5 WWE gimmicks that were actually Vince McMahon's creations
WWE is currently one of the biggest global media corporations in the world, boasting well over a billion followers across social media. Vince McMahon's company has been churning out weekly content for several decades now, and is home to some of the biggest Superstars in the industry.
One aspect of pro-wrestling that makes or breaks careers is a 'gimmick'. The character that a wrestler portrays on-screen, decides whether fans would cheer for them, boo them out of the building, or straight-away reject them.
The storied history of pro-wrestling has seen countless gimmicks being created and brought to life. Some faded into obscurity, while a select few have gained legendary status. In the following slideshow, we'll take a look at five gimmicks that were the creations of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who's widely regarded as one of the greatest minds in the history of this business.
#5 The New Day's Preacher gimmick
Back in 2014, The New Day was formed and the careers of Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods would never be the same again. The trio came together when Woods confronted Kofi and Big E following a loss on RAW, and told them that it was "their time to shine". Six years later, The New Day is one of the most successful factions in the history of WWE. The stable has won the Tag Team titles on 8 different occasions.
Fans might remember that The New Day was originally portrayed as dancing preachers, which was a gimmick that the WWE owner came up with.
“So we’re just sitting there smiling and nodding at Vince. But we can all hear each other in our heads, like, ‘NOOOOOO! This is never gonna work!’ What are you doing?!?! Preachers, nooooo!’ We’re just smiling and nodding, like, ‘Yep! We’ll take the opportunity, Vince!’ Like, the biggest contrast in what was happening.”
The gimmick was corny and didn't thrill the fans one bit, leading to the trio turning heel, and the rest is history. The improved characters of The New Day were received well by the audience and the trio soon turned into three of the most hilarious acts on WWE TV.