Which current WWE Superstar could pull off their own 'gimmick' match?

[MattRhys20]

Just over three weeks ago at Summerslam, we saw Kane and Bray Wyatt put on one of the candidates for match of the year inside the ‘Ring Of Fire’ with Bray emerging victorious. Now it was during this match and with Hell In A Cell coming in a few weeks as well, that I got thinking; Which, if any, superstars on the current roster, have the character and ability to have their own ‘gimmick’ match and who would their opponent be?

Now I should stress, that I want to keep some level of physicality to the proceedings and they must be able to be done within the ring.

So for example, Ryback v Mark Henry in a weightlifting contest, and Fandango v Brodus Clay in a danceoff, are both off the table. Taking a look at the roster, I can only think of 3 that fit the criteria to have their own matches and they are as follows:

CM Punk – Kickboxing: Now there aren’t that many people in WWE today with ‘The Educated Feet’ that served the likes of Tajiri well during their careers, but CM Punk is certainly one who has a good leg based attack in his arsenal. Add into this his training in martial arts and you have a man who could put up a good fight if required. Ideal Opponent – Rob Van Dam: O.K, so when I said there is nobody with ‘The Educated Feet’, I may have exaggerated a bit, because here is a man who possesses exactly them. He has exactly the same flexible legs that Punk has and together, these men could put on a great match good enough to keep the crowd entertained.

Brock Lesnar – Cage fight: An angle that I am amazed WWE haven’t played with already. Here you have a man who spent a good 6-7 years in UFC and became Heavyweight Champion, so why haven’t they made him look dominant inside an environment that plays to his advantage. Sure we’ve had a steel cage match, but it just isn’t the same. You could instigate UFC rules in terms of rounds ,TKO’s, and submissions etc. Ideal Opponent – Sheamus: For a match like this, you don’t really want a good technical wrestler such as CM Punk or Daniel Bryan, but you want a brawler, someone who will just give you an all-out fight and that is where The Great White comes in. Playing off his character of a guy who grew up fighting in bars in Dublin, he certainly wouldn’t back down from an opportunity to go one on one in a with Lesnar inside a UFC cage.

Daniel Bryan – Amateur wrestling: Given that D-Bry is the hottest property in WWE right now, it’s only fair that we take a look into his background of wrestling in ‘The Indy’s’. Now I’m writing this on a plane, so don’t have any access to the internet so I can only go by my basic knowledge of amateur wrestling. I know that amateur wrestling takes place in rounds and can only be about 45 seconds long each round, so we would need to do it in an Ironman format; 15 minutes would probably be ideal, most pinfalls wins, simple as that. Ideal opponent – Jack Swagger: I did initially want Brock Lesnar to take this role due to his background in amateur wrestling as well, but I felt that that we’d need it to be believable, and in no way shape or form, does Bryan beat Lesnar. Swagger, an All-American in wrestling back in Oklahoma, would put up a good fight against Bryan, certainly good enough to draw some interest at a PPV.

Can you guys think of any others?

 

[HeenanGorilla]

This would not work now, but I thought back when Orton was kind of in limbo--on the roster but not being fully utilized, during his Legend Killer gimmick--a legends gauntlet match could have been fun. Flair, Steamboat, Piper,etc...one after another with Orton, beaten to a pulp, emerging victorious in the end.

If not for SummerSlam, which saw Orton being thrust into the main angle now, that would have been where I went with Orton. The return of the legend killer, using the match I mentioned above, followed by him beating down HBK, then HHH...and then finally setting up the ultimate legend killing match with Orton vs. The Streak at WMXXX.

Spare me the Lesnar, Punk, Cena cliche answers...this is just a new idea for the sake of creativity. I realize this wouldn't make most of today's fans happy and will never happen. But I would have loved it. Act One would get the guys I grew up watching on TV. Granted, their inevitable loss would be obvious, but it could be a fun/retro moment. The HBK/HHH part would be Act Two, bridging the generation gap, and then Act Three could be a legit threat to Taker's streak.

Ahh well...great thread though. I look forward to seeing some clever answers--along with the 95% that will be lame. Robotic puppets galore on this forum..

 

[Ghost of Wrestling Past]

Now, firstly I feel the need to address your statement regarding the 'Ring of Fire' match at SS between Wyatt & Kane. While I agree that the build etc had all the makings to make it a good/great match, in reality it actually turned out to be a mess and far from the MOTY candidate you suggest IMO - see the Punk Vs Lesnar match on the same card.

Anyway as for the topic of your thread (and I'm not trolling here) but I genuinely can't think of any new gimmick matches that would work for a superstar on the current roster except for the obvious Punk and Lesnar references that have already been made.

I suppose I could make the simple 'Shovel on a pole' joke between Triple H and Cena but that would be too easy of a joke to make.

HeenanGorilla

I'm pretty sure Randy Orton faced Taker @ WM at the height of his Legend Killer gimmick if I'm not mistaken, I for one wouldn't be interested in seeing that again at this stage of both of their careers.

I'm out!

 

[Winds-Of-Change]

Bray Wyatt.

I feel only Bray Wyatt can pull this off, due to his gimmick.

Maybe have a Wyatt Rules or Wyatt Family Values match.
Something like a 2 on 3 Handicap No Disqualification match. Then this way, you can have them fight without going overboard on a paticular gimmick. (Fire, a cage, etc..)

Similar to The Acolytes Rules matches from 1999.

 

[MCMG]

There aren't many superstars that could pull of their own gimmick match. I'm not even sure that I would want to see a cage fight or indeed an amateur wrestling match. The problem with these matches, and scenarios you gave, it would be fake, and therefore boring, because there is no way Bryan would defeat Swagger and I'm pretty sure you need a licence or something to go into a legitimate fight with Brock Lesnar.

The Undertaker is of course the best example and he delivered matches like Hell in a cell, Casket, Buried Alive which were all fantastic but effectively had a common theme. There is no-one on the roster who could do likewise, maybe Wyatt but I can't think of any. Gimmick matches are hard to come up with and we haven't seen a new one in a while.

 

[Limitless]

Ryback Rules - Where Ryback can use weapons and bully you but you can't use weapons or you will be DQ.

Think about it, Ryback gets DQ all the time so he doesn't look weak. However if they play the Ryback Rules Stipulation in matches it will make him more of a bully and get more heat from fans. The Face could be strong in the match only to have ryback use a chair or something to get the upper hand. I think it would be perfect and could set ryback up for major heat with fans.

 

[ocekit]

Just over three weeks ago at Summerslam, we saw Kane and Bray Wyatt put on one of the candidates for match of the year inside the ‘Ring Of Fire’ with Bray emerging victorious. Now it was during this match and with Hell In A Cell coming in a few weeks as well, that I got thinking; Which, if any, superstars on the current roster, have the character and ability to have their own ‘gimmick’ match and who would their opponent be?

CM Punk – Kickboxing:

Brock Lesnar – Cage fight: An angle that I am amazed WWE haven’t played with already. Here you have a man who spent a good 6-7 years in UFC and became Heavyweight Champion, so why haven’t they made him look dominant inside an environment that plays to his advantage.

Daniel Bryan – Amateur wrestling:

Can you guys think of any others?

Just because you CAN create new gimmick matches doesn't mean you necessarily should. Instead of creating new gimmick matches, I would just bring back some of the old ones (I'm still waiting for the return of War Games) and call them something else. I actually wouldn't mind seeing the Bray Wyatt or Wyatt Family start doing strap matches. Just have the wrestlers strapped together and whoever submits or gets pinned loses. They could really make that gimmick their own. They're the only ones I think that could really pull that off at the moment.

I think my main issue with these matches you've listed is that they're not professional wrestling. They're just watered-down versions of other sports. If I wanted to watch kickboxing, I'd watch kickboxing. If I wanted to watch amateur wrestling, I'd watch amateur wrestling. If I wanted to watch MMA, I'd watch MMA.

The closest you come to professional wrestling is the cage fight. I remember Ken Shamrock had the Lion's Den matches which had the mix of MMA and pro wrestling and were pretty entertaining. Seeing Brock Lesnar against someone in that kind of environment could be interesting, but he'd have to have the right opponent.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

HeenanGorilla

I'm pretty sure Randy Orton faced Taker @ WM at the height of his Legend Killer gimmick if I'm not mistaken, I for one wouldn't be interested in seeing that again at this stage of both of their careers.

That's possible. I don't remember much of that era. ...plus the fact that I decided to write "that's possible" instead of looking it up proves how little I care. Haha! No, you are probably right. And to be honest, I will be shocked if I am ever interested in another streak match. It has lost most of its appeal.

 

[tru_overdose]

PG really limits the brutality needed for anything over the top gimmick match wise, and lack of top level talent really limits how well anything else can be performed and how well it can draw.

i think if anything, the WWE is a good couple years from being able to create the proper need for a gimmick match to be a memorable moment in WWE.

case in point, the ring of fire match at SS was one of the worst matches of the decade. its amazing to me the wyatt family was killed off immediately because it was that bad.

 

[Slash-LN]

I wouldn't want to see any of the ones listed in the OP happening. They tried similar stuff in the past Ken Shamrock lion's den and the Brawl For All tournament come to mind. Both were a disaster. Real fighting and scripted wrestling don't mix.

I like the idea mentioned of Bray Wyatt using the strap match. They could work it where it's not too brutal and would still fit into PG.

Gimmick matches for a wrestler usually require them to have an actual gimmick like The Undertaker with casket matches. If you're going to limit a gimmick match to one wrestler then you almost need to create a new gimmick for someone and go from there.

 

[enviousdominous]

I, umm, didn't get the same impression from that Bray Wyatt ring of fire match to be honest. That's all I'm going to say about that.

If a gimmick match absolutely has to happen, I don't see why we can't just watch the Money in the Bank ladder match and The Royal Rumble and be satisfied.

I wouldn't mind seeing a series where Daniel Bryan engages in I Quit matches that are reminiscent of Tully Blanchard vs Magnum TA. Either way, I think that in this case you're better off staying true to your traditional fans rather than trying to lure in some low-brow fans who can only be entertained by a gimmick match. The low-brow fans will always have the Extreme Rules and Elimination Chamber PPVs to look forward too after all.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Had they done it earlier they could have given Barrett a "bare knuckle" gimmick match - even down to holding it in the parking lot but now that's a little passe. Perhaps they could have him use the UK system of matches having rounds etc. That might work and throw opponents off, though it would suit Harry Smith better.

The problem the ROF match had was the same as the Inferno matches... Kane is the only one who wears a costume that could be "flame ******ant" so you knew he was going on fire.

They've tried new gimmick matches like Kennel From Hell and Punjabi Prison and they don't work when tied to a wrestler as such - they work better when a wrestler becomes an expert in them like Taker in HIAC or Punk/Edge in MITB.

The only gimmick match I can see them going for is War Games - maybe under a new name but with the sheer number of stables they have and are introducing it seems to me to be preparing for Survivor Series and either War Games or lots of traditional Survivor Matches.

If you were gonna create one for a current roster member to win the title, then why not a "Milan Miracle" match? Santino has to win through The Shield 3 on 1 (one fall), The Wyatts, (2 on 1) and finally Orton or ADR (one on one) if he wins he's the champ... if they are going serious with him, and they seem to be that could be a good push for him.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE's been sorta down this road before and the overall reaction was lukewarm, at best. In 1998, due partially to having such a large roster but not all that much television time, WWE came up with the concept of the Brawl for All. This gave some of the genuinely legit "tough guys" a means of something to do due to the Brawl for All being a lot like MMA fights though with the overall angle being booked to look more like boxing matches that you see in amateur "tough man" contests.

Each match consisted of 3 rounds with each round lasting 1 minute with the winner of the rounds determined through points via whoever connected with the most punches. I forget exactly how the system worked, but so many points were given for punches landed, a certain number was given for a takedown and so many for a knockdown. It bored the shit out of the fans and did result in injuries. Steve Blackman & Hawk both suffered injuries that kept them from doing much for a while. Savio Vega's arm got fucked up and he was cut from WWF shortly thereafter. WWE's intense schedule already has enough trouble in regards to injuries as it is, so employing shoot fights won't help matters. And making a fake shoot fight that's supposed to look real while still being fake? Forget about it. You can pull that kinda stuff off in the movies with some creative editing techniques but not in front of a live crowd.

Building a gimmick match around a certain type of wrestler would probably only meet with the same level of dissatisfaction. For instance, fans who come to watch a pro wrestling event don't wanna see MMA fights on the card. MMA & pro wrestling are, all in all, two completely separate worlds that don't produce quality results when some sort of crossover takes place. Part of the appeal for wrestling matches lies in the over the top, choreographed action and the stories being told by the wrestlers involved. They'd be bored shitless watching Daniel Bryan wrestling against Jack Swagger in an amateur wrestling match. Why? Well, frankly, most people consider amateur wrestling to be extremely boring. It's also something that's LONG since been out of style among most fans of pro wrestling. That's why the much more theatrical, over the top methods started to be employed. A perfect example is Hulk Hogan's time in the AWA in the early 80s. By 1982, fans wanted to see Hogan come out there and do his thing. They wanted to be entertained and they found what he was doing much more entertaining than watching Nick Bockwinkel trade side headlocks with someone for 15 minutes.

This is an idea that sounds interesting on paper but, in actual practice, it'd be a disaster in which nothing at all would be gained for the wrestlers; with the exception of an increased risk of injury and look like complete idiots.

 

[Ghost of Wrestling Past]

That's possible. I don't remember much of that era. ...plus the fact that I decided to write "that's possible" instead of looking it up proves how little I care. Haha! No, you are probably right. And to be honest, I will be shocked if I am ever interested in another streak match. It has lost most of its appeal.

Aha that's fair enough, I just thought it was worth mentioning as you brought it up....I think it was WM 21, Orton at the time, to me at least, seemed like a legit threat but we obviously know the outcome.

Personally I wouldn't like to see the streak end (which I know is another debate for another thread) even to a young 'rising star' so to speak. The only time I would ever legit worry that the streak would end is if/when Taker faces Cena as we all know what the WWE can be like. I couldn't see him realistically loosing to Brock at WM either as after all no matter how good Lesnar's record is against Taker he is ultimately a part-timer who shouldn't be given and doesn't need that sort of rub.

Also as has already been mentioned, I think WWE would be better off reintroducing old gimmick matches with a twist maybe for current superstars as I don't think there are as many unique characters in the modern era that could pull off a brand spanking new gimmick match.

 

[L'autre frere rougeau]

A few months ago when the uso were receiving some kind of mini push, i had something that came in my mind that i called a samoan circle of death type of match and i thought that it fitted with the uso samoan heritage and would had been good in a very personal feud with the shield.

He ring would be ropeless and you could also had some huge flaming torch on eqch ppst for decoration that would eventually have some role in the match.

Now i realise that the uso will never be big enough to have their own gimmick match and it's not the most original idea ever, but at least it's something else.

 

[shalliin]

Bray Wyatt.

I feel only Bray Wyatt can pull this off, due to his gimmick.

Maybe have a Wyatt Rules or Wyatt Family Values match.
Something like a 2 on 3 Handicap No Disqualification match. Then this way, you can have them fight without going overboard on a paticular gimmick. (Fire, a cage, etc..)

Similar to The Acolytes Rules matches from 1999.

which was a rip/copy of the demolution 3man tag champ rule that was itself a copy of the Freebird rule for the Fabulous Free birds.
For a Wyatt family gimmick match, have a SwampPit match. Make a part of the arena into a swamp, include some wildlife (leeches, bugs, stuff like that, have a gator or croc in a small cage nearby) and have the match in the Pit. Not like the Godwinn's hogpen match where the object was to through opponent into the pen, but start and run the match in the Pit. Have to fight out of the swamp and into the ring to get the pin.

Kane can take over the Casket match and HitC.

This might seem cheap, but something like the 'Pure' matches from ROH could fit Punk and/or Bryan. Actually that could be a good fit for the current storyline, Bryan somehow sneaks it into the contract that his shot against Randy is a 'Pure' style match.

Tons o Funk-revise the bodyslam challenge, make it have to slam both of them to win.

possible one off 4way Snake's match
Santino(Cobra) vs Stone Cold(Rattler) vs Randy(Viper) vs Jake(python/boa)

 

[L'autre frere rougeau]

which was a rip/copy of the demolution 3man tag champ rule that was itself a copy of the Freebird rule for the Fabulous Free birds.
For a Wyatt family gimmick match, have a SwampPit match. Make a part of the arena into a swamp, include some wildlife (leeches, bugs, stuff like that, have a gator or croc in a small cage nearby) and have the match in the Pit. Not like the Godwinn's hogpen match where the object was to through opponent into the pen, but start and run the match in the Pit. Have to fight out of the swamp and into the ring to get the pin.

Kane can take over the Casket match and HitC.

This might seem cheap, but something like the 'Pure' matches from ROH could fit Punk and/or Bryan. Actually that could be a good fit for the current storyline, Bryan somehow sneaks it into the contract that his shot against Randy is a 'Pure' style match.

Tons o Funk-revise the bodyslam challenge, make it have to slam both of them to win.

possible one off 4way Snake's match
Santino(Cobra) vs Stone Cold(Rattler) vs Randy(Viper) vs Jake(python/boa)

I'd love to see something like the pure wrestling title on the big stage. Guys like john walter, doug williams and alex shelley had some entertaining matches with that title on the line and i could see some gold technician lile swagger, cesaro and some others give a second life on their careers with those kind of stipulations. My only problems would be how the crowd will react with the no punch stipulation..on the other hand i'm sure they'll enjoy the submissions they'll see using the ropes.

 

[shalliin]

PG really limits the brutality needed for anything over the top gimmick match wise, and lack of top level talent really limits how well anything else can be performed and how well it can draw.

i think if anything, the WWE is a good couple years from being able to create the proper need for a gimmick match to be a memorable moment in WWE.

case in point, the ring of fire match at SS was one of the worst matches of the decade. its amazing to me the wyatt family was killed off immediately because it was that bad.

Really? Worst of the decade? And you're including everything Ryder's ever done, Zach Gowan, Curt Hawkins, Ric Flair and Hogan in TNA? OR are you only considering wwe matches? There have been some truly pathetic matches in the last decade, far worse then the ring of fire match.

 

[Kidpolean]

Just over three weeks ago at Summerslam, we saw Kane and Bray Wyatt put on one of the candidates for match of the year inside the ‘Ring Of Fire’ with Bray emerging victorious. Now it was during this match and with Hell In A Cell coming in a few weeks as well, that I got thinking; Which, if any, superstars on the current roster, have the character and ability to have their own ‘gimmick’ match and who would their opponent be?

Now I should stress, that I want to keep some level of physicality to the proceedings and they must be able to be done within the ring.

So for example, Ryback v Mark Henry in a weightlifting contest, and Fandango v Brodus Clay in a danceoff, are both off the table. Taking a look at the roster, I can only think of 3 that fit the criteria to have their own matches and they are as follows:

CM Punk – Kickboxing: Now there aren’t that many people in WWE today with ‘The Educated Feet’ that served the likes of Tajiri well during their careers, but CM Punk is certainly one who has a good leg based attack in his arsenal. Add into this his training in martial arts and you have a man who could put up a good fight if required. Ideal Opponent – Rob Van Dam: O.K, so when I said there is nobody with ‘The Educated Feet’, I may have exaggerated a bit, because here is a man who possesses exactly them. He has exactly the same flexible legs that Punk has and together, these men could put on a great match good enough to keep the crowd entertained.

Brock Lesnar – Cage fight: An angle that I am amazed WWE haven’t played with already. Here you have a man who spent a good 6-7 years in UFC and became Heavyweight Champion, so why haven’t they made him look dominant inside an environment that plays to his advantage. Sure we’ve had a steel cage match, but it just isn’t the same. You could instigate UFC rules in terms of rounds ,TKO’s, and submissions etc. Ideal Opponent – Sheamus: For a match like this, you don’t really want a good technical wrestler such as CM Punk or Daniel Bryan, but you want a brawler, someone who will just give you an all-out fight and that is where The Great White comes in. Playing off his character of a guy who grew up fighting in bars in Dublin, he certainly wouldn’t back down from an opportunity to go one on one in a with Lesnar inside a UFC cage.

Daniel Bryan – Amateur wrestling: Given that D-Bry is the hottest property in WWE right now, it’s only fair that we take a look into his background of wrestling in ‘The Indy’s’. Now I’m writing this on a plane, so don’t have any access to the internet so I can only go by my basic knowledge of amateur wrestling. I know that amateur wrestling takes place in rounds and can only be about 45 seconds long each round, so we would need to do it in an Ironman format; 15 minutes would probably be ideal, most pinfalls wins, simple as that. Ideal opponent – Jack Swagger: I did initially want Brock Lesnar to take this role due to his background in amateur wrestling as well, but I felt that that we’d need it to be believable, and in no way shape or form, does Bryan beat Lesnar. Swagger, an All-American in wrestling back in Oklahoma, would put up a good fight against Bryan, certainly good enough to draw some interest at a PPV.

Can you guys think of any others?

I honestly dont think anyone could pull off their own gimmick match because nobody has a gimmick anymore. But let me comment on yours.

CM Punk has terrible terrible kicks. This guy is so uncoordinated and nonathletic that I believe that anyone with a sense of fighting would kick his ass. I dont know why so many people believe this guy is like some martial arts expert or something. Those terrible kicks he throws wouldn't even land on even the worst mma fighters. Go watch some Jose Aldo if you want to see how to throw a kick, or just compare DB's to Punks. RVD is a much better martial artists and athlete than Punk and its not even close.

Brock Lesnar...Cage Fight. Ok no problems there

DB- Amateur wrestling...you gotta be kidding me. NO NO NO. DB isnt an amateur wrestler so this makes 0 sense. Maybe a BJJ match but DB uses almost zero amateur wrestling moves in the ring. Why not give this to guys that were REALLY amateur wrestlers like Ziggler or Swagger. Aslo because of his size and the fact that amateur wrestling is based off of weight classes, DB would stand no chance against the majority of the roster.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Apart from Lesnar is some kind of cage enviornment linked to his UFC career, I can only think of the Wyatt's who have a gimmick interesting enough to warrant their own gimmick match. However, with the PG era limiting the violence that WWE can go to, I can't really think of anything that would work right now.

I would love to see the WWE debut of the War Games match, especially now WWE have acknowldged it with the recent DVD collection of matches that has been released. However, again the lack of blood in WWE at he moment will hamper this type of match, as the majority in history end up as bloodbaths and are very violent. I would hate for the War Games to be used as a watered-down PG version which ends up being a total flop.

 

[Dirk]

Didn't Big Show have a sumo match against a real sumo wrestler? I think Tensai could do one of these, since he has an Asian-inspired gimmick. I'm not saying it SHOULD happen, but I could watch Big Show vs Tensai in a sumo match.

I would love to see a submission match again. The problem is that Bryan is the only submission wizard at the moment and even his grappling is taking a backseat to repeated kicks to the side. ADR is a good technical guy, so that could happen.

Boxing match, anybody? Seeing as it's part of Wade Barrett's gimmick, he could take it. I doubt brass would give Undertaker to this guy, so RVD could be a good stand. Cena as well. Tbh, I'm already so tired of Lesnar and his MMA schtick, so he doesn't make the cut here, but I guess he could do as well.

Taker could still do his buried alive matches or casket matches, but then it'd have to be sex months before WM or he won't be able to make it. It's always been Kane to match his darkness, so it might as well be again. The longer I think about it, Brothers of Destruction vs The Ascension is something along these lines that could've happened in the near future if the Brothers were five years younger.

Sheamus had a Belfast brawl this year and I thought that played well into his gimmick. Seeing as it's all he's going to do from here on, Trips might as well be the opponent in this themed hardcore match.