Failed Wrestling Gimmicks From Guys Who Became Legends

Throughout the 1990s, there were so many laughably bad wrestling gimmicks it’s not even funny. Remember Mantaur? Eventually, both WCW and WWF (now WWE) got their acts together, but, as we know, people don’t forget.

Sometimes a bad gimmick can torpedo a career. Remember Mantaur? Other times, if they have the goods, a wrestler can survive and reinvent themselves. There are a few legendary cases of guys who had failed gimmicks but then hit it big, either at a different company or with the same promotion.

Failed Wrestling Gimmicks From Guys Who Became Legends

BOLD: Gimmick they eventually hit it big with

Isaac Yankem, D.D.S/Fake Diesel

Glen Jacobs would eventually go on to a historic career in the WWE as Kane, but he was with the brand for years before hitting it big. He debuted as Isaac Yankem D.D.S, the heel dentist of Jerry “The King” Lawler, then had a run as “Fake” Diesel. It’s hard to decide which gimmick was worse.

The Ringmaster

Like Kane, Stone Cold Steve Austin had one of his most forgettable gimmicks with the same company that eventually made him a star. After a decent run with WCW as one half of The Hollywood Blondes and a stint in ECW cutting promos, Austin debuted in WWE as The Ringmaster, a gimmick that was a far cry from what he’d eventually become. He was wearing green trunks, white boots, and had hair! Yuck. I can’t even imagine Stone Cold wearing that stupid Million Dollar Championship belt.

Terra Ryzing

Before he became Triple H and a big wig inside the offices of WWE, Hunter Hearst Helmsley was stuck in a mid-to-low card spot in WCW. He was known as Terra Ryzing down south, an awful name that didn’t do justice to his in-ring ability. While paying his dues with WCW, he did develop the facebuster as his finisher, a move that eventually became famous as the Pedigree in WWE.

Oz/Vinnie Vegas

Like Triple H, Kevin Nash got his first mainstream break with WCW. Also like Triple H, it was under some forgettable gimmicks. Nash, who’d go on to hit it big in WWE as Diesel, wrestled under Oz in WCW, a gimmick that featured a gigantic hat, green cape, and mask. After that flopped, he started coming to the ring as Vinnie Vegas, which wasn’t as bad as Oz but not nearly as cool as Diesel or Kevin Nash (his real name). As Diesel, Nash collected the WWF Tag Team, Intercontinental, and Championship belts (also known as the WWE Triple Crown) in one year (1994). You can hear Nash talking about his clumsy gimmicks below.

The Diamond Studd

The Diamond Studd get-up isn’t awful, but it certainly failed in comparison to Razor Ramon, which came later when he joined WWE, and Scott Hall, a real-life moniker that shook the business up tremendously. A WWE Hall of Famer, Hall held the WWF Intercontinental belt four times, once after a historic match at Wrestlemania X against Shawn Michaels. Ironically, Hall and Nash teamed up with their screwy gimmicks (below) long before they were the foundation of the NWO or members of the infamous Kliq.

Mean Mark

The Undertaker is quite possibly Vince McMahon’s greatest creation. Before he was the dead man, however, he was putzing around in the WCW as Mean Mark, one-half of The Skyscrapers (with Dan Spivey). The Skyscrapers were the Road Warriors punching bag for a while before Mean Mark went out into singles competition (managed by Paul E. Dangerously, later known as Paul Heyman). He never gained traction but by November of 1990, he was debuting as The Undertaker on a WWF pay-per-view. The rest, as they say, is history.