Which Wrestlers Could Benefit From Gimmicks?

[amazing_blue]

Simple question here. Which wrestlers in the WWE do you think could benefit from being given a gimmick to work with? The gimmicks could be very basic and subtle, or totally over-the-top and outlandish like the stuff the company was giving us during the early and mid 90s. The reason I'm asking this question is because of the rumor that Skip Sheffeild is going to make his return to the WWE as "Ryback," a Terminator-type character who comes from the future. As a fan who can appreciate outlandish gimmicks, I'm looking forward to this and am wondering if anyone else could benefit from such a thing.

I look at a guy like Alex Riley, and see a young gun with a ton of potential but no way to stand out with so many others getting the spotlight. He kid of is trapped by being just another American white dude with tattoos. I'm not trying to be offensive, I'm just saying that he has no unique look to set him apart from other wrestlers. What he does have that sets him apart from the pack is a burning Cena-like intensity that could work into some sort of gimmick. What do you guys think?

 

[The Future Rises]

Alex Riley. Like you pointed out he really is just a generic babyface. He's shown more than once that he can be a total badass by giving The Miz one hell of a beating. So I think he needs to turn the "badass" feel into him into a gimmick. Something like "Raging Riley" .. Ok maybe not but something that would work.

Another guy that I can see benefiting from having a gimmick is Tyson Kidd. I think he can really pull off the "Not looking intimidating yet extremely dangerous" persona. He has the ring skills to back it up but he just doesn't have any mic skills. So I think he would benefit from a gimmick that would let his actions speak for him.

 

[#hamler]

When I look at the WWE roster, there are tons of talented guys with a substantial amount of talent that haven't found the right gimmick that connects with the crowd. When I think of Superstars that need a gimmick, I mainly think of someone who I love watching on the under-card. Someone who has potential to be someone relevant in the WWE; that Superstar is Curt Hawkins.

There is so much the WWE could be doing with this guy but there's no doubt he needs the right gimmick to get and stay over. You don't have to look far when searching for the right gimmick for Hawkins, as his former tag team partner is doing just fine for himself with an outlandish gimmick that's somehow working. Zack Ryder went out of his way to get himself over using the power of Youtube and social media. Why couldn't Curt Hawkins spike his hair, turn face and dub himself as the [insert hometown city name] Iced C (for Curt)? Pair these two back up and get Hawkins out of the under-card hell he's in. Once he's over enough to flourish and be sucessful, he can drop the stupid gimmick and be on his way to bigger, better things in the WWE. Pair these two up most definitely and give Curt Hawkins something to do. The guy has tons of potential.

Another Superstar who could really benefit from a gimmick is Daniel Bryan. Mr. Bryan is certainly a fine wrestler but he's no where near ready to make that big leap to World Championship contender. He's gimmickless I guess you could say. Yet, how hard would it be to give him a gimmick where he flourishes on Ruthless Agression; making his opponents scream in pain all the while tapping profusely to some submission no one knows the name of. Now I hate comparing wrestlers to other wrestlers but giving Bryan an agressive style like the late, no so great Chris Benoit would do wonders for Daniel Bryan and his respective brand. Not only would he eventually get over, but he would be a potential contender for the World Heavyweight Championship in no time.

There are tons of guys who could benefit from a gimmick. Guys on the undercard are sitting there doing nothing. They're not on tv and when they are on television, they're certainly not displaying any kind of gimmicks. So what's the harm in finding a gimmick for these young guys while they're still at the beginning stages of their careers? Have them test a few gimmicks out while they're regulars on Superstars and/or NXT. It couldn't hurt anyone. Once they find a gimmick that wins the crowd over, push them. It's pretty simple. This is one area where the WWE could do so much better on.

 

[IHW]

Id agree with Hamler on the Zack and Curt teaming.
Turn Curt face, change his look, add the "ryder" gimmick, and team them up.

That would really help both superstars and the WWE Tag Division.

So, Curt Hawkins is my pick as well.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

you know I hadn't thought much about gimmicks until recently when I got nostalgic and started watching the Goonies... Random I know, but I have a point, anyways, the movie led me to the Cyndi Lauper video for "it's good enough" on youtube. The video featured CLASSIC and i mean CLASSIC 80s wrestlers like the Iron Sheik, Roddy Piper, Nikolai Volkoff, and Classy Freddie Blassie. They all looked larger than life and extremely colorful. The wrestlers really stood out, not just in the video, but anytime you saw them on TV. These days, you don't see that as much and it's a shame. Wrestlers don't stand out for the most part and they just all blend together. I think the majority of wrestlers need some kind of gimmick beyond what they have. I think Ziggler could use one (Mr Perfect recycled somehow), even Sheamus needs a little more to have a bigger gimmick. The volume needs to be turned up on the majority of the roster to turn them more into gimmicks and less into real people. They are wrestlers adn should be bigger than life ESP when you are trying to cater to kids as well.

 

[The_Sharpshooter]

Call me crazy, but I dont see much in Hawkins. Wasnt watching when he & Ryders teamed up though. Seen him a lot on Superstars and I just see him as a Heath Slater type, the wrestler with ability who will only make a living in wrestling by putting over future stars. Maybe when he's 40 and has earned that respect, maybe though, but I'm here to talk up, not down.

I feel like the guy who is most ready that is not consistently on Raw/Smackdown is Drew McIntyre. John Morrison is my favorite, but Drew has more believibility and aggression to his to skills.

This man went from being the Chosen One to getting Superkicked by HBK in a quick backstage segment. Shouldnt he be tired of being disrespected? Let him go on a rampage spree. Let him lose every match by DQ because he's not focused on willing, just hurting people. Week after week, he can try to top himself by hurting people with more extreme measures. You let McIntyre play a truly aggressive character, and he will captivate the audience

 

[GameOver]

Every performer is a gimmick. Open your eyes. lol
Whether it be the workhorse, the entertainer, the jobber, the comedian, the asshole, the loser, the useless, the ego or whatever

name 1 that doesn't have a gimmick

Id agree with Hamler on the Zack and Curt teaming.
Turn Curt face, change his look, add the "ryder" gimmick, and team them up.

That would really help both superstars and the WWE Tag Division.

So, Curt Hawkins is my pick as well.

They were already a great tag team. Edgeheads, the Major Brothers. Hawkins and Ryder, one of the great teams they split up pretty quick.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

You want to be careful, because while it's important that certain Superstars have gimmicks to make them stand out, you don't want to over-saturate the market, so to speak. Some people have subtle gimmicks, and that's all they need. A catch-phrase or something they wear to the ring just to give them a little something extra.

Alex Riley used to have the Miz, and now he's all on his own without a gimmick. Boring. Actually, not boring, just not existent... Like, at all. Does he need a gimmick to make him fresh? I don't know, maybe he just needs a personality and to be around other charismatic Superstars.

John Morrison used to be awesome. He used to draw huge heat as a heel with the Miz. It wasn't just the tag team, it was his fake-ass rockstar gimmick, the "Shaman of Sexy" that was EASY to hate. And that's what a gimmick is! It takes somebody that can't draw heat or a face pop on their own, and makes it easier for them. Then again, there are great Superstars with gimmicks, I'm just saying it helps the lower-card guys.

 

[amazing_blue]

Every performer is a gimmick. Open your eyes. lol
Whether it be the workhorse, the entertainer, the jobber, the comedian, the asshole, the loser, the useless, the ego or whatever

name 1 that doesn't have a gimmick

What gimmick does Alex Riley have? As far as I can tell, he's a guy who dreamed of becoming a WWE superstar since childhood and occasionally comes out to wrestle. There's really nothing else to note about the guy.

The same can be said about Air Boom, Daniel Bryan and many others.

 

[tnablows]

Am I only the one who Has the former nexus leader come to mind

WADE BARRET... He was such a dominating star and was no doubt on his way to superstardom but now we see him picking up small sons on smacdown and maybe this is something that will be a build up but I think with the right gimmick HE WOULD BE... AWESOME!

 

[Borberto Bor Rio]

Zack Ryder, the most overrated superstar.. seriously? Just because you paid your dues doesn't mean that you should be champion.. I don't know why the IWC has such a fetish with paying your dues.. if you're talented, then push him right away, if he's not, then don't push him at all! The reason why I hate Del Rio is not because he didn't deserve it, but because he is not talented at all and gets no crowd reaction.. if someone extremely talented like BROCK LESNAR gets a huge push, which he did, I had no fucking problem with that..

Anyways, back on the topic, Zack Ryder deserves his push, yes he paid his dues, but he is extremely overrated. His mic skills are barely above average at best and his in-ring skills are pretty boring to be honest. He does have lots of charisma, but his gimmick is VERY hard to take seriously. I see some people begging for a main-event push for Ryder, but with this gimmick? NO WAY IN HELL!