Greatest Gimmick In WWE History

[The Future Rises]

I looked it up and turns out the last time this thread has been made was 2006 so it must be dead. And alot of things have changed in the WWE and the forums since 2006. So I decided to make a new one. There have been alot of good gimmicks in the WWE. The Undertaker, Mr.Perfect, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, Vince McMahon, Mankind, The Ultimate Warrior, Razor Ramon, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.. The list goes on..

My personal favorite is The Undertaker gimmick. It's just a very classic and historic gimmick. And it brings a very special feeling everytime The Undertaker is on TV.

So What Do You Think Was The Greatest Gimmick In WWE History?

 

[H33LTurn]

I gotta agree with you, The Undertaker's deadman gimmick is the best I've seen thus far. None other comes close. The best part about it is that it can keep being tweaked over and over again to fit the times. Mark Callaway also does a hell of a job portaying that character. I bet any other guy would eventually have to settle for turning the gimmick into a vampire one in order to fit the whole vampire buzz of these couple of years. Mark makes you take the gimmick seriously and I have to give him props for that and props to McMahon for coming up with the gimmick. Off topic: I wonder when that Undertaker movie is going to come out, if it ever does.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

Undertaker for the simple reason that it debuted as honestly a very silly concept (and if he debuted today he'd be bashed endlessly. He had gardening gloves and a big tie for god's sake).

But the guy made it work so well and it evolved over the years to becoming a demonic entity practically.

That with the amazing entrances made it truly great.

The guy being an awesome wrestler helped as well.

 

[ProudJericholic]

I think one of the greatest gimmicks was Kane.

They said that he wore that mask because I think he burnt his face when he was a child? I'm not sure but he wore ti for a storyline with Taker I believe.

Anyway, the mask did help his character a lot. It made him more powerful and a lot more imitating, especially with his costume and Paul Bearer. I think it really cemented his character and also a lot of people liked the mask. That is why so many people want the mask back on him.

Another great gimmick was Iron Sheik's gimmick. Being an Anti-American gave him great heat. Hence, the reason he was one of the greatest heels ever.

Using that Anti-American heat guarantees you heat, no matter what. He played it real well, and people hated when he brought out the flag with him. The Iran flag was it? I'm not sure, but it still brought major heat towards him.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

Gah...that has to be the easiest question ever asked, in my eyes....Undertaker!!! There are really few behind him...The "HBK" gimmik has been very very well played...

These 2 have never had to change this gimmick any at all...Okay, Undertaker changed for a VERY LITTLE while in the American Badass character...BUt HBK has never changed his...even when he was DX he was still HBK...

Stone Cold was an awsome gimmick as well

 

[dtroppe]

Now are we talking about the gimmick or the man pulling off the gimmick. Cause the Undertaker is a silly gimmick, but the wrestler pulled it off and make it work unbeliavably well. As far as gimmicks go, Stone Cold and the Rock are obviously the top two. Worked better than any other gimmick, even the Hogan gimmick. But...thats because those two men really breathed life and reality into their gimmicks and people loved them. The Ultimate Warrior was a great gimmick- all it was was a big guy with a great look pulling off a great gimmick.

 

[Dalek Rising]

Sean O'Haire's devil's advocate was my personal favorite gimmick ever. It had soooo much potential, but, WWE screwed it up and dropped the ball with it. I'd like them to return that gimmick and give it to someone else today.

As for the most successful gimmick...it has to go to Stone Cold Steve Austin. It won the Monday Night Wars for WWE.

 

[vthokie8]

The Undertaker isn't the best gimmick ever, in fact it ranks up there as the worst IMO. Before I get bashed into oblivion, here is why I say this: Mark Calloway took a horrible gimmick, ran with it and turned the character into an icon for that reason alone he deserves to go into the hall of fame. The gimmick itself was awful a superhuman, walking dead guy who has a creepy obsession with caskets wears a sleeveless dress shirt, tie and large gloves and has unexplained powers deriving from an urn. If 99% of the guys on the WWE roster ever would have been given that gimmick it would have failed. That being said, IMO Mr. McMahon is the best gimmick of all time. Vince took himself from being the somewhat nerdy announcer to being the sinister prick who had all of the control because he owned the company. Bishoff tried to do the same thing before, but just couldn't quite do it like Vince did. I thought Stone Cold was another great one that is depending on the day my choice for the greatest gimmick of all time.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

I gotta go with Mankind, mick got me scared all the time, the very first interpretation of mankind was so intimidating that you felt sorry for the undertaker (in their feud obviously)

 

[The Deadly Viper]

In my opinion the undertaker gimmick is the best. It just has such a great appeal and is legendary, and is quite old so stays with us who have watched WWF/E for a while.

 

[thoklly123]

Imma say The Rock had the best gimmick because back in the 90's i thought wrestling was for only white people but when The Rock came with the cool shades and clothes and his charisma he MADE me watch wrestling and i been a fan ever since. Also his gimmick got him to become a great actor

 

[The Future Rises]

The thing about The Undertaker's deadman walking gimmick is that it was perfect for it's time. And come the Attitude Era he would change it into an edgier deadman gimmick. Very suitable for that time being. So if The Undertaker from 1990 was in the Attitude Era I think he would have been buried. It was a good call to change it and make it edgier. Like when he hung The Big Bossman to the Hell in a Cell while it was being lifted that was totally badass and very suitable for that time. And then he had the biker gimmick. Which was another good call. And fans got a break from the typical deadman 'Taker. They got a new badass biker persona. Which was really smart to do because the fans would have gotten bored of that deadman 'Taker. And when 'Taker got his deadman gimmick back he was a respected legend in the business so not matter what generation it was. He would be a top guy and he would be taken seriously. So it was a really well timed well played gimmick.

 

[WTK]

Undertaker and Kane no doubt are the best gimmicks in WWE History, whether Undertaker was Old School Classic deadman, The Lord of Darkness(Ministry) or American Badass, he just had the greatest Gimmicks. Kane also, whether he was the mysterious badass he was when he wore the mask, or the psychotic lunatic that shocked Shane McMahons nuts, or the Kane that just won the World Championship last year, these 2 no doubt, had the greatest gimmicks. The only guys i can think of that can come close are Stings 96-97 mysterious mute crow gimmick he had, or obviously Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and Mankind.

 

[trinerigelado]

Since everybody is saying undertaker, im gonna have to go with the Godfather "pimping aint eazy" he would come down to the ring with all those bitches and ride the hooooooooooooooooeeee train!!!!!!!

The funny thing is one of the times I was in Vegas I saw a comercial where he was doing the gimmick advertising a stripclub.

Actually I think the Doink gimick was in theory better than the Undertaker. In a different era and allowing Matt Borne to go with it would have been great. Think about it. how many horror movies have you seen or heard about with an evil clown, a lot, with an evil undertaker barely ever. And when have you seen Mark Calloway ever prepare a body for a funeral never. What kind of an undertaker is that?

 

[holdingholder]

The Rock of course! And I'm not talking about intense fast talking Rock, I'm talking about when he won PWI gimmick of the year in 1999 when he talked deeper and more deliberate, when he rocked (no pun intended) the cool sideburns, still said Roody poo and wore those delightful $500 shirts.

 

[UFOcalling]

I've got to agree with the original poster: The Undertaker's gimmick is by far the best that the WWE has ever produced...is it a coincidence that it's also the longest-running gimmick (that hasn't become stale yet)? ...I think not.

Even though they were already mentioned (by two previous posters, I believe), my two other favorite wrestling gimmicks were basically the same as Undertaker's; those two gimmicks being Kane (when he first debuted), and Sting (when he started wearing "the crow" facepaint, with the long hair).

I'll start with Kane: Kane's debut in 1997 was amazing, it's easily in the top 10 wrestling debuts of all time (if not in the top five). It was basically a carbon-copy of Undertaker's story, however...it even piggy-backed on Undertaker's new "darker" persona of the late 1990s. I loved Kane back then, his character with the mask was so mysterious & creepy. Too bad it didn't last, I think the WWE had high hopes with the idea of him removing the mask. It didn't do much for him in the long-run.

Sting in the mid-to-late 1990s was also amazing. Using a similar face-paint design to the character of Eric Draven (the main character from the Graphic Novel & cult-classic movie "The Crow"), Sting was able to reinvent his character as one that was dark, brooding and mysterious. Sting was always more of a "hero" character, unlike Undertaker & Kane (who were supposed to be "scary"). Sting did wonders for his career, when he didn't wrestle or say a word for months on end. It built up so much tension for his match with Hogan for the belt, too bad that didn't really live up to the hype. Sting lost some momentum when he changed his face paint to red & black, and joined the Wolfpac; although I still enjoyed his character then as well. Back then, I would have KILLED to see a legit feud between Goldberg and "Wolfpac" Sting for the World Title, & I don't think I'm the only one who wanted to see it. Too bad WCW didn't know what the hell they were doing.

 

[THE AWESOME MIZFIT]

Mine is a tie between the Undertaker and Mr. McMahon.

The Undertaker's gimmick is flawless. You can do anything with his character. He has the power to not say a word and still be one of the most charismatic superstars in history. The guy literally doesn't have to say a single word and his gimmick will still work. He's done so much as the deadman. He is not only one of the most recognizable stars in history but probably the most respected. He knows what works and what doesn't. He's been doing this for over 20 years and nothing has really changed. With that being said that's unbelievable. Unlike Cena who has been donning the same gimmick for 6-7 years people are sick of him but Taker is still loved by everyone. McMahon is more or less on the same boat as Taker when it comes to his gimmick working or not. The Mr. McMahon character has been around just as long and has been involved with some of the biggest moments in WWE history.

 

[The Next Big Thing]

The Undertaker gimmick is definatley the best from a by-gone age, but we dont really see many out and out gimmicks anymore, so im gonna say undertaker had the best in the last 20 years, however, with modern gimmicks being more of a reflection of reality i would say D Bryan submission wrestler nerd and vegan fits WWE's attempt to make the product more like UFC hes my favourite current gimmick and when i say current i mean a gimmick with a reality to it just like Cm punk!!!!!!!!

James Boom

 

[Dude_Love87]

Undertaker obviously, but to be different I'll go with the Cactus Jack character, any character Mick plays he pulls off perfectly. He went to 3 different promotions(maybe more) with that gimmick.

 

[Jeff]

Hands down for me has to be "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. He completely changed the face of wrestling with his gimmick and was the key reason of creating what many would call the greatest era of wrestling. I also think it helps for me personally that Austin wasn't around as long as Taker. Taker's character eventually got stale and he had to switch to the Badass gimmick. They are close, but I have to give the edge to Austin.

 

[EASTorWESTpunkIStheBEST]

its very easy to answer.. The darkness, the gong, the blue light, mind games, death valley, thunder lights, smoke, leather coat, urn..and list goes on, hats off to Mark, vince, WWE creatives and technicians to bring all this..plus the moveset of taker is amazing. Chokeslam,tombstone, hell's gate, last ride, old skull.. Undertaker is not just a gimmick..'the undertaker' is surely more than that..however i agree with a previous post, 99% superstars could not deal with this gimmick, but with Mark,it creates magic.. Surely combination of 'taker gimmick and Mark' has some x factor.

 

[mayankeagle]

Hands down, this is not even a question worth asking - there is only one gimmick which has won the Best Gimmick award from Wrestling Observer Newsletter 5 years in a row, so it is not even an opinion but a fact that the Undertaker is the greatest gimmick in history and the bench-mark from whom all others should learn how to portray a character that is difficult to execute since it is not related to who they are in real life.

 

[harrythem]

As far as a wrestler's gimmick I'd have to say Undertaker for all the reasons stated above.

Personally I think the best gimmick in WWE history is "Sports Entertainment". This resulted in all the glitz, glamour and celebrity involvement that took WWE from a regional promotion into the global company it is today. People like Cornette hate it because it's a "gimmick" but, to me, it's the best thing that ever happened in WWE, or wrestling period (had a huge impact on my life too).

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

I have to agree with the majority and say that the Undertaker is probably the greatest gimmick in wrestling history. However, I'm not gonna repeat the last 30 posts and same the same things that have already been said about Taker.

With that in mind, I'm gonna bring up a wrestler who IMO had quite possibly the greatest heel character in wrestling history, and at the least should be in the top 5 of greatest gimmick characters.

Mr. McMahon? He's up there and should also be in the top 5, but he's not who I'm talking about. Mr. Perfect? Great gimmick, but not exactly who I was talking about. Ric Flair? A classic heel, but nope.

I'm talking about the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase.

Ted Dibiase IMO may be the best villian from a character standpoint in wrestling history.

That of the brash millionaire who flaunts his wealth and power and looks down on everyone else. It's impossible to not hate someone like that. And Ted Dibiase took the character he was given and made it even better than it was on paper (and it was very good on paper obviously). From his maniacal laugh, to the terrible stunts he would put people through to get some money, then trick them, to buying the World Championship. The man tried to buy the world title!!! How dastardly is that? It's horrible lol. And what sucked even more is that Ted was great in the ring and in kayfabe could beat people on his own. But instead of using his talents and skills in the ring to do the job, he went the evil way and would cheat, bully and use his money to get his way and succeed. He's the ultimate villain.

Vince McMahon created the Million Dollar Man character in the exact mold of the perfect wrestling heel, the heel he would've played had been able to become a wrestler in his early years. The Million Dollar Man was also the precurser to the Mr. McMahon character, though both are different in ways of course.

But the Million Dollar Man has to be in the discussion of greatest gimmicks of all-time. Hands down.

 

[SSJPhenom]

When I think of the term 'Wrestling Gimmick'; I think of an out of this world character that would be unbelievable in the real world. I don't really consider characters like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair, and others like them traditional wrestling gimmicks. I could totally see a person like The Rock or Austin in the real world.

With that said; it should be no surprise that I consider the greatest gimmick of all the times to be The Undertaker. That character is an out of this world character and that is what a gimmick should be. He's almost like a comic book character. Mark Calloway took a pretty silly character idea and made it an icon. From longevity, character evolution, in ring ability, mic ability, and finally to respectability; 'Taker has got to be the greatest gimmick in WWE history.

Hell; 'Taker just may be the greatest gimmick in Pro Wrestling history.