WWE History: 6 gimmick changes that were eventually scrapped
In the world of WWE, you live and die by your gimmick.
Sometimes, a gimmick helps elevate a star, such as 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's loud-mouth take no prisoner attitude, or the cocky heel tendencies of The Rock.
Other times, a gimmick may seem like an impossible task but has gotten over with the crowd thanks to the work of the Superstar using it (e.g. Umaga).
Sometimes though, WWE will help to breathe new life into a wrestler's career, by giving them a gimmick change.
Whilst there have been plenty of gimmick changes in the past, such as 3MB to the Scottish Psychopath Drew McIntyre, sometimes these changes just don't pan out.
Here are six huge WWE gimmick changes that were eventually scrapped before they could make it to TV.
#6 Bob Holly as a NASA employee
When Bob ‘Hardcore’ Holly first debuted in the WWE, he appeared as Thurman ‘Sparky’ Plugg, a race car driver in what Holly must’ve thought would be his most ridiculous gimmick.
Eventually dropping the character for his much better-received Hardcore gimmick, Holly would be one of WWE's toughest competitors before leaving the company.
But in 2006, Holly returned to the WWE, and nearly had Sparky Plugg beaten when he was given the character of a NASA employee.
The WWE’s reasoning was that ECW was set to debut on the SciFi channel, and despite Holly’s years as a brawler, thought the former Hardcore Champion could’ve easily passed as a spaceman.
WWE even wanted him to wrestle in a spacesuit, though the character was fortunately canceled, as it seemed unlikely that Holly, or anyone, could’ve pulled off the ridiculous character in 2006.