10 Gimmicks that never should've worked, but did

Roll a fatty for this pimp daddy!

The art of selling a gimmick is one of the most critical components to a professional wrestler's success. For some, they are fortunate to be assigned to a fairly simple gimmick, while others are handed a much more challenging moniker to display to the fans.

For instance, Stone Cold Steve Austin was given a gimmick in which he had to portray a tough, beer drinking redneck from the sticks of Texas. Well, that was pretty simple for Austin, considering the gimmick nearly mirrored the person who Steve already was, to begin with.

However, when he was 'Stunning' Steve Austin, it was a much more difficult task, primarily because he was not the yuppie from Hollywood that he was forced to pretend he was. 

Some wrestlers are blessed with the ability to sell their character with much more ease than others. It's just something that they have inside, sort of like the ever elusive "x-factor," you either have it, or you don't. Nevertheless, the pro wrestling gimmick is a vital part of the aura, or the storytelling which goes into the sport.

Wrestling is much more than just having a good guy face off with the bad guy. Wrestling is the most extreme type of storytelling known to man.

With professional wrestling, the stories are told with the bodies of the talented men and women who we call superstars, because, quite frankly, if someone has the skill needed to convert their body into an element in a story... well, that person is indeed a superstar, in every sense of the term. 

When it comes to the gimmicks, there have been many. Some we have seen, and immediately rolled our eyes in disbelief that something so cringe-worthy actually made it to life. Then, there are others who simply leave us in awe at how amazing the character actually is.

In this article, we are going to focus on ten gimmicks that should have been a huge flop, but turned out to be money.

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#10 Fandango 

Fannnn....dannnnnn.....GO!

Now, I am well aware that the Fandango we all watch now, is not exactly setting the world on fire. Personally, I believe he's just experiencing some terrible booking decisions, which he has no control over. However, the original Fandango was epic and still can be, if they simply let him go back to what put him over to begin with.

At Wrestlemania 29, Fandango defeated Chris Jericho, in what was Fandango's main roster in-ring debut. The following night, something incredible happened. Despite being a heel, the entire crowd got behind Fandango, and they began dancing and singing along to his music.

This would be the start of a huge movement for Fandango. I can remember watching one particular episode of Raw, when they were in London. Fandango made his entrance and as soon as his music dropped, the entire crowd was on their feet, "doing the Fandango."

I seriously doubt anyone expected that type of response, but from there, it only got bigger. Every town, every arena, the whole world was behind Fandango, and they were all dancing along to his music. In fact, at one point, the Fandango entrance song was at the top of iTunes best seller list.

Why the creative team has decided to essentially bury Fandango, is beyond my understanding. I do believe this guy still has untapped potential, and he can still go out and provide that much-needed entertainment value that he is very much capable of.