Gimmick Swap

[Slim Pickns]

Are there any gimmicks that a current or past wrestler has that you feel someone could have pulled off better or equally as good? Could someone have taken the Heartbreak Kid gimmick and done better than Michaels? Could someone have ran just as well with Hulkamania?

I personally feel that Triple H's The Game/King of Kings gimmick could be pulled off by anyone. For one its an incredibly inconsistent character. One minute he's in the ring cutting a promo about destroying someone, the next he's backstage making fart jokes. He's just a guy who thinks he's better than everyone. It may be easier for me to name the people who couldn't pull this gimmick off. Charlie Haas and Snitsky, maybe a few others.

 

[klunderbunker]

Very interesting topic. I think with most of the classic gimmicks, they're tailor made for the person. Take the Undertaker for example. He's got one of the most classic gimmicks there is. We all know it and most of us love him. Now picture Dean Malenko doing it. It would never work in a million years. A lot of the gimmick is the look or the voice they have. Taker has the long hair, the tattoos, the deep voice, he looks and sound demonic at times. Same goes for someone like Hogan. It wasn't so much the gimmick, but often times the insane levels of charisma he had. There's just something about him that draws peopel to him. I think with the majority of gimmicks, it has to be just right for the wrestler. It's like an acting part. Can you picture someone like Tom Hanks as James Bond? Of course not, because he's nothing like him. It just isn't a natural fit. For the great gimmicks, I think they're too tailored for their users. For people in the undercard, it could be almost anyone. The one exception to me would be the Original Horsemen. To me, if you put any good in ring workers in here and had them live the lifestyles the Horsemen did, it would come off well. WIth the exception of Flair, they all seemed interchangeable for the most part.

 

[Sparky]

It really depends. i mean you cant really be certain, once you get used to a certain person as the gimmick you really couldnt think of someone else doing it. Its just like hair cuts if some one like trips H.B.K or edge was to have their hair cut short it wouldnt suit them becouse your used to them with long hair. the person makes the character not the other way round, Fair enough someone comes up with the idea but when its given to a certain person they tweak it to adjust them. there is some that would be easy to pull off like i think edge would of been able to do brets character so much better because i can just imagine edge going around saying he is the best there is.... Edge is just a more belevable cocky heel then bret was. (of course Edge isnt a hart i just mean his saying)
Sticking with Edge i think John Morrisons character would of suited edge alot better becouse of edges love for rock music.
it would be almost impossible for one wrestler to pull off another wrestlers character once the original character has been made famous. Or even infamous

 

[Slim Pickns]

Most gimmicks are created with a certain wrestler in mind, it doesn't mean someone else couldn't do it better. The Undertaker was created specifically with Calloway in mind, but the MVP gimmick was created with whatever his name is in mind as well. Obviously, someone else could pull the MVP gimmick off just as well. Its pretty much a cocky black athlete. The Undertaker however, couldn't be pulled off by anyone else (looking back, its a miracle that gimmick made it twenty years).

What about any mid card gimmick flops like Mantaur or Adam Bomb? Do you think anyone could have made any of those cartoony gimmicks work or were they just to dumb for anyone to care about?

 

[klunderbunker]

As for the mid carders, no I don't think so. Guys at that level for the most part are just jokes that offer little to the company other than to fill a roster spot. The lone exception to this rule in my mind is Doink the Clown. At the beginning, he was played by Matt Bourne, and he was perfect for the role. He was great in the ring and made the character what he was: A deranged man too self conscious to let himself be seen for what he was, so he became a clown to hide himself. The in ring style fit perfectly. Once Bourne left, Doink went downhill in a split second. He became a comedic face that no one wanted to see. As for the MVP argument, I agree. It's more about the style and catchphrases and attitude than his style. He could be replaced by Burke or Shelton easily.

 

[waylon p]

i think the rated r superstar gimmick could be done by a lot of guys. the one that comes to mind is chris jericho. he's arrogant enough, and certainly could pull it off, if he wanted to. he's never met a gimmick he couldn't play well. vampires, crybabies, saviors, millenium men, he's done it. or maybe val venus...oops. he DID it already. my mistake

 

[DeadmanInc.]

I always like this debate when it comes to Hulk Hogan since it was a highlight in his feud with Vince McMahon. Personally, I've always thought that Macho Man Randy Savage was just as charismatic as Hogan. Maybe the Hulkamania gimmick could have worked for him.

Kane could have played the Deadman gimmick too. He did a good job at being just like the Undertaker in his early career.

 

[image1986]

Well I think calloway was the perfect undertaker cuz I can't imagine who can do it better. the grimmick itself yea it can be don't by others look wise but took it to another level. His in ring skills made him more than just a big man and made the undertaker fit the hype. That's like if brian clark (adam bomb) who fits the look of the undertaker did it instead I don't think it would of lasted as long

 

[DeadmanInc.]

On the contrary, their's probably a good lot that could play the undertaker. All you need to do is barely talk and wear black eye liner.

Yes, any big man could have played the Undertaker. But only Mark Calaway could have kept the character interesting for this long. It's amazing that The Undertaker gimmick has lasted this long considering that it originated from the "cartoon gimmick" era, and you can thank Mark for doing so. He isn't "just another big man". He is unbelievably agile and his ring work is unparalleled by any other super heavyweight. He rarely speaks on the mic, but when he does, he makes a powerful statement.

 

[FromTheSouth]

To say that anyone could have been Stone Cold or the Rock is stuck on stupid. Those guys MADE the character. Stone Cold was nothing more than a rebel who became larger than life. Rocky was a cocky heel who was so good at his job that the fans began to love him. Y2J could have done the Rock's gimmick if he were a lot bigger, but no one else could come close. I think Taker is a special case where (except for the American badass) small tweaks have been all it has taken to keep him alive. It's not because anyone could be Taker, it's because Callaway is the perfect Taker. He hasn't done anything to ruin the mystique of the character.

I don't think anyone else could be the Bushwackers. I think Hulk, Macho, and Warrior were tailor-made for the men who played them. Ric Flair was, in fact, his character. No one else could be that nature boy. Jeff Hardy is another example. He's just too perfect for the role.

Beyond that, most gimmicks have been redone. Rude is to Venis as Honky Tonk is to JJ.

I think you'll find that most of the guys on the top are there because their gimmick and ring skills are their own, and on a higher plane than all others. Beyond that, anyone could be Shelton Benjamin (except for the athleticism).

 

[Trumike]

I think gimmicks from lower mid-carders can be switched easier. Take Repo Man. They could have used someone else to do that. I mean a Gregory Helms could do it. Maybe Brian Christopher. Glacier could have been played by Lance Storm. What about The Hurricane being Billy Kidman Those types of gimmicks have a better chance. Now Kane could have been someone else. I mean when he had the mask on. Remember they tried that before. The guy called the Freakin Deacon. Main characters I don't think could change much. Well let me ask this. Could Pyscho Sid played Diesel when he ( Diesel for came out)?