WWE Needs To Step Up On The Gimmicks?

[Cayse]

WWE has been really down on the creativity lately. In my opinion, it isn't that interesting anymore. I find one of those problems to be not using gimmicks to their full potential. Now I'm not saying they should go gimmick crazy, they just need to make them stand out a bit more. It seems that all WWE is going with the wrestlers is have them step in the ring and wrestle anymore.

Take CM Punk for example. His character has pretty much died. He has this whole Straight-Edge persona but they don't use it at all. I'm sure if WWE would use it to the point like they did in the Indies, such as his promo against Raven where he went and told the fans by the bar he wanted them to die, he would be one hell of a sell. It would make him interesting along with the talent.

Even Undertaker is an example. Creative wanted to up his character by giving him powers and building somewhat of a new ministry. But Vince refused. Casket matches and the phrase "I'm gonna take your soul" get boring after about hearing it 60 times a month. Give him something different to go with his gimmick. Express it more and make it more believable.

What are your guys' thoughts on this?

I thought this would be a pretty good open topic for discussion. So let it rip.

 

[SnackZ]

More gimmicks?? No. Better/stronger characters?? YES. To me gimmicks are the oddities in wrestling that bore me. Gimmicks (to ME) are dumb shit like Jessi and Festus and Kizarny and the Boogeyman and The Brian Kendrick (so annoying this guys is). I do agree that Punk can be better utilized but in due time he will be. Remember he is still new to the E and they like to build their own characters and don't really follow the "he was this way over there so he's that way over here". The E is not into giving others credit for their product. Taker should not have another ministry. He should be alone and have WM25 be his final resting place. Is Orton a gimmick? No. He had a gimmick for a mintue "legend killer" and his character evolved into its own thing that no longer calls for a gimmick. he is just ORTON. Same for Batista and Cena and the list goes on and on. You don't need more gimmicks. You just need to give everyone the opportunity to learn the craft better and grow their characters into something we enjoy to watch.

 

[Evil Austin]

I agree the gimmicks in the past year have been lacking 'creativity' look at Charlie Hass for example he has no gimmick whatsoever so the writters put him every week in costumes of other wrestlers living or dead and copying their gimmicks.

Look at Dolph Ziggler; What the hell kind of gimmick is Hello, im Dolph Ziggler nice to meet you. :smile:

Or Ryan Braddock; The terminator from the future here in pro wrestling reminds me of a movie I saw a few years ago :shifty: the creative team are having a hard time thinking of new things to do with wrestlers.

 

[CenaMark54]

Everyone has a gimmick, except the jobbers and HHH. They just aren't the crazy over the top gimmicks of yesteryear.

Personally, I like the realistic gimmicks much better. They are easier to relate to.

Orton = Psychopath, willing to do anything for the belt.
Rey = underdog/Rudy
Jericho = Narcisistic heel, who has a superiority complex
Cena= Rocky, heart of a champion
JBL = corporate greed
Edge = Chickenshit cheater

Those are all gimmicks. Just realistic ones. What they don't need is someone who claims to be able to shoot lightning out of his ass and come back from the dead. Or people from Death Valley or Parts unknown.

Like am I supposed to believe that a "dead man" chose professional wrestling as a means to express himself? And does he recieve phone calls or emails telling him where the next show is? its friggin ridiculous.

 

[MikeRaw]

Cenamark summed it up perfectly.
Eliminate jobbers because they aren't relevant. But anyone who is anyone has a gimmick, but just more grounded and realistic.
This is part of wwe making it more real based, as well as more like an "episodic tv show".

But as Cenamark said, everyone has a gimmick. Edge (Rated R, over the top, chickenshit), Orton (psychotic, cocky), Y2J(Bitter), Cena (man of the people), HBK (legend), etc.
That's all we need, and there's more.

So if you mean by gimmicks, that we need more people like Kane, Taker, Boogeyman, etc, then you are right in saying that we lack those, because there's only two. However, I weould disagree, because I don't like those.

But there are plenty of gimmicks, they are just more realistic, and I actually like it better that way, because it can still be interesting, and it actually makes for more personal feuds, between realistic characters.

 

[SnackZ]

Everyone has a gimmick, except the jobbers and HHH. They just aren't the crazy over the top gimmicks of yesteryear.

Personally, I like the realistic gimmicks much better. They are easier to relate to.

Orton = Psychopath, willing to do anything for the belt.
Rey = underdog/Rudy
Jericho = Narcisistic heel, who has a superiority complex
Cena= Rocky, heart of a champion
JBL = corporate greed
Edge = Chickenshit cheater

Those are all gimmicks. Just realistic ones. What they don't need is someone who claims to be able to shoot lightning out of his ass and come back from the dead. Or people from Death Valley or Parts unknown.

Like am I supposed to believe that a "dead man" chose professional wrestling as a means to express himself? And does he recieve phone calls or emails telling him where the next show is? its friggin ridiculous.

All the people you named with the little = signs have personal traits/characteristics that make them who they are. Those are not gimmicks. How is someone who is willing to do anything to be champ a gimmick? How is a 5 foot nothing guy being the underdog in a profession where everyone is huge a gimmick? How is someone who has never garnered the respect of the fans even though he's done enough to do so and is cocky about it and resentful for it a gimmick? How is someone who gives every match his all and never quits or gives up or backs down from anyone a gimmick? Well, JBL I can't really argue with it being a gimmick but the fact that his personal life has transcended from that of a redneck to that of a financial analyst and millionaire and generating that into a storyline can be construed as a character/personality trait. Edge taking advantage of situations and sliding to the top with little effort can be seen as a gimmick but in actuality its his personality to take advantage of situations presented to him.

The deadman is a gimmick by far and I can not argue that with you. Funny shit you wrote about the calls/e-mails. Repped for that!

 

[The Shua]

Remember back in the good ol' days? You didn't need to have a crazy oldlandish gimmick to get over with the crowd. With the exception of Ultimate Warrior and Papa Shango(and maybe a few others), outlandish gimmicks were few and far between.

Although, I guess at this stage of the game, seeing that WWE is veiwed more as entertainment than actual wrestling, I suppose crazy gimmicks are neccesary.

The way I figure it, if you want crazy scenerios played out by unrealistic characters, watch All My Children. Wrestling programs should be about just that....wrestling.

 

[chessarmy]

^ no. That would get boring, wrestling shows should be about storylines AND wrestling. There need to be actual meaning behind the matches

And as for the thread, I disagree. While your ideas were great, I just don't think this is the reason for the product being stale. The only thing that will get me back into the WWE is if they give us the same suspense, and the same storylines from earlier this year. In particular, I'm talking about WWE Draft time. The product was ON FIRE and they were doing all the same things that they do now, except the storylines were better so you had to tune in just to see what could happen next. What is in Kane's bag? What is going to happen with all the championships? Are just two of many questions I had when the product was hot over the summer. That is the cure, imo

 

[Soulpower]

Everyone has a gimmick, except the jobbers and HHH.

He has a gimmick. A God gimmick, to be precise.

 

[the dark knight]

i dont remember her saying wwe needs more gimmicks. and i dont think she even means "gimmick" as in taker-like persona....she just means the on-screen character, i think. so yea, more in-depth= better.

 

[CenaMark54]

He has a gimmick. A God gimmick, to be precise.

That isn't a gimmick. HHH really is God,

 

[Great One]

That isn't a gimmick. HHH really is God,

Truth.

 

[The A-man]

WWE has been really down on the creativity lately. In my opinion, it isn't that interesting anymore. I find one of those problems to be not using gimmicks to their full potential. Now I'm not saying they should go gimmick crazy, they just need to make them stand out a bit more. It seems that all WWE is going with the wrestlers is have them step in the ring and wrestle anymore.

Although, I guess at this stage of the game, seeing that WWE is veiwed more as entertainment than actual wrestling, I suppose crazy gimmicks are neccesary.

IMO, all that the WWE is doing nowadays is finding and hiring wrestlers just for the sole sake of playing or portraing characters and gimmicks that they come up with not because of legit wrestling talent.

Even if it is all for just entertainment, they can still do tons better and be innovative and not half-ass stuff like Jesse and Festus. Those guys do have talent, but a flat-out can't get behind their gimmick 'cause of how dumb it is.

 

[Montana]

I wouldn't mind seeing a new monster, like the old Kane/Taker. Pretty much just like the boogieman, but one that can wrestle. Creative characters lead to creative storylines.

Although i don't see a need for more gimmicks, i think there needs to be more diversity amoung current characters. Whats teh difference between guys like Jericho, Orton, Dibiase, Rhodes, Kennedy, Dykstra, Brian Kendrick????

 

[THE Brian Kendrick's Biceps]

Whats teh difference between guys like Jericho, Orton, Dibiase, Rhodes, Kennedy, Dykstra, Brian Kendrick????

Jericho, Orton, DiBiase, Rhodes, Kennedy and Kendrick all still have jobs.