Gimmick of the Year

[PhD]

So 2011 is nearly halfway over, and we've seen some great new gimmicks in the first six months. Although the latter half is sure to spawn even more new characters, like Alberto Del Rio's debut in August of last year, there are already several frontrunners for this category.

My question is simple: who has used the best gimmick so far in 2011? It doesn't have to be a new gimmick, although there have been plenty of new ones to choose from:

• "Formerly Dashing" Cody Rhodes, master of the paper bag
  
• Bully Ray, throwback heel
  
• Kharma, the anti-Diva
  
• R-Truth, nemesis of the Little Jimmys
  
• Zach Ryder, internet celebrity
  
• Eric Young, batshit TV champion
  
• Winter, lesbian hypnotist/time traveller

These are seven that stand out to me. Who is your call and why?

 

[shattered dreams]

I'd be tempted to go with "Big Daddy" Jeff Jarrett. Angle vs the Jarretts was the best feud of the year to this point IMO and Jeff's character added a lot to it. He knew when to be funny and when to be a calculating pure evil heel. Great vignettes and good entertaining matches.

 

[CelticCorey]

I went with Bully Ray. You want to talk about someone I did not care about while with Team 3D and a feud I was disinterested in with Devon but somehow his character grew into a bully that he has played with nothing short of brilliance.

 

[TheRev]

Didn't care for most of the ones listed, but Truth has definitely become a lot more tolerable than he ever was in my book.

 

[PhD]

My personal choice is Kharma. Even though her character was on TV for what, a month? Those four weeks were just absolute gold. If they ever write a textbook on how to book a wrestler, that is how to do it. Even though I've probably found Bully Ray to be the most entertaining character week in and week out on TV this year (it's really a shame TNA can't afford to keep Flair on TV more often, but, I digress...), Kharma has probably provided me mark-out moments at home from my couch than any other character up to this point in 2011.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I was considering Ryder, Truth and Rhodes but eventually I chose Bully Ray.

I think Bubba has done an absolutely brilliant job with that character. He had never had a succesful singles run in his entire career up until this year, having been a tag-team specialist. His short WWE singles career was awful and even Team 3D were getting stale. I was beginning to think Bubba's top level wrestling career was coming to an end, before TNA split Team 3D and turned him heel.

Allowing him the freedom to argue with fans, show off the arrogant personality he does so well, and general just be a bully has allowed Ray to rapidly move up the card and while I do not buy his as a credible champion yet, he certainly looks at home in the ring with some of TNA's biggest stars. He is a perfect heel, everything about him is dislikable, he runs his mouths, he cheap shots people and it is very refreshing to see this type of bad-ass heel on TV again.

It has completely re-energised Bubba's career and been a big success as far as I am concerned. I look forward to seeing how far he can go with it.

 

[ChristopherKeepsItReal]

I went for Bully Ray. This is arguably his most interesting singles run to date.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

It's a close run thing between Rhodes, Truth and Bully Ray and to be honest, there is no clear winner. All three guys have some pros and some cons. Truth as a conspiracy theorist is funny but he has been booked strongly for only one night so far. That was on the Raw before Capitol Punishment. I have had a hard time taking Truth seriously. Bully Ray was booked somewhat weakly when he first joined Immortal and while he has done a great job, it is his association with Immortal that somewhat bugs me. In recent times, though he has been booked very well, especially in his feud with AJ Styles and the two of them also delivered a fantastic match at Slam-anivversery. Between Rhodes, Truth and himself he is undoubtedly the best on the mic.

Cody was somewhat of an entertaining midcarder in his Dashing gimmick but he found that intensity that is needed to be a main eventer in his Damaged gimmick. He could have been something like a Dolph Ziggler in his Dashing gimmick but in a few years he could be someone like a heel Randy Orton. I would have liked it, though, if he had been booked a bit more strongly. He lost his feud to Mysterio and wasn't even on PPV at Capitol Punishment which sucks a bit.

Overall I would go with Bully Ray. He has made the biggest leap in his career among the three men I am talking about. He was destined to go down in history as a tag team wrestler but now his current character will probably go down in his legacy as well. He might even be a World Champion by 2012 which is something no one had ever imagined in their wildest dreams a year ago. We knew Cody would get there somehow and Truth had already been a World Champion in TNA whose best days were supposed to be behind him. Truth surprised a bit, sure, but anyone who has seen him as the NWA Champion in TNA knows that he can be a good heel. Bully has been a relevation in every sense of the word.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Ye at the moment I'd say its Bully Ray, mainly because of that amazing feud and match with AJ. He has lost the chub and really became (and this has been said a lot) a throwback heel.

The bully character just fits the man like a velvet glove and his promos and matches have come up to the level of AJ and the lot. Would love to see him lock horns with Angle soon and then Joe.

SO yes Bully it is.

 

[RyanAn]

My favorite would have to be Zack Ryder! So memorable. A ton of catchphrases and he really goes beyond the norm to make his name known.

Cody Rhodes is great as well, I love his stuff! From the slow, methodical looks he gives - to the dark and disturbing promos - very far from his other great Dashing gimmick which I loved as well.

Props goes to R Truth and Bully Ray. Two wrestlers I have never, and I mean it, ever liked. This last month has seen an overhaul - the effort put into this last month or so is their best work to date.

 

[ARLO]

As far as new gimmicks you can't go past R-Truth. His heel turn has made him go from on the verge of getting the sack to main eventing.

 

[Shadow of Darkness]

Hell yah!

i would go for a very recent gimmick,

i will focus on Sting's sudden change in gimmick from the 'crow' to the new "why so serious?, joker" gimmick.

just think of the angry Sting painting the faces of Hogan/anderson. Well what a creation! Just amazing... It is just the newest induction in the hall of great gimmicks which consists of The Rock, Stone Cold, The Great Muta, hulk hogan, Shawn Micheals, old kane, undertaker, eddie guerero, HHH, Jerico, The Edge and Christian.

yah...Sting is always big deal.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I was torn between Bully Ray & R-Truth. Both of them are guys that, up until recently, I didn't give a crap about one way or the other. Ray is someone that's always been good on the mic and he'll always have the fact that he's one half of a tag team that's won more World Tag Team Championships than any other team in wrestling history. So he's always had something to really brag about. R-Truth, up until a few months ago, was someone that just wasn't even remotely on the radar in any way, shape or form. Like a lot of people, I'd long since written him off as being totally irrelevant. His new character is a true breath of fresh air in my opinion and I like how he's able to pretty easily change from being legitimately funny to menacing and back again. You never quite know how to take Truth or what he's ultimately gonna wind up doing or saying.

Ray surprised me but he didn't surprise me quite as much as Truth has so I'm giving him the nod on this one.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

A lot of good character changes this year. R-Truth has surprised me, I used to hate him. Cody Rhodes is always good, and Bully Ray may have impressed me most out of the list you have given. But....

I'm going to have to go with Sting. What a phenomenal twist to his character, it would have been very easy for TNA with the Hogan-Bischoff/Sting feud, to just go back to the no talking, showing up out of nowhere Sting. However, they didn't and it has proved to be one of the better changes of Stings characters in recent memory. Flat out entertaining. Makes you wonder what Sting is going to do next.

 

[blockanWo]

Another vote for Bully Ray.

Hes gone from someone that isnt relevant, has nothing to offer and a person who we all thought would have a failed singles run to easily the best heel on TNA's roster at the moment and probably the best heel in the industry.

Hes really got himself into shape, lost a lot of weight and is really running with his singles spotlight.

 

[Dagger Dias]

It is between Rhodes and Truth for me. Kharma wasn't around long enough to become what everyone expected in an anti-diva, but she's a shoe in for winning a poll such as this for next year. Ryder's still in the same gimmick on Raw that he's had since 2009, his internet fame isn't an actual "gimmick". Young and Winter have AWFUL gimmicks. That leaves Rhodes and Truth. Rhodes went from the dashing arrogant full of himself jerk, to the creepy master of paper bags. That character gets points for uniqueness. However I am giving my vote to Truth because he went from annoying uninteresting rapper to the insane hater of all the little jimmy's of the world, and got a big push out of it.

 

[LFC till i die]

Im stuck between Cody Rhodes + R Truth but i think i'll have to choose Little Jimmy's nemesis.

Its amazing how a change of gimmick can vastly improve a person/character. R Truth has gone from a complete nobody who no-one gave a fuck about to a maineventer and the 2nd best thing currently in the WWE (first being CM Punk). Truth has actually suprised me. I didnt no he was such a good heel !