes, any gimmick would work on any guy. (as a matter of fact, I've always thought that WWE would have an easier time if they took people who could act and taught them how to wrestler instead of doing it the other way round)

As it is, we've got a bunch of guys, many of who struggle to make a simple scripted interview sound convincing, and as such they need to take whatever they can make work and run with it. And the best way to do that is simply to build on what you already know.

Was Steve Austin the only guy who could have played Stone Cold? Hell no. Was he the only guy under contract at the time who could pull it off? Possibly. I think the more interesting question is "could Steve Austin have effectivly functioned with any other gimmick?"

The most charismatic guy in the business are the ones who can get over regardless of what they're doing. I'll point to Mick Foley and HHH as probably the two best contemporary examples of this. So year, to answer the question; the more charismatic the wrestler is, the more gimmicks he's likly to be able to pull off.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

No, you have to fit the character somewhat to make the gimmick great. I think some gimmicks are more easily to imitate but I don't think any wrestler could pull of any gimmick. I also think the person's charisma really helps eleveate the character/gimmick that much more. Stone Cold has a certain charisma that drew people in, whereas if Snitsky(who doesn't have much of a personality or charisma) tried to pull of the bad ass redneck he would fail. So the wrestler makes the gimmick what it is, imo.

 

[HEMME-POWERED]

it takes a special type of person to pull of any type of gimmick there is only a few of them triple h is possibly one who can, example of a gimmick pulled of badly is shark boy 3:16 a boring a not so good immitation of austins gimmick

 

[LadyFranchise]

It depends on the wrestler. The wrestler has to BE that person. I'm talking about to the point where the people that are watching you see you as that Gimmick. Not for who you really are. Some people are fortunate enough to play a Character to a T because they are a little bit like them in real life. But just because you are nothing like a Gimmick in real life doesn't mean that you can't do it. It's just going to take some extra work, dedication, research even if it means that you yourself has to change (visually and physically)

 

[Tim]

No. The wrestler in question has to be the gimmick. Could you imagine anyone else as the Great Khali, or as Santino Marella? Because they are a part of their gimmick, they play it well. To play a gimmick well, you have to understand the character you are playing and you have to be a little bit like them. What about William Regal's Real man's man gimmick? That took off really well. Regal isn't that sort of person, and didn't play it very well, which is why he works much better as an English brawler sort of person. You will be able to play gimmick if its not like you though, it just means that it will take some dedication to it, and you will never be able to play it as well as someone who is in touch with their cimmick and is in some way linked with their gimmick.

 

[JackAttack]

Definately not. As IC said, personality often plays a large role in whether or not a gimmick will work. I doubt Stone Cold could have been a goth like Jeff Hardy, or Jeff a beer drinking bully, it simply wouldn't work.

Whats worse, if the gimmick doesn't fit the wrestlers personality, it will obviously affect their mic and acting skills, because they would find it harder to get into their character. Why do you think guys like Orton and Santino play their characters so well? Its because their gimmicks mirror their personalities in real life.

Then again, one could argue that a good wreslter should be able to work well with any gimmick. This may be true to an extent, but the end result might not be as good. In the end, you want your wrestler to be comfortable with his gimmick. keep in mind though, you also want the gimmick to be believable. This is why many people wouldn't ever accept Orton as a face, becuase its not very believable. Most people know that he is a complete jerk in real life, so why would you force him to pretend to be the good guy? .

 

[Miko]

I think there are certain people out there in the wrestling world that could play any gimmick effectively (within reason, I am not talking about the "fat chick thriller"), Stone Cold Steve Austin made "the ringmaster" work for example before becoming Austin.

My full answer is no though, I really dont think some one like Dean Malenko could've played Chris Jericho's original character and I think Jericho's charisma would've been wasted if he had played the "Ice Man". As said before the best gimmicks are the ones which are an extension of the man playing it, its what comes naturally to the wrestler and they look comfortable doing it.

 

[Father:_Polley]

I don't think any wrestler can pull off any gimmick purely because the charisma of the wrester differs. I think someone of a similar charisma could pull off another gimmick - Steve Blackman could take Malenko's gimmick and vice versa - but give an uncharismatic star a gimmick that requires charisma to get over and you're screwed.

I think it's pretty much established you need to have something in the gimmick of yourself to sell it, you need to be the gimmick and no-one else can really do you justice. That's why the 'real' gimmicks tend to work better than Doink the Clown etc to my mind

 

[Checkmate]

Well, there are so many different ways to make the basic arguement for either side, without even listing specifics.

Logically, anyone could play any gimmick. It is the same as saying any actor could play any part in a play. It CAN be done, gender issues aside. Anyone with the right effort and training could do something specific if they spent the right amount of time setting it up.

Now, does this mean anyone can play any gimmick WELL?

I seriously doubt it. As previously mentioned, some gimmicks are done well because of the prior experience, genetic makeup, and just attitude of the person assigned to do them. I don't think this applies to every gimmick, as some are just generic gimmicks that don't rely on anything. However, the more detailed a gimmick is, and the more accurate the person doing the gimmick is, then the better the gimmick comes off being.

One example I'd like to state is Kurt Angle. He didn't/doesn't have a really detailed gimmick, but the gimmick works because of his prior experiences. He really did win a gold medal, and this made the gimmick seem more legitimate than others. His character was tailored around this one thing, and it made the whole gimmick work. Not many others could pull this off.

However, some gimmicks could be pulled off by a variety of people. I look at guys like The Brian Kendrick, MVP, and a few others, and I'd think that those gimmicks could be put on a number of people.

There are also the gimmicks that are based entirely upon wrestling style. The Hardys come to mind on this one. They let their work in the ring make their gimmicks what they are today, and this couldn't really be replicated by just anyone.

 

[Lee]

In theory any wrestler should be able to do any gimmick, but whether that gimmick is succesful or not is a different matter. For this I'm going to use an example of one Monty Sopp who has had a helluva roster of gimmicks...A cowboy, Rockabilly, bad ass billy gunn, DX Billy Gunn, Gay but straight Billy Gunn, the one Billy Gunn, Kip James, VKM and now a 'fashion consultant. How many of these were particularly successful? Not many, and Monty Sopp will always be remembered as Bad Ass Billy Gunn in my eyes.

It's the same with the Rock, Austin, HHH, Edge, Matt and Jeff...they have all been through many gimmick changes but there is one that just clicks into place for them, a one that they will be remembered for a one we're they're basically 'over' in that gimmick making it successful.

As has been discussed several times, to make a gimmick successful, you need an idea, you need to have yourself in it, you need to live the gimmick, twist it until frankly it's you as a person in gimmick form, making that gimmick yours (Taker, Austin, Angle etc.).

So anyone can do any gimmick, but for it to be successful, I disagree that anyone can do any gimmick.

 

[The Undercover Man]

I personally don't think any wrestler can pull off any gimmick. When we talk about charisma in wrestling and which wrestler has it, and which does'nt. Its the same with saying that guy can do this gimmick and the other can't. Take Jack Swagger, he is a new guy and has no personality. Take Shawn Michaels, overflows with charisma and personality. So could Swagger take on Michael's persona? I say not, because he'd have to go through some serious personal changes and mood changes to even touch the edges of Michael's great gimmick. There are some wrestlers who are versatile and can pull off a gimmick like Mick Foley, but if you notice most of his gimmicks were the same, he dressed the same in all his gimmicks and he acted the same. So he just bought things into another gimmick from his last one.

 

[Azrael Cain]

I don't know about any gimmick, because there are simply some gimmicks that are not believable, no matter if wrestling is scripted and is entertainment. I think if a wrestler is settled with a gimmick that "does not suit" him or her, there really are two choices: make the best of it and try and make it work, or scrap it and come up with something else.

Let's take a for instance: Spike Dudley doing Kane's Monster gimmick. Impossible? No. Believable? No. Laughable? Very much so.

There is a double edged sword when it comes to gimmicks in professional wrestling: we, the fans, want them to be believable enough and simultaneously go over [a certain/the] edge. Gimmicks work because they are, in part, "real." Austin's gimmick was himself -- Cena's gimmick is himself -- Rock's gimmick, it can be argued, was himself. They worked. Going back to my example: in ECW Spike was himself, pretty much, and that worked. But if he came out and pulled a Lance Storm, people would've laughed at him.

A gimmick is, in part, a part of reality and a person's personality. And if it is not "real," on average, no amount of charisma will get a gimmick over. There are rare instances, but they are just that: rare.

And our reactions as fans also clue the person in on whether a gimmick has been pulled off well -- we respond to it, or we ignore it. So, in a way, it is a 50/50 relationship. A wrestler presents himself and we either buy into it or tell him to rethink his agenda. It's a two way street, and pulling off requires charisma, reality and us buying into it, but no two are independent. If it is real, and it's charismatically done, we buy into it.

So, I guess, like the many before me said, it comes down to charisma and the realism... or rather, the believability or dedication of the performance. No, it doesn't take a great deal of charisma to act like Dean Malenko, Benoit or Storm -- but it does take a great deal to maintain that type of "uncharismatic gimmick" in situations where the "laugh factor," for example, is high, when working with another, let's say highly charismatic wrestler....

Make sense?

 

[Chicago2733]

I would have to agree with you all but you can't tell me one wrestler ever who can pull off what Dustin Rhodes does as Golddust. I can't think of one wrestler who can pull off the Golddust character.
I think one of the best gimmick's every put together was when Sting returned as the Crow Sting. The guy didn't say a word for a very long time and yet Sting was the most popular wrestler on WCW. You can not name me one other wrestler who could of pulled that gimmick off.
Those are my thoughts