5 WWE gimmicks that were quickly abandoned
Professional wrestling, WWE especially, has always been more about the character than the actual in-ring aspect. You could be pulled off the street and turned into a major star if the machine was behind you, you had the right look, and the right gimmick.
While wrestling fans nowadays are more invested in what goes on between the ropes and tend to focus a bit too much on "work rate," character work is still as important as it's ever been.
Take a look at Roman Reigns, a man who earned the WWE Universe's respect the second he became The Tribal Chief. Reigns was always great at what he did, whether fans wanted to admit it or not, but he needed a gimmick that they could sink their teeth into.
The right gimmick can make your career. However, on the flip side of that coin, the wrong one can upend it. Whether it's down to poor timing, unfortunate incidents, or a simply terrible idea, some WWE Superstars failed to reach audiences in one way or another. Often, it's had to do with a gimmick that wasn't quite up to snuff.
Today we'll be taking a look at some gimmicks that never even go a chance to get off the ground. We'll be starting with someone who recently returned to WWE and, hopefully, is set for more success this time around.
#5. Eva Marie's WWE SmackDown run
Yep, the recently re-debuted Eva Marie was a victim of WWE's weird "will they, won't they" booking, which doesn't bode well for her or Piper Niven. Wait, no, sorry. We aren't supposed to know her name yet. My apologies.
Anyway, back in the summer of 2016, vignettes began airing hyping the return of Miss All Red Everything herself, establishing her as a heel. In August, she was set for in-ring competition. Except...she avoided back-to-back matches, continuously bailing at the last second, faking an injury, or just not appearing at the arena and claiming to be held up by traffic.
Well, she didn't make that last claim. Her special announcer did. To be fair, this was kind of genius in a way. Hardcore fans weren't really sold on Eva Marie in the ring, and the casual viewer would be intrigued enough to tune in week after week to see if she would do anything of importance.
Unfortunately, Eva Marie was popped for a wellness violation before any of this could really get off the ground. Marie claimed it was for her Adderall prescription, but she'd submitted paperwork for it after a deadline with the company, which meant their hands were tied. Unfortunately, this version of Eva Marie lasted only a few short months.
Shortly after this, she stopped appearing on TV altogether and would leave the company by August of 2017. Hopefully, for both her and her mystery associate's sakes, their run on WWE RAW this year works out better for them.