HeenanGorilla
Championship Contender
I put this in the WWE section because I am unfamiliar with TNA and other promotions. But, I was thinking of how right place, right time has a lot to do with a superstar's success. I was also thinking how good gimmicks can be wasted on the wrong wrestlers and good wrestlers can be stuck with badd gimmicks. I read that Terry Taylor was the original choice for the Mr. Perfect gimmick. That is one of my favorites and think Curt Hennig did a phenomenal job with it. I doubt Taylor, or anyone else, could have done it better. I'm not so much interested in which wrestler could have been better if not stuck with a poor gimmick. It's been done a lot. However, which gimmick could have been bigger if it had a different wrestler/entertainer portraying it?
To get the ball rolling--and once again I thought of a post idea without thinking of my own example---I will go with the Genius gimmick...and along these lines the Narcissist gimmick...where someone who felt he was superior to everyone, mainly the audience, could have gotten a lot more heat. Poffo and Luger did ok with their respective roles. But, I think these could have gotten a lot more heat had they been portrayed by someone else. Lex was pulled from his gimmick to become the next Hogan with his Lex Express tour and all. But, he never had you really hoping he got his ass handed to him. Poffo either. Yes, he got his hair cut by Brutus and manhandled by..Jamison...but never REALLY got the crowd so hot that they wanted him killed. I feel this was mainly because it seemed like people were like "Ok, it's Lanny Poffo. On to the main event..." I just think those roles could have been bigger if handed to a different superstar. I think someone who wasn't better than everyone, but thought they were--and was just good enough to be taken seriously--would have been perfect. Perhaps someone like Paul Roma. Hell of an athlete, but had that "I think I'm better than I am" arrogant look to him. I could see him being able to carry a feud and a match, kind of like Rick Martel, and drawing enough heat that everyone would want to see him ripped in half. Not a lot of personality, but enough to become hated, given the right material.
What are some of yours?
To get the ball rolling--and once again I thought of a post idea without thinking of my own example---I will go with the Genius gimmick...and along these lines the Narcissist gimmick...where someone who felt he was superior to everyone, mainly the audience, could have gotten a lot more heat. Poffo and Luger did ok with their respective roles. But, I think these could have gotten a lot more heat had they been portrayed by someone else. Lex was pulled from his gimmick to become the next Hogan with his Lex Express tour and all. But, he never had you really hoping he got his ass handed to him. Poffo either. Yes, he got his hair cut by Brutus and manhandled by..Jamison...but never REALLY got the crowd so hot that they wanted him killed. I feel this was mainly because it seemed like people were like "Ok, it's Lanny Poffo. On to the main event..." I just think those roles could have been bigger if handed to a different superstar. I think someone who wasn't better than everyone, but thought they were--and was just good enough to be taken seriously--would have been perfect. Perhaps someone like Paul Roma. Hell of an athlete, but had that "I think I'm better than I am" arrogant look to him. I could see him being able to carry a feud and a match, kind of like Rick Martel, and drawing enough heat that everyone would want to see him ripped in half. Not a lot of personality, but enough to become hated, given the right material.
What are some of yours?