WhatCulture: 7 terrible wrestling gimmicks that somehow got over

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WhatCulture has a fun list of wrestling gimmicks that should have flopped but somehow got over with fans. The names in the list include The Undertaker, Booker T, Matt Hardy, Fandango, The Hurricane, Luchasaurus and Danhausen. It is a good reminder that in wrestling, the performer often matters far more than the idea on paper

The Undertaker is the obvious lead entry. As the article points out, a mystical zombie who draws power from an urn quite simply should not have worked. Mark Calaway's mastery of keeping fans believing let him go through huge changes, from the dark, satanic Ministry era to the biker American Badass, without anyone questioning how absurd the original idea was. Few wrestlers have ever sold a character so completely. It is hard to argue with his place at the top of the list

Several of the others fit the same pattern. Booker T's King Booker run was ridiculous in all the best ways, with the fake British accent and royal court. Fandango was a ballroom dancer who somehow became a sing along sensation with fans. The Hurricane was a cartoon superhero who became beloved, and Matt Hardy's Broken persona turned a strange experiment into one of the most talked about acts of its era

The modern entries are interesting too. Luchasaurus is a dinosaur wrestler, which sounds like a joke until you see how athletic he is. Danhausen is a self described very nice, very evil character who should be far too silly, but fans love him. Both show that committing fully to a strange gimmick is what makes it work. Both have huge merchandise appeal too

Lists like this are always good for a debate. Which gimmick on there do you think worked best? And which terrible gimmick do you think should be on the list but was left out?

7 Terrible Wrestling Gimmicks That SOMEHOW Got Overwhatculture.com