3 Gimmicks That Saved Wrestlers' Career
A gimmick is a soul for any wrestler's career. A performer is always known for his characters that he has played in his career. While a good gimmick can take a wrestler to the top, a bad gimmick can destroy their career even before it takes off. In the industry of wrestling, first impression is very important as this is the image a wrestler leaves with the audience for the first time. That's why you can't imagine No Way Jose as a Universal Champion or The Undertaker as a comedian.
Young wrestlers take time to select their initial role before making their first appearance on any promotion to make the best out of the opportunity they have got. But, it doesn't mean a wrestler cannot make a come back after a disappointing first show. In fact, some of the biggest stars in the history of the industry began their wrestling careers chained to a dead gimmick.
Along with first impressions, experimentation is also important in the world of wrestling. There are very few stars who hit gold in their first attempt and wrestlers like Matt Hardy still look to make changes to their gimmick even after having success with it for decades. Let's look at three gimmicks that saved a wrestlers' career and gave them the much-needed lifeline.
#3 Xavier Woods - The New Day
How many of you remember what Xavier Woods was doing before The New Day? Not many, right? After making his main roster debut in November 2013, he was wandering in the mid-card scene with fellow TNA alumnus, R-Truth, feuding against teams like 3MB and Tons of Funk in a losing cause. By April 2014, he was already reduced to the status of jobber and was barely making appearances on either brands.
He was just hoping for writers to give him something worthwhile and was desperately wishing to avoid the next round of cut. He always had the personality and talent to be a good manager or someone's mouthpiece but was not getting any opportunity to showcase his talent. When New Day happened, he finally got the platform to have fun with his promos and to display the friendship that he has with his partners. For the first time in his career, he got the gimmick that he thoroughly enjoyed and it helped him in getting his career on track.
The New Day is an absolute goldmine in the tag team division and is probably one of the best teams the company have at the moment. Their matches are always great and full of spots, which WWE certainly lacks in the division right now. The faction saved Woods' career and in return, along with Big E and Kofi Kingston, he gave the industry one of the most memorable factions in the history.