Bad gimmicks are a decades-old phenomenon in the world of wrestling. For every Gorgeous George, there's a George Ringo, the Wrestling Beatle. For every "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, there's a "Playboy" Buddy Rose of "Blow-Away Diet" infamy. And for every Phil Brooks who gets over as CM Punk, there's a Phil Theis who fails to do so as Damien Demento. Not every gimmick will get wrestling fans behind the men and women who play those roles, but there are some instances where failed gimmicks could have worked, if they were played by someone else, or maybe debuted in another era where they might have gotten over.

Of course, there are gimmicks that are just downright wretched, and would have failed regardless of who was playing the role. Maybe they were too offensive, maybe they were too hokey, maybe they were too jokey, or perhaps a combination of some or all of those three. We're going to look at both situations in this list, as we recall 13 gimmicks from wrestling history that could have been successful if played by someone else, and 13 others that were rubbish no matter what.

26 Could Have Worked: Emmalina

It was the gimmick people had waited over four months for, with each passing vignette getting more and more disliked on YouTube. After spending some time on the sidelines with injuries, Emma was scheduled to be repackaged as the vain Emmalina, whom WWE creative had written as an old-school "Diva"-type not unlike heel Sable or your average Diva Search product of the mid 2000s. But the gimmick was literally dead on arrival, as Emma would announce the "makeover from Emmalina to Emma" on the very week she was supposed to re-debut.

Reports suggest that WWE wasn't pleased with how Emma had rehearsed the gimmick, but why'd they give it to her anyway? This was, after all, a woman who got over by being extremely talented in the ring, with her looks being a bonus. This could have been a good way to introduce someone like Mandy Rose, but as far as Emma was concerned, Emmalina was a wasted gimmick.

25 Bad Gimmick: CJ Parker (Hippie/Eco-Warrior)

NXT may be over with a lot of fans because of its focus on in-ring work over "sports entertainment," but that doesn't mean WWE's developmental promotion hasn't been guilty of introducing some bad gimmicks. Take the example of CJ Parker, who was initially debuted as a hippie character which we're not sure would have worked in the actual heyday of hippies. When fans turned on Parker's ill-fitting gimmick, he became the "Eco-Warrior," turning heel and criticizing fans for harming the environment. It was a terrible attempt to riff on CM Punk's holier-than-thou "Straight Edge Savior" gimmick, where the message of clean living was replaced by that of saving our planet.

With Parker still losing far more often than he won, he asked for his release, and has since broken out as one of NJPW's more promising young stars, using the name Juice Robinson. As his real name is Joseph Robinson, it's essentially his real self turned up to 11, much like a lot of successful gimmicks in today's wrestling scene.

24 Could Have Worked: Sean O'Haire (Devil's Advocate)

As you'll see a few times in this list, failed gimmicks don't necessarily equate to bad ones. One example of such was Sean O'Haire's Devil's Advocate gimmick, which was brilliant, innovative, and a perfect fit for the early years of Ruthless Aggression. Up to now, O'Haire's vignettes where he encouraged people to cheat on their partners (and their taxes) and not to go to church are among the most fascinating of their time, and for a couple of months, he was getting over on SmackDown with the gimmick. Then came his partnership with the returning Roddy Piper, where the Devil's Advocate character was abandoned without any fanfare.

Even worse for O'Haire, his tag team with Piper was also short-lived, as Hot Rod was canned by WWE in the summer of 2003 for making unsavory comments about the wrestling business in a TV interview. This could have been a case of WWE not having enough faith in O'Haire to carry his hot new gimmick – if that was indeed the case, then WWE could have given it to someone else, and ran with it for a good several months, or even a year or so.

23 Bad Gimmick: Kai En Tai/The Mexicools/Cryme Tyme

It wouldn't have mattered if you gave these gimmicks to other wrestlers. Dated stereotypes are dated stereotypes, and are not a good look in any pro wrestling climate, especially in today's day and age.

So where do we begin? Let's start with the first of these gimmicks in chronological order. As a stable, Kai En Tai is most infamous for the "choppy choppy your pee pee" segment with Val Venis, and as a tag team, Funaki and Taka Michinoku were given bad lip readings (supposedly courtesy of Shane McMahon) straight out of your average martial arts B-movie. The Mexicools initially rallied against Mexican stereotypes, only to represent many negative stereotypes of Mexican culture. And Cryme Tyme's parody of inner-city black culture was very seldom done with subtlety and nuance, as they still acted like petty thugs despite being booked as babyfaces for the most part.

We won't lie – there were certain occasions when these factions and tag teams genuinely made us laugh. But those were, if not guilty moments for us fans, isolated good moments in their mostly cringeworthy, line-crossing runs in the WWE.

22 Could Have Worked: The No Limit Soldiers

Rapper Master P had his finger in too many pies in the late '90s. Aside from his rap career and his label, No Limit Records, he tried (and failed) to make it in the NBA, and briefly played in the minor leagues. He also tried his hand in professional wrestling, and did so in WCW as he made his debut as the leader of the No Limit Soldiers, a faction that featured two green-as-grass rookies (Swoll and 4x4), lower-carder Chase Tatum, and inexplicably, Brad Armstrong. Presented as babyfaces, the stable was met by apathy at best, and ridicule at worst from WCW's country-loving Southern audiences, and was ultimately turned heel, with Curt Hennig's West Texas Rednecks turning face, and getting over with a song they actually performed, the infamous "Rap is Crap."

By the time Rey Mysterio and Konnan joined the No Limit Soldiers, it was too little, too late, and Master P's WCW stint was, by the end of it all, an unmitigated failure. Perhaps the stable would have gotten over if Mysterio, Konnan, and another established name or two were included from the start, or if Master P and his rookies weren't given so much focus.

21 Bad Gimmick: Berlyn

In one of the weirdest repackagings in WCW history, Alex Wright was taken off TV for the first several months of 1999, and re-debuted as Berlyn, a character so far removed from the dancing gimmick that had helped him get fairly over as a mid-card talent. As Berlyn, Wright was accompanied to the ring by his bodyguard simply known as "The Wall" (real subtle), and uttered no English in his promos, speaking exclusively in his native German as a woman named Ute Lutendorf acted as his interpreter. Lutendorf's German accent alternated between nonexistent and inconsistent, giving her even less credibility than the Mohawk and trenchcoat-wearing former dancing fool whom she translated for.

As Berlyn continued flopping with WCW fans, the company, enamored with The Wall's immense size, booked him much stronger than his client, as Wright's new foreign heel character fell flat on its face. After another several months off camera, Wright returned, and was unsurprisingly back to using his real name and his old, familiar gimmick.

20 Could Have Worked: Mordecai

For years, I've been torn over this gimmick, having initially judged it as bad, but having ultimately realized that the gimmick's failure was mostly on the man who played it, and the company that had him play the role before he was ready. With WWE intrigued by Kevin Fertig's size (6'3" and close to 300 pounds), he was given a big-time opportunity by debuting as Mordecai, a religious zealot who demanded that fans repent for their sins, and immediately went after one of the biggest fish in WWE's pond, The Undertaker.

Unfortunately, Fertig lasted just a few matches on the main roster, as WWE sent him back down to developmental after observing that he was clearly not ready for a big-time feud against the Deadman. In the end, he simply wasn't the right man for what could have been a promising gimmick, though he did have a second (blown) chance at WWE stardom as the vampiric Kevin Thorn.

19 Bad Gimmick: Kizarny

Independent wrestler Nick Cvjetkovich, or Sinn Bodhi as he's often known, was, as documented by Edge in his autobiography, a childhood friend of his and Christian's, as they grew up in Toronto as rabid wrestling fans, hoping to one day make it in the business. Obviously, things turned out well for Edge and Christian, as the former is a WWE Hall of Famer and the latter a prime candidate for future induction. But not even a longtime friendship with two of WWE's top stars could help Cvjetkovich attain success in the company, as he stands out as one of the PG Era's biggest flops of all-time as Kizarny.

First of all, few fans were able to get his vignettes – a long-haired, heavily tattooed man speaking in carny. When he made his debut on SmackDown in January 2009, you could almost hear a pin drop; the only reason he beat MVP in his debut match was because it was part of the latter's losing streak storyline. After appearing in an Elimination Chamber qualifying battle royal, Kizarny was fired (or is that fizz-ired?) from the WWE for allegedly missing a date, and he's since bounced around in the independent scene, while also marrying, and divorcing Jerry Lawler's ex, Stacy "The Kat" Carter earlier this decade.

18 Could Have Worked: Darren Young And Bob Backlund

With Darren Young floundering in the lower card, he was teamed up with WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund, who took over as the former Prime Time Player's maniacal mentor. The premise was to "Make Darren Young Great Again," and for a brief moment, it worked, as Young got an Intercontinental Championship match against The Miz. Then he lost that match decisively, and promptly returned to his old role on TV, which was to show up in random backstage segments/lumberjack matches, or do the job on house shows and Main Event.

There were two problems with this gimmick. One, "Crazy Bob" Backlund is so much better as a heel, and if you need proof of that, just listen to his insane promos circa 1994 to 1996, where he'd misuse big words, rant against the youth, and scream like a madman as he put everyone and his cousin in the Crossface Chickenwing. Two, he and Young just didn't have the chemistry. If WWE could have a do-over of this gimmick, they better make Backlund the heel, and make sure he's teamed up with someone he meshes with on camera.

17 Bad Gimmick: Billy And Chuck

In recent years, WWE officials have been quoted as saying they'd like to introduce more LGBT-friendly gimmicks going forward. This, dear readers, is the reason why we have trust issues when it comes to those plans. When WWE paired Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo in a new tag team, the two mid-carders soon began to act unusually affectionate toward each other. Anyone could have seen what was happening – Billy and Chuck were more than just friends and tag team partners. But when the time came for their commitment ceremony, both men revealed that it was a publicity stunt all along, and that they were really straight.

Naturally, this offended GLAAD, which had previously endorsed the commitment ceremony and was looking forward to how it would play out on TV. But it wasn't just the bait-and-switch payoff of the commitment ceremony that makes Billy and Chuck such a bad gimmick. They were portrayed as heels, and their admission that it was all a stunt was written as a face turn.

16 Could Have Worked: Waylon Mercy

When Barry Windham left for WCW after some success in the WWE as one-half of the U.S. Express, he was replaced by another tall, blonde grappler in Dan Spivey, who teamed up with Mike Rotunda for about a year or so. Spivey would remain in the WWE after Rotunda left the company, but after another year as a generic mid-card big man, he too was off to WCW by 1988. Then in 1995, he was back, with his now-thinning hair dyed black, and a new gimmick inspired by Robert De Niro's Max Cady character in the film Cape Fear – the vicious, ostensible Southern gentleman Waylon Mercy.

Vince McMahon, due to his legendary cluelessness toward modern pop culture, may not have gotten the Cape Fear references, but many fans did, and Spivey played the Waylon Mercy gimmick quite capably. But his advanced age and injury history put an end to his second WWE run soon before it started, and when Spivey left the WWE, that too was the end for his character. Until, of course, Rotunda's son Husky Harris became Bray Wyatt, and rebooted the Mercy gimmick for present-day audiences.

15 Bad Gimmick: Chaz Warrington (Leave It To Beaver Parody)

When talking about Attitude Era gimmicks that were controversial for the sake of being controversial, one need look no further than Beaver Cleavage. Due to Headbanger Thrasher's injuries, Headbanger Mosh was asked to grow his hair out a bit so he could play the new character of Beaver Cleavage, a parody of 1950s TV character Beaver Cleaver, who had a rather "close" relationship with his "mother," a female performer who was actually just a couple years older. The Beaver's black-and-white vignettes were riddled with tacky puns, essentially proving WWE was trying way too hard to get the new gimmick over.

When time came for Beaver Cleavage to debut, WWE did an abrupt pivot, asking Mosh (b. Charles "Chaz" Warrington) to cut a worked shoot denouncing the gimmick, and announce that from here on out, he'd be competing under his real name, with his "mother" actually being his kayfabe girlfriend, Marianna. That gimmick too was problematic for other reasons you may be aware about, and when Thrasher healed up, it was a relief when he and Mosh (briefly) reunited as The Headbangers.

14 Could Have Worked: Nia Jax (Enzo Amore's Girlfriend)

Despite a strong debut on the main roster where she was booked as the Raw women's division's new monster heel, Nia Jax was in a creative rut toward the end of 2017, having even gone as far as briefly walking out of the company, allegedly due to frustration over her start-stop booking. WWE's solution to mollify her? Have her braid her hair, give her slightly more revealing ring gear, and book her as Enzo Amore's new and unlikely love interest.

Anyone who's familiar with Jax's work in NXT and the main roster knew that this was a bad fit for her. If her size and strength makes her "not like most girls," why waste her in a role that could have been played by another female wrestler, even someone like Alicia Fox who'd been paired with many a Cruiserweight in the months prior? Fortunately, WWE wised up to its mistake after Amore was fired, and Jax has since been on a roll, having recently turned face as she prepares to face former best friend Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 34.

13 Bad Gimmick: Natalya (Flatulence Gimmick)

Being the WWE's first third-generation female wrestler and a member of the prestigious Hart family, Natalya is best booked when WWE is focusing on her technical ability, and not giving her weird character quirks such as being a "crazy cat lady" (bad), The Great Khali's girlfriend (even worse), and passing gas at inopportune moments, including actual matches (worst of 'em all). Yep, you knew you'd read about Nattie's flatulence gimmick in a list such as this, and believe us when we say it was a gimmick nobody, male or female, could have gotten over.

It's not exactly sure why Nattie was given the farting gimmick, but there were rumors suggesting that WWE was capitalizing on an unfortunate incident where she had accidentally passed some gas backstage. It wouldn't be shocking if those rumors were true, because you know how Vince McMahon is when it comes to scatological humor – it HAS to be on television in some way, shape, or form.

12 Could Have Worked: Lance Storm (Dancing Gimmick)

Whether working in ECW, WCW, WWE, or the independents, Lance Storm was always one of the more technically gifted wrestlers out there. Thing is, he wasn't always the most exciting wrestler to watch (or to hear speak), which is what prompted "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to begin trolling him by encouraging fans to chant "boring!" In storyline, this was supposed to convince Storm to work on his lack of charisma, and thanks to that, he began dancing before and after matches, and teaming with Sean "Chief" Morley, who dusted off his old Val Venis character, and made sure he and Storm always had pretty women accompanying them to the ring.

Try as WWE did to make him look "entertaining," the gimmick was not a good match for Storm, who was always best booked as a technical wizard whose actions did the talking. Sure, he would have still been "boring," but at least it's better than looking awkward, as he did by working a gimmick best suited for someone with more natural goofiness.

11 Bad Gimmick: Kerwin White

Out of all the goofy gimmicks Chavo Guerrero had played in his long wrestling career, none are more reviled than his portrayal of Kerwin White. As part of his new role, Guerrero dyed his hair blonde, began dressing like a middle-aged white guy, drove to the ring in a golf cart, and completely denied his Mexican heritage, even quipping that "Chavo has left the building" and is probably looking for work at "some taco stand" when fans booed his re-debut under his new gimmick.

There's really no saving a gimmick like Kerwin White. Even if it was an actual Caucaisian wrestler playing such a role, it would have still come about as tasteless, due to the "if it's not (Kerwin) White, it's not right" catchphrase, and the character-defining feuds with non-white wrestlers such as Tajiri and Shelton Benjamin. Yet WWE still ran with the gimmick, only allowing Chavo to be himself again after his uncle Eddie tragically passed away.

10 Could Have Worked: Skip Sheffield

It took three tries for Ryan (now legally known as Ryback) Reeves to make it in the WWE, first, using his birth name in the Million Dollar Tough Enough, then as one of the rookies trying to win a guaranteed WWE contract in the first season of NXT, the game show. Out of all the gimmicks we saw introduced in that first season, Skip Sheffield was arguably the worst – as the cowboy Sheffield, Reeves had to fake a Texan accent, advertise himself as the "corn-fed meathead," and utter one of the silliest catchphrases in recent WWE history, "yup yup yup, what it do!" "What it don't" would have been more like it.

Re-debuting Reeves as Sheffield was a huge mistake, as this was done during a period when the cowboy gimmick was essentially a relic of wrestling past; it could have worked in 1990, but not in 2010. When the Nexus stormed the WWE after NXT Season 1, Skip Sheffield was the faction's generic muscle, and was written off television a few months into their main roster run. Fortunately, Reeves finally succeeded as Ryback, even if that Goldberg-derivative gimmick never got him past the upper mid-card.

9 Bad Gimmick: Spirit Squad

Their goal was to annoy audiences, and annoy they did. Ken Doane, Mike Mondo, Johnny Jeter, Nick Nemeth, and Nick Mitchell were among the brighter talents in WWE's developmental scene circa 2005, and at the start of 2006, creative had the idea of bringing them in as male cheerleader stable. Together, the Spirit Squad had a lengthy run as WWE World Tag Team Champions, but there's a reason why hardly anyone looks back fondly at their WWE run – it was just a waste of promising young talent.

Just imagine if the Spirit Squad was introduced as a faction of angry rookies from developmental wreaking havoc on the WWE, and if the Nexus debuted as eight male cheerleaders. Surely you'd root for Kenny, Mikey, Johnny, Nicky, and Mitch, and not give a second look to Wade Barrett leading a hokey cheerleading routine as Daniel Bryan stands atop a human pyramid. It was obviously the gimmick that held back the Spirit Squad, and Nicky is lucky he was able to come back with a much stronger character (later misuse notwithstanding) as Dolph Ziggler.

8 Could Have Worked: Fake Razor Ramon And Fake Diesel

In the summer of 1996, it has been a few months since Scott Hall and Kevin Nash jumped shipped to WCW, initially debuting under their real names as The Outsiders, and later on forming the New World Order with Hulk Hogan. But WWE wanted to stick it to the defectors, which is why they had Jim Ross teasing the "return" of Razor Ramon and Diesel. Sure enough, he introduced the WWE Universe to Razor and Diesel, turning heel and parading ersatz versions of the iconic gimmicks, portrayed by young, then-inexperienced big men Rick Bognar and Glenn Jacobs.

Yes, there's no denying that Bognar and Jacobs' portrayals of Razor and Diesel were so obviously fake that anyone could see that they were both impostors. It did J.R. no favors either, as his heel turn flopped and he was quietly turned babyface soon after the jig was up. (Which it was, from the very start.) But there's one simple reason why these gimmicks could have worked – they already did, when Hall and Nash were the Bad Guy and Big Daddy Cool, respectively.

7 Bad Gimmick: Isaac Yankem

We could have easily included any other occupational gimmick from the New Generation Era, but since we already have an entry for Glenn Jacobs in the "could have worked" category, we might as well touch on the gimmick he played before he started impersonating Kevin Nash – Isaac Yankem, D.D.S. The character was introduced as part of Jerry Lawler's feud with Bret Hart – with the King's teeth supposedly ruined when he lost to the Hitman in their "Kiss My Foot" match, in stepped Yankem as Lawler's personal dentist, and later on enforcer as his rivalry with Hart was inexplicably stretched out.

After WWE mercy-killed the Lawler vs. Hitman feud, that immediately rendered the Yankem gimmick irrelevant and useless, as Jacobs became a jobber to the stars and was eventually taken off TV for repackaging. Truly, there were few "day job" gimmicks more unbelievable and ludicrous than this one – an evil wrestling dentist with bad teeth.