25 Worst Gimmicks in WWE History Inspired By The 'Vegetated' Undertaker

Today we take a look at the 25 Worst Gimmicks in WWE History. When talking about gimmicks, there is no way to not think of the greatest gimmick of them all, The Undertaker.

The gimmick of The Undertaker could have honestly went either way. There was no way to tell what direction it would turn.

Now, with The Undertaker being in a 'vegetative state,' it will be interesting to see where his gimmick is headed next.

Quiet frankly, this could have been the worst gimmick in WWE history. Think about how corny it really is at it's core. With the wonders of really good booking and great opponents, Mark Callaway made it work.

Here are the 25 Worst Gimmicks in WWE History through my eyes and memory. There are countless gimmicks to choose from, but these were the absolute worst I could think of.

25. Kevin Thorn/Mordecai

25. Kevin Thorn/Mordecai – The man who once had another terrible gimmick, which we will get to later, made a slight impact during the re-birth of ECW in 2006.

With Vampires becoming a major part of pop culture around 2006, it was only smart for WWE to launch a vampire gimmick. It also made sense as WWE was just beginning to air ECW on Sci-Fi.

Kevin Thorn, who was followed to ring by his sexy valet Ariel, was in full vampire mode. During some vignettes, he would spit blood towards the camera and show off his fangs.

Thorn was a member of the short-lived “New Breed” on ECW. He had a short run of success with victories over Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards, and Balls Mahoney.

Thorn requested to be released from his contract in January 2009 after frustrations with his career direction. He hasn’t been seen in WWE since, and who knows if we will ever see this bizarre vampire again.

Mordecai was brought to the WWE for one reason and that was to destroy The Undertaker. From what I recall, it never came to fruition and the stupid gimmick was dropped before it could ever get off the ground.

24. Repo Man

Poor Barry Darsow got stuck with this awful gimmick. After years of success as a member of Demolition, WWE decided to repackage Barry Darsow as The Repo Man.

The Repo Man would repossess items from people who were late on their payments. He had a loose association with IRS and had a brief feud with The British Bulldog.

One of the last big matches Darsow had in WWE was with Randy Savage. Darsow stole Savage's hat at the announce position on an episode of RAW. Randy Savage would regain the hat by defeating Darsow in a match the next week.

The Repo Man made a one night return at Wrestlemania 17 for the gimmick battle royal. I am cutting him a little slack by not putting him higher on this list, but Barry Darsow definitely got stuck with one of the worst gigs in WWE history.

23. "The African Dream" Akeem

I will never understand how they could make us believe that this man was African. The One Man Gang was a gimmick that George Gray had before entering WWE and used throughout his first two years.

Sometime during his second year, someone had the brilliant idea to reveal his African roots to the public. No pun intended.

He was billed from “The Deepest, Darkest Parts of Africa” which was only an American ghetto. Gang’s manager, Slick, took “Mean” Gene to this remote location where African dancers were dancing in the street.

Akeem then cut a promo with a stereotypical black accent and was pretty controversial.

This gimmick made no sense and he should have retained his “One Man Gang” gimmick in his late 80’s feud with Hulk Hogan and Macho Man.

It would have gotten over much better than this stupid gimmick that probably made Vince McMahon laugh hysterically behind the scenes.

22. Red Rooster

Terry Taylor fell out of the opportunity to be “Mr. Perfect” and instead got stuck being The Red Rooster. He was apparently a half man, half rooster that had a red Mohawk to look like that of a rooster.

The short stay in the WWE for The Red Rooster really culminated when he turned face against his evil manager, Bobby Heenan, and defeated him in 30 seconds at WrestleMania V.

I’m sure there are still little “Rooster Boosters” running around somewhere out there that are waiting patiently for the return of The Red Rooster.

22. Red Rooster

Terry Taylor fell out of the opportunity to be “Mr. Perfect” and instead got stuck being The Red Rooster. He was apparently a half man, half rooster that had a red Mohawk to look like that of a rooster. The short stay in the WWE for The Red Rooster really culminated when he turned face against his evil manager, Bobby Heenan, and defeated him in 30 seconds at WrestleMania V.

I’m sure there are still little “Rooster Boosters” running around somewhere out there that are waiting patiently for the return of The Red Rooster.

21. Rico The Stylist

Rico was the stylist for the “maybe gay” tag team of Billy and Chuck. He wasn’t a bad wrestler, but he was completely feminine and continually got more feminine as he went on.

He later managed 3 Minute Warning and became a tag team champion with Rikishi.

He also turned into more of a manly version of himself and gained a bit of fanfare with it. He then won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Charlie Haas.

20. Giant Gonzales

If anyone can explain to me the point of Jorge Gonzales wearing that ridiculous muscle suit with the fur on it, I would love to hear it.

The fact is, Jorge Gonzales was one of the most physically impressive big men in wrestling history.

Giant Gonzales had a huge feud with The Undertaker in 1993 with two big pay per view matches at WrestleMania and SummerSlam. The Undertaker won both, leading to a face turn on his manager Harvey Wippleman.

I wish Jorge all the best as I have read that he isn’t in the best of health right now living in Argentina.

He is a beloved wrestler and hopefully he can overcome his health issues and continue to live a long, prosperous life.

19. Max Moon

The Max Moon gimmick was so bad that WWE needed two guys to use it. However, famous Mexican wrestler, Konnan, was the main culprit behind this gimmick.

Rumor has it that this gimmick was his idea. Just take a look at that picture.

Max Moon was apparently a cyborg who hailed from Outer Space. He also enjoyed shooting sparkles into the crowd on his way to the ring. This should be a lot higher on the list, but since Konnan ended up being really successful, we’ll give him a bit of a pass on this one.

18. Duke The Dumpster Droese

He was a garbage man wrestler. If he was truly a garbage man, he wouldn’t have any time to wrestle. Those who are garbage men out there know what I’m talking about.

Anyway, he was best known for having a short feud with Triple H during his early days in WWE. Droese actually handed The Game his first loss by Disqualification, but then went on to lose to Helmsley on pay-per-view at In Your House 6: Rage in the Cage.

Droese asked for his release in 1996 because he needed a rest from the travel. He made a return for the WrestleMania 17 gimmick battle royal and did a pretty solid job.

17. Deuce & Domino

How cheesy was this gimmick? These guys were stuck in the 1950’s with their slick hair and greaser style.

This reminded me of “Back to the Future” whenever they rolled out to the ring in their 50’s car with their sexy valet, Cherry. She was definitely the best part of this gimmick, so I am going to do her a favor and leave her out of this.

These two actually had a fair amount of success in the WWE by winning the WWE Tag Team Championships on Smackdown. Soon after they lost the titles, they were disbanded and moved to separate brands.

Within the next two years, all three members were released from their contracts and the gimmick has been put to rest forever…hopefully.

16. Tugboat

This Popeye the Sailor Man rip-off debuted as Hulk Hogan’s big, furry friend. The gimmick didn’t last long as he went on to become Typhoon and formed The Natural Disasters with Earthquake.

Tugboat did compete at the side of Hogan at The Survivor Series against the likes of Earthquake and Dino Bravo.

Fred Ottman, who is the man behind the gimmick, went on to enter the Gimmick Hall of Fame with The Shockmaster Incident that you can and should look up on YouTube if you would like to laugh.

15. Aldo Montoya

Now this gimmick wasn’t just the coolest. It wasn’t just the best. It was just incredible.

Actually, it was awful. What the hell is a Portuguese Man of War anyway? Because he was actually a member of the famous “Kliq”, he got a couple of good matches out of Jeff Jarrett and Ted DiBiase Sr. The gimmick was so odd that he wasn’t getting booked much and was soon released by the WWE.

He went onto become the ECW World Heavyweight Champion as Justin Credible and later formed X-Factor with X-Pac and A-Train in WWE.

14. Damien Demento

Ugh. I absolutely hate this guy and don’t want to waste any time talking about him.

As an analyst, I must do what I have to do. Damien Demento spent a year in the WWE with one of the most ridiculous gimmicks of all time.

He came from “The Outer Reaches of Your Mind” and enjoyed talking to himself in a very strange manner.

His ONLY claim to fame in wrestling was being involved in the first-ever main event for Monday Night RAW taking on The Undertaker.

The reason I hate this guy is because he has made a few waves with his dumb radio show on the Internet. He feels that since he wrestled for one year in WWE—which is longer than I will—he has the right to criticize great talents like Rob Van Dam and Jim Ross to name a few.

13. Skinner

Although the gimmick sucked, Steve Keirn is a vital member of the WWE family. He helps train many past and present WWE wrestlers at his training facility, FCW.

Skinner, however, was a gnarly alligator hunter. The gimmick was atrocious.

He did, however, have one really high profile match against Bret “Hitman” Hart at “This Tuesday in Texas” in 1991. Hart was victorious and Skinner shortly made his exit from WWE.

12. T.L. Hopper

TL Hopper – This plumber seemed completely out of place in the WWE in 1996. He didn’t have much in ring time with this gimmick, but when he did defeat his opponent, he would use his trusty plunger, “Betsy”, to plunge his fallen foe's face.

He later returned as Uncle Cletus to manage The Godwinns.

11. Saba Simba

Tony Atlas is the only current Hall of Famer on this list. Although he did not enter the Hall as Saba Simba, he did make it.

Saba Simba was a warrior from Uganda and may have been one of the most racist gimmicks in wrestling history.

He didn’t achieve much with his stint as Saba, but did have an appearance in the 1991 Royal Rumble.

Atlas was just recently released by WWE after serving as manager for Mark Henry and introduction man for Abraham Washington.

10. Kwang

Savio Vega made his WWE debut in 1994 as a masked ninja warrior named Kwang. This gimmick was so stupid it makes me laugh.

Kwang never beat anyone and like every other masked Asian wrestler, he spit mist in his opponent's face.

Savio is not Asian, by the way. He went on to have great success as himself in the WWE.

9. The Ringmaster

Don’t give me a hard time about this choice. The WWE was lucky they recovered what they could have possibly lost with this stupid idea for a gimmick.

When I saw that there was going to be a guy name The Ringmaster, I initially thought that someone was going to run a circus into the WWE.

Managed by Ted DiBiase, The Ringmaster was his chosen Million Dollar Champion. Before long, WWE realized they had something on their hands with this Ringmaster guy.

With DiBiase on his way out of the WWE, it was the perfect opportunity to let Steve Austin go out on his own…and boy, did he make an impact.

8. Man Mountain Rock

This man was a electric guitar playing, heavy metal loving hippie who had some success previously in WCW as Maxx Payne—no relation to Alex Payne.

He used to play rock music and Vince McMahon, who was the announcer, would scream that Man Mountain Rock was going to “rock this house.” He didn’t achieve much in the ring during his time with WWE.

After leaving the company, he talked about releasing video footage that he filmed backstage during his tenure there. Apparently, this footage contains substance abuse and solicitation.

It has never been released, but who knows if Man Mountain Rock will try to rock the foundation of WWE someday with that footage.

7. Jimmy Wang Yang

Jimmy Yang is an amazing wrestler. I have seen him wrestle tremendous matches in WWE, WCW, and Ring of Honor. However, during his final run with WWE he was given a terrible gimmick.

Jimmy Wang Yang was born. He was an Asian cowboy who would dance to the ring in his cowboy hat and boots.

He did a great job with the redneck gimmick, but just did not fit into the mold of WWE. He was just recently released from his contract.

6. The Goon

The Goon was a hockey character that was kicked out of every single league that he ever participated in because of how violent he was. Bill Irwin did his best with a ridiculous gimmick that only lasted for a few months.

Although he didn’t achieve any high-profile victories, he did compete in the WrestleMania 17 Gimmick Battle Royal and the RAW 15th Anniversary Battle Royal as well.

5. Eugene

Poor Nick Dinsmore is a very talented professional wrestler, but there is no way he will ever be able to shake this gimmick.

Eugene was the mentally challenged nephew of Eric Bischoff who had amazing feats of strength at any given time.

Bischoff gave William Regal the task of looking after Eugene and he eventually took a liking to the newcomer.

Eugene wrestled in some big matches with Triple H and Kurt Angle. He was definitely over, but once again, this was a gimmick that was tasteless and that he will never be able to shake.

4. The Gobbledy Gooker

Survivor Series 1990 had a huge mystery egg that was ominous for weeks on Superstars.

The same night that The Undertaker debuted in front of the wrestling world, The Gobbledy Gooker danced around the ring with Mean Gene.

Hilarious from all different angles, this had to be one of the worst ideas in history. Was it a rib? I think so.

Did he ever wrestle a match? Actually, Hector Guerrero donned the costume during the WrestleMania 17 gimmick battle royal.

3. Kerwin White

Chavo Guerrero decided on one fateful day he would no longer be a Mexican wrestler. He wanted to be a white man so he decided to become Kerwin White.

He used to say that “if it’s not white, it’s not right” and drive a golf-cart to the ring with his clubs in the back.

White became completely racist and started making remarks towards Shelton Benjamin. He wrestled him a few times in losing efforts.

The Kerwin White gimmick was soon dropped after the tragic death of his Uncle Eddie Guerrero. Chavo wanted to go on with the Guerrero name in the ring and continue the legacy.

2. Bastion Booger

Mike Shaw achieved a bit of success in the NWA as Norman The Lunatic, but didn’t achieve the same when he became Bastion Booger.

This gimmick HAD to be a rib on Mike. He looks gluttonous and unkempt when he came to the ring. He apparently smelled really bad.

He did achieve a bit of success with wins against Owen Hart and Virgil. Booger had a short feud with Bam Bam Bigelow because he took a liking to Bigelow’s valet, Luna Vachon. Booger was released shortly thereafter.

He made a brief return in character at the 15th Anniversary of RAW show in a segment with Triple H and Big Dick Johnson where it was believed that he might be Big Dick’s father.

1. Mantaur

Who the hell is Mantaur? Around this time period, Vince McMahon would do everything in his power to make the world believe that this man could be the next big threat to the title.

With his over the top bravado, McMahon announced Mantaur as something unique and legendary.

Mantaur was a man-bull who used bull-like strikes on his opponents. He had horns and used to charge at his foes.

Mantaur has a couple of big matches against Razor Ramon and Bret Hart, but was on the losing end of both. He was not good in the ring and there was no way anyone would ever buy this gimmick as being legitimate.

Mantaur slowly faded away from WWE after injuring Bam Bam Bigelow with his stupid bull moves. Bigelow handled him during his last match on RAW and that was the end of Mantaur…and the end of our list.

Thanks for reading and please leave comments with questions or anything else about these ridiculous gimmicks.

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