Gimmicks in wrestling have so many variables in place that need to work for ultimate success. WCW had their fair share of great gimmick changes like Hulk Hogan becoming Hollywood Hogan or Sting evolving into the Crow version of his character. However, there are stories of WCW gimmicks failing due to the name they picked.
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Any character requires the right wrestler fitting into that role and a story dictating success. WCW could have found more success if booking a different talent to play the gimmick in question. Each scenario will be viewed in depth to find out what could have worked differently. The following failed WCW gimmicks may have worked with a different wrestler in each role.
10 The Wall
WCW clearly found inspiration from ECW’s 911 character when booking The Wall to get a singles push. Alex Wright’s Berlyn character sparked the debut of The Wall as his bodyguard, but Wright’s gimmick ending due to the network stepping in gave Wall a bigger push.
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The idea of a big man putting everyone through tables and using the choke slam should have been compelling. An embarrassing Nitro angle with Hulk Hogan is all fans remember Wall for most today. Things could have been far better if a more polished big man was tasked with this gimmick.
9 Shawn Stasiak
The career of Shawn Stasiak saw him trying to make a few bad gimmicks work in WWE with failed results. WCW gave Stasiak a better chance at success with a solid run in the Natural Born Thrillers faction and a bigger singles push dating Stacy Keibler.
An upper card angle saw Stacy claiming to be pregnant and dumping David Flair during a wedding segment when revealing he wasn’t the father. The payoff saw Keibler stating she was never pregnant and was instead dating Stasiak. This was a dream role for most rising heels needing an angle to get over, but Stasiak couldn’t get any momentum going.
8 Big T
Ahmed Johnson had a disappointing final major run in his wrestling career joining WCW to play Big T. Harlem Heat ended their all-time great tag team run when Booker T received a singles push on his own and Stevie Ray tried to rebuild the team with a replacement.
Big T replaced Booker to form Harlem Heat 2000 with a heel run designed by Stevie to make his brother pay. Harlem Heat 2000 flopped partially due to Ahmed not being in the best shape and struggling in his new role. A better wrestler could have made a new Harlem Heat work since it was an established act.
7 Wrath
WCW fell into the habit of trying to create a few gimmicks inspired by the Mortal Kombat video game franchise. Wrath was one of the gimmicks with a name and look that felt it should have been in the video game, but there was potential there.
Bryan Clark was most known for playing Adam Bomb in WWE and felt out of place in the new character. WCW found more success from Clark in the Kronik tag team. However, Wrath may have been a great big man gimmick if someone new played the intimidating character to truly feel like their identity.
6 Fake Sting
The Fake Sting character helping the New World Order started off as a great idea since it started an all-time great storyline of Sting becoming the Crow version. However, WCW tried to make the Fake Sting a full-time act after it was revealed that the NWO hired a fake to frame Sting.
Fans were aware of the Fake Sting schtick when he wrestled matches representing the NWO as the real Sting watched from the rafters. WCW picking a well-known wrestler to play Fake Sting or just a better worker may have kept him around longer without feeling out of place.
5 The Black Scorpion
Another failed gimmick that started as a thorn in Sting’s side was the Black Scorpion gimmick. A masked wrestler attacked Sting for months and was portrayed as a new top heel, despite fans knowing nothing about the identity as the mystery selling point.
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Ric Flair being unveiled as the man behind the mask ruined everything since that was the most obvious name as someone that already had a feud with Sting. WCW couldn’t find a great choice after already dedicating time to the idea and ruined it with an unimaginative reveal.
4 Mike Sanders
WCW came up with a unique way to introduce Mike Sanders as the talker of the Natural Born Thrillers. Sanders had a peculiar nickname of “Above Average” and usually just did the talking in promo segments for the other young wrestlers.
However, an unknown random talent coming off as a mid-carder is a tough sell in a powerful role. Sanders should have been introduced and established before representing others. WCW could have also just picked a true manager if they wanted someone to get over in a manager role.
3 Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious returned to WCW in 1999 with the gimmick of the Millenium Man. The gimmick was Sid claiming he was undefeated and would beat Goldberg’s record of 173-0. However, part of the reason that Goldberg’s streak worked was that he was a new talent fans had never seen pinned or submitted.
A previous WCW stint and multiple recent WWE runs saw Sid losing matches. Sid even had a comical aspect to his streak clearly being a lie when the number grew each week. A new wrestler to WCW getting the Millenium Man character would have been a better path to success.
2 The Disciple
Hulk Hogan tried so hard to get his best friend Brutus Beefcake over in WCW, but it never worked. Failed pushes as The Butcher, The Zodiac and The Booty Man all failed badly. Hogan gave Beefcake one final major role as The Disciple in the New World Order.
The gimmick was essentially Hogan’s right-hand man following his leadership and being his muscle. Any other wrestler in this role would have made more sense than the established Hogan friend coming off all the failed pushes. The time working closely with Hogan should have boosted a more promising talent.
1 Paul Roma
The Four Horsemen was WCW’s greatest act in the early 1990s after a few great versions to inspire another revamped run. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson named Paul Roma as a handpicked new member meant to represent the future of pro wrestling.
WCW wanted Roma to feel like a blue chipper prosect moving to the next level aligning with such legends. Roma was unfortunately a generally weak performer that couldn’t live up to the pressure. Flair and Anderson both ended up hating working with Roma to end the run, but it would have been a perfect role for any great young name.
